Chapter 38: Chapter Thirty-Seven: Are You Not Sleeping?
There’s no way around it.
Knowing they would have to wait until the next day, the sun would rise, yet there was still no sign of the ratmen in dreams.
The two discussed it briefly. Continuing like this wasn’t viable; it was best to find a hidden entrance to the ratmen’s underground city first, but the cunning of the ratmen was well known. Even if Jima had divination abilities, finding them in a short time was particularly difficult.
So they discussed further, concluding that Jima should continue patrolling the dream realm, looking for the dreams of the ratmen.
Eve Frostleaf suggested they split up.
Jima decisively rejected the plan to split up, deciding instead to check the dream realm every hour herself.
If they were to rush underground and destroy this city, it would take at least a thousand ratmen to do so. With a thousand ratmen, she couldn’t believe they could stay awake.
After mobilizing all available resources and investigating for a day,
They uncovered many hidden aspects of the small town, such as:
The residents of this city had a bad habit of casually throwing away trash, tossing kitchen waste right outside their doors. But perhaps thanks to the cold climate, the city surprisingly didn’t have a terrible smell.
Moreover, there were many thieves, and they often heard complaints about them. Lady Kisli despised thieves, especially those who stole alcohol.
On the gallows, six out of ten corpses were thieves who had stolen alcohol.
Eventually, as the sun set, they found what seemed to be a hidden entrance leading underground, only to discover it was a frozen cesspool. Aside from this, they found nothing.
Jima checked the dream realm every hour throughout the day but did not find the dreams of the ratmen.
In the evening, the Blackbeard Wing Knight personally came to inquire about their progress.
Jima could only present a large stack of intelligence about the Northern troops, stating that the investigation into the ratmen encountered some unexpected issues and assured him not to worry.
When the Blackbeard Wing Knight returned, one of his subordinates submitted a report. The content was simple: a brewer admitted that Jima had instructed him to mix ground dimensional stone powder into the liquor, claiming it would prolong its shelf life and increase its price.
The Blackbeard Wing Knight was furious; even at this point, the succubus was still thinking about how to sell the liquor at a good price. He first went to complain to the Fool, who calmed him down, telling him to be patient and stating that all this was a test from the Master.
Afterward, the Blackbeard Wing Knight confronted Jima.
He received an infuriating reply:
“I can only tell you that this is part of the Wall Facers plan.”
Jima wore a black veil that obscured her face, her tone mysterious, as if hinting that even half a word leaked from her plan would bring disaster to the world.
After saying this, Jima began to crack sunflower seeds while contemplating, occasionally tossing the shells into the fireplace, where the sunflower seed shells quickly turned black and burned.
The Blackbeard Wing Knight’s patience dwindled along with the ashes of the seeds.
He emphasized:
“The Northern troops will attack tomorrow; they have a war mammoth with them.”
“Yes,” Jima replied, “I have already cursed them. You just need to take the initiative to defeat the war mammoth, and you will have achieved half of the victory.”
She spoke as if defeating a war mammoth was a very easy task.
“How do we deal with the ratmen?”
“They are under investigation,” Jima said. “Even if I can’t find them, I will warn you at the first opportunity, ensuring the ratmen’s ambush becomes nothing.”
The Blackbeard Wing Knight emphasized with a heavier voice, “We have only a little more than half of the Northern troops.”
“You must believe in yourselves and in Lady Kisli’s resilience; you can hold on,” Jima said. “Furthermore, you should relax. If we hadn’t come here, this city would have no hope for victory whatsoever.
“Look, since we arrived, you have avoided the risk of losing a powerful priest, and with two strong allies joining you, you should be grateful.”
The Blackbeard Knight’s irritation became more pronounced: “But your meddling has left us unable to repair even the gaps in the city walls. You even diverted precious manpower to sprinkle dimensional stone powder into the liquor.”
“But if you calculate it, rounding up, you’re actually profiting greatly.”
This succubus seemed to indirectly acknowledge that she had used precious manpower for her own benefit, pouring a bit of dimensional stone powder into each bottle of liquor filling nearly an entire room.
To avoid thieves, she even bribed others, occupying precious space in the armory.
Thinking of this, the Blackbeard Wing Knight’s beard trembled with anger, and he tightened his grip on the bear god talisman, glaring at Jima as he spoke each word slowly:
“You must understand one thing: if this city is destroyed, your deal with the Fool will fail.”
Jima bit down on a sunflower seed with a loud crack; the sound resonated as if mockingly telling him, “I don’t care at all about this city’s safety.”
The Blackbeard Wing Knight said in a deep voice, “The liquor you mixed with mutagenic contaminants will also become the enemy’s spoils.”
“You don’t need to worry about that,” Jima said amid her desire for others’ suffering. “Since I can carry a room full of fine wine with me, I can also take it away with me.”
Unable to contain himself, the Blackbeard Wing Knight tightly gripped the hilt of his sword.
“Don’t be angry, don’t be angry.” Jima pulled out a bottle of liquor, the light green liquid swaying inside, “Have a drink to calm yourself; I heard your ban on alcohol has lasted ten days. It must be hard for a noble lady like Lady Kisli to endure.”
After saying this, Jima poured the liquor into a slender glass, the light green liquid filling the cup and making a pleasing sound, the echo of the liquid gradually filling the container provoking the wine bug in the Blackbeard Wing Knight.
He swallowed hard, glancing disdainfully at Jima, who was attempting to bribe him, and said:
“Lady Kisli only drinks at victory banquets.”
After saying this, the knight turned and strode away.
As he opened the door, Eve Frostleaf, who had remained silent, suddenly said:
“If we don’t eliminate the ratmen, I will stand and fight alongside the city for ten days.”
The Blackbeard Wing Knight was quite surprised as he turned to look at the usually aloof high elf. He had thought this proud elf regarded Lady Kisli as a primitive monkey, indifferent to their lives.
Yet, they were allies; perhaps they had planned it together, a trick to calm him.
His expression stiffened, and his lips moved to utter a single word: “Thank you.”
Then he slammed the door shut. A stream of painful energy wafted through the crack, filling Jima’s heart with sweetness.
Jima looked at Eve Frostleaf, who had her eyes closed in meditation.
This was Eve Frostleaf’s personal decision; she hadn’t consulted with Jima beforehand. The ten-day limit was likely her way of ensuring not to delay the longest time to rendezvous with George.
Jima had no intention of persuading Eve Frostleaf; differing values should not be forced together, lest she lose favor.
Jima said, “Tonight I will continue dreaming and patrol for the ratmen’s dreams.”
Eve Frostleaf nodded.
After weighing the pros and cons, Jima realized she couldn’t do without Eve’s long, silver legs and made a decision:
“If you decide to stay, I will also stay, so you won’t be injured and delay our progress.”
“Thank you.”
After the two had dinner, Jima routinely went to sleep, searching for the ratmen’s dreams.
Jima worked hard all night but could not find the dreams of the ratmen.
This made her a bit anxious; the fall of the city under dual attacks was minor, but if she lost the opportunity to glimpse the miraculous object that could show the future, that would be significant. She didn’t want to risk putting the glass eye bestowed by the Lord of Deceit into her forehead to make a third eye.
She “awoke,” sitting up in bed and looking over at Eve Frostleaf, who had one hand on her bow and the other on her sword hilt, eyes closed and motionless, ready for battle at any moment.
Looking at Eve Frostleaf’s beautiful face, Jima felt a strong urge to lie. How could she tell her that she was incapable? Moreover, she had performed seamlessly during the day, almost making it seem like the ratmen were just a bunch of insignificant goblins.
To speak the truth would severely damage her image of being wise and powerful.
But Jima decided to be honest; after all, they were in the midst of a war.
“Frostleaf, I’m in trouble.”
Eve Frostleaf opened her eyes, her green eyes glowing faintly in the dim room as she looked at Jima.
“I still haven’t found the ratmen’s lair.”
The latter replied, “Ten days’ promise.”
Jima felt a slight headache; while both of them were platinum-tier warriors, she was not suited for direct combat. Eve Frostleaf was good at pinpoint strikes but lacked the ability to inflict large-scale damage to an army.
In other words, it would be difficult in a two-to-one defense situation.
“My plague curse has been restrained on the Northern side,” Jima said. “Although it has still weakened their power, they have the protection of the four dark gods.”
The implication was that their defense carried the risk of trouble from the four dark gods.
Eve Frostleaf said lightly, “Hmm.”
Jima could hear her implication; the ten-day agreement must be honored.
Jima said nothing else; she stood up and said, “You must take good care of yourself.”
Eve Frostleaf said, “I will cover for you to retreat first.”
Jima walked to the window, pulling back the curtains. Through the precious large transparent glass, she saw the rising sun emerging from below the low city walls. Countless military flags made of animal fur were raised, blocking the sun, and the sound of horns echoed, shaking the window panes.
Jima said, “The Northern army is coming.”
After saying this, Jima opened the window and took the cup of liquor that she had intended to bribe the Blackbeard Wing Knight with and poured it out the window, then closed it.
Just below Jima’s feet, layers of soil and winding maze-like tunnels passed through the mixed gates and arrived in the warmer underground city.
“Ah ah ah ah ah!!!”
The piercing screams repeatedly infiltrated every ratman’s ear membrane.
On the smooth earthen floor lay various contraptions resembling mouse traps, with ratmen who tried to sleep but were caught and reported. Among them, half were innocent.
Their limbs were fixed, and their tails were bound to a coiled device, which, when gripped and turned forcefully, would stretch their tails, dispersing the sleepiness with pain.
One ratman in pain shouted, “Ah ah ah ah!!!”
Behind him, having not slept for two days and two nights, Chuluo laughed nervously: “Yes, yes, that’s it, no one can sleep, no one can sleep, turn harder, turn harder!”
As he said this, he pressed down harder, dissatisfied with the volume.
With a crack, the tail amputation was very successful, and the ratman fainted instantly.
“I woke him up.” Chuluo picked up the severed tail, his red eyes staring at it. He thought of the succubus’s tail, and it reminded him that this succubus actually dared to travel thousands of miles to sabotage his grand plan. Did she think of herself as a softie?
He shouted, “Arch-nemesis, die die die!”
Then he handed the severed tail to his subordinate, asking him to take it to exhibit and made a decision for a preemptive attack; he couldn’t stand the thought of going without sleep for a few more days.
