Chapter 697: Ratmen

"This is Gutongs Castle that the other demonfolk adventurers were talking about?"

After crossing another dangerous orange zone, Ariel stopped on a cliff and looked out over the distant plain.

At the far end of that vast plain, where hazy mist shrouded the land, an enormous city that had risen abruptly there tore through the chaos, revealing a vague, ferocious silhouette on the horizon.

Even from this far away, those exotic-looking buildings still easily caught the eye. Ancient bronze pillars stood on top of the city walls, hanging shadows that swayed like wind chimes. And within the city, there were also countless tall towers that rose into the clouds—their sharp eaves like demons’ claws, as if they were going to tear the Abyss’s dim yellow sky to shreds.

"No wonder. This kind of thing doesn’t look like something demonfolk would just casually build for fun."

This city was nowhere near as bustling as a human city, but [N O V E L I G H T] that time-crossing sense of antiquity still hit people with a powerful shock.

"And it doesn’t look like something that was built in a short time, either."

Ariel pondered for a moment, then asked her teacher, "Teacher, what do you think?"

"I think the same as you. This city definitely wasn’t suddenly built by demonfolk—it’s been here for a very long time."

A faint glimmer flashed on the ring on Ariel’s finger, and a wispy shadow slowly rose beside her. Even though the light in the Abyss was dim right now, you could still catch a complicated, nostalgic look on that almost perfect side profile.

"This isn’t architecture from this era."

"Not from this era?"

Ariel blinked. "Then what era is it from? Did demonfolk dig up some antique from their ancestors or something?"

"I... don’t really know."

Ariel’s teacher shook his head, and a trace of pain surfaced between his brows again.

"It’s been too long, and my soul is incomplete. There are a lot of things... I can’t remember. I just feel like this style of architecture looks a little familiar, but what it actually is..."

"If you can’t remember it, then don’t."

Ariel quickly comforted her teacher. "Teacher doesn’t need to care so much about this kind of thing. We don’t need to help demonfolk appraise antiques."

"Hoo..."

Her teacher let out a long breath and looked at Ariel.

"So, have you figured out how to sneak in? You killed an extra demonfolk guy earlier just to look cool, and now you’ve got a headache, right?"

"Hehe..."

Ariel scratched her head awkwardly.

She really had cut down that guy named Dolan too easily. If she had left him alive, it would probably be very easy to mix into the city right now, and she wouldn’t have to rack her brains here.

But now...

"Let me think..."

Ariel carefully observed the outskirts of the city.

In this region that had already been marked as a red zone, the plain was now full of demonfolk moving back and forth.

Ariel saw many demonfolk enter the city, and many more leave the city, gathering into messy squads and rushing off toward the distance.

"This really has become a gathering and transit hub for demonfolk. The troops and supplies attacking the Empire’s Abyss frontline should all be shipped to the front through here."

Ariel rubbed her chin.

But since so many were coming and going every day, there had to be a weakness.

"But the most important thing right now is that we need to get relevant intel..."

There was too little time. She couldn’t go feel things out and collect intel on her own yet. If there were someone who could provide related information...

"About that, I might have a way," Ariel’s teacher suddenly said.

"Hm?"

Ariel froze. "Teacher, you have a way? Don’t tell me you really stayed in the Abyss long-term before?"

"Not sure."

Ariel’s teacher gently shook his head and gazed into the distance.

"I said it before—too much of my past memory is missing, and I can’t remember a lot. But when I saw this ancient city... a clan’s figure really did appear in my mind."

...

...

"Ancient tower fangs, three. The last three."

"I’ll give you dark swamp fish scales, five pieces."

"Five won’t do. It’s seven."

"Seven?"

The burly red-skinned demonman’s expression instantly turned vicious. Red light flashed in his eyes as he glared at the small demonman sitting cross-legged on the ground in front of him, the one whose entire body was wrapped in a ragged cloth.

"When did it become seven? Yesterday it was still five!"

"There’s a war on lately. Supplies are tight. Naturally, the price changes day by day."

The small demonman pointed with a hand, and not far away, a squad of armored demonfolk happened to pass by.

They were Demon General Basaroka’s subordinates. Under the Enchantress Grand Duke’s orders, they maintained order in this rare trading place in the Abyss.

Even demonfolk understood that when everyone was joining forces for something, there absolutely couldn’t be internal chaos.

"If you don’t want it, in a little while it’ll be eight."

"Fuck, you... you profiteer!"

The burly demonman cursed as he muttered a word he’d only learned recently, but he still grabbed those three ancient tower fangs, threw down seven pieces of dark swamp fish scales, then turned and left.

The small demonman put away the scales and weighed them in his hand with satisfaction.

But just as he was about to pack up and leave as well, someone suddenly picked up a very inconspicuous stone from among the odds and ends laid out on the rag in front of him.

It was a pitch-black stone, like a random pebble picked up by a riverbank, but that person examined it extremely carefully, and while doing so, clicked their tongue in admiration.

