Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 487 If you don't keep the cats up during the day, the cats will keep you up at night.

“Mr. Graves, we will meet again, perhaps in the near future.”

Larry left only those words behind before retreating back into the crowd.

His figure quickly blended into the crowd and disappeared from sight. Grave clutched his chest, feeling short of breath from staring at Larry, as if it were a lingering effect of witnessing something in human skin.

Grave knew he had to see Mary immediately.

He was surprised to discover another threat to this "bloodless" revolution that he had overlooked.

Grave never imagined that the real threat, more so than Mayor Hafiz and his remnants, was actually among them all along.

Therefore, he had to rush to the upper city overnight.

So Mary had barely gotten home, and before she could even warm her chair, she was called out again by a city hall employee who rushed over.

No!

When will you two ever stop?

Where do all these things come from, every single day?!
Mary followed the young employee for quite a distance in a daze before realizing that she had also taken the hotel's coffee pot with her.

She knew that at the same time, Moriko was sightseeing in Oasis City, and might have even gone to the Eternal Theater to listen to music. Only she was busy in the City Hall from morning till night. Before she could even lie down after returning to the hotel, she was called out again.

The golden retriever on her head gave her a warning signal.

She recalled Ethan's earlier lobbying efforts—it was a mayoral election.

Mary suspected that she had been set up by Moriko. She had never been a mayor and had no idea that the mayor's job was so busy. She even felt a tiny bit of admiration for Mayor Hakimi, who was now in prison.

She couldn't help but ask the young staff member who was guiding her, "Did your mayor, that Hakimi, also work until this time every day before?"

That's a really pointed question.

Especially for a young person who has just entered the workforce, because if we only answer from the perspective of time, Mayor Hakimi does indeed "work" until this time every day, or even later. However, his main job is to go to the Eternal Theater to enjoy plays and attend the grand evening parties.

Mayor Hakimi cleverly gave entertainment and dining a fancy-sounding name – socializing.

He pointed out that socializing is an important part of the mayor's job, and that he needs to make more connections with investors through high-society social occasions to raise funds for the city hall.

According to Mayor Hakimi's theory, even though the city hall was piled high with unapproved documents, he was actually busy until late at night every day, devoting himself to the city of Oasis.

However, the young employee did not think so. "I don't think eating and drinking, or watching plays at the theater, count as work."

"Who says that's the final say?"

"Mayor Hakimi."

Huh?
The young employee was stunned for a long time after blurting out the wrong thing. He realized that he had been led astray by Ms. Mary when referring to the former mayor, but another serious problem was looming over him.

The former mayor of Oasis City...

what do you say that is?

Damn it, he feels like something has invaded his brain lately!

Unaware that a black cat with heterochromatic eyes was quietly watching them from the rooftop beside them, she gracefully leaped down and disappeared into the darkness.

At the same time, Ethan and Winter were lying in ambush in front of Oasis City Prison. He held a homemade ice cream made with ice elements in his hand and handed it to the ragdoll cat on his shoulder. The small and cute ragdoll cat's fur around its mouth was already covered with ice cream residue.

Just half an hour ago, the officials in Oasis City who had been issued arrest warrants had already checked into the prison. Ethan guessed they should be gathered in the canteen now, holding hard bread and happily chatting about their bright future.

The upcoming trial will offer them many humane options.

They are free to choose from the guillotine, the stake, the gallows, or the electric chair; just like the advertisement says, there's always one that suits you.

The only problem might be the difficulty of finding housing after death.

The main reason was that the director of the Oasis City Cemetery Administration also went in with them, and the new acting director was one of the young people from Lyon's group, who was difficult for them to get along with and could not provide any support for them outside.

“Dong’er, I think they definitely don’t want to live with the civilians who died in the lower city in the future.”

After all, Oasis City had a history of anti-scientific reports such as "Commoners' deaths pollute the soil," and in this era, there were indeed many upper-class people who genuinely felt that they and commoners did not belong to the same species.

As Ethan spoke, he handed the freshly made ice cream cone to the white ragdoll cat on his shoulder.

