Your Majesty's money, why don't you engrave my name on it?

The only response he received was the sound of flesh hitting the wooden board once more. Everyone saw that the once arrogant Tyver's leg, which was still inside the wall, was now kneeling on the ground.

"Quick, you guys, drag him back!" Big Rat looked at the children and ordered, "Damn it, those blind fools actually came looking for trouble..."

"Boom!" Before the young man could finish speaking, the wooden planks blocking the alley were smashed open by the fat man's head amidst flying sawdust. The next moment, the entire barrier shattered. This guy, who was practically invincible among these teenagers, was sent flying by the beating. He only stopped after plowing a pit more than half a meter long in the ground.

The two boys who originally intended to rescue the fat man immediately rushed forward, howling and brandishing daggers and kitchen knives. However, the next second, they were both grabbed by the neck and lifted into the air. Their icy blue eyes returned to the high place, looking down at everyone in the dead-end alley.

"Weren't you planning to look for me? No need to bother, I'm here."

Chapter 420 Thieves and Mercenaries

You're amazing, waiter.

At this moment, the giant rat wished it could pounce on the traitor on the ground and bite him to death—and you used the pronoun "she" to refer to this big man?!

What's even more deadly than fatal is that anyone with eyes can see that the other person's attire clearly indicates that he's a mercenary, and a very successful one at that! Just a little less than those who have become nobles!

You've become so brave after eating the bear whip, yet you still steal money from this plague god?!

However, what the big rat couldn't see was that at this very moment, the waiter's lips curled into a triumphant smile.

Ah, look, they've actually caught up with us! It couldn't be more perfect.

According to his plan, his older brother and the others would probably only be startled after finding each other, at most be taught a lesson, and then come back to kill him for failing to escape in the chaos. Even so, he would be satisfied.

With this kind of development, the paradise those priests talk about is probably just like this.

"Grandpa, grandpa, what brings you here? Let's talk this out..." A young man may be a "big" rat in front of other rats, but in front of humans, a rat is just a rat, and size doesn't matter at all.

His knees buckled, and he immediately knelt down. Following closely behind were the other "Moz"s, who began to whine and cry, their sobs, wails, snot, and tears mingling in the alleyway like a thick soup.

However, it is extremely difficult to instill compassion in mercenaries, kind-hearted commoners, or reserved noblemen—this is Eastern Inasas.

“Some of you have broken the rules,” Raslaufer said, tossing the two rats on the ground and walking straight up to the young man. Angelita and the others took the waiter and the sick girl to the back for treatment. “Children may not know any better, but you don’t look like a child.”

"Sir..." The young man raised his hands, his voice trembling, "I swear to the lord of thieves, when I was training them, I really taught them this stuff, and I never instigated them to steal your wallet! It's all because Xiao Er was desperate and acted rashly. If you have a grievance, go find him!"

"Look, it's that little brat. My family and I have already punished him for you..."

"Tch." Angelita outside scoffed disdainfully. To her, these people's moral limits were probably not enough to cross her bottom line.

Leslaufer didn't turn around: "Very well, but as you said, a cornered dog will do anything, and every wrong has its perpetrator. If it weren't for you, would he have needed to steal from me?"

"Don't treat me like an outsider. Although I always rob openly, I do know a bit about the ways of this place. Generally, the rules of a 'guild' are to push these kids to the brink of ruin, so that they can eat and drink their fill before they can do 'big things'."

"How much did you take from it?"

The giant rat tremblingly held up three fingers: "Three, thirty percent, I swear."

"Sir, Xiao Er usually meets his quota, but he recently took in a little girl who is sick, and he broke the rules because of this burden."

The big rat still wanted to shift the blame onto the boy. In his view, perhaps this formidable mercenary just wanted to vent his anger, and that finding someone to beat up Raslaufer would be the end of it. The half-dead little boy was undoubtedly the best candidate.

But how do you figure out the intentions of a mercenary who is "tempted to vent his anger"?

“Very well, since you say you’ve broken the rules, then I’ll talk to you about the rules of your line of work,” Raslaw smiled enigmatically, pointing at the chubby guy he’d nearly killed with three punches. “Tell me, what’s his rank?”

It's rare to see a thief of this size, not to mention that he is clearly different from the other children.

But in terms of their place within the "rules," he is equal to those children.

How much of his cut does he take?

"one……"

"Ten percent?"

“Half,” the young man glanced back at the unconscious Tyver, gritted his teeth, and tearfully sold him off, “Then, you should find him…”

"What, he doesn't know who you are? Are you the boss and he is the boss?" Leslaufer grabbed the other man's collar. "If he's the boss, then it's easy to deal with. I can't just kill the leader of your area here, so I'll just kill you."

