Chapter 224: Aisala: The Cat Never Bows, Unless for Fish

Chapter 224: Aisala: The Cat Never Bows, Unless for Fish

December 1, 1349, Wednesday

This year seems to be colder than previous years, with many parts of Backlund experiencing ice formation.

In the early morning, snowflakes occasionally drift down, sparking a trend among Backlund's nobility to enjoy the early morning snowfall.

As the sky begins to lighten, with the crimson moon not yet fully hidden, they brew a good cup of tea, sit on the balcony of their large houses, and enjoy the sight of the tiny snowflakes while sipping tea.

"Ah, it's really a bit cold today."

Maric held a cup of hot tea in one hand to warm his slightly chilly palms, then took a sip of wine.

As a living corpse, he shouldn't react to the cold, but as he often said, he was still human, made of flesh and blood, not an unfeeling corpse.

In this regard, Hastur agreed with his sentiment.

The role-playing of the extraordinary sequence is just that—you must always remember you are merely playing a role.

Hastur looked at the slightly bright sky with the falling snow, took a sip of warm tea, and felt much more comfortable.

This trend of enjoying the snow in the early morning in Backlund was started by him.

Perhaps the news of his impending departure to Southwell County reached Greck and Hibbert, who frequently invited him out for drinks and fun, which Hastur did not refuse.

But after a while, he found it boring, so he specifically invited Greck and Hibbert to enjoy tea and snow at this early hour.

Unexpectedly, this gradually sparked a so-called fashion trend among the nobility, claiming it was an exclusive enjoyment for them.

"You really know how to enjoy life."

Sharon, sitting opposite Hastur, glanced at him with a somewhat complicated expression.

At this moment, Hastur was lying on a specially made soft couch, covered with luxurious and precious white tiger fur, and draped with a finely embroidered blanket.

On his chest, Aisala was sleeping soundly on the blanket.

"It's time to enjoy life a bit. After all, once I leave Backlund, I probably won't have such good material conditions."

Hastur answered Sharon's question while gently stroking Aisala's head.

Since he was promoted to Sequence 6 Corrupted Baron, more than a month had passed. During this month, apart from invitations from Greck, Hibbert, and Grellint, he rarely went out.

He mostly stayed at home, doing luxurious and somewhat decadent things.

He was still exploring ways to spend money and enjoy life, seeking faster ways to play the role of Corrupted Baron.

Speaking of corruption, it generally involves material pleasures like eating, drinking, and playing, but it can also be played from a spiritual aspect.

A corrupted and degenerate mind is also very suitable for this sequence's role-playing.

"Come, try this Snow Red Bean dessert made by three master pastry chefs."

Hastur warmly invited Maric and Sharon to taste the delicacy, and he also took a piece of the exquisite red and white cake and put it in his mouth.

If Sharon and Maric weren't here, Hastur would probably have the maids bring him food one after another, and he would just need to open his mouth and enjoy it with his eyes closed.

During this time, he had seen a lot of the luxurious lives of the nobility with Greck and the others. His level of enjoyment was nothing compared to theirs.

"Hastur, you've fallen!"

Maric said with a tone of regret while eating the dessert.

"Yes, I've come to realize that one should enjoy life while young. Maric, think about it. When you're old, with white hair and missing teeth, will you still have the ability to enjoy a good life?"

"…That's nonsense."

"There's no truer logic than this. Enjoying life while you can is also a way of living."

"Sigh, Hastur, you weren't like this before."

Maric sighed and finished a bottle of fine wine worth 10 gold pounds and 6 soules.

Sharon's eyes flickered, but she said nothing more about Hastur's behavior.

She just found it hard to believe. If she remembered correctly, when she first met Hastur, he had just been promoted to Sequence 8 Barbarian, right?

In half a year, he had already been promoted again?

This speed was very fast, almost catching up to her, which made her feel a rare sense of urgency.

"Miss Sharon, when I leave Backlund and head to Southwell County, would you like to join me in enjoying the southern sea view?"

Hastur's sudden question made Sharon's heart flutter, but her face remained calm.

"At this stage, I won't leave Backlund."

"Is that so? That's a bit of a pity. I was hoping to experience a real extraordinary adventure with you."

