Cat Princess and Human Knight

At the southernmost part of the boundless plateau, underground rivers flow unseen, and tenacious vegetation breaks through the soil, giving birth to seventeen oasis settlements in the arid Gobi Desert.

The fragile plateau ecosystem cannot support many cats, so the seventeen oasis settlements are also seventeen trading points.

They are like a lifeline, constantly injecting vitality into the nomadic cat population on the boundless plateau and sustaining their difficult lives there.

Essential goods such as salt, iron, cloth, and tea, which are scarce on the plateau, enter the plateau from here, while special products such as minerals, furs, livestock, and mounts from the plateau also flow to the south from here.

Caravans are like hardworking ants, carrying trade from the north to the south and vice versa, exchanging goods and services.

Long-term trade can be maintained precisely because all parties can benefit from such win-win transactions.

Most of the oasis settlements coincide with the boundary of Starfall Plains, but because the nomadic cat population has been trapped by the White Cats for a long time, they have had to repeatedly invade and plunder southwards, making the blockade here very strict.

The royal court of Wheat Waves has always been extremely wary of nomadic cat populations. Apart from a few trading ports permitted by the royal family of Wheat Ears, most oasis settlements actually rely on smuggling to maintain their trade.

To the west of the boundary between the boundless plateau and the fallen star plain, the scree hills nestled between the two borders, becoming a buffer zone and forming a golden corridor for entrepot trade.

Relying on the transshipment trade between the boundless plateau and the fallen plains, the scree hills made a fortune using this golden corridor.

Correspondingly, oasis settlements were also scattered with caravans and outposts from the scree hills.

Spies from various noble families in the rocky hills also used this window to observe the movements of the nomadic cat pack, providing intelligence and warnings to their masters.

Just as the orange cat paladin Bell was riding a bird and flying high into the sky, heading towards the imperial city at full speed, the mist-shadow lady, wearing a cloak, also arrived at this oasis settlement in the badger wagon.

The selectively bred broad-backed badgers, in groups of six, can pull a convoy of goods weighing up to two tons.

When faced with sudden drops in temperature due to severe cold in the north, their thick subcutaneous fat can act as a portable heater, making them the ideal large-scale freight vehicles.

The sandstorms of spring and summer had already begun, and Lady Mist's cloak was covered in sand. Helplessly, she shook off the fine sand again and again, cursing the harsh weather.

I really don't know how those clan cats of nomadic cat groups have survived generation after generation in such a harsh climate.

Upon entering the trading post in the oasis, the attentive resident manager was already standing outside the door.

Ms. Wuying jumped out of the car and said without any politeness.

"Prepare the bathwater; I want to take a bath first, and then listen to the latest report."

"Yes, yes, please come in."

Upon entering the courtyard, Ms. Fog Shadow removed her hood, revealing a white Devon Rex cat walking with a graceful, swaying gait, exuding feline charm.

She habitually looked around the yard and felt that there seemed to be fewer cats working than usual, more clutter, and even some blocking the way.

The steward, sweating profusely, led the way with his head bowed. He carefully concealed the tiny knife marks on the wall, flicked his tail to peel off the wallpaper, and covered the bloodstains in the corner that he hadn't had time to wipe clean.

"Please come in. Please rest for a while. The bath water will be prepared shortly."

Ms. Fog Shadow nodded, and the steward hurriedly closed the door. As soon as he turned around, a knife was already at his neck.

The indifferent leopard cat pointed inside, and the steward nodded repeatedly.

Using the back of his longsword, he pushed the steward aside. The leopard cat stretched out its paws behind it, and several leopard cats crouched down and approached the doors and windows.

The lead leopard cat held a knife in both hands, poised to thrust, when suddenly a glint flashed in its eyes, and it dodged a crossbow bolt that burst through the door.

The leopard cat kicked open the door, dodged two crossbow bolts again, and led the way into the room.

The room was now empty. The leopard cat caught a glimpse of a dark shadow flashing past the back window out of the corner of its eye and immediately rushed over.

As he leaped out of the back window, he saw that the white Devon Rex cat had been firmly gripped by the throat by a paw, and then the woman in the mist was thrown to the ground with her feet off the ground.

Before Lady Mistshadow could recover from her dizziness, several leopard cats that rushed over had already placed long knives against her neck and subdued her.

The tall Siberian forest cat shook its paws, picked up its axe, slung it over its shoulder, and mocked the leopard cat in the lead.

"Even the Fireclaw clan, skilled in espionage and assassination, makes mistakes. Lantresor, you look so pathetic climbing through the window."

"Lantresor," Fireclaw said coldly.

"Shut up, Grom. You can humiliate my mistakes, but you can't insult the Fireclaw clan."

I admit that this lady's alertness and composure exceeded my expectations, and thank you for your assistance.

"Grom," Cat Howl sneered.

"You only have one night to extract all the information from her, and then the Cat Howl Clan will lead the way, paving the way for the future of the nomadic cats."

Remember, you only have one night.

This is a surprise attack, and we absolutely cannot reveal the army's movements. All the foreign cats here must die.

Tonight, this place will be a river of blood.

Lantresso snorted.

"Just do your job, Grom. I don't need you to teach me how to do things. It's all for the nomadic cats."

Grom nodded.

"For the nomadic cats!"

---

At midnight, a full moon hung high in the sky. Ner'zhul gazed at the stars, muttering a continuous stream of incantations.

In the distance, the winding ridges of Cat's Back Mountain are faintly visible. Before me, the sound of the Sentinel River flowing fills my ears.

The full moon in the sky grew brighter and brighter. Ner'zhul stepped down from the makeshift platform, and the moonlight seemed to gather around him, shining upon him.

The Dark God, caught in the temporal turbulence, is peering into this world, and into Ner'zhul, through the special timeframe of the full moon night.

As he walked step by step to the riverbank, the aging Ner'zhul, the hairless old cat, seemed to open up in an instant, and he felt full of power, as if he had returned to his youth.

He raised his cane high, his arm veins bulging, his muscles clearly defined, like a strong young cat.

"May the God of Darkness protect you!"

Ner'zhul's shout seemed to float into the sky as he plunged his cane into the river, but the water did not ripple or splash.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment, then Ner'zhul plunged his cane into the river, emanating a chilling aura.

The ice formed around the cane on the riverbank and quickly spread outwards in a fan shape, freezing the entire river in the blink of an eye.

The sound of flowing water disappeared, and silence fell over the world. Ner'zhul pulled out his cane and looked back.

Behind him, the warriors of the nomadic cat pack had greenish skin and bloodshot eyes, and were already starving and thirsty.

Grom. Howl stood at the very front of the group, his axe arcing through the air as it pointed towards the ice ahead.

"Blood and thunder!"

The clan cat warriors behind him raised their weapons and roared.

"Strength and glory!"

Grom took the first step onto the ice. The biting cold made his feet numb, but he didn't care and pressed on.

"For the nomadic cats, the Howling Cat Clan, advance!"

"For the nomadic cats!"

The army around him galloped across the river, but Ner'zhul's eyes were filled with black mist. Moonlight shone on him, and the seductive words of the Dark God echoed in his ears.

"Kill her, kill her! Kill the last Mankik, and you'll get everything you want!"