The Final Odyssey, the fantastical journey of a cat boy

To immerse yourself in Chapter Frosty Leaf's Old Friend, please click here.

"Wow!"

"Meow!"

Although Fish, with the protective power of Phoenix Flame, was confident he would emerge unscathed even if hit by a 7.62mm full-power rifle bullet within 100 meters, he still let out a scream when this small figure collided with him.

As for the reason... it's quite simple. The petite girl jumped down from the roof of a nearby shed. And, quite unfortunately, she landed right on Fish's face with her legs spread apart!

Although Fish himself didn't have any ulterior motives towards this skinny, small, and seemingly unremarkable girl, being literally "ridiculed" in the face like this still took him quite a shock. What's worse, in his shock, Fish's brain briefly went blank... As a result, he unfortunately lost his balance and fell backward to the ground.

"Wow!"

"Ahhh—"

"I...I dare not look—"

"Everyone, nothing happened." As Xiaoxing, Anjie, and Shuangye screamed at the indecent scene, Bohe gave her two subordinates a wink and then said in a flat, emotionless statement.

Of course, Fish didn't have time to care about that right now—the skinny little girl who was ruthlessly "riding in his face" was a squirrel-type new human with a tail that was even bigger and fluffier than Xiaoxing and Ange's "fox radish".

As a result, after being unexpectedly "riding on" in the face, Fish not only had his nose filled with the strong body odor unique to little girls, but also had a bunch of hair stuffed inside. The intense itching made him start sneezing uncontrollably. For a moment, tears and snot streamed down his face, making him quite a mess.

"You damned criminal caught in the act! Stop right there!" Just as the little girl struggled to climb off Fish and tried to escape, a hand suddenly grabbed her by the back of the neck and roughly pulled her to the ground.

"Ah—no—" The little squirrel girl tried to struggle, but was immediately kicked in the stomach, and arched her back in pain.

The person who used such brutal methods against her was a tall female officer. She was wearing a dark purple shawl embroidered with gold identification badges, and a general's uniform that was obviously custom-made, with decorative patterns of rubies and diamonds inlaid on the collar and chest. She also had a jeweled sword at her waist, which was only worn by high-ranking officers. It was clear that she was a noble of a high rank.

However, Fish keenly noticed that although she was dressed like a general, her epaulets did not have any gold stars, but only two silver six-pointed stars—indicating that she was actually just an army major. Her arm patch was a black diamond, and because this emblem was uncommon, Fish couldn't immediately identify which principality under the Pan-Pacific Empire it represented.

In short, although the female officer with waist-length black hair that was as long as Ange's platinum blonde hair, and with weasel-like ears and tail could be considered a beauty, Fish's first impression of her was quite bad—not only because of her rough treatment of minors, but also because of her flamboyant uniform and the contemptuous expression in her eyes.

Fish knew very well that, unlike Ange, who merely upheld aristocratic pride and reserve, this guy probably didn't regard people of lower status than her at all.

"Don't want to? Ha! A lowly thief like you dares to oppose my impartial enforcement of the law?" The woman with weasel ears kicked the immobilized little girl twice more. Then, with a cruel smile, she drew her sword from its sheath and pointed the tip at the girl's arm!

"Enough! Stop!"

Before the female officer could even raise her sword, Frostleaf appeared between her and the squirrel girl, blocking her blade with the scabbard.

"Who do you think you are, you worthless piece of trash? How dare you obstruct me from performing my duties... ugh..."

The other party was about to lash out, but hesitated after seeing Shuangye's military police officer uniform. After all, even though their ranks were far apart and their affiliations were completely different, military police officers were not ordinary people. Even a noble officer like her had to restrain herself a little.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think what you did was appropriate." After the other party reluctantly sheathed his sword, Shuangye continued in a businesslike tone, "To inflict violence on such a young child is extremely excessive."

"Excessive? I am ordered to maintain order in this area to prevent riots and conflicts. According to the emergency order issued by the garrison command, I have the authority to impose severe and swift on-the-spot punishments on those caught in the act of terrorism, murder, kidnapping, robbery, and other serious crimes." The major raised his left hand and snapped his fingers. A middle-aged man with dog ears immediately and respectfully took out a document and handed it to her.

