Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 680 Corpse Pit
In the alley, just as the valiant Prince Thales took a deep breath, preparing to step forward and display his heroism to save Slimani, Hilay grabbed him.

"Wait a minute, there are three of them. What are you going to do? Poke their butts with your little sword?"

Thales brandished the dagger and raised an eyebrow.

"According to circumstances."

Well, he really hasn't thought about it yet.

"Adaptability?"

Miss Kevin Deer said sarcastically, "Is that so? That does sound reassuring."

The three swordsmen drew closer to Slimani, who limped along the wall as he desperately fled.

Thales sighed:
"If we let them take him away...they'll kill him. We have to do something!"

Hilly hesitated for a moment:
"Okay, watch me."

Thales was startled and grabbed Hilly, who was about to leave:
"Wait, what can you do, and what are you planning to do? Perform magic tricks for them?"

Hilaire instinctively pulled her gloved hand away, then her eyes darted around upon hearing this:
"Adapt to local conditions."

Adapt to local conditions...

Thales was so angry he laughed:
"Wow, that sounds just as reassuring."

Just then, another accident occurred at the other end of the alley.

"Wow! Happy celebration, guys!"

The three swordsmen's expressions changed, and they turned around warily.

"hapiness!"

"Cool!"

"Keep drinking!"

"Drink Emerald City dry!"

"Like fucking your wife dry!"

A commotion arose; at the alley's exit, shadows flickered, and a lively, bustling atmosphere filled the air, accompanied by a large group singing in unison.

"La la la li la, la la la ge la, the proud sailor drifts far away!"

"They beat the pirates so badly they were terrified!"

"Turn around and kick the boat owner off the boat!"

"Keep all the valuables and jewels for yourself!"

“La la la li la, la la la ge la…”

A song with an unpleasant melody came from afar, and a large group of men in short-sleeved shirts carrying bottles of liquor entered the alley, their arms around each other and staggering. The smell of alcohol was overwhelming wherever they went.

Thales and Hilly exchanged a glance: this could be an opportunity.

Slimani, who was struggling to escape, was delighted to see this, but the leading swordsman frowned. With a glance, he signaled his two companions to seize the lawyer, while he turned around to face the group of new drunkards.

"who are you?"

The man in the lead reeked of alcohol, his hair was disheveled, and he even let out a burp. He barely managed to steady himself by leaning against the wall.

"Four of us? Four of us? Hahaha, hahaha!"

He was clearly still hungover and disoriented, speaking in a hoarse, labored manner with a heavy accent from the southern countryside:

“Brothers, da, da, da, tell them, we, we, we four, four Senmo people?”

As soon as he finished speaking, his group of companions, supporting each other and swaying precariously, cheered and raised their arms in response:

"The bravest person!"

"The most lovable people!"

"sailor!"

"crew!"

"drunkard!"

"The most awesome person!"

"The first mate's slave!"

"Wiping the deck!"

"The merman's father!"

"The girl's dream lover!"

"The ship owner's father!"

"His ancestors!"

"His son-in-law!"

"His wife's lover!"

"His mistress's lover!"

"His son's biological father!"

"His mother's husband!"

"Pirates—pshaw, pirates are the distributors of maritime wealth!"

The alley was narrow, and the wailing of this large group of people was deafening. Even Thales and Hilly, who were hiding inside, couldn't help but cover their ears.

"Alright, alright, I got it. Sailors coming ashore, right? Okay, let's go..." The leading swordsman looked disgusted.

But the drunken sailor with the southern accent waved the bottle as if conducting a chorus:
"The four of us—"

His fellow sailors raised their hands and echoed in unison:

"Warriors of the Wya!"

The three swordsmen, along with Slimani, whom they had captured, listened with distorted expressions.

and many more.

What are your names, warriors?

Ok?
Thales and Hilly exchanged a glance, both looking surprised and puzzled.

