“She’s not that fragile,” Bella chuckled, “and Leslaufer will definitely protect her, don’t worry.”

“Come and lend a hand, we have to rescue these two.”

“Save him? Is there anyone among us who can resurrect the dead?” Daisy was stunned, but just as she leaned over to take a look, Sisty, who had fallen to the ground, suddenly opened her eyes.

“Oh my god!”

“Thank you again…”

Touching the wound on her shoulder that had just healed, Sisty looked at her unconscious brother Rosso in shock, then looked at one of the lifeless shapeshifters: “When that gentleman rushed towards me, I almost thought I was going to die here…”

“It would be true if you were shapeshifters,” Bella handed her a berry, “but it looks like someone’s got a guilty conscience.”

“That person’s speed probably left them no time to react,” the cat-man thanked him, then took the raspberry into his mouth and stood up shakily. “If they were a little calmer, they might realize we’re not dead. If that were the case.”

“The order will be changed so they die first,” Feng Daer snorted. “Don’t hold too high hopes for Old Lei. This is probably the last way he can think of to tell the truth from the fake.”

“If it doesn’t work, then he will definitely ‘walk the talk’.”

Chapter 262 Ineffective Trap

Like most humanoid species, shapeshifters do not actually possess distinct tendencies towards good or evil, and acquired influences play a greater role.

Unlike those celestial creatures or demons and devils, they have been driven by an irresistible nature since birth. Although resistance is not impossible, it is indeed difficult.

However, few good stories have been told about the doppelgangers. This species’ innate ability to mimic the appearance, behavior, and even partial memories of others is so terrifying that in many regions, doppelgangers are born with crimes punishable by hanging or guillotine. Even tieflings, with their demonic blood, seem harmless in comparison.

And it is precisely because of this that a large number of shapeshifters have followed this trend and truly gone astray, taking root by replacing others.

These two shapeshifters are typical and extreme examples of this. They are not simply dissatisfied with normal life, but hope to completely replace their masters. But this time, their luck is really bad.

“what!”

In the heavy rain, Rosso, who was always difficult to close the distance with in front of Reslaufer, suddenly yelled, and then staggered and fell into a puddle beside him.

There were many bushes with hard branches around the pothole. As soon as “Rosseau” fell in, he was locked in. The clothes on his body became a fatal hindrance to him. No matter how hard the creature tried, it could not easily break free.

“Look, look, it seems someone has reached the end of his rope.” Leslaufer stopped and leisurely looked at the struggling guy. At this moment, “Rosseau”, who found that he could not get up easily, raised the longbow in his hand again, put the arrow on it and pointed it at the mercenary.

“Don’t come over here! I’m warning you, don’t come over here!” he yelled. “I can pierce your throat from this distance!”

“Look at this heavy rain. Is your brain damaged?” Leslough snorted. “You mean you plan to shoot in this environment and hit me–“

The mercenary suddenly dodged to the side, and the arrow, which was accurate to the point of being almost fatal, flew through the rain curtain. It gradually lost its accuracy after passing over Reslaufer’s shoulder, and finally fell into a pool of mud.

“How dare you do that!” Reslaufer raised his sword and charged at the desperately struggling shapeshifter. But before he could reach the attack range, Reslaufer felt his footing suddenly empty. Then, an object as wide as two door panels flipped up from the other side and came crashing down on Reslaufer’s head!

No wonder the real Rosseau was injured like that. Reslaufer thought silently, his hands moving in sync. The wooden trap suddenly cracked, and before the shapeshifter could easily break free from the bait he had set, half of the plank, which had been sharpened to an extremely sharp edge, had already soared into the air from the pit.

But it wasn’t all bad news for the shapeshifter: at least the round-headed wooden stake at the bottom of the trap was useful. As a sharp pain shot from Raslaufer’s foot to his brain, the mercenary immediately found the cause of Rosso’s other injury.

But this trick was far from enough to defeat Leslaufer.

“You think this little trick can stop me?” Reslaufer sneered, his voice tinged with mockery. He exerted force, and the wooden stake beneath him, supported by the demon’s arm, shattered into a cloud of sawdust. The mercenary, however, used this force to recoil. When his left-handed sword sank into the mud at the edge of the trap, Reslaufer, who had just emerged, saw the doppelganger’s ferocious face, horrified with shock.

Ultimately, a character like Reslaufer would hardly be a target for shapeshifters. While a shapeshifter could mimic a person’s appearance and even memories, their abilities remained their own. And how many shapeshifters could defeat a warrior like Reslaufer?

