The black sun hangs high

Chapter 437 The Ratman and the Prophet

"Yes, yes... Messenger, this is the sacred mountain that shelters our tribe. It is the final guidance and revelation that Mother Earth gave us in this distant land..."

As the ratmen hunting party stepped into the area illuminated by the light, they became relaxed and cheerful. The old priest, who had remained silent due to the dramatic ups and downs of their situation, also came to Hugh's side and began to earnestly and meticulously explain the "mountain" before him using his magic.

From the old priest's fragmented words, Hugh learned that this "mountain," or rather this massive, dilapidated building, already existed before the ratmen arrived.

Just as Theseus guessed, the ratmen who first arrived here were actually victims of a certain "Great Hunt." In a massive battle, a ratman army driven to the brink by the Dark Abyss Hounds had no choice but to cross a huge, still unclosed rift created by the hounds.

Under normal circumstances, their behavior is tantamount to suicide.

However, the leader of this army brought about a change in the fate of these ratmen.

The ratman commander was not only an outstanding warlord who could carve out a territory within the ratman tribe, but also a "chosen priest" who received the great attention and favor of the Earth Mother Goddess.

With the grace and power bestowed by the Mother Goddess, the priest finally led his people through the extremely deadly rift for the beings of Vaan and successfully arrived in this strange world.

After that, these rat people began their miserable journey of wandering.

Shortly after arriving in the Dark Abyss Wasteland, the chosen priest, who was the leader, was torn to pieces by a group of Dark Abyss Spiders. The ratmen began to scatter and flee, and the vast majority of them disappeared into the wasteland during their escape. Only a very small number escaped the spiders' hunt and the terrible wasteland currents.

After that, this group of survivors began to seriously consider ways to survive.

The rat people are a very peculiar and complex group.

They are clever and cunning, but also cautious and cowardly. When faced with difficulties, they often collapse quickly, fight their own battles, and even show their most selfish side when they lose the command and restraint of their leaders.

However, the immense vitality of the Earth Mother Goddess endowed these "direct descendants" with astonishing resilience.

When a group of ratmen is in dire straits, their survival instincts, which lie deep within them, will be fully unleashed, and at that moment, they are fully capable of paying any price to survive.

The old priest told Hugh that in order to survive in this terrible world, the survivors initially occupied some abandoned tunnels of the Dark Abyss Spiders and hollowed out the entire hill on those foundations to serve as a sanctuary for the remaining rat population.

After that, they underwent several arduous migrations until they reached the "mountain" in this dark abyss wasteland and finally settled inside it.

In terms of eating, the rats discovered that after crossing the rift and arriving in this strange and dangerous world, their needs for food and water had transformed into a greed for magic and a desire for the continuation of their species.

This became the driving force behind the rat people's hunting expeditions.

As Hughes observed, the ratmen targeted those weaker than themselves from the abyss. They would track down battles between dangerous abyssal creatures or search for places where soul remnants were piled up, setting traps and ambushes in these locations to hunt down those who tried to "scavenge" there.

After a successful hunt, the ratmen's priests would promptly compress the released, dense magical energy into special spherical crystals and bring them back to the tribe for distribution.

"Female rats! There are still quite a few female rats in our tribe!"

When discussing the issue of population reproduction, the old priest explained very directly: "In the beginning, our army had many female mice that were responsible for transportation... Yes, transportation! After arriving here, they were all protected, because we need new mouse pups, more mouse pups!"

"To reproduce within the Dark Abyss?"

Hugh's expression became subtle: "How can a newborn, so fragile, adapt to this place?"

"By prey! Yes, prey!"

With that, the old priest took a sphere from his personal container and handed it to Hugh: "A crystallization of power and shadow! Swallow it, change yourself, and adapt to your environment!"

Hugh took the sphere from the old priest, and then he discovered that this sphere, which was compressed and condensed from the mist of the dark abyss, looked quite similar to Vaan's magic crystal ore.

Although their internal magical properties are completely different, in this stable state, the magical structure they exhibit is highly consistent.

As Hugh attempted to probe the interior of the circular crystal with his senses, a sudden, intense thirst surged forth. Immediately afterward, the crystal sphere in Hugh's hand shattered, spraying out a mist that was drawn into Hugh's body and absorbed entirely in the next instant.

There's something strange about this feeling.

Unlike the feeling of fullness that Hugh had experienced when he consumed those soul fragments and remnants, the amplification and benefits brought by this mist were more direct. Hugh could even feel a "gentle breeze" slowly blowing across the surface of his calm mental ocean. Then, Hugh was surprised to find that the fatigue he had accumulated during this period began to disappear rapidly.

Hughes rubbed his fingertips together, then let out a long sigh of relief.

"...It feels like it could be addictive?"

The astonishing pleasure in the ocean of his mind made Hugh's body tremble slightly. As a person with a strong enough spirit and will, he instantly realized the impact that this experience might have on him.

So he declined the other crystals offered by the old priest and asked him to continue explaining things related to their tribe.

And so, through their conversation, Hugh gradually arrived at the foot of this towering "mountain".

Here, Hughes was surprised to perceive a very peculiar warmth.

The source of this warmth is the light emanating from inside the "mountain" before us.

This reminded Hughes of the sun.

That warm sun that once shone upon Vaan, but is now "obscured" by the black celestial body.

The ratman hunting party stopped at the foot of the mountain. They knelt on the ground, bathing in the light and praying silently. For some reason, looking at them, Hugh inexplicably thought of the devout Mel followers in Vain.