This time, the Ragdoll cat finally raised its paw and used its pink paw pads to block the cone.

"What do you want to do!"

Winter is a cold person. She doesn't care about the future housing and retirement issues of the officials. She only cares about Ethan Cat handing her more than a dozen ice cream cones during the hour or so that she was outside the prison. At first, she thought they were quite delicious, but now, as an ice elemental sculptor, she feels like her teeth are frozen.

"This is lemon flavored."

Ethan explained the difference between the new cone and the previous one.

"Eat it yourself!"

The ragdoll cat bared its mouth at him menacingly, hissing at Ethan in a very unusual manner.

"Isn't this because I was worried you'd be bored with nothing to do?"

"I'm sleepy!"

"useless!"

Ethan was taken aback and immediately offered a different option, "How about popcorn? I'll buy it for you. If you're too sleepy, you can have some coffee too."

"do not want!"

Having not slept all day, the cat was a bit irritable today, with its fur standing on end.

"That's it."

Ethan simply held the white Ragdoll cat in his arms, which calmed the cat's gradually agitated emotions. However, as soon as she closed her eyes, she felt her two paws being held in someone's hands, and she began to repeatedly knead them.

I can't sleep at all!

Ethan looked down at Winter in his arms, who was so tired that she could barely breathe and was unable to fall asleep. His heart finally settled down.

He and Winter were lying in ambush outside the prison today, not only because they sensed something big was going to happen on the first day the officials moved in, but also for a deeper reason.

Originally, Winter could have stayed at the hotel to rest and didn't need to come. However, after being attacked by cats for two consecutive nights, Ethan finally made up his mind and carefully analyzed the reasons for this bad phenomenon.

While Reiko and Anko's reports were certainly a major trigger, Ethan discovered a deeper problem.

Why is Winter's stamina so good?
You should know that she is an elemental sculptor just like him, a representative of physical frailty. Moreover, during his time with Winter, Ethan never saw her do any strength or physical training. In fact, Winter's lifestyle was even lazier than her magic-based professional friend, Rowena. When she went out, the most she would do was transform into a ragdoll cat and perch on his shoulder. She was unwilling to even walk long distances.

The answer was surprisingly simple, much to Ethan's surprise.

Winter simply rests more during the day, which gives people the false impression that he has great physical strength.

Many clever cat owners have already come up with a solution to this problem: don't keep the cat up during the day, let the cat keep you up at night.

So for Ethan, ice cream, popcorn, or hot coffee didn't matter. If Winter wanted, he could even get pizza and tomato meat sauce noodles. The point was, neither humans nor cats could eat and sleep at the same time. "Winter."

"Ok?"

The Ragdoll cat let out a tired nasal sound, and its eyes narrowed into slits once again.

"It's nothing, I just wanted to check if you were asleep."

"Ha! — Awoo~"

While the Ragdoll cat was panting, Ethan casually stuffed a lemon ice cream into her mouth. The Ragdoll cat's eyes, which were about to close, suddenly opened wide, accompanied by a gasp.

Clearly, lemon ice cream also has the added benefit of refreshing and invigorating the mind.

........................

The other end of the prison can only be described as lifeless.

Urged on by the prison guards, Mayor Hafiz dragged his heavy steps into the prison canteen. There were many familiar faces there. They used to dine together in the luxurious restaurant, chatting about interesting things that happened in their lives. But now, their plates were filled with a mushy mess of food, so hard that the ingredients were unrecognizable, and bread so hard that it could be used as a weapon.

He always felt that something here was spoiled, and it was emitting a sour smell.

All the Oasis City officials who were brought in today had the same question on their faces—are these things really meant for human consumption?
However, Hafiz's nightmare did not end there.

Besides these newly arrested and imprisoned officials, the prison is a mixed bag, with many "natives" among them. In addition to some tough guys who are nearly two meters tall and have muscles that look like granite, there are also ordinary people from the lower city who were falsely imprisoned for various reasons, such as whistleblowing.

Now they are prisoners, just like these "indigenous people".

