His tone was impassioned.

He had eyes as sharp as a hawk, and just as he could see through Ethan, he could also see through Lady Fengweidie. "A proud and elegant woman like her, if she accidentally stepped in stink mud while walking, she would definitely remember it for a lifetime!"

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

"Don't pay attention to people like him. The more you respond, the more energetic he becomes."

In the City Lord's Mansion, Charlotte was earnestly trying to persuade Lady Fengweidie.

Although this elegant lady still maintained a calm expression and even managed to squeeze out a faint smile, her action of gripping and breaking off a piece of the wooden table revealed she was on the brink of losing control.

Lady Fengweidie took a deep breath and shifted the topic, "What are your plans for tomorrow's competition?"

The challenge was issued in the Market District, and many residents overheard it. By now, the news should have spread throughout Fog Forest County, and it's likely that there will be no shortage of spectators tomorrow.

Although Charlotte was exceptionally talented, she was a complete novice in the Summoner battles, and the challenge in the Market District struck her more as an impulsive act.

On the other hand, Ethan's various actions proved that his prowess as a Summoner had long reached the master level, surpassing even those City Lords—Charlotte's father, the mighty protector of Moon Forest City, couldn't resolve a giant mechanical creature as effortlessly as Ethan did.

Not to mention Ethan single-handedly dealt with an entire team of Poachers.

He was definitely not an opponent that Charlotte, at this stage, could handle.

"Should we take that stink mud's advice?"

"No..."

After contemplating for a while, Charlotte shook her head, "I want to choose that hatchling as my opponent. I have a feeling there's some kind of connection between it and Snowy."

"Snowy? Is that the name of the dragon?"

Lady Fengweidie raised an eyebrow, quite surprised at the rather lackluster naming skills of the Moon Forest City lady.

"Yes... If my guess is correct, perhaps when we see that hatchling again tomorrow, it will have grown this big."

"Since you've already made up your mind, just get ready for it."

Lady Fengweidie didn't intend to offer any advice to Charlotte.

The first battle is of significant importance for any Summoner. Although it may become a memory of frustration for most Summoners, or even a one-sided crushing defeat, even a brief confrontation can reveal a lot... That stink mud wasn't entirely speaking nonsense; at least it lets people understand what kind of Summoners the opponents are like.

She was curious about both Charlotte and Sakaki, who claimed to come from Team Rocket.

But next, she had to fulfill her responsibilities as the City Lord of Fog Forest County.

The highly contagious positional virus, once injured in battle, Summoners and their magical creatures would turn into mechanical species. She must report this to the Royalty immediately.

This might be an unprecedented catastrophe.

And more importantly...

What did that fanatical "robot" mean by the "illusory world" and the "real world"?

Hasn't their world always been like this, and where is the division between illusion and reality?

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

At the same time, Ethan stopped in the darkness of the night.

Unknowingly, he had left Fog Forest County and was on the path leading deep into the fog. But this was not by his own will. The black hatchling had eaten and drunk its fill, curled up in his arms, and fallen into a deep sleep. He had originally intended to return home and sleep until the next morning, but he was obstructed midway.

The one obstructing him was sitting on his shoulder; a quick turn of his head would show the smiling cat.

Ethan suspected Lindong was playing some new trick as she seemed particularly happy today, squinting her eyes along the way without saying a word.

She was engaged in role-playing, playing the role of a cat acting as a navigator. Whenever he moved in a direction that didn't please the cat, it would lightly bite his ear, tugging him in the opposite direction, leaving his earlobe damp throughout this journey.

There were no more passersby around. In the forest, only a person, a cat, and a sleeping black hatchling remained.

"Teacher, why are you smiling?"

"Meow~"

The cat let out a soft meow, a sound that tickled one's bones.

"...Teacher?"

Today's Lindong seemed somewhat unusual.

"I was worried before that you wouldn't be able to handle raising a child. But today, I finally feel relieved."

The cat gave Ethan's night's efforts a full evaluation, from being woken up in the middle of the night to finding goat milk and skewers for the hatchling, which all greatly satisfied her.

Her concern wasn't unfounded. After all, not to mention raising a child, it was Ethan's first time falling in love.

"Why mention this all of a sudden?"

The unexpectedness of the topic was off the charts. He initially thought Lindong had mysteriously called him outside Fog Forest County because of some discovery. After all, just when they reached the Market District, they encountered a fanatical robot spreading the "mechanical plague", and after a wave of dense fog, the robot vanished without a trace.

He too had heard the remarks about a "fantasy world" versus a "real world", and he had some guesses in his heart.

The real world presumably referred to the world before it was altered by the rules of the Crimson Queen, which perhaps was connected to Argos. If traced back to the source, Argos could potentially be the first infected by the "mechanical plague".

The writhing tubes and flowing energy liquid on the mechanical creatures were strikingly similar to Argos's characteristics.

However, after leaving Fog Forest County, he found that the topic neither involved the Crimson Queen nor had anything to do with that mutated Old God.

But Lindong's sweet voice suddenly gave him an ominous premonition.

"Do I really need to say it so explicitly?"

The cat leaned close to Ethan's ear, speaking in a guiding tone, "I've read the Kingdom's decree, you know. Summoners and their magical creatures can get married, and they have special officiants and planning teams to tailor a wedding according to the magical creature's race and customs."

Here, it was quite common for a human to marry a magical creature as a wife.

"But teacher, you're human, right? The cat is just your disguise."

"But doesn't that make it even more thrilling?"

The cat's deep red eyes sparkled brightly.

Of course, this wasn't the main point. Her contemplation began the moment she arrived in this dimension and witnessed Ethan holding a dragon egg.

She had been very quiet along the journey, because she was continuously thinking, and now, her thoughts had finally blossomed, reaching a conclusion.

Ethan appeared to quite like the dragon egg, showing particular care towards the black hatchling.

In her opinion, what's so rare about dragon eggs?

But to achieve her plan, she first had to drag Ethan out of the inn.

The inn was simply too crowded; not to mention Rowena, the big gossip, whose chatterbox seemed never-ending. What's more, Rowena's mental state was extremely unhealthy, deriving pleasure from ruining others' plans. Ever since she inherited the God of Trickery's legacy, Rowena had become increasingly reckless, willing to take an ice arrow to the face just to disrupt them.

However, the environment was ideal here—fresh air, pleasant surrounding, and no one else in sight.

The dense fog acted as a natural shield.

There wasn't a more suitable place.

Ethan's body stiffened as the ominous feeling intensified, rendering him immobile as if a frog being stared down by a snake. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Considering it carefully, ever since Rowena joined the group, his interactions with Lindong had been limited to nighttime cuddling, often interrupted by Rowena's deliberate exclamations.

But...

Ethan glanced around, feeling the mist's moisture on his skin.

He and the cat locked eyes, her pink tongue peeking out to lick her lips.

"Ethan, let's lay eggs too!"