My family runs an adventurer's guild.

Next, the Yue army collapsed completely, leaving even the border fortresses along the Qiantang River undefended. Goujian fled back to Kuaiji and had just gathered 5,000 men when Fuchai pursued him to Kuaiji and burned down the city walls—however, the Yue palace was not actually in the city, but on Mount Kuaiji, which Fuchai could not attack. Moreover, the Wu army had suffered losses of 20,000 to 30,000 in the previous battles, and with the Chu army advancing eastward behind them, they simply did not have the time or the means to conquer Yue.

Therefore, according to the bamboo slips from the Warring States period, Goujian did not actually become a slave in the state of Wu; he merely paid a large sum of money and symbolically ceded a small piece of land. King Fuchai of Wu's gains were only similar to those of Germany after the Franco-Prussian War, or to Uesugi Kenshin, who, after sweeping through the Kanto region, failed to conquer Odawara Castle but became a Kanrei (military governor).

However, Xi Shi does seem to have been a real person, as archaeological discoveries have revealed bronze artifacts that King Fuchai of Wu bestowed upon her.

Chapter 309, My Family Runs an Adventurers' Guild! (The Finale)

In Totoro Town of the Golden Dragon Kingdom, another winter has passed and spring has arrived, a time when the weather is still chilly despite the warming trend.

Under the low-hanging night sky, the Gladiator's Tavern, run by the fake dragon owner Ernest, remained as brightly lit and bustling as ever.

Although there were no thrilling gladiatorial matches tonight, there was beautiful music and melodious songs, which was also a good way to pass the time.

—Above the sandpit where gladiators used to perform fights and animal battles, the owner has erected a temporary stage with wooden planks, and a band of tiny halflings sits there, playing beautiful melodies on acoustic guitars, mandolins, tin whistles, tambourines, and hand-cranked organs for the customers.

The silver-haired dark elf female singer who sang loudly in the center of the stage was even more amazing, her magnetic voice was truly like heavenly music.

"...dance to the beat of the drums, leaving the world behind."

Let's drink to our hearts' content! Under the violet moon.

Raise your hats and glasses, and we'll dance all night long.

Cheers to the knights and the glorious past! Under this violet moon,

Diviner, what do you see in the future depicted by the cards?

Share your secrets, tell us! Under this violet moon,

On this glittering night, in this season of the year,

I am so happy that I make the lanterns burn even brighter…

A warm tavern shrouded in night, the aroma of beer and food, the melodious strains of music, and the wonderful tunes of exotic tunes.

All these elements combined create a warm and joyful atmosphere.

Inspired by the music and songs, all worries and sorrows were temporarily forgotten, and all that remained was the thought of raising a glass and drinking together until dawn...

Feline sat at the old, peeling bar counter, sipping what seemed to be a lot of watered-down mead while glancing at the dark elf singer on stage out of the corner of her eye, and chatting with Ernest, the fake dragon owner who always seemed to be doing accounts behind the bar.

"...Ah, I never expected Miss Portia to become such a good singer!"

Phil popped a dried fish into his mouth and said, "...This female dark elf's body seems to have a very nice golden voice!"

"...That's right! Ever since she started singing at my tavern, business seems to have improved a lot."

Ernest, the fake dragon boss wearing pince-nez glasses, looked up from behind the bar and glanced at the ghostly Portia... uh, no, after getting a body, she should have been upgraded to Corpse Princess Portia. He said with a look of approval, "...This is all thanks to the dark elf female corpse you got for her!"

"However, while I don't mean to kick you out, are you really okay with you spending all your time leisurely hanging out here lately? What about your Adventurers' Guild? And Miss Portia too, her library may not get many visitors, but it can't be closed all the time, can it?"

"...Relax, relax. Dr. Banner now lives in the guild and takes the opportunity to flirt with Ms. Natasha, who lives in the library next door. With this husband-and-wife team helping out, neither my Adventurers' Guild nor Miss Portia's library will be in any trouble!"

Phil replied dismissively, "...Anyway, there's not much business over there these days, and the library is practically deserted all day long..."

—Because no new books have been added for decades, Portia's library has been deserted for a long time. The Adventurers' Guild in Totoro Town, where Phily resides, is in a similarly desolate state, with perhaps not a single person stepping inside all day.

Although the transformation into a "sleepwalking" style internet cafe has led to a slight rebound in the popularity of the Adventurers' Guild, the fact that only one OVERLORD world game platform has been opened and no more otherworld expansions have been added... means that after the initial hype, most customers still prefer to go to the nearby Temple of the Sleeping God to "go online," or buy a sleep pod or sleep helmet to take home and play to their heart's content.

