Chapter 231: The New Capital and the Film Club

Somewhere, a vast underground space.

A massive dome built of natural rock mixed with earth, with green ghost-fires circling around it, bringing a faint light to the gloomy underground.

Boom—

On the ground, five ratfolk wizards held aloft staves made of leg bones and mud balls, casting their ratfolk's native spiritual arts.

A tall, pointed tower, clearly imitating human architecture, thrust up from the center of the space.

The spire rose from deliberately muddied ground, its surface also coated in sticky, crumbling filth and rot.

Seeing this, the watching ratfolk showed not the slightest disgust; instead they cheered and leapt for joy.

Perhaps this building let these ratfolk, so far from home, glimpse the prosperity of their former ruined capital.

Not far away.

An elderly, long-whiskered ratfolk priest looked upon the scene and could not help sighing:

"One of the Twelve New Capitals of the Ratfolk is, from this moment, built."

In his hand was a wooden staff with a great green gemstone bound to its tip.

That gem gave off a faint green glow, and like powder, kept drifting into the priest's protruding nose.

After inhaling it.

A look of blissful relief crossed that rat-face, and his once-dim, frenzied eyes grew a touch clearer.

"Can I take off the blindfold now?"

A voice, slightly youthful yet far clearer than the ratfolk's tumor-like rasp, rang out.

Beside the ratfolk priest.

There was actually a young human mage in a luxurious black robe.

The human mage was blindfolded, and a faint green glow circled his body to keep his magic from probing outward.

"Go ahead, Mr. Shemus."

The ratfolk priest shot him a cold glance.

"Phew—at last I can see something. I know you lot's new capital has to stay secret, but did you really have to seal my magic and blindfold me at the same time? Uh… Mr. Fugu, you don't mind if I cast a 【Light】?"

Shemus pulled off the blindfold, but found everything before him still pitch-black, and could not help saying so.

"I'm very sorry, no. There are still quite a few young children here; they can't handle the light yet."

"Fine."

Helpless, he could only cast a 【Darkvision】 on himself.

But only then did he realize he hadn't brought his staff, so he had to clumsily use Shou Bu Shi Fa.

Once he saw the underground ratfolk new capital clearly, he let out a wow of amazement.

"I'm starting to record now."

"Go ahead, Mr. Shemus. That's one of the terms of our deal, but please note—some ratfolk don't wish to appear on film."

"Of course, of course. We students of Bahadur are the politest there are."

Shemus took out a recording orb and handed it to the ratfolk Fugu for inspection.

Only after confirming there was no problem did he pour magic in and formally begin recording.

The man and the rat walked side by side, slowly tracing the new capital's edge from outside to inside, leaving nothing out.

Watching the ratfolk carve new passages in the walls, and deliberately, collectively relieve themselves in the small pits on the ground to gather into a puddle of floating foam.

"You don't mind if I do the introductions?"

"Nothing I'd like more, Mr. Fugu."

Then the two fell into a friendly chat, speaking of the great number of caves and winding, ever-changing corridors, of building multi-leveled underground districts, and of how they must not only break downward but also upward—the ultimate goal being, of course, to stand tall on the surface above the new capital.

They chatted for the better part of a day.

Seeing this top student of Bahadur Academy of Magic listening so attentively, with a kind smile on his face the whole time, Fugu could not help but ask: "Mr. Shemus, as payment for helping us build the new capital beneath Gemstone City, is it really true you only want to film the new capital?"

"And your dimensional stones—you're not planning to skip the final payment, are you?"

Shemus kept his eyes on the recording, didn't even lift his head, and said with a smile.

"Of course; that little amount is nothing."

"Hehehe, have I not told you? I'm the president of the Film Club at Bahadur Academy of Magic. Magical film is the most artistic thing in this world; I'd give my life for it."

"Heh heh heh, haven't I told you before? I am the president of the Imaging Club at Bahadur Academy of Magic. Magical imaging is the most artistic thing in this world, and I am willing to give my life for it."

Fugu gave a contemptuous little laugh.

Perhaps sensing his indifference and dismissal.

Shemus kept his smile, but his words took on a barbed, mocking edge:

"It's not like you ratfolk, who suddenly planted a dimensional bomb at the earth's core—not only setting off every super-volcano in the Twilight Mountains, but blowing away most of your own homeland, the ruined capital, along with it—and then claiming it was to make the world bow beneath the Rat God's feet. What a glorious self-destructive feat."

"It's not like you rat-men, who suddenly set up a dimensional bomb at the earth's core, not only detonating and activating the entire super-volcano chain of the Twilight Mountains, but also blowing up most of your own homeland capital in the process, then claiming it was to make the world bow beneath the feet of the Rat God. What a magnificent self-destructive feat."

But after inhaling the green dimensional-stone powder from the staff, he calmed once more.

He did not get angry: "The situation inside our ranks is a little more complicated than you imagine."

"I know, I know. I'm a Bahadur student, after all—it's beast-plague disease, isn't it? The original beast-plague barely affected you ratfolk, but after incubating in humans—that natural breeding ground—and passing back to the ratfolk, it shows a contagion far beyond before. Even you, one of the Twelve Grey-Clad Lords, are infected the same way."

"I get it, I get it — I'm a student of Bahadur too, isn't it just beastification disease? The original beastification disease indeed had almost no effect on you rat-men, but after developing inside humans — that natural incubator — and then being transmitted back to the rat-men, it displayed an infectiousness far beyond what it had before. Even you, as one of the twelve Grey-Clad Lords, have been infected all the same."

"I'm very curious—what exactly did you find back then in the ruins of Meru? Just the beast-blood on the golden chalice? I don't buy it."

"Mr. Shemus, you and every creature on the land would absolutely never want to know."

"Mr. Seamus, you and every living creature on land absolutely do not want to know."

"I wasn't that curious anyway. One more thing while I'm at it, Mr. Fugu—using the chaos of dimensional stones to suppress beast-plague, using madness to fight madness, that will absolutely never get you what you want."

"I didn't really want to know that badly. Just a heads-up for you, Mr. Fubone—using the Chaos of the Dimension Stones to suppress the beastification disease, using madness to fight madness, that will absolutely not get you what you want."

"That's not something you need to worry about."

Rotbone said coldly.

"Don't say it like that~ I just want to record a few more times the completion of your new capitals."

Seamus said with a grin, quickly steering the conversation away from this slightly heavy topic:

"How about it? The other Grey-Clad Lords definitely aren't progressing as fast as you, right? The twelve new capitals where your ratfolk spread out and multiply—surely the guardian beasts are all here with you!"

The expression on Rotbone's face eased as well.

"Thanks to Mr. Seamus's help. Indeed, the first new capital I, Rotbone, established is the first one. As for the others—hehe."

"Then they must all be inferior to Mr. Rotbone!"

"Hehehe, I'm flattered. Though there is one who can be mentioned in the same breath as me—it's just that she doesn't use the power of Dimensional Stones, and has gradually fallen into madness.

Last time we communicated, she actually said she wanted to optimize the ratfolk bloodline, to create a new ratfolk that could shake off beastification disease. I'm afraid she has no heart for building new capitals. They say just recently even the Dimensional Stone treasure anchoring the underground space was snatched away."

As he spoke, he shook his rat head, disdain in his eyes.

Seamus, however, listened with eyes lighting up.

Creating a new ratfolk that could shake off beastification disease?

Wouldn't that be absolutely perfect material for a magic image recording?

"Where is this Grey-Clad Lord located? Which city?"

"She's also in Etheron. Hehe, the location of the new capital is confidential—I won't tell you the specific spot. I can only tell you she's within the territory of Stormwind City."

(End of chapter)