Underground, it was supposed to be lightless. But the scene in front of him is enough to subvert normal people's understanding of underground tunnels. No race, not even the dwarves who are skilled at digging into the ground, have been able to create such an amazing masterpiece in such a short period of time.

The massive circular crater takes the form of a spiraling downward stepped structure, with twelve deliberately reserved and reinforced pillars supporting the top of the underground space. On the curved dome, the roots of some plants penetrate the soil layer and hang down naturally. The space of the crater gets smaller and smaller as you go down, but don't let this illusion fool you, as the inverted cone-shaped walls are dotted with a staggering number of passageways, arranged irregularly along spiral steps.

The space at the bottom looks smaller, simply because the lower passages, the larger the rooms behind them. For example, the room where the leaders of the mutant rat people gathered for a meeting was on the third-to-last floor, and the deepest rooms were used as warehouses for food and other supplies.

Instead of blazing torches or elaborate lens combinations such as those used in the Apothecary Guild, the underground world is illuminated by the naturally growing glowing mosses in the soil and the glowing fungi specially cultivated by the rats. This makes the light in the entire crypt a dull green, but for the people who live here, their visual organs are better suited to the low-light environment.

Standing on the top floor of the crypt, Gloria can clearly see the companions who are directing the carrying of supplies and the controlled native nezumi laborers on the lowest level.

"Your Highness, you are not safe here. The scouts have notified the approach of the unknown, and the important supplies from the upper levels have been moved to the lower levels. A nezumi who followed Gloria couldn't help but say after waiting for a long time and not seeing the daughter of the former lord move.

"Crowe, standing here, what do you see?" Gloria didn't follow the guard's advice, her eyes still fixed on the magnificent underground complex.

The guard, known as Crow, was puzzled for a moment, then bowed respectfully and walked about half a step behind Gloria, where he could also see the scene below. "I see the homeland, Your Highness. Our homeland. ”

"Is it...", the lord's daughter thought about the guard's words, she knew that Crow was just an ordinary peasant boy before the plague broke out, and that it was only after experiencing the rat-man plague and becoming a mutant that he was "lucky" to come to Vale City to join the other mutants. It was because of his simplicity and bravery that Hal and several other members of the council would let him protect Gloria as a bodyguard.

Speaking of protection, Crow is tasked with the same task as the maid who used to take care of Gloria's food and daily life, and he faithfully carries out the orders of the members of the council to keep the nominally most noble young lady out of danger. Until recently, Gloria didn't think there was anything wrong with this, as the daughter of a lord, she had become accustomed to being kept in captivity like a canary, and to talking about certain topics and avoiding the scenery beyond the walls. But now everything is different, the canary that has seen the sky will not return to its cage, and even if it chooses to rest in the cage, it will ensure that it has a way to leave freely.

Gloria knew what the mutants, including Crow, thought of herself, the last of the Ssalonians, and that's it. They protect themselves only in search of psychological comfort, and they enshrine themselves as His Highness, only out of need of a nominal leader. As for real decision-making, it is never something you can meddle in. Gloria knew this, but she was not resentful of it, for as a member of the Saron family, she remembered what her father, the old Count of Salon, had said the most.

"You have to be who they want you to be. "If the lords need a protector, the lord has to be a general. If they need enforcers, the lord has to be an executioner. Now, what the mutants need is a connection that will convince them that they are still human, and as the rightful and legitimate heir to the kingdom's de jure Saron Domain, Gloria must and can only be their spiritual leader.

"What do you say, Your Highness?" asked Crow, a little confused, and Gloria repeated her father's instructions in such a voice that he did not hear clearly.

"Nothing. What do you think of the argument between Bloodbeard and Lord Howl?" the lord's daughter asked, shaking her head. Bloodbeard is the former mercenary who proposed in the council to send troops to take the initiative to intercept the intruder.

Crowe didn't expect to be asked this question, and he looked down for a long time before he spoke, "Forgive me for being stupid, Your Highness. I'm just a farmer, and when I'm not working, I go to herd sheep. I really don't know anything about war and construction. I can't answer the question you asked. Because it seems to me that both of these adults have a point. ”

"Yes. Gloria's tone was slightly disappointed, but she knew that Crow was right. She could not force someone who did not have the experience and knowledge to judge the current uncertain situation. But she didn't end the conversation, "So, if you were given the opportunity to choose, would you still want to continue to be a farmer?"

The guard looked a little stunned, but the question could be answered for Crow, and he shook his head firmly, "No, Your Highness." If I could, I would like to be a doctor, like the Mr. Cheese who saved us. Oh, I mean, as long as I can save people, I don't want to be on the same footing with that adult..."

"Haha," may have been amused by the guard's frightened tone, Gloria subconsciously wanted to reach out to cover her mouth, but her hands were no longer smooth, and her mouth had become a protruding snout, but this could not make her feel depressed now, at most she was just a little embarrassed because old habits were difficult to change, "He is not a doctor." Although if he were to become a doctor, I dare say that the pharmacists of the entire kingdom would be self-inflicted with shame. ”

"Forgive me for my ignorance, Your Highness, I—" Crowe realized that he had said the wrong thing, and he bent down in panic to apologize, but was helped up by Gloria, who turned around.

"You don't need to apologize, poor Crowe. Everyone is ignorant, we think we know everything, but in reality, all we see is the base of a tower. The nezumi said, and another scene appeared in front of her, the interior of the Grey Tower, where her entire worldview had changed.

"Let's go down, don't keep Mr. Hal waiting. She said, leading her way towards the lower levels of the crypt. Crow, like a pardon, hurried after Gloria.

But at this moment, a large number of proto-rat people ran over in a position of more than two under the leadership of three or four mutant ratmen. The leader of them shouted when he saw that Gloria was standing in front of him, "Your Highness!

"Boom!" a loud cracking sound came from the dome, and a large number of clods of earth and rocks fell like rain, striking the unprepared rats hard.

Gloria subconsciously blocked the dust from above with her arm, fortunately allowing her to be some distance from the origin of this collapse. The lord's daughter shook off the sand from her arm and looked up at the top of the cave, where a large, ugly millipede was slowly burrowing out.

Please remember that the first domain name of this book is:. Nine Heavenly God Emperor mobile version reading website: