HTLCCBFT Chapter 192

Has The Lord’s Career Chart Been Filled Today? – Chapter 192

Oliver had certainly noticed that the Cat God had become particularly clingy lately: including but not limited to increasingly sticking to him like a shadow, bathing with him as a matter of course, significantly increasing the frequency of holding and kissing him, earnestly finding topics to strike up conversations with him from time to time, and often staring at him with a thoughtful gaze.

To be specific, these symptoms began on the day Deyth showed up uninvited.

Though it might seem a bit presumptuous, Oliver vaguely sensed that this might be largely related to Deyth having just given him a gift.

Seeing that the Cat-eared God was in a good mood at the moment, Oliver smiled slightly and made a decision.

In his eyes, the Cat God was far too simple-minded—using roundabout, euphemistic language might backfire.

When the Cat God once again thought he was discreetly observing him, Oliver simply turned his face directly to meet His gaze.

He asked bluntly, “My dear God, are you still bothered by Deyth’s visit that day?”

The Cat-eared God blinked, and His tail, which had been curled happily, suddenly stiffened.

He remained silent for a moment before seemingly answering irrelevantly, “Don’t like Deyth.”

Oliver chuckled softly, ‘Well, I don’t dislike Deyth—though to a lofty God, He probably wouldn’t care about the thoughts of an insignificant human, I truly don’t like Him either, and there are two reasons for that.”

The God of Wealth’s ear tips twitched slightly, initially feeling disheartened by the “don’t dislike” remark, but then growing somewhat angry at the description of “insignificant human.””

After hearing the latter half of the sentence, His mood lifted again, returning to happiness.

“Even if it’s Oliver,” he thought for a moment before earnestly emphasizing, “you’re not allowed to call yourself an ‘insignificant human.'”

“That’s the first reason.”

Oliver naturally continued along this line: “The first reason is that in Deyth’s eyes, even if he suddenly gifted what might be the most beautiful star in his view, someone like me who belongs in to the same category as that ‘gift’ would only be seen by him as a potentially worth-acquiring collectible.”

As he said this, the blond lord slightly raised his eyes, his azure blue eyes brimming with laughter: “—But you would never see me that way, right?”

“That’s the biggest difference between you and Him.”

With just a slight lift of his hand, the Cat-eared God seemed to sense it and put down His pen, obediently leaning closer.

The lord, beautiful as if glowing, gently closed his eyelids, softly stroking the sensitive ear tips while smiling faintly: “I am the most special, the most important existence in your eyes right now, aren’t I?””

The God of Wealth seemed utterly bewitched, nodding dazedly after a long pause.

“Then the second reason is quite clear—you are equally special and important to me, dear Cat God. How could I possibly like someone who makes you unhappy?

That overwhelming infatuation, barely concealed, that desperate, cautious effort to cheer him up—of course, he couldn’t possibly be unaware of it.

“Don’t forget, I am a cunning human after all.”

A glint of cunning flashed in the golden-haired lord’s eyes, his voice unusually lowered to an elegant and deep tone: “He’s not so easily deceived.”

Deep down, he truly didn’t wish to dislike Deyth, yet his human instincts clearly resisted Him.

Not only because of His rude sudden intrusion, the subtly hostile relationship with the cat god, the initial arrogant scrutiny followed by loud exclamations, and finally the inexplicable gift of a noble and pure soul…

Either it was extreme carelessness or an innate arrogance that overrode everything.

How could anyone possibly feel happy about receiving a gift made from a fellow human’s soul?

Just Deyth’s attitude of treating human souls as rare collectibles—only offering compensation when bored before returning them—was enough to make Oliver inherently wary of Him.

“You’ve already done so much for me.” Oliver stopped thinking about Deyth, focusing on comforting the quiet God: “Seeing you troubled is what troubles me most.”

At these words, the God of Wealth who had been deep in thought suddenly brightened.

“I’ve thought of something.”

Though delighted by his young partner’s sweet words, He hadn’t forgotten His goal of finding things Oliver would like—to make Oliver happier and love Him more.

After the spark of inspiration flashed through His mind, He couldn’t resist kissing the corner of Oliver’s lips, solemnly declaring: “Shall I take you to find Kien’s Star?”

Kien von Augusta Alexander George Musta III[mfn]奇恩·冯·奥古斯塔·亚历山大·乔治·姆斯塔三世(Qí ēn·féng·ào gǔ sī tǎ·yàlìshāndà·qiáozhì·mǔ sī tǎ sānshì)[/mfn].

— The full name of the old king, who was also the father of Oliver’s current body.

Oliver fell silent.

Though reluctant to admit it, he was genuinely tempted by this proposal.

After death, human souls that become “stars” no longer retain their mortal memories.

But that was still his father.

The more complete ‘him’ who had lived in the modern era had no such parental bonds.

Before his soul merged with the residual soul and memories in this body, the old king had already been brutally killed by Cameron—they’d never truly met even once.

From a modern perspective, the old king was definitely not a good ruler.

He indulged in pleasures, pursued extravagance, trusted sycophants, obsessed over hunting, allowed his subordinates to impose heavy taxes to fill the treasury, remained indifferent to the people’s suffering, and ignored neighboring countries stirring at the borders.

He even grew suspicious of his accomplished sons, being particularly stingy with their annuities—indirectly sparking Cameron’s rebellion.