Inside the metal disc, the Ernst family wills, who had been reawakened, marveled at the scene before them. Whether it was this wasteland, the strange mountains, or the ratmen themselves, everything brought them a strong cognitive shock.

After the prayers ended, the ratmen carried Hugh onward. As Hugh approached the towering ancient building, the warmth grew stronger, while the power from Theseus within Hugh's metal disc rapidly diminished.

"Ugh... this place is making me sleepy."

Theseus's complaint suddenly broke the silence; he even yawned: "I feel like I need to take a nap." "Wait!"

Seeing this, Hugh quickly grabbed the guy: "Tell me first, what exactly is this building? And what is the nature of these lights?"

"Hmm...it's not easy to explain."

Theseus was probably really sleepy. In the warm light, he yawned again: "Didn't I say before? If Vaan follows the path of the Lord of the Sea, Calron, to the end, it will create another Abyss... Actually, this statement can also be reversed."

“The Dark Abyss could once be considered another Vaan, with its own diverse ethnic groups, kingdoms, and civilizations.”

"So what I see are the relics left behind by those civilizations?"

Theseus paused for two seconds before replying, "Pretty much, or you could see it as a tombstone commemorating the world's last struggle and effort."

"tombstone?"

Hugh looked up in surprise, and standing beneath this colossal building, he felt even more acutely his own insignificance.

The entity before him was far too enormous, and it was a tangible entity that could be touched. Reality and illusion intertwined at this moment, making it impossible for Hugh to fathom.

He wanted to ask something more, but Theseus had already slipped away while Hugh was in a daze. No matter how Hugh called out to him, all he got in response was a very faint snore.

"Does even the God of a Thousand Faces need to sleep?"

Despite being filled with many questions, Hugh could only continue forward. He also wanted to know what secrets were hidden inside this magnificent ruin, and why Theseus had suggested that he visit this place.

Some figures appeared ahead; it was another group of ratmen, also carrying weapons, but judging from their physiques, these ratmen were clearly younger.

"They came to greet us, to greet the messengers... They are all young lads, they need more experience, yes, experience."

The old priest offered an explanation at the opportune moment. After leading several young ratmen to see Hugh, he continued, "The tribe is in the mountains, on the mountainside... We need to go up there; the prophet is waiting!"

This wasn't the first time Hugh had heard the title "prophet," so he made a request: "Tell me about your prophets."

"Prophet, yes, prophet!"

When the topic of "prophet" came up, the old priest, who was already highly respected among the rat people, showed an extremely humble side.

It pondered for a moment before giving its answer: "Just like you, Messenger, in the beginning, the Prophet walked alone in the wasteland until he met the tribe's hunters, and then joined us... The Prophet is wise, powerful, and sees into the future! The Prophet has mastered a thousand rituals, taught the tribe, and led us to migrate here!"

Upon hearing this, Hugh couldn't help but raise his eyebrows: "Wandering the wasteland like me? Your prophet and I are of the same race?"

"no no!"

The old priest quickly shook his head: "The prophet is a rat, a rat who has received the grace of the Mother Goddess!"

Hearing this, Hugh became even more curious. At this moment, he had already followed the group into a dilapidated and dark tunnel, which was filled with all kinds of debris and junk, making it impossible to see the original appearance of the tunnel.

Hughes then asked, "You mentioned the prophecy of the prophet before. How did your prophet predict my future?"

The old priest tried to recall for a moment, then replied, "I was present when the prophet made this prophecy! Yes, I was present!"

"The prophet said that if a bright light appears in the wasteland, it means that a messenger has come... a messenger sent by the Mother Goddess from her homeland!"

"Light?"

"Yes, light! Warm, blinding firelight!"

The old priest described it in detail: "We saw it before, a bright light that drew a huge circle in the darkness of the wasteland! So we set off to find the messenger, to find you, in the direction of the light!"

Hearing this, Hugh was slightly startled. He realized that the "firelight" the other party mentioned was the "Wanderer's Campfire" magic that he had used to fight the Nightmare Bear. His encounter with them was not accidental—these guys had come looking for him!

As they talked, the group had already ventured deep into the building. Here, Hugh saw many dim lamps made of crystals, which emitted a somber green glow, illuminating more traces of the rat-man tribe's life.

"This tribe is quite large!"

Old Bernhardt, observing the outside world through Hugh's eyes, exclaimed in amazement: "These rats are incredibly prolific!"

"General Bernhardt, don't forget, you're a rat now too."

Countess Alexandra sighed. "I think you should be more concerned about our situation. A huge rat's nest is no safer than the wasteland outside."

"Ah... well, I just wanted to say that these rats perfectly fit the concept I came up with earlier, and they definitely have the potential to form a perfect army!"

Hugh ignored the old men's bickering, because at that moment, he had already arrived with the group in front of a huge vertical shaft.

Inside this shaft, there are clearly some complex mechanical structures.

But now, these structures have long been destroyed, replaced by makeshift elevators built by the rat-men tribe using a lot of strange and unusual materials.

Yes, an elevator.

It was actually a huge stone slab inlaid with multiple pieces of Dark Abyss Crystals, with black chains made of unknown materials around its edges, and strange ritual patterns engraved in the center of the slab.

"The prophet is up there, we're almost there!"

The old priest led Hugh onto the elevator, and the ritual began to take effect. As a somber light flowed from within the ritual space, the black chains around the stone slabs were pulled by some force.

(End of this chapter)