Chapter 548: Snakes and Rats in the Same Nest

"Calamity OL" official website, forum exchange area.

Pig-headed Knight: "MMP, where the hell is this a Gold-level boss? I'd believe you if you said he was a demigod!"

Tauren Warrior: "Too rash..."

Ye Zhiqiu: "Not quite a demigod, but he should be Platinum, or maybe Diamond level."

Hu Wan: "A hair's breadth, as far as a chasm."

The four familiar IDs appeared in the forum exchange area at the same time, and a large group of players keen on eating melons immediately poured in with curiosity.

Master Wang at the Village Entrance: "What's the situation?"

Flower Monk Daiyu: "Empty-handed again?"

Meichuan Qiuku: "Hahaha! Seeing Brother Ye lose money, I'm even happier than making money!"

Hu Wan: "Tsk."

Pig-headed Knight: "I wish you never eat four dishes in your life!"

Ye Zhiqiu: "Plot kill, no way. But it's not a loss, at least the quest reward was received, and the clues for the new main quest were unlocked, it just depends on how far the official plot goes."

Gou Shi: "Winning is EZ, losing is plot kill, right. (Funny)"

Ye Zhiqiu: "Not contradictory. (Squinting smile)"

Can't Afford to Play: "What exactly is the situation? What hidden quest did you unlock again? (Curious)"

Ye Zhiqiu: "In short, we discovered a Ratman nest in Spinor County, which suspectedly has an altar calling for Chaos, triggering a BOSS battle... Of course, maybe it's not a Chaos altar, at least we didn't find Chaos creatures or Chaos gates, only some cut meat."

Tauren Warrior: "Black magician's laboratory, Ratman's slaughterhouse, or heretical holy land... anyway, it's evil."

Ye Zhiqiu: "Well, the weirdest thing is that the dead corpses have no souls, first of all, undead magic can be ruled out."

Pig-headed Knight: "But the strange thing is that their spell can directly attack the SAN value... this is very sassy."

Long Xing Wan Li: "What the hell is attacking the SAN value?!"

Ye Zhiqiu: "Literal meaning, directly hitting your soul, making you feel cold behind your back even in reality, wanting to disconnect... Is VR technology so advanced now?"

Gou Shi: "As expected of Calamity Technology! (Funny)"

Gotham Good Citizen: "Uh, so... you lost?"

Ye Zhiqiu: "Just didn't win."

Gotham Good Citizen: "Damn! What's the difference!"

Village Entrance Grandpa: "Wait, I remember you just upgraded your equipment, so didn't you lose a lot?"

Ye Zhiqiu: "It's okay, what was lost was just ordinary green equipment, worth less than 1 million underworld coins, just buy another set."

Knowledge Explodes: "Grass, how are these dog things so rich. T. T"

Ye Zhiqiu: "Nonexistent, my underworld coins are a fraction compared to Brother Long Xing, one of his collections can buy ten of my accounts."

Long Xing Wan Li: "You sell it, brother!"

Ye Zhiqiu: "You find the game operator, the operator agrees to trade accounts, I will retire immediately haha."

Long Xing Qianli: "Hey... this really can't be found, no way."

Zheng Fangxing: "So where is that Ratman nest???"

Hu Wan: "Spinor County."

Zheng Fangxing: "I mean specifically?"

Hu Wan: "Corporate secret."

One Mouthful of Chemical Pool: "%￥#@!"

Ye Zhiqiu: "What are you in a hurry for, the main quest is here, the Demon King will naturally send you there. (Squinting smile)"

Deep in the Ten Thousand Swords Mountain Range, in an underground cavity where sunlight cannot reach, the air is filled with a nauseating smell of blood and rot.

The ground here is not paved with rock, but a "carpet" mixed with a thick layer of corrupt matter and bacteria, which makes a sticky "squelch" sound when stepped on.

It's almost like a tentacle nest.

However, there are no such cute things here, only groups of rats making squeaking sounds.

The name of this nest is Predator's Nest.

This was once an underground fortress that a Dwarf Count was proud of, and exquisite geometric carvings still remain on the stone pillars.

However, today, those Dwarf reliefs symbolizing strength and glory have long been covered by filthy excrement and graffiti.