A flash of panic flashed across the monster’s eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a desperate ferocity. It violently tore through the surrounding brushwood and let out a strange cry. Instantly, the cat-man’s body began to twist and deform. The appearance that had once belonged to Rosso gradually faded, revealing its pale, smooth true form—an expressionless face, its milky white eyes looking particularly eerie in the rainy night.

“You’ve finally revealed your true form?” Reslaufer gripped his sword tightly, the blade gleaming coldly in the rain. “That’s it. You fought me in your own image. I got hurt. Did you see that?”

“If there was ever a chance in your life to defeat someone like me, it’s undoubtedly now.”

The doppelganger responded with action. A deep roar erupted from its throat, its longbow dropped casually, and it lunged forward, attempting to use its speed and agility to overwhelm the crippled Reslaufer. However, the mercenary was prepared. He raised his hand and swung a slash, forcing the doppelganger to change course. This change of direction played into Reslaufer’s hands, and he countered with a fierce blow, striking the doppelganger in the shoulder.

The shapeshifter screamed in agony, but it didn’t stop its attack. Its long arms and fingers, like sharp blades, clawed at Reslaufer’s throat. The injuries to his legs and feet had some effect, and Reslaufer couldn’t completely dodge. The cloth on his chest was immediately torn, and the blood from the scratches dyed the surrounding fabric red.

“Well done!” Leslaufer shouted as he advanced, the sword in his hand cutting deeply into the monster’s bones. With a fulcrum, the mercenary suddenly exerted force with his arms, and as his body rotated half a circle on the spot, he actually threw the deformed monster into the air!

The shapeshifter hurriedly tried to regain his balance in the two or three seconds of brief weightlessness, but before his feet touched the ground, a burning pain suddenly appeared in his chest.

What is…going on?

The sudden attack made the shapeshifter’s mind go blank, and he fell headfirst into the mud. This was impossible!

He read the memories of the real one, and there should only be two spellcasters in the cave! They were probably priests or something like that, healing the real Rosso—so where did this flaming arrow come from?!

The shapeshifter could no longer think, because a ray of emerald green sword light quickly replaced his world, followed by eternal darkness.

“I was just stunned for a moment, but I didn’t expect to actually hit him,” Angelita, who had caught up from behind, shook her wet hair. “Uncle Reslaufer, let me help you with some of the burden. It would definitely be a nightmare if a monster like this appeared in your dream.”

Leslaufer walked over with his body tilted and nodded at Angelita. However, when he closed his eyes for a moment to catch his breath, there was no sign of any shapeshifter among the surrounding spirits—not even the fake Sissy!

“Who stole my people?!”

Chapter 263: Ranger or Tomb Robber

There were still no traces of the two shapeshifters’ spirits, and if one looked carefully, the phantoms of the animals were also gone.

Whether around Leslaufer or around Angarita.

“Uncle?” Angelita looked at Leslaufer blankly. “Is there something wrong?”

“…It’s a bit unusual,” Leslaufer rubbed his chin. “Forget it, let’s go back first. What’s the point of standing in the rain?”

Although Reslaufer’s legs and feet were injured, they were not completely unable to move, and soon the two of them returned to the cave. The head and body of the shapeshifter were thrown far outside the cave, while the others in the cave were busy dividing the meat from the wild boar.

“Sir!” Sissi quickly stood up when she saw Leslough. “That monster…”

“Dead.” Leslaufer nodded and looked at the unconscious Rosseau. “Did I hit him too hard?”

“No! Absolutely not!” Sisti said in a panic, “She just suffered several injuries in a short period of time, so she is very weak. It’s not your fault!”

“That’s good,” Leslaufer took the food from Vondar and took two bites. “Since everything is alright, then we can be considered to be helping him to the end. However, this isn’t free, do you understand what I mean?”

Xisidi smiled bitterly: “Our belongings are all in the city. If you want it now, I’m afraid I have nothing to give you. Otherwise…”

“Not interested,” the mercenary snorted as Bella treated Leslaufer. “This is out in the wilderness. I’m not interested in this.”

What Reslaufer said only represented him personally. In reality, there were many mercenaries with this fetish, and appearance, gender, and even race were no excuses for their desires. While Reslaufer’s hobby could easily transcend these limitations, it was probably not a suitable way for the other party to repay his debt.

“I have something to ask you.”

“Of course, I will tell you everything I know.” The cat-man quickly straightened his cloak, his beard twitching, and he didn’t know what she was thinking.

“Generally speaking, shapeshifters would prefer to transform and replace the wealthy, or at least those with stable legal status,” said Leslaufer, moving his healed legs. “And the Tabby Cat People, I’m afraid, are not on that list?”

“I once observed the execution of a shapeshifter, and the executioner talked a lot about this.”

