IMC Chapter 103

Shu Bao, hearing this, feared that the high priest might chase after him to prescribe some potion for treating his stiff neck. His two short legs moved even faster. In no time, he disappeared from the high priest’s line of sight.

Watching the direction Shu Bao fled and feeling the “admiring” gazes from the people around him, the high priest lifted his chin slightly and left as well. After all, he was the only one in the entire city wearing clothes personally crafted by the deity. How could he not feel proud?

And so, the proud high priest wandered Xia Wang City in his beast-hide skirt. By midday, he had successfully caught a cold.

Upon hearing this, the white bear high priest thoughtfully sent over a potion to treat the cold. “It’s only early spring. Walking around outside in just a skirt is hardly appropriate.”

The Xia Wang high priest sneezed and drank the potion handed over by his old friend. “I was being impulsive.”

“It’s good that you understand. Since you can’t wear the beast-hide skirt now anyway, why not sell it to me?” The white bear high priest revealed his true intention.

Upon hearing this, the Xia Wang high priest immediately clutched his little skirt tightly.

“Doesn’t the potion you just drank feel… a bit off?” The white bear high priest spoke with a sinister undertone.

“You poisoned me?”

“Of course not. I just added some very rare, very expensive, and extremely uncommon ingredients—ones you definitely can’t afford.”

The Xia Wang high priest’s expression turned dark instantly. No wonder he had felt so refreshed after drinking it. In the end, after a friendly “exchange”, by the next day, both high priests were wearing beast-hide skirts.

The residents of Xia Wang City were baffled: Is retro fashion trending now? Why are the two normally composed high priests both wearing beast-hide skirts? Aesthetics aside, the main concern was whether this might scare the children.

Shu Bao, unaware of the underhanded dealings between the two high priests, simply found the residents as charming and harmonious as ever—though the skirts seemed a bit small.

After bundling up the grasshoppers and bringing back various prey from the real world, Shu Bao quietly left Xia Wang City that evening. As for the approaching beast tide outside, Shu Bao observed it briefly. With Xia Wang City’s strength, it posed no problem at all, especially since he left behind Yinzhu just in case.

To avoid drawing attention, the two high priests didn’t know exactly when the deity had left. However, since this trip was merely to visit Lord Lan Qing, it was likely that the deity would return soon.

As Shu Bao moved further away from Xia Wang City, the noise gradually faded. Along the way, he encountered several hunting teams, as well as some sneaky individuals attempting to blend into the beast tide to attack the Xia Wang Tribe.

In his mouse form, Shu Bao didn’t attract any attention. During his absence, the dark world had undergone many changes. The most obvious was the appearance of many unfamiliar magical beasts and plants.

Thankfully, the tavern in the Chaotic Swamp was still there. However, standing outside the tavern again, Shu Bao couldn’t shake the feeling that he had come to the wrong place.

The tavern before him still glowed in the darkness, but it had grown taller, wider, and more beautiful.

Now, the tavern has five floors, designed in a traditional Chinese style. Red lanterns hung from each level, but the windows were made of glass, allowing light from inside to shine through.

Outside the tavern, a constant stream of people came and went. Their clothing varied greatly. Shu Bao blended in with the crowd and successfully entered the tavern.

Inside, the tavern was vastly more spacious than before. It was nothing like the single glance that used to encompass the entire room. Now, there were many employees, including some small, agile magical beasts that were also working.

Beneath his feet was a sleek, gleaming white floor, and overhead, magical light sources illuminated the entire tavern brightly. In the main hall, some people danced gracefully, others played darts in the gaming area, and of course, there were patrons seated around the bar ordering drinks.

Shu Bao glanced at the tavern’s layout map posted at the entrance. The first floor was for drinking and entertainment, the second floor was for dining, the third for shopping, and the fourth and fifth floors were for lodging.

He hopped around and looked for a while, realizing that the bartender on the first floor wasn’t his snake companion. Without hesitation, he climbed the stairs to the second floor. On the way up, someone spotted him and immediately screamed, “A mouse!”

The crowd’s gazes snapped toward him in unison, and even the tavern staff looked poised to exterminate him at any moment. Shu Bao calmly took out a gold coin and tossed it to the nearest employee rushing toward him. “One Rainbow Lemonade, keep the change.”

The staff member, ready to eliminate the “intruder”, came to a screeching halt, startled. “A… guest?”

Shu Bao raised his tiny eyes. “Yeah, what’s the problem? Does your tavern have a rule against mice?”

“No, not at all! I apologize for my rashness. Please wait a moment.” The employee bowed in apology and quickly turned to prepare the drink.

The onlookers, seeing this, shifted their attention elsewhere. While mouse-shaped magical beasts were rare, they weren’t unheard of.

As for the person who first screamed, she felt mortified at her mistake. Even though no one paid her much mind, she quickly left the scene in embarrassment.

In no time, Shu Bao’s lemonade was delivered. The employee handed him the cup and Shu Bao raised a paw to accept it, then balanced the glass on his head as he walked away.

The employee scratched his head as he watched the glass wobble off into the distance. Was it really okay for a guest to carry their drink like that? But seeing how at ease the little guest seemed, he decided not to interfere.

