OPTC Chapter 252 You Shall Be Crowned King
The information Zeole provided was mostly correct. On Crown Island, there really was a king of beasts, just as he described—a qilin lion.
At this moment, however, the qilin lion was doubting itself. According to the legends passed down through generations of animal kings, whenever the crown of mist surrounded the island, the heavens would bestow a new beast king.
What humans saw as a rare spectacle appearing once every few decades was, in truth, the funeral of the current king and the coronation of the next.
But here lay the problem: the qilin lion was certain its life was not yet over. It should have had at least another ten years or so. Then why had the crown phenomenon appeared today?
Could it be that the internal injuries it suffered while fending off the rampaging horn eaters yesterday were more severe than it thought? Was death truly near? The qilin lion began to waver in doubt.
Its doubts only grew deeper when a horned cat suddenly fell from the sky.
The animals gathered around the qilin lion had already heard from him about the legend. Now, as they watched in their own beastly way, a whole crowd of animals surrounded the dazed Tom.
How could such a small cat possibly be the beast king? He looked weak, timid even, trembling in fear at being surrounded.
And yet, how could they deny it? The tree beside them had been split clean in half from top to bottom—something no ordinary creature could do.
So was he really the new beast king? Looking more closely, those antlers atop Tom's head radiated an air of majesty.
Of course they did. Those antlers were once a treasured collectible of one of Tom's former masters. With wealth like theirs, they were bound to be top-grade.
Zhang Da Ye, clueless, had passed them along to Ye Yan, who in turn casually traded them to Tom for a piece of clothing. Neither knew what they had in hand.
But to the animals, Tom with those antlers looked overwhelmingly imposing. No wonder he was so obsessed with wearing them and never took them off.
On the outside, Tom appeared utterly flustered, but inside he was even more panicked—and faintly sorrowful.
He had been so happy when he first spotted the island and managed to land safely. Why did he have to get stuck in a tree and lose his master right after?
Now, surrounded by frightening beasts, Tom drew a hunting rifle for comfort. But the moment he saw the qilin lion—nearly the size of a shark giant—the barrel drooped uselessly. This tiny gun wouldn't help.
The animals erupted in awe. A cat wielding human weapons!
On the island, the parrot Orm with his cane and the crow Asa with his glasses were the only ones capable of human speech and tool use. Their status was high.
But now this cat could use a human weapon too.
He really must be the new king.
The qilin lion finally stepped forward. With a thunderous roar, it silenced the crowd, then let out a series of deep cries toward Tom before sitting back to await his response.
The problem was, Tom had none.
The so-called language master, fluent in countless human tongues, couldn't make sense of beast language.
Just then, a crow resembling an ostrich stepped forward, pushed up its glasses with a wing, and spoke fluent human words. "Hello, I am Asa. Can you understand me?"
Tom's eyes lit up and he nodded quickly.
Asa explained the island's situation, then translated: "The king said, 'With the last of my strength, I will drive away the invaders. That is my duty. From now on, Crown Island will be entrusted to you. My life nears its end. You shall be crowned king!'"
Tom tilted his head in confusion. He didn't fully understand, but it definitely felt like he was being tricked.
Crowned king? Protector of Crown Island? All Tom wanted was to find his master.
Through gestures, he made that clear. The animals gasped—this was a pet with a human master?
How could the beast king be a mere pet?
And worse, his so-called master didn't sound very impressive. The animals had Asa translate their doubts.
"Everyone asks: Why not abandon such a useless master, who can't even provide food, and stay here as our king? We will provide you with all the food you need."
To prove their sincerity, the animals quickly piled up a mountain of fruit before him.
Tom brightened immediately. After all, his mission on this island was to replenish supplies. This haul should be more than enough.
As for abandoning his master—impossible. He was a house cat. What house cat would willingly leave its master?
Sure, his master couldn't cook, but he had other strengths. Well… perhaps not important now. What mattered was that Tom felt safe by his side.
The wild animals, including the qilin lion, couldn't understand this loyalty. They begged him to stay. The qilin lion was about to fight the invaders, perhaps never to return. A new king was needed.
They were being insistent. Tom bit into a strange fruit, found it tasty, and then his eyes gleamed with an idea.
Why not use the fruit as payment to hire his crewmates to deal with the invaders?
This time he didn't even gesture. The animals somehow understood his plan from the smoke-like images forming above his head.
Still, they were skeptical. Could humans be trusted?
Tom folded his arms and nodded firmly. Not all, but there was at least one man who would definitely fight for this fruit.
The animals stared at the figure in the smoke. He looked so reliable, as commanding as the qilin lion itself.
…
"I wonder what kind of shape Tom's been beaten into this time." Zhang Da Ye held Tom's life card fragment in his palm. It twitched faintly, pointing them forward. Their direction was right.
"Can't you at least wish him well?" Ye Yan complained. He was beginning to regret dressing up in a heavy reindeer costume—it was sweltering as they climbed the mountains.
"I'd love to," Zhang Da Ye said, "but this is just his routine. For all we know, he'll get snagged by his antlers again and fling right back to the ship. Then we'll have come all this way for nothing."
Zeole listened, baffled. Weren't they supposed to be searching for a companion? Why curse him along the way? Did they even like this cat? If not, why look for him at all?
At that moment, Ma Lao Wu, who had been dragging behind, perked up with sudden energy. "Master, Boss! I think I can smell Tom's scent!"
…
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