Something's wrong with how I'm watching anime.

"Yes, the rescue center staff come here regularly to take away stray dogs."

"I suspect that the black dog was taken away by the rescue center staff."

"Young man, is this your dog? Did you lose it?"

"I guess so..."

Kazama nodded and said.

Do you know which animal rescue station takes in stray dogs here?

"Several rescue stations take in dogs here, but the one that came last time was probably a government-run one. Because compared to the others, that rescue station's facilities were much more rudimentary..."

"I understand, I've finished asking, thank you sir."

"It's nothing, it's nothing. I'm just glad I could help you."

Kazama bid farewell to the old man and left. Watching Kazama's retreating figure, the old man gave a simple and honest smile and waved goodbye.

"What a fine young man..."

The old man thought to himself that he felt an inexplicable sense of closeness to Kazama.

However, the old man's expression froze the next second.

Wait... what does it look like when it grows up?

Kazama's appearance became increasingly blurry in the old man's memory, until eventually he couldn't remember it at all.

By this time, Kazama had already walked far away.

"The combination of 'Phantom Cards' and 'Karuta' works quite well..."

Compared to cards like the Four Elements Cards that can manipulate elements and influence matter, in reality, cards like the Illusion Cards that can create illusions and the Karuta Cards that can make sounds more pleasant, persuasive, and approachable are more useful.

"That old man will completely forget what happened today after he takes a nap."

"You're really cautious..." Cerberus's voice came from the bag.

"We can't be careless..." Kazama said.

"Moreover, in the current situation, we cannot be too cautious."

"Let's get back to the main topic."

Kazama continued:

"Looks like luck is on our side..."

"We found a clue in just one conversation."

"You mean the rescue station? That parasite was taken away by the rescue station?"

"Well, if that parasite is determined to 'disguise' itself, then it's most likely that it was taken away by the rescue center."

"I was initially thinking that the worst-case scenario might require using the most inefficient method..."

What would be the dumbest method for Kazama?

The method involves using a counter to rewind time, recreating the scene in the alley a week prior, and then slowly tracing the whereabouts of the parasitic beast.

This method is not only inefficient, but it also severely depletes Kazama's magical power.

"Speaking of magic..." Kazama asked Cerberus.

"I feel like my magic power has been increasing a bit too quickly lately. Is that normal?"

Chapter Eighteen: Three Possibilities

Since touching the Clow Book and accidentally opening the source of magic, Kazama has been able to feel the increase in the magic power within his body.

And over time, the total amount of this force is constantly increasing.

While this is a good thing for Kazama at this stage, it also makes him very concerned.

"You must have entered your 'puberty' phase..."

Hearing Kazama's question, Kerberos pondered for a while before giving his answer.

Most factors that determine magical power are innate; some people are born with the aptitude for magic.

"However, there are exceptions. Some people's magic can experience a second burst of growth, like a second growth spurt in physical development."

"That means you have excellent qualifications..."

"If the body is used as a 'container,' it also has enough storage space."

"Before you awaken your magic, this vessel in your body is empty. Once you awaken your aptitude, magic will continuously fill the vessel until it reaches its capacity limit."

"Furthermore, the Clow Cards contain a portion of Clow Reed's magic, and as its owner, you will also be affected."

Clow Reed stored a portion of his magic power within the Clow Cards, and his successors who can successfully transform the Clow Cards can inherit the magic power he left behind.

Even if such a transformation is not completed, the magic in the Clow Cards will still have a subtle influence.

Just like how iron will acquire some magnetism when it comes into contact with a magnet for a long time.

"In short, as long as he can fully master the Clow Cards, even if that guy was originally just a third-rate magician, he can become a top-tier magician."

"That's how powerful the things left behind by Clow Reed are."

"You also need to speed up your progress and master the four basic element cards as soon as possible, especially the 'Earth' and 'Fire' cards. If you master either of these two element cards, my abilities can be demonstrated."

