Chapter 1021 - The Big Fish in the Ground
Chapter 1021: The Big Fish in the Ground
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Meng Chao felt that he should give these rat people a hand.
At least, he should help them raise their vigilance.
He lifted his cloak and took off his wide belt.
There were all kinds of bits and pieces hidden in his belt.
The medicine used to change the color of skin, hair, and pupils, a thin iron wire used to open doors and pick locks, a blade that was as thin as a cicada’s wing and could silently cut open packages, and so on…
There were also dozens of badges from various big clans that represented various identities.
After pinning one of the badges on the inner side of his cloak, Meng Chao found another fragile branch and placed it under his heel. He stomped on it heavily.
The branch immediately released a cracking sound.
It was particularly clear in the fog.
“Who is it?”
The rat slave workers who were plotting a rebellion immediately cried out in shock and anger.
A few slave workers pounced on him.
Meng Chao pretended to be in a panic and turned to flee.
He heard a “whooshing” sound coming from above his head.
It came from the spade and iron rod that the slave workers had taken from the trolley to shovel coal. They wanted to smash his head.
Meng Chao shrieked and shrunk his neck. He seemed to have narrowly avoided the attacks of the slave workers.
Out of the blue, one of the rat slaves threw the shovel at his legs.
He threw the shovel while running at high speed. It was originally crooked, so it was impossible for it to hit him.
Meng Chao’s heart skipped a beat, but he deliberately moved half a meter away from the sharp edge of the shovel.
His left calf was hit instantly, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground.
The rat slave at the front roared and pounced on him, rolling into a ball with Meng Chao.
Knowing that he was in the business of killing people, the rat slave used all his strength to break Meng Chao’s neck.
Meng Chao cooperated with his performance and pretended to struggle violently. Before the other rat slave workers caught up, he flipped the red-faced guy to the ground.
Seeing that Meng Chao was about to run away, the guy only had time to reach out and scratch at him.
Meng Chao pushed his chest forward, allowing the other party to grab onto his cloak.
Then, he took the opportunity to tear it down. With a “chraa” sound, the rag with badges fell into the rat slave’s hands.
Meng Chao let out a strange cry. His speed suddenly increased, and he disappeared into the depths of the colorful smoke.
If he really wanted to escape or hide, even hundreds of clan warriors might not be able to catch him.
These rat slaves chased after him, and naturally missed.
They might also attract the attention of the other rat slaves and supervisors in the casting area, so they could only retreat resentfully.
When Half Face also limped to catch up, the Rat God’s followers looked at each other, and their expressions became extremely grim.
“Half Face, look.”
The rat slaves who had been fighting Meng Chao just now handed over the rag with badges.
Under the dim sunlight, they could barely see the patterns on the badges through the smoke. They could not help but gasp.
“The Redstone Clan!”
The Redstone Clan was a noble Minotaur family in Black-corner City, whose power was second only to the Blood Hoof Clan.
“Could the other party be a warrior of the Redstone Clan and has heard all our secrets?” The slave workers’ faces were all pale.
“Don’t panic. The situation isn’t that bad.”
Half Face said in a low voice, “If the other party is really a Minotaur warrior from the Redstone Clan, it’s impossible for him to hide in a corner and eavesdrop on us. He would’ve mobilized a large group of people and captured us in one go.
“In my opinion, it should only be one of the Redstone Clan’s domestic rats who overheard part of our conversation.”
“That’s troublesome too.”
A rat slave worker, whose voice was sharp and anxious, said, “Now that he has run away, what if he runs back to the Redstone Clan and tells his master about the Rat God’s arrival?”
“That’s… That’s not a big deal.”
Half Face thought for a moment and said, “Our forgery factory belongs to the Ironhide Clan, which comprises of wild boar people. They are the sworn enemies of the Minotaurs.
“Let’s not talk about how much the domestic rat overheard. Even if he tells his master everything, it will be very difficult for his master, who is a Minotaur warrior, to interfere with the affairs in the Ironhide Clan’s forgery workshop.
“However, it’s always good to be careful. It seems that we’ve been targeted. You guys, go back to work. I have to find Lord Emissary immediately and tell him what just happened. He will decide what to do next!”
As the sun rose, the clan warriors began to walk on the streets again, turning the entire Black-corner City into a wild battlefield.
At that time, it would be dangerous and suspicious for the rat people to be walking through the streets again.
Therefore, Half Face ignored his supervisor’s suspicion. He took the rag with the badge and walked around the Thousand-corpse Pit, leaving the workshop in a hurry.
The discovery of the eavesdropper had made him much more cautious.
Half Face had learned to walk close to the wall. Every time he walked around a corner, he would stop and look around for a moment.
In an alley that could only accommodate two people, when he reached the end of the alley, he deliberately turned around to make sure that no one was tailing him before he continued walking forward.
Next, he entered the low-end market that specialized in serving rats.
When the market was about to close and in a chaotic state, he crawled around in the crowd. He even went into the vendors’ tents that were as complicated as a maze. After a while, he disguised himself and came out again.
At this time, a new partial face mask had appeared on his face.
He did not know what was on his shoulder, but it was much wider than before.
Even his iconic crippled leg had become normal.
He walked steadily with large strides. If one did not look carefully, one would not be able to tell that he was a cripple.
The Rat God had probably taught him those anti-tracking techniques.
They were enough to shake off most of those stalkers from the Middle Ages.
However, it did not occur to Half Face that Meng Chao did not need to watch his every move.
He only needed to narrow his eyes and carefully sniff the unique scent on the rag.
The seemingly ordinary hooded cloak on his body had been repeatedly soaked and starched in the medicine that Meng Chao had concocted using an exclusive recipe.
The scent could only be sniffed by him alone, and it was done by injecting his spirit power into the mucous membrane of his nose. The scent lingered on the cloak.
As long as the other party was still holding the rag that was ripped off his clothes…
As long as the other party was still in Black-corner City…
He would not be able to escape his grasp.
After leaving the market, Half Face seemed to be completely relieved.
He stopped beating around the bush and quickened his pace to reach the slum where Meng Chao had been yesterday.
The familiar scene slightly startled Meng Chao.
The two “garbage bugs” that appeared to have crawled out from between the broken walls but actually had steady and powerful steps, emitted a faint murderous aura. That confirmed Meng Chao’s speculation.
The real “big fish” was hiding there.
On second thought, the place was indeed blessed with unique conditions.
First of all, its environment was complex, dilapidated, and smelly. Other than the two groups of warriors who had treated this place as a battlefield yesterday, very few clan warriors would pay attention to this place, let alone those high and mighty figures.
Secondly, the rat people were the lowliest of the advanced orcs, and the “garbage bugs” were the lowliest of the rat people. They took on the dirtiest and most dangerous jobs, hence they were filled with the strongest fury and rebellious spirit. With just a small spark, they could start a grassland fire.
Thirdly, the underground area was filled with sewage pipes. Many of the pipes led out of Black-corner City, which was why the garbage and dirt produced by the advanced orcs in the city could be continuously sent out of the city.
According to Meng Chao’s knowledge, the surrounding area of Black-corner City was densely planted with mandrake trees, which required the nourishment of garbage and filth.
No matter how much the mandrake trees were nourished, it was impossible for them to bear fruit again in ten to twenty years.
However, with sufficient nutrition, the mandrake trees could grow layers of bark and luxuriant branches as well as leaves.
The bark could satisfy the rat people’s hunger.
The branches and leaves could feed domestic animals, and domestic animals could feed totem beasts. In the end, the flesh of the totem beasts could satisfy the clan warriors’ daily consumption and cultivation needs when they did not have the mandrake fruit.
Therefore, the garbage and filth in Black-corner City could be considered as a kind of strategic material. The mandrake forest outside the city had become increasingly lush and dense in the past few months.
If Meng Chao was the Rat God’s emissary, he could easily pass through the dense mandrake trees, pass through the sewage pipe’s exit, and sneak into Black-corner City without anyone noticing.
He was sure that was where the emissary was.
It was not easy to sneak in behind Half Face because the chaotic battle yesterday had destroyed most of the buildings.
Many of the rat slaves could only squeeze between the broken walls and randomly built tents.
There was no place to hide in the tattered tents. Naturally, there was no blind spot.
Meng Chao was not sure how many spies that the emissary had placed there.
Perhaps, everyone was a spy.
After circling the slum from a distance, Meng Chao took out an iron rod that he had stolen from the workshop.
The enemy’s secret stronghold should not be on the ground.
The scale of the slum was not large. If the base was on the ground, a large number of rats that were surrounded by killing intent and did not look like garbage would come and go. It would be easy for the clan warriors to spot it.
Besides, the slum had almost been demolished yesterday. That part on the ground was almost useless. If the base had been on the ground, it should have been moved overnight.
“If I’m not wrong, the Rat God’s emissary must be commanding the rat rebels in Black-corner City to work on some secret underground. It might be related to the ‘miracle’ mentioned by Half Face.
“It is precisely because their work underground is so important that the Rat God’s emissary is reluctant to leave, no matter how hard they fight on the ground.”
Meng Chao found another piece of evidence to support his speculation.
The large pit that he had deliberately destroyed yesterday had been carefully repaired by someone.
Although it could not be restored to what it was, a few cracks between the collapses had been completely blocked by someone at the end of the abandoned pipe.