Phil's Adventurers' Guild was merely used as a meeting place for offline gatherings, and business was only so-so. With Dr. Banner, the Hulk, a highly intelligent and good-tempered man, occasionally watching the shop for Phil to offset the rent for lodging in the guild, Phil could live a very leisurely life.

Similarly, in order to be with her beloved, Natasha, the Black Widow, who was ordered to conduct a "survey of the cultural customs of another world," also moved into the town library next to the Adventurers' Guild and took the opportunity to help Miss Portia run her shop for free—thus, Miss Portia was able to work part-time.

Just as Phil and Mr. Ernest were chatting casually, Miss Portia, transformed into a silver-haired dark elf, ended her song, pushed aside the swarm of cheering and groping guests, and walked over to Phil and Mr. Ernest. With a half-smile, she said, "...Hey, little kitty, what are you talking about with the boss? How did my new song sound today? Is it any good?"

"...Ah, you sang beautifully, and you looked gorgeous today! You really made a striking impression!"

Phil finished the remaining wine in his glass in one gulp, then looked up at Miss Portia and praised her sincerely without any pretense.

Today, Miss Portia wore a pale yellow, low-cut, tight-fitting leather tube dress. Her mature, voluptuous breasts were accentuated by the tight leather, making them appear even more prominent. Her delicate features and slender neck also exuded feminine charm. Her coffee-colored skin seemed to shimmer with a metallic sheen, like satin, making one want to reach out and touch it… It possessed endless allure and charm, truly captivating.

If one were unaware of the inside story, at first glance, aside from being infatuated, who could recognize that this fragrant dark elf beauty was actually a corpse? Well, even a corpse treated with various spells specifically for certain special purposes…

"...Thank you for the compliment! Kitty, it's all thanks to you for finding me this wonderful body! My old, lousy voice could never sing so beautifully. It's a pity... my soul isn't a good match for this body. I can only use it for fifty years at most before I have to get a new one."

Upon hearing Phil's praise, Miss Portia patted her chest with a hint of pride, but then said somewhat sadly.

"...Don't be discouraged. You'll definitely be able to get a better body by then, Miss Portia! Your corpse-making skills will also improve by then."

Phil raised his glass in a gesture of respect, "...Besides, if my silver dragon mistress still hasn't woken up decades from now, I might have to trouble you to transform me into a [Corpse Puppet Cat]—please don't leave me with missing limbs!"

“…Um, Phil…I’ve heard you say something like that before, but…is it really necessary to go this far?”

Portia frowned. "...As far as I know, magical pets can share their life force with their masters, right? When the noble Goddess of Sleep, Lord Dream, was still a mortal dormice, wasn't she able to sleep her way to godhood by sharing the life force of her golden dragon master?"

"...That would require signing a [Life Sharing] contract, meow. The contract between my silver dragon mistress and me isn't like that—different magical pets have different contract methods, meow! Generally speaking, only very small magical pets will have their owners willing to share their life force."

Phil put down his glass, sighed, and replied, "...I, this little cat-man, am already a bit too big..."

“…I see…then I’ll definitely help then.” Miss Portia nodded. “…But that’s probably still a long way off, isn’t it?”

"...Maybe...it might not be that far off? After all, nobody knows how much longer they have left to live."

Phil continued with a sigh, "...Actually, I don't know why, but since this spring, I've felt something's gradually wrong with my body—I used to sleep sixteen hours a day, but now I can only sleep twelve hours and then I can't fall asleep. My appetite has also decreased a lot; even if there's the freshest fish and bird meat in my bowl, sprinkled with the best catnip, it tastes like cardboard. As a result, my once protruding belly has shrunk back down..."

I went to the temple and the clinic several times for this, but they both said I wasn't sick—it's really frustrating for me.

"...Oh...that sounds familiar...wait, I remember now! Quick, let me see your tail!"

Miss Portia's eyes darted around, as if she had thought of something, and suddenly, with a mischievous expression, she gave Phil this instruction.

“…Is that so?” Phil paused, puzzled, and stuck her tail out from under her skirt and placed it in Miss Portia’s hand.

Next, Miss Portia first looked at Phil's tail fur, then smelled his scent, and finally brought her nose close to the top of his head to sniff. Then she announced decisively, "...I understand. Based on my more than 20 years of experience raising and feeding cats in the library, I can say with absolute certainty that you are in heat! Congratulations, little Phil, you are now an adult, no, a big cat!"

