Chapter 484: The Head of All Cities

"The rats' must-save target? The evil bell atop the Broken Tower?"

As he spoke, Master Sitelinge strolled in. Since Lord Luoleike was still in his prime and had no plans to abdicate, and there was no point in Master Kelage staying at Everpeak after ascending to godhood, he had remained in the Southlands to serve after the Great War of Eight Peaks.

Snorri was generous to this junior fellow apprentice, appointing him Minister of Racial Relations and Vice President of the Rune Smith branch—after all, Snorri would eventually have to leave. Weifengbao, nestled between the Empire and Bretonnia, was quite well-suited for coordinating relations.

"That is only a few steps away from directly reinforcing Tongshanbao, my Minister!"

Without the accumulation of prior merit, Sitelinge, who held a high position due to nepotism, was not very popular among his colleagues; to a certain extent, this was something Snorri hoped to see.

"At this stage, mundane methods are likely ineffective. Prepare a Helicopter for me; I am going to the Bone Temple."

Due to their understanding of the rat-men's despicable conduct, the Dwarfs knew that the reason they had skipped the long-winded bickering and finger-pointing to take rapid action was the Great Horned Rat's strict orders; many conventional methods were no longer effective against the Greater Daemon overseeing the battle.

The Great Horned Rat, why would this filthy and sinful minor Chaos god cultivate its offspring in this world and urge them to grow and thrive? Naturally, it coveted the energy and secrets hidden within this sanctuary of the Old Ones.

Compared to the destruction desired by the four Great Evil Gods, "obtaining" was undoubtedly more difficult. To this end, It constructed Its own "Great Plan"—the so-called Age of the Rat. By having the Skaven control the world's strongest energy source, the Great Vortex, It could tear open a passage sufficient for Its true form to enter.

The reason for the vigorous targeting of the Dwarfs was that, under Snorri's leadership, they had become a massive obstacle to the arrival of the Age of the Rat. From this, it could be inferred that as long as a greater obstacle appeared, It might shift Its attention.

"Hiss! Entry is forbidden here!"

The Helicopter slipped past the edge of the bustling port city and flew toward the section hidden in the dense rainforest; the buzzing of the rotor blades attracted a small squadron of Pterodactyl riders.

"I am the Dwarf Demigod of the mountains, Snorri Thorsson! I am here to see Lord Outelakesi!"

A person's name is like the shadow of a tree; the Skinks knew who had brought the current prosperity to the Bone Temple. Soon, Snorri arrived beneath the pyramid, which could now rival those ancient Shenmiaochengshi in Lustria. Residential areas and plaza markets were distributed around spires of different functions.

"King of the warm-blooded, what business brings you to my place of Meditation?"

The fourth-generation Slann was still reclining in the Divination Pool, and feeling Snorri's surging power, its ancient soul could not help but tremble. In the time it took to take a nap, the little fellow before it had gone from being easily suppressed to faintly surpassing it.

"Please send me to the Star Chamber; I have urgent business to request an audience with Lord Mazdamundi."

"The ancient generations have granted you the authority to do so, but that Lord is currently preparing the awakening ritual at Itza, the head of all cities."

"Itza it is then. Is the preliminary work mostly done? Progress is fast enough."

"Then let us go. Teleporting creatures as powerful as you and me requires the support of the Geomantic Web."

Snorri's face showed joy. With the help of his Skink attendants, Outelakesi wiped his body dry, sat on his palanquin, and drifted over to the obsidian building constructed by the Dwarf reinforcements.

"Boom—!"

After a chant, a beam of light thicker than a man erupted from the spire and shot toward Snorri. Relaxing his body and lifting his Resistance Rune to avoid interfering with the teleportation, the Dwarf King's figure vanished into the beam.

"Cough, cough!"

The first long-distance teleportation left Snorri somewhat uncomfortable. Regaining his senses, he found himself surrounded by a large group of strong Lizardmen and dinosaurs.

"I am the Dwarf King of the Southlands, Snorri! I came via the Bone Temple to..."

"This warm-blooded one is my guest! Bring him up!"

The teleportation fluctuations naturally could not be hidden from a Slann. Before he could finish announcing his name, Master Mazida had already issued the order to let him pass. The landing point of the teleportation was a platform on the waist of the main pyramid. As he climbed the steps, Snorri was deeply shocked by the aura of the Temple Guards on both sides.

These taller populations were specially created guardians who would maintain absolute silence and stillness while on duty to avoid disturbing the Slann's meditation. The Temple Guards near the top of the pyramid were covered in thick dust, clearly having remained motionless for decades or even a century.

The main pyramid of Itza was built against a mountain, with the summit leveled to serve as the platform at the top of the pyramid. Standing upon it, the Winds of Magic were so thick they were almost tangible; as a Dwarf without magical affinity, Snorri felt like he was being lifted up.

"Is this the Dwarf you spoke of who can interpret the Great Plan?"

"His strength is acceptable; in the early years, he could have counted as a good general."

"Hmm, I feel the mark of the masters upon him."

Snorri searched for the source of the energy, and they were also sizing him up. Four Slann with different skin colors were suspended in the center of the platform, surrounded by a large number of Skinks, each one attracting the Winds of Magic from heaven and earth like a magnet.

"Greetings to all you Lords!"

The Dwarf King bowed deeply; the aura of all four Demon Toads was above his own. The earth-yellow one in the center was undoubtedly Lord Mazdamundi, and judging by their level positioning, the other three were likely ancient Second Generation.

"Rise, creation of the masters. We have met before. These three are Lord Molun, High Priest Adoxi, and Lord Zuma; we were all created in the same batch."

Master Mazida's voice carried a hint of exhaustion. Only five Second Generation Slann remained in the world; waking and persuading them was more taxing than fighting a great war. Only the recall of Lord Kroak could make all factions agree.

"May I ask how the awakening ritual is progressing? I have received news: the Skaven's Great Horned Rat has learned of this and has sent a Greater Daemon to descend upon the Mortal World, attempting to consolidate power to obstruct it."

"Hmph!"

"Furry vermin!"

"They are not part of the Great Plan!"

Mentioning the rat-men easily stirred their anger. To solve this stubborn mold, the Demon Toads had not hesitated to move tectonic plates to trigger massive earthquakes, but the results remained minimal—the Skaven's corruption had even spread to Lustria.

"Let me see."

The blue Slann, Lord Zuma, raised a slender claw and pointed into the void; a map of the world's Geomantic Web emerged. As the map zoomed in and focused on the southern part of the Old World, a mass of evil green was trembling and expanding there.

"Your news is very timely, warm-blooded one!"

"I knew it; the evil in the starry firmament would not easily let the First Generation return to our side."

The rat Greater Daemon's movements had been seen through, and a faint, imperceptible smile appeared at the corner of Snorri's mouth. Under the support of the Geomantic Web, the Second Generation Slann's combat power reached the level of a Peak Demigod; the rat Greater Daemon, weakened by the Great Vortex, was not in the same league as them.

"Call Tai-Yikao here!"