The Alchemist's Guide to Flesh and Blood Ascension

The "bell," powered by sewage, was gently tapped by an alchemist holding a hammer, signaling to the people underground that another day had passed.

"Roots" also has an entertainment venue open to the public.

Several iron pipes were spliced ​​together to form an iron beam, which was the climbing and entertainment equipment that accompanied the rat people's childhood. Their elders would squat not far from the iron beam, chatting, which also made it convenient to catch the children who accidentally fell.

The frogmen's entertainment equipment is simpler, but also more precious—a small pool that is considered pure in the "roots," at least without too much metal waste mixed in.

In the dim light, two or three deformed plastic fish and a few paper boats floated on the surface of the pool... while the frogman's calves swam around in the pool, occasionally spitting out a series of bubbles from their mouths.

Yune leaned against a pipe, watching the alchemists in mending robes frantically maintaining the machine's operation, and couldn't help but rub his temples.

"How does this place feel? Isn't it much better than when you came last time?" The ratman ranger Nehta had somehow returned from the rat trail. He shook off the dust that had settled on his body, took out a handful of nuts from his pocket, and put them in his mouth to chew.

"I didn't have the time for this last time I was here..." The black-robed alchemist shrugged.

"That's true," Nehta nodded, crunching the nuts in her mouth. "On the surface, the three races live their own lives, ignoring each other and owing each other nothing..."

It paused, then continued, "But secretly... the ratmen know the frogmen can get food, the frogmen know the ratmen can get supplies, and those 'old scholars' needless to say. Without those machines, 'Root' would have been poisoned to death long ago."

Yonivo gave a soft "hmm" to indicate that he was listening.

"So, it's like maintaining a delicate balance, with no one wanting to step forward... After all, the first one to step forward is too easy for the church to spot and find an excuse to get rid of."

Nehta smacked his lips, savoring the lingering aroma of the nuts, and continued, "Like you said, 'The nail that sticks out gets hammered down'? Tsk tsk, I must say, you're quite the storyteller, you always have a set of witty remarks."

Yunefu chuckled twice, his gaze fixed on the figures "playing and frolicking" below, and suddenly spoke: "If there's a chance..."

"What chance?" Nehta's tail slapped the ground.

"If we have the chance to overthrow the church and retake Hart City... will the ratmen join the war?"

"Ha...do you know what you rely on most to survive in this place?" Nehta answered Yonivo with a question that seemed completely nonsensical.

The latter remained silent, waiting for the ratman ranger to continue its own story.

"He is ruthless, more ruthless than others... He doesn't utter a sound even if he's soaking in stinking water all day, and he survives in a place so foul that even those in white robes refuse to set foot there."

Nehta's forepaws pointed to a deformed old frog fiddling with plastic fish on the edge of the pond—it had no healthy parts at all, and some of its bones were even exposed to the air due to the lack of skin and flesh.

The Ratman Ranger continued, "So, the question you asked is kind of obvious."

"After the fighting, if the children don't have to grow up in this stinking environment, forced to cannibalize each other..." it squeezed out two resolute words from between its teeth, "I will."

Nehta grabbed another handful of nuts and tossed them into his mouth, his tone returning to its usual nonchalant manner. "If you really want to take down the Church, give me a reasonable plan and division of labor. I and Sixth Brother will handle the lobbying for you with the ratmen."

It brushed the light leather armor off its body and pulled a necklace from its neck, hidden in the lining—a church emblem pierced through the center and charred black.

Eunicev had seen many of these badges, and he could distinguish them even from their appearance.

That was the "Gaze of God" that every believer would wear, but since this one was on Nehta... it meant something completely different.

Perhaps it's a kind of commemoration, or perhaps it's a kind of warning.

"This thing..." Yunevo began.

"This thing? This is why Lao Liu and I chose to help you back then. You were born too late to experience the first cleansing... but we did," Nehta said, taking off the necklace and playing with it in her hand.

"A man in a white robe rushed into Hart City's 'rat nest,' carrying a proclamation, intending to take away the strong and healthy ratmen. My father and I were the first to resist, and the first to die."

Nehta sighed and clenched his claws. "Then the white-robed man said that the rat people had defied the will of the gods, just like this rat-catching plan... pouring smoke and starting fires into our 'rat nests'."

"My mother..." Its eyes dimmed.

"Fine, in the end I shot an arrow through the white-robed man's lung, along with this badge..."

"Doing such a simple movement is not like your style," Yunev had already anticipated what would happen next.

Nehta smiled and said, "You really know me..."

"While the man in the white robe was still alive, I cut off one of his fingers. It is said that their god... only accepts 'complete' believers. Then I put his head into the fire and burned it."

The Ratman Ranger shook the badge and waved it at a dim magic lamp in the distance.

"Alright, alright, I won't ramble on anymore. Sixth Brother is waiting for me to check out the place... Lately, that thing down there has started acting up again."

"What thing?" Yunevo asked, somewhat puzzled. This deepest part of the underground... shouldn't it be the "Great Swamp" belonging to the frogmen?

Nehta lowered his voice: "There are children here... I'll speak to you quietly."

"It seems to be something your Alchemists' Guild built, leading to a deeper part of 'The Root,' but it collapsed. Some people heard noises down there, like something crawling, digging, or crying."

It shrugged, checking the crossbow bolts for any damage. "Recently, someone has been trying to expand downwards. Apparently, there's some uncontaminated water source down there, called 'groundwater'... or something else that might be useful."

"Elder Langlige Lang said that thing is like a frogman, an 'amphibious' creature, but no one has ever actually seen one," Nehta put away his crossbow and waved to Yunefu. "Alright, alright, I really have to go down now, although it's quite amusing to see Old Six get angry..."

Yunevo nodded, watching the figure walk towards the slide for the ratmen, and then saw the figure stop.

Nehta turned her head, her eyes filled with a mixture of weariness and anticipation. "When you decide to go to war with the Church... you must let me know, okay?"

It turned around, sat on the ratman slide, and disappeared in a flash.

Eunice stood there, saying nothing.

The sounds of children playing around me grew louder, but it wasn't as noisy as I had imagined.

The black-robed alchemist had an idea.