“I almost forgot about that,” Lirzod gave a thankful smile to Sean before continuing to speak tenderly, “Is it possible to create a law that allows us to transfer a small share from the profits bettors make from the deck tests to the funds of Cat Home?”
Clear stupor registered on both Sean and Jehez’s face before they could hide it, and then they exchanged looks of wonder.
Holding back his breath, Lirzod hesitantly stated, “If the percentage is low, like maybe ten, it should be all right.”
“No, it’s not!” Jehez blurted out, while uncertainty still washed Sean’s face white. Having irritation infect his mind, Jehez’s eyes made it clear that he could no longer stand the sound of Lirzod’s voice. “You think the greedy bettors would willingly give away their money for the cats? How naive! Even people with mental issues won’t easily agree with that.”
Lirzod still looked at Sean as if waiting for an answer. Seconds passed, but only an awkward silence responded. A pinched expression crept up on Lirzod’s face, and the corners of his mouth turned down, “Is it too much to ask for?”
“I’m sorry,” Sean’s face appeared to have lost some amount of honor. “You are not the first one who has wished to help the cats, but you are the first who’ve proposed to enforce a rule like this. In all honesty, I would be pleased to help you, but it won’t be easy to bring this rule into action.” He stared downward for a moment before casting a glance on Lirzod. “Since this matter concerns both the hollows and the entries, we’ll also have to implement a voting poll to see how many are in favor of the change.”
“Voting?” Lirzod was confounded. “Can anyone take part in it?”
“Anyone on or above the twelfth deck,” Sean put up a bright smile. “If the required minimum number of votes are cast, and more than fifty percent of those votes are in your favor, it's likely that the new rule gets enforced. This kind of voting process is called Law Test." He paused a moment. It’s written in the guidebook, but I guess he didn’t fully read that.
“But…” Lirzod bit his lower lip, “Bettors will certainly vote against this rule.” He slammed his hand on his thigh, for he now understood the meaning behind Jehez’s words and cast a glance at him, but Jehez had a broad grin on his face that exposed every single tooth. Lirzod’s face lost a bit of color in consequence. “I don’t get it. Why is there a need for voting? All it does is complicate things.” His voice already sounded somewhat hopeless.
“Anyone on or above the twelfth deck,” Sean put up a bright smile. “If the required minimum number of votes are cast, and more than fifty percent of those votes are in your favor, it's likely that the new rule gets enforced. This kind of voting process is called Law Test." He paused a moment. It’s written in the guidebook, but I guess he didn’t fully read that.
“But…” Lirzod bit his lower lip, “Bettors will certainly vote against this rule.” He slammed his hand on his thigh, for he now understood the meaning behind Jehez’s words and cast a glance at him, but Jehez had a broad grin on his face that exposed every single tooth. Lirzod’s face lost a bit of color in consequence. “I don’t get it. Why is there a need for voting? All it does is complicate things.” His voice already sounded somewhat hopeless.
“Yes,” Sean nodded and then sighed. “That’s why I say you don’t put much hope on it.”
“Hmph,” Jehez softly snorted and continued playing the grin on his bristle. “I’d say it’s useless even to try, Commander. Besides, no one on this deck or the higher decks even know this guy, except for maybe the ones in this hall right now.”
Lirzod couldn’t suspend the chagrin off his face. Though he was trying to have a conversation with Sean, Jehez always kept on intervening, and it eventually got on Lirzod’s nerves. He exchanged cold stares with Jehez for a moment before suddenly pointing his finger at his face, “Oh no, look, there’s something on your face.”
“Mm?” Jehez searched his face with the hand, “Where?”
“Under the nose.”
“Is it the snot?”
“No, it looks like... blackgrass, I think.”
“Blackgrass?” Jehez’s brows drew together as he placed his finger on his mustache. “You mean this?”
“Oh yeah, that’s the one,” Lirzod's voice contained exhilaration. "Just rip that grass out."
Traces of anger surged within Jehez's eyes as his fingers slid over the mustache, "Don't call this grass. Call this mustache!"
"It's a mustache?" Lirzod turned his head away abruptly as if he was unimpressed. “It looked so weird I thought it was something else.”
“You little...” Jehez felt the rage rising in the chest.
“Just kidding.” Lirzod giggled. “But for real, yours is uncool, unlike the commander’s mustache. Compared to his mustache, your grass-stricken one is just..."
Jehez’s stomach grew in sourness. “Such insolence when you don’t even have a mustache!”
“Yeah, but when I grow up, I’ll have the manliest mustache in the world. Every woman would slap you to touch it.”
“Hmph, a baseless statement. Not that I was expecting anything else.”
Sean, meanwhile, brushed his mustache with fingers in a lofty manner and spoke graciously, “If you don’t have any plans, you can come to my room for lunch today.”
“No, no, it’s all right,” Lirzod replied almost immediately.
"Why?" Sean raised his brows. "Do you not want to stay on this deck for at least a few more days until you explore all of it?"
“I do want to stay here a bit longer, but I have to keep climbing,” Lirzod said and stretched his lips.
“You are right,” Sean nodded and stroked his beard. His cat also imitated him and tried to stroke its beard. “By the way, how’s the twelfth deck so far? Did you find anything to your liking?”
Lirzod’s eyes broadened a bit, and he briskly stated, “One girl was good.”
“Girl?" Sean was surprised. He saw Lirzod wander into daydreams while still standing. "Ahem,” he cleared his throat, bringing Lirzod out of his phantom world. “Okay, son of man, Lirzod, I can only wish you luck in your journey. Things are only going to get nasty up there. Be prepared for anything, so you might not regret no matter what happens.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Lirzod said, leaning closer to murmur, “so you, too, keep my requests in your mind, got it?”
Sean’s brows raised a little, and a smile followed. He then assuredly said, “As for your requests, leave them to me.”
“Great. Then I guess I’ll come back at the time of voting,” Lirzod shook hands with Sean and then walked away.
As Lirzod made the distance, Jehez made a hard face, “Commander,” he voiced his mind softly, “why are you giving him such preference when he won against Lord Bruiser just by fluke?”
“Fluke?” Sean didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but he flicked a tiny meatball at Jehez's face, and the cat sprang toward the meatball and ended up biting his face. “A win of this magnitude bears no resemblance to a fluke." Sean leaked out a knowing smile. "He was off to a bad start, but there was hardly a grunt and nary a shriek as he fought that Bruiser. He may not be showing the pain, but those scars on his hand must feel like a furnace as winds brush over even during walking.”
Jehez, though bitten by the cat, had a startled look on his face. So he was watching the test.
“As for you...” Sean cast a firm gaze on Jehez, and his eyes had the bitterness of the winter, “Even though you weren’t qualified enough to publicly address the events of the day, I’ve made you the referee because of your persistence, but your inept handling of winners has always been a thorn in my ass. You better change that side of yours, or I’ll change you.”
“Y-Yes, Commander,” Jehez choked on his own breath as he deeply bowed in haste.
“Take this to the inventory,” Sean tossed the coin sacks to Jehez, maintaining the firm look on his face, “I’ll take care of the counter.”
As they both parted ways and Sean entered the betting counter from the back door, every man waiting in the line got quite taken aback. Most of them had been waiting for Jehez, probably to tease him further, but now, they couldn’t dare run their mouths in front of the man who had dominion over all living things on the twelfth deck.
“Oh, it’s Commander Sean!” Some men chatted with extra liveliness in their voices. “How lucky are we to have the author of fiction ‘Cats in the Kitchen!’ take care of our bettings!”
“And that cat must be Gray! The only cat on this deck, which can stand its ground against that big bully, Bruiser! It would have been great if he was here earlier. We wouldn’t have suffered all these scars.”
“Worries are part of everyone’s life, brothers,” Sean cackled as he stroked his beard. Gray imitated him. “And they usually include scars for wannabe martials.”
Though Sean’s speech was like a salt rubbing over the wounds of others, none of the men had thick-enough tongues to speak back. Nevertheless, the betting counter became a bustling spot, for more men were drawn toward it like vultures to remains. Some even showed great concern for Sean’s wellbeing, hoping to acquaint themselves with him. After all, it wasn’t an unusual thing for the commander to sit at the counter and shit on the silly fellows, for they believed he can do whatever he wanted but could do no wrong. At the same time, in the other spots of the hall, jabbering of all sorts sprang to life as men boasted how they’d win the test or become rich through bettings.