Despite its current adorable appearance, Cerberus is actually Clow Reed's guardian familiar, a protective beast.

Of course, given Clow Reed's abilities, he doesn't need the protection of Cerberus or Yue.

However, Kazama is different. Given that his powers could potentially spiral out of control again at any moment, it would be of great help to him if Kerberos could regain some of his power.

"of course."

Kazama nodded slightly in response to Cerberus's words.

In fact, he had this plan all along; otherwise, he wouldn't have deliberately taken out the fantasy book "The Door to Fairies".

Through the book "Fairy Door," one can master and control the spells of the four elemental spirits.

Similarly, this book, written by the legendary physician and alchemist Paracelsus von Hohenheim, also contains knowledge related to the four elements.

The stones from other mountains can be used to polish jade.

As fellow members of the four elements, Kazama can use this as a reference to further explore the use of the four elements, Clow Reed, and the complex techniques hidden at the bottom.

However, that's a matter for later; what we need to do now is to recover that parasitic beast.

Cerberus, on the other hand, seemed quite relaxed.

Just as Kazama said, they were very lucky and found an important clue right away without any further tedious investigation.

"Once we find that rescue center, we can retrieve that parasite, right?"

"maybe."

Despite having a clue, Kazama's expression did not relax in the slightest.

He had a feeling that this matter wouldn't end so quickly.

There aren't many rescue stations in this area, and there's only one public one called the Tianzheng Stray Animal Rescue Center.

Half an hour later, after finding a clue from the sanitation worker, Kazama, taking advantage of the momentum, led Cerberus to the rescue station.

The shelter is located in a remote area of ​​the shantytown redevelopment zone, far from residential houses. Even before entering, the barking of dogs could be heard from nearby.

Arriving at the gate, he found himself in a somewhat old-fashioned courtyard. The iron gate was covered in mottled rust, and a plaque hanging on a nearby pillar told Kazama that this was the place he was looking for.

There was a small iron gate on the right side of the large iron gate. Although the main gate was locked, the small iron gate was only slightly ajar.

After briefly observing the surroundings, Kazama pushed open the door and entered.

Behind the door is a passageway enclosed by barbed wire, which serves a protective function.

Through the wire fence, you can see the empty courtyard. The cement ground looks a bit dirty and messy, with various scraps of food scattered on it, as if it hasn't been cleaned up yet.

In the middle, there were several overturned, broken iron basins with food scraps still inside.

Several large iron cages were placed under the eaves in the courtyard, with stray dogs either standing or lying inside.

Several of them saw Kazama enter and immediately stood up, barking wildly at him.

Kazama squinted and scanned the courtyard, his expression gradually becoming serious.

"The environment here is pretty average..."

Cerberus, however, used the barking of the dogs as cover, and his voice came from his satchel.

"There's nothing we can do; the funding is limited," Kazama said.

Animal rescue stations are generally divided into two types: public and private.

Public shelters typically receive limited funding, and it's normal for them to have basic facilities.

Are all the stray dogs taken in by the rescue center here?

"should be."

Before entering, Kazama surveyed the area. Besides the courtyard, there were two houses. However, those were likely used as reception areas and warehouses.

Kazama's expression wasn't very pleasant because he didn't see any dachshund-type stray dogs in the cages in the yard.

Three possibilities...

"The first possibility is that the parasite was not contained."

According to the sanitation worker, he had not seen the parasitic beast or the dog's remains in that area.

If it has not been contained, it means that the parasite has overcome its territorial instincts and has wandered to other areas.

"Thinking about it now, that possibility isn't entirely out of the question..."

Kerberos spoke:

"After all, the rescue station's method of taking in people is to capture them, so it's normal for them to run away when they see that they are about to be captured."

“That is indeed a possibility…” Kazama rubbed his temples.

"However, what I was thinking before was that if that parasite wanted to disguise itself, it would first make a threat assessment."