Siegfried called Kimhant, Oliang contacted Wet Trash Can, and Destiny reached out to every member of his guild in the city, asking them to inquire about any items that could extend the resurrection time for Chang Long's pet before she arrived at the pet supply store.

"An item that extends the time for resurrecting a pet?"

Cat-Faced Angel repeated Kimhant's question, who had just gotten off the phone with Siegfried.

"Yes, it seems like my master—uh, I mean, Miss Chang Long—needs to know about that,"

Kimhant replied.

"There is such an item. It's called an Ice Coffin. The pet supply store used to carry it, but I'm not sure if they still have any in stock. Most players don't bother resurrecting pets anymore, so it became an overstocked item. First off, resurrection potions are rare, and most people keep them for themselves. Secondly, the pets that die usually have low loyalty stats. Many players believe it's hard to raise a pet's loyalty, but in reality, they just don't interact with their pets enough. They call them out for battle, then seal them away afterward. How can loyalty increase that way? So, when a pet dies, most players prefer to find a new one rather than waste time resurrecting it,"

Cat-Faced Angel explained to Kimhant.

"Hmm, we should go check the pet supply store and see if they have any Ice Coffins you mentioned left."

With that, the two of them headed straight for the pet supply store to inquire about the Ice Coffin before Chang Long returned to town.

.....

Elsewhere, Demos, the leader of the Doom Star Guild and holder of the title Demon King, and heir to Pirate King Beleth de Montes who had always thought he was the strongest person was lying on the ground, blood pouring from his mouth. He was struggling to force blood crystals and rejuvenating crystals into his mouth. Though battered and barely alive, he was technically the victor. Yet, he felt no sense of triumph.

"Sigh... I barely made it. Next time, I need to keep a better grip on my emotions,"

Demos muttered weakly as he lay on the soft grass, waiting for his strength to return.

"You are still inexperienced. In battles of this level, you cannot afford to falter and let the manticore take over. You have much to learn, my heir,"

an unfamiliar voice said. Demos jerked up, wincing in pain from his unhealed wounds, and cried out.

"Y-You!"

Demos could only manage that before adjusting his position to avoid aggravating the large wound on his stomach.

"Hehehe. Did you think I had disappeared for good? I'm not going anywhere until I've avenged myself against the five Pirate Kings who conspired to kill me and claimed the title of Supreme King,"

said Beleth de Montes, standing over Demos. His semi-transparent body resembled Demos when he was in battle mode, but his face was far more menacing, and his body was much bulkier than Demos's lean frame.

"I didn't expect to have a lingering spirit following me around. Do the other Pirate Kings have something like this too?"

Demos asked, relaxing slightly when he realized the unfamiliar voice belonged to the Pirate King whose title he had inherited.

"Undoubtedly. They crave victory as much as I do, but their methods for achieving it are far more treacherous,"

Beleth de Montes cursed in frustration.

"What did they do to secure their victory?"

Demos asked, curious. By now, he was feeling much better, his wounds healing and his health bar nearly full.

"Those five—Heaven, Azlam, Roche Roger, that cunning, sly fox, Shadin Creepin, a woman who's completely unfit to be a king yet craves power more than anything. She even took the throne from her own husband, the former king, with the help of her lover, who was that king's trusted man, all because he was bewitched by her charms. Then there's Kamaku Hayasa, the stoic swordsman who rarely speaks, but his skill with the blade is deadly. And lastly, Devi Jones. Had he not died beforehand, he might have joined the others to kill me and seize the title of Supreme King."

"They all ganged up on me, the cowards. They're not even worthy of being Pirate Kings, let alone the Supreme King. In your generation, my heir, you must crush the heirs of the six Pirate Kings and rise to claim the throne of the Supreme Ruler yourself!" Beleth de Montes' final words were delivered with a commanding, powerful voice.

"I hope so too,"

Demos nodded solemnly.

"But what happened to Devi Jones? Why did he die before the others?"

Demos asked, still curious.

