Chapter 115: Pests & Pestering

*purr…..*

Like an obedient cat, the Perrafin stood by Gauthama and rubbed its head onto his torso. The elongated tail was fabulously sweeping through the floor. Fero, well known for his ferocity, was lying peacefully at Buddha's feet, with his tail tucked between his feet. Lee was like 'What the hell?!'. But his concerns soon vanished as he remembered the ability of the Tubian of Serenity.

The beasts did not even sense the nearing presence of Lee. They were so cozy that their perception skills were dampened, in a good way. The comfort and peace they were savouring were disrupted, when Gauthama saw Lee walking towards him. The hands that caressed the white fur like a gentle breeze were retracted as Gauthama received Lee with a pleasant smile. The Perrafin, for a second, exhibited hostility to the sudden sensation of the nearing presence. But when it noticed Lee, it could only show a disappointed face with discontent in his timing.

Fero stood up and walked towards with a new found vigour. An energetic way of striding he has not exhibited yet, was suddenly noticed by Lee. Glancing back at Gauthama, he witnessed the Perrafin rubbing its cheeks on the Tubian. Lee was developing a particular question regarding a Tubian's speciality. But, he decided to keep silent for the time being, as he remembered that the Perrafin previously let out a hostile intention when he interrupted the care session.

"Okay, now go to your companion. Be a good girl and never hurt others, unless it is very necessary."

The Perrafin nodded with vigour and turned to step towards Lee. When the beast vacated his place, Fero ran back to Gauthama and stood on his rear limbs, as his fore limbs were supported by Tubian's human body.

"You too, be a good boy. Do not eat everything you see. It will trouble your body."

Lee faintly felt a sense of betrayal, as Fero leaned and licked Gauthama's hand. Gauthama, in return, kissed the hyena's forehead. A sense of joy enveloped Fero and he went back to Lee.

"How did they get inside?"

Lee was concerned about how the Perrafin came through the door, which can only fit humans. He pointed at the door and the beast, as his eyes shuttled between the two. Lee cluelessly peered at Gauthama, who slowly walked to him.

"Perrafins are beings with Lightning and Air laws innate in them. When agitated, their bodies will expand as they accumulate energy from the surrounding sources. The opposite happens when their troubled hearts are calmed. The stored energy is dissipated to the surroundings and they can shrink. The extent of agitation and serenity determines the result."

Gauthama stood near Lee and his eyes were plastered on the door. The hand behind his back gave him a boost in his posture, as Lee found him majestic.

"So….it is a she, right?"

Lee glanced at the Tubian with a faint grin. Gauthama was quite surprised by the question.

"When a beast bonds with a familiar, all basic information is transferred. You may have missed a few."

Lee did not raise any more questions, as he did not want the Buddha to mock him. Though Buddha will not mock his ignorance, he considered D as a variable. So he kept quiet and stared at the door without any reason.

A few minutes past, Gauthama enquired about the Earth. Lee began to start narrating almost all the historic events he had memory of, and gave a detailed account of almost all personalities that made their mark in the history. His list included mythical personalities including deities and gods, natural phenomenons, calamities, religions, science, technology, advancements of the human race and the resultant bloodshed and pollution that followed them. The beautiful smile that decorated the Buddha's face lost its luster as Lee narrated on. Buddha regretted asking about his home planet!

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The sound of footsteps descending the stairs caught Lee's auditory sense. Turning his head, he saw Mia, Ruella and An walking towards him. Gauthama��s sister, Tera, as he introduced, also entered through the door behind the desk. Coincidentally, the system notified him that the time is 8 P.M.

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8 P.M.

24625 Essence harvested.

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'D, you still alive?'

[Why? You want me dead? Dream on, kid!]

'I was wondering where you have gone. You are awfully silent for a while!'

[I can't converse with you freely, with a Tubian in the vicinity. Who knows what powers they hide. I need to lay low.]

'Okay, just don't crawl on the floor!'

[Brat!]

Gauthama noticed Lee having an amused expression. Perhaps it is after seeing his fellow companions, the Buddha assumed. Without dwelling in other matters, Gauthama turned towards his sister.

"We are going to the restaurant across the street, to have our dinner. Would you all like to join us?"

An answer was not necessary, as Mia's stomach growled the very instant Gauthama extended his proposal. Mia slid and hid behind An in embarrassment. Gauthama took the gastric response as a yes, and asked his sister to guide them to the restaurant. As they walked to the door and to the outside, Gauthama went back inside to put out the lantern. Swiftly coming back to the door, he saw them standing right there, outside the door. Gauthama came near and saw that the troubles had already arrived.

