Chapter 322: I Raised a Cat and a Bird
Hastur couldn't help but be reminded of the Wishing Lamp when he saw this casual yet arrogant confidence. When the Wishing Lamp first attended meetings at the Hall of Stars, he was equally at ease, putting his long legs up on the table.
"I certainly didn't come here with good intentions. At first, I just thought the aura here was strange. I didn't expect the people to be equally odd inside and out," said Medici in a flippant tone.
Hastur merely smiled faintly and said, "Since you've come to visit, shouldn't you have prepared a gift?"
"Tch, I don't have a habit of preparing gifts for people," said Sauron-Einhorn-Medici, shaking his head. The face on his left cheek asked, "Which old friend are you exactly?"
"Friend? Isn't that word a bit too luxurious for you?" Hastur's tone carried undisguised mockery.
"We may have many enemies, but if they were really here, they certainly wouldn't waste time with so much idle talk," said the face on the right cheek.
"That depends on how you want to resolve this matter today," Hastur said, bringing the topic back around. This fine desk was worth at least 100 gold pounds - they would have to pay some price to settle this.
"What do you want from us?"
"Heh, do you have anything of value left?"
Hastur's slightly raised eyebrow made Sauron-Einhorn-Medici laugh coldly. "Sheep always try to disguise themselves as lions to scare off hunters."
"Whether I'm a sheep or a lion, do you want to find out?" Hastur's eyes showed no panic, only complete confidence, leaving Sauron-Einhorn-Medici uncertain.
As followers of the Hunter pathway, they were naturally suspicious. Without certainty, they wouldn't easily make a move on their prey.
"Do you want this Blasphemy Card?" A Red Priest card floated above Sauron-Einhorn-Medici's right fingertip.
On this Blasphemy Card, Roselle wore black and red armor, standing on a war chariot. He held a shield in one hand and a spear in the other, his gaze fixed on the fierce battle ahead.
It had to be said, Roselle looked quite handsome on this Red Priest card.
Hastur merely glanced at it and said, "It'll do, I suppose."
"Heh, it'll do?"
Sauron-Einhorn-Medici laughed. Three faces, three pairs of eyes, all staring intently at Hastur, as if trying to discern his true thoughts from the slightest facial expression.
Unfortunately, they couldn't see through him.
Hastur prided himself on his ability to manage his expressions, having reached a level where even he couldn't see through himself.
Pretending to be aGreat Old One at the Starry Sky Conference in front of a group of Outer Gods and Great Old Ones was far more difficult and stressful than this situation.
"Meow."
Suddenly, Aisala called out, jumping from the windowsill onto Hastur's lap. Her gaze swept over Sauron-Einhorn-Medici with scrutiny.
Just that one look made Sauron-Einhorn-Medici's expression grow slightly grave.
Hastur lowered his head slightly, gently stroking Aisala's fur. He said calmly, "It's time you decided whether you're here as guests or as evil spirits today."
"Heh, threats? Even if Adam were sitting here today, he wouldn't dare speak to me like this."
Sauron-Einhorn-Medici's expression turned completely cold, his body emanating a bloody, murderous aura like the onset of war.
Hastur smirked and said, "If Adam were really sitting here today, you probably wouldn't even make it out the door. You're just sheep trying to scare off predators with false bravado."
"You think you've got us figured out?"
Sauron-Einhorn-Medici put down his long legs and leaned forward slightly. His gaze was cold and piercing, a bloody, murderous aura like rolling wolf smoke rushing straight at Hastur.
"Achoo."
Aisala's nose wrinkled as she sneezed, dissipating the oncoming aura of war into nothingness.
Hastur looked down and rubbed Aisala's head. "Did that aura disgust you?"
"Meow."
Aisala replied, then curled up on Hastur's lap, closing her eyes slightly.
"This cat is quite interesting," said Sauron-Einhorn-Medici, his gaze falling on Aisala once more. This time, they studied her for a bit longer.
Hastur said nothing, just watching them.
"Who are you really?"
This was the second time Sauron-Einhorn-Medici had asked this question.
No matter how they looked, they couldn't discern Hastur's true background. Even the cat left them somewhat puzzled.
"If you settle things here quickly, you might still catch the last ferry leaving Puning Harbor today," Hastur said.
"Heh, my possessions aren't so easily taken."
Sauron-Einhorn-Medici chuckled, flicking the Red Priest card from his fingertip towards Hastur.
Aisala opened her eyes groggily, instinctively reaching out with her front paw to catch the Red Priest card like a small fish. She even took a bite, but finding the taste odd, spat it out with a look of disgust.
"..." Sauron-Einhorn-Medici was also a bit speechless. This cat was really stealing the show.
The face on the left cheek spoke: "Are there any other survivors from the Solomon Empire still alive?"
Tch, he thinks I'm a descendant of Solomon? He must have sensed the Black Emperor aura on me.
Hastur's thoughts raced, but his face maintained an elegant and composed smile. "History never truly ends."
Medici sneered, "Even if he really is a Solomon descendant, are you two so eager to pledge your loyalty?"
The faces on the left and right cheeks remained silent, seemingly reminiscing about the era of the Solomon Empire.
They had initially served the Black Emperor Solomon, but after Solomon fell to the combined efforts of the six gods, they switched allegiance to the Night Emperor Trenochester. Unfortunately, the Night Emperor also perished in the war of the four emperors.
The mad Blood Emperor Alistair Tudor successfully advanced to Sequence 0 Red Priest.
They had played a crucial role in all of this.
But even the mad Blood Emperor Alistair Tudor eventually lost, leaving only the Death Emperor as the biggest winner of the four emperors' war.
That tumultuous era was far beyond comparison with the current one.
"Speaking of loyalty, yours is the most steadfast," Hastur said sincerely.
The saying "The hunter dies for loyalty" referred to this Red Angel Medici.
"Heh, how can the Black Emperor Solomon compare to my lord?" Medici raised his head proudly, not forgetting to belittle the Black Emperor Solomon.
After all, belittling the lord was equivalent to belittling his followers.
Sure enough, Soren and Einhorn started cursing.
Hastur gave Medici a deep look without speaking.
The Black Emperor Solomon indeed couldn't compare to the True Creator, after all, the Black Emperor hadn't sacrificed his loyal subordinates.
In the world of mysteries, talking about loyalty without mentioning benefits was laughable.
That's why Medici's loyalty left such a deep impression.
"If there's nothing else, you can leave now."
Hastur, annoyed by the arguing of the three opposite him, issued his dismissal.
Sauron-Einhorn-Medici's visit today wasn't something he had looked forward to, nor did he want too much entanglement with them.
It wasn't bad to take advantage of the situation and keep a Red Priest card.
He needed this Red Priest card to understand the situation of the Red Priest pathway and provide options for the future.
As for imprisoning the evil spirit Sauron-Einhorn-Medici, Madam Lisa didn't have that ability alone.
If Ulorus wasn't on the ship watching the Cosmic Keychain, there might have been a chance.
The key was that the Sequence 1 extraordinary characteristic was no longer on Sauron-Einhorn-Medici.
Even if they cooked another hotpot now, they couldn't successfully advance to Red Priest.
Not to mention, he was still far from being able to cook a hotpot.
Sauron-Einhorn-Medici chuckled, showing no intention of leaving. Instead, he smiled lightly and said, "A broken desk isn't worth this Red Priest card. If you want to keep it, you'll need more bargaining chips."
As he spoke, Sauron-Einhorn-Medici lightly hooked his right index finger, and the Red Priest card that Aisala had been holding returned to his hand.
Aisala immediately woke up startled, her eyes wide, looking at her empty little paws, then at the Red Priest card. Her gaze began to grow deep and obscure.
The atmosphere in the study instantly turned cold. Sauron-Einhorn-Medici's eyelids twitched slightly, revealing a hint of surprise and doubt.
Hastur gently stroked Aisala's head, glancing at them and calmly said, "Besides raising a cat, I also raised a little bird. It really likes to eat insects, especially three mixed together. The texture should be richer."
Sauron-Einhorn-Medici frowned slightly, pondering the meaning behind Hastur's words.
Just then, a rift to the spirit world silently opened in a corner of the study.
A small phoenix, about the size of a palm, flew out and landed on Hastur's shoulder.
Though small, the little phoenix immediately fixed its gaze on Sauron-Einhorn-Medici sitting on the sofa. Its eyes were bright as fire and filled with a hint of desire, as if encountering some unmissable feast.
Sauron-Einhorn-Medici's body involuntarily shuddered.
"That little bird..."
"Let's go!"
Sauron-Einhorn-Medici's expression changed. He tossed the Red Priest card to Hastur and quickly left.
"Chirp."
The little phoenix looked up at Hastur, as if asking whether to chase after them.
"Don't rush. Eating recklessly can lead to indigestion."
"Chirp."
The little phoenix lowered its head to preen its feathers with its beak.
"Meow?"
Aisala looked up at the little phoenix, then shuddered all over. Her previously deep eyes returned to their usual clear, foolish look.
"Meow?"
Aisala looked at Hastur with a puzzled expression. Hastur said nothing, just gently rubbing her little head.