Mythical Creatures Strategy Guide

Chapter 18 Side Quest

"Woof!!!"

Fortunately, Ella didn't pounce on her; she just cursed in the dog-people's language.

The cat-man guard didn't seem to care at all; in fact, the corners of his mouth even curled up slightly. He casually waved to his companions behind him, the tip of his tail circling in the air.

"Two humans, one grey elf, and a dog."

After entering the city, the crowds became even denser.

The stalls on both sides of the main road have been upgraded from temporary wooden sheds to exquisitely decorated semi-permanent shops with various patterns painted on their signs.

Chu Sheng saw a string of dried catnip hanging in front of a spice shop. Several cat-people passing by glanced in that direction, their eyes glazed over for a moment, before quickly shaking their heads and walking away.

One of the black and white cat-people walked several steps away, still reluctant to leave, turning back every few steps.

The cat-like owner of a blacksmith shop was dozing off on the counter, his tail tip twitching as if he were dreaming of catching mice.

Yinye leaned out of the car window and first saw a shop selling musical instruments, her eyes lit up; then she saw a tailor shop full of fabrics, and her eyes lit up again; finally, she saw a stall selling grilled fish.

The whole fish was skewered on bamboo sticks, its skin roasted to a golden brown and crispy, the edges curling up slightly to reveal the snow-white flesh inside. The vendor was sprinkling some kind of golden spice on it; the spice powder landed on the scalding hot fish skin, sizzling and releasing a wisp of white smoke, along with a fragrant aroma.

"I want to eat that!" Yinye stretched her hand out of the car window and pointed straight at the grilled fish stall.

Ella's nose twitched, and her tail began to wag. Although she didn't speak, her steps clearly veered towards the grilled fish stall.

Arthur glanced at the stall, then at the two guys whose expressions clearly said "I want to eat," and sighed.

She pulled the carriage over to the side of the road, took out a few copper coins from her bosom, and handed them to Chu Sheng: "Buy four. I'll wait in the carriage."

"Alright!" Chu Sheng took the copper coin and jumped off the carriage nimbly. He had to admit that the aroma of the grilled fish had indeed whetted his appetite.

Ella and Silver Leaf immediately followed. Chu Sheng took Ella's hand, while Silver Leaf reached out and grabbed Ella's tail. Ella's tail wagged nonchalantly, pulling Silver Leaf's hand along with it.

There were just too many people in the market, and Yinye was too small. She was so disoriented by the crowd that she almost got swept away several times.

Ella glanced down at her and said smugly, "You're too short."

"Who are you calling short?"

Before Silverleaf could retort, Ella had already squatted down.

She reached behind her with both hands and hoisted Silver Leaf onto her back. Silver Leaf lay on her back, its chin resting on Ella's fluffy head, its two pointed ears sticking out from beside Ella's dog ears, making it look like a strange creature with four ears from the front.

A long queue had already formed in front of the grilled fish stall.

The group consisted mostly of cat-people, of various fur colors and body types. There were also quite a few winged people with wings on their backs in the middle of the group; their enormous wings were folded and tucked behind their backs, but still occupied far more space than a normal demi-human would need.

Whenever someone squeezed past them, the winged people had to keep turning to the side while apologizing repeatedly.

Silver Leaf lay on Ella's back, leaned down and whispered something in Ella's ear.

Feeling utterly bored, Chu Sheng's gaze unconsciously fell upon the large wings of the winged man in front of him.

The wings were covered in snow-white feathers, neat and smooth, clearly meticulously groomed. When the winged being stood, the longest tail feathers almost touched the ground, their tips gently brushing against the ground with the sway of its body, making a pleasant rustling sound.

Just then, a person completely shrouded in a wide robe walked past the group. The person's hood was pulled low, and their pace was unhurried, like an ordinary passerby.

As the hooded man walked past the winged woman, his shoulder seemed to bump into her unintentionally.

The winged man was knocked off balance, his wings instinctively opening slightly. He quickly turned around and apologized repeatedly.

But Chu Sheng saw it clearly: when the hooded man bumped into him, the hem of his robe was lifted up by a corner!

A nimble cat tail peeked out from under the robe and swept swiftly through the winged man's slightly open wings.

Then the hooded man turned around and disappeared into the crowd.

It's a thief!

Chu Sheng was all too familiar with this method. That year, when his wallet was stolen at the train station, he was even laughing and talking to the person next to him. By the time he came to his senses, his pockets were empty, and he couldn't even remember what the person who bumped into him looked like.

He stepped forward and chased after the direction in which the hooded man had disappeared, but the crowd had already merged again, and the hooded man was nowhere to be seen.

"this……"

Chu Sheng turned around and looked at the winged person in front of him, confirming her gender, and then lowered his voice to speak.

"Hey lady, check if your wallet is still there. The person who bumped into you looks like a pickpocket."

He didn't shout "Stop thief!" Shouting "Stop thief!" in such a crowded place would only cause a disturbance, and a disturbance would be the perfect cover for a thief.

They would take advantage of the chaos to transfer the stolen goods to their accomplices, then casually blend into the crowd, sometimes even shouting, "Where's the thief?"

Upon hearing this, the winged woman's expression changed drastically. She suddenly spread her right wing, almost brushing against a cat-person queuing next to her.

She glanced back at the spot where her wallet should have been hanging at the base of her wing.

"It's gone!"

Her eyes reddened almost instantly, as if she were about to cry.

"My wallet!"

Chu Sheng quickly calculated in his mind and slapped the copper coins into the winged girl's hand.

"Here, take this money. Buy five grilled fish and wait for me at the carriage over there."

Chu Sheng is not some kind of pushover.

Logically, he shouldn't have bothered with this. But the existence of the strategy guide changed his perspective on the world.

Those demi-humans who are highly integrated with human society are indeed not suitable for physical attacks. He can't just beat them up just because he wants a skill, can he?

But he was extremely envious of the winged person's wings. If he could help her find her wallet and increase her favorability, wouldn't he get the winged person's skills?

Side quests are something you always have to actively seek out!

"Ella! Silverleaf!" Chu Sheng waved his hand. "Let's go! Let's catch the thief!"

Ella immediately came running over, her tail wagging vigorously. To her, catching a thief sounded about as fun as chasing a rabbit, and besides, thieves don't crawl through holes.

Silver Leaf lay on Ella's back, watching as the head of the grilled fish line drew closer and closer. The golden grilled fish sizzled on the bamboo skewers, and the vendor was sprinkling the last handful of spices on them.

Then Ella turned around, turned her back to her, and ran in the opposite direction. The aroma of grilled fish grew farther and farther away, eventually disappearing into the wind.

She pouted her little mouth in dissatisfaction, but didn't say anything.

The winged girl gripped Chu Sheng's hand tightly and shook it vigorously, her snow-white wings flapping behind her. "Thank you so much! You're such a good person!"

"You wait here." Chu Sheng pulled his hand back, turned around and grabbed Ella, and strode off against the flow of people, afraid that if he was a step later, the hooded man's trail would disappear completely.

"I'll be right back!"