"Long sect elders demand your beast's presence. Hand it over, or your companions will suffer."

The perverted bulky man licked his lips as he finished his sentence. Seven underlings behind him wore outfits that looked similar to a common adventurer. The man, presumably their leader, wore a sturdy looking breastplate with a pair of iron claws, which were his weapons. The pants made out of some beast's skin was in good shape. The shoes on his legs were almost worn out, but they served its purpose. His bald head and round face with a pair of bullying eyes scared the nearby people. The underlings kept the passersby at bay.

"So you want my beast? Come and take it."

Gauthama, Fero and the Perrafin stood inside the room as the female trio had blocked the door. The Perrafin sensed the tension outside and wanted to go out and protect Lee, but Gauthama calmed her.

"Be at ease, my friend."

She could only listen to his words, as Lee was about to confront them. The beast knew of his strength, so her worries were greatly reduced. Fero, who was shorter in stature, poked Gauthama to pick him up, to which the Tubian gladly nodded. Now, Fero could see the scenes outside.

"Hm, dare to defy the Long sect elders?!"

A Nascent Soul realm aura was released and it swept past them. The bulky man felt immense courage as he released his aura, but soon felt disappointed as he saw Lee's blank face.

'Really? I need to fight this weakling?'

[Just absorb him into the EsGen. We need to replenish our stocks.]

Lee nodded in agreement, and a 100 Mana disappeared from the reserve. Lee promptly acted according to D's instructions, and instantly closed the distance between him and the bulky man. Before they could even register his movements, Lee touched the bulky Nascent Soul realm cultivator and he vanished. With the Mana buff still in effect, he redirected himself to the surrounding underlings that were drawing their weapons. Before they could succeed, Lee connected them all with his insanely quicker agility, and handed them over to the EsGen storage.

The Nascent Soul realm aura had scared the nearby people, so the surroundings were fortunately vacant. Before they could get back on their feet and walk back, Lee had cleaned the place. The female trio stepped forth with Tera leading them. The stares of the nearby people were fixed on Lee, and Gauthama gave a pat on the MC's shoulder as he guided him to the restaurant.

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Niqom restaurant.

There was no nameplate on the outside, but Lee came to know its name from Gauthama. He also gave a very short narration about the current situation of the place, which included the persecutions and misfortunes of the owner. The restaurant, which can be barely called so, had unpainted walls with flakes of plastering ready to fall off. There were only 4 tables inside which had 2 chairs with each. The dark and dim room was about 11 metres wide and 13 metres long, with a wooden roof half a metre above an adult human's height. The lonely burning wick of a lamp on the desk could not illuminate the room sufficiently.

The trio and Tera were occupying the two tables nearest to the desk. They were conversing in a soft tone and suited the dim environment. Lee entered the room following Gauthama. Asking Lee to find a seat, he went towards the desk and tapped on it twice.

"Nyra.."

As Lee assumed, it was a feminine name, and the owner of the name came out of the door, next to the desk. A dark complexioned girl of about 4 foot height came in with two plates of cooked and sliced vegetables in her hands. She entered through the door and froze in her tracks, as she did not expect four more people. But Gauthama took the plates from her hands and smiled, as he said-

"It is okay. Too much of good food spoiled everyone."

Nyra nodded in response and went back inside. As Gauthama turned, Lee had already placed six bottles of Horned-Mow Milk with Eight loaves of Honey Bread. Somehow, Lee was much attracted to the simple, and worth-savouring taste of these.

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9 P.M.

25170 Essence harvested.

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Gauthama, Lee, An, Mia, Ruella and Tera came back to the inn as the timer hit 9 P.M. The Perrafin and Fero were eagerly waiting for them. As they entered inside the inn, Lee threw 4 bread loaves as a bundle, at the Perrafin. A single bite and the bundle melted down into the beast's tummy. Fero was given a kilo of Rain Rabbit meat, and he greedily gobbled it. Noticing the beast's stare, Lee gave 3 kilos of meat to Perrafin too. When all were set and silent, Gauthama and Tera wished them good night and went back to their rooms. The ladies expressed their affection with hugs and kisses.

[Lee, the long Sect will soon dispatch a group of people. We have 20 minutes before they reach here.]

'Got it.'

*yawn*

Lee faked a yawn and everyone brought it. He wished a good night's sleep and went up the stairs. Ruella followed him and Mia followed after giving a peck on Tera's cheek. An gave a warm hug and waved bye, as she ascended the stairs.

Reaching the room, she saw Lee peeking out of the only window of the room. Ruella, who was arranging her bed took time to notice him, while Mia was already on the bed, with her face immersed in.

"Hey, everybody come here. I have something to tell."