UCPA Chapter 9: The Sad Lost Pet

Chapter 9: The Sad Lost Pet

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: PlumSauce

 

From the conversation between Coraci and “Master Joseph,” John finally realized the race of this yellow and white cat — spirit beast. Spirit beasts could not be considered cat people even though their appearance was basically a cat. They were an ancient spirit body, born with the body of a cat, with a high degree of intelligence and extensive knowledge. Because of certain constraints, they could only be born with the body of a cat. Using humans as an analogy, it was like the soul of an ancient hero reborn in a human embryo.

In the Dark Ages, many people saw wizards with cats, and ordinary people couldn’t tell if they were real cats or spirit beasts. Usually the cats (spirit beasts) were instructors, and they taught the wizards a lot of mystical magic.

Master Joseph had been alive for a long time. He can communicate with people, knows the cat society very well, and has always been the leader of all the cats in the neighborhood. The Unthreatening Creature Protection Association had frequent dealings with him.

“Looking for a dog is better than looking for the Unthreatening Creature Protection Association,” Joseph rolled on the slide and said lazily with his belly exposed. “People look too much alike, and they can change clothes or wear perfume; it’s easier to tell dogs apart by looks and smell. But apparently you’re looking for people, and Clade dogs take on human form at night.”

“Yes, but they could also turn back into dogs,” said Coraci, now with a spotted cat on his knee. “After all, their transformation is of their own volition, not by force. If they are walking around in the form of naked men, they might be more conspicuous. If they turn back into dogs instead, it will be difficult. Can the warriors under your command distinguish between a normal dog and a Clade dog?”

“Yes, cats are very resourceful,” Joseph said seriously as he climbed down. “But there is a problem. Clade dogs, although not as powerful as werewolves, also have very frightening speed and strength. If those two dogs are evil, the cats won’t be able to beat them.”

Coraci and John looked at each other, simultaneously recalling the image of “two naked men singing and running in the night…”

“I think… They’re not evil.” Coraci said.

“No need for the cats to fight,” John volunteered. “If anyone spots the two men — no, two dogs — please let us know immediately and we’ll be there as soon as possible.”

“That’s best,” Joseph looked at John approvingly. “A bloodkin’s got a lot more power than a Clade dog.”

Coraci rolled up his shirt sleeves and put his forearms out to Joseph. “So be it, I really appreciate your willingness to help. Please feel free to contact me. Scratch me.”

As he finished, Master Joseph extended his right foreleg, flashing his toe beans and extending his claws.

“Eh? Wait! What does this mean?” John looked at the two of them in confusion.

“Master Joseph can’t use a cell phone,” Coraci explained, “and cell phones are not very efficient. So we usually communicate with spells. As soon as he scratches my skin, he can send useful information directly into my head before the wound heals completely. No words needed.”

John shook his head hard and waved his hands to stop them. “No, no, no, don’t do that! Or else, cat you… No, Master Joseph, you’d better scratch me.”

Joseph looked at John with contempt. “Are you an idiot? For vampires, this little wound heals very quickly, and the spell won’t last long at all.”

“But…” John looked at Coraci awkwardly.

Although John was a mature bloodkin with excellent self-control, he still did not want to sit next to a wounded human who was constantly emitting the smell of blood. It was like letting a healthy young man spend the night in the same room with a bikini-clad woman; even if he could eventually resist the desire, it’s hard to avoid losing control during the process.

Coraci patted John’s shoulder. “No worries, I believe you. Even if you really can’t help it, Wu Jiu and I can stop you.”

After saying that, Coraci stretched his arm further in front of the cat.

Along with a small ‘cha,’ John covered his face and ran out of the park, like a human who is scared of the sight of blood, hunching his shoulders in pain.

For the next few hours, Wu Jiu remained in charge of driving the car, leaving Coraci alone in the back seat, while John insisted on sitting in the front passenger seat. He leaned his head against the glass the entire time, wearing an expression like he had a stomachache.

Around 1:00 am, a cat reported seeing dogs in a certain neighborhood. Following the general location given by Master Joseph, Coraci and John found a pack of dogs getting ready to fight.

“Yep, that’s them,” exclaimed Coraci from about twenty yards away, “Look at the two dogs being surrounded — those two are the Clade dogs.”

John’s bloodkin vision allowed him to distinguish distant details better than humans, but he didn’t have “Eyes of Truth.” He couldn’t tell the difference between a regular dog and a Clade dog.

