Who said this card is outrageous?

The bottom of the casserole is filled with steaming white rice, topped with a layer of braised pork belly with a bright red color, and accompanied by a few green vegetables and a fried egg. It looks quite appetizing.

Although he couldn't quite understand why rice was served in a clay pot, Zhang Che still gave Ali a thumbs up, praising her for her rapid improvement in cooking skills!

Since being promoted to a purple card and gaining more freedom of movement, Ahri has been running wild.

Basically, whenever there are no outsiders at home, she will ask to go out and move around.

Then, wanting to help her owner, she took on all the housework, such as cleaning and cooking.

The former is fine. With Ah Li's mental strength, she doesn't even need to clean. With just a thought, she can manipulate tools to clean the house spotless, which is much faster than Zhang Che doing it himself.

But when it comes to cooking, he's a bit of a letdown.

Of course, it might not be Ahri's fault, but rather that Zhang Che simply couldn't get used to the unique cuisine from Ionia that Ahri remembered. The tastes were strange, and he never felt like he was eating anything proper.

Fortunately, the little fox had a very good learning ability and was also patient. Since Zhang Che didn't like the food from her hometown, she started learning to cook the local dishes that her master liked from scratch.

After a few days of hard work, I've achieved some results. Even if I can't compare to a master chef, at least the food I make is edible.

The clay pot rice in front of them was the late-night snack that Ali had prepared for Zhang Che today.

Ah Li sat next to Zhang Che, resting her chin on her hands and looking at him with a smile, indicating that her master had been busy for so long, how could he go to sleep hungry?

Chapter 87 Jealousy and rivalry...?

Zhang Che naturally wouldn't refuse Ah Li's kindness. After all, he had been busy for so long, and although it wasn't physical labor, it would be a lie to say he wasn't hungry.

However, after each card production, he was so exhausted that he had no time to cook or eat. He basically relied on sleeping to get through the ordeal.

But now that there was ready-made food and a beautiful fox spirit sitting next to him, Zhang Che picked up the bowl and started eating without saying a word!

"Mmm, delicious!" he exclaimed sincerely.

Ahri's eyes curved into crescent moons, and his tail wagged even more enthusiastically behind him.

Since it was just a late-night snack, the portion size wasn't large, and Zhang Che only managed to eat about 60% full. Considering he was going to sleep soon, this was the best state to avoid putting extra strain on his body.

He put down his chopsticks, let out a long breath, and leaned back on the sofa, feeling completely comfortable.

Having just eaten, Zhang Che knew he couldn't go straight to sleep. So, while Ahri was clearing away the dishes, he took out the new cards he had made that night and activated and summoned [Sunshroom] and [Gatomon] using his mental power.

As for the [Cherry Bomb], since it was made into an item card, and the kind that explodes as soon as it appears, there's naturally no need to demonstrate it.

"Here, these are our new friends from now on."

A golden mushroom the size of a palm was the first to emerge from the magic circle and then firmly took root on the carpet.

The mushroom caps emitted a soft golden light, illuminating the entire living room with warmth and brightness.

The umbrella handle has a human-shaped smiling face on it, which is not scary at all, but makes people feel that "this is a very well-behaved little thing".

Ahri leaned closer to take a look, then gently poked the mushroom's cap. It was soft, slightly warm, and felt wonderful to the touch.

After all, the little thing is so cute and has the ability to heal and strengthen teammates, how could it not be loved?

Then there's Gatomon.

A small white cat leaped gracefully out of the magic circle, then somersaulted and stood proudly on the coffee table, its tail held high, like a majestic little warrior.

After landing, Gatomon scanned the living room with its golden eyes and quickly locked onto Zhang Che. Without saying a word, it leaped into Zhang Che's arms and nuzzled against him affectionately.

"Meow--"

Zhang Che was knocked backward by its pounce, but quickly regained his balance and hugged the Dilu Beast to his chest. He raised its little paw and waved to Ahri.

"This is Gatomon, isn't it cute?"