"That fool's arrogance. He dared to face me one-on-one,"

Beleth de Montes answered, with a hint of admiration in his voice.

"Oh, a brave soul worthy of respect. I wonder what his heir is like,"

Demos mused, intrigued by the thought of Devi Jones's successor.

"You already know, don't you? You've fought against his heir before. How amusing it is that their skills are no different—both weak and pathetic losers,"

Beleth de Montes sneered, his voice dripping with contempt as he mocked Chang Long, the heir of Devi Jones.

 "What can I do to prevent the manticore from taking control of me again? I can't let it possess me during battles—it's far too reckless!"

Demos then asked what he truly wanted to know.

"You're still too inexperienced, and the manticore doesn't respect you. Soul fusion with a demon isn't all advantages. If you become too obsessed with the power it grants, and forget to train yourself to control it, you'll end up being the one controlled. But I'm sure the manticore has already warned you that if it continues to dominate you, it will eventually kill you and leave you behind forever."

Beleth de Montes spoke without any concern, believing that strength could only come from within. If Demos, his heir, was weak enough to let the manticore take over, then it would be due to his own weakness.

Demos was visibly stunned by Beleth de Montes' words. He had expected the Pirate King to show more concern for his heir. After all, had he not just said he wanted Demos to crush the heirs of the other six kings? Why, then, did he seem so unbothered when telling Demos that he might be overtaken by the demon fused with his soul, and ultimately ripped apart piece by piece?

"So, I need to train more, right? Are you going to follow me?"

Demos asked as he stood up. His body had fully recovered, save for a faint scar where Chang Long's sword had pierced his abdomen. But even that would fade soon.

"Everywhere you go, until the final battle for the title of Supreme Ruler takes place, I'm not going anywhere,"

Beleth de Montes answered loudly.

"Sigh!"

Demos sighed before vanishing from the spot at lightning speed, taking the spirit of the former Pirate King, Beleth de Montes, with him.

.....

Chang Long took nearly an hour to make her way back to the city. Both male and female players turned to stare at her in unison—not because of her appearance or attire, but because of a lot of dried blood caked across her arms, face, and clothing. It left them wide-eyed. Luckily, the Reaper King set she was wearing was indestructible; otherwise, her condition would have looked even worse.

Ignoring the bemused gazes and whispers of onlookers, Chang Long headed straight for the pet supply store. Players murmured amongst themselves, speculating that she had likely encountered a beast king, and had barely escaped. Yet, there was some confusion—if she had died or used a teleportation scroll, she should have respawned in the city center near the Player Service Building. But here she was, walking back through the city gates herself.

The murmurs grew louder when they noticed a small lion cub trotting alongside her. Even more astonishing was the majestic beauty of a mythical beast following her. Despite its swift pace, the creature's elegance and grace never faltered.

"A k-kirin!"

An NPC AI exclaimed, visibly excited. It was well-known that the kirin was a symbol of good fortune. Legend had it that encountering one would bring great blessings, and according to Chinese mythology, it heralded the arrival of someone of great destiny. That someone was now walking confidently ahead, though oblivious to where the pet supply store actually was.

The city buzzed grew as the players who stood nearby overheard the AI's exclamation. Word spread quickly throughout the town. The kirin was not only rare but also a Sacred Beast that, when fully evolved, was far more powerful than any ordinary high-tier evolved creature. It was practically the god of all beasts. Yet, it seemed this kirin already had an owner, as it faithfully followed Chang Long, the blood-stained player, without hesitation. Many players concluded that Chang Long's bedraggled appearance must have been the result of taming the kirin.

Upon realizing it was a kirin, some players became greedy, thinking they could steal it to sell at a high price or keep it for themselves as a status symbol. They did not consider their own abilities or the fact that they were nowhere near the level of a player capable of taming such a beast. More importantly, they ignored the simmering fury of that player, who was ready to explode at any moment.

