Chapter 37: Chapter 37: Poor Kubero Late at night. The deep night sky enveloped the entire alley. Standing in the shadows, Sunan watched the brightly lit mansion in the distance. This seemingly ordinary house, rather inconspicuous compared to the many resplendent noble residences within Stone Bell City, was one of the strongholds of the Starfire Sect in the Golden Rock Province. After arriving in Stone Bell City, Sunan had staked out this area for three days, tracking quite a few people going in and out, but unfortunately, he discovered none of them were related to the capture of magic creatures. He did not intend to waste too much time here and decided to capture someone for interrogation tonight. He didn’t have to wait long before a suitable target appeared. A man wearing a winter cloak stepped out of the house, discreetly glanced around, and then hurriedly walked into the night. Sunan did not follow immediately but patiently waited for a while before casually walking out of the alley, heading in the direction the man had left. The Hidden Dragon had already gone ahead, and with it around, there was no worry about losing the target. This distance also wouldn’t raise the target’s suspicions. Trailing far behind the man, they meandered for about half an hour before Hidden Dragon relayed that the target had stopped. Sunan immediately quickened his pace. Before long, he arrived at the location where the Hidden Dragon waited. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶 "What’s this guy doing here?" Sunan raised an eyebrow, looking at the civilian house before him. This was just an ordinary house located in a residential area. What was this Starfire Sect cultist doing here in the middle of the night? Signaling the Hidden Dragon to stand by, while keeping watch, Sunan ensconced himself with a layer of wind-type energy particles, then lightly leaped over the courtyard wall, landing silently in the yard. As soon as he landed, his powerful senses caught sounds coming from inside the room, and a peculiar expression appeared on his face. "... Sweetheart, I missed you." "I missed you too, dear Honey. That old coot Kubero has been too overwhelmed with the manor lately to pay attention to me, so we have plenty of time to meet now." "That’s wonderful. For now, let me savor Lady Kubero’s flavor." This was followed by a series of intimate amorous sounds. Sunan couldn’t help but feel a bit of sympathy for the unseen Lord Kubero. Dealing with an evil spirit was already miserable enough, and now his wife was cheating on him as well, truly pitiful. Shaking his head, Sunan no longer concealed his presence and strode towards the room. He had already sensed that apart from the two people inside, there were no other life signs in the entire house. It made sense too; since the two were having a secret rendezvous, they naturally wouldn’t bring others along. "Who’s there?" The man inside the room quickly noticed Sunan’s unabashed footsteps. By the time Sunan pushed open the door, the man had already leaped from the bed, grabbing a weapon from the table, and stared warily at the entrance. On the bed behind him, a beautiful woman with heavy makeup clutched the quilt, huddling at the bedhead with a panicked expression. "Who are you?" the man shouted sternly. Sunan didn’t answer, instead, he raised a hand and shot a bolt of electricity, striking the man. The man had no time to react and fell to the ground, convulsing with his eyes rolled back, unconscious. Witnessing this, the noblewoman on the bed was so frightened she covered her face with her hands, taking a deep breath to scream, but the breathing preparation took too long, and Sunan, with a flick of his wrist, sent another bolt of electricity, leaving the noblewoman convulsing and unconscious as well. Casually closing the door, Sunan used Mage’s Hand to lift the unconscious man from the ground and awakened him. Before the man could speak, he cast Charm Humans, and the man’s gaze instantly turned vacant. "Name." "Honey Diomande." "Your position in the Starfire Sect." "Three-star Cultist." Sunan felt slightly disappointed. In the Starfire Sect, below the rank of priest, ordinary cult members are divided into one-star to five-star cultists, in ascending order. A three-star cultist was still in the lower ranks of the Starfire Sect and probably did not have access to the core affairs. "Do you know anything about the capture of magic creatures?" "Yes." Sunan’s spirits lifted slightly: "Tell me in detail." Honey paused for a moment, then with a vacant gaze, said, "The ones responsible for this are Priest Troy and Priest Ryan. They go out almost every day, but have not yet captured that magical creature, much to the priest’s frustration." "They go out every day? Then why haven’t I seen anyone entering or leaving the manor?" "They use underground passages to enter and exit the manor." Sunan patted his forehead, feeling speechless. It made sense; this being a secret stronghold, the people of the Starfire Sect would naturally not boldly come and go through the main gate frequently, otherwise, it would have already drawn attention. A stronghold having secret passageways was normal. It’s just that he had been trapped in a mindset that prevented him from considering this possibility. "Lack of experience," he chuckled self-deprecatingly and then asked, "Where do those involved in capturing magic creatures usually go?" "The north of the city," Honey said blankly, "For some reason, the magical creature’s activity range is always confined to the north of the city, so Priest Troy and the others have been searching there." Sunan understood. Looks like their search range needed to shift to the north of the city. Though now aware of the secret passages in the Starfire Sect’s stronghold, it was still unknown where the exits led, and it would take an uncertain amount of time to locate them, especially if the exit was somewhere inconspicuous like an abandoned well or a particular house. In comparison, heading to the north of the city to try their luck was better. Once the Starfire Sect discovers that magical creature, the capture would surely create quite a scene, and if he and the Hidden Dragon search separately, the chances of finding it weren’t small. With Hidden Dragon’s power to alternate between reality and illusion, it is exceptionally suitable for searching for someone in a town with a complex layout. As he pondered, Sunan’s mind had already made a plan. He asked a few more questions until he was sure that no more valuable information could be gathered, and then he prepared to take care of Honey. Just then, Sunan suddenly sensed something, abruptly turning his head toward the table beside him. The doors and windows in the room were tightly closed, without being opened. Only thin strands of moonlight crept through the cracks of the doors and windows, like silver traces printing onto the floor and table. A small cat was standing on the table, just across the middle of the silvered lines, the bright moonlight illuminating its slender body, glossy and smooth white fur, and gem-like icy blue eyes. Cat? Sunan froze for a moment before his gaze sharpened, flipping his wrist to reveal an Earth Rune Gemstone between his forefinger and middle finger, ready to activate it at any moment. The room’s doors and windows were closed; how did this cat get in? And given his own senses, how could a cat close in on him without being detected? Something was off! Just as Sunan was perplexed, the little cat naturally walked toward him. Its slender body exhibited beautiful curves as it glided gracefully, exuding an almost dreamlike splendor. A delicate golden bell, tied with a red ribbon, hung around its neck. For a split second, Sunan almost felt like he was seeing the leisurely stroll of a wealthy lady in her courtyard. Reaching the edge of the table, the little cat leaped effortlessly to the ground, raising its head to look at Sunan and Honey with its gem-like icy blue eyes, showing a human-like curiosity. "Meow, what are you doing?"