"Help—ooh!" Slimani's eyes lit up at the sight, and he was about to shout for help when a swordsman roughly covered his mouth.

"What? Help?"

A sailor, feeling dizzy, leaned forward:
"Why do you need help?"

The lead swordsman silently stepped in front of him, pushing the sailor back:

"It's nothing, he just drank too much."

"Hey bro, you've had too much to drink? It's good to be drunk!"

Another sailor, shaking his wine bottle, excitedly approached the swordsmen:
Cheers, Happy Queen's Day!

Hmm, that voice sounds familiar?

The more Thales listened, the more suspicious he became, and he felt something was amiss.

He clung to the wall, peeking out half his head to enter the hellish senses.

"Of course, happy Queen's Day, happy Queen's Day." The leading swordsman replied awkwardly, trying to squeeze through the crowd to leave, but was grabbed by the shoulder by a sailor at the head of the group.

In his hellish senses, Thales stared intently:
The man shaking the wine bottle, his arm around the swordsman's shoulder, reeked of alcohol, dressed simply, with disheveled hair and a dirty face...

But his facial features, height, and build...

Isn't that Lord Danny Doyle, First Class Guard of the Starlake Guard?

Thales was stunned.

"Come, let's drink to our great Duke Janne!"

DD's eyes were glazed over; one arm was around the swordsman's neck, and the other held up a wine bottle.
"I wish him good health!"

His companions echoed his sentiments.

Thales narrowed his eyes: this group of reeking of alcohol, some were noisy and boisterous, some were chiming in, some were staggering, some were feigning drunkenness, and some were silent and trying to hide it, but he recognized them all: Neshi, the "King of One-on-One Fights" of the Star Lake Guard; Komuto, "Old Kong"; Kusta, "Bronze"; Franzuk, "Tall Guy"; Morgan, "Civilized and Polite"; Piloga, "Old Pi"...

There were probably eight or nine people in total, plus a few unfamiliar guys, probably drunkards who were scammed out of money for drinks on the street.

But they...

"Of course, if you're healthy, there's no need for alcohol. Thank you. We're in a hurry, so we'll be going now..." The leading swordsman was a little embarrassed and subtly pried DD's hand off.

He beckoned, and his two companions, one on each side, grabbed the terrified Slimani and forced him to squeeze out of the crowd.

But at that very moment, DD suddenly spoke:
"Hey boss, wait a minute! I recognize this person!"

He staggered exaggeratedly for two steps, burped, and pointed at the leading swordsman:
"He's here! Everyone! The person we're looking for is right here!"

what?
The next second, the crowd parted, and Morgan stormed forward, grabbing the swordsman:
"You! It was you, you slept with my wife, didn't you?"

The three swordsmen were all taken aback, and the leader was even more confused:
"what?"

Morgan, also reeking of alcohol, spat out a harsh "Pui!"
"It was you! I finally managed to go home yesterday, and you were in her room, lying to me that you were there to fix the wardrobe. I can't believe you..."

The lead swordsman's expression changed:
"No, you must have mistaken me for someone else..."

"You didn't mistake me! You even said it was too hot in the closet, so you had to be naked to work, and I actually believed you... But you're not getting away today!"

"I don't even know your wife!"

"Oh, you don't even know her, yet you still managed to get together with her!"

"I—I don't even know you!"

"Damn it! You don't even know me, and you still messed with my wife! You're a complete scumbag!"

The swordsman, unable to contain himself any longer, roared in fury:

"I didn't sleep with your wife!"

"That's what the last person who came to paint the walls said too!"

Morgan responded just as fiercely, his words firm and unwavering: "But I won't fall for it again! Not again!"

"I think you're here to cause trouble—get out of the way!" The leading swordsman shoved Morgan aside.

But Morgan, not to be outdone, grabbed the other's arm. DD gave a shout from the side, and the "sailors" rushed toward the swordsman and Slimani, and began to shove each other.

