A strange world

Deep in the dark cave, a lone slave rat wields a pickaxe and digs into the rock wall.

Annan measured the size of the slave rat and felt that he should be able to defeat it without using magic, so he could approach it with confidence.

The slave rat was indifferent to Annan's approach, suspecting that his ears were deafened by the chisel. Annan got closer and closer, and even stood on the side of the slave rat holding a torch——

The dust and gravel peeled off by the dropped pickaxe fell on the dirty and sticky coarse hair. The scarlet eyes were not afraid of the dark. It must have noticed Annan's approach, but still did nothing.

"What are you doing?" Annan asked it proactively.

The pickaxe-wielding rat-man uttered tiny bits of Common: "Let, human thing, die."

"I mean, what's the point of doing this?"

"Let, human thing, die."

Anyway, good news, bad news: The good news is that the Skaven will not attack Annan.

Bad news too.

Annan left the cave where the chiseling sound came from and returned to the dungeon to find the elf ranger: "Vilits Eudora, do an experiment with me."

Before the elf ranger could walk, Annan helped her to the cave again. This time before she got close, the slave rat stopped the pickaxe and looked at Annan, or the elf, in front of the torch.

"I brought elf stuff."

Vilites Eudora looked sideways.

…

Jack's heart gradually sank.

The difficulty and atmosphere of the nobles at the banquet made him feel that he did not belong here.

So did Ruth, so Jack extended an invitation to her: "Want to come to a real party?"

Crowded crowds, cheap beer and choking smoke, the low-level civilian parties are lively and noisy, instead of the sanctimonious etiquette and reserved confrontation of the nobles.

Rose soon joined the fun, jumping on the table and twirling arm in arm with Jack. The laughter and the rotating magical images made them feel like they were joining the party.

But the deserted second day washed away the excitement, and the pressure from the family and her fiancé appeared on Ruth and the audience at the same time.

The smiling Michael turned his gaze to the audience. The nobles were not offended, which was good, and the ladies stared intently at Jack. Hmm... Annan's charm will make it difficult for them to control themselves even if it is a magical image?

The magical image returns to reality at this time, giving the audience immersed in the story a chance to breathe.

"But didn't the Mage Tower fall that day?" The Mage Apprentice asked the doubts in the hearts of many people who were not immersed in the love between Jack and Rose. He opened the letter, "The base of the Mage Tower sank to the ground, and the new Mage The tower was rebuilt on the old mage tower..."

"Yes, just this night..."

People's hearts twitched as they remembered that the name of this magical image was "The Fall of the Mage Tower"...

Hope it doesn't end badly.

…

"Giggle... I feel... I... am becoming a rat-man..."

Annan leaned against the cold rock wall, coldness and pain filling his body——

"The corruption of consciousness will not change your appearance, King of the North. Your identity is still useful to the rat people."

"Is that so?"

Annan relaxed again, and the pain and discomfort disappeared.

In any case, they must seize the time to escape from the underground when signs appear in Annan.

First, let the ogre who had recovered some strength carry the skeleton. When moving the skeleton, an arcane missile ring that had not yet been dissolved rolled down from the joints.

Picking up the ring and putting it in his pocket, Annan, the ogre, and the elf ranger set off.

If this is a conspiracy, it is a conspiracy that Annan cannot refuse. Many of Annan's companions were imprisoned in this dungeon. It was impossible for Annan to do nothing, so he had to separate first.

The ogre stayed in the dungeon to rescue his companions, while Annan and the elf ranger cleaned up the ratmen along the way, approaching the dungeon exit.

Most of the cells were filled with their companions, and in some cells only ashes were left. Some people had already woken up, and Annan asked them to wait for now while rescue was coming: "We don't even know where we are yet."

Continuing forward, taking out several patrolling ratmen along the way, they approached the exit of the dungeon.

Several strong rat-men wearing broken cloaks, worn leather armor, and missing bladed weapons were scattered around the exit.

"They are so beautiful..."

Vilites Eudora looked at her strangely, and Annan quickly woke up:

"What? Did I say something?"

…

Under the afterglow of the setting sun, Jack and Rose stood on the top of the tower and embraced each other.

The beautiful singing attracts the hearts of the audience, making people envious, yearning, and longing for it. But some nobles were filled with indignation - Ruth betrayed Karl, they were having an affair!

Rose takes Jack to her room and invites him to draw a portrait of herself.

When Ruth was lying on the sofa draped in gauze, under the soft light, the necklace around her neck became as beautiful as her.

"That's my necklace..."

A jealous voice sounded from the corner of the back row of the theater: "She stole my role and also stole my necklace!"

"Those should be mine...my necklace, my character, my Annan..."

…

"Hey, pretty little mouse."

The scarlet eyes of the ratman guard stared at the figure deep in the dungeon.

"I'm in some trouble, beautiful mouse, can you come in and help me?"

The rat-man guard stepped towards the figure. When passing by a protruding rock wall, the elf ranger hiding in the depression swung his pickaxe and knocked the rat-man unconscious.

"All Skaven cleared out."

Annan, who had seduced the rat-men, returned to the elf ranger, took the pickaxe and walked out of the dungeon with her.

The echoing sound of gouging dotted the moonless starry sky.

"We're out!"

"But it's too easy," said the Elf Ranger.

Annan feels the same way.

Was Augusta Olmedo confident that they would never escape, or was it the chaotic nature of the Skaven that simply didn't care about the captured humans?

The Elf Ranger looked up, and Annan looked around.

The Skaven dug an open pit?

The old mage tower in the dungeon. The mage explained that this open pit has a history of at least 300 years... How could there be such a place around Breeze City without being discovered?

Or was it that they had been taken somewhere else and this was not the night of the attack?

"Annan, this is not a starry sky."

These stars are strange to the Elf Ranger.

Annan activated the magic ring. The magic ring that had been placed for hundreds of years was completely reduced to dust, and an arcane missile flew straight upward, rising higher and higher, briefly exploding and then disappearing into the invisible deep space.

Annan, who was out of sight, turned back and asked Vilites Eudora: "What did you see?"

Villites Eudora spoke of a rock formation with patterned rocks, an oval base, and an incomplete statue.

Annan suddenly remembered the sinking base of the old Mage Tower he saw when writing "The Fall of the Mage Tower", and recalled the slave rat's repeated "Let, human thing, die."

This is the underground of Breeze City.