Yet he was uniquely ‘a good father to Duke Oliver.’

He granted his favorite youngest son the unique ducal title and bestowed the name “angel” full of praise and paternal love.

He hired the most talented musicians into the court to compose hymns for Oliver, and commissioned the most skilled painters to create portraits of father and son together.

Though those painstakingly crafted, lifelike oil paintings had been burned to ashes by an enraged Cameron.

During his most destitute times, Oliver’s ability to retain so many loyal followers after fleeing to Laina was undoubtedly thanks to this father’s legacy.

Oliver slightly lowered his gaze.

He……

He truly wished to meet Kien, who had cherished “him” most dearly during his lifetime.

The deity, who had been closely observing his beloved partner’s expression, instantly felt completely confident.

While Oliver was lost in thought, He continued adding incentives: “Deyth is always lazy, never doing his work properly, only picking the most beautiful stars to collect. There are still many stars wandering up there now. If I take Oliver, we’re sure to find some.” It just might take some time.

But as long as He could be with Oliver, no amount of time would matter – He would be perfectly happy.

Soon, under the cat god’s expectant gaze, Oliver withdrew his refusal and gently nodded.

Thank you, gentle God.

Oliver thought to himself.

When night fell and all sounds quieted, he agreed to the cat god’s suggestion to take his soul out and fly to the heavens.

The ink-blue night sky was dotted with twinkling stars, though only upon closer approach would one notice that some shone much brighter while others appeared somewhat dim.

A figure shimmering with hazy silver light rode in a completely relaxed posture atop a large cat formed from faint golden mist.

As the golden cat leaped upward with agile bounds, his vision rose higher and higher, quickly losing sight of the scattered lights from other rooms in the castle.

Though both involved traveling through clouds, this experience was completely different from riding an airplane.

Oliver was quite unaccustomed to his soul body – he couldn’t feel the wind that should have been sharp, feeling incredibly light yet steadily riding this recklessly charging cat god.

When he looked down at his own hands, he saw only an illusory white shadow, faintly visible through the thin cloud layers and the increasingly distant outline of Gregory’s territory.

It was so magical it made one dizzy.

…Fortunately, he wasn’t afraid of heights.

Oliver calmly shifted his gaze away from looking downward, focusing only on his surroundings.

The lightly and rapidly ascending cat moved as effortlessly as a leaf floating down a waterfall, with a golden ribbon-like trail drifting behind Him like the afterglow of a comet streaking across the sky – dreamlike and fantastical.

It was just like Jack in the fairy tale, climbing to another colorful fantasy world via the beanstalk reaching into the clouds… no, this was far more magical than that.

In what felt like just a moment, he had already been brought by the secretly excited cat god (thrilled to be carrying his beloved) above the soft cloud layers.

In the incredibly quiet expanse floated stars of varying sizes, each emitting a faint glow.

He now knew: the size of the stars corresponded to the age at which people passed away, while the brightness symbolized the amount of virtue they possessed.

The most radiant stars had already been picked by the selective Deyth.

The remaining souls, without the guidance of the God of Death’s divine power, would either gradually dissipate, completely losing all traces of their existence; or they might fortunately find direction during their confused drifting and reach a place of eternal rest.

As he was thinking this, the cat god suddenly leaped upward.

Even though Oliver knew the cat god wouldn’t let him fall, he still started slightly and instinctively hugged the cat’s neck before him.

What he didn’t notice was that the moment he embraced it – the cat god’s entire body froze stiff.

There were no more impulsive leaps, only steady, gradual ascents.

“Here, Oliver.”

Though not particularly skilled at it, the Cat God managed to locate the approximate position of Kien’s soul through his innate and formidable divine power.

“You must call out to him,” He said earnestly. “This way is faster.”

Oliver hesitated for a moment before asking, “But aren’t souls in this state completely devoid of memory and perception, retaining only faint instincts?”

The large golden cat shook his head.

He explained, “The call of a loved one can temporarily restore the memories of the deceased.”

Oliver’s chest tightened slightly.

While he was still lost in thought, the Cat God thoughtfully used his divine power to lift Oliver’s soul from his back and condensed a golden mist into a soft ‘cloud’ for Oliver to comfortably ‘stand’ on.

“Kien.”

Oliver called out softly.

The desolate world was eerily quiet. The countless stars drifting aimlessly, unaware of their destination, showed no response.

“Kien von Augusta Alexander George Musta.”

On the second call, Oliver raised his voice slightly.

The stars remained dull and unresponsive.

“…………” The large golden cat froze.

Why was this happening?

Harvest had clearly said it would work this way.

The Cat-eared God tilted his head slightly in confusion.

“His Majesty Emperor Kien von Augusta Alexander George Musta…”

As the old king’s full name left his lips once more, Oliver suddenly realized something and pursed his lips.

He raised his eyes, scanning his surroundings, and called out again in a gentle voice, “My beloved father.”

“It’s me,” Oliver sighed softly. “Your most cherished Oliver has come.”

This was not a call to a king.

It was the call of a loved one… to a loved one.

The moment the words fell, a star far larger than the others, though its light was dim, paused briefly before drifting toward the caller with almost urgent eagerness.

Oliver watched it unblinkingly, pressing his palms together.

In the next instant,

— the star landed gently upon them.

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