[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-m-a-forest-warden-why-am-i-enslaving-a-succubu":3,"chapter-i-m-a-forest-warden-why-am-i-enslaving-a-succubu-i-m-a-forest-warden-why-am-i-enslaving-a-succubu-chapter-231":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I'm a Forest Warden—Why Am I Enslaving a Succubus?",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2329275,4555,"Chapter 231: The New Capital and the Image Society","i-m-a-forest-warden-why-am-i-enslaving-a-succubu-chapter-231",231,"\u003Cp>A vast underground space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A massive dome formed from natural rock mixed with soil, encircled by green Youyan , casting faint light into the dark depths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the ground, five rat-wizards raised staffs made of leg bones and clumps of mud, casting their native rat spiritual arts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the center of the space rose a towering spire, clearly modeled after human architecture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spire rose from deliberately muddy ground, its surface coated in damp, clinging filth and rotting debris.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, the watching rats showed no disgust—instead, they cheered and leapt with joy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps, this structure allowed these rats, far from home, to glimpse the former glory of their ruined capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An elderly rat-priest with a long beard watched the scene and sighed:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One of the twelve new rat capitals—built from this moment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his hand was a wooden staff with a large green gem tied to its tip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gem emitted a faint green glow, yet like powder, it continuously drifted into the priest’s protruding nose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After inhaling it,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>his rat-face showed a flicker of blissful relief, his eyes—once dim and mad—growing momentarily clearer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can I take off the blindfold now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A voice, slightly youthful yet far clearer than the rats’ tumor-ridden croaks, rang out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside the rat-priest,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>stood a young human mage dressed in a luxurious black robe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The human mage had his eyes covered, his body surrounded by faint green light to prevent his magic from probing outward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Be my guest, Mr. Shemus.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rat-priest cast a cold glance at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Phew—at last I can see something. I know your new capital must remain secret, but do you really need to block my magic AND cover my eyes? Uh… Mr. Rotbone, would you mind if I cast a [Brightening Spell]?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shemus removed his blindfold, yet still saw only darkness, and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m sorry, no. There are still many young children here—they cannot yet tolerate bright light.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Helplessly, he cast [Darkvision] on himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then he realized he hadn’t brought his staff, and had to clumsily cast spells with his hands alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once he saw the underground rat new capital, he gasped in awe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m going to record this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By all means, Mr. Shemus. It’s one of the conditions of our agreement—but please note, some rats don’t wish to be captured on film.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course, of course. My students from Bahadur are the most polite.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shemus pulled out a recording orb and handed it to the rat Rotbone for inspection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after confirming it was safe did he infuse it with magic to begin recording.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man and the rat walked side by side, slowly tracing the outer edge of the new capital, examining every detail from outside to inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the rats carve new tunnels into the walls, deliberately and collectively urinating into small ground pits to form pools of frothy liquid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mind if I explain?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’d be grateful, Mr. Rotbone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two then exchanged friendly chatter—from the vast network of caves and winding corridors, to plans for multi-layered underground districts, to the need to break downward and upward alike, all aiming for one ultimate goal: to rise above the surface of the new capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They chatted for hours.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rotbone noticed that this high-ranking student from Bahadur Magic Academy listened intently, his face always wearing a kind smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t help asking: “Mr. Shemus, as payment for helping us build this new capital beneath Gem City, you truly only require footage of the new capital?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And your dimensional stones—you’re not planning to skip the final payment, are you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shemus kept his eyes on the recording, not even looking up, smiling as he replied:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course. That amount means nothing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heheh. Haven’t I told you? I’m the head of the Image Society at Bahadur Magic Academy. Magical imagery is the most artistic thing in this world—I’d give my life for it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I see. What a noble passion.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rotbone sneered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps sensing his disdain and indifference,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shemus kept smiling, but his tone turned sardonic:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Unlike your rats, who suddenly planted a dimensional bomb deep in the earth, not only reactivating the entire Twilight Mountain super-volcano chain, but also destroying half your own ruined capital, then claiming it was to make the world kneel before the Rat God—what a glorious act of self-destruction.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rotbone’s eyes turned yellow and cloudy in an instant, filled with madness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after inhaling the green dimensional stone powder from his staff, he calmed again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t anger: “Our internal situation is more complex than you imagine…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I understand, I understand. After all, I’m a Bahadur student—bestial disease, right? The original beast-mutation affected your rats almost not at all, but after developing in humans—the natural incubators—and returning to your kind, it gained far greater infectious power… even you, one of the Twelve Gray Lords, are infected.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m curious—what else did you find in the Melu Ruins? Just the beast-mutation blood on the golden cup? I don’t believe it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Shemus, you and all land-dwellers would never want to know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shemus shrugged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t really care to know… but let me warn you, Mr. Rotbone—using the chaos of dimensional stones to suppress beast-mutation, using madness to fight madness—this will never yield what you seek.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s none of your concern.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rotbone said coldly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t be so harsh~ I just want to record more of your new capital’s construction.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shemus grinned, instantly shifting away from the heavy topic:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How’s it going? Surely the other Gray Lords aren’t progressing as fast as you? Isn’t your new capital the very heart of the twelve rat branches?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rotbone’s expression softened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thanks to your help, Mr. Shemus… yes, I, Rotbone, built the first new capital. As for the others… hehe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No one compares to you, Mr. Rotbone!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heheh, flattery aside, there is one who rivals me… but she refuses to use dimensional stone power, and has already slipped into madness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last time we communicated, she claimed she wanted to refine rat bloodlines—to create new rats free of beast-mutation. She’s lost all interest in building a new capital. Word is, even the dimensional stone artifact anchoring her underground space was stolen recently.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, he shook his rat-head, eyes filled with contempt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shemus’s eyes lit up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Create new rats free of beast-mutation?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What an ideal subject for magical imagery!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where is this Gray Lord? What city?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She’s in Aitheron too. Hehe, the exact location of her new capital is secret—I won’t tell you, but I can say she’s within the territory of Stormwind City.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1088,"2026-06-20T19:55:31.704Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","cf5b3794175495b930ff397af0e836012b8d004d07b7200d7ed06a9cf9488079","i-m-a-forest-warden-why-am-i-enslaving-a-succubu-chapter-232","i-m-a-forest-warden-why-am-i-enslaving-a-succubu-chapter-230",704,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-m-a-forest-warden-why-am-i-enslaving-a-succubu-cover.jpg"]