‘Why can’t I pay EXP to increase my stats and not the maximum value?’ I asked.

‘The same reason why you don’t stick a power cord into your mouth and eat electricity. You would fry yourself. It is a safety issue. I can tell you, that attempts were made in the past to directly increase stats, but it has grave risks and can lead to instability.’

‘Really? Past users?’ I asked.

‘I can’t say more than that. But it is better to build up a solid foundation first. Like a house. You pour the concrete at the base, before building the walls, and then the roof. You don’t build it all at once or go out of order,’ Mes explained.

‘But you can just put knowledge into my head for the skills,’ I replied.

‘Only at the very start to create a small kernel. Working with what you already have. Like your stats. Everything else is merely entrenching what you already know. I can’t directly interfere with your choices and mind.’

‘Something you were built with?’ I asked.

‘Something like that. For now, you need a lot more EXP. To get those stats raised up. For all six stats that is going to be about 600,000 EXP.’

‘I am thinking I should have chosen that local quest feature you mentioned,’ I replied.

‘It isn’t a good feature. Well, it is decent, but it isn’t optimal. Not just in terms of killing. But in terms of the constraints I operate under. If you had the local quest feature, then I wouldn’t have been able to help you against that tree. Or provide insight on quests,’ Mes explained.

‘Wait, what? I thought you said you would just judge harshly?’ I asked.

‘That too. But it allows me to give rewards. Rewards I can’t give out for free. Helping you would come with massive penalties instead, since the workarounds I am using would be closed off. It is sub-optimal. If you want utility, then these three are the best.’

Basic Inventory – 50,000 EXP

Map – 250,000 EXP

Detect Hostile – 500,000 EXP

I had seen them before. ‘That’s a lot of EXP,’ I thought.

‘It is. And you will get them in time. But I consider you well being my highest priority. If you die, who will kill things for me?’ Mes asked. I rolled my eyes at that. But it was a good point. Mes clearly had limitations and needed someone to work with.

‘I might get other skills instead,’ I added.

‘That is entirely up to you. I offer advice on what I think is best. Attuned Body will increase your survivability massively while Attuned Mind will stop you from being controlled.’ I nodded at that. Mes clearly was trying to drive the point home. I wouldn’t have picked up on that before. Perhaps my changes to my Wisdom stat were already paying off.

‘Thanks Mes, that is it, unless there is something else?’ I asked.

‘Nope. Feel free to call me. But I am going to nap and get back some of my strength for now,’ Mes replied. I nodded at that, and Mes disappeared. That was a very informative discussion. I was glad I had put it off until I had gotten a lot of sleep.

I kept up my stretching waiting for Mousethief to show up. It was tempting to constantly look at my Interface to see if my stats were going up, but I resisted. It was like watching if skills went up, a pointless waste of time. It was much more satisfying to wait and assess everything at once.

If improvements had been slower, then I might have had more regularly scheduled looks to chart my progress, but I didn’t feel that was necessary. Combat really had a much bigger impact than training. So, it was better to check after my missions and spend my EXP at the same time.

The container door opened and it was Mousethief. “Mittens, good morning,” he said.

“Good morning,” I replied. “Everything sorted?” I asked.

“Yes. We are shipping out. Everything in the area has been sorted for now. I picked up a much better mission. A military and research outpost has gone dark. One of the islands off the southern continent. High likelihood of snake activity.”

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“You managed to get it before anyone else?” I asked since I knew someone like Southpaw would have snapped the mission up.

“Trust Mousethief. I managed to get it before anyone else. It isn’t easy, but that is why I am the best. But it is also probably going to be very dangerous. Most likely a snake will be present. We will take the cargo ship to the nearest port, and then get a private vessel, which should be ready when we arrive.”

“Lots of napalm?” I asked.

“And explosives. You can never have too many bombs. Also, an HMG with a lot of rounds. Well, that will be part of the boat. We will be taking a military boat,” Mousethief said.

“Anyone else?” I asked.

“Too risky. If they are hypnotized there will be trouble. Better just you and me. I know I can survive with my skills, but you will need to be light on your paws, since you will be the poking around.”

“Why would the snakes take the island?” I asked.

