White Cloud City
While Link was busy crafting an axe for Holun, Felina was not idling around, she took Merchant Masos with her and circled around White Cloud City in search of the exiled god Elodim.
However, after an entire day of searching, she had not gotten any results. She clearly felt that he was right here in White Cloud City. It was strange that she did not even see a phantom of his appearance.
She had a feeling that the exiled god was avoiding her on purpose.
By late night, Masos and her returned to the Sleeping Giant Inn feeling lethargic after a day of futile work.
Link was also busy the entire day. He was just about to rest when he saw Felina. Looking at her dejected expression, he said, "It seems like it didn't go well."
Felina nodded and said, "I didn't find him. I have this feeling that he is playing catch with me. At times, I even have this feeling that he was staring at me in some secluded corner."
Masos was present as well. He had followed Felina around the entire day and was extremely tired. He felt as if his legs were breaking.
The three of them then made their way to the hall of the inn before finding a table to rest their weary legs. Masos massaged his legs as he asked, "May I know who you are looking for? If you are to tell me, I may be of help."
Felina did not know if she should divulge the secret to Masos. She then stared at Link to which he gave a reassuring nod.
She thought for a moment before she said, "I have no idea how he looks like now as well. I can only roughly tell his location. He is an exiled god and possesses unimaginable wisdom. We hope to find this person and obtain countermeasures against the Divine Gear from him."
"You don't know his exact appearance?" Masos frowned as he stroked the beard he had just tidied. He then said, "Even if you were to give a vague description, I would be able to help you find him. However, I cannot be of any help like this."
It was truly a dead end.
Link then fell into deep thought. He drank the beverage that was served as he thought about the peculiar magic book by Elodim he had read some time ago. He could get a sense of Elodim's character from the book.
After half a minute, Link said, "Although I have no idea what he looks like. He is definitely a strange one. Yes, extremely strange. He seems to be angry at everything in the world and is extremely arrogant, belittling everything around him…He should have another habit. He likes to sit on the roof while staring at the starry night sky."
Felina shot a glance at Link quizzically and said, "Link, what even…"
"I once read a magic book written by him. It was a peculiar yet powerful book filled with vulgarities and anger. Through his writing, I could sense his character. It should be some sort of intuition."
Words were the embodiment of a writer's soul. If a reader were to immerse themselves fully in the writing of an author, they could feel the very sense of their soul and their being. This interaction was extremely mysterious. Usually, people who could achieve this were exceptionally focused and patient people who possessed a strong mind.
Link was one of them.
After Masos listened to Link's explanation, his eyebrows twitched slightly.
Link knew that Masos was on to something and asked, "What did you want to say?"
"In White Cloud City, there is a being that fits your description perfectly, though it is a cat and not a human. It is an extremely intelligent cat," Masos said in an incredulous tone, though he truly felt that the cat was the being Link and company was looking for.
"A cat?" Felina and Link stared at this merchant expectantly, waiting for him to divulge more information.
Masos then nodded seriously and said, "Yes, a cat!"
He then described this cat in greater detail, "This cat has extremely shiny fur. From afar, it looks as if he's enveloped in a godly aura. It has a slender body and is extremely fast, able to capture its prey in an instant. It was a common consensus in the city that the cat was special, believing that it could defend them against evil spirits. I have seen it a few times as well, and it behaves exactly like the way you described. One night, I even saw the cat squatting on the roof of a wooden building, staring at the stars. I thought it was interesting at that time and threw an acorn at him. He then stared at me with a deadly stare that sent shivers down my spine."
That was strange.
Felina munched at the food that was served in a daze. Although it was delicious, her focus was completely elsewhere. She said, "The queen once told me that this exiled god had basically no powers. The only special thing about him is his immortal soul. If that is the case, do you think he might have revived using the body of the black cat?"
This might just be possible. Link was starting to get interested with this peculiar black cat.
"Masos, do you know where this black cat is?"
Masos then shrugged his shoulders as he said, "I have no idea. It appears out of nowhere. After all, who would bother keeping track of where a cat is. This is strange though. I would always see him around every so often before, but after you guys arrived, I stopped seeing him entirely."
