I’m met with silence from all those present. They stare at me, fbbergasted, while I just sit upoable with a grin.

  “Fluffy!” Cy squeals. The child rushes out of his seat to get near me. Then cy’s arms spread apart.

  With a snort, I hop into cys arms, where I am met with prs as. The child is ecstatid happy, no doubt relived of my return.

  An all the others, It’s clear that my presence was far more missed than I’d realized.

  “rade fluffy, is good have you back.” Boriss grins.

  “Aye.” Cillian raises a drink before downing the tents.

  I’m met with additional words of relief from the rest of my crew, but I ighem as Cy’s head scritches shove dopamio my bloodstream.

  Eventually, all pleasure must e to an end.

  “[Captain] Quasi,” James calls, “It is good to have you bad in good health. I hope your trip into the tower was eventful.”

  I hop out of Cy's arm and nd oable. “Yea, just a little bit. I’m level twenty five now with an additional blessing in tow. All it e was traversing a dangerous desert, gettirated by dozens of needles, nearly starving to death, and barely surviving against a scorpion as rge as this tent.”

  I smile towards James, who gives me an odd look. No, wait, not odd. The man looks focussed, like everything ing outside of my mouth is being thrown directly into long term memory.

  “Would you be willing to go into detail?” He asks.

  “Maybe ter. I actually came here to ask if Valentines did anything while I was gone.”

  “Done?”

  I nod. “Torture, threats, pain, killing.”

  “Valentine and his crew stayed on their ship the eime after you left. They said that if aried to leave, they would be killed.” James raises a fiard. “She is the only one allowed to board the ship.”

  I g Irmgard.

  “He has threatened me only.”

  I frown. “Did he a those threats?”

  “I did not give him a reason to.”

  “Huh. That's very unpiraty of him. You’d think a man of his ability would have less self trol.”

  “Valentine's wants information.” Myers finally speaks. “Doing anything that could be perceived as going against the deal he made is something he will adamantly avoid.” The old man looks like he’d aged a decade over the course of three days. Or he didn’t trim his beard. Hard to tell.

  “Right. Well, I ’t help but appreciate that. I guess I should be a bit menerous with information.” I hop off the table and he terance.

  “You said he’s on his ship, right? I’m gonna go talk to him.”

  “Wati!” I hear James call, but my skill is activating. One moment I’m a cat, and the , I’m a single eyed bird.

  Fpping my wings, I exit the tent and asd a dozeers. At my heightened elevation, everything is visible to my sight. And I meahing. I do not see the wavelength of light. I see ripples of mana in motion, all moving at different and varying speeds. I also see the trations of light, more specifically, the mana of individuals.

  I see through tents and items with ease. I ote ented items as well by the quality ay of mana. Unfortunately, seeing through the hulls of ships is difficult. I somewhat see through the two unsored destroyers, but cored ships have such bright hulls it’s not possible.

  After a good minute of looking, I fp my wings and make my way to the rgest ship I see.

  ___________________________________________________________________

  The bauble tilts ever so slightly he edge. A crystalline paperweight, something made of gold, silver, and a fervent red crystal. The item is just at the er of the desk, asking… wanting a little bit of force.

  “Of those three options provided, I ended up choosing Chariots trol.” My paw tilts towards the paperweight. Yes, the other options are objectively better. Chariots Perception [Binocur Vision] would mean I’d never o use a spygss and Chariots Enduranbsp;is stantly useful if ever I o recover from exertion.” My pas the paperweight light first… then a little more forcefully.

  “But that's the thing. Those are two skills whose bes to me are very minor. They wouldn’t truly improve me in any signifit way. [Minor Heat Resistance] oher hand is a bit of an enigma. Sure, it probably makes me resilient to heat, but I don’t know by how much. It could be very slight, but it could also be more signifit. It is the possibility of signifi why I’ve chosen such a blessing.”

  The paperweight falls off the side of the desk to join the mug, dle, stack of paper, a sheathed knife, a bell, two decorated skulls, a fancy stamp, spilled ink bottle with quiver, and a good dozen scrolls. I stare at the floor for a bit befng at the now clear desk. Then I g the very amused Valentine.

  “I don’t suppose you’d ent your own thoughts on the choice? Would you say it is the corree, or no. Would you have chosen differently?”

  After listening silently for the better part of an hour while watg a cat push object off his desk, Valeakes a moment to lean forward. He then g his most trusted advisor.

