Chapter 1040: First Encounter with the Cloak Totem
Chapter 1040: First Encounter with the Cloak Totem (Combined)
Normally, she shouldn’t remember a small trinket from half a year ago so vividly, but her memory was exceptionally sharp now. The lost accessory was linked to the suspicious Cloak Totem, and even if she wasn’t actively thinking about it, the sight of it still sent shivers down her spine.
“Xunxun!”
The Treasure Seeker, seeing the accessory through its empathic connection, called out excitedly.
This was exactly what it had lost!
Indeed... Qiao Sang’s gaze fell on the little girl’s face, and she fell into deep thought.
If the Cloak Totem could transform into the original owner’s appearance by mimicking the aura of an item, it could naturally transform into a human as well.
The Chromatic Ghost Ring’s form was easily recognizable, and the Cloak Totem, being a Royal Beast, had a distinctive appearance that drew attention. Despite the half-year-long manhunt, it hadn’t been caught. Could it be that it occasionally transformed into a human or another familiar?
If that were the case, relying solely on the photos of the Chromatic Ghost Ring and the Cloak Totem on the wanted notices, even with Neurocrack’s help, might not be enough to find it...
“Xunxun!”
As she pondered, the Treasure Seeker stared at the little girl and shouted, indicating that the culprit might have transformed into this human form!
Qiao Sang’s heart raced, and she said, “It’s possible.”
“Xunxun!” The Treasure Seeker, unable to contain its excitement, quickly channeled its energy.
In the next moment, it appeared in front of the little girl with its Beastmaster.
Qiao Sang: “...”
There was no need to be so hasty. You even forgot to bring Fangy and the others with you...
“Xunxun!”
“Xunxun!”
“Xunxun!”
The Treasure Seeker, oblivious to this, started berating the little girl.
The surrounding familiars, who had not been paying attention, now turned their gazes towards the commotion.
The little girl stared blankly at the Treasure Seeker.
This didn’t seem like the reaction a fake would have upon seeing the Treasure Seeker... Qiao Sang scrutinized the little girl, trying to spot any inconsistencies.
Suddenly, a furious voice rang out from behind them:
“What are you doing to my daughter!”
The little girl looked up, a happy expression on her face, and ran towards the man with open arms: “Daddy!”
The Treasure Seeker’s scolding stopped, and its body stiffened.
“Don’t panic. Some transformation familiars can speak human languages,” Qiao Sang whispered.
She still remembered the Mimic Puppet in Supernest that had transformed into her and shouted “Here!”
“Xunxun...” The Treasure Seeker relaxed upon hearing its Beastmaster’s words.
At that moment, the man’s voice echoed again:
“Honey, are you okay?”
The little girl replied, “I’m fine, Daddy. Look, that familiar looks just like the one on TV!”
A transformation familiar would never speak so much in human language... Qiao Sang made a quick decision.
“Let’s go!”
The Treasure Seeker’s eyes glowed blue.
In the next instant, they were back in the bedroom.
“Xunxun...”
The Treasure Seeker wiped the nonexistent sweat from its forehead.
“Ya Ya?”
Fangy looked over and called out, asking if they had found anything.
Lulu, Qingbao, and Neurocrack all turned to look, waiting for an answer.
Only Steel Treasure’s eyes were filled with amusement.
Qiao Sang admitted, “No.”
Fangy and the others immediately showed their disappointment.
Without a word, Neurocrack turned and extended its claws, ready to continue the search.
“But I have a new idea,” Qiao Sang added.
Neurocrack stopped its movements and looked over.
"Actually, I suspect that a wild Cloak Totem stole the Treasure Seeker's accessory and transformed to look like it", Qiao Sang explained to Neurocrack, detailing her suspicions.
"So I hope you can find a familiar or a person carrying this accessory."
After speaking, she took out her mobile phone and prepared to search for a picture of the accessory to show Neurocrack.
But as she pulled out her phone, Qiao Sang suddenly thought of something. Her expression stiffened, and she looked at Treasure Seeker, asking carefully, "Where did you get that accessory originally?"
"Xunxun..."
Treasure Seeker thought for a moment and called out, indicating it came from the Ring.
"No", Qiao Sang clarified, "I mean, before the Ring. Where did we buy this accessory?"
She didn't remember buying any accessories in Eagaria.
"Xunxun..."
Treasure Seeker tried to recall and called out again.
The accessory had been in the Ring from the start, likely acquired during the scavenging at Supernest.
