Spoiled by Eight Uncles (Lily)

Chapter 1049 Blake and the Cat In the desolate forest, Blake trudged through the dusty landscape.

He had to reach the underworld.

Having managed to penetrate the layers of the cave's "preservative film," Blake was now merely a foot away from stepping into the realm of the underworld. However, he knew all too well that if he were to enter directly, the King of Cities would likely detect his presence immediately.

So, Blake decided to take the shortcut through the Gray Earth.

It felt as though he had been walking for an eternity. The sky remained unchanged, the forest appeared no different, and the usual methods of determining the direction of the world were ineffective here.

Frowning, Blake climbed to the top of a tree once more, hoping for a clearer view.

According to Lilly's description, there should be an immensely tall and dense forest in this area. Trees reach the height of skyscrapers, with trunks too broad for ten people to encircle, and leaves lush with greenery.

Yet, despite his long trek, all Blake could see was various shades of gray.

"Am | heading in the wrong direction?" Blake wondered aloud.

He descended from the tree, accumulating more dust on his weary body.

The name Gray Earth truly manifested itself in this place.

Shades of gray enveloped everything, it was like stepping into a monochromatic ink painting. After spending a considerable amount of time here, one might even question if they were three-dimensional beings or mere paper cutouts in a two-dimensional world.

Once again lost and disoriented, Blake leaned against a tree, taking out his water bottle to quench his thirst with a slow sip.

Suddenly, a rustling sound pierced the silence.

A gray silhouette darted past him with a whoosh.

"A cat?!" Blake exclaimed in delight, immediately standing up and chased it.

He did not know how long he had been running, accumulating more and more dust on his body, but he had no time to brush it off.

The cat ahead of him moved with agility, effortlessly leaping through the bushes while remaining untouched by the surrounding dust, which swirled around it like stars.

Appearing slightly displeased, the cat's tail froze, and it glanced back at the human trailing behind.

"Wait!" Blake called out.

These cats were extraordinary, and he was sure they could understand him.

However, the cat ahead hastened its pace.

Blake suddenly spoke again, "Here you go, it's dried fish!" The cat in front slowed down.

It turned its head, observing Blake.

Blake reached into his pocket and pulled out a sealed plastic bag, from which he pulled out a small dried fish.

He squatted down halfway, resting his elbows on his knees, and raised an eyebrow slightly. "Can you lead the way if | give you a piece of dried fish?" The cat looked at Blake with disdain, its eyes seemingly conveying the message, "How could a human be this stingy?" It swiftly glanced at the dried fish before sitting down.

Though it did not speak, Blake could understand what it meant—apparently, it felt that one dried fish was not enough.

Blake shook the dried fish in his hand and said, "How about two? Would you guide me there?." "These dried fish are from the same batch as the ones brought by Little Hades that day." Blake shamelessly used his little companion as a bargaining chip. "There's not many left, first come, first served.” "There should be other cats here in Gray Earth. They probably also want to taste Little Hades’ dried fish." The cat ahead was speechless.

Meow, humans are cunning.

Alright, I'll do it for the sake of the dried fish...

But then it heard the human in front of it say, "Alright, I'll give you one dried fish and I'll give you the other when you bring me there." The cat remained silent.

With a look of disdain and arrogance in its eyes, as if to say, "I quit." Blake tossed the small dried fish toward the cat.

Instinctively, the cat leaped and, like a lightning bolt, swiftly and accurately caught the fish in mid-air.

The taste of the dried fish flooded its nose and tantalized its taste buds in an instant...

Blake could not help but exclaim in awe—the cats here were truly extraordinary! In less than half a second, the cat caught the dried fish and returned to its original position, motionless with the small fish in its mouth, still maintaining a vigilant stare.

However...

Saliva dripped from its mouth, splashing onto the dusty ground.

Its intentions were exposed.

Blake curled his lips and pulled out another small dried fish. "Deal?" The cat emitted a low growl from its throat, then finally turned around and continued walking forward, seemingly a bit annoyed.

Its pace slowed down, allowing Blake to easily keep up. He knew that it was a deal.

If he had known, he should have taken all the cans of dried fish that Bellflower had hidden.

Now he had to ration it.

Just as he was thinking about this, his eyes suddenly brightened, and he walked out of the dusty forest! A forest of enormous trees lay before Blake. He gazed upward, marveling at the sight, feeling as though he had stepped into an ancient mythical world.

"So, this is Gray Earth," he mused.

Had he been wandering through the gray forest for a month? According to his calculations, it seemed about right.

Without the cat guiding him, he might never have found his way out. He could have wandered for a lifetime without escaping.

"Listening to Lilly's adventures, | thought she could effortlessly reach the place | assumed would be easy to find," Blake murmured.

But what truly puzzled him, preventing him from finding calm, was the fact that Ivan, that kid, could capture a flying beast and easily arrive at his destination, while he had to walk for half a month.

How was that logical?