Mage? Spell Engineer!

Amidst the noise of babbling, Rorschach and Singletary listened to Freddy's introduction and understood the role of the Rat Whisperer.

As long as there are cities, there must be rats. These rodents are born to survive on the surplus thrown away by city residents. Even the Queen's castle is not a place that cannot be visited. The little things are unwilling to hang out in halls and churches just because of people. Too much, too little food.

But there is a problem for finding people: the language and intelligence of rat whisperers are less than that of ordinary people. Although they can communicate with rats, the information that rats can also understand and convey is limited.

If the "temporary king" Singarev gave the order to find Caroline, the Rat Whisperer could be interpreted as "looking for the brown-haired eldest woman (that's what they call normal-sized humans and elves, and who are afraid of 'long-haired'". Human')." It's hard to say how much of the elements "brown," "female," and "human" can be retained when conveyed to mice. In comparison, giving the mice a scent is more reliable.

"So it's useless. We don't have the missing person's clothes or belongings, so it's impossible for the rats to sniff the scent." Rorschach looked at the funny coronation ceremony. The rat whisperers were using wires, stones and various slightly valuable materials trying to piece together a crown. Others circled around the "King" and shouted unclear songs.

Small creatures began to move around in the garbage dump, most likely the Rat Whisperer's friends.

"It's the song I taught them, although I don't want to admit that there are such bad students." Freddie said this, playing the piano to accompany these little things.

"So let's go, the elder wants to put that thing on my head!" The dwarf found that the "crown" looked like an iron thorn, and quickly said to the elder: "No, no, no, this will scratch if you put it on your head. Tetanus, do you know what tetanus is?”

It seemed futile to make these skinny dwarves understand hygiene knowledge. Finally, the bard came forward. He took out a small bag of sugar from the brown paper bag and gave it to the elder rat whisperer, and issued a warning to the elder to look for "brown young female elders". After the entrustment, the three people were escorted out of the garbage mountain.

"Are you familiar with the Rat Whisperer?" Rorschach can't say whether he likes or dislikes the aboriginal people. No one will get close to the creatures that roll around in the garbage. In this regard, they are basically the same as rats, but at least this group is kind. Yes, Rorschach couldn't help laughing when he crowned Singlev the king.

"Of course. After all, I rely on that well to get in and out of the shadows." The poet walked relaxedly, as if returning to his own home: "They are entrenched in the garbage mountain. If I establish a good relationship with them, they will help me guard this well. , to ensure that this end of the well will not be blocked."

Do these little things really have combat effectiveness? Rorschach saw no trace of their ability to use magic, and judging from their living conditions and physiques, they had little military power. However, Rorschach was now more concerned about another question: "Can I get back and forth here just by using that well?"

The poet shook his head: "How can such a good thing happen! The well is special, and I am also special. My name has been forgotten by the people on the ground now that I have entered the Shadow City, but as long as there are still people who remember and sing the songs I composed, that book The poet still has a chance to return. So one day I will pass away."

"Won't come again?"

Freddy once again denied Rorschach's guess: "No, I will spend the rest of my life in the shadows. Although it is eerie and scary here, there is nothing good on the ground. I have more friends here."

Freddy's words led Rorschach to speculate that Benedy Conchie, who also claimed to be able to travel between the two places, had the status of a "well-known actor".

"So what should we do next?"

"In general stories, Master Mage is responsible for intelligence. Since Master Rorschach looks down on the ability of the Rat Whisperer, what do you think we should do next?" Freddy bowed to Rorschach exaggeratedly, as if he was playing a jester.

Rorschach ignored Freddy's teasing. He guessed that the poet was dissatisfied because he looked down on his friends, but Rorschach did not have any personal belongings of Teacher Caroline, and those "long-tailed terriers" were of no use. land.

The boy stopped. The first thing in front of him was the river. This seemed to correspond to the Tamas River in Storm City, but the settlement was lower, dilapidated and scattered than in Storm City, casting a dark shadow in the dim and stagnant space. silhouette, slightly further away, the outline of a larger, grotesque building is looming in the fog.

Even if Rorschach has [dark vision], this world is like a landscape sealed by glue, and it is glue that turns yellow due to oxidation.

"There should be an establishment in this damn place."

"Establishment? What kind of fashionable word is this? He is worthy of being a mage, spouting new words that even the bards don't know."

Rorschach was a little impatient with the "Rigoletto" performance: "The establishment means that this place has managers and rules. If you insist on using yin and yang as a performance method, I don't mind entertaining you with fireballs in my left hand and ice in the right."

The poet restrained himself: "As you wish. Yes, this place does have managers, and there are too many rules."

"Aren't they wearing the same pants as the Istani authorities?"

"Do the underground people deserve it? We are in the shadow land! Even the beggars in Storm City are nobler than them, although beggars fall into this hellish place every day."

The three of them walked towards the settlement and were about to cross a bridge. Rorschach continued to express his thoughts: "First find a place to stay in the city. If nothing happens to Teacher Caroline, it will definitely be in the city. No one can live in the wilderness and garbage mountains. We need to find someone who can collect information and can speak in this place. "People." In short, we are looking for help from local snakes. It is unlikely that we can succeed in finding a needle in a haystack by relying on a mage who is not good at divination or a dwarf carrying an explosive hammer.

"Local snakes" do not necessarily rely on the managers or lords of this shadow city. Rorschach asked Freddy to first make sure that the local managers are not linked to the ground, and that the group will not continue to be iron-crowned after entering the city. Hunted by the forces of the Knights and other authorities.

After ensuring the above, even if she doesn't take the initiative to find Teacher Caroline and spread the news that a young spellcaster is coming to Shadow City, it is very likely that Caroline will take the initiative to inquire about Rorschach's situation and then come to her door.

Now Rorschach has a guess. Teacher Caroline is being tracked by the authorities on the ground, so entering the Shadow City should be a proactive action, using the "Exclusion Curse" of the Shadow Land to avoid tracking.

This is indeed a holy land for wanted criminals. It’s so cool to eliminate the stars immediately after entering.

The last resort was in Rorschach's pocket. Balaam's Pearl went dormant after Rorschach's serial divination. He could wait until the beads revived, and divination on the same field would likely yield more detailed results.

"Wait a minute," the poet agreed with Rorschach's plan, but there were more important things at the moment. He grabbed Singletary who was about to go directly to the bridge: "Here, it is easy to cross any bridge or swim any river. Be extra careful.”