Meanwhile, not too far away from the test hall.
Sariyu was strolling in the street with two men, who walked on either side while keeping their distance. “Where’s this shop you’ve spoken of?” she asked in a friendly manner.
“It’s right ahead, miss,” they replied together, speaking considerately and uttering every word with care, “just a few more steps.”
“I hope they have something I’ll like,” Sariyu mused to herself while a few possibilities ran in her mind.
The three arrived at the corner of the street, and when they took a left turn, there was a big turtle stranded upside down in the middle of the street.
“What the hell is that?” the two men immediately made fists out of their hands and went into a self-protective mode.
“Easy. It’s flat on its back,” Sariyu said, and her eyes had a once over at the turtle’s frame. "Surely, it can't attack us when it's like that."
“Haha, you're right, miss. We were just surprised by its sheer size,” the two men loosened their fists and postures, “but what’s this thing doing here anyway? Can we even cook this thing?”
“It’s better if we just walk past it,” the second man said, having felt his quickening pulse.
“We don’t even know if it’s alive or not. Let’s check it first,” Sariyu said, startling those two.
“What? How are you going to check that out?” the two of them had accelerated heart rates. “ If it’s alive, it will bite us before we know it.”
“We don’t know that,” Sariyu casually said.
“How can you look so comfortable saying that!” the two men had their hearts sink into their stomachs and swim through the gastric juices, which rose a sour and smoldering feeling into their tongues. “Can’t you see its size? It can seriously wound us if it wants to.”
“Maybe, but we can’t just leave it like that now, can we?” Sariyu said, but the two men looked frozen. “Well, if you aren’t willing, I’ll do it myself.”
“Do it yourself?” one of the two lightly snorted as she walked ahead. “I doubt if even the three of us can move that turtle. Just look at that damn thing, it easily weighs over a ton. Someone should stop trying to show off. They will only make themselves look bad."
Sariyu didn't even pay attention to their words, for nothing but the turtle was in her eyes. “With all that shell, it should weigh a lot," she mumbled to herself, "If I can apply enough force at the right spot, I will be able to move it." She narrowed her eyes as she got closer to the turtle. "A minute of pain should do...” She suddenly put a spring in her step and lunged like a wolf, “Oras Paw Flash!” Her toe struck at the tail-end of the shell and flipped its whole body into the air, which then took a half rotation.
The mouths of the two men fell open. “I-Impossible.” Those two could barely follow her leg movement, for it seemed as swift as the eagle flight. The impact sound was also not as loud as it should be.
The turtle landed on its belly in a loud thud. It brought out its head and limbs, then jerked its head a bit, causing the two men to take a few steps back in fright.
“See, it’s alive,” Sariyu said, placing her arms on her waist and looked at the two men, who had amazement written all over their faces. Her expression slowly changed as she seemed to have realized something. She lowered her head and laid her eyes on her toes, and one of her fingernails was missing. Her expression froze. She remembered the time when Duera had told her to wear shoes as she mostly used her legs to fight, but Sariyu didn't listen to Duera's advice and chose to wear high-heeled sandals that exhibited her colored, polished fingernails. Now, upon seeing one of the nails go missing, Sariyu's eyes glistened with tears, and her lower lip buried her upper lip. Though it was blurry, her eyes searched the floor for the lost nail, puzzling the men who had no idea what she was doing.
“I’m in your debt,” a voice sounded out from Sariyu’s rear, surprising her and the two men. Sariyu didn’t move but unhesitatingly glanced over her shoulders at the wall behind her, where a bald woman was butt-resting against a windowsill. It was Everna. She gently pushed herself forward with the help of her hands, and noiselessly landed on the wooden floor. “He likes flipping over whenever he’s sleepy. If you hadn’t woken him up, I might have stayed here for a while.”
Sariyu squinted her eyes. I didn’t see her at all. Is it because her clothes matched the walls? Or is it one of those abilities... Given that Everna didn’t even have hair or move an inch all this while, none of those three noticed her presence by the wall.
