Chapter 441 - 431: Sailing Carnival 33

’She had tried to kill me, and I’m no saint who repays injustice with kindness. I much prefer an eye for an eye.’

So, as Moira Lynch watched, MoonlitTears, who had been struggling in the water, saw her skin slowly turn blue. Her frantic movements grew weaker, her cries for help faded, until at last, her strength gave out completely and she sank beneath the waves.

As she watched the surface of the sea until there was no trace of MoonlitTears left, Moira Lynch prepared to return to her boat. But when she turned, she was caught completely off guard by a pair of huge, watery eyes.

The creature seemed just as curious about this intruder, Moira Lynch. A moment later, it rotated its head a full three hundred and sixty degrees right in front of her.

"An owl!"

Moira Lynch stared at the creature before her. It looked just like a giant owl.

The only differences were that its feathers were the same color as a Ghost Flower, and it had two ear-like tufts of feathers on its head.

It was so large that Moira Lynch seemed petite in comparison.

’It’s not that I’m short,’ Moira thought, ’it’s just that this owl is incredibly fat. Its body is so round, it’s practically a sphere.’

[Ghost Cat Owl: A large, ocean-dwelling avian species. Its black plumage makes it nocturnal. It is docile and highly curious. If it encounters a lost ship at sea, it will proactively appear to guide the vessel back to the correct course.]

[They are born navigators, able to guide you to safety no matter where you are.]

’So it’s a helpful sort.’

Hearing Patience’s description, Moira Lynch relaxed considerably.

’Docile. That means it won’t attack without reason.’

"Did you show up because you thought I was lost?"

Since she didn’t sense any hostility from the Ghost Cat Owl, Moira Lynch grew bold and reached out to touch it.

As expected, the Ghost Cat Owl didn’t refuse her touch. Instead, it stared at her with its huge, watery eyes, its expression a mixture of innocent curiosity.

"HOO HOO HOO HOO HOO..."

Its call was also very similar to an owl’s.

As the Ghost Cat Owl watched Moira Lynch stroking its feathers, it suddenly lowered its head and pecked at her hip.

At her hip was her Space Button, which looked like a fanny pack. Inside, she stored her dried fish.

She’d taken some out to eat earlier and had casually stuffed the leftovers back into the Space Button.

Seeing that the Ghost Cat Owl meant no harm and was just pecking at her pack, Moira Lynch asked, "Do you want something from in here?"

The Ghost Cat Owl looked at Moira Lynch and hooted twice, as if in reply.

At this, Moira Lynch reached into her pack, rummaged around for a moment, and pulled out a piece of dried fish.

"This is all that’s in here..."

Before Moira Lynch could finish her sentence, the dried fish was snatched from her hand.

The Ghost Cat Owl swallowed the fish in one gulp and licked its beak, clearly wanting more. Its huge, watery eyes turned back to Moira Lynch, as if to say, ’That wasn’t enough. Do you have any more?’

’Of course I have more. Food is the one thing I don’t lack,’ she thought. ’But... looking at the size of this Ghost Cat Owl, it would probably take a lot of dried fish to fill it up.’

Moira Lynch’s mind raced with calculations. ’I may not be short on food, but I don’t want to just give it away for free to someone else—no, to some other *bird*.’

’After all, this much dried fish would sell for a good price in the shop.’

As she thought this, a mischievous smile spread across Moira Lynch’s face.

’I might not want to give my food away to some random bird for free, but if it were *my* bird, that would be a different story.’

With that in mind, Moira Lynch took another piece of dried fish from her storage and said gently, "Want some?"

The Ghost Cat Owl saw it and, without a second thought, opened its beak to eat.

Moira Lynch didn’t pull away. After it ate the fish in her hand, she took out another. She did this two or three times. But on the fourth time, when the Ghost Cat Owl went to eat again, she pulled her hand back.

The Ghost Cat Owl tilted its head from side to side, the two tufts on its head swaying with the movement. Its huge, watery eyes stared at Moira Lynch, as if asking, ’Why did you stop feeding me?’

A faint smile played on Moira Lynch’s lips. She dangled the dried fish in her hand, her voice laced with temptation. "How would you like a never-ending supply of dried fish? Come with me. I can guarantee you a lifetime supply—more than you could ever eat."

The Ghost Cat Owl swiveled its head one hundred and eighty degrees again, regarding Moira Lynch from a bizarre angle, as if contemplating the truth of her words.

Moira Lynch didn’t press it. She simply stood her ground, quietly awaiting its answer.

While she waited, she took the opportunity to size up the Ghost Cat Owl before her.

’Patience might have said the Ghost Cat Owl is docile, but that certainly doesn’t mean it’s weak.’

’Quite the opposite. Look at that hard beak, those sharp talons, and those powerful wings.’

’A single Ghost Cat Owl can easily snatch prey two or three times its own weight. It’s the undisputed sovereign of the skies.’

’What’s more, Ghost Cat Owls are also good swimmers. Their feathers are waterproof, which means they can even dive into the water to hunt.’

’The thought of having a raptor like this as a pet is thrilling.’

’Black Wolf is too big to have with me at all times. The Ghost Cat Owl isn’t small either, but compared to Black Wolf, it’s a completely different story.’

After a few moments of waiting, the Ghost Cat Owl gave its answer. It stretched out its neck, gestured with its head toward the hand holding the dried fish, and fixed its pitch-black eyes on Moira Lynch.

It didn’t make a sound, but Moira Lynch felt an imposing gravity from its gaze, a look that seemed to say, ’If you deceive me, I will make you regret it.’

Realizing it had agreed, a brilliant smile lit up Moira Lynch’s face. "Don’t worry, why would I lie to you? I’m loaded. Taking care of you will be a piece of cake."

As someone who owned several planets, Moira Lynch said this with absolute confidence.

After she fed it a dozen more fish in a row, the Ghost Cat Owl finally stopped eating.

It looked at Moira Lynch, flapped its wings once, then turned its back to her and crouched down.

"You want me to get on?"

Moira Lynch understood the Ghost Cat Owl’s intention and scrambled onto its back.

The next second, the Ghost Cat Owl flapped its wings and launched into the air. Moira Lynch couldn’t help but cry out in alarm, grabbing a handful of feathers on its back to keep from falling off.

Just as Moira Lynch was wondering where the Ghost Cat Owl was taking her, it began flying toward the edge of the fog. Slowly, the silhouette of a cargo ship appeared in her line of sight.