"Of all people to mess with, why did you have to mess with my sister-in-law?"

"Our sister-in-law!"

"Everyone's sister-in-law!"

"Don't move your hands or feet!"

"Apologize! Pay up!"

"Compensate your sister-in-law!"

"Let us go!"

"No! You can't leave until you tell me!"

"You got the wrong person!"

"That's what the gardener before me said too!"

For a time, the alley was crowded with people coming and going. Although the swordsmen were well-trained, they had nowhere to start, let alone draw their weapons. The burly men were in a lot of pain.

"What's going on?" Hilaire looked on in confusion from a dark corner.

Suddenly, Thales's senses stirred, and he jerked his head up:
In the distance, a monocular telescope was seen retracting from the eaves.

But that didn't stop Thales from recognizing it as Itariano from the Star Lake Guard, who was highly trusted by Marius and whose crossbow shots were always accurate, or rather, almost always hit the mark.

The scuffle in the alleyway escalated out of control. Finally, the last swordsman holding Slimani loosened his grip, and the defender fell to the ground, crawling forward with his head covered.

The leading swordsman witnessed this and shouted anxiously:

"No, no, stop him!"

But before he could finish speaking, Morgan's fist came crashing down on his head:
"Don't even think about leaving!"

The "sailors" adjusted their positions in perfect unison, managing to slip past Slimani and trapping the three struggling swordsmen, leaving no way out.

Hilay stared wide-eyed in disbelief as he watched Slimani slowly crawl toward them, inch by inch.

Just then, a voice called out from behind Thales:
"Hey, You!"

Thales and Hillary turned around warily, only to be surprised to find that the person standing behind them was Wyah—the real Wyah.

The prince's attendant had changed his clothes and was wearing a small leather hat. Now he looked like a neighborhood errand boy.

“Huai—” Thales was about to blurt it out, but he stopped himself.

Hilly squinted.

Then Wyman—the real one—took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"You!" Wyman said unhappily.

Oops.

Thales suddenly remembered that he had sneaked out to act alone without informing Wyman beforehand.

Just like last time in Dragon City.

The attendant glared angrily at Thales, his chest heaving, clearly furious at the prince's unauthorized idea:
"The magician Wyatt?"

Hilly's eyelids twitched, and she consciously took half a step back, giving the stage to the remaining two people.

Thales felt a little embarrassed under the real Wyman's gaze:
"that--"

But before the prince could speak, Wyatt pulled out a money bag and shoved it into Thales' hand.

You dropped something.

Ok?
Before Thales could react, Wyatt angrily snorted, turned and left, soon disappearing into the alley.

Thales was left standing there, holding the money bag, completely bewildered.

"What's that?" Hilly asked curiously as she leaned closer from the side.

Thales looked up, glanced at the spot Itariano was watching, then at the "sailors" shoving the swordsmen behind him, and finally at the direction Wyah had disappeared in.

“That’s… a safety rope,” he said sheepishly.

Safety rope?
Hilly realized what was happening and sighed deeply:
"Little princess."

Thales looked displeased:
"You! I'll settle this with you later... Now it's our turn."

The next moment, when Slimani finally crawled out of the crowd and to the end of the alley, he looked up as if he had survived a disaster and saw a poor boy and a flower girl standing in front of him, smiling at him.

"You, you guys, it's you! Those two magicians from across the street!"

Hilly tilted her head: "Hmm?"

Thales shrugged. "That's right."

Slimani didn't recognize the two men whose appearances had drastically changed, but then something occurred to him, and his expression turned horrified:

"The barber was right! You guys definitely have a problem—"

“Yes, we have a problem. We’re following you. We have ulterior motives. We’re a foreign force, a walking army of 500,000,” Thales said impatiently, pulling him up from the ground. “So, are you going to come with us now, or with that group of people carrying military-grade swords?”

