Chapter 26: The Wildcat Sisters

Since Russell had crossed over, he had never felt truly safe, especially in a world filled with extraordinary powers.

Snow demons rampaged and dragons roared.

He was constantly afraid that in a moment of carelessness, he might be killed by some unforeseen force.

Perhaps those who have died once are the ones most afraid of death. When Russell discovered that there were assassins, he was drenched in cold sweat.

Two hard slaps finally calmed him down.

“So you’re saying that the lone wolf, Lisbon, is planning to lure a group of snow demons into my territory to test my defenses?” Russell sat back down.

After hearing Catherine the drifter’s explanation, he looked at Eric and then at Charles, who had been summoned in the meantime.

Eric grunted, “I’ve heard of Lisbon. He’s a big ranger, known as the Lone Wolf Leader over at Resounding Water River Cave.”

“The Lone Wolf Leader, Lisbon… hmm, I’ve heard that name too.” Charles’s eyes kept darting over to Catherine, “As for this drifter, she must be one of the Wildcat Sisters, the older Katie and the younger Catherine. They’re quite famous.”

“Wildcat Sisters?” Russell asked, intrigued.

Catherine, still bound, sat on the damp floor. The black mask covering her face had been removed, revealing two swollen cheeks.

But even without the swollen face, her looks were fairly average.

Pale skin, hollowed out eyes, and though she wasn’t old, the deep nasolabial folds gave her a look akin to a junkie.

“My sister and I never wanted to live under the rule of the Lone Wolf Leader. Resounding Water River Cave has always adhered to the principles of freedom. We may be rats of the underground world, but we refuse to be anyone’s slaves,” Catherine said seriously, looking directly at Russell.

Charles snorted, “You lowlifes don’t even know what principles are. A life as a slave would be better than what you have.”

“You don’t understand what freedom is…” Catherine’s voice faded. “We just don’t want to be slaves in the underground world.”

Russell raised an eyebrow at this, but he didn’t immediately offer an opinion.

Instead, he asked again, “Lisbon wants to lure the snow demons into my territory, so why did you come to deliver this message to me? Aren’t you afraid that you won’t be able to get along with Lisbon after you return, or worse, that you’ll use my hands to get rid of him?”

“Your backer is Baron Roman. The Wildcat Sisters just want to live peacefully and hope that you, being an excellent neighbor, will live peacefully as well.”

“Excellent neighbor?” Russell rubbed his chin. “My reputation for excellence has already reached Resounding Water River Cave?”

He hadn’t even showcased his talents yet, so how did he already earn a reputation for excellence?

Catherine’s answer cleared his doubts: “Not many lords employ serfs and still feed them. That makes you a good lord.”

“Hmm.” Russell suddenly felt a little emotional.

Apparently, he was already considered an excellent lord simply by doing that. The serfs and freemen had such low expectations of their lord.

Looking at Catherine, Russell asked indifferently, “How can I trust you?”

“I have a letter from my sister,” Catherine replied. “I was planning to slip it through the window and… see the new lord as well.”

Before Russell could say anything, Charles immediately began rifling through Catherine’s clothes.

“Stop touching me… There’s a pocket in my knee with a secret seam!” Catherine’s face flushed red, the slap marks on her cheeks standing out more clearly.

“I need to make sure you’re not hiding any weapons.” Charles said sternly. Then, from the hidden knee pocket of her tight-fitting clothes, he retrieved a folded letter.

He handed it to Russell.

Russell unfolded it, reading the crumpled paper: “Dear Neighbor, Beware of Lisbon. He plans to lure snow demons to Black Waist Snake Manor.”

The letter was signed: “Your neighbor, Little Wildcat.”

“Hidden signatures and subtle clues,” Russell commented, judging both the letter and the Wildcat Sisters. Their methods were somewhat crude.

Catherine quickly defended, “We can’t afford to offend you or the Lone Wolf leader.”

Once Russell confirmed that Catherine wasn’t actually here to assassinate him, his mood suddenly soured a little. “Charles, untie her and get her a cup of hot water.”

“Thank you.” Catherine gave Russell a deep look of gratitude.

“Do you need a change of clothes?”

“No need,” Catherine replied, lifting her collar and shaking off the water. “My clothes are lined and insulated, so no rain got in.”