All he could see was that the dogs being surrounded were… a Welsh Corgi and a husky.

The corgi was grumbling and walking around, and the husky was in front of him, posing threateningly but with his tail slightly tucked between his legs. The dogs surrounding them were more like a wolf pack circling prey.

“Now can you heal your wound?” John whispered to Coraci. “The smell is making me unable to move.”

Coraci shook his head. “I’ve taped it up. Instant healing in online games doesn’t exist. I can’t immediately heal from a scratch by a cat.”

John sighed and forced himself to concentrate on how he could rush out and catch the Clade dogs. That’s when Coraci added, “But I can put my hand inside Wu Jiu’s body, and the incorporeal body can isolate the smell.”

The smell of blood from the wound disappeared, and John felt much better.

“Can you grab both at the same time?” Coraci asked. “Don’t look at the corgi’s short legs. They are actually herding dogs and are very capable of running.”

“I can catch them,” John said, “as long as they don’t suddenly turn into naked men.”

“That’s okay, Clade dogs run very slowly in their human form and are much easier to chase.”

“I’m just worried about my mental health…” John stepped out of the car and approached the dogs by keeping to the shadows.

This was how a bloodkin moves through the streets at night to track prey; only now, he was using his own hunting skills to catch dogs.

Animals were more sensitive than humans. Just as John got close, the dogs suddenly became agitated — they could sense something nearby, but couldn’t tell where the enemy would strike from.

Hiding in the car, Coraci whispered to the specter butler Wu Jiu, “Look, it’s like a Discovery Channel show where a lion ambushes an African buffalo on the savannah.”

John launched his attack so quickly that human eyes could barely see his movements. The dogs scattered and fled. The Clade dog could clearly see his attacker but was not fast enough to flee immediately.

John grabbed the husky first. His grip was very strong, and it would be very difficult to break free from it. As the husky struggled miserably, the corgi bravely pounced forward, biting down onto John’s pant leg… Then he was also scooped up by John. The two dogs tossed and turned for less than a minute, constantly emitting shrill, aggrieved cries, but in the end, they were subdued by John.

They drove back to Coraci’s house. The limbs of the two dogs were bound by a special rope, like deer caught by a hunter.

For her part, the specter Ms. Hai Jiu had thoughtfully prepared a midnight snack for Coraci and a blood bag for John. After eating, John felt much better and would no longer be affected by Coraci’s small wound.

The sound of leather shoes on the wooden floor and the barking of a dog woke up a small furnace spirit, who was temporarily living on the second floor of Coraci’s house while waiting for the Association to handle his exit matters. John had recently learned the purpose of the second-floor rooms in this house: they were used to temporarily shelter friendly creatures going through tough times.

The little furnace spirit seemed to like the corgi and ran down to pet him. The corgi Clade dog wriggled around, struggling futilely to get away. He couldn’t so he simply changed into his human form.

What appeared in front of them was a young man with auburn hair who was not tall in stature, a face full of grievance, and naked. His wrists and ankles were tied together, leaving him in a very awkward and uncomfortable pose.

The husky saw that the next one to be petted might be himself and quickly changed into his human form too. He was a dark-haired teenager with the same light blue eyes as when he was in canine form.

“And I thought dogs liked to be pet…” Coraci sat on the couch and looked at them.

“You can pet! You can pet!” the corgi man yelled. “But the furnace spirit cannot! Dogs have always hated furnace spirits!

Coraci put his hand to his forehead. “I don’t want to pet you like this…”

Hai Jiu thoughtfully brought over two blankets to cover up the Clade dogs, while John sent the furnace spirit, who was reluctant to leave, back to the guest room.

“We’re not bad people,” Coraci said, standing up and opening the refrigerator. “And we love Clade dogs. Would you guys like to eat something?”

“Hamburger meat!”

“Chicken breast!”

Coraci said the hamburger meat had pepper in it and couldn’t be fed to dogs, and then he brought over some ground chicken breast. He told John to untie the Clade dogs’ hands and feet. The two dog people didn’t try to escape and happily started grabbing things with their hands to eat.

They ate the chicken breast and considered stealing the cookies on the table several times, but each time, John’s glances scared them off.

John never thought he’d one day scare people… No, he should say he scare dogs. Previously, he could only be scared of others: scared of his father when he was first converted, scared of being approached by hunters or something similar when he was in the city, and not too long ago, scared of Coraci and his colleagues in the Association.

