When the sun illuminates the thousand-year-old snow on Longji Mountain, the residents on the south side of the ridge usher in a new day. Unlike the barren snowfields on the north side of the mountain, the creatures living on the south side are working hard for a better life every day under the nourishment of the Dragon's Blood Creek. The memories of turmoil bring people together and vitality in the same way that the fertile soil left behind by forest fires gives new life to the towns that have been rebuilt after wars and disasters, and the newly cultivated fields.

But there are some things that will not change, whether they are in turmoil or not. The Frost Guardians still watch over their homeland on the snowy mountains, and the banks of Dragon's Blood Creek bloom pale red and lilac flowers in the summer. These beautiful wildflowers spread across the field, even over the crumbling walls and on top of the ruins of Valley City. Canyon City, once the northern fortress of the Greylion, was destroyed by the Nezumi Plague, and even the castle belonging to the Saron family, which was built as a lord's residence, was reduced to ruins by demons.

However, the city is not completely abandoned, it is still Valley City, but in a different way. If you're brave enough to step in on a sunny day, find the passages hidden behind the rocks or in the ruins, and follow them down your way to the city's newest district, the Rat People's Town.

The underworld of Vale City would have surprised many, and no one could have imagined that these savage, ugly, filthy and obscene races who had come to this northern frontier country for various reasons would establish such a regular and clean living space under the dirt and ruins. The walls of the cave were made of fired bricks, the huge rocks that had been dormant in the ground were hollowed out to form natural chambers, and the water seeping out of the soil was channeled into the catchment basin. The torches burning in the hallways are added with special spices, which fill the air with a deep smell of herbs, which inhibits the growth of diseases and makes the humid air underground more pleasant.

It is of course difficult for the nezumi to transform the haphazardly dug cave into such a short period of time on their own, and the person who planned and provided the technology to realize the underground city in front of them was the wizard who lived in the stone tower above the city, that is, the one who rescued them from the nezumi plague, and he was revered by all acquaintances, the mentor.

"Is the Guru still reluctant to come to tonight's celebration? At the end of the routine, a nezumi minister asked their lady, Gloria Saron, the last member of the Saron family and the rightful heir of the city, with a somewhat helpless expression.

Faced with her subordinates' inquiries, the nezumi baroness smiled wryly, "You know our mentor's temper, he hasn't been out for months since the last time Count Montenegro returned. I can't do anything about it, I think the only one in Vale who can get him out of the studio is Lady Elsa. ”

Meanwhile, on the top floor of a building known as the Cheese Tower in Vale, Lady Elsa, as Gloria calls it, is trying to complete the task of bringing the wizard out of the room. The red fox, whose body has grown completely, can already be called a tall woman, perhaps due to the genes of the Northlanders, her height is not inferior to that of men at all, and her long red hair is like a jubilant flame with the beating of her body. The clear eyes are reminiscent of the quiet waters of the mountains, beautiful and full of life.

However, Elsa still couldn't easily get the wizard out of his room. "Anyway, this is the fifth anniversary celebration, and you should be there anyway as the mentor of the nezumik!" she said to the man behind the large wooden table, frowning slightly. At the same time, her body was slightly bent, and she seemed to be looking for an opportunity to turn over the table at any time and directly use practical actions to achieve her ideas.

The wizard behind the wooden table was clearly aware of this, and he consciously or unconsciously leaned closer to the wall behind him, widening the distance between himself and the wooden table. At the same time, he walked around the back of the seat, planning that if the other party crossed the wooden table, he could also rely on the seat to buy time, "I said, that kind of celebration means nothing to me. Gloria is their de facto leader, and it is best for her to lead this celebration! I am only their teacher, not their lord, and I am not obligated to attend such an occasion!"

Cheese's words made Elsa raise an eyebrow, indeed, the rat man and the grey robe were not subordinate, this was something that Cheese had insisted on from the beginning. He wasn't trying to be the king of the rats, but he wanted to make sure they didn't really turn into beasts until the poor people whose bodies had been twisted by the magical plague regained their identity. And this has made great progress in the past five years, and along with the establishment of the underground city, it is the construction of the rat people's understanding of themselves and the establishment of a complete social structure.

Perhaps because of her experience, Gloria was far better at managing her people than others expected. The meaning of the wizard is also to use this to raise Gloria's own prestige before himself, and gradually replace the wizard in gray robes to become the true leader of the rat people. Therefore, since two years ago, he has consciously reduced his influence on the rat man society, reduced the number of occasions to attend, and even imparted knowledge to let the capable rat man learn in this tower. In this way, he wants to transform himself from a person who can actually be touched into a not-so-true legend. In this way, when they can no longer take care of the rats themselves, they will not panic.

But whether such a reason can convince the stubborn lady from the foot of Longji Mountain is another matter. "I don't care what you have planned, Jack and Lothar will be here today, I heard that Lady Emia has also sent a messenger, and even the Grand Duke of Hammer has sent greetings! There is no reason for you to continue to look at these things here on such an occasion!" Red Fox said, reaching out to try to grab Cheese's clothes, but the mage tightened his robes in time to avoid the surprise attack.

"I don't think there's anything to do with what you're saying and I have to be there. Mona's condition had stabilized last year, and there was nothing unusual about Lothar's tattoos, and the witch and the hammer had nothing to do with us. I don't need to go to this celebration to achieve anything. On the contrary, Helen will be here for training from next year, and I must find time to make up for the useless knowledge that I can pass on to Lothar's daughter, which is the most important thing I should do now. Cheese's body moves in opposite directions as Elsa swings.

"That's not what I mean!... You this, this... Wizard!" Red Fox gave up after pondering for a long time what words to use to describe Cheese, "Isn't the celebration meant for you to do something, don't you want to meet them? It's been a long time since we've seen each other like this, don't you want to know how they're doing?"

Cheese blinked, "If they're in trouble, they'll naturally come to me." So, if we do have as long as you say we haven't seen each other, that's a good thing. ”

"You—" Elsa finally gave up on the idea of convincing Cheese completely, she stopped talking, and with a force on her feet, the whole person jumped onto the wooden table like a vigorous beast, and then pounced on the wizard! As the collision occurred, her body also lost its balance in the air and fell to the ground, and before she landed, a pair of hands had caught her steadily.

"Okay, I'll just go. ”