"Hulu, lead the way,"

Chang Long finally spoke, addressing Hulu in his rainbow-colored kirin form. He nodded and sniffed the air, trying to catch a familiar scent. Meanwhile, a group of overconfident players approached, surrounding Chang Long and her pets.

"Hey there, kid. Is that beautiful kirin your pet?"

One of the five players asked, his tone filled with arrogance. It was obvious they were looking for trouble.

"Puppet Manipulation. Finish them off, then catch up with me, Fluffy Head-chan,"

Chang Long said in a flat tone before following Hulu. At first, the group of players laughed, mocking Chang Long for naming the little lion Fluffy Head-chan. But their laughter quickly turned to terror as they watched the tiny lion grow into a massive beast before their eyes. Standing three meters tall and stretching over seven meters long from head to tail. Its dark brown mane, tinged with golden tufts was rippling in the air. Even those who had never seen it before would instantly recognize the king of the savanna—the Nemean Lion.

The five players turned pale, frozen in fear. Even if they combined their strength, they stood no chance against the majestic lion, which was level 99. Their average level, on the other hand, was only 42. Fluffy Head-chan looked at them with clear boredom, as if Chang Long had assigned him a ridiculously trivial task.

With a deafening roar, Fluffy Head-chan startled not only the five troublemakers but also the crowd of players and NPCs watching nearby. Seeing the five men frozen in place like statues, Fluffy Head gave them a light swat. Of course, his idea of light was quite different from the players'—each one of the five players was knocked to the ground, coughing up blood, as their health bars plummeted. In mere moments, their health dropped below fifty points. Having taught them a lesson, Fluffy Head-chan followed his master's scent. Both NPCs and players quickly moved out of the way, giving him a wide berth.

Outside the pet supply store, Chang Long saw Kimhant, Cat-Faced Angel, and Wet Trash Can engaged in tense negotiations with another player. She hurried over to them.

"Kimhant, what's going on?"

Chang Long asked as she entered the store. Everyone turned to look at her, and their jaws dropped at the sight of Hulu in his magnificent rainbow kirin form. Even the shopkeeper and the unfamiliar player were taken aback.

"We have a problem, master. This player bought the Ice Coffin just minutes before we arrived to ask about it. The shopkeeper also said that each store only stocks one Ice Coffin at a time since it rarely sells,"

Kimhant explained the situation. He and Wet Trash Can were not shocked by Hulu's appearance like others, since they had seen him in this form before.

Chang Long turned to the other player, who looked just as tense, and asked if he would be willing to sell her the Ice Coffin, as she really needed it. However, the player responded that he, too, desperately needed the Ice Coffin.

"My pet, which I loved dearly, has died, and I don't have a resurrection potion. I had to buy the Ice Coffin to extend the time for resurrection until I can find a potion,"

the player said sadly. He had spent all his savings on the Ice Coffin, making him one of the poorest players in the game now.

"All you need is a resurrection potion?"

Chang Long asked. In the game, resurrection potions were nearly considered rare items. No one had yet discovered a way to craft them for sale, and Chang Long had not had the time to delve into that issue either.

"Yes. Do you think resurrection potion is easy to find? There's no way I could get one in just 24 hours to revive my pet!"

The player replied bitterly, assuming that Chang Long wanted to buy the Ice Coffin for the same reason.

"If I have a resurrection potion, will you be willing to sell the coffin to me?"

Chang Long asked. The man stared at her in disbelief, hardly able to trust his ears. Could this player really be offering him a resurrection potion, a priceless item, in exchange for the much less valuable Ice Coffin? He looked at Chang Long with skepticism, unsure whether to believe her.

"Are you serious? You're not trying to trick me into giving up the Ice Coffin, are you!"

He asked, torn between hope and suspicion.

"Bring out your dead pet!"

Chang Long ordered, as she rummaged through her backpack for the sticky, clear liquid in a resurrection potion bottle. Once she found it, the player quickly unsealed his pet from his pet-sealing ring, revealing a cheetah beast that had been stabbed by something, leaving a gaping wound in its body.

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