"I'm the leader! I'm the leader!" the giant rat cried out hastily. "Don't kill me! Kill them instead! I have eighty-year-old children to support and a three-year-old mother to raise! Please have mercy!"

“So, you’re the one who broke the rules,” Leslaufer sneered. “Let’s go talk to your boss.”

Big Rat: "...Huh?"

"Stop playing dumb with me. There's one more person above you. Where is he? Take me to him."

"You're looking for Fourth Master... no, David (the fourth son)?" The young man paused for a few seconds, then breathed a sigh of relief as he spoke, chuckling awkwardly, "Hey, sir, you should have said so earlier! I was almost scared to death! You could have just told someone, why all this fuss?"

As he spoke, he pulled a handful of gold coins from his pocket, spread his palm out in front of Raslaufer, and said, "I'm not bragging, but Fourth Master is usually elusive, and it would be difficult for anyone else to find him. But I can definitely bring them to you, it's just a matter of protocol..."

“We’ll talk when we get there,” Raslaufer said bluntly, releasing him and pocketing the “tribute” of gold coins. “Don’t try anything funny with me. I can’t find your guild, but I know exactly where Dobler’s guild is. When we get there, your so-called Fourth Master won’t be dealing with you for breaking the rules.”

"Yes, yes, yes, I wouldn't dare, I understand," the rat, having correctly guessed the password, completely relaxed, bowing and scraping as he trotted to the alley entrance to lead the way for Raslaw and the others. "Sir, what about that waiter..."

If he hadn't been bewitched by the devil and stolen from Dubler, he wouldn't have suffered this loss for nothing! He would definitely seek revenge tenfold in the future.

“That’s none of your business,” Raslaufer said expressionlessly, but as he was about to step into the alley, he suddenly turned back to look at the little creatures who were still “repenting” and “atoneing.” “Alright, this is none of your business. Stop playing the victim.”

“But think about it carefully,” Raslaufer said. When he said the first part of his sentence, the thieves showed varying degrees of disgust. But as Raslaufer and the others left, their eyes changed and they all looked at the still unconscious fat man, Tyver.

"While I can ignore you, I'm afraid some of your kind can't, can they?"

Chapter 421 The Cat Behind the Swarm of Rats

Strange laughter soon echoed from the alley behind them, as if some people had found some kind of relief, but all of that had nothing to do with the people who had left, except for the trembling "giant rat".

His capable assistant will never come back.

But at least he's still alive—if he can bring that devil to Rat Fourth, if the devil and Rat Fourth have no conflict, or if that conflict is enough to kill Rat Fourth.

Otherwise, he probably wouldn't have been able to get through the rest of his life.

The young man led the outsiders over the lowest level of the city wall, winding their way through the streets until they reached the entrance of an old tavern. It wasn't mealtime, and the tavern was almost empty, except for a middle-aged bartender with a flat nose who was sitting behind the counter, stealing drinks one after another.

“David,” the young man swallowed hard. Based on his understanding of the other man, drinking alone at this hour meant he was in a bad mood. Normally, he would never provoke him, but now he was caught between a rock and a hard place and had to make a choice. He cautiously stepped forward and said, “It’s windy outside today. If you drink like this, you’ll get rheumatism tonight.”

There's a mercenary from out of town. He's up to no good, so be careful. If you're not careful, you'll suffer the consequences.

The bartender rolled his eyes, and after recognizing the person, casually pushed his glass aside: "This is my turf. I can drink whenever I want."

"Get out of my way now, don't ruin my business!"

The giant rat secretly breathed a sigh of relief and stepped aside—it seemed the other party wasn't completely drunk and had understood his coded message, so what happened next was beyond his control.

"I heard a raven cawing this morning, but I don't know which branch it was on." As Leslaufer walked straight to the counter and leaned down, the middle-aged man who oversaw several areas of rats looked at the newcomer with drunken eyes and mumbled incoherently what sounded like drunken talk.

I know you're a mercenary, but what exactly do you do?

Just like before, this phrase was also a coded language exclusive to members of their "rat pack." Not only laymen, but even thieves from other organizations could only guess its meaning based on the habits of their peers. The bartender wanted to use his drunkenness to probe into Raslaufer's background.

However, Raslaw showed no hesitation: "If you ask me, it must be the big chestnut tree by your door. There's a crow's nest there, and it's laid eggs in it."

