Chapter 42 - Pleading to the Cardinal

"Well now," he said, his voice warm and calm. "Unexpected visitors. What brings you to me?"

Aylin stepped forward, her posture straight, though the tension in her eyes betrayed the urgency. "Your Eminence, we've come seeking your help. We were told by a priest in the States that you could help us deal with a Yokai."

The man raised an eyebrow, looking from Aylin to Jiang, the penguin at her side. He chuckled softly, his eyes crinkling. "A Yokai, you say? And your... penguin here? What's his part in this?"

Jiang squawked softly in protest, but the man paid it no mind, only Aylin hearing his muffled frustration. She cleared her throat, trying to keep her explanation clear. "It's complicated, but we believe the Yokai is after him. We were given this card by the priest to seek your guidance."

Aylin handed him the card, and the man's face grew more serious as he examined it. He handed it back gently, his warm gaze softening further. "I see. This is no small matter, child."

Aylin hesitated for a moment, glancing down at Jiang before speaking again. "We're looking for something called the Priest's Shrine Rod. Jiang suggested it might help us, but I don't know much about it myself."

The Cardinal's eyebrows lifted in recognition, but then he paused, his eyes narrowing in curiosity. "And who, exactly, is this 'Jiang'?"

Aylin sighed, motioning downward. "Jiang is..." She pointed to the small penguin standing by her side.

The Cardinal blinked, clearly taken aback as he looked down at Jiang, his confusion evident. "Your... penguin?" His voice softened, as though he were trying to wrap his mind around the situation.

Jiang squawked in response, but the Cardinal, of course, couldn't hear his words. Aylin, being the only one who could, sighed deeply and began to explain, her frustration bubbling to the surface.

"It's complicated. Jiang wasn't always like this. He's tied to something beyond this world. It's called a system, and now a Yokai is after him." She paused, her voice rising with emotion as she continued, "But it's more than that! You don't understand. I'm not even from this world. My world... my home is overrun with these creatures. Yokai are everywhere—constantly threatening, constantly destroying."

The Cardinal blinked, his confusion evident, but Aylin didn't stop. Her words poured out, faster and more desperate.

"I was sent here to find a way to destroy them. I've failed before—there were others, people who could've helped me, but... I couldn't get them synchronized, and I lost them. Now, I'm running out of time. I need to get Jiang fully synchronized with the system, so I can take him back to my world. He's the key to helping me fight them there. The Yokai might not be able to affect humans here, but they've taken over where I come from."

She threw her hands up in frustration. "It's like no matter what I do, there's always something in the way! The Yokai are relentless. They've destroyed everything—families, homes, entire cities. And now I'm here, stuck, trying to get help from someone—anyone—who can understand. But your world... it's like they can't affect you the same way they do in mine."

The Cardinal, standing there with wide eyes, nodded slowly, clearly trying to keep up with her venting. "Uh-huh," he muttered, his tone still soft and calming. "That sounds... difficult, my dear. I can see you've been through much."

Aylin, still pacing slightly, pressed on, "It's not just that. I only have a little over a day left. The system has given me a timer, and if I don't kill the Yokai by then, it'll kill me. I'm running out of time."

At this, the Cardinal's eyes widened further. "A... a day? My dear, that is... troubling, to say the least."

He blinked, clearly trying to process the severity of what Aylin had just said. "A day? You mean to say you only have a little over 24 hours left to deal with this Yokai... or the system will kill you?"

Aylin nodded, a mix of frustration and desperation in her voice. "Yes, that's exactly it. If I don't kill the Yokai in time, the system will take my life. And worse, if I fail here, I won't be able to take Jiang back to my world. I was sent here to find a way to stop them, but I've already failed other people in my world. Jiang is different—he can synchronize fully with the system, and he could help me free my home."