“To push us back. But that means they got past the blockade somehow, in force. I will be looking into that while you handle whatever Apostates and snakes slithered on over.” I nodded at this.

“Could it be something else?” I asked.

“Maybe, but unlikely. The island was uninhabited. The base was only to ensure the Snakes didn’t try to go far out into the ocean to get around our ships. It needs to be retaken quickly to close that gap in the defenses. This is the kind of mission that gets millions in terms of payouts.”

I nodded at that. But the more important aspect was killing things. I was glad I wouldn’t have to kill other creatures again that weren’t cultists. Mousethief probably knew that, but I had no idea how much that impacted what mission he picked. I knew he was looking for the ones with the highest payout, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he had one or two other criteria he used as well.

“Well, we will depart later today. I will need to grab breakfast. Fish?” he asked me and I nodded. “Of course, like father like daughter.” Mousethief paused for a long moment. Then he pulled out a book with a generic looking cover. Just a fit looking mouse on a cart.

I looked at the title. The Spice Merchant And The Town Of Molly. “What is this?” I asked.

“Just something to distract you with.” Mousethief had a huge grin on his face and looked like he was trying to contain his laughter. “I will get breakfast.” He left the container ship. Why would he get me a book. I opened it and began reading.

Martin was a prim and proper mouse. He always said his prayers every night, even when traveling. He never lied or stole, since he believed in honest dealings. But he had a secret weakness. That weakness was fast approaching again.

He had tried to resist, but his work took him across the land. Martin was a spice dealer. An important trade bringing needed goods from one location to the other. Bringing great wealth to his hometown. He had to travel to make a living and he enjoyed his job.

It was a fairly tame story so far. I kept reading. Nothing too exciting, but I would give it a chance. That was when my eyes went wide and only got wider as I kept reading.

Various field workers looked at him and grinned lasciviously at him. He had left his shirt unbuttoned and had chosen one with short sleeves to show off his body. The female cats giggled and waved at him. He grinned back. He had no doubt that he would be meeting several of these pussies during his stay.

That was horrible slang for female cats. Just like bitch was used for female dogs. It was incredibly rude to say in polite company. The more I read, the more I understood what kind of story this was. I wanted to set it aside, since it was so incredibly embarrassing. But I just couldn’t put it down.

I hard the container door open and quickly slammed it shut, grateful I had the Breathing skill so I wasn’t panting like some feral creature in heat. Mousethief entered and laid out a plate of freshly cooked fish for me. I fought to contain the blood from rushing to my face as he grinned at me.

“Why…why would you give me this,” I gestured at the book.

“Everyone has their hobbies,” he said cheekily and with a wink. My eyes went wide. Oh no. This was my father’s secret hobby. I put the clues together instantly. I focused on my fish while Mousethief chuckled.

“This could be considered sexual harassment,” I muttered loudly.

“It could be. But Tom Cat would kill me. You can’t ever tell him I gave you that. If you want the rest of the Spice Merchant series. But I figured you would like that one the most,” he said.

“How has the Church not burned this. Inter-creature relations?” I asked.

“They do. But it is a low priority crime. And as long as no one flaunts it about, then it is fine. The Nine Tail Syndicate sells things like this. Minor criminal things, but not enough to get the Covenant Church excited. As long as it stays out of sight,” Mousethief added.

“Why?” I asked.

“It is a good distraction. I know that is why your father reads it. Since it is so stupid and spicey, that it takes his mind off of the killing and the Covenant Church. Otherwise you might get too pent up-“

“Mousethief. I like you. But don’t push it,” I told him and held up a paw and extended my claws. He chuckled at that.

“Your father does the same thing.” I quickly put my paw down and looked away embarrassed.

“Whatever.” I paused for a long moment. “Thanks, it is very distracting,” I added and Mousethief grinned.

“Well, Mousethief knows best. I need to finalize arrangements to get us moving. We will be leaving around noon and then four days on the cargo ship to our target port. Then another week on a commandeered military vessel out to this island.” I nodded at that and finished my breakfast.

Mousethief left and I opened up the book again. I had to know what was in it. Curiosity might kill a cat, but satisfaction will bring them back.