Chapter 3: Little Cat Girl

After finishing his meal, Mike booked a room. As a newcomer without a fixed residence, he had to stay at the mercenary tavern temporarily. The cleanliness of such places varied depending on the owner's habits. Evelyn was meticulous about cleanliness and ensured regular cleaning, so the rooms here didn't have that weird Qiqi smell.

Mike headed out after placing his belongings in the room and taking some equipment that might be needed for the mission. This mission was relatively simple, an escort job. It was akin to escorting a nuclear bomb in his previous life, but this time it was a cart full of magic potions bound for the "Heidis Magic Academy" in Gorilla City, 135 kilometers away.

The employer was the owner of a magic potion shop, and due to the high value of the potions, the pay was substantial—1500 gold coins, of which around 1200 gold coins remained after Evelyn's commission and some security deposit deductions.

Due to the high value of the cargo and frequent robbery incidents near Seadot, normally a large team would be required for escort. Evelyn had suggested Mike find a few more people to join the mission, but Mike declined. "Because more people mean less money," he said.

Mike had a big appetite; he intended to take these thousand gold coins for himself.

Evelyn didn't argue further. After all, mercenaries were like that. If they weren't greedy, they wouldn't be mercenaries. But having a big appetite also required corresponding strength; otherwise, it would be a problem whether one could handle it.

She wanted to see if Mike alone could complete this mission. If he failed, she would lose some credibility. But if he succeeded, she would gain a powerful asset, giving her the capital to take on more advanced tasks. It was a gamble in Seadot, where people had a big appetite for risks.

The convoy departed in the afternoon. By the time Mike finished his meal and arrived at the city gate, the convoy was ready. The convoy had its own escort team, but with only five people, additional manpower was needed.

When the convoy leader saw Mike arriving alone, he was surprised. "Just you?" he asked.

"Just me is enough," Mike grinned.

Wow, he's that confident?

The convoy leader, Geoff, scrutinized Mike with a skeptical gaze but decided that Mike's physique alone should mean he wasn't a rookie. Moreover, although robbery incidents were frequent near Seadot, Mike had chosen a longer but safer route recently opened, patrolled by imperial patrols—bandits wouldn't dare approach that route easily. So, even without Mike, Geoff felt they'd be fine. He had advised against additional manpower, but due to the high value of the potions, the shop owner had insisted.

"Let's get going then," Geoff said.

The convoy set off, heading towards Gorilla City along the road. Mike leisurely followed, sitting atop the second carriage's cargo box.

The carriage was pulled by a domesticated magical beast called a pack beast, strong and gentle, perfect for pulling carriages. Geoff, not one for small talk, held his sword and shield, sitting at the front of the convoy, alert to the surroundings, looking very professional.

Mike leaned against the cargo box, yawning. Within a thirty-mile radius of Seadot was a protected area, with regular patrols by fixed units, so the first thirty miles were peaceful. Mike planned to catch some sleep—he hadn't rested much since arriving in Seadot.

But someone wouldn't let him rest.

"What's your name, meow?" A clear voice rang out.

Mike opened his eyes and looked up to see a petite figure crouching on the cargo box.

Standing barely over five feet tall, she had two furry cat ears on her head, and behind her swayed a long, fluffy cat tail.

Mike immediately recognized her—a branch of the Beastman race, the Catfolk.

In this world, except for the Beastman Empire, Beastmen generally held low status elsewhere.

The Cat Girl in front of him... how should he put it?

She was damn cute!

Chestnut-colored short hair, snug-fitting light armor, a small dagger at her waist, those bright large eyes, and her fair, smooth skin—all marked her as a lively and wild Cat Girl. Mike thought to himself, then said, "Mike."

"A strange name, meow," the Cat Girl tilted her head, revealing sharp little fangs as she smiled. "I'm Qiqi, meow!"

Mike couldn't help but chuckle at the adorable little girl. She had a habit of adding "meow" to her sentences.

Before Mike could respond, Qiqi brought up her topic.

"I'm the scout for our team, about to go scout ahead, meow."

"The old guy up front is our captain, Geoff, a formidable shield and sword master, meow."

"Those two are Warren and Walter, brothers who are both swordsmen, meow."

"And that's Martina, a very accurate archer, meow."

"What's your profession, meow?"

Mike pondered for a moment, then replied, "I'm a warrior-type mage."

Qiqi blinked in confusion. "What's that, meow?"

"It means I fight like a warrior but with magic," Mike explained.

"So you hit people with a magic staff, meow?" Qiqi teased, waving her arms.

"Haha, you could say that," Mike nodded, picking up an iron hammer nearby. "This is my magic wand."

"I call her Angel."

"Because she can send people to heaven."

"Hahaha!" Qiqi's laughter was infectious, clutching her stomach and rolling on the cargo box.

Her laughter was so clear that it dispelled any drowsiness Mike might have felt. This was one of the benefits of his giant physique, which gave him abundant energy. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to cross two thousand kilometers in half a month to get here.

"You're quite interesting for a big guy," Qiqi remarked after laughing. "I thought you'd be as clumsy as those big guys with skin as hard as rocks... meow!"

As she spoke, a small bird flew by. Qiqi's ears perked up instantly, and she exerted force with all four limbs, leaping several meters high like a cat. However, the bird reacted swiftly, making a sharp turn, and Qiqi managed to grab only a few feathers.

She landed lightly back on the cargo box, looking somewhat disappointed. "It got away, meow..."

Watching Qiqi, Mike suddenly had an idea to play with her. He caught a few feathers that had fallen from the bird, then jumped off the carriage and ran into the nearby bushes. He plucked a strand of grass about the length of his arm and tied the feathers to the end.

In no time, he had made a simple cat toy.

"Qiqi, look here," Mike said.

Qiqi tilted her head and looked over. She then saw Mike waving the makeshift toy in his hand. Instantly, Qiqi's pupils dilated, her ears stood tall, her body crouched low, and her tail perked up. In the next moment, she pounced directly towards the toy.

"Meow!"