“T-T-That’s...” the two men stuttered as Everna came closer. They turned to face the other side and began to walk away in long but quick strides, not daring to look back.
Sariyu squinted her eyes. I didn’t see her at all. Is it because her clothes matched the walls? Or is it one of those abilities... Given that Everna didn’t even have hair or move an inch all this while, none of those three noticed her presence by the wall.
“T-T-That’s...” the two men stuttered as Everna came closer. They turned to face the other side and began to walk away in long but quick strides, not daring to look back.
“Hey, little brothers,” Everna’s voice stopped them in their tracks. “Aren’t you the same guys who once tried to trick me? It looks like you two still haven't learned your lesson.”
Crap! The men’s shoulders jerked. She remembered! We are doomed.
“I guess my looks eventually made you give up midway,” Everna said and walked over to them. "I don’t know whether to blame you two, or myself,” she placed her arms around their shoulders and brought them to Sariyu, and even though they didn't say a word, they already made crying faces. "How should I fix you two this time for better?"
“Please, forgive us, sister,” they pleaded in low tones. “We will never try to trick anyone ever again.”
“Wait, you guys were trying to trick me, too?” Sariyu had a surprised look on her face. Because of losing a nail, she wasn't able to think straight, so it took her some time to realize what was going on.
“No, no, miss! We were not,” as the two men were saying, Everna made chopping movements and struck the back of their necks, causing them to collapse.
“Get some sleep, little brothers,” Everna said and then looked at Sariyu. “The debt is paid.”
“Y-You didn’t have to pay it back this quick,” Sariyu said and then gently blew air through her nose. “I was hoping to get some items cheaply from whichever shop they said they’ll take me to. However, it happens to be another tough day in disguise." She folded her arms and stared down at the two men, "These fellows—they looked so innocent I couldn't see the wool they put over my eyes."
“There are no innocent adults, only good or bad,” said Everna, moving closer to the turtle. She silently pulled out the nail that had been stuck in the turtle's shell and balled her hand.
“I guess you are right," Sariyu's gaze was elsewhere. "Thanks for saving my time anyway." Surprise flashed in her eyes, "Wait, I guess I owe you one now.”
“If you feel that way, help someone else in need, and consider this debt paid,” Everna jumped and soundlessly landed atop the turtle.
“Uh…” Sariyu had a surprised look on her face. The turtle turned around and began to move at a leisurely pace. Sariyu just stood right where she was for more than ten seconds. Afterward, she started to walk, and in a matter of seconds, she easily caught up with the turtle, and as she’s passing the turtle, her smile contained both cheekiness and awkwardness. Rubbing her cheek with a finger, she said, “I’m also going this way, so...”
“Want a ride?” Everna asked with her usual calm look.
“Uh…” She had already overtaken the turtle, so she didn’t know how to respond. “I think I’m good, but thanks for asking.”
“Okay, I’ll be off then, see you later,” Everna made a series of soft sounds with her mouth, and the turtle picked up its speed and dashed through the street, totally taking Sariyu by surprise. Right before her eyes, the turtle covered a hundred-meter distance in less than ten seconds, and its speed only seemed to be increasing. As it arrived at a junction, the turtle pulled its head and limbs into the shell and slid and rotated on the ground by its belly. When its shell was aligned with the direction of the next street, it brought out its head and limbs and continued to run at almost the same speed.
Even though the turtle had long disappeared out of her sight, Sariyu still had her mouth agape. “My ride...”
Elsewhere on the twelfth deck, at a six-street junction.
Having searched the entire loose booth, Burton felt a bit tired, for he failed to find anything that pleased his eyes, let alone give rise to liquids in his mouth. In the end, he picked a small bun. “Looks like there really is nothing but bread that we can get for free and be able to peacefully eat daily on these decks. I was hoping to quench my thirst, but—what should I do now? This bread might heighten the thirst.”
As he was in a dilemma whether or not to eat the bun, a dog hesitantly approached the bread booth with its head and neck lowered quite a bit.
Burton stared at it for a moment and then stuffed half the bun into his mouth. “There’s a lot of waste in the shop. Why are you looking at me?”
The dog, however, kept moving to his left and to his right.