  “Everything except the details surrounding the fight against the Matriarch Scorpis is without lies.”

  Valentine nods. “I figured as much. Pung through a Matriarch’s thick carapace is something an Expert Buxon [Monk] would struggle to do- let alone a [Shifter] only retly being an advanced csser.”

  “There ung involved.” Quasi adds.

  “True.” Gazania says.

  “Harr, harr, harr,” Valentine chuckles. “I’m sure. As for your question, Gazania, please expin.”

  The [Storm-Fe Navigator] tilts her head towards the cat with a look not indifferent of a strict headmistress.

  “[Minor Heat Resistance] is a passive skill that reduces all temperatures above optimum by 50%. This includes both internal aernal temperatures. [Heat Resistance] reduces this further by 75% and [Major Heat Resistance] reduces it by 90%. The skill generally shows up in crafting csses like [Smith] or bat csses specializing in hot enviros. The skill is also notable for its ability to increase max stamina as the body takes much loo get to a temperature that would affect fun. Whe Resistance] is bined with [Fire Resistahe ability to withstand higher temperature is expon-”

  “That's Enough, Gazania.” Valeerrupts.

  “Of course.”

  Valentine's gaze returns back to the cat. “What happened after you chose your blessing?”

  Quasi yawns. He gnces once more at the desk, saddened by no longer having something to knock down. “I woke up at the entrance where I killed the first scorpis. From there, I left the tower, made sure my crew was treated well, and then ran here. We then talked. I cleared up your desk of useless baubles, and now we’re here.”

  Valentine gnces again at Gazania. The woman nods silently.

  The leader of the Corsairs leans ba his throne-like chair and crosses his arms. “I find your expnation and story satisfactory, so much so that I’d like to extend an offer.”

  “I dee.” Quasi answers immediately.

  Valentine raises an eyebrow. “You haven’t even heard my offer.”

  “Don’t o. I imagine you would offer me to join your crew with a promise of riches, rewards, leveling, power, and all the typical stuff a powerful person like yourself offer.”

  “And you would refuse, why?”

  “Because I’m better than you.” The cat grins while Valentine frowns. “You’re powerful, iial, leveled, but also overfident, cocky, authoritarian, and your trol over your emotions is g. pared to me, you are but a child with visions of grandeur.”

  The leader of the [Corsairs] stares at the talking kitten while his hand cracks the armrest of his seat.

  Gazania pces a palm on Valentine's shoulder. The man quickly rexes.

  After a moment, Valentine speaks. “Maybe it is you who are being the arrogant one.”

  “What you believe to be arrogance is mere feline superiority. I am the superior species here, and you are but a stepping stoo my greatness.”

  Valentine grins. Not a happy grin, but a more bloodthirsty one. “Maybe what you perceive is not a mere stone, but a mountain.”

  The cat flicks his tail. “A pebble, a boulder, a mountain- all are but stones of different sizes and all be traversed with time.”

  The two stare at each other for long moments, two powerful egos in a single room. A silent battle of will unfolds, both staring and waiting for oo speak.

  Eventually, the cat sits down and starts lig its leg- without breaking eye tact.

  “Just get out.” Valentine finally voices. “Arguing with you is a waste of time.”

  The cat stops lig. “Not just yet. I believe I am owed something.”

  Valentine frowns curiously, then he remembers and grins. He reaches into his coat, retrieves a scroll, and then ys it in front of the cat. “Take it.”

  “I will, but just to make sure. Our deal is still in pce, right?”

  He nods. “Yes. When you leave my ship, I will sail away and you live your life as you please.”

  “Purrfect.” The cat answers. Quasi picks up the scroll in his mouth and then leaves the room with the help of a [Pirate] manning the door. Ohe door closes and the cat is firmly out of earshot, Valentine chuckles.

  “Harr, harr, harrr. Gazania, please call Darran to my office. Tell him it's urgent.”

  Gazania’s eyes glow for a moment. “It is done.”

  Not a mier and Darran art, the Sky Piercer, rushes inside. “Did you need something, [Captain]?”

  “I do. I need your [Wyvern Riders] to send a message to all the nearby [Pirate] havens.”

  He nods. “That be done. What is the message?”

  Valeands up and walks to the side of the room where a rge wall-sized map of the p is located. “I need you to inform all of the havens that there is treasure located.” He raises a finger and points at a specific location. “here.”