Chapter 73: The Odd Mother Fox

The demon has appeared.

It emerged in the western region of the Holy Empire.

And if Plakaka is not mistaken, that guy has most likely come seeking the mysterious artifact from the King of Corrosion.

The enemy isn’t numerous; there’s only one female demon, and it’s easy to identify her as a Succubus, one of the most representative minions of the King of Corrosion.

The Succubus isn’t particularly strong in direct combat, and for Plakaka, who has been single for several hundred years and has long given up on worldly desires, only cares about treasures and surviving like a rat. The effects of her charms were significantly diminished. Even if they had some effect, it would be unrealistic for her to take down Mr. Mouse-Man in a one-on-one fight.

However, there’s a bit of a hassle. Perhaps due to carrying the statue of the King of Corrosion, the female Succubus—who is also a legendary figure and seems hell-bent on retrieving the artifact—became as sticky as chewing gum, tirelessly pursuing him wherever he went. Even when he tried to sneak away, she quickly tracked him down, making Plakaka nearly lose his mind!

After a long chase of running back and forth, finally, on a stretch of official road between Holy Star City and New Yaster City, the female demon seemed to feel a sense of urgency and uncharacteristically called for reinforcements!

She summoned part of the horrific body of one of the Demon Lords from the King of Corrosion’s ranks, seemingly intending to take out the slippery Mr. Mouse-Man in one go.

The Demon Lord is a terrifying being with power rivaling that of a Pseudo-God, and although not as formidable as a true demon lord, it’s definitely not something Plakaka, a legendary-grade creature, can contend with. Fortunately, Pseudo-God level demons are also severely rejected by the world, and temporarily extending a small part of their body into this realm is their limit, so it was impossible for them to freely unleash their power here.

That earth-shattering strike didn’t directly hit the already fleeing Plakaka but sent him tumbling like a shooting star, resulting in only minor injuries.

After that, perhaps due to the burden of forcefully summoning a Demon Lord or the attention the commotion drew from the higher-ups in the Holy Nation, she had to temporarily cease her relentless pursuit. In any case, this time, Miss Succubus did not continue her usual frantic chase, and Plakaka quickly seized the opportunity to make a mad dash toward the Western Capital.

Mingguang City is the stronghold of the Summerfield Family. While there’s a chance of running into that celestial family’s pretty face again, Plakaka would rather take the risk than be chased endlessly by demons.

The Saint of Bright Light in Mingguang City is quite a character, something Mr. Mouse-Man knows all too well. At least here, that female Succubus would have to keep her tail tucked between her legs.

Plakaka’s plan was to first ascertain the true purpose of the King of Corrosion’s statue in Mingguang City and how to thoroughly block the demons’ tracking before embarking on a journey to the far-off City of Angels.

Though it’s a hassle, the more that flat-chested female Succubus acts this way, the more it indicates that the artifact he unwittingly acquired from the Summerfield family brat is extraordinary. Plakaka absolutely won’t let go of good treasures easily.

Speaking of treasures, one must mention the Lingyin Merchant Association.

This organization is rich in rare and exquisite treasures, and its quality is almost unmatched. Naturally, Plakaka, who is particularly attentive to treasures, had interacted with them many times; however, all of it was through sneaking around.

Not long after arriving in the city, Mr. Mouse-Man learned through various channels that the headquarters of the Lingyin Merchant Association in the Western Capital was about to hold its latest quarterly sales event in the city, featuring a super heavyweight treasure as the highlight.

Even though he had been on the straight and narrow for quite some time and wasn’t planning to buy anything, it would be a waste not to check out good treasures, even if the venue for this sales event was at the Summerfield family castle—the very place that made Plakaka feel particularly uneasy.

Of course, the info suggesting that—Saint of Bright Light, Yuna Summerfield—had already left and was currently not in Mingguang City also played a significant role in Mr. Mouse-Man’s decision to jump into the fray.

To be safe, he deliberately didn’t carry the stolen treasure with him but hid it in a place to temporarily conceal its presence.

As a result… well, good grief, he happened to see a familiar Succubus causing trouble here, along with a series of subsequent events leading to that idiot named Chloé getting a serious beating and locked away in something strange. After that, Plakaka was ready to pack up and make a getaway.

Unfortunately, he got a bit greedy.

Just that one time, and it led to big trouble.

“…Hey, aren’t you that guy?”

“Eh?”

Seizing the straw of survival, Plakaka quickly raised his slippery mouse head, cautiously inspecting the petite white-haired girl wearing a white fox mask in front of him. Then, with a twinkle in his eye, he immediately admitted loudly.

“Ah, yes, yes, yes! I’m that guy! Don’t you remember, we met before!”

“You know who I’m talking about, right? Right here…”

She seemed to chuckle helplessly and scolded him twice before getting straight to the point.

“So, why are you following me?”

“Uh… well…”

Plakaka was now sweating nervously.

He couldn’t possibly say that he had previously witnessed the might of the Saint of Bright Light and didn’t dare to follow too closely like those reckless fellows. It was also likely related to a mission given to him by some lady queen. After the two women separated, he thought to trail this strange little fox who seemed to be traveling with Yuna and that old man from the Lingyin Merchant Association… just to see if he could score some unexpected gains… or something like that.

Heaven help him, if he knew this little fox… ah, forget calling her little fox; if he knew she was actually a monstrous old creature over a hundred thousand years old, Plakaka would flip out!

If he had known this mother fox was this powerful, he wouldn’t dare to follow her even with a thousand lives! What’s with all these old monsters popping out one after another, quiet as mice?!

“Hmm…?”

Just as Mr. Mouse-Man was deep in thought about how to handle this without exposing his identity and still keeping his life safe, the young lady in the white fox mask seemed to notice something and casually turned her head away.

“Hmph, forget it. I won’t make an issue of it this time. Now scram.”

“What?! Pardon… huh?”

The other party’s inexplicable reaction, even for a seasoned veteran like Plakaka who had lived over a hundred years, was unexpected enough to leave him dumbfounded, nearly causing him to drop the disguise of being meek and submissive.

The white fox lady shot him a sideways glance, and beneath her mask, her silver-blue irises flickered with a barely perceptible, bone-chilling killing intent.

“Don’t want to scram? Or should I send you on your way?”

“Scram scram scram! Little mouse is scramming right now! At once!!!”

Under the painfully indifferent and impatient aura that seemed to convey a god looking down at ants, Plakaka was chilled to the bone and almost reflexively rolled and scampered away, his tiny figure quickly disappearing into the depths of the night, shrouded by the voluminous black cloak.

“…”

Glancing once more at the spot where Mr. Mouse-Man had vanished, the white fox lady let out a faint, almost imperceptible chuckle, then turned on her heel and walked away.

   

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