“You got your eyes on this one, huh…” Burton tossed the other half bun onto the floor. The dog slowly got to the bun, but it quickly fetched the food and bolted away in a hurry. “So it does eat bread. Mm, it seems bread doesn’t often go to waste. No wonder there are multiple booths left unattended by their owners. Now then,” he looked around at the different streets, “ let’s see how my luck is...” he walked toward a random street that had a small sign which read ‘Bachelor’s Street.’
For a few hundreds of meters, all he came across was empty open rooms, and the increasing smell of alcohol didn’t help him either, all of which made him think he chose the wrong street, and just as he was thinking to turn back, he caught merry shouts coming from afar to his front. His feet moved on their own before he could decide to continue walking ahead.
As he got closer, dozens of men were on the street, gathered around a podium upon which a man was selling something that looked like a painting. He wasn’t using any tool to enhance his voice, for it was naturally loud. “Listen, you piss-poor folks!” the man on the podium said with authority as he showcased a revealing painting of a woman, “This lady right here is a daughter of the desert and no ordinary one at that. Just look at her, look at her well. Only a man with trained eyes can tell that she washes her body routinely with a swim through the oasis, whitens her skin by sucking all the shine from the wet sands of the night, and magnetizes men’s eyes toward her navel by adorning it with the rarest of jewels. And on top of it all, she possesses a smile that can salve the pain of even the deadliest scorpion bites.”
By this point, most men were completely salivating, their hearts throbbing from prurience.
“I want her!”
“No, the desert’s daughter is mine. I want her on my wall.”
“Shut up, brother! She’s your sister for heaven's sake.”
“No, she’s your sister, you foolish brother.”
As men quarreled among themselves, the man on the podium shouted, “Enough, brotherly punks! It’s time to decide the luckiest one among us who can escort this beauty into his room and endeavor to understand her further. With a silver coin as the base price for this maiden of merit, the bidding starts now!”
“101 copper.”
“111 copper.”
“122 copper.”
“143 copper.”
“160 copper.”
The bidding didn’t go on for long, and it was eventually sold at two silver. The man on the stage carefully folded the painting and handed it to the winner after taking the money. “Treasure and praise her like you do every other sweetheart in your room.”
“With all my heart, I shall praise her, Big Brother.”
“That’s all for today, brotherly pimps,” the man on the stage shouted. “When we find another worthy woman, we’ll bring her here.”
“Yeah!” many men roared. "Next time bring someone from the snowy mountains, or the volcanic lands, maybe."
Meanwhile, Burton, who had been watching all this from a distance, made a weird look on his face. He had looked at the signboard before entering the street, but he didn’t expect to come across what he did. “Am I still on the ship?” he felt doubtful and looked around.
“Oh,” the man on the podium noticed Burton, “look there, everyone! We’ve got a new brother willing to stay single for a lifetime.”
“Eh? Where, where?” everyone immediately turned toward Burton, who was wearing a frozen expression.
“Ow, isn’t he handsome?”
“I can’t believe such a first-class face couldn’t get a woman. Women have become too cruel.”
“He must’ve suffered a lot for him to come here. A truly pitiful soul.”
“Let’s welcome him to join the Brothers of Bachelorhood.”
“Yeah!” everyone ran toward him with glowing faces.
“Eek!” Burton swiveled around and scurried away like a lone wolf fleeing from a ghastly pack.
“Why are you running, brother? Join us!” some men shouted.
“Who’s your brother!” Burton barked back, “And stop chasing after me!”
“Hehe, this brother is shy like a fox,” another man chortled. “We were all like that in the beginning days, too.”
“Like I care!" Barton snapped. "I don't want anything to do with you lot, so stop chasing me!”
“Brother can certainly run, but you are underestimating us, your senior brothers,” some men looked at each other before splitting up, and they ran along their edges of the street and caught up with Burton, who was running so hard that his feet barely hit the ground.
“No, stop. No, stop, you bastards, or I will kill you all.” Disbelief washed over Burton's face.
“Hehehe,” many men jumped on him from both sides, “before you kill us, join our bachelorhood!”
NOOO~~!!
Burton’s cry echoed throughout the street.
In the meantime, inside the cat home.