Groups of Slave Rats shuttle through the lowest layer of the nest, while the relatively decent Clan Rats live in the upper caves.

And in the deepest part of the cave is the "Flesh Court" belonging to Soul-Crusher Mo Ke.

I saw that in the center of the cave, on a high platform piled with white bones and blackened blood clots, a huge stone chair was placed.

The Dwarf ancestor relief with wide-eyed anger on the back of the chair is now being pressed firmly under a pile of greasy fat.

That is Mo Ke, the leader of the Rotten Flesh Clan.

At this moment, he is sitting on the throne without any image, holding a piece of meat leg and gorging himself.

This fat rat is surprisingly large, like a mountain of fat, and every chew sets off a layer of meat waves, rolling from the neck to the belly.

The rats under the throne look at their boss with envy, swallowing saliva, making a creaking sound of grinding teeth.

For Mo Ke, Slave Rats are both his snacks and his fun.

Whenever he finishes a piece of meat leg, he throws the bones to this group of little guys, watching them scramble and break their scalps, and then eats the dying little guy clean.

This Flesh Court is both his palace and his kitchen, and also a place for him to show off his strength to other Ratman warlords and nobles.

Just then, a burst of hurried and panicked footsteps broke the "feeding time" of the court.

A gray-haired Ratman scout rushed in, his tail tucked between his legs because of fear, shaking like a sieve.

"Boss! Something big is wrong!"

The scout slid and knelt on the ground of the mountain of corpses and sea of bones, screaming sharply.

"We were attacked by human things at the altar south of Buried Bone Peak! Let, let a human thing run away!"

"What?!"

Mo Ke, who was gorging himself, was taken aback and stood up his upper body from the stone chair.

As he moved, the layers of wave-like fat on his body trembled violently, and even the stone chair beneath him made an unbearable creaking sound.

"Who is so bold to attack my territory! Let the brothers of Buried Bone Peak go out in full force, I want to make them pay the price!"

Looking at the rolling oily meat waves, the little rats around swallowed saliva even more fiercely, each little eye flashing with blasphemous green light.

The scout buried his head and continued to report tremblingly.

"The attackers came from the direction of Spinor County..."

The rolling meat waves suddenly calmed down, and Mo Ke sat back on the stone chair, and the rock seat made another unbearable creaking sound.

"Spinor County..."

Fingernails rubbing against the greasy chin, Mo Ke's eyeballs moved in their sockets, and he couldn't help but mutter in his heart.

Human things... this is not easy to deal with.

Unlike the Twilight Saint Saint Xingsheng, that time he let the brothers of the Rotten Flesh Clan break into pieces and enter human territory, joining Silas's command.

But directly conflicting with human rulers...

He still had to weigh it.

Especially since Spinor County is backed by the Campbell family; he doesn't read much human history, but he at least knows the history of his neighbors.

Just when the rat swarm fell into chaos because of the leader's surprise, a cold and calm voice suddenly came from the shadows on the side of the hall, instantly suppressing all the noise.

"No need. That trouble, I have already solved it for you."

Mo Ke's trembling fat stopped instantly, and then he quickly turned his head to look in the direction the voice came from.

I saw a middle-aged human wearing a dark gray mage robe slowly walking out of the darkness.

The man had a head of meticulously groomed gray hair, parted in the middle, and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses on his face, looking like a scholar doing research in a study, out of place in this dirty and filthy Ratman nest.

Edgar Kaufman.

This is his name, and his title is Professor.

This mage from the distant northern Academy is Mo Ke's guest of honor and the nightmare of these little rats.

With his appearance, the rats that were still scurrying around seemed to see their natural enemy, and they made terrified low sounds, scrambling to retreat to both sides, hard-headedly clearing a wide road in the crowded hall.

They will never forget that scene half a month ago.

At that time, a Ratman baron with some power in the clan was executed just because he greedily stole a magic stone from this human mage.

Professor Edgar didn't even move a finger, just glanced at that unlucky guy, and the baron who was acting like a tyrant in the clan had his bones and flesh crushed by invisible big hands in the shrill wailing, finally turning into a pile of ashes without any soul fluctuation.