Although the middle-aged man was wearing a brown sergeant's uniform, even Fish could tell that he was not a real soldier. In terms of demeanor, he was more like the butler or servant of this unpleasant noblewoman officer.

Of course, in the armies of many states, it was common practice for noble officers to have their servants accompany them. However, the more respectable approach was to list the servants as "civilians accompanying the army" and have their expenses paid by their masters. Registering servants as military personnel and thus drawing an extra share of military pay was generally considered greedy and despised… but the noble major standing before Fish clearly didn't care about that at all.

"I have a feeling," Huang Yan whispered, "that this woman's skin might be even more bulletproof than my standard armor."

"I feel the same way," Fish muttered. "I really hope I'll have the chance to experiment with it someday."

"See? This is the order I received from my superiors!"

The noblewoman in her jeweled general's uniform held up the order the middle-aged man had handed her, pointing to the large red seal below as if it were some kind of omnipotent magic. However, Fish only glanced at it before realizing how ridiculous this man's attempt to intimidate others was.

In reality, the directive merely appointed the recipient to the temporary title of "Commander of the Regional Security Forces," authorizing him to "command local security forces to maintain order" and "prevent violent crimes such as riots, murder, robbery, and kidnapping." It made no mention of anything about "severe and swift on-site punishment."

and……

"It was you?!"

Upon seeing the name written on the order, Shuangye's eyes widened in surprise. Then, the major scrutinized Shuangye's face and showed the exact same look of astonishment.

"Damn it, read Chapter Frostleaf's Old Friend now to start today's exciting chapter. Why haven't you risked your life yet for 'upholding justice'?"

"Isn't that what I should be asking? Why aren't you staying in the Ten Victories Marquisate? Why are you out here causing trouble again?!" Shuangye retorted. "If you're ugly, don't cause trouble all the time!"

"Wait, you two know each other?!" Anjie asked.

"Of course, how could I possibly forget this fellow who is a paragon of moral depravity?"

"Hmph, my formidable rival! No matter how much you slander my character, you can't change the fact that your bloodline is inferior to mine."

"Yes, I know very well that some guys' only luck in life is being born into a good family—otherwise, they would be utterly useless. Like the sunfish in the fish market."

"Who are you calling a sunfish?! You lowly, worthless trash, do you even know who I am—"

"Oh, of course they don't know. So, please allow me to introduce her," Shuangye shrugged, "Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to introduce this noble young lady: Princess Yuedie, the illegitimate daughter of the current Marquis of Shisheng. Apart from not being the legitimate daughter and having her inheritance rights even behind a series of uncles and cousins, her dazzling noble lineage is flawless."

"Pfft—" Ange and her three maids covered their mouths and couldn't help but laugh out loud. This was not entirely because the guy in front of them, who always called others "trash," was nothing compared to Ange in terms of bloodline, but also because of Shuangye's change in attitude.

Normally, this swordsman always treats people and handles official business with an almost rigid attitude, and even his expression rarely changes. However, after meeting Yuedie, his words and actions become full of aggression. The contrast is so striking that it's easy to burst into laughter.

"You...you bastard! I can't take it anymore!" Upon hearing Frostleaf utter the word "illegitimate," Moon Butterfly instantly became like a cat...no, a weasel with chili sauce smeared on its rear end, engulfed in a raging fury. She immediately ripped off a glove and threw it at him, shouting, "Everyone, be my witness! I'm going to have a noble duel with this guy!"

Fish had assumed that, given Frostleaf's personality, she would immediately pick up the gloves and agree to a duel—just like she had when he first met Ange. But to his surprise, Frostleaf had no intention of doing so: she simply glanced at the white gloves that the White Eh had left at her feet, then picked them up with her scabbard and tossed them accurately back into Moon Butterfly's arms.

"I'm sorry, but as a military police officer, I cannot participate in such senseless acts of violence on the front lines. This is in accordance with noble regulations, but not with the Imperial Military Code."