Lirzod took the help of the assistant referee to find out the cat with broken legs and fed it the tiny meatball. The cat showed its desperation through its screams, asking for another, but Lirzod had only one. Some other cats that caught the scent of the meatball came sniffing at him, but Lirzod stomped on the floor, and they scattered away. Only the cat with broken limbs stayed where it was—at Lirzod's feet—even though the sound startled it.
“Were you speaking the truth?” the assistant referee, who was standing behind Lirzod, had a doubtful look on his face, “Did you truly donate all the money?”
“I already told you,” Lirzod sounded a bit impatient, for he was asked the same question three times already by the same guy. Now, Lirzod began to regret telling him about the donation, but he had to do that to enter the cat home and be able to spend some time inside.
A fair amount of shock surfaced on the assistant referee’s face, “You, you must be quite rich.”
“Rich?” Lirzod grabbed hold of the cat with broken limbs, and it began to nibble on his hands. His other hand waved off the houseflies that tried to land on his head and other parts of the body. “We are not rich.”
“We?” the assistant referee was puzzled.
“Not us. Me and my clansmen.”
“Then why did you give away the gold?”
“Well, didn’t Godrick say that gold worn on clothing stirs up greed in other’s eyes, so one must strive to shine like gold without donning it?” Lirzod said and grinned. “I liked what he said. That’s why I give it away from time to time. It’s no big deal, though. I know people who do it better.”
The assistant referee blinked twice. “Uh, can I receive some of your gold, I mean, golden grace as well?” he asked in a positive tone.
Suddenly, both stared at each other in a standstill. “No.”
Lirzod’s reply sucked all the energy out of the assistant referee’s body and left his shoulders flailing.
“Grace may come for free, but golden grace won’t,” Lirzod’s words stung him even more. A thin stream of blood leaked down Lirzod’s forehead without warning, traveled along his nose and dripped down its base.
The assistant referee was startled. “You are bleeding! Are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” Lirzod said, pressing his scalp once, “one cut must have been deep, but—it’s nothing to worry about.”
“I don’t think so," the assistant referee spoke as if he knew what he was talking about, "It’s a head wound, so you better get it treated soon.”
“Like I said, it’s all right.” Lirzod rubbed the blood off his face and resumed to swat some house flies away. “Geez, every injury is an Elysian field for houseflies. Foxes are much better than these vermin. They mostly loot from corpses, but these things don't hesitate to steal even from living beings.” He sighed and shook his head. “By the way,” Lirzod’s eyes fell on the cat, “does it have a name?”
“Ah, well, weak ones are never given a name,” he answered, knowing full well that Lirzod was diverting the conversation.
“Since this one will get its legs back one day, let’s name this... Leggy,” Lirzod looked at the cat.
“Oi, why are you naming it?”
“How does Leggy sound, Leggy?” Lirzod completely ignored the assistant referee’s words.
The cat stared at him for a moment without blinking before rubbing its head against his hand.
“It seems to like it,” Lirzod glanced at the assistant referee.
“U-Uh, yeah,” he reluctantly nodded. “But hey, tell me for real, did you honestly donate the betting money?”
Lirzod pressed his lips firmly to ease the frustration. He wanted to shout at the assistant referee, but then he might be forced to leave the room, so he had to keep his tongue at bay. He replied without even looking, "You can go ask the commander yourself.”
“No," the assistant referee exposed his palms, "I would rather not.”
“Hm?" Lirzod glanced at him, "Why?”
“Well, you should already know," he spoke cautiously in a low tone, "Identities of the donors are rarely disclosed for most donations on this ship. Since it’s also a principle followed in the sect itself, I can’t risk asking the commander regarding the donations, at least not while on this ship.”
Lirzod’s face stiffened from wonderment.
“Wait, you didn’t know?” the assistant referee’s eyes enlarged. “Did you perhaps give the money in public?”
“Yeah, but there’s no one around us. We were behind the betting counter.”
“Oh, then you’re lucky,” he took a breath and later rubbed his chin. “Still, why didn’t Jehez warn you about the bad things attached around making one’s donations known?”
“But even the commander didn’t tell me anything.”