The tabby people are not a race that likes to stay in one place for a long time. Curiosity drives them to wander again and again. There are certainly some benefits for the shapeshifters to choose them, but if that is the case, the shapeshifters would not need to go to so much trouble.

It would be enough to find a corpse in the wilderness that had not been eaten clean and transform it.

“You know a lot,” Sisti nodded seriously, “As you said, they chose and planned to replace us siblings because they had special needs.”

“You look like someone from the east, but you appear in the west. Have you ever heard of the small kingdom of Akent?”

“It’s a small place in Central Inassus, once called the Kingdom of Akent, famous for its silver mines. But those mines no longer belong to them, and the kingdom has shrunk by almost two-thirds. The so-called ‘small kingdom’ is really a way to save their reputation.” Leslaufer nodded and explained to his companions who didn’t know about this country.

“About a year ago, they joined forces with two other families to attack ‘Bald’ Wright, another lord of Middle Inassus, and carved up a portion of his territory. However, it’s still a long way from the size of their heyday.”

“At least until they get the silver mines back. But without the silver mines, if they want to declare war, they can only rely on the power of others,” Sisty nodded, “such as other lords and the Ranger.”

Hearing this name, Leslaufer’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“My brother and I are members of the Rangers,” Sisti said, not wanting to be left in suspense. “This loose organization offers few benefits other than avoiding unnecessary corruption. Rosso and I have to support ourselves, and we accepted the commission from the Minister of Finance of the Kingdom of Akent just to make a living.”

“Minister of Finance?” Angelita and Margaret exchanged glances. How could this possibly be related to the Minister of Finance?

“The Rangers are an organization of grave robbers. I think you can understand what I mean by that,” Vondar snorted, his previous friendly image towards the tabby couple completely gone. “They dig everywhere irresponsibly, as if they were the dwarves! No human knows better than the dwarves—”

“My sister and I never dig randomly,” Sissi said quickly, “especially this time. The Finance Minister had accurate intelligence, so we traveled all the way from the central region to the west. Unfortunately, we were caught by the local rangers not long after we arrived.”

“The organization’s most basic requirements finally prevented them from putting a ‘stone tail’ on each of us and throwing us into the river after receiving the intelligence. Unfortunately, one of them was already a shapeshifter by then.”

“That area was probably home to a lot of shapeshifters. They quickly took action and replaced all those rangers. Although we escaped during the chaos, they have been pursuing us until today.”

“Stop, stop for a moment,” Daisy raised her hand, interrupting Sisty’s story. “I have a question. Since you’ve already revealed the information to them, why do they continue to hunt you down?”

A sly smile appeared on the tabby cat’s furry face. She reached into her inner pocket and pulled out a delicate silver brooch. “Because I played a trick and didn’t give them the ‘key’ to the tomb’s treasure room.”

“The shapeshifter probably saw through this, but chose to act after completely replacing the rangers. By that time, my brother and I had already escaped far away!”

“How clever,” Leslaufer held out his hand, and the cat-man immediately placed the brooch on the mercenary’s palm. “But now all your efforts have been in vain.”

“I am willing.” Sissi said hurriedly, “We were saved by you, so even if we sacrifice our lives, it doesn’t matter, let alone some treasures that don’t belong to us? I will tell you everything we know -“

“Oh, there’s no rush,” Raslaufer shook his finger. “We don’t necessarily have to monopolize it, if you’re willing to answer my second question seriously.”

“Tell me, do you know anyone who is an expert in studying demons?”

Chapter 264 The Poppazobot Family

“devil……?”

Xisiti was stunned for a moment after hearing this, then she smiled bitterly: “Do you think I look like someone who can deal with such a big shot?”

The status of a spellcaster is already quite high, and those who can study other planes, especially the affairs of Purgatory, are either mystics devoted to the devil, or masters with plenty of money, energy, and power to squander. Regardless of which type, it’s not something two tabby cats can easily encounter and interact with.

Leslaufer was not surprised by this answer. If it was really such a coincidence, he would probably become suspicious.

“I think they can find someone like that in Qingzun City,” Sisty added cautiously when she saw that Reslaufer didn’t react. “But I heard that the ’tilted wine glass’ seemed to have really fallen down.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. Although the direct and main reasons had nothing to do with the people present, they were still deeply involved in it.

And I probably won’t be going back in the short term.

The catgirl read the implications of their expressions. “Then I’m afraid you’ll have to try your luck in Central Inassus. While there aren’t places like the City of the Dead, once blessed by the god of wine, there are still a few large cities in the region. You should be able to find the people you need.”