That's right, she hadn't bought any accessories in Eagaria. But at the end of their time with the Unlimited Credit Card at Supernest, she had purchased a large number of items without much thought, including Artifacts related to familiars, materials, and some luxury items. Anything valuable that could be bought with the Unlimited Credit Card, she had bought.
This accessory was one of those items.
It wasn't impossible for items from other planets to appear on Blue Star, given the current technology of interstellar logistics. However, the cost was high, and most items transported were related to familiar resources.
Would someone go out of their way to buy a luxury accessory from another planet?
Qiao Sang realized she had made a mistake.
Why was she so sure that a transformed familiar wouldn't speak much human language?
Phantom Water Sprites and Mimic Puppets couldn't, but that didn't mean a Cloak Totem couldn't.
Calm down. That Cloak Totem was a wild beast companion that emerged from the Mystic Rift. It couldn't have learned so much human language in just half a year, right? But that wasn't impossible if the familiar was intelligent enough. Like Treasure Seeker, it could quickly adapt to electronic devices like mobile phones and computers.
Calm down, it might just be a coincidence. There are so many luxury fakes these days. It's hard to get the real thing, but getting a perfect replica is much easier.
Qiao Sang gathered her thoughts and composed herself, then looked at Neurocrack and said, "Check the location we were just at. See if the little girl with the Purple Grape Hair Ornament is still there. If she's not, find out where she is now."
Better to be wrong than to miss something.
"Guigui."
Neurocrack nodded and turned to insert its claws back into the computer. It had seen the human and Ghost Ring King teleport to that location earlier and knew what the human little girl looked like, even without the accessory.
"Xunxun?" Treasure Seeker looked puzzled.
Why are we still looking for her?
"Your accessory is from Supernest, but we're on Blue Star", Qiao Sang explained. "I suspect that the Cloak Totem has learned quite a bit of human language."
She paused and added, "After all, its intelligence is very high."
When the news reported on the Cloak Totem, one of the points mentioned was its extremely high intelligence. It had only taken one glance in battle to understand the function and operation of the Miniaturization Band.
"Xunxun!"
The Treasure Seeker suddenly realized what had happened and immediately wore an angry expression, as if she had been tricked by the guy.
Qiao Sang looked at it and calmly said, "This is just my guess."
She then added, "If this girl really is the Cloak Totem, remember to Spatial Shift and take Fangy and the others with you."
"Xunxun..."
The Treasure Seeker's momentum instantly dissipated, and she wore an expression that conveyed her understanding.
"Gui gui."
At that moment, Neurocrack turned and called out.
"Steel Blade."
Steel Treasure immediately translated.
Qiao Sang frowned and said, "You mean the little girl was found, but she doesn't have that accessory on her head?"
"Gui gui." Neurocrack nodded.
Qiao Sang asked, "Is there a man with her?"
"Gui gui." Neurocrack shook his head.
Qiao Sang thought for a moment and decided to take a look. "Where is the address?"
"Gui gui." Neurocrack reported the address.
Without a word, the Treasure Seeker's eyes glowed with Blue Light.
About five seconds later, Qiao Sang's vision went dark. When it returned to normal, she found herself standing in front of a chocolate shop.
A Blonde and Blue-eyed little girl stood by the window, gazing at the chocolates inside with a look that said, "I want them so badly, I want to eat them so much."
Sure enough, there was no Purple Grape Hair Ornament... Qiao Sang's gaze fell on the girl's golden hair.
"Xunxun..."
The Treasure Seeker remembered what her Beastmaster had said and restrained the urge to rush forward.
They weren't sure yet; it would be bad to make a mistake, although even if they did, this human probably wouldn't understand them...
"Ya Ya?"
Fangy scanned the area and finally fixed her gaze on the little girl, calling out to ask if this was the human they were looking for.
Qiao Sang was about to respond when an excited shout rang out:
"Look, isn't that the wanted Ghost Ring King!"
The Treasure Seeker: "..."
People around them started to look over.
The little girl did the same.
She saw the Treasure Seeker, first hesitated, and then her face showed a worried expression, as if she recognized her and had a lot to say.
Seeing this, Qiao Sang's heart stirred, and she said, "Take her with us."
"Xunxun~"
The Treasure Seeker called out, but before she could act, the little girl ran up quickly.
Just as she took two steps forward, a pair of thick, large hands grabbed her.
"Sweetie, I've been looking for you everywhere", said a man with the same Blonde and Blue-eyed features as the girl.