Slimani was dizzy from listening, but he understood the last sentence.

People carrying military-controlled swords...

The defense attorney hesitated, glancing down into the alley behind him: a group of burly men were still shoving each other, sweating profusely.

"I told you not to mess with my wife! Mess with my wife! Mess with my wife!"

"Only I can sleep with my wife!"

"Yes! Only we can get our sister-in-law..."

Slimani turned around, swallowed hard, and gave an ugly smile.

Soon, the three figures disappeared into the alley, leaving only the shouts of a group of burly men.

After an unknown amount of time, three timid and hesitant figures—Tales, Hilla, and Slimani—finally appeared at another street intersection.

“It must be Caquere, that coward, he betrayed me.”

Slimani, limping and seemingly lost in thought, was being helped by Thales.
"I thought that by protecting important people, he would know more inside information, but... damn it, I helped him so much in the past, helping him rise to the top of the security department. I considered him a friend..."

“Yes, long live friendship—there are two guards to the left ahead.” Thales replied casually, while cautiously scanning his surroundings with his hellish senses.

Hilly skillfully turned the corner, leading them onto another street without any patrol officers.

“And the Duke, he actually tried to silence me—oh dear,” Slimani stamped his foot in anguish, forgetting his own injury, which only aggravated the pain. “I’ve done so much for him, and yet he…”

"Hey!"

Hilly, at her wit's end: "Focus, will you? Great Defender, we're saving your life—no, to be precise, we're escaping!"

Slimani then came to his senses and looked at the two people beside him.

“Magician Wyatt? Wyatt? Yes, that name sounds familiar. It seems like I've seen it somewhere before. Yes, it's on the guest list for the Battle of the Titans. You are... you are..."

Slimani's expression changed, and his hands trembled:
"Are you the prince's people?"

Thales frowned, but Hilly answered before he could.

“Yes, we serve the North Star,” Hilly winked mysteriously and nudged Thales, “If the stars are there—”

Thales, looking like he'd just eaten shit, reluctantly continued:

"The Empire, that one, will last forever."

Slimani remained wary: "Then why have I never seen you in his guard?" Thales coughed: "Uh, in secret."

Services provided covertly...

Slimani's mind wandered as if he suddenly remembered something. He covered his mouth, his eyes filled with terror: "In the shadows, you, you are people from the Kingdom's Secret Service?"

Now it was Hilly's turn to frown, but Thales quickly interrupted.

“Yes, we are from the Secret Service, esteemed Mr. Slimani,” the boy said mysteriously, “The stars are shining—”

Hilly gave him an annoyed look and continued the conversation:

"Darkness reigns in the shadows—stop wasting time, let's get back to the point!"

"You...you're all so young, and you're doing this?"

"So what? The Scarlet Witch has been working in the Dark Room since she was eight years old."

Before the incredulous Slimani, Thales coughed:
“Now, tell me, what secrets lie behind the deaths of the wine merchant Dagory and the wool merchant Diop? What is their connection to the Duke of South Bank? What did you discover that made Jenn want to kill you?”

"I've found it, I've found it..."

The title of the Secret Service was somewhat intimidating. Slimani was distracted for several seconds before he managed to reply with difficulty.

"I, this young man from the Secret Service, Wyman, I'm sorry, I... I can't tell you."

Thales raised an eyebrow.

“Not telling us? Fine, then go tell the Duke,” Hilly chimed in, pulling away Thales’s hand that was supporting the lawyer. “You just need to stay here quietly and wait for those people to find you.”

Slimani's face stiffened.

Thales nodded and whistled:

"Perhaps the Duke will be on a ship at high seas listening to you?"

Slimani's expression turned even uglier.

Thales and Hilly exchanged a glance and walked forward side by side without hesitation, leaving Slimani standing there dumbfounded.

Several seconds later, the defense attorney seemed to realize something and sighed with regret.

"Okay, I'll tell you!"