“A big city? Shouldn’t people who deal with the devil like this live in seclusion in the wilderness?” Daisy tilted her head. “How could there be any trace of them in a big city…”

“Even if they live in the wilderness, they still have to go to the city to buy the materials they need,” Angarita was familiar with this. Her arcane teacher had once told her about this. “Find a shop that might be patronized by devil researchers, then wait and see. You’ll always get something.”

She glanced at Leslaufer worriedly. She hadn’t yet mastered the spell to observe the spirits around her at any time, but she had guessed that it was related to this situation.

The unexplained disappearance of spirits is not a good thing. Compared to this, letting them continue to float around for unknown reasons is a more reassuring sight.

“Whose tomb is that?” the girl suddenly turned to Sisti and asked, “For a tomb to attract the attention of the Finance Minister of Central Inassus, its owner must be extraordinary.”

“Oh, of course… let me think,” Sisty opened her mouth, but the name was stuck on her tongue. “It’s a very difficult and long surname. The descendants no longer use it. It should start with ‘P’. Ah, I remember!”

“It should be the ‘Popazobote’ family, the Lord of Cats. It sounds so crackling that my lips are numb. That’s right, that’s the name.”

“I don’t know exactly whose tomb this is, but my employer said their family has remained prominent to this day. Also, in Inassus, ‘Zobo’ sounds similar to magic, so it must be a wizard’s tomb. There’s definitely a lot of good stuff in there.”

“Popazobote…” Angelita repeated the syllables, but finally shook her head helplessly, “I can’t remember this name.”

“Chaljigi Popazobote,” Vondar said suddenly, “I remember that name, and it’s hard to forget it.”

When the dwarf began to read out the full name of an ancient person, not only Angrita, but also Margaret and Raslaufer widened their eyes, leaving only the bard who should have been knowledgeable and Bella sitting there with confusion.

“The demon Chalgigi!” Angelita raised her voice. “One of Richard the Great’s most capable subordinates!”

“He was canonized as a Paladin, but it was the title ‘monster’ that became more widespread in your human world,” Vondar chuckled sarcastically. “He was also the most powerful magician under Emperor Richard the Great. He was a bundle of contradictions.”

“Indeed, just as he has both a glorious title and a strange nickname,” Margaret agreed, “it is said that Richard the Great was the murderer of his father.”

“Not only that, during the middle and late stages of Richard the Great’s ‘Purge’ of Middle Inassus, Chalgigi was the most fervent supporter and executor, even though he himself came from Middle Inassus—although the concept didn’t exist at the time.”

“But what does ‘their family has remained prominent to this day’ mean? Si Inassus hasn’t heard of this surname for a long time, and no family claims to be his descendant. After all, it’s not that glorious.”

“The finance minister who hired you must be crazy about money,” Bella exclaimed after she roughly understood who he was. “He planned to let you rob the tomb of such an ancient celebrity, a great magician at that? Aren’t you afraid that there are a hundred or eighty golems that are still active in it, and their feet are full of the bones of tomb robbers over the centuries?”

“It’s not that serious!” the spotted cat man said quickly. “Even if he’s crazy, my brother and I wouldn’t be so poor! That’s definitely not the tomb of that demon himself. It’s probably one of his descendants. No matter how you look at it, it can’t be that dangerous, right?”

Although she lives in Inassus, it doesn’t mean that Sisti also knows those ancient stories. If it is really the tomb of that demon, then she gave the key there to Leslaufer. Isn’t that repaying kindness with enmity?

“The descendants of Charljigi… I’ve never heard of them being any great figures,” said Vondar, clutching his burnt-yellow beard. “At most, he’s a wealthy magician, perhaps a count or something. He certainly can’t be a king.”

“Charjiji never asked the emperor for a reward, but instead served him as a court mage until he died before the emperor himself,” said Angrita. “If his descendants are equally prominent, it probably refers to this.”

The position of court magician is quite ambiguous, with various meanings depending on the person assigned to it, including but not limited to: teacher, advisor, guide, prophet, officiant, etc. of the king and his heirs, and occasionally, lover.

Small kingdoms might have only one court mage at most, and the quality of that mage varied widely. However, dynasties like the Matt Dynasty had numerous mages, each fulfilling their own duties. One of Angrita’s teachers, Bol, was one of them. Meanwhile, the archbishops of the eight great churches of the empire also held this title, signifying their dedication to the gods while also serving the mortal emperor.

In the empire, this position is of course superior to the royal wizard who is merely recognized by the empire. As for Inassus, who does not have the resources of integrated spellcasters, although his status fluctuates, he is definitely rich. It is no wonder that the finance minister of the small kingdom of Akent wants to covet the tomb of such a person.

Chapter 265 The rain stopped

“That sounds interesting.”