Although the Continuation Beacon brings a relatively stable space to the surrounding area, the time scale is still blurred here.

Luckily, more than before, Shug was able to at least vaguely infer the passage of time from his own magical connection to the staff.

Although this kind of inference lacks a clear and accurate reference, it is enough to provide precious spiritual comfort for Xiuge who is "in a foreign land".

And it was precisely because of the concept of time that Xiuge really felt the potential of these rats in front of him.

Each of them is an absolute pragmatist, so they tend to start with the actual utility and function of those tools, equipment, and weapons, and once the rats have completed the first step of understanding, they will be extremely bold to put what they have just learned into specific use cases.

This behavior is very dangerous.

Even though Azifu and the other nezumi sages continue to try to regulate this horrific risk-taking behavior, in those bold and radical attempts, missing arms, legs, tails, and even deaths continue to occur, these tragedies do not stop the rat people's desire to explore these unknowns.

"Well, have you noticed that in some ways, they have become less incomprehensible."

"But...... Uh, okay. ”

Bernhardt was not so good at debating, and he felt that Schug made a lot of sense, but his stubbornness made him reluctant to agree directly.

"Angry? It's okay. ”

He didn't feel any tobacco smell, but the mere movement was enough to keep his mood steady.

Hearing this, Bernhardt finally understood what Xiuge meant, and he couldn't help but ask, "So, you want to find a regulator for these rats?" ”

He stretched out his hand and pointed to the light in the distance: "Everyone is the inheritor, but their preferences and strengths are different, not to mention, the mother earth goddess they believe in has long been completely banished, and they themselves are trapped in the abyss, which makes the gods they worship completely become a kind of spiritual sustenance that cannot bring real power." ”

The visit of Shug and the revelation of the secrets of the continuation base have brought enough variables to this large group.

Countess Alexandra replied with a smile, "If it weren't for you, we would have already fused with those crazy rats, how could we continue to use our abilities as we do now?" In fact, everyone just feels reluctant and regretful, you know the child, in their opinion, you should actually go back to lead the family. ”

Through Shog's sight, the old general Bernhardt also saw the quarrel that happened on the improvised scaffolding, so he sighed in Shog's mind: "I know that these guys must be more reliable than those monsters outside, but they are different from any race in Van En after all...... Ah, every time I see them, I think they're a swarm of crystalline bombs running around with their tails in tow! ”

In this regard, Xiuge just smiled and waved his hand: "You have handled it very well, but this kind of thing, just reprimanding and punishing is definitely not enough...... You have to figure out how to prevent accidents before they happen, and it doesn't matter if you can't think of a way, you can discuss them with Azifu or other people. ”

"As soon as these guys start to split themselves, maybe the part of the madness that is hidden in their blood will start again...... I hope that they will be able to vent this ferocity and madness in the Abyssal Court, not within them. ”

For Bernhardt and the rest of the souls, this is a true, undisobeyable command.

It was only at this time that Xiuge finally got to see the true scale of the rat colony.

So, under his control and manipulation, the surging magic slowly flowed along those delicate lines towards the grooves of the Ernst family's rat colony.

"So my attitude is that they are not fundamentally different from the races in Van En anymore, or that they are at a certain stage that humans or elves have walked through, which is understandable and expected."

It was on this basis that the Supreme Leader, Azifu, finally decided to change his strategy, and as a result, an even larger number of rats emerged from the hidden settlements hidden within the vast mountain, and they said goodbye to the horns and crumbling dark passages, gathered near the settlements, and began to expand the territory of the tribe with astonishing efficiency.

"General Bernhardt, I hope that you will be able to take charge of this supervision in the future."

……

"Aren't you worried about them getting out of hand?"

"Yes, and a regulator long enough, tireless, and knowledgeable enough about these rats."

It was at this time that Countess Alexandra spoke: "Child, can I understand that you think that these nezumi have great potential, but they should be guided and regulated to a certain extent?" ”

Azifu's concealment was very disgruntled to the old fellows of the Ernst family, as the high-ranking people who used to roll in the political circles of Vann, they were always extremely hostile to this practice, whether it was the relatively mild Countess Alexandra or the grumpy old Bernhardt, they all thought that Shug should pursue this matter and strengthen his overall control over the nezumi race.

"As I said before," said Shugg, "everything here will bring them to a new stage, and even give them the strength to withstand those dangers, but it will take a cycle, and in the process, their race needs to remain as stable and cohesive as possible, and any risk from within may create a rift that will not be bridged, or even cut off that precious progress." ”

Shug did not hide his thoughts and plans from Azif, nor did the old bard and nezumi wise man, who even had a smile on their faces when they placed General Bernhardt on Azif's shoulder.

"You understand correctly, I mean, I hope that you can lead the members of the other families to monitor and guide this unknown race on my behalf, so as to ensure that their development will not deviate, and always stand on the same side as Vane, and regard the Abyss Court as the most important enemy."

"Other than that, there's time."

Enduring the pain of the tearing spirit, he handed over the blind rats that harbored the souls of the Ernst family to the managers of the rat colony—henceforth they would form a special companion, and these wise rats "blessed by the Mother Goddess" would answer the puzzles and solve the problems of the growing tribe.

