A gentle voice whispered in Robin's ear, inexplicably easing her inner tension.
In the blink of an eye, Robin, clutching the cat in her arms, was already approaching the crowd blocking their path.
"Stop her! We have to stop her! Grab her, that's 80 million right there!"
The commoners shouted excitedly.
Some might have felt a pang of sympathy for the small girl, but at this moment, greed had completely clouded their judgment.
After all, 80 million was at stake!
"Ahhhhh!" Robin screamed, sprinting forward with her eyes squeezed shut.
"Don't worry, Robin. You still have Elder Sister me!" Lordling's gentle voice rang out again.
Then, everyone witnessed the impossible: the cat cradled in Robin's arms began to grow.
No, it wasn't just growing, in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a human. A being of such breathtaking beauty that words failed to capture her essence. For a fleeting moment, all who beheld her stood frozen in awe.
Her long, black hair cascaded over her shoulders, the ends curling into gentle waves. Her exquisite features resembled those of a divine princess, coldly beautiful and so flawless that she made others feel self-conscious. Her slender legs were straight and elongated, her jade-like feet delicate and small. Her skin, as pale and tender as tofu, made one want to take a bite.
She was simply too beautiful. How could a human possess such perfection?
"Enchantment!"
In the blink of an eye, the cat transformed into a breathtakingly beautiful woman, her appearance leaving all the men wide-eyed in awe.
What astonished them even more was the overwhelming charm radiating from her the moment she materialized. The men directly in front of her stared blankly, their eyes wide, and fell to their knees, utterly captivated by her allure.
"Wood Attribute Mastery!"
Lordling extended one hand, aiming it at the men before her.
Instantly, thick vines and vegetation erupted from the ground, binding the humans already ensnared by her charm.
"Move!"
Her sharp shout jolted Robin awake from her daze. With a swift leap, Lordling landed in Robin's arms.
Robin snapped out of her trance, reacted instantly, and sprinted over the heads of the bound men, vanishing into the alleyway in a flash.
"Chase her! Hurry, chase her!"
The stunned crowd finally snapped out of their stupor.
"She's too beautiful... I can't move!"
"Is this love? Is this what love feels like?"
"That woman... she's breathtaking."
Bewitched by Lordling's beauty, the crowd remained momentarily frozen.
Clutching Lordling in her arms, Robin sprinted through thirteen intersections in one breath, dizzying herself in the process, before finally stopping to gasp for air.
"Elder sister, I'm always amazed whenever I see you transform into your human form! You're so beautiful!" Robin murmured, gazing adoringly at the kitten in her arms.
Upon closer inspection, one might notice a fork in the cat's tail, giving the illusion of having two tails.
"Don't be silly. Rest well, we need to leave this island," Lordling snapped irritably.
As Lordling grew older and more beautiful, she had to remain in her cat form for longer periods. This transformation seemed to have begun around the time her second tail grew in. Fortunately, the extra tail granted her some self-defense abilities, allowing her to escape with Robin and evade capture so far.
Only they knew the depths of hardship they had endured and the countless times they had faced life-or-death crises.
In such harsh conditions, the two had matured rapidly, becoming unrecognizable from the girls they had been four years ago.
Three minutes later, Robin's breathing had steadied somewhat.
"Elder sister, we need to go!"
"Mm-hmm."
After their brief exchange, Robin cautiously peered around the corner before stepping out.
But the moment her foot touched the ground, darkness engulfed her vision. A dizzying sensation followed, and within five or six seconds, she lost consciousness.
"Hahaha! Success! Excellent!"
"After chasing them across two islands, we've finally captured them."
"Now, when I present them to the King, I, Modoray, will be promoted to Prime Minister, win Princess's hand in marriage, and reach the peak of my life! The opportunity has finally arrived!"
"Hahaha!"
As the laughter faded, a hulking, ugly man with a grotesquely large face appeared.
Behind him, a group of leering underlings chuckled in agreement.
"Take them away! Make sure no one sees us!" Modoray barked, waving his massive hand. The underlings scurried forward, tying the openings of the black cloth bags containing Robin and her companion before hoisting them over their shoulders and carrying them away.
"Hmph! That little girl is cunning, she was quite the challenge to capture!" Modoray boasted, throwing his head back in a triumphant laugh. "But today, even she has fallen before the mighty Modoray!"
His underlings erupted in flattery:
"Lord Modoray is the cleverest of us all!"
"Those commoners are so dim-witted. How could they ever match your brilliance, Lord Modoray? We just waited like rabbits in a snare, and with a little sleeping potion and black cloth, we succeeded!"
"Heh heh, when Lord Modoray returns to the kingdom and presents this girl to the King, he'll surely be promoted to official! From then on, his rise will be meteoric, he'll soon become the kingdom's most formidable official!"
The underlings' flattery swelled Modoray's chest with pride.
After basking in visions of the future for a while, Modoray cautiously began to make his way off the island.
"Remember, maintain absolute secrecy! We must not let them learn anything about our kingdom."
"Understood!"
The group moved with extreme caution, hurrying along the path toward the island's edge.
A minute later, Modoray abruptly raised his hand, signaling the group to halt.
"Wait!"
He strode quickly to the front, scrutinizing the two figures ahead.
"Vivre Card!"
Upon spotting the Vivre Card on the Lordling's person, Modoray broke into a cold sweat, wiping his forehead in alarm.
"Damn, that was a close call!"
He ripped the Vivre Card off and flung it to the ground before waving his hand again.
In an instant, the entire group vanished, heading toward the unknown King they had spoken of.
"We don't know if this girl has any companions. Whether she does or not, if they use the Vivre Card to find our kingdom, it'll be a disaster!"
I underestimated them, Modoray thought, leading his subordinates away at a brisk pace.
In the blink of an eye, they boarded their ship on the other side of the island and departed.
Just five minutes after the group left, Rojen's figure flashed into existence in the alleyway.
He scanned the area, his eyes narrowed with suspicion when he found it deserted.
Suddenly, his pupils contracted.
"A Vivre Card!"
Bending down to pick up the Vivre Card lying on the ground, Rojen's gaze sharpened to a razor's edge.
"Lordling, something's wrong!"
He had followed the direction indicated by the Vivre Card to this place, only to find the card itself, but not the Lordling. This immediately confirmed his suspicions.
"Damn it!"
Clenching his fist, Rojen's figure blurred as he vanished from the alleyway.
Soon after, he received urgent news: a young girl named Nico Robin and a human-transforming cat had been sighted on the island!
(End Of This Chapter)
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