She shook her outer layer to remove the water, then added, “Besides, I’m a Ranger, and with Martial Arts Energy protecting me, I can wear wet clothes just fine.”

A ranger is also known as a drifter, although different people use different titles.

“Do you know when Lisbon will try to lure the snow demons?” Russell asked.

“Probably within the next few days. They are already preparing, and it needs to happen quickly. If they wait until the warm season, the threat of the snow demons will diminish,” Catherine replied.

There are no four distinct seasons on the Dragonmire Continent. The powers of the snow demons and the dragons create alternating ice and warm seasons.

During the ice season, the snow demons run rampant, but during the warm season, they become much less aggressive.

After all, the power of the dragons spreads below the Dusklight River Valley, and when the snow demons enter this area during the warm season, their power is reduced by half.

“How many people are there in Resounding Water River Cave?” Russell asked the next question.

“About five hundred people. There is only one major ranger, Lone Wolf Leader Lisbon. There are five or six other rangers, some wandering souls, and the rest are just unfortunate people,” Catherine answered. “Wandering souls are those who have only cultivated the seed of martial arts energy, similar to knights in terms of their energy levels.”

“I noticed that the Wildcat Sisters seem to have no particular objections to me being your master. Then why did you choose to live in Resounding Water River Cave?” Russell asked.

Catherine lowered her head, a faint smile appearing on her face. “No one can escape their origins. We’ve lived in Resounding Water River Cave since we were children. I don’t really know why. Perhaps the underground is dark and damp, but it’s the place where I was born and raised”.

Russell didn’t respond to this, remaining neutral in his expression.

Having asked all the questions he needed, he stood up. “Do you need me to prepare a room for you to rest in?”

“No, if possible, please allow me to return now. If I’m late, the Lone Wolf Leader might notice.”

“How will you return? Shall I send someone to escort you to the border?”

“If you trust me, I can go back alone.” Catherine drank some hot water, feeling a bit nervous, unsure of what awaited her.

“Russell…” Charles seemed about to speak.

Russell gently raised his hand, silencing Charles, and looked at Catherine coolly. “When you leave, please use the front door.”

“Alright.”

Moments later, a confused-looking Morris, the butler, escorted Catherine out of the front gate.

Without accepting the umbrella offered by Morris, Catherine rushed out into the rain, disappearing into the fog within moments.

“Russell, you shouldn’t have let her go back just like that. The words of the underground scum are not to be trusted,” Charles complained.

Russell smiled faintly. “Killing or imprisoning her would be of no real significance.”

Then his expression became serious. “What matters now is that whether Catherine is telling the truth or lying, we must prepare for the Snow Demon invasion. Eric, do you think that our current strength is enough to deal with it?”

Eric thought for a moment before answering, “I’m afraid not, my lord. It would be best to inform the Baron and ask Knight Commander Kendall to come and take command.”

Knight Commander Kendall, stationed at the border of the territory, was a Fantasy Beast Knight.

With Kendall overseeing the defense, even an army of Snow Demons wouldn’t be able to shake the area unless the Snow Demons themselves invaded.

Charles nodded in agreement. “That’s right, Russell. Don’t act impulsively. You should inform the Baron immediately.”

Russell, knowing the importance of life and safety, didn’t act out of emotion. “All right, I’ll send a message with the armored knights to Fluorescent Castle first thing in the morning.”

“Send them now,” Charles said, shrugging his shoulders. “As long as that little wildcat hasn’t gone back yet, we should get Kendall Knight Commander here as soon as possible.”

Russell agreed. He immediately instructed the butler, Morris, to call for two Armored Knights, Tom and John, and ordered them to ride quickly to Fluorescent Castle.

With the Armored Knights leaving on horseback, Russell and the others had no intention of returning to sleep. Instead, they began playing chess in the study.

“Russell, are you planning to subjugate the scum of Resounding Water River Cave?” Charles asked, reading between the lines and already picking up some clues.

“I have such an immature idea,” Russell admitted.

“If you ask my opinion, I’d advise against it. The scum of the underworld are not worth much. But if you’re really set on it, I’d just warn you to be careful. You’ll need to sift through them and see who has blood on their hands,” Charles warned.

Russell nodded thoughtfully. He moved a chess piece and then said calmly, “I won’t act rashly, but… my goal is to completely deal with the Resounding Water River Cave.”