“…Meow?! Heat? This, this…” Phil was stunned for a moment, then her face turned red and she couldn’t even speak coherently.

"...Haha, there's nothing to be ashamed of! All boys will experience this! Especially you cat people, particularly male cat people, once you enter your heat cycle, you can't just hold it in, otherwise, if you're unlucky, you might get sick from holding it in! And it could be a serious illness!"

Miss Portia chuckled and ruffled Phil's hair, looking quite experienced. "...However, your heat is still in its early stages, so there's no need to rush. Rather than spending all your money in a brothel and getting a bunch of diseases, I think you should be more patient and find a girlfriend—I recently met a young girl who just moved to town this month, and she's also turned 18. Would you like me to introduce you to her?"

Phil's mind was in a daze for a while before she realized, "...Are you going to introduce me to a girlfriend, um, in other words, a blind date?"

“…Bingo! Correct answer! How about that? Happy or not! Well, if you don’t object, then tomorrow at noon, at the Forest Fairy Pastry Shop next to your house, I’ll bring the little girl to meet you! Don’t be late!” Miss Portia smiled and flicked his forehead.

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

Facing the vanity mirror on the wall, Feli the cat took a deep breath and tidied her appearance and clothes one last time.

Although he was Wang Qiu, a human bricklayer in his previous life, he vaguely remembered that he had also been on blind dates.

However, after being transported to this fantastical world, Phili only had a vague and hazy impression of it left in her mind.

This was clearly the first time he had experienced something like this since becoming a cat—so it really made his heart pound.

I wonder what kind of girl she is? I heard she's a cat person like me?

Sigh, I wonder if I look too young and give me the illusion that I'm a criminal?

No, no, I need to calm down quickly—if I'm already this tense before we've even set off, I might not even be able to speak later.

Forcibly suppressing her nervous yet expectant feelings, Phil looked at herself in the mirror on the wall.

My new red striped silk bow tie looks great!

My white tuxedo, just ordered from the tailor shop, is all set!

My black leather boots are all set! I just applied shoe polish this morning.

My hair, which I spent half an hour carefully styling, is finally done!

The cat ears are clean and okay!

The tail fur has been properly combed and is fine!

Great, everything's OK! Everything's ready, and the appointed time seems to be almost here. Let's go and face our unknown destiny!

And so, having changed into a new outfit and carefully dressed herself, Phili walked out of the Adventurers' Guild and turned left, arriving at the "Forest Fairy Pastry Shop" next to the guild, hidden among lush green vines and beautiful flowers, where many little fairy shopkeepers always fluttered about.

—Although the former mascot fairy Flor is no longer around, many younger fairies have clearly taken her place, fluttering among the vines and flowers, and diligently promoting various high-end pastries, drinks and fruit wines to passersby.

Therefore, the Forest Fairy Pastry Shop continued to thrive, bustling with customers, in stark contrast to the deserted Adventurers' Guild next door.

However, although the bakery was thriving, the attached lounge area was not very large, with only five or six tables in total.

As Phile walked to the shop entrance, she immediately spotted Miss Portia sitting in the corner, and the person next to her...

Oh my gosh! What an adorable black cat girl!

Her long, straight, black hair, a classic style, contrasted sharply with her fair skin.

She was petite, so small she could be encircled with one hand, and her features were so delicate they resembled a doll's. Her pair of black cat ears, the same color as her black hair, and her long, glossy cat tail added a touch of playful liveliness to her already beautiful appearance…

At this moment, she was sipping a drink through a straw, looking adorably bewildered.

Looking at this adorable black kitten with long, straight hair, Phil felt as if her mood was floating on clouds, radiating a pink aura.

Is this... what it feels like to be in love? Or is it like falling in love at first sight, like being struck by lightning?

At the same time, Portia, who was sitting with him, also noticed Phil standing blankly at the door and quickly pulled him over.

"...Phili, why are you only arriving now? I've never seen you dawdle like this before! Come here, let me tell you! This cute little black cat is Miss Ruri, who just moved to Totoro Town this month. Like you, she also has Eastern cat demon blood!"

Okay, I've said my piece, Phil. Now it's your turn! Why don't you introduce yourself to her?

As she spoke so enthusiastically, she patted Phil on the shoulder as if urging him on.

Phili calmed her excitement and turned to extend her cat paw towards Miss Liuli:

"...Hello, Miss Ruri, nice to meet you! My name is Firi, and my family owns an adventurers' guild..."

(End of the book)