The great chestnut tree is the easiest tree species to grow thick and strong among all the trees of Eastern Inathas, and it is also the only species that can truly distinguish the mercenaries of Eastern Inathas from other mercenaries. As for the nest and the eggs, they also have specific meanings:

I am a Doppler, but you have acquaintances here, the most important people.

This completely unexpected answer immediately made the bartender's eyes widen. He looked Raslaw up and down, and as he spoke, a curse slipped out.

"A kitten hatched from a mouse's nest! This is absolutely bizarre!"

Many of them who do this kind of work switch careers to become mercenaries, but how many can become duples? Let alone those who came from the rat horde!

Meanwhile, the giant rat, who could also understand the slang, was trembling with fear, his heart filled with a sense of foreboding.

This wasn't some kind of "Iron Wind," it was like a dozen full-body armors falling from the sky while you were out and about, each one aimed straight for your skull! Wasn't that a death sentence?!

“That’s probably because you can’t raise a cat in a rat’s nest,” Leslaufer said, twitching the corner of his mouth. “But if I had to say, the person I’m looking for is actually related to cats.”

"Where is that silver shaded cat? You should know, right?"

As soon as the word "silver gradient" was uttered, the entire tavern fell silent instantly, followed by the sound of two rats swallowing their saliva in unison.

The "Rat Swarm" is a notorious group in the underworld of Ironforge. They are so powerful that they are said to share the world with the other two major organizations. From nobles to beggars on the street, countless people depend on them for their livelihood, while countless others wish they could get rid of them as soon as possible.

Strangely, no matter how many "rat kings" like the fourth rat were killed, they could never defeat the rat horde. The large rats and baby rats seemed inexhaustible, appearing one after another like real rats. Yet, who could have imagined that behind these rats, manipulating these rat kings, were several cats hiding even deeper in the shadows?

Raslaufer didn't need to think; he just knew.

“…She should be at the 6th, sir. I can take you there.” The bartender sighed; now he finally understood why the other party had been looking for him.

The rat horde is strictly hierarchical. The young rats only know of the Rat King but rarely see him, and usually only obey the orders of the Big Rat. The Big Rat also only know of the existence of the cat, but can only contact the Rat King. As for the Rat Kings, although they can theoretically see the cat, only the top few actually know the location of their superiors.

If the giant rat that Leslaufer and his team caught today did not correspond to this fourth rat, they would have had to take an even more circuitous route.

“But I need to clarify first, is it you who wants to see her, or…” David looked at the four people behind Leslaufer, clearly indicating that he didn’t want “outsiders” to get involved.

If something goes wrong, the consequences will be too great. He is an old man who has been in the guild since the beginning of the Rat Clan. There were several similar incidents in the early days, each of which was bloody and violent. His leg injury dates back to that period.

“I’ll let them know in advance that I won’t be going—I’ll handle the carriage myself.” As the most obvious outsider around Raslaufer, Paul immediately spoke up and walked out of the tavern. It was best for him to avoid getting involved in such shady matters.

“Me too…” Daisy hurriedly tried to follow, but Leslaufer grabbed her shoulder.

“Where are you going? Come with me!” Dubul’s voice left no room for argument. “You’re always running around and you like to pick up things of dubious origin. I’m going to broaden your horizons.”

"You two come along too. Living here, you'll inevitably have to deal with these people. Even if there are no rats outside Ironfortress, using their name will save you a lot of trouble."

The two true rat kings and the giant rat listened silently, pretending they knew nothing—the other party wanted to see a cat, and these rats should mind their own business.

"Use their name?" Annie frowned. She had seen what happened to those two children. Did this organization really have any prestige? In her eyes, if they really ran into trouble, it seemed less useful than directly mentioning Raslaufer's infamous reputation.

"You'll find out." Leslaufer didn't rush to explain further on this matter.

Chapter 422 Wine in Ink

Xiao Er and the sick girl he had taken in were carried to the back of the tavern by David's men. Although they still couldn't live a normal life after entering the den of thieves, at least they no longer had to worry about retaliation. The young rat was sent back by the Rat King, leaving him alone. He led Raslaufer and the others into a nearby house.

The house was fully furnished and spotless, and apart from the lack of any human presence, it seemed no different from an ordinary dwelling. However, as the Rat King pulled open a large wardrobe and removed the wooden plank at the bottom, a dark underground entrance immediately appeared before everyone.

“Come on, although you know a lot, whether or not she gets to see you is up to her,” the Rat King said, climbing down first and pressing some mechanism. Torches on one side of the underground passage lit up immediately. “So we need to go through the guild hall first and then submit our application there.”

