Chapter 12: Bubu Wang's Nemesis
Holy Dragon City.
As the capital of the Dragon Soaring Empire, Holy Dragon City did not have the largest population, but its location at the empire's center, combined with its spring-like climate year-round, made its prosperity unmatched by any other city. It was practically the empire's economic hub, with countless merchant caravans of all sizes passing through daily, driving its economy forward.
Beneath Holy Dragon City's prosperous exterior, however, lurked a detestable darkness. Nobles of all ranks ran rampant, and the factions under their control engaged in constant covert struggles.
The Dragon Soaring Empire had existed for 3,700 years. Even if the royal family had governed the empire reasonably well during that time, and the threat of war had greatly extended the empire's lifespan, it had simply existed for too long. It was like an ancient tree—seemingly lush and thriving above ground, but beneath the soil, its roots had already rotted away on a massive scale. No one knew when it would come crashing down.
Setting aside the conflicts among the various nobles, the mere fact that the old king had held power for sixty years was enough to cause deep concern.
The crown prince was already nearly fifty years old. At that age, he should have long since inherited the throne. Yet just two years ago, the old king had deposed him and appointed a new crown prince. This new prince was also thirty years old, the youngest and most mediocre of all the old king's offspring. Some even whispered that he was not the old king's child at all.
A few shrewd nobles had already guessed what the old king intended. It was clearly a refusal to step down from the throne. But the old king was eighty-three years old, like a decrepit old lion unwilling to abandon its territory. Even with the support of magical potions, the old king would not live past a hundred.
The front lines were stretched thin, and the royal family was mired in chaos. Fortunately, the five grand dukes and seven princes were holding things together; otherwise, the empire's situation would have long since spiraled out of control.
Even so, felling this 'ancient tree' of an empire was not something that could be done overnight. Besides, the Tribal Alliance was not in much better shape than the empire. The severe fragmentation of power alone was enough to be fatal, not to mention the constant conflicts among the various races within the alliance.
Clang, clang, clang…
The bell tower of Holy Dragon City rang out. On the clean stone-paved streets, pedestrians bustled about, and merchants and vendors came and went in an endless stream.
Beneath Holy Dragon City lay a network of over a hundred underground passages, connecting to the four surrounding cities. These were escape routes for the royal family or high-ranking nobles in times of crisis, absolutely off-limits to commoners.
Footsteps echoed through the originally silent underground passages. A dozen or so men and women moved swiftly through the tunnels, kicking up dust as their figures vanished in an instant.
Just as these dozen or so men and women rounded a corner, chaotic footsteps sounded from behind them.
"Where did they run off to?"
"This way."
"We must retrieve the World Core. If they make it to the surface, we're screwed."
Those fleeing ahead were contractors from Apocalypse Paradise. As for those pursuing from behind—needless to say—they were contractors from Reincarnation Paradise.
At this moment, Bubu Wang was mixed in with the Reincarnation Paradise contractors. His nose twitched as he quickly caught a particular scent—the smell of his nemesis.
On Bubu Wang's dog face, a few scratch marks were faintly visible. His originally handsome canine face looked as if a cat had clawed him.
That's right, Bubu Wang had been clawed by a cat. Although the cat in question was a breathtakingly beautiful feline, and female at that, Bubu Wang had no interest in that creature. He just wanted to find her now and show that despicable cat why flowers bloomed so red!
"Brother Dog, don't be angry. That was our mistake earlier."
A young contractor tried to console him, but Bubu Wang ignored him, focusing solely on tracking the cat's scent.
"I thought she had betrayed us earlier. I didn't expect she had that kind of move. Awesome."
Another contractor remarked, as if he had witnessed something that shattered his worldview.
"Woof."
Bubu Wang barked at one of the passages and charged straight into it. In Bubu Wang's words: 'He had already smelled the enemy's scent.'
In a passage several dozen meters ahead of Bubu Wang's team, a cat was trotting quickly through the underground tunnels, followed by over a dozen Apocalypse Paradise contractors.
This cat looked somewhat like a Ragdoll, with eyes like sapphires and a 'delicate and refined' appearance.
"That stupid dog."
The cat spoke human language, her fur bristling all over, clearly enraged. The reason was that the smooth fur on her head was covered in saliva, as if some creature had held it in its mouth. That's right, Bubu Wang had done it.
"Bessie, don't be angry. It's already a miracle that we recovered the World Core. That dog is simply elusive."
The Apocalypse Paradise contractors were still shaken. After finding the World Core, they discovered it couldn't be placed into storage spaces or any other spatial containers—it had to be carried physically.
That wouldn't have been a problem, but just as they were preparing to flee, the World Core went missing. They didn't even know how it happened!
Fortunately, the beautiful cat Bessie noticed something unusual and snatched the World Core back from Bubu Wang's mouth. The price she paid was being held in Bubu Wang's mouth and shaken back and forth until she was dizzy.
The 'war of supremacy' between the cat and the dog had thus begun. For now, the cat was at a disadvantage, with the dog hot on her tail.
"I don't believe that if I swallow the World Core into my stomach, that stupid dog can still… Meow!"
A black-and-white figure shot out from a corner, bit down on Bessie's head, and ran off without stopping for a moment.
"Save this meow!"
Bessie's voice faded into the distance down the passage. The Apocalypse Paradise contractors were stunned for a moment, all thinking the same thing: 'It felt like something just whooshed past.'
A few seconds later, Bubu Wang's divine skill 'You Can't See Me' wore off.
"Chase!"
A tall, thin man let out a hoarse roar, his voice cracking from the strain. The Apocalypse Paradise contractors sprinted after them with all their might. While Bubu Wang's combat abilities were indeed not outstanding, his running speed could only be described as lightning-fast.
Ahead, the cat Bessie, with her head clamped in Bubu Wang's mouth, was on the verge of tears. She clawed at Bubu Wang's face. Bubu Wang, feeling the pain, shook his head from side to side. After a few seconds, Bessie's fluffy little paws went limp and drooped.
"Help~"
Bessie didn't dare claw Bubu Wang anymore. She was a scout type, far inferior to Bubu Wang in physical constitution.
Bubu Wang, having gained the upper hand, refused to let the cat off. He swung Bessie back and forth a few more times.
"Woo~ I was wrong. Ugh~"
Tears welled up in Bessie's large, azure eyes. She wanted to vomit, but the fingernail-sized World Core was in her stomach, and she didn't dare throw it up.
Bubu Wang had recaptured the World Core and, as a bonus, kidnapped a beautiful cat.
"Stupid dog, how about a fair fight? Do you dare?"
Hearing Bessie's words, Bubu Wang, who had already run a good distance, stopped. He flung Bessie against the wall.
Bang!
Bessie let out a pained yelp as she hit the wall. The moment she landed, she tried to escape, but a pair of large paws pounced on her.
"Meow roar!"
"Cat constellation claw strike!"
"Woof!"
After a brief scuffle, Bubu Wang, now with a few more scratch marks on his face, picked up Bessie and continued running. This time, Bessie was noticeably more subdued. Tears trickled down the fur on her cheeks. She had been beaten to tears by Bubu Wang.
"Woo~ Master, come save this meow! This meow can't beat this stupid dog! Help!!"
Bubu Wang, strutting like a victorious rooster, trotted away with light steps. He didn't plan to look for those agility-type contractors from his own faction. Those people couldn't be trusted. He would only hand over the World Core to one person.