"Tsk tsk. Not bad. I’ll take it."

The small demonman sized that person up.

That person was also entirely covered in a black robe, only revealing a pair of demonfolk horns. This kind of outfit was very common in this city—there was nothing to care about. The only problem was...

The small demonman glanced at that person’s chest, and a hint of regret appeared in his expression.

"You can have it. What are you trading for it?" the small demonman said.

Demonfolk didn’t have a common currency, so most of the time it was barter.

"I’ll trade..."

That person thought for a moment, then suddenly pulled something from their waist. "This."

"This is..."

The small demonman looked over casually, but when he saw what was in that person’s hand clearly, his gaze stalled for a moment.

"This is the remains of some ancient magical beast. It’s enough to trade for your crappy stone, right?"

There was a faint pride in that person’s tone, along with a sense of heartache.

"Not worth it."

The small demonman fell silent for a moment, then said, "My stone isn’t worth that price."

"I know. After all, it really is just a crappy pebble. I just poured a bit of demonic power into it to trick some idiot who doesn’t know better."

That person tossed the stone aside and slowly leaned closer.

"But as long as it comes with a little something else, I think the value is enough."

"What?" the small demonman asked.

"A little information."

The small demonman’s body instantly stiffened. But right after that, he actually handed the remains back and began swiftly packing up his things.

"You’ve got the wrong person. I don’t sell information here."

"But someone told me you do."

"Nonsense!"

The small demonman lowered his voice, but his tone was extremely severe.

"Get lost. Do you know where this is? If you keep pestering me, I’ll tell those patrolling demonfolk your real identity!"

"Oh? So you already noticed?"

Even after being threatened, that person still stubbornly moved closer and lightly pressed a hand on the small demonman’s shoulder.

"My teacher was right. You’re not simple."

"Then since my teacher wasn’t wrong..."

That person leaned closer, voice soft.

"You should be even more afraid of those patrolling demonfolk than I am, right?"

"..."

The small demonman’s figure stiffened again, like someone had hit a fatal weak spot.

But he didn’t panic the way you’d expect from being exposed. He only gave the guy who wouldn’t let go of him a meaningful look, then sighed inwardly.

"So that’s how it is. I ran into a troublesome one, huh? It’s been a long time since something like this happened—I almost got scared."

"I’m not some troublesome guy. I’m a sincere customer who truly wants to trade in good faith."

"Heh. Don’t say that. Your fake methods are crude as hell. Don’t think I didn’t notice your fake."

"Fake?"

That person scratched their head, baffled. "My remains are real."

"Who said the remains?"

The small demonman snorted under his breath. Before that person could react and lash out, he had already turned and started walking in a certain direction.

"Follow me. This isn’t a place to talk."

...

...

A winding route.

When the torches were lit, what appeared was a deep passage, narrow steps, and wall carvings whose details had been erased by time.

It was hard to imagine that there could be such a hidden underground space beneath this plain. Ariel slowly lowered her hood and cautiously surveyed her surroundings.

In the end, they arrived at a place that at least looked like someone lived there.

At the very least, Ariel saw some clay jars here, and a bed. As for the rest... it was still empty.

"Speak. Who was the one who guided you here? A little brat like you couldn’t possibly know about me."

The small demonman also lifted off the layer of rag wrapped around his body, revealing thick black fur covering his surface. A long, thin tail finally got to stretch out, swaying back and forth with the small demonman’s strange walking posture.

Ariel was a little shocked, because this demonman now looked like... a huge rat walking upright.

"Ratman tribe."

Ariel’s teacher slowly floated up beside Ariel and looked the elderly ratman over.

"As expected. Some of you are still alive."

"Oh?"

The ratman wasn’t surprised at the floating soul figure at all. He only raised his brows slightly in surprise, circling Ariel’s teacher twice.

"A soul that’s left its body can still exist, and with this soul strength... I see. You’re an old thing too, then it’s not strange. Speak—what method did you use to locate me?"

"Through this."

Ariel’s teacher lifted a hand, and an exquisite glass bottle floated out from Ariel’s ring.

Inside the bottle was a thin strand of hair. It trembled slightly, pointing in the ratman’s direction.

"So that’s how it is."

The ratman closed his eyes and sighed.

"Even though I don’t know where you got this from, this is probably the fate my ratman clan can’t escape."

"Ratmen?"

Ariel finally had a chance to cut into their conversation. She blinked and said, "I think I remember that name. I saw it in an ancient demonfolk book. I remember... wasn’t this a demonman race that was exterminated hundreds of years ago by that legendary Divine Intent Grand Duke?"

Ariel was shocked again.

"Hundreds of years later, there are still survivors... no, still living rats?"

"Exterminated?"

The elderly ratman gave two cold laughs.

"How could we be exterminated? We can’t be exterminated. We can’t—no demonfolk can. That old thing Divine Intent knew that too. All he did..."

"...was vent his anger."