From that point on, the sight of Shu Bao balancing a drink stopped anyone from screaming about a mouse. As he wandered the tavern, Shu Bao even spotted some magical beasts. Some of them wore clothes, which brought to mind the idiom beasts in human attire.

He searched all the way from the first to the fifth floor but still didn’t see his snake companion. Eventually, he approached a staff member to inquire. The employee’s expression turned odd. “Is there something wrong, sir?”

“No, everything’s fine. I just want to chat with your boss.” Shu Bao refrained from mentioning that he was a friend of Lan Qing. After all, a mouse should keep a low profile.

“I’m very sorry, but our boss is very busy and likely doesn’t have time to chat with you.” The employee politely declined Shu Bao’s request.

Shu Bao frowned. “I’m a friend of your boss.”

The employee maintained his demeanor. “Everyone who wants to meet our boss says that. Do you have any proof?”

This stumped Shu Bao. For the life of him, he couldn’t think of any evidence. After failing to reason with the staff member, Shu Bao decided to take matters into his own hands. “Where’s your boss’s bedroom?”

The employee, finding the tiny guest rather persistent, explained patiently that the boss wasn’t in the tavern and that the bedroom was locked. Yet Shu Bao insisted on going. Left with no choice, the employee led him to a room on the fifth floor. Under the staff member’s watchful gaze, the mouse set down the glass, scampered to the door of the boss’s bedroom, and gave it a gentle push—the door opened!

The employee was still in shock when Shu Bao seemed to remember something. He scampered back to the glass, stood on tiptoes, tilted the cup, and “gulp gulp gulp” drank the lemonade until it was empty. After finishing, he let out a satisfied burp. “A bit pricey.”

As soon as those words left his mouth, the mouse darted into the boss’s bedroom. The door quickly shut behind him, followed by a soft click. The employee finally snapped out of his shock. Oh no! A mouse got into the boss’s bedroom!

He rushed to open the door, but it wouldn’t budge. Of course, the boss’s room was protected by a barrier—not just anyone could open it. But that raised a big question: how had that mouse managed to get in? Could it really be the boss’s friend?

The employee stood frozen at the door, his mind racing. After a long while, he slumped away, face filled with dread.

…

From the teleportation array in Lan Qing’s bedroom, Shu Bao arrived at the Thick Earth Tavern. This establishment had always been larger than the Marshland Tavern, albeit a bit run-down. Now, however, it has undergone a grand transformation, with luxurious renovations and significant expansion.

The tavern still had five floors, but its size was more than double that of the Marshland Tavern. The bustling patrons coming and going were numerous, and among them, magical beasts were notably more prevalent.

Shu Bao wandered through the tavern as usual but found no sign of Lan Qing. Just as he was about to ask a staff member again, a squad of Imperial soldiers entered the tavern!

The small squad, clad in identical Imperial knight uniforms, immediately found a table, ordered food and drinks, and settled down with an air of exhaustion from travel.

The surrounding patrons seemed unfazed, as though Imperial troops frequenting this place was perfectly normal. The tavern employees treated them with exceptional courtesy—even waiving their fees!

This puzzled Shu Bao greatly. Are imperial soldiers eating for free? That didn’t sound like something his snake companion would allow! Could something have happened to Lan Qing? Had the tavern been taken over by the Empire?

The thought alarmed Shu Bao, who decided against asking anyone directly about the boss. Instead, he quietly followed the Imperial squad after they finished their meal and prepared to leave.

When Shu Bao saw their mounts, his anxiety deepened. Many of the creatures they rode were ones he had once left for his snake friend! Had Lan Qing failed to resist the Empire’s assault all those years ago? But if that were the case, why had the High Priest in Xia Wang City mentioned that Lan Qing still visited to help occasionally? What had truly happened?

Shu Bao stealthily followed the squad for some distance, eventually realizing they were heading toward the Thick Earth Crystal Mines. This only reinforced his unsettling suspicion.

Heart pounding, Shu Bao finally arrived at the mines. The Imperial squad seamlessly blended into the bustling mining operations. To his relief, Shu Bao observed the miners at work, along with numerous familiar magical beasts, and his worries eased slightly.

The miners were covered in dust and grime, but their faces showed no signs of lifeless despair. Instead, they radiated energy and hope—an obvious contrast to how the Empire’s forces would typically treat their workers.

Still cautious, Shu Bao avoided speaking to anyone and quietly explored the mining area. Unfortunately, he still didn’t see Lan Qing anywhere.

As Shu Bao pondered, a thunderous dragon’s roar echoed across the sky. A majestic golden adult magma dragon hurtled down from above, its call urgent and filled with longing.

Seeing the rapidly approaching dragon, Shu Bao finally felt his heart settle completely. He opened his arms wide, ready to embrace the descending beast.

The miners looked up in amazement. The golden dragon rarely called out like this—what was going on?

With a deafening boom and a cloud of dust, the dragon landed. Shu Bao was instantly coated in dirt, but the next second, he was gently scooped up in the dragon’s jaws and flung onto its head.

The golden dragon let out a joyful, affectionate cry. Shu Bao reached out a paw and patted the massive head beneath him. “I missed you too! Jinzi, you’ve become even shinier!”

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