Although Ratman barons are as numerous as hair, often occupying a mountain or a few tunnels to call themselves barons, relative to the huge and humble base of Ratmen, that is also a quite remarkable "big shot."

Even barons are pinched to death like ants, let alone these ordinary rats.

Seeing Edgar walking out of the shadows, Mo Ke's terrified rat face was immediately filled with flattering smiles, and his small bean-like eyes flashed with pleasing light.

"Oh! Respected Professor Kaufman! So you have already taken action? This is so embarrassing, you have solved another big trouble for us... haha, I mean well done!"

Edgar glanced at this fat rat king coldly and did not respond to his flattery. He pushed the glasses on the bridge of his nose and said expressionlessly.

"Two Gold-level skeletons, two Bai Yin-level Lizardmen, this time you have attracted quite troublesome enemies... I don't understand, Mo Ke, why do you want to attack the Campbell people's railway? I remember I warned you, if you lack materials, the Kingdom of Lain has plenty."

Hearing this questioning, the smile on Mo Ke's face collapsed.

It irritably ground its two yellow front teeth, its fat butt shifted on the throne, and finally spread its short, thick claws helplessly.

"I know, Professor, I don't want to offend those guys in the south either, but... old friends in Lain asked me to move, so I can only move, I have no choice."

Edgar frowned slightly.

"Lain?"

"Yeah." Mo Ke nodded its rat head, complaining vaguely. "I'm not stupid, why would I provoke the Campbell people for no reason."

Strictly speaking, the Rotten Flesh Clan is not afraid of provoking the Campbell people, but afraid of provoking all human kingdoms with internal stability.

After all, if they hit a baron, they will provoke a count, and if they provoke a count, they will provoke a duke... losing is one thing, but if they really win, the empire's warships will be docked at the nearby port.

Then, the Dwarves in the Ten Thousand Swords Mountain Range will change into new equipment, and humans will remember the alliance with the Dwarf Kingdom, and the Rotten Flesh Clan will soon be in disaster, eventually splitting into a dozen large and small clans.

Ratmen cannot be exterminated, but Mo Ke's family will be finished, which is a pain that Soul-Crusher Mo Ke cannot bear.

Rats are a very smart animal.

Bullying caravans, adventurers, and old farmers who have no one to manage is one thing, but actively attacking human kingdoms or principalities is another thing.

Especially the Saint Xisi sect is even more evil, often a chosen hero will pop out while fighting, for example, the "Rock Sword Saint" Gante Steingraber they saw in the Twilight Saint Saint Xingsheng.

Looking at Edgar who didn't seem to believe it yet, Mo Ke added a sentence at the end to increase his persuasiveness.

"I heard that some time ago, there was a blind Demon King in Thunder City who was stabbed to death by Grand Duke Aaron as soon as he showed his head. That Demon King's strength is not inferior to mine, and he is a demon, thick-skinned... even that kind of ruthless character died inexplicably, my meat is not enough for people to stuff their teeth, how could I actively provoke them?"

Looking at the aggrieved fat rat, Edgar was silent for a moment, a trace of thought flashing in his eyes.

Although scholars of the Academy often give people the impression of being ignorant of the world, only real fools would think that these extremely smart guys are a group of straight-shooters.

Real straight-shooters are moving bricks in the mage tower, and Edgar, who can be sent to the Ten Thousand Swords Mountain Range to cooperate with Ratman forces, is not without any vision.

Especially since his hometown is the Kingdom of Lain, he is not unfamiliar with the political ecology of the Kingdom of Lain.

Thinking of the chaos currently happening in Roland City, he guessed some of the King's intentions, mostly wanting to use the chaos in Spinor County to add some trouble to the Campbell Principality.

However, this guy is probably confused, or his left hand and right hand are fighting... who uses a glass to smash a dog?

The soul experiments they are conducting deep in the Ten Thousand Swords Mountain Range are taboos among taboos, and this kind of research must not be known by the people of the Holy City, and of course, it must not be detected by the demons of hell.

Although ordinary people would think that the demons of hell and the Holy Light nobles are enemies, smart people in the Academy would not be so naive.

"This idiot..."