“What?" A chill spread across the assistant referee’s spine. "You met the commander? He’s here?”
“Yeah,” Lirzod was confused a bit, “maybe he forgot.”
“No,” he shook his head, “if the commander was there during your donation and didn't warn you, then you don't need to worry. You said you were kind of discussing in private, right?”
"Mm," at that time, Lirzod remembered that Jehez had initially barked at him, saying that he was donating for fame. Now, he understood why Jehez had said that. All these thoughts made Lirzod scratch his cheek, for he felt like he was in the wrong. “Maybe I should have discussed it elsewhere," he mused to himself.
“Well, you’ve done a good thing by donating it before the commander’s eyes,” the assistant referee said, and a smile bloomed on his face. “I’m sure he would have been impressed. Hundreds of people on this deck do all sorts of circus to get in the commander’s eyes, but you’ve probably even impressed him with this single act.”
“I didn’t donate it to impress him or anyone,” Lirzod replied spontaneously, “I did it just for the cats.”
The assistant referee’s mouth hung open. “F-For the cats? Tell me you’re joking.”
“I’m not,” Lirzod shut his eyes and slightly shook his head.
Upon understanding that Lirzod wasn’t joking, Jehez couldn’t blink, “You mean you donated all that money for the cats?” he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He was under the impression that the funding was probably to clean the streets or to station more sandy knolls for cats to shed their weight or something along those lines, but Lirzod’s reason truly baffled him. “F-For all these cats...” he looked around at the hundreds of cats inside the room. At the moment, he felt underprivileged than the cats.
“Not for all the cats,” Lirzod said, roughly stroking the cat resting in his arms, “but for the comfort of cats like this one.”
“S-Still, don't you think it’s a bit too much to give for the comfort of cats?” he looked a bit stunned and disappointed at the same time, “you could’ve at least given it some thought before taking such a decision. You could have asked for advice from someone important—like me.”
“I want to climb the decks fast,” Lirzod said, “so I didn’t see any other choice.”
“Well, you've got a point, but do you genuinely believe your money will be fully spent on the cats?" His expression turned somewhat helpless. "As good as the commander may seem, there are rumors about him taking commissions now and then. As for Jehez, I don’t even need to talk about that guy.”
“Yeah, that referee fellow couldn’t stand me, but you are a bit better than him.”
“A bit?” the assistant referee’s brow jerked.
Lirzod turned away and bit his tongue. “M-More than a bit. You know what, forget what I said.”
“As if I can!” he barked, “you surely meant it.”
“Yeah, I did, so what?” Lirzod backed himself, “He’s the referee, and you’re the only one who could become his assistant. That says something.” Saying that he began to walk while holding Leggy in his arms.
Confusion dawned over the assistant referee’s face. Did he praise or scold me?
Lirzod’s eyes danced with laughter for managing to fool the assistant referee, at least, for the time being.
“Wait,” the assistant referee’s call skipped Lirzod's heartbeat, “where are you taking that cat?”
“Ah, it can’t walk on its own,” Lirzod said, turning back to face him. “I only want to help it get some fresh air and a change in scenery for once. Vivid visuals may help the healing process.”
“Vivid visuals? I doubt there’s any on this deck,” he mumbled to himself. “Fine, but bring it back quick.”
“Not a problem,” Lirzod forced out a smile that showed none of his teeth.
At that moment, a slim and seemingly fragile man entered the room.
“Hey, who are you?” the assistant referee barked but got no response, “You, can’t you hear me?" he asked but got no response the second time either. Baring his teeth, he yelled and waved his hand, "Get out of here right now, you fool!”
The fragile-looking man took out a dog-faced badge, and the assistant referee stopped in his tracks.
The fragile-looking man looked around at the cats, and his eyes stopped on the cat that was in Lirzod’s hands. He approached Lirzod, “Cats like these have it worse here, don’t you think so, young man?”
“Yep,” Lirzod nodded. “But, you can’t choose this cat, you know.”
“Haha, I’m not a contestant,” the fragile man laughed, and his whole body swayed like a flower. “I’m the watchdog for this deck and this sector. I just came here to have a look once before I quit this profession.”
“Watchdog?” Lirzod’s brows raised, “You mean like a watchman’s dog?”