The so-called guild hall is actually where all the rat kings of the rat swarm meet to discuss matters. Important visitors from other factions are also often received there, and all requests must first be voted on by the rat kings. Because of this, outsiders often mistakenly believe that the rat swarm's leadership is a parliamentary system.

That's not entirely wrong, but the Rat Kings can only be considered the "House of Representatives," and the real decisions still need the cats' approval.

“She really knows how to hide herself well.” Leslaufer followed closely behind, followed by Angreta and Daisy Mary.

"There's nothing we can do about it, after all..." The Rat King suddenly stopped, "You know the reason, right?"

"I don't know, but I can guess," Leslaufer simply nodded in response to the probing question. "After all, it's too conspicuous; it's not appropriate to show up in public."

This statement was somewhat ambiguous and could be interpreted in several ways, but David did not question it and simply continued to lead the way.

In this underground world, every few turns, one could see huge rats lurking around, while near the hidden doors and mechanisms, pairs of eyes were watching closely, truly resembling a swarm of rats. As for the sections in the passageway, which were probably connected to the drainage system of the Iron Fortress, the rats there were fully armed, and many of them even had traces of blood on their bodies that had not been wiped clean.

“There are always those fools who want to challenge the rats underground, and their only fate is to become rat food,” David stopped and gestured for the group to move aside so that a group of rats dragging corpses could pass first. “Of course, even without challengers, the scavengers always have corpses to carry—in the eyes of those above, the underground is a world for the dead.”

Anyone who has killed many people knows that killing is easy but disposing of the body is difficult. In Iron Fortress, these scoundrels bravely took over this business, saving many people trouble—and of course, causing a lot of trouble for others.

For example, judges, prosecutors, and detectives deeply abhorred the rats.

"Have we already left the fourth level of Ironforge?" Mary suddenly asked. Although the feeling of moving underground and above ground was completely different, and this was her first time so "deep" into the city, she certainly had this feeling.

"Sorry, no comment," the Rat King said, but sometimes having no attitude is also an attitude.

After passing through the last section of the "public area," two large rats pushed open the central revolving stone door, revealing a spacious hall. There weren't many people there, indicating that the rats didn't have any important matters to discuss today.

"David?" As the Rat King led his men in, a series of gazes quickly fell upon them. One of them immediately asked, "Who are those people following you? I didn't know there was a meeting today."

“You didn’t receive it because there simply wasn’t one today, Acha (Old Eight),” David responded. “They’re not here to see us.”

Upon hearing this, the few people in the hall immediately began whispering among themselves, and finally it was Acha who spoke:

“This isn’t right, Fourth Brother, this isn’t the proper procedure,” he said. “We have to investigate these people. A mercenary, two noble ladies, and a bard? The latter’s big mouth will spill everything we’ve got!”

This Acha has a unique eye; although he didn't recognize Leslaufer and the others at all, he recognized the four of them at a glance.

“I swear I won’t say another word!” Daisy quickly raised her hand, holding up three fingers. “My mouth is sealed!”

“Save your breath, Archie. This guy knows cats, and he’s known them for a long time. We have no reason to stop acquaintances from meeting,” David pointed to Leslaufer with his thumb. “Besides, he’s not looking for just any cat.”

"—" The Rat Kings fell silent, wisely ceasing their questioning and returning to their own tasks. David, on the other hand, found a magical device. He quickly wrote a few lines of crooked, cursive script on a piece of paper with a quill, placed it into the magical object that looked like a narrow-necked bottle, and as its aura trembled slightly, everything returned to silence, as if nothing had happened.

“Wait a minute, it won’t be long.” The Rat King introduced to Raslaufer, “This thing is called ‘Ink Wine’, or you can also call it ‘Drunkard’s Water Bottle’. It is said that it was originally created by two drunken magicians. They were drinking buddies but often couldn’t get together because of their experiments, and it was even difficult to arrange a time and place, so they made this thing.”

"It comes in a pair. When one person writes a note and drops it into the bottle, the other bottle will automatically start generating a cup of absinthe. After drinking it, the contents of the note will automatically appear in your mind."

Later, these novelties fell into the hands of a cat, who then played with them in various ways: when someone approached the Rat Kings to discuss matters, one of the Rat Queens would excuse herself to pour wine and go behind the scenes, then return with wine containing the cats' responses, and no one would notice the "trick".

Soon, the emerald green liquid was poured from the bottle. To everyone's surprise, the liquid was green when it was poured out, but once it fell into the glass, it became a cloudy, milky white suspension—this is the effect that usually occurs when absinthe, which contains anise, is added to ice water.