Edgar cursed, staring at the fat rat on the throne, squeezing the second half of the sentence from between his teeth.

"Did that King let you do it? Or his subordinates?"

Mo Ke hurriedly revealed.

"Marius! It's Marius, the head of the gravekeepers! You know that gentleman! He is the guy beside the King, our supplier!"

"I will find him to ask what the situation is."

Edgar turned around, his gray robe drawing a cold arc in the air, scaring the little rats around to retreat a few more steps.

"Also, be restrained recently, no matter what mission Lain gave you, I don't want my experiments to be disturbed again. If you bring trouble that shouldn't be brought here..."

He didn't finish the sentence, just looked back at Mo Ke meaningfully, that look like looking at a corpse.

"You know the consequences."

Mo Ke's fat trembled violently, its long, thin eyes narrowed into a slit, although it stared back without showing weakness, a trace of fear gradually seeped out from the bottom of its eyes.

An empire that gets serious can pinch them to death, and an Academy that gets ruthless can of course do it too. A demigod cannot exterminate the Ratmen in the Ten Thousand Swords Mountain Range, but exterminating this fat rat is more than enough.

Who to offend and who to satisfy is a problem that this rat hiding in the deep mountains must think about with his life.

Watching Edgar's figure disappear completely into the shadows, Mo Ke let out a long sigh of relief, wiping the oily sweat from his forehead with his claws.

Panicked whispers spread around the throne.

High Priest Ska walked out silently from behind the shadow of the throne, looking at the monarch wiping sweat, and said in a hoarse and soft voice.

"These human things are really troublesome... killing is not okay, not killing is not okay, can they finish fighting with their left brain and right brain before coming to find us?"

"Gelluo is above! Now it's not just human things, why did skeleton things and Lizardman things pop up? Did the Dragon God come back? Or with the Death God? Damn, this is really... blasphemous!"

Mo Ke spat a mouthful of saliva with meat residue on the ground viciously, grabbed the unfinished meat leg again, and tore it fiercely as if venting.

High Priest Ska looked at His Majesty lightly.

"Your Majesty, let's not worry about the skeletons and Lizardmen... what about Buried Bone Peak? The counts and barons there are all waiting for the orders of the Court. If we don't give orders again, I'm afraid they will have to fight themselves."

Mo Ke's small eyes turned.

"Withdraw our altar, and give the count of Buried Bone Peak a flag! From today on, they are independent!"

Ska looked at His Majesty in surprise, then bowed respectfully.

"This is a good idea... but what about that sacrifice who ran away? He ran out of the altar, I'm worried he knows something and will talk about what he saw everywhere."

Mo Ke's eyes were uncertain, and after repeated struggles, he gave the order.

"Let my Plague Tooth Assassins go!"

Ska bowed respectfully.

"Yes."

Generally speaking, sacrifices on the altar cannot escape, but Ratmen are always clumsy, and it is inevitable that there will be one or two fish that slip through the net.

In the past, the altars were in the caves on the north side, and these fish that slipped through the net didn't run far, but now the number of sacrifices continues to explode, coupled with the Dwarf Kingdom making trouble, actually letting a small fry run to the south.

The damn person is still alive, which becomes a problem.

The summer night is like a thick curtain, covering the rolling mountains and vast forests of Spinor County.

A steel dragon spitting white steam is galloping on the railway just laid by the Campbell Principality, the wheels rolling over the joints of the rails making a rhythmic sound.

Inside the luxurious royal carriage, the warm magic light dispelled the darkness.

Princess Ailin sat on a soft chair paved with velvet.

Her gaze, however, could never focus on the book in her hand, always looking out the pitch-black window from time to time, a trace of faint sorrow in her emerald green eyes.

"Don't worry."

Seeing the anxiety on Princess Ailin's face, Luo Yan gently put down the teacup in his hand and made a joke in a chatty tone.

"No matter how big the threat of the Ratmen is, can it be bigger than the Demon King of Thunder County?"

"... That may be so, but I still can't let go."

Withdrawing her gaze from the window, Princess Ailin looked at Prince Prince Kelin sitting opposite, and after a moment of silence, said in a very soft voice.

