Chapter 1049 ke and the Cat


    In the deste forest, ke trudged through the dustyndscape.


    He had to reach the underworld.


    Having managed to prate theyers of the cave''s "preservative film," ke was now merely a foot


    away from stepping into the realm of the underworld. However, he knew all too well that if he were to


    enter directly, the King of Cities would likely detect his presence immediately.


    So, ke decided to take the shortcut through the Gray Earth.


    It felt as though he had been walking for an eternity. The sky remained unchanged, the forest appeared


    no different, and the usual methods of determining the direction of the world were ineffective here.


    Frowning, ke climbed to the top of a tree once more, hoping for a clearer view.


    ording to Lilly''s description, there should be an immensely tall and dense forest in this area. Trees


    reach the height of skyscrapers, with trunks too broad for ten people to encircle, and leaves lush with


    greenery.


    Yet, despite his long trek, all ke could see was various shades of gray.


    "Am I heading in the wrong direction?" ke wondered aloud.


    He descended from the tree, umting more dust on his weary body.


    The name Gray Earth truly manifested itself in this ce.


    Shades of gray enveloped everything, it was like stepping into a monochromatic ink painting. After


    spending a considerable amount of time here, one might even question if they were three-dimensional


    beings or mere paper cutouts in a two-dimensional world.


    Once again lost and disoriented, ke leaned against a tree, taking out his water bottle to quench his


    thirst with a slow sip.


    Suddenly, a rustling sound pierced the silence.


    A gray silhouette darted past him with a whoosh.


    "A cat?!" ke eximed in delight, immediately standing up and chased it.


    He did not know how long he had been running, umting more and more dust on his body, but he


    had no time to brush it off.


    The cat ahead of him moved with agility, effortlessly leaping through the bushes while remaining


    untouched by the surrounding dust, which swirled around it like stars.


    Appearing slightly displeased, the cat''s tail froze, and it nced back at the human trailing behind.


    "Wait!" ke called out.


    These cats were extraordinary, and he was sure they could understand him.


    However, the cat ahead hastened its pace.


    ke suddenly spoke again, "Here you go, it''s dried fish!"


    The cat in front slowed down.


    It turned its head, observing ke.


    ke reached into his pocket and pulled out a sealed stic bag, from which he pulled out a small


    dried fish.


    He squatted down halfway, resting his elbows on his knees, and raised an eyebrow slightly. "Can you


    lead the way if I give you a piece of dried fish?"


    The cat looked at ke with disdain, its eyes seemingly conveying the message, "How could a human


    be this stingy?"


    It swiftly nced at the dried fish before sitting down.


    Though it did not speak, ke could understand what it meant—apparently, it felt that one dried fish


    was not enough.


    ke shook the dried fish in his hand and said, "How about two? Would you guide me there?."


    "These dried fish are from the same batch as the ones brought by Little Hades that day."


    ke shamelessly used his littlepanion as a bargaining chip. "There''s not many left, firste,


    first served."


    "There should be other cats here in Gray Earth. They probably also want to taste Little Hades'' dried


    fish."


    The cat ahead was speechless.


    Meow, humans are cunning.


    Alright, I''ll do it for the sake of the dried fish...


    But then it heard the human in front of it say, "Alright, I''ll give you one dried fish and I''ll give you the


    other when you bring me there."


    The cat remained silent.


    With a look of disdain and arrogance in its eyes, as if to say, "I quit."


    ke tossed the small dried fish toward the cat.


    Instinctively, the cat leaped and, like a lightning bolt, swiftly and urately caught the fish in mid-air.


    The taste of the dried fish flooded its nose and tantalized its taste buds in an instant...


    ke could not help but exim in awe—the cats here were truly extraordinary!


    In less than half a second, the cat caught the dried fish and returned to its original position, motionless


    with the small fish in its mouth, still maintaining a vignt stare.


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    However...


    Saliva dripped from its mouth, sshing onto the dusty ground.


    Its intentions were exposed.


    ke curled his lips and pulled out another small dried fish. "Deal?"


    The cat emitted a low growl from its throat, then finally turned around and continued walking forward,


    seemingly a bit annoyed.


    Its pace slowed down, allowing ke to easily keep up. He knew that it was a deal.


    If he had known, he should have taken all the cans of dried fish that Bellflower had hidden.


    Now he had to ration it.


    Just as he was thinking about this, his eyes suddenly brightened, and he walked out of the dusty forest!


    A forest of enormous treesy before ke. He gazed upward, marveling at the sight, feeling as


    though he had stepped into an ancient mythical world.


    "So, this is Gray Earth," he mused.


    Had he been wandering through the gray forest for a month? ording to his calctions, it seemed


    about right.


    Without the cat guiding him, he might never have found his way out. He could have wandered for a


    lifetime without escaping.


    "Listening to Lilly''s adventures, I thought she could effortlessly reach the ce I assumed would be


    easy to find," ke murmured.


    But what truly puzzled him, preventing him from finding calm, was the fact that Ivan, that kid, could


    capture a flying beast and easily arrive at his destination, while he had to walk for half a month.


    How was that logical?