Ah Li's smile froze for a moment, but she quickly recovered. Looking at the white kitten rubbing against Zhang Che's arms, her envy practically overflowed from her eyes.

"It is indeed very cute..." Her tone remained gentle, her face still showing a serene and peaceful expression, and she kept reassuring herself that it was just a stinky cat and there was no need to compete with it for affection.

The owner is only temporarily captivated by its appearance; he'll get tired of it in a few days.

Yes, that must be it!

until--

"Hello, Sister Ali."

Gatomon tilted its head and greeted Ahri with a clear, crisp voice.

As a Digital type card, it naturally possesses the ability to speak human language, just like Agumon. Furthermore, due to the high level of the card and Gatomon itself, it can exhibit even stronger intelligence.

After all, although Gatomon is small in size, it is a true adult, which is not in the same league as Agumon, who is in its child stage.

In the world of Digimon, many of the Rookie stage are equivalent to human children, with limited intelligence and simple expression; but once they reach Mature stage, they possess intelligence and behavioral abilities that approach or even surpass those of adult humans.

Ahri's smile froze instantly, her heart filled with turmoil.

But being as clever as she is, she certainly wouldn't show it so obviously in front of Zhang Che. After a little thought, Ali came up with a good idea.

"Wow, so cute!" Ahri's voice rose a half-tone, her eyes sparkling. "Master, can I hug it?"

Zhang Che glanced at Ahri, then at the Gatomon in his arms, and smiled: "Then you'll have to ask Gatomon for its opinion."

Ahri leaned down slightly and gave Gatomon a friendly, gentle smile: "Hello, Gatomon, may I hug you?"

Gatomon tilted its head slightly, its beautiful golden eyes darting around twice. It glanced at Zhang Che, then looked at Ahri. Then, a cute, human-like smile appeared on its round face, its big eyes narrowing into crescent moons, and it stretched out its two short forearms to Ahri.

The next second, Ahri swiftly "took" Gatomon from Zhang Che's arms and hugged it tightly.

She held Gatomon up to her face and rubbed her nose against Gatomon's nose, showing that she really liked it.

"So cute, so cute, so cute—" she said as she rubbed against him, her voice several notes higher than before.

Zhang Che was somewhat surprised to see this scene.

As far as he knew, Gatomon's personality was not as docile and adorable as it appeared; rather, it was rather mischievous.

Although not inherently bad, it is definitely not a docile kitten.

Although the Gatomon in front of me is not the one from the anime, as an aggregate of the latter's information, it will not undergo significant personality changes, at least in the period immediately following its birth.

Zhang Che looked at the docile Gatomon in Ahri's arms, who resembled a plush toy, and then at Ahri's beaming face. He suddenly felt that the two of them seemed to be having some kind of "communication" that he didn't know about.

It's likely that Gatomon sensed Ahri's feelings, so it's deliberately acting cute to get closer to her. After all, Ahri's strength is undeniable, and even if it's just about seeking advantage, building a good relationship with a senior is never a bad thing.

With this in mind, Zhang Che got up to prepare for washing up and going to bed.

Ahri sat on the sofa, holding Gatomon in her arms, a gentle smile still on her face.

But she held on very tightly.

Very tight.

Gatomon, nestled in Ahri's arms, blinked its golden eyes. The smile on its face was still there, but for some reason, it didn't seem as natural as before.

"Sister Ahri..." Gatomon called out tentatively.

"Hmm?" Ahri looked down at it, her smile still gentle.

"You're hugging me a little too tightly."

"Really?" Ahri loosened her grip slightly, but her smile remained unchanged. "Maybe it's because they really like Gatomon. After all, who wouldn't like such a cute Gatomon?"

Gatomon's ears twitched slightly, but it didn't reply.

Ahri held onto Gatomon like that until it was unsummoned because Zhang Che had fallen asleep.

Looking at her empty embrace, Ahri remained silent for a long time. Then she let out a soft hum, stood up, turned off all the lights in the room, and disappeared from sight.