Slimani reached out and called to them:

"But I can only tell His Highness in person, I must do so after I see him!"

Thales paused upon hearing this, then turned around, cleared his throat, and straightened his collar:

"Well, actually, what's standing right in front of you—"

But Slimani persisted, counting on his fingers:

"And guarantee my safety! Instead of being chased by a group of mercenaries wielding swords and knives like this!"

He looked stubbornly at Thales:
"In short, I won't say anything unless I'm safe!"

Thales and Hilly exchanged a glance.

“But—” Thales was about to speak when he was interrupted.

“His Highness Thales is a man of great power and influence, and he is extremely busy. How could he possibly have the time to listen to you personally?” Hilly said softly, but Thales felt that there was a hint of contempt in her voice.

“I’m not stupid. Precisely because he’s in a high position and has great power, he won’t care about us lowly soldiers… Once I speak out, I’ll be even less valuable!”

Slimani said indignantly:

"Believe me, what I know will be of great help to your master! If Polaris finds out, he will have Duke Jann and the Kevin Deer family firmly in his grasp. If he wants the Duke to bow his head, the Duke will not dare to raise his head; if he wants the Duke to go west, the Duke will not dare to go east; if he wants to marry Miss Hille, the Duke will have to offer his sister up with both hands and personally prepare her dowry!"

amount……

Thales raised an eyebrow, while Hilly gave a cold snort.

"So, I can only tell you things after I meet the prince and can guarantee my absolute safety, as well as the safety of my family."

Thales sighed.

It seems there's no good solution.

We can only settle down first—maybe we can get the polite and civilized Morgan to talk to him.
“Now I have to escape Emerald City, no, I have to escape South Bank Territory, even the kingdom, and go far away,” Slimani said, his voice filled with growing anxiety. “Oh no, this is my home, my career, my life, my job, and now it’s all ruined, ruined, all ruined…”

Ignoring Slimani, who was clutching his head in pain, Hilly turned to Thales:

"Okay, where do we go now?"

"What if I sneak back to Kongming Palace..." Thales pondered.

"No! We can't go! We can't go to Kongming Palace!"

Slimani awoke with a start, trembling: "No! The Duke, he... he will... on the high seas, on the ship..."

Seeing his appearance, the prince and the young lady exchanged a glance.

Hilly shook his head: "We can't be on the street either, there are guards, there's the Emerald Legion..."

Thales nodded: "And there are also the Blood Bottle Gang's spies. With so many people around, they'll get caught."

“I’ve got it,” Hilly said a few seconds later, her brow relaxing. “Come with me.”

A dozen minutes later, Hilly led a disheveled Thales and Slimani, through a maze of streets and alleys, away from the crowd, to the back of a high wall. Behind the wall, the noise was deafening, but in front of it, there was hardly anyone around, and the surrounding area was overgrown with weeds.

"Where is this?" Slimani asked, bewildered.
"Your safe house."

Hilaire rolled up his sleeves, clapped his hands, parted a clump of weeds, and pointed to a stone slab that was exposed underneath: "Open it."

Thales stared at the heavy stone slab and exchanged bewildered glances with Slimani.

"What, do you expect me to do all the heavy lifting?" the young lady said matter-of-factly.

Thales and Slimani pursed their lips, then found a wooden stick and together pried open the stone slab.

The stone slab was moved aside, revealing a dark hole. A stench wafted out, and Srimani immediately covered his mouth and nose, his expression one of disgust.

"This is... a sewer?"

Hilaire stepped forward, lifted her skirt, and smiled slightly:
"What, is this beneath your dignity, Grand Defender?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Hilly nimbly leaped into the bottomless hole.

Only a surprised Thales and a disgusted Slimani were left bewildered on the ground.

"What are you doing standing still?"

A girl's voice came from inside the cave: "The sewers or the open sea, the choice is yours!"

Okay, it seems safe.

