Perry stared down at the map in his hand, and he weighed in his mind: "Let's get rid of the curse first, so that the next action will be safer. And Fido also needs to find materials, it should be safer to take him with you."
Just as he was thinking, the door of the office was suddenly pushed open, and a gust of cool wind rushed in. Perry looked up and saw Crocker coming in from outside. Her face looked more solemn than before, her brows slightly furrowed, and she obviously brought news that could not be ignored.
"Wait until 12 o'clock in the middle of the night, you will go to Death City with me and grandma." Crocker's voice was less casual than usual, more urgent and serious.
Perry was stunned for a moment, a little surprised: "Leave tonight? Why?" He had just prepared his plan and thought he would have more time to prepare, but he didn't expect to act so soon.
Crocker glanced at him, his eyes showing a hint of fatigue and helplessness: "The plan has changed. Grandma just confirmed the special situation tonight. There is no moon tonight, and the danger in Death City will be much lower. This is the best time. For your safety and to ensure that the curse can be successfully lifted, we can only leave tonight."
"No moon..." Perry repeated in a low voice, gradually understanding the meaning in his heart, but more doubts surged in his mind.
Crocker continued: "We can't delay any longer. The curse on you is unstable. The longer you delay, the greater the risk. Moreover, grandma said that the materials needed to lift the curse have been collected almost, and there is only one last one left - Hell Fruit. That thing can only be found in Death City, and tonight is the only chance."
Crocker's tone was still calm but firm, "The situation in Death City is very complicated. If we miss tonight, we may have to wait until next month to find another opportunity. And the curse on you can't last that long."
Perry took a deep breath and tried to calm his inner tension. He knew that the current mission was not only related to his own safety, but also might affect all the subsequent plans. He clenched his fists, nodded vigorously, and said firmly: "I understand. So how should we prepare next?"
Kroc looked at him, with a hint of appreciation and encouragement in his eyes. The corners of her mouth rose slightly, revealing a slightly comforting smile, but her tone was still serious: "The most important thing for you now is to adjust your state and stay calm. When you arrive at Death City, you just need to follow us closely, and never run around or act on your own. The collection of Hell Fruit will be very dangerous, and we will do our best to help you. But the last step of lifting the curse can only be done by you yourself."
"I... do it myself?" Perry was stunned for a moment, and he couldn't help but feel a little nervous. The process of removing the curse didn't sound like a simple thing.
Kroc nodded slightly, but didn't explain much: "You will naturally understand the specific things when you arrive at the scene. You don't need to think too much now, just be mentally prepared."
"Okay." Perry took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. At this time, his eyes fell on the office table, and he suddenly remembered the materials that the chef Oliver brought before. He said, "By the way, chef Oliver came over just now and brought me some ingredients."
"Oh?" Croc raised his eyebrows, with a rare look of surprise on his face. She walked to the table, picked up one of the small bags containing ingredients, and examined it carefully.
Perry looked at Croc's skillful inspection of the ingredients and couldn't help asking, "Is this enough? He found all these things quickly. I thought it would take more time."
Croc looked down for a few times and nodded, with a little appreciation in his tone: "I didn't expect Oliver to be so efficient and find all these rare ingredients in a short time. This man is really a genius. No wonder he can become the mentor of so many chefs."
She checked the contents of the bag again, and after confirming that nothing was missing, she put the bag back on the table: "With these ingredients, the next preparation will be much simpler. Now we just need to find the Hell Fruit and we can complete the whole process."
"Is the Hell Fruit really that difficult to deal with?" Perry couldn't help asking, and his brows knitted when he thought of the dangerous description.
Crocker put away the bag in his hand, his eyes fell on Perry's face, and his tone was a little serious: "Not only is it difficult to deal with, Hell Fruit not only grows in places with the strongest undead breath, but is also often accompanied by the protection of high-level undead. For ordinary people, those undead themselves are deadly enough. But don't worry, grandma and I are here, and we won't let you fight alone."
Hearing this, Perry was slightly relieved, but still a little uneasy. He nodded silently and decided not to ask any more questions, but silently swore in his heart that he would never hold Crocker and her grandma back. After all, this operation is of great importance, and he can't make any more mistakes.
Perry stood there and pondered for a while, and finally nodded, deciding to adjust his state according to Crocker's instructions to meet the next challenge. He looked up at Crocker and said firmly, "I will fully cooperate with you and will not fall behind."
Crocker smiled with satisfaction and patted his shoulder, "It's good to have such determination. Remember, Death City is a very special place. This time we go there, we will not only face the undead, but also encounter some other troubles. However, grandma has made a detailed plan, you just need to follow the instructions."
Hearing this, Perry felt a little more at ease. He looked at Crocker and asked again, "When do we set off?"
Crocker looked down at the magic timer on his wrist and said, "The moon will be completely covered in three hours. We must reach the outskirts of Death City within this time. So, we will set off in half an hour, and you should also make some preparations as soon as possible."
Perry nodded and was about to leave to pack his bags, but suddenly thought of Alaric. He stopped and turned to look at Crocker: "By the way, where did Alaric go? Shouldn't he come with you? Why didn't he come back with us?"
The smile on Crocker's face disappeared instantly, and he became a little serious. She pondered for a while before speaking: "He left us without permission and went to a place I'm not sure about. But he has his own plans and won't act rashly. You don't have to worry too much about him."
"But..." Perry frowned, feeling a little uneasy in his heart, "Our next mission is so dangerous, why would he leave suddenly?"
Crocker shook his head, with a hint of helplessness in his tone: "Alaric has his own goals and judgments. This time is the same, I believe he can handle his own affairs. Our current focus is Death City, let's consider other things after this mission is over."
After hearing this, Perry still felt a little worried, but he could only nod and accept it. He knew that Crocker and her grandmother were very experienced. If they didn't think there was a problem, then there was no need for him to worry too much.
Then, Crocker picked up a map and handed it to Perry: "This is the route to Death City. Remember, we will not go directly to the core of the city, but enter from the 'Bridge of the Dead' on the periphery. That is the only way to the Hell Fruit growing area. You just need to follow us closely."
Perry took the map and looked at it carefully. He found that the route was marked in great detail, not only with a description of the terrain, but also with precautions for each key point. He raised his head and said gratefully: "Thank you, I will remember it."
"Don't say these polite words," Crocker waved his hand, turned around and began to organize his equipment, "Go and get ready."
Perry nodded and stood up. He felt that there was still enough time, so he decided to take advantage of this to buy some recovery potions to prepare for the next task. He picked up his backpack, checked the items inside, and confirmed that the purse was still there. Then he pushed open the door of the office and prepared to leave.
Just as he stepped out of the threshold of the office, a familiar shadow jumped out from the corner - it was the lazy little black cat. It yawned, stretched its limbs, and then followed Perry's feet slowly, with its tail raised high, looking unusually leisurely.
Perry looked down at it and said with a smile: "Are you going to follow me too? But this time we are going to a crowded place, so don't run around."
The little black cat narrowed its eyes and meowed softly, as if responding to him, but also as if it didn't care what he said at all. Seeing this, Perry shook his head helplessly, and said nothing more, and walked straight forward.