Coraci asked the dog people a few questions, and they all answered straightforwardly. For example, they live in the suburbs, and they feel at ease as dogs during the day, and occasionally come out at night to do something for their “master.”

Coraci and John looked at each other for a moment, wanting to ask them who their “master” was, when the two dogs already started arguing about other issues.

“I know I’m a Clade dog,” the corgi man said, shaking his head. “Corgi Clade dogs are the only Clade dogs that have not been hunted by humans since ancient times. We are even loved by the royal families of some countries…”

“No, no, they love corgis, not corgi Clade dogs,” the husky man retorted.

“We’re from a herding breed, very smart, and I never get lost. It’s all his fault—” The corgi pushed the husky with his nose. “We went for a walk the other night and he ran off after a cat! I searched for him all night and didn’t find him until daylight, and then we all turned back into dogs! And then, we were captured by dog catchers!”

“I didn’t get lost…”

“You were lost! You lost the clothes our master gave us, and you ripped up the door, and our master doesn’t let us rip things up!”

The corgi man spoke so fast that the husky man could barely interject. And it seemed that the corgi was older and had a higher status.

“It’s amazing,” Coraci said with a smile, “Clade dogs are already exceptionally smart, and you guys are especially smart. You’re fluent in human language and you can help your master.”

“Of course!” The corgi happily nodded repeatedly. “That’s what my master said! We can shop at the night market! We can make change! And I can bite the heels of dogs bigger than me!”

Coraci asked, “The city is dangerous, and the slightest carelessness can get you taken away. Who are your owners? I can send you home.”

“Our owner is Sir Kimplin! In fact, I could have found home just by following the scent, if it weren’t for him—” the corgi continued to accuse the husky. “He always disappears while walking. If it weren’t for him, I would have found home a long time ago!”

John listened silently on the side. He thought it was amazing that Clade dogs still had dog-like temperaments even when they became humanoid. For example, the husky was good at destroying things and getting lost, or the fact that they both especially liked to be complimented… Coraci was surprisingly good at communicating with them. It seems that Coraci knew about a lot of strange creatures.

At this point, the husky man cocked his head and looked at John, who also looked at him in confusion.

The husky man spoke up and asked, “You’re a vampire? You should come home with us too.”

“What?”

Both the corgi and Coraci were very surprised — the corgi, because he disagreed, and Coraci, because he couldn’t follow the husky’s thought process. The husky frowned at his companion and said, “Master’s playmate will need him.”

“No, no, no, it’s Master who needs it, but Mr. Burton has said he didn’t want it,” the corgi said.

“The vampire might be able to help Mr. Burton…”

“Mr. Burton said he did not want to see his own kind!”

John was getting more and more confused. “Wait, who is Burton again?”

The Clade dog said that this man “did not want to see his own kind,” so he is another bloodkin?

“Sir Kimplin is our master. Mr. Burton is Master’s playmate, and our playmate too. We like him very much,” the corgi man said.

“But Mr. Burton is dying.” The husky man bowed his head sadly.

 

From The Unthreatening Creature Protection Association’s Guide to Unscientific Monsters:

Spirit Beasts

Master Joseph! The yellow-and-white cat! (Master Joseph is modeled after a real cat, nicknamed “Uncle Cat”…)

Spirit beasts are not ordinary cats. They are spiritual entities that inhabit cat fetuses and animate them with their souls. This grants the body greater durability, upright mobility, and extended lifespan. Spirit beasts inherit genetic memory, passing down magic and knowledge through generations. In ancient times, many spellcasters kept cats, not as mere pets, but because these cats often served as guides or instructors.

Spirit beasts can eat any food, as long as it fits their stomach. While enjoying a variety of delicacies, they must also consume nutrients necessary for the cat body. A spirit beast typically inhabits a single cat body for about a century. Afterward, it must enter a new cat fetus to be reborn. The spiritual entity itself is immortal. The number of spirit beasts is limited; new ones only appear when existing ones die in significant numbers. New spirit beasts are born directly from kitten fetuses and gradually learn to master other abilities over time.

 

Furnace Spirits

Furnace spirits are humanoid beings that are slightly smaller than halflings, resembling the characters from illustrations of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. They love warmth and soft, fluffy objects, and they are usually kindhearted.

They earn their name because they enjoy sitting by fires and possess the supernatural ability to make a hearth burn more vigorously. They cannot start fires themselves — they can only enhance existing ones.

 

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