"You! You, you, you, you despicable and shameless bastard—" Moon Butterfly's large phoenix eyes were practically spitting out sparks. However, due to the noble rules she valued most, and since Frost Leaf had refused the challenge, she was truly helpless. So, she could only vent her anger on a pine tree beside her. With a frustrated roar, she fiercely slashed her sword into the trunk.

...Then, the ornately decorated sword got stuck inside and couldn't be pulled out.

"Damn it! You damn tree, how dare you bully me! Do you know that I am the daughter of a marquis from the Ten Victories Marquisate?! My bloodline is far superior to yours! Be careful, or I might chop you down and burn you for firewood!" Moon Butterfly, her sword stuck in the tree trunk, blushed and shouted as she tried to free her sword.

This time, even Yuedie's butler, along with the soldiers who were with her, looked bewildered after seeing her "wonderful performance."

"I remember now," Ange suddenly activated the encrypted channel provided by Huang Yan, which allowed direct communication via consciousness through the intelligent combat armor, and said to the others without making a sound, "As expected of the Tenkachi family bloodline, it has always been so... abstract."

"Huh? Is this family special?" Fish asked.

"Yes. The Tokachi Marquisate is an island nation located north of Penglai, consisting of a large island formerly known as Sakhalin or Hokkaido, as well as several smaller islands. Its local specialties are fish and obsidian produced by volcanic eruptions, also known as 'Tokachi Stone.' Therefore, the emblem of this marquisate is also made of obsidian," Shuangye explained. "The marquisate's family is a distant relative of the Duke of Penglai, but they have always claimed to be the direct descendants of the Duke of Penglai's family."

"These kinds of things must have been made up to elevate the family's status, right?" Fish scoffed.

"No," Ange said, who was familiar with the knowledge of various noble families. "It's all true. The ancestor of the Marquisate of Ten Victories was actually the heir to the Duke of Penglai who had lost his right to inherit the throne and had to venture into the then-wild north. However, the reason he lost his right to inherit the throne was due to mental problems."

"Mental health issues?"

"In short, the mental state of the Marquis of Tokatsu has always been unstable. This has been the case for generations. This instability has both advantages and disadvantages. For example, their ancestors, although their impulsive and fearless nature made too many enemies in aristocratic social circles and made it difficult for them to survive, actually benefited from this misfortune. By daring to fight and explore, they successfully carved out their own territory with a pioneering team... But..."

"The situation with her descendants is much harder to predict," Shuangye continued. "Take this Miss Yuedie, for example. She suffers from intermittent mania. In the past, although she was born out of wedlock, she still had a sliver of hope for the marquis's inheritance because she was the marquis's eldest daughter, so her mania wasn't considered severe. However, after the marquis's legitimate son was born, she gradually lost control..."

"How come you know so much about Miss Yuedie?" Xiaoxing asked.

"When I was young, I accompanied my father to the Marquisate of Tokatsu. At that time, my father served as a military attendant to the special envoy of the Duke of Penglai stationed in the Marquisate of Tokatsu. Because I liked swordsmanship, I was summoned by the Marquis of Tokatsu to serve as Yue Die's sparring partner... At that time, the Marquis believed that practicing swordsmanship might be able to improve his daughter's manic-depressive disorder."

"and then?"

"Although I must emphasize that Princess Moon Butterfly is an arrogant, despicable, and shameless person who enjoys tasting the suffering of others, I do bear a great deal of responsibility for her current situation," Frost Leaf said. "Otherwise, I would have already accepted her challenge."

"Huh?!" Everyone looked surprised.

"Because, back then, in my youthful ignorance, I took it all too seriously—when we first met, Princess Yuedie demanded that I 'go all out,' and so I did. I made her cry in less than five rounds," Shuangye shrugged. "After that, we trained together at the Marquis of Tokatsu's country villa. Whether it was swordsmanship, racing, wrestling, or hunting, I always gave it my all and defeated Princess Yuedie. In ten months, I defeated her a total of 575 times…"

"Wow, so many times..." Fish and the others began to look at each other in disbelief: So, the main reason that bastard prince became like this was because he was beaten into depression by Frostleaf!