The little girl, pulled back, looked up at the man and immediately quieted down.
The man recognized who was in front of him and said with a dissatisfied tone, "It's you again. What do you want with my daughter?"
He then looked at the Treasure Seeker and asked, "Are you the wanted Ghost Ring King?"
As he spoke, the onlookers chimed in:
"It's her!"
"No mistake! It's definitely her! Only the Ghost Ring King has that color!"
"Bro, don't let her get away! There's a 1 million Union Coin reward!"
"Xunxun..."
The Treasure Seeker's cheeks puffed up more and more, clearly furious.
Qiao Sang saw the Purple Grape Hair Ornament on the man's head and her mouth twitched violently, but she remained silent.
More and more people gathered around.
The man pulled the little girl back into the crowd.
"Spatial Lockdown", Qiao Sang said. "Only seal the man."
As she spoke, a Red flame flashed by.
In an instant, the little girl disappeared from her original spot.
The man looked at where the little girl had been and his face changed.
At the same time, Treasure Seeker's eyes glowed with a blue light.
A translucent barrier instantly enveloped the man.
People around them sensed something was amiss and quickly moved away, instinctively retreating to a safe distance, clearing a large area.
Flame refracted and returned, stopping beside Qiao Sang.
Fangy gently set down the little girl, who still looked shaken.
"What are you going to do?" The man glanced at the little girl, his expression darkening.
Qiao Sang spoke slowly, "Cloak Totem, how long do you plan to keep up this act?"
"Xunxun?!"
Treasure Seeker's eyes widened as it looked at the man nearby.
What?
Cloak Totem?!
It suddenly realized something and its gaze fell on the Purple Grape Hair Ornament on the man's head. Its eyes widened in anger, as if saying, "So it's you."
Cloak Totem? The people around them looked bewildered, whispering to each other.
The man's expression grew increasingly calm as more and more people gathered around.
He stared at Qiao Sang, then glanced at Treasure Seeker, and finally looked at the little girl. His eyes glowed blue.
An invisible force instantly shattered the translucent barrier around him.
The man spoke calmly, "Do you really think you can trap me?"
After speaking, he remained in place.
The man froze for a moment, then seemed to sense something and looked down.
He noticed that his shadow had been connected to another shadow.
Following the direction of the shadow, he saw Treasure Seeker.
"Xunxun!"
Treasure Seeker glared at him, snorting and flaring its nostrils, as if saying, "You think you can run?"
Suddenly, a gale swept through.
The leaves on the street rustled and fell, and dust swirled in the air.
In the midst of the gale, the man's clothing, including the Purple Grape Hair Ornament, vanished, leaving only a Miniaturization Band on his wrist.
The moment the Purple Grape Hair Ornament disappeared, his form began to twist and change.
Soon, a familiar about seven meters tall, entirely silver-white with a single eye, appeared before everyone.
The gale ceased.
Qingbao appeared beside Qiao Sang, holding the Purple Grape Hair Ornament, and then withdrew.
It was really Cloak Totem... The crowd stared at the familiar, their hearts racing.
This is a good opportunity to clear Treasure Seeker's name... Qiao Sang lifted his head and looked at Cloak Totem, gathering his breath to speak:
"You stole my Ghost Ring King's accessory and, for the past six months, have been masquerading as it, causing chaos. You've been relying on its absence from Eagaria! Now that I've brought it back, how can I let you tarnish its reputation!"
"Xunxun!"
"Xunxun!"
Treasure Seeker stood tall and proud.
Exactly!
What? The Ghost Ring King that was wanted is actually Cloak Totem in disguise? The crowd's faces showed shock and disbelief.
Cloak Totem's expression remained unchanged, but its eyes glowed blue as it looked at Treasure Seeker.
In the next instant, Treasure Seeker disappeared from where it stood, being held in Cloak Totem's grasp.
Treasure Seeker: "!!"
The moment it realized what was happening, a sudden, intense pain shot through its brain.
Treasure Seeker didn't even have time to scream before its eyes glazed over.
At the same time, the shadow connecting Cloak Totem broke and retracted.
Damn, I can't retrieve Treasure Seeker... Qiao Sang's expression darkened as he lowered his hand and said, "Domain."
Lulu emitted a visible chill aura.
However, before the chill aura could spread, Cloak Totem vanished from where it stood.
Treasure Seeker fell from the air, and a burst of flame rushed to catch it. (End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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