"Many of the powers, magic, and rituals they had received from the gods in the past have lost their effectiveness, and now they are supported in their fight against the Abyss, in fact, their own power, the specific methods they have summed up through experience, based on the actual situation of the Abyss."

Shug smiled inwardly at Bernhardt, "No matter what kind of beliefs and appearance they have, fundamentally speaking, they are not much different from the other races of Van En today......

At a grand gathering, an overwhelming swarm of black blind rats converged in the thick shadow of magic.

"Is that so? But I feel that General Bernhardt doesn't want to talk to me much before he leaves. ”

"But no matter how outrageous they are, there is still a limit to them, but these rats are different, all I feel in them is disorder and madness, even with the management and leadership of Azifu, this temperament will still be revealed."

The rat people's belief in Mother Earth Goddess is strong.

In the event of the worst, the settlement will be immediately abandoned by the tribes hiding in other areas.

Bernhardt slowed down his speech, and he could hear that his attitude was very serious at the moment: "What's more, I, or indeed ourselves, have been influenced by the so-called Mother Earth Goddess, you know...... Many of us were completely submerged in that terrible power by the time you arrived, and once we got there, there was no reason left in our souls. ”

It was two nezumi sages from other settlements, both of whom were now wearing white uniforms found in the warehouses of the continuation base, which didn't fit well, but inexplicably added a bit of scholarly temperament to them.

In the swirling smoke, Xiuge's spiritual ocean trembled.

"Will they be angry?"

The nezumi sages were still in awe of the "messenger of Mother Earth God" in front of them, and they first greeted them respectfully, and then cautiously asked Xiuge if he had any more "instructions" on what had just happened.

Not only did he not question the specific reason for Azifu's existence, but he even took the initiative to reduce his sense of existence within the nezumi group, and during this time, the most he did was to consult the archives inside the continuation base, while studying the magic system preserved from distant time and space, while quietly observing the development of the race with a little madness in his bones.

Survival for the rats hidden in the shadows will naturally be more difficult and painful, but those who inhabit the settlements are also rightfully burdened with the responsibility of attracting the attention of the enemy to the entire race - if something unexpected happens, they will become the first target of those terrible creatures of the Abyss, and will be completely destroyed in a very short time.

They were apparently attracted by the commotion, so when they arrived at the scene, they immediately began to lecture and criticize the two nezumi who had almost caused an accident, and only then did they turn and come to Xiuge.

Even if Bernhardt was well-informed, he was shocked by Xiuge's words at this moment, and he was silent for a long time before he spoke with difficulty: "If this is your order, I am naturally willing to carry it out, but I don't quite understand, with the strength of these rat people, how can I confront such an opponent?" Is there really anything we can do to drag the Abyss Court to a level that can be confronted? ”

"Of course not."

Schug did not accept these proposals.

In order to ensure the efficiency of the Ernst family's rat colony in the rat settlement, almost all the family souls were divided by Xiuge, and the only one left by his side was Countess Alexandra.

Shogg leaned against the cold metal wall, instinctively reaching out and feeling for his pocket—there was nothing, of course, so he reached out and grabbed it in the air, and the magic instantly compressed into a "cigarette roll" between his fingers.

As a former soldier, Bernhardt has always liked to tell the truth: "Let me put it this way, when I was in the army, I dealt with dwarves, elves, and even ogres, huh...... Each different race will have its own characteristics, just like elves are always confident, dwarves have stinky mouths, and ogres have bad heads......"

"What?"

Under Azifu's explanation and explanation, Xiuge realized that the relatively rudimentary "town" he had seen before was actually only a small part of the herd of rats living in seclusion, which was not only the "political center" of the entire rat-man tribe, but also a particularly conspicuous "target".

In the face of Bernhardt's question, Xiuge didn't show too many doubts, he gently blew away the magic smoke floating in front of him, and replied with a smile: "Yes, and this is what I'm going to do next, and it's hard to explain to you what the specific process is, so ...... It's better to focus on the goals and results. ”

At this moment, two figures at the other end of the hall hurried over.

The "cigarette scroll" simulated by the magic power spontaneously combusted without fire, and Xiuge held it in his mouth, so a faint magic mist drifted in front of him.

Therefore, they are also very receptive to these "gifts" from the messengers of the Mother Goddess.

As he spoke, the metal disc that had been the home of many creations began to turn, and unlike in the past, this huge disc was no longer just a carrier of Xiuge's power, but a part of Xiuge's own magic.

Shug retracted his gaze from the rats in the middle of the quarrel, glanced at the still functioning Continuation Beacon in the distance, and smiled silently, "You really don't trust them. ”

The two nezumi sages were visibly stunned by the specific advice given by Xiuge, they looked at each other twice, then bowed their heads in response, and turned away with respect and confusion.

"That's because he's so excited."

Alexandra mercilessly uncovered Bernhardt's disguise: "The weapons piled up in the warehouse, especially the big ones made of steel, have long been itching his hands...... I'm afraid he has long wanted to cultivate a real 'rat army' with his own hands. ”

(End of chapter)