Chapter 168: The Misty Mountain Range
Chapter 168: The Misty Mountain Range
Time passed bit by bit.
No one knew how much time had gone by before the room finally quieted down.
On the bed in the room, Vanessa lay lazily in Ammon's embrace.
Li Meng gently held Vanessa's slender waist.
The two quietly felt each other's warmth.
"Vanessa, do you know about the Ratmen Tribe?"
Vanessa snuggled into Li Meng's arms, finding a comfortable position.
"Yes, they are a cave-dwelling savage tribe that lives underground. Their favorite thing to do is digging tunnels. It's said that the Ratmen Tribe's underground caverns spread across the entire continent, even reaching deep under the sea."
Li Meng had originally thought the disappearance of the Ratmen Tribe was related to the Dark Elves.
But now it seemed he was overthinking it.
If the Dark Elves had a close relationship with the Ratmen Tribe, Vanessa wouldn't have described them this way.
From Vanessa's explanation, it was clear she didn't know much about the Ratmen Tribe either.
"What kind of tribe are they?"
What kind of tribe?
Vanessa pondered for a moment.
After a while, Vanessa's voice echoed in the room.
"A savage tribe with the strongest desire for food. When they're hungry, they invade the surface, targeting other races with specific goals. Wherever they go, they eat everything that can be eaten."
Eat everything that can be eaten?
A trace of doubt flashed in Li Meng's eyes, and he looked pensive.
The Ratmen Tribe he had seen in Goblin Forest wasn't like that at all.
"Vanessa, do the Ratmen have habits of herding livestock? For example, eliminating powerful magical beasts in the forest, leaving only non-predatory ones, selectively hunting some creatures to maintain population balance?"
"No, I don't think so. The Ratmen Tribe wouldn't do such a thing. When they invade the surface on a large scale but don't find enough food, they even gnaw plants down to the roots."
Hearing Vanessa say this, Li Meng realized something.
What the Ratmen Tribe did in Goblin Forest was shockingly similar to his own methods.
The only difference was that he hadn't intentionally hunted powerful magical beasts.
"Ammon, why did you suddenly ask about the Ratmen Tribe?"
Li Meng grinned and shook his head lightly.
"Nothing, I was just curious about this tribe."
Time continued to pass, and the night deepened.
As the full moon hung high in the sky, the Throne Tribe also gradually quieted down.
That night was peaceful.
---
The next morning, the Throne Tribe was bustling with activity.
Goblin leaders and their underlings left through the various gates of the Throne Tribe.
The dark, dense columns of marching goblins formed long lines.
The goblins joked and played as they walked.
Only when their bosses shouted reprimands did they obediently follow the formations.
------
To the west of Goblin Forest lay a range of mountains.
This range was called the Misty Mountain Range.
To any tribe near the Misty Mountain Range, it was an extremely mysterious existence.
People who wandered into it often disappeared mysteriously.
Those who went looking for them would also vanish without a trace.
Over time, the Misty Mountain Range became a feared land of death.
Deep within the Misty Mountain Range, there was a place surrounded by dense fog.
Within the fog lay a massive valley.
In the center of the valley was a gigantic rift.
Within that rift stood a colossal black castle.
The castle occasionally emanated green light.
"Mirror, mirror…"
Suddenly, a deep voice echoed in the upper levels of the castle.
It sounded like an incantation, bubbling and gurgling.
At this moment, in a room in the upper levels of the castle…
A hunched figure stood before a massive black mirror.
The black mirror seemed to possess a magical power.
Just looking at it made it impossible to look away.
"Stop calling me! Can you filthy, stinking rats stop bothering me every day?!"
A rough voice suddenly cursed from within the black mirror.
"You flea-ridden rats should go worship your Rat God or something. Isn't it supposed to be almighty?"
"Speak quickly. Once you ask your question, don't bother me for the next year. Otherwise, I'll curse you mangy rodents."
"If you must bother me, you'll need to pay me triple."
Faced with the mirror's vulgar words, the Ratman in front of it was already accustomed to this.
It bowed respectfully to the mirror.
"And another thing—I don't want your Rat God's Dimension Crystals anymore. I'm sick of them!"
The Ratman grinned, pulling a crystal with a faint blue glow from its robes.
"A Water Element King Crystal? Heh, at least you flea bags have some sincerity this time."
The Ratman carefully tossed the blue crystal towards the black mirror.
As the crystal touched the mirror's surface, ripples spread across it.
The Water Element King Crystal sank into the mirror.
"Great Mirror God, can you tell me who caused the Ratmen Tribe's eastern expedition to fail?"
"Heh, Skaven, why are you so foolish today? You asked a pointless question. But fine, seeing that you brought the Water Element King Crystal, I'll mercifully explain a little more. There's something in Goblin Forest I don't know. Whether or not the Ratmen Tribe can succeed in their eastern expedition, I also don't know, because Goblin Forest contains a Power God on par with me. Our powers interfere with each other, and our destinies are intertwined. Therefore, I cannot foresee matters connected to it."
"Alright, you can scram now. I'm tired and need to sleep for a few years. You rats better keep quiet for a while. The human world in the southern continent has already become a mess. I don't know which Power God caused such chaos, but its influence is vast. Heh, Skaven, if your goal is the human world, you might as well take advantage of the chaos. But I can't guarantee you'll have a good ending. Good luck! I'm out."
Before long, the eerie aura surrounding the mirror disappeared.
The Ratman Skaven stood before the mirror, his expression uncertain.
He had thought that humans in the southern continent would be easy prey.
He had thought the Goblin Forest would be an easy base to seize for the Ratmen Tribe's future invasion of the southern continent.
He hadn't expected a Power God to appear in Goblin Forest.
"Could it be the Demons?"
The Southern Wilderness had been occupied by the Demons ten years ago.
Recently, there had indeed been signs of Demons appearing in Goblin Forest.
"Heh, then let's observe for a while!"
The room echoed with the chilling laughter of the Ratmen Tribe.
------
Goblin Forest.
Throne Tribe, Throne Palace.
Time flew by. It had unknowingly been two months since the Demon incident.
After the goblins gathered at the Throne Tribe dispersed, the tribe quickly resumed its rapid development.
In the south, the goblins were expanding their territory at a rapid pace.
One sub-tribe after another sprang up.
More sub-tribes were needed to absorb the exploding population.