A strange world

The mage left the observation window and moved closer to the warm fireplace.

He and his companions who replaced him complained: "Damn the weather... It's actually so cold in September. I heard that the kingdom is going to build a city here? I can't imagine who would come to live in such a ghost place..."

This complaint caused many people in Breeze City to laugh, but some mages also frowned.

It's unmage-like to wrap a blanket around the fireplace to keep warm, and the mage tower didn't have a thermostatic spell at that time? You should read through the information carefully when you get back...

The mage who leaned close to the observation window frowned and stared carefully at the darkness outside the window where his face was reflected - the gathering place where the light was shining was spreading and extinguished.

"Elke?"

The call of his companions sounded from behind, and he continued to stare solemnly at a bonfire in front of the approaching darkness. There were also several figures surrounding the bonfire. They seemed to have discovered something unusual in the distance, and stood up to look at the spreading darkness. The next moment, darkness Devouring them and the fire, the mage also saw countless moving shadows in an instant.

"Rat tide! Rat tide is coming!!!"

The mage let out a roar that made countless spectators' hair stand on end, knocked over tables and chairs and rushed out of the observation room.

Dang——dang——dang——

Urgent bells rang in the sky above the mage tower, and a beam of light pierced the night sky, suddenly illuminating the night sky around the mage tower.

Countless ratmen surged toward the Mage Tower like a tidal wave, causing the theater to burst into frightened screams and chaos. One noble even tried to escape, but a sobriety spell restored his composure before triggering even greater chaos.

Olmedo looked at his father at this time, "Father...do you remember three days ago?"

Augusta continued to look at the tide of rats approaching the mage tower on the magic image: "What do you want to say?"

"I went to my mother's tombstone a few days ago and saw a bouquet of flowers..."

Augusta remained silent, and Olmedo continued to ask: "You still miss her, but why..."

A guard who lowered his head and ran in interrupted him, turning to Augusta next to him in a vague way: "Lord of the City, the King of the North's convoy was attacked by ratmen last night..."

Olmedo's eyes narrowed.

"Sorry dad, I have to leave first."

Olmedo followed the guard out of his seat and came to the exit with the guard.

"There is another news from Pinglin Town..." the guard was worried, "The team that left with Mr. Annan appeared there, and Javier was also there. They said... that the master was the murderer who attacked the team, and..."

Olmedo looked in surprise at the front row, where his father still sat quietly, watching the magical image.

"what else?"

This loyal confidant of Olmedo trembled with fear because of his next words: "They found that the underground of Breeze City was eaten by rat-men... Young Master, is this a misunderstanding?"

But Olmedo thought of the clues he had collected earlier, Annan's wariness of his father, and his father's disappearance last night...

"Tell this to the Mage Tower and the Scavengers, put the entire city under martial law, and... seal off the theater."

Olmedo looked around the entire theater. The nobles were unaware of what was about to happen. In the magical image, the tide of rats that flooded into the hall splashed up like a wave and a rat-man landed among the people on the second floor. .

The nobles in the magic image fled in panic, but they didn't know that this scene happened in reality. Will the people here be exposed to the same ugly behavior?

…

"...This is the truth as I see it."

At the exit of the dungeon, Annan told the rescued companions the truth: "The rat people are hollowing out the underground of Breeze City, and they are very close to success."

Attacking the King in the North, tampering with the magic circuit of the Wizard Tower, and covering the countess to harass Breeze City. These are all baits thrown out to divert human attention away from the excavations that the Skaven are best at, allowing the scavengers to feel complacent about seeing through the conspiracy...

But the real disaster lies at everyone's feet.

"We must send the news to the top!" the Guards Captain growled, his eyes filled with betrayal and fear.

"How do we get out?" the weak deputy leader of the mercenary group asked, leaning against the rock wall.

Except for the elf mentor, the reckless Renault and the centurion, those companions who died on the night of the rat tide, and the injured who died of serious injuries due to transportation and harsh environment, the remaining people were successfully rescued.

The top of the rock that Annan and the Elf Ranger saw was at least a hundred meters high. They were entangled in the weakness spell and needed each other's support to even walk.

"I have a way to make you leave...you guys are waiting for me here."

Annan walked into the dungeon alone, holding the dragon skin in his pocket, and unleashed low-level summoning techniques deep in the dungeon that no one knew about.

Just like when Augusta Olmedo suppressed Annan's reputation, he would not have thought that he would bring out magical images, nor would he have thought that the low-level summoning spell that can summon the blue dragon can be used as a portal.

But before Annan wants everyone to escape from the rift, he needs to resolve the contract that restricts him from exposing the existence of the blue dragon.

The blue dragon appears on the other side of the rift.

"...Where are you, human." The air drifting from the crack made the blue dragon want to breathe out dragon breath to purify it.

"Let's call it the Ratman's lair...can you feel my corruption?"

Perhaps the time is still short and the blue dragon cannot sense it. Annan briefly described the current situation, and then asked Blue Dragon: "I need to let them return to Pinglin Town safely."

The graceful and majestic dragon head approached the crack and was about to stick out: "You should know the consequences of the disappearance of the contract..."

Annan raised his head and smiled gently: "True friendship does not require a contract to maintain it."

Two minutes later, Annan returned with everyone's attention: "I entrusted my friend to help. It can let you leave, but I don't want you to expose its existence."

Everyone swore, and Annan led them to a strange irregular portal. On the other side of the gap, a blue dragon was entrenched on a pile of bare rocks.

"Hurry up and summon... the portal can last for about seven minutes."

Without doubting his presence, they all slipped through the portal. During this period, Annan once again released a low-level summoning spell, and the expanded crack allowed the ogre to squeeze through.

Only a few mages looked strange. They had never seen such a portal...

"After leaving the Haunted Gold Mine, go to Pinglin Town and find Mr. Fast at the Dawn Tavern. He will help you." Annan told them.

"Aren't you with us?" Guido Rona, the scavenger, noticed that Annan hadn't come yet.

Annan shook his head: "I will stay here."

The Elf Ranger told everyone the cruel truth: "Annan's consciousness has been corrupted."

The edge of the crack was no longer stable, and Annan asked the remaining people to speed up and get into the crack.

The ogre who finally got out carrying the skeleton suddenly said: "Why are your mage robes and magic rings still there? This is a question worth thinking about."

Annan said he would remember it, and finally looked into those vertical pupils.

"The cost this time——"

"One jinnaar, each." Annan replied.

"...Leave it to me with your own hands, human."

The dim light of the crack was annihilated, and darkness and silence enveloped Annan again.