“Haha, no one’s ever interpreted it like that, but no, I’m more like a watchman.”
“Then why not call yourself a watchman?”
“Because watchdog sounds cool, don’t you think?” the fragile-looking man looked at Lirzod in the eyes. “Anyway, may I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
He asked openly, “Did the guy behind you attempt to do any underhand deals with you?”
The assistant referee’s heart almost exploded from hearing those words. He couldn’t look at Lirzod’s face as he was standing much behind.
“Yes, he did,” Lirzod replied casually, collapsing the assistant referee’s heart into his stomach.
The fragile-looking man smiled a little. “Thanks for your assistance. I wish more entries were like you.” He then glanced at the assistant referee who was on his knees and said, “A review is on its way for you, so be prepared.” Saying that he turned back and left the room at his own pace while observing some cats.
Soon after he left, the assistant referee came running to Lirzod, then forcibly turned him back by the shoulder and grabbed the collar and yelled, “Why did you tell him?”
Lirzod was taken by surprise from seeing the anger in his eyes, but he straightforwardly asked, “D-Did you expect me to lie or what?”
His words and his eyes made the assistant referee go silent. Generally, watchdogs never revealed their identities and just observed all the events and reported to their superiors. The fragile-looking man revealed himself only because he was thinking about quitting his job soon, and Lirzod ended up giving him just enough information to make that retirement all the more pleasant. Frustration flowed through the assistant referee’s blood abundantly and flourished in his heart, but he let go of the collar. “Get out.”
“It’s nothing personal,” Lirzod said and then began to walk out.
“Leave the cat here,” the assistant referee’s voice came from behind.
Lirzod stopped, and a moment later, he turned back to take a look in his eyes.
“Did you expect me to allow you to take the cat?” the assistant referee coldly said.
“Please,” Lirzod somewhat stressed his tongue.
The assistant referee stepped closer, “It’s nothing personal.”
Lirzod went silent as they both exchanged subtle glares.
Meanwhile, in the hall, Jehez came back to the betting counter, and Sean was nowhere to be seen.
“It took forever to resume the tests!”
“One-round profits aren’t enough. Let’s bet better!”
“If the stars stay aligned, we can make a fortune by the end of this day.”
Many men began to bet on the next contestant, for they all had weighty pockets due to the last round’s result.
“The wolves are coming!” a man covered in sweat came running into the hall and attracted quite a many eyes with his words. “Watch out for the wolves!” This man was none other than 777.
“Wolves! More than one of them?” many men in the hall were surprised. Anybody who succeeded in the eleventh deck’s test would usually be called a wolf on the twelfth deck, especially at the time of their arrival. But over time, only the troublesome entries would be called in such a manner. Seeing how 777 came howling at the top of his lungs, it meant that not a single wolf but a pack of them were on their way.
One wolf was enough to put fear into a flock of sheep, but all men present in the hall were themselves wolves, however strong they may be. Even though these wolves symbolized freedom and fortitude, there was still a code among them they always adhered to, which was honoring the legacy of the senior wolves. If not, any brash wolf would perish under the might of many complementing claws.
Now that a new pack was coming to the hall, everyone wondered if they would obey the existing rules or go so far as playing by their own rules.
777's eyes scanned across the hall, seemingly searching for someone. He then hurriedly made his way out through a different exit, leaving everyone else with uncertainty.
“What was that all about?”
“Are the wolves truly coming?”
“Maybe that dude was just bluffing.”
“How dare that punk fool us and waste our time for nothing!”
Some men got infuriated from just the thought of people playing tricks on them.
As murmurs escalated in the hall, ten gorilla-sized feet stepped foot into the hall, grabbing the attention of many people without delay.
“Who the hell are those hippos?” some men standing near the entrance wondered as they grew vigilant.
However, some others recognized the five men right away. “They are the Hardy Brothers!”
Chapter Length: 6300+ words
Daily Dose:
"Don't know when it happened
But by all means believe it
A house has been built in my heart
And it's waiting for you to grace
And seen the name on the walls
Before the blood washes it away
So please come promptly
And save my little love
Before it escapes the heart
That opens up not for all."
— Not For All, VKBoy.
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