"In the past, although Ratmen would harass our borders, most of them were in the form of scattered bandits, often grabbing and running... However, now, their claws have actually penetrated into the inner side of the northern border of the county, and even deep into the vicinity of Raven City. This kind of organized infiltration is too abnormal, I'm worried there is a bigger disaster behind this."

Campbell has a proverb: a dagger hidden in the shadows is always more chilling than a sword placed on the surface.

Especially Princess Ailin knows very well.

Desire and ambition, these two things, are like moss in the gutter; if not eradicated at the first time, they will grow wildly in indulgence.

And there is no contact between humans and Ratmen, no one knows what those dirty rats are plotting.

"... So we are going to solve this trouble now, aren't we?"

Looking at Princess Ailin who was still in sorrow, Luo Yan comforted her in a gentle tone, his index finger resting on the table raising slightly.

The exquisite silver milk pot on the table seemed to be lifted by an invisible hand, floating in front of Princess Ailin, filling a cup of hot drink exuding a rich aroma.

"This is cocoa I brought from the Janna Continent, mixed in milk, it can make the originally monotonous sweetness rich and mellow."

"Thank you."

Princess Ailin held the warm porcelain cup with both hands, the warmth spreading through her fingertips to her whole body. She happened to feel a little hungry, and this drink with a slight bitterness and aftertaste unexpectedly suited her taste.

After a cup of hot cocoa, the originally pale face of Princess Ailin finally had a flush, and the tightly strung nerves were slightly relaxed.

After putting down the cup, she spoke again, her voice filled with deep confusion.

"Prince Prince Kelin, there is one thing I don't understand. Logically speaking, it is still early summer, it is still early from the harvest time, and the food in the mountains has not yet reached the time of scarcity. Why would the Ratmen in the Ten Thousand Swords Mountain Range choose to appear at this time?"

This doesn't seem to be a good time for either side.

Luo Yan picked up his black tea and took a sip.

"Maybe it's because the Northern Rescue Army just withdrew from the Twilight Saint Saint Xingsheng, and some people think the Campbell Principality is too idle and want to find something for you to do."

"Clang."

The silver spoon hit the cup wall, making a crisp sound.

Princess Ailin looked at him in astonishment, then her eyes gradually carried a trace of haze, her index finger unconsciously tightening on the cup handle.

"You mean... the mastermind is the Kingdom of Lain?"

Luo Yan said leisurely.

"I don't know, but I think this thing doesn't need to be guessed at all, and it's not as important as we think."

The game in reality is not the same as the moves on the chessboard; the players often play their own games until the final outcome is revealed.

Sometimes, there is no outcome at all.

As the Demon King, Luo Yan doesn't care at all whether the Kingdom of Lain and the Ratmen in the Ten Thousand Swords Mountain Range have collusion.

If there is, that's a matter of convenience, clean them up together. If not, then flip the old accounts of the First Epoch.

Actually, this step is redundant; after all, there is no interest connection between humans and Ratmen. He wants to build the railway to the door of the High Mountain Kingdom, and those rat nests blocking the road will be pulled out by the way.

The only thing that interests him is that the thing hidden in the depths of the cave actually wiped out the scouts he sent to explore the way.

Those were two Gold-level undead and two Bai Yin-peak Lizardmen.

If it were normal circumstances, the configuration of this squad would be enough to kill through that map, but it didn't even splash a drop of water.

The Demon King actually kicked an "iron plate."

Then this time he has to use some strength and kick it seriously.

Just then, two light and rhythmic knocks came from outside the carriage.

"Please come in." Luo Yan said.

The carriage door pushed open, and Sarah, draped in a travel cloak, walked in. She stood by the door, nodded slightly, and the light of seeing prey flashed in those amber vertical pupils.

"Your Highness, there is a business matter that needs your decision."

This is a secret code between the two, indicating that there is important intelligence and it is not suitable for a third party to hear.

Princess Ailin is a smart and considerate girl; she immediately looked at Prince Prince Kelin, a look of understanding and gentle smile on her face.

"You go ahead and get busy, I want to be alone for a while."

"I'll be back in a while."

Luo Yan gave her an apologetic look, then stood up to tidy his collar, followed Sarah out of the carriage, and came to the next carriage.