Sharon's lips moved slightly, stopping herself from saying anything, and she looked at the sky outside the balcony, saying softly, "The outside world is very dangerous. Backlund is one of the few places we can call home."

"Backlund isn't necessarily that safe either."

Hastur said with some emotion, then changed the topic, "It seems I need to write some interesting stories during this time, so Miss Sharon can have something to entertain herself with."

Sharon originally wanted to say that having a messenger was very convenient, but she didn't say it in the end, just looking at the small snowflakes outside that were about to end.

It wasn't the coldest time in Backlund yet. The coldest season would come at the end of January after the New Year.

But in previous years, the coldest time in Backlund was about this temperature, which meant that January next year might break the record for the coldest temperature in Backlund.

"I'm still looking forward to a heavy snowfall in Backlund. It should be much more beautiful than now. This little snow can't even wet a person's clothes," Maric interjected.

Hastur smiled and said, "Perhaps this is already the warmest winter in Backlund's future."

"Really?"

"I have the same feeling," Sharon also spoke.

"Prepare more coats and food. Be careful not to starve to death in the future."

Hastur said this jokingly.

"Heh, I'm a living corpse sequence. It's impossible to freeze me to death. But you, a noble who doesn't work with your hands, are more likely to end up like that."

"Southwell County is much warmer than Backlund. I'm going there to escape the cold."

The three of them chatted for more than half an hour. The sun had already started to rise, and the small snowflakes in the sky were melted into small water droplets by the sunlight.

Maric and Sharon left, and Aisala woke up from her sleep, licking Hastur's palm and meowing continuously.

"Aisala, how about I have some new clothes custom-made for you?"

"Meow!" Aisala firmly opposed this suggestion!

"Don't be so resistant. The weather will get colder, and your fur isn't warm enough."

"Meow!"

Aisala would never easily compromise on this issue! Once it happened, there would definitely be a second time!

"I can reward you with your favorite small fish. They are small silver fish from the northernmost sea of the Fosa Empire."

"Meow?"

"There are very few of them. If you don't buy them early, when the sea freezes, the production of small silver fish will sharply decrease, and you won't be able to taste them."

"Meow."

Aisala lowered her proudly raised head. Sometimes, it's worth paying a little price for delicious food.

This reminded Hastur of the orcs in Warcraft.

Orcs never bow, unless they are offered food and shelter.

In Aisala's case, it should be: The cat never bows, unless for fish.

---

In a relatively secluded royal estate in the Queen's District, in a dimly lit room, two figures stood facing each other.

Mr. A said slowly, "Don't you understand? Our Aurora Society will not participate in your action this time."

"This was agreed upon before. I want to know why you suddenly changed your mind."

Standing opposite Mr. A was Panatia, known as the Despair Nightingale of the Witch Sect.

"Our Aurora Society doesn't need to explain our reasons to you. In short, the previous plan is canceled. Whether you agree or not, our Aurora Society will not participate."

Even in the face of a Sequence 4 Despair Witch, Mr. A's tone remained neither humble nor arrogant, not caring about the other's semi-divine status.

Panatiyasneered, "Hah, can you, a mere Mr. A, decide this matter?"

Mr. A just looked at her with a pitying gaze, as if looking at a clown, and waved his hand, "I've said what I needed to say. I have no interest in wasting time with you here."

"Is this an oracle from your Lord?"

Panatia's expression changed slightly as if she had thought of something, but Mr. A didn't answer, pushing open the window and turning into a gust of wind, leaving through the window.

"Could it really be the latest oracle from the True Creator?"

Panatiyawas a bit uncertain. Mr. A's attitude just now was worth pondering.

"Forget it, I'll leave this matter to the White Saintess to decide."

Panatiyaleft the room and headed to a room at the end of the right corridor on the second floor of the estate.

Inside the room, sitting at the dressing table by the window, was a girl who looked pure, gentle, and sweet.

Her black hair was smooth, her face round, and her eyes slender. Her features were not very outstanding, but combined, they gave a very comfortable and reassuring feeling.

Panatiyaglanced at the ring on the girl's finger and smiled, "Triss, you've been very good today, not trying to escape while I was talking to someone."

The girl called Triss didn't speak, just looked at the increasingly unfamiliar face in the mirror.

Clearly, that person was herself, but she felt very strange, as if it was someone else with the same appearance.

(End of the chapter)