Thales scratched his head.

But... how does she know so much?

Slimani looked at the cave entrance and sighed:
"How can you spies be so disgusting?"

“Yes,” Thales had just crouched down when he was forced back by the stench emanating from the cave entrance. He covered his mouth and nose, his face showing displeasure. “We’re just that disgusting.”

He pointed towards the cave entrance:
"To prevent you from running away, would you please go first?"

Slimani covered his face in anguish and resignedly jumped into the cave entrance.

"Has it landed to the bottom?" Thales shouted at the cave entrance.

"arrive!"

Slimani's voice echoed back from the cave entrance:

"Ouch, my legs! Damn, it stinks down there—ahhhhh! No, no, no, help!"

Thales was startled when he heard Slimani's voice suddenly turn into a scream of fear.

"What's going on? Slimani?"

"No, no, no! Help! No! No! Get away from me!" Slimani was increasingly terrified.

"What's next—"

Thales glanced around instinctively, then remembered that Hilly had already gone down first.

Damn!

This place was found by Hilaire. What's down there? What happened?

The cave entrance was pitch black; even with the most discerning senses, one could only hear a faint sound of water.

A few seconds later, Slimani's voice disappeared, and he did not respond no matter how Thales called out to him.

Thales gritted his teeth.

no solution anymore.

The boy steeled his resolve, took a deep breath, held it, and leaped into the dark cave entrance!
Clap!

Water splashed everywhere.

Damn.

Thales cursed inwardly, covering his mouth and nose, and shaking off the foul-smelling sewage.

Unsurprisingly, he stepped into knee-deep sewage.

Surprisingly, the sewer wasn't pitch black. In fact, the walls on both sides of the sewer were covered with fungi of unknown species, some of which emitted a faint blue glow, slightly illuminating the view.

Thales gripped JC tightly and carefully got up.

What about Hillary?
What about Slimani?
Crash.

The sound of footsteps splashing in the water reached his ears. After walking about ten steps, until the sewage under his feet became shallower, Thales finally saw Slimani's figure in the dim light: he was kneeling on the ground with his head in his hands, his forehead against the wall, trembling.

"Slimani?"

Ignoring the stench that covered him, Thales struggled to lift his feet and move forward amidst the rushing water.

"What's wrong? Where's Xi-Wyana?"

Just then, Thales felt a chill run down his spine and stopped in his tracks!

In the darkness, the senses of hell provided unusual information:

Breathe.

Yes, breathing.

At this very moment, in front of and behind the sewer, there are one, two, three, four, five, six...

There were more than a dozen different breathing sounds.

It was everywhere around him, in front, behind, left, and right.

And that recent breath...

"Ooh~ ooh~"

In the darkness, Thales swallowed hard, his nerves on edge.

"Ooh~ ooh~"

In the darkness and tension, Thales sighed and reluctantly turned around:

A pitch-black monster stood silently a foot behind him.

Thales' head started to ache:
What are you doing?
Come again?

Soon, his hellish senses dispelled the darkness before his eyes, allowing him to see the monster's appearance clearly:
It had a distorted face, a gaping maw, protruding teeth, a crooked nose, and eyes so small they were practically two black dots. It looked hideous and disturbing.

"woo woo woo woo……"

At this moment, it emitted a chilling breathing sound, and two disproportionately large arms emerged from the water on either side, slowly approaching Thales.

Thales frowned, but this time, having been through countless battles, he had anticipated this, and his fear lessened considerably.

Ok.

This ugly face is... well, it's not even as scary as that faceless Kirk without eyes or a nose.

"Xi—stop playing around! Didn't you say you wouldn't scare me anymore..."

Thales sighed, reached out and grabbed the fur on Hilly's new suit, pulling it downwards with force.

But in the next second, the hideous monster in front of them let out a chilling roar!
"Woo-woo-woo-woo-woo-woo!"