The moment the carriage door closed, Luo Yan took out a magic crystal and placed it by the door, casually setting up a silent barrier.

The "clatter clatter" sound outside the carriage window seemed to be drawn out of this space.

Sarah stopped, took out a sealed document from her carry-on space bag, and skillfully handed it to Luo Yan.

"Demon King, the matter you asked me to investigate has made progress."

"According to nearly a year of infiltration and reconnaissance by the Stigmata organization, we finally locked onto the identity of that intelligence head of the Kingdom of Lain. His name is Marius, a monk at St. Roland Cathedral and a gravekeeper of the Lain royal tombs, and also the shadow most trusted by King Theoden. Although his background remains a mystery, we still found some interesting clues from old documents."

As she spoke, a faint smile hung on the corner of Sarah's mouth, and the cat ears on her head swayed with a proud amplitude.

That is an emotion that only one person can see.

"Well done."

Luo Yan gave affirmation to her work, then opened the document, his gaze sweeping over the dense text on it, his eyebrows lifting slightly.

That was a resume from twenty years ago; according to the remarks, it was originally kept in the abandoned archives of the Royal Guard of the Kingdom of Lain.

Probably even the Royal Guard itself forgot about such a thing, but the Stigmata organization under the Salvation Army dug it out from the trash heap.

"Twenty years ago, Mr. Marius was just an ordinary Bronze-level warrior, and until he retired at thirty, his strength had no change. However, after retiring, he suddenly transformed and became the 'inner master' beside the King..."

Luo Yan turned a page of the document in his hand, a trace of playfulness flashing in his eyes.

"Can I understand it this way?"

Although she didn't quite understand the word "inner master," Sarah still understood the meaning of the Demon King based on the context, nodding slightly.

"As you have seen, except for the bright Glory Knight Haigemo, Marius should be the strongest combat power beside Theoden. The intelligence personnel of the Stigmata organization speculated based on indirect clues that his strength has probably reached the Grandmaster level."

The playfulness in Luo Yan's eyes became even more intense.

He picked up Sarah's words and said thoughtfully.

"A swordsman with mediocre aptitude, his strength made no progress in ten years, but after leaving the front line, he encountered strange adventures, rising from Bronze to Grandmaster... If it were the well-known 'Rock Sword Saint', that would be fine, but no one has ever heard of the legend of Mr. Marius. Hmm, this sounds interesting."

Faith power is a very complex thing; it is not just a simple variable, but a complex formula containing quantity, time, and many multiplier variables.

But no matter what, Grandmaster also means 1% of faith power... at least according to the algorithm developed by Lin Te Isaac.

Sarah hesitated for a moment and put forward her own guess.

"Could it be... the Void Realm of the Academy?"

In her knowledge base, the Void Realm of the Academy is an exception, which can obtain extra extraordinary power factors from other worlds.

Luo Yan smiled faintly, noncommittal about this statement.

"Void Realm resources, the professors of the Academy themselves are not enough to share, what is the benefit of selling them to the monarch of Lain?"

Moreover, those mages don't care about any worldly resources; they are a group of practitioners independent of the world.

Regardless of whether it is or not, at least these mages think so of themselves.

Only scholars who really can't survive will leave the Academy to be family tutors for monarchs or principals of Thunder City University.

Luo Yan is more inclined to believe that he is using another kind of power.

A power he hasn't seen for the time being, or has seen but hasn't summarized into experience...

Just then, Luo Yan suddenly raised his head, a trace of faint coldness flashing in his deep purple pupils.

His gaze seemed to penetrate the heavy carriage wall, crossing a distance of hundreds of kilometers, and landed on the shadow outside a certain outpost north of Raven City.

Didn't expect them to really come.

A playful smile curled up on the corner of his mouth.

Noticing Luo Yan's subtle expression change, Sarah's expression gradually became serious, and she asked in a low voice cautiously.

"What happened?"

"Nothing."

The Demon King's face returned to calm and composed, putting the document into the space ring, and said casually.

"Just a few rats who don't know whether they are dead or alive, Xixi will handle it." ===== CHAPTER 549 =====