Not long ago, they were given a grand "welcome ceremony." When they entered the prison area, the "natives" eagerly stretched their arms out of their cages, letting out low growls like wild beasts. Mayor Hakimi felt that the prisoners' eyes were practically glowing green as they looked at them.

Keep a low profile.

This may be the only thing he can do right now.

As he carried his tray, laden with the unpalatable "dog food," a commotion suddenly arose in the line behind him.

That's the head of the local police station.

Hafiz clearly saw the chief's arms being held from behind. He was terrified and struggled incessantly. However, before the prison guards arrived, a small, thin figure darted out from the crowd and stabbed the chief of the police station in the stomach with a dining knife.

The crowd was thrown into chaos until the prison guards separated the entangled people.

The head of the police station is still alive, but Hafiz isn't sure if that's a good thing.

Because the other person was clutching their stomach with both hands but still couldn't stop the bleeding, the bureau chief's face was contorted with pain, and his screams echoed in the cafeteria for a long time.

Hafiz also subconsciously touched his lower abdomen. At that moment, he felt the same way, as if he himself had been the one attacked by the criminal.

Perhaps, it will be his turn soon.

"Thump thump thump, thump thump thump—!"

The tapping sound from across the table caught Hafiz's attention. One of the men, as strong as granite, sat down opposite him, rhythmically tapping his fists on the table as if signaling to the others.

The "indigenous people" immediately responded to the prisoners.

"Thump thump thump, thump thump thump—!"

"This is Mayor Hafiz, a very famous figure in Oasis City!"

The burly prisoner introduced Hafiz's identity to the other prisoners in the dining hall, and a chorus of cheers rose and fell.

"Hafiz!"

"Hafiz!"

"Hafiz!"

Manic and bloodthirsty.

At this moment, Hafiz just wanted to hide under the table; perhaps it would be safer there.

A fierce glint flashed in the burly prisoner's eyes. "It's a little different here than outside, but don't worry, we'll treat you to a warm welcome."

……

The moment Hafiz was escorted back to the prison by the guards, he lay down on the bed with lingering fear. The only good news was that he had been given a single room.

However, this was not out of favoritism for his former mayoral status, but because the prison guards knew that if Hafiz were put with the prison's "natives," he would be devoured alive in just one night—he had to live until the time of his trial, when the new acting sheriff was compiling evidence to ensure he received the punishment he deserved.

Hafiz originally thought he was mentally prepared before going to prison, that the crimes he had committed had long exceeded the limits of the death penalty, and instead of giving up, he comforted himself that every serious crime he committed above those limits was a bonus.

However, his mindset changed completely after just one dinner.

He overlooked the extent of the hatred the "native inhabitants" harbored towards them in the prison.

What if he was the one who was stabbed several times in the crowd?
The bloody scene left Hafiz with lingering fear. He couldn't die, which is why he could feel pain and terror. He could never predict when or where a few people would jump out and leave him lying in a pool of blood.

Hafiz even suspected that the prisoners and guards had conspired together, because it seemed that the attacker had deliberately avoided vital areas.

It's not about killing them, but about making them feel fear and pain.

The cold moonlight shone on Hafiz's face. When he came to his senses, he suddenly noticed a gaze coming from above. A woman who shouldn't be in the prison was there.

The goddess was watching him.

With a playful, amused look in his eyes.

This scene, which should have been the dream of countless believers, left only deep fear in Hafiz's mind.

"A prison break?"

The goddess asked him.

Hafiz had no idea what this strange goddess was thinking. It was clearly her chosen believer who had started this trial, and it was she herself who had pronounced his death sentence on him in the theater. Yet now she was here, tempting him to escape.

Hafiz's eyes widened as he witnessed a magic unlike any he had seen at the Cathedral of the Dawn.

The magic surrounding the goddess was blood-red and exuded an ominous aura.

The crimson magic formed several fruits, which fell beside him.

"If you really can't stand it, share it with your friends."

Finally, the goddess seemed to suddenly remember something, "Oh, right, Larry sends his regards."

This is an interesting wish that a resident from the lower city made to Him.

He actually hoped that these officials, who had been so painstakingly sent to Oasis City prison, could escape from there.

(End of this chapter)