Thinking back on Felina's experience, Link quickly came to a conclusion, "This black cat is likely who we are looking for. Although he is trying to hide from us."
"Why is he doing that?" Felina frowned. They were merely trying to ask a few questions. Furthermore, he was a god; even if he was exiled and had lost all his powers, there was nothing they could do to him. What was he afraid of?
"Perhaps he just does not want to see us. Or even…He might have found a way to escape this cage confining him. He probably thinks that we would ruin it for him," Link predicted.
Link did not pull this out of nowhere. He had derived this from the actions of the exiled god. The god was unsatisfied with his current state. He wished to regain his freedom and be unshackled from the World of Firuman. Would he ever let go of this chance if he could? Clearly not.
What could help me escape the World of Firuman? Divine Gear Dark Serpent?
That was not possible. According to the Red Dragon Queen, the Dark Serpent had already appeared three times. Elodim was also the one who helped expel the Dark Serpent for its past two appearances. This meant that the Dark Serpent was not his chance.
Link suddenly remembered the words of the Storm Lord's sword.
The Storm Lord's sword had mentioned that the world was going through some peculiar changes. The thing that was instigating these changes was probably Isendilan's revival techniques.
He described the spell as the destruction of this world's principles, a rift in time-space, and the disintegration of the world
Disintegration of the world? If the world is truly destroyed, wouldn't he be able to escape? Furthermore, Isendilan is also a red dragon. He could similarly, feel the presence of this exiled god and could approach him for help. Could it be that Elodim and Isendilan had combined forces, allowing Isendilan to obtain the revival technique?
At that instant, thoughts flashed through Link's mind. They were extremely terrifying and sent chills down his spine.
These were merely his conjectures without any proof. He could not say these baseless accusations as no one would believe them.
Felina did not notice Link's discomfort. She was still worried about the black cat as she said, "If a cat was truly avoiding us, there was no way we could find it. What should we do?"
Masos shook his head and said, "There is a method."
"Speak," Link's eyes brightened. Following which he said, "Wait, Felina, is he near us?"
Felina then took around ten seconds before she shook her head and said, "No, I cannot feel his presence. He must have known that I was looking for him."
"Alright then, Masos, speak."
Masos whispered, "I have heard rumors that this black cat is extremely gluttonous. He would appear in places where delicacies await, especially when fish was involved. He likes it so much that he will not be able to control himself."
"Not able to control himself? Please elaborate," Link pressed.
Although this story is slightly absurd, it seemed acceptable for a Magician who had written a vulgar and peculiar book. After all, he was simply a strange person.
Masos drank his rice wine as he continued, "This is a legend of the dancing black cat. Everyone in White Cloud City knows that if you wish for the black cat to dance, you will have to capture a fresh fish from the Crystal Blue Lake before boiling a pot of tasty fish broth and putting it on the roof. After a while, the black cat would arrive and enjoy his meal. Say nothing for the first time and continue doing so for a few more times. When the time is ripe, you can negotiate for a dance in exchange for more fish broth. After which, when the black cat is finally full, it will present a dance for you…Naturally, this is just a legend, though all legends usually contain a fraction of truth in them. Am I right?"
Link nodded. This legend definitely proved that this was possible. Furthermore, they were already at a dead end. They would have to take anything that was given to them.
"We can give it a try." Link nodded and quickly filled in the plan with more details, "We cannot be the ones doing this, especially Felina. This would increase his wariness. An ordinary Beastman should be the one doing this. This black cat doesn't possess any powers. The moment it appears, it should be easy to capture him."
Masos confirmed once again and said, "That is a simple task. I can find someone to do this for me. Are you sure that this black cat possesses no powers?"
Felina nodded and said, "Yes, he will just be slightly faster than normal cats."
Masos was still worried and shot a glance at Link. From his perspective, Link was the most reliable.
Link smiled as he said, "If he has the strength to rebel, why would he harbor such hatred? If he is indeed powerful, how could you attract him with merely some delicious fish broth?"
Upon hearing those words, Masos heaved a sigh of relief. He then clapped his hands and said, "Then consider it done. If the legend is true, I can bring the cat to you tomorrow."
If the cat had no powers, it would be akin to capturing a cat with faster movement speed. This was simple.