High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 1015: Chapter 77 Two Gifts

White paws up, or not white paws up, that is a Schrödinger’s question.

To say white paws up is indeed correct, from three o’clock in the afternoon until six, Zheng Qing changed his positions over the ’Throne’ four or five times, from the majestic and imposing leopard sprawl to the lazy dog sprawl, followed by a side flop showing half his belly, and finally curling up into a ball. His pose changed again and again, but he eventually did not wait for that mysterious correspondent.

But to say it was not a white paws up seems incorrect as well. Because on this first day of audience in the new term, the cat pack honored their tradition, presenting new tributes to their Cat King.

The tributes were few, but varied greatly in kind and value.

For instance, that Ragdoll cat brought him an emerald, small as a fingernail, yet valuable, which made the Black Cat’s eyes gleam—they say ’brought again’ because Zheng Qing vaguely remembered that the Cat’s Eye Stone last time was also contributed by this Ragdoll cat. This led him to deeply suspect that the Ragdoll’s owner was a wealthy person from Alpha Academy.

Then there was the Forest cat with an additional scar on its face, which offered Zheng Qing a battered and blood-streaked Ranyi, a creature with the head of a snake and body of a fish, with six legs and eyes like a horse’s ears. This fish was said to improve eyesight and ward off evil when eaten. Of course, these effects are like the claim that students need to toss cigarette ash over their left shoulder when entering the Hundred Herb Gardens, just a saying passed down through the generations with no scholarly Witch’s paper to back it up.

Considering the new scar on the Forest cat’s face, Zheng Qing had reason to believe that this Ranyi was a trophy fished out of the recent ’Black Tide’ outbreak in Beta Town.

Although Zheng Qing didn’t plan to eat this Ranyi, he still happily accepted it. This kind of catch could easily be dealt with internally, like giving the fish to Xin Fat Man to concoct potions, or to Lin Guo for Alchemy materials. If nothing else, he could hang it in D&K, sell it as a hunt and even earn a bit of money.

If the above two tributes are considered somewhat valuable, the other cats’ offerings were a bit lackluster.

For example, a chubby British Shorthair brought Zheng Qing a small clump of fresh catnip; and one bobtail cat brought a large, fat mouse—it probably still remembered the task Zheng Qing had issued a few months ago, thinking its tribute was impressive. While presenting it, the cat looked around, smug and self-satisfied.

The cat pack’s tribute was swift and orderly, starting with the highest-ranking cats, one by one, in sequence they came to a small clearing beneath the Black Cat’s ’Throne’, left their gifts, bowed, and retreated.

The only one among the entire cat pack that had not yet presented a tribute to Zheng Qing was the little white cat lying beside him.

For some reason, upon seeing Xiao Bai again, Zheng Qing felt that its temper had worsened considerably; it would kick him from the center to the edge of the Throne at any moment, and now and then show its teeth and hiss threateningly at him.

Fortunately, our Black Cat was a tolerant one, a Black Cat above such lowly tastes, and he would not fly into a rage over a little bit of impoliteness from a certain little white cat.

Of course, there were limits to tolerance, and matters of principle—like tribute—could not be neglected.

”Dong Dong!”

The Black Cat flicked out a paw and knocked on the trunk beneath the little white cat.

Right below him was a small pile of varied tributes, and on the right lay the little white cat sprawled across the branches, with a particularly bad temper. At this point, the other members on the Cat Fruit Tree had already presented their gifts and were back perched on the branches and treetops. Only Xiao Bai had not yet given Zheng Qing his tribute.

This slight displeased the Black Cat.

”Dong Dong!”

Seeing Xiao Bai ignore his hint, Zheng Qing patiently knocked on the trunk again, while curling his tail, with the tip pointing to the small pile of gifts below him, signaling Xiao Bai to get a clue—he had already decided that as long as Xiao Bai offered tribute, even if it was just a leaf, he would hold his nose and accept it.

Jiang Xiaomao took a deep breath.

The scent of catnip faintly lingered in the air, stirring her emotions slightly. That smell came from an offering made to the Black Cat by a British Shorthair, now lying obediently in the small clearing under the Cat Fruit Tree.

Ever since the Black Cat appeared under the Cat Fruit Tree and began to look around, her heart had been in complete disarray. Reason told her that she should make an early escape before the Black Cat discovered her identity.

But intuition urged her to give that Black Cat a good thrashing, like those instinctive cat kicks.

While the Black Cat was gesturing for her to pay tribute, Jiang Xiaomao was seriously pondering whether the Paper Crane she had previously sent could possibly betray her identity—the letter was written by a simple Alchemy Puppet and sent through it as well, and since the puppet was already destroyed, it naturally would not reveal her identity; the paw print at the end of the letter was just from a mouse she had casually grabbed and pressed onto it.

As for that mouse, it was already lying in the belly of a forest cat.

The ’Dong Dong’ sound from the Black Cat interrupted Jiang Xiaomao’s train of thought, causing her some annoyance.

She cocked her head, looked in the direction the Black Cat’s tail was pointing, yawned with disdain, stretched lazily, and wobbly stood up—I’m a busy cat, I don’t have time for this!

The Black Cat looked up warily, worried that the little white kitten might kick him again.

But Xiao Bai paid no heed to his caution; instead, she leaped nimbly and pounced from the Throne atop the Cat Fruit Tree. Then, she sniffed around the pile of tributes in front of Zheng Qing, and as the Black Cat’s eyes gradually widened, she picked up that small piece of grandmother’s emerald and scampered off.

She, she ran off?!

The Black Cat rose to his feet in shock, standing dazed in the crisp cold breeze.

Wasn’t it supposed to be a tribute to him? How did it pick out a tribute and run away? Was there no king’s law left? No legal order?!

The other cats of all sizes atop the Cat Fruit Tree turned a blind eye to Xiao Bai taking the emerald. The tribute had been delivered, after all, and the rest didn’t concern them.

The cold wind whistled through the treetops, and the furry bundles swayed leisurely on the branches, just like the turmoil in the Black Cat’s heart at the moment.

This bad mood lingered until the evening when he accompanied Elena to the Jiuyou Academy’s 214 Ball, where it finally eased a little.

”What’s this?” Elena, in a fringed long dress with burgundy hair rarely tied back to reveal her fair neck and shoulders, dazzling anyone who looked her way, took the box wrapped in colored paper from Zheng Qing. She pulled at the ribbon, opened it, and took out the thick Talisman Scroll with a hint of surprise on her face, ”Wow! A complete set of Basic Runes... There’s probably only you among all the students of Jiuyou Academy, no, the entire First University, who could give such a gift!”

With that, the Witch tilted her head and gave the Warlock an unexpected kiss.

After the kiss, she tucked the Talisman Scroll into her purse and gave the Warlock a gleeful look, ”I thought you were going to give me another gemstone... Compared to those little stones, I find such a gift more meaningful.”

Mentioning gemstones, Zheng Qing’s spirits, which had just been lifted, suddenly plummeted, miring him back into gloom.