Thales was immediately startled, and at the same time felt a chill run down his spine.

This is so realistic...

But before he could think of anything, the hideous monster in front of him swung its giant arm and slammed Thales down hard!
In that instant, Thales felt as if he had run into a wall.

Bang! Crash!

After the collision and the sound of water, Thales, who had been thrown out, scrambled to his feet in the sewage, seeing stars.

what happened?

"woo woo woo woo!"

The monster roared, its distorted face becoming even uglier.

Thales gasped for breath in pain.

How could such a monster possess such immense strength?
But isn't that Hillary...?

The next second, Thales' thoughts were interrupted.

"Hiss-"

"Shuashuashua——"

"Roar--"

As the monster roared, echoes reverberated through the sewers: howls, tearing sounds, crawling noises, splashing water, sucking sounds…

One is more bizarre than the other.

They have only one thing in common:

It's a sound that humans can't make.

What are you doing?
Thales turned pale and instinctively raised his dagger and stepped back until his back hit the wall.

What exactly is this place?
Ripples spread across the sewage beneath our feet, surging back and forth.

Swish!
Water splashed up, spraying Thales' head and face.

But that's not the worst of it.

A monster covered in spikes and armor, dragging a segmented tail and several limbs, crawled out of the water, revealing a face covered in tumors.

"Aaaaaah, doxxing! Doxxing! Doxxing!"

The half-human, half-insect monster twitched its segmented limbs at him, emitting a shrill male voice:
"The water ghosts are eating human flesh!"

Fuck!
Terrified, Thales rolled away from the monster, ignoring the dirty water on the ground.

No no no...

What the hell is going on...?

"Wyana!"

Filled with panic and fear, Thales quickly stood up and roared at his surroundings:

"Where are you!"

But the sins of the River of Hell that it had seen and heard terrified Thales even more:
Under the dim light, shadowy figures appeared on both sides of the sewers, and all sorts of non-human monsters emerged:
Some monsters emerged from the sewage, their breathing holes on their backs releasing the sewage as they expanded and contracted.
Some monsters stretched out their tentacles from the corners, appearing and disappearing intermittently;
Some monsters fell from the ceiling overhead, swirling and moving forward;

Some had insect heads and stared at Thales; some had two heads sticking out and their bodies were twisted; some had thin and long hands and feet, almost like stick insects.
Some monsters have seven or eight hands that constantly writhe around their bodies...

They moved slowly but steadily toward Thales.

"No, no, no—help!" Slimani's cries came from the other end of the sewer.

But Thales had no time to pay attention to him. He stared incredulously at the unusual sewer, trying his best to keep himself from trembling: "Where, where is this place?"

"Where?"

The tense Thales turned around instantly!

The monster, half-human and half-insect, with a shrill male voice, slowly approached him from behind, its tail twitching, and emitted a piercing, high-pitched laugh in the darkness.

"Welcome, humans! Welcome to give us an extra meal!"

Extra meal?

As the monster spoke, even louder and more chaotic roars echoed from the sewers.

In the distance, the ugly-faced monster that had just sent Thales flying emerged from the water.

Thales was stunned.

No.

The monster slowly raised its two giant arms, revealing the person lying on them:
It's Hilla.

At this moment, Cecilia Kevindir lay weakly on the monster's giant arm.

Unconscious.

Covered in blood.

At the mercy of others.

"No!" Thales cried out in alarm.

"The setting sun rejects us, Kevin Deer betrays us, the Emerald City scorns us! Only hell and demons, only witchcraft and curses, only fear and hatred will accept us!"

Accompanied by the chorus of his kind's roars, the half-human, half-insect monster's laughter was utterly chilling, echoing through the sewers:
"Therefore, for thousands of years, we, who have been cursed, have fed on humans!"

Its outstretched limbs twitch back and forth, like a mouth before eating:
"Humans, welcome to the Corpse Pit!"

(End of this chapter)