Chapter 88 It really is the Heart-Eating Demon!

The next day, Zhang Che got up early, anxiously waiting for Xin Lei to come to his door.

He couldn't be at ease until he got his hands on the corpse of the suspected Heart-Eating Demon.

Various speculations swirled in his mind, but fortunately, Xin Lei didn't keep him waiting too long.

Around nine o'clock in the morning, the doorbell rang. Zhang Che almost jumped up from the sofa and went to open the door.

Xin Lei stood at the door, holding a silver metal box in his hand. It was a container specially used to store extraordinary materials and prevent them from losing their activity.

Normally, after a supernatural being dies, it would be easier to preserve it by directly decomposing it into various materials, and the preservation time would be longer.

Just like the bones that Wang Guofu gave to Zhang Che before, if properly preserved, they still retain most of their extraordinary vitality even after decades.

"Mr. Zhang Che, I brought the items." Xin Lei grinned and handed over the box. "I went to pick them up as soon as the auction house opened today. Hope I didn't delay your business?"

"No, no, Brother Xin, please come in." Zhang Che stepped aside to let him in, his gaze involuntarily falling on the silver box.

His heart was racing, but his expression remained relatively calm. He led Xinlei to sit down on the sofa, and only after Xinlei nodded in acknowledgment did he open the box.

Inside lay the corpse of a creature the size of a fist: a translucent body with a gel-like texture, curled up at the bottom of the box, its tentacles limply intertwined, showing no signs of life.

Most striking is its enormous brain, which occupies almost the entire chest cavity.

Although it was two sizes smaller than the Heart-Eating Demon that Zhang Che encountered in the Void Rift, based on its physical characteristics, it can be basically confirmed that the two are the same species.

Xin Lei explained that he had never seen such an extraordinary creature before and didn't know how to dissect it. He was afraid of accidentally damaging any part and causing the material to depreciate in value, so he thought of consigning it to an auction house first. He figured that if he encountered a knowledgeable buyer, or someone who happened to have this need, he might be able to sell it for a little more money.

The item remained unbid for several days until Zhang Che inquired about it, at which point he remembered it existed...

However, Zhang Che had no interest in listening to what Xin Lei was saying. After confirming the identity of the corpse, he suddenly felt relieved for some reason.

Perhaps it's because we finally got an answer. After all, whether the result is good or bad, having an answer is better than having no answer and just wandering around aimlessly.

Zhang Che's mind raced, but he remained outwardly calm. He stared at the corpse for a long while before raising his head, revealing an expression of great interest in the corpse of the Heart-Eating Demon.

"This is amazing!" His tone was tinged with excitement. "These kinds of psychic supernatural beings are very special. With it as material, maybe the new card I've been conceiving will finally be created!"

Zhang Che's excitement was so overt that it made Xin Lei a little suspicious. He wondered if this young card maker was too incapable of hiding his true intentions and whether he was afraid of being overcharged.

However, this idea only lingered in Xin Lei's mind for a moment. Before he could come up with a conclusion, he saw Zhang Che suddenly get up, go to the studio, and then return with a stack of cards.

The [Skeleton Archer] series, which was originally intended to be kept under wraps, along with cards like [Six-Tailed Fox], [Tidal Spirit], [Frostbolt], [Flying Fish], and [Sharp-Toothed Fish], have already been sold, so there's no need to keep them hidden away.

Staring at the vast expanse of blue on the table, Xin Lei's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and any little whim that had just arisen in his mind vanished completely.

All he could think about now was how to build a good relationship with the young card maker in front of him.

You should know that during the previous cleanup operation, his squad was assigned a [Valley Swift Crab], so he knew very well that the card maker in front of him was definitely capable of making Tier 3 blue cards.

Although those high-level cards aren't on display right now, and given my mental strength, I probably won't need them anyway, if I can build a good relationship with the other party and find a reliable purchasing channel, I might even be able to act as an intermediary.