Chapter 1027: Mark of Shame
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Leaf arrived at the eastern wing of the Blood Skull Arena, which housed a large bathhouse for the rat militia.
Contrary to what the Holy Light humans conjured up, the advanced orcs actually loved cleanliness.
Under certain conditions, the clan warriors would bathe every day. They would apply ointment that emitted a strange fragrance on their entire bodies to cover up their strong bestial auras.
They believed that while cleaning the filth, they could also purify their souls. A warrior who was elegant and radiant would be able to show his ancestral spirit’s glory.
If they poured the secret medicine with the ancient formula into boiling hot water, or if they poured it into a steam bath through pressurized and spraying pipes, the spirit energy contained in the secret medicine would be able to quickly penetrate into their bodies. Soaking one’s soul was the best way to recover quickly after crazy training and fighting.
Leaf belonged to Ice Storm, who was one of the Blood Skull Arena’s four trump cards. Therefore, he also had the privilege of taking a bath.
Those who were qualified to enter the bathhouse were either the servants of the four trump cards or the supervisors of the servants who had served the Blood Skull Arena for seven to eight years, or even more than ten years. They were the most well-informed and could be called the news center of the arena.
“Leaf!”
As expected, the moment the rat youth stepped into the bathhouse, he heard a friendly shout before he could find any familiar faces in the steaming white mist.
The old hunter, Spider, who also belonged to a servant battle team, pulled him into a pond with rippling green waves.
Those who were soaking in the pond were all members of Ice Storm’s battle team.
Moreover, they were the first batch of members that Meng Chao had handpicked.
After experiencing several rounds of fierce battles, they had formed a deep friendship with each other. Furthermore, the inconceivable combat techniques that Meng Chao had imparted to them made them feel that they were different from others. The degree of unity within their small circle was much stronger than in the other servant battle teams.
As the youngest member of the team with the strongest combat strength, Leaf naturally received special treatment.
The world of advanced orcs was like that. Regardless of size, the strong were respected. The bigger the fist, the more popular the person.
“Leaf, the Reaper has finally found a conscience. Is he willing to let you go?”
Everyone smiled and greeted the rat youth.
“Who said that?”
Leaf held his head high and puffed out his chest. He proudly said, “I was the one who finished today’s training ahead of schedule!”
“Is that so?”
All the rat soldiers, including Spider, clicked their tongues.
They had witnessed Meng Chao’s modification for Leaf before, and they were all shocked by the exaggerated amount of training and the terrifying training content.
Many people had been envious of Leaf’s rapid progress. They thought that if they could get Meng Chao’s guidance, they might improve faster than Leaf.
It was not until Meng Chao kindly invited them to take an experience class that they all backed out. They realized that there were differences between people’s physiques. They could not generalize. If they were to train like Leaf, they would have become bones long ago. If they were to use them to create skeleton soldiers, they would be too thin and weak.
“What a monster!” Everyone sighed.
No one knew whether they were talking about Leaf, who had completed the training mission, or Meng Chao, who had figured out such a twisted training mission.
“Don’t talk so much, Uncle Spider. Have you heard any news about the Rat God in the past two days?” Leaf could not wait to ask.
“I’ve been training day and night. I don’t even know what time it is today and what’s the situation in the city!”
“Of course there’s been news. The events in Black-corner City these past few days have been extremely exciting!”
At the mention of the Rat God, all the rat soldiers became spirited.
They lowered their voices slightly, not to keep it a secret, but to speak in a hushed tone. It seemed more mysterious and attractive.
“Did you know that the Rat God is really about to descend? A few days ago, in one night, the streets and alleys of Black-corner City were covered in runes representing the Rat God!” Spider said with delight.
“What?”
Leaf stood up from the water excitedly. “What do the runes of the Rat God look like?”
“They’re huge spirals with three huge sharp horns growing on them. There’s also a long tail trailing behind them, and the end of the tail is a triangle.”
Spider said, “The big clans in Black-corner City have never had such badges. It’s impossible for them to cover the entire city with such runes overnight. Everyone guessed that it was a sign of the Rat God’s imminent arrival!”
“Really? Really?”
It was not that Leaf did not believe Spider. He was just frustrated that he had been pressed into the training camp by the Reaper and had missed the the Rat God’s legendary runes with his own eyes. He was truly regretful.
“Of course it’s true. Not only are the streets and alleys filled with broken buildings, but the pictures have even been drawn on the doorways of the big clans.”
Spider continued. “Many people say that it is the mark made by the Rat God. The clans that have runes on their doors are the ones that have treated the rat people the most harshly in Black-corner City. When the Rat God descends, he will certainly summon raging flames and burn those clans into ashes to avenge the rat people who died in their hands!
“Nobody knows whether or not the runes of the Rat God truly represent revenge.
“However, the second day after the appearance of the Rat God’s runes everywhere in the city, a few warehouses next to the casting area were ablaze. A hundred thousand arrow shafts that were used to make arrows were burnt to ashes. The centaur warriors, who are famous for their archery skills, were all heartbroken. This is the truth.
“Also, on the same day that the warehouses were set ablaze, the wine in the cellar of Dead Dwarf’s Head Tavern was poisoned. Many clan warriors vomited after they drank the liquor there. The most serious ones even bled from their eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. It was a good thing that they did not lose their lives!”
“Is there really someone who would dare to set fire and poison?”
Leaf found it unbelievable.
It was one thing to believe in the Rat God…
After all, it was impossible for advanced orcs to prohibit the belief in the ancestral spirit.
Before the rat people were exiled, they were also one of the clan warriors. It was reasonable for a hero, who was willing to die, to emerge.
However, it was another thing to set fire and poison in the name of the Rat God.
That meant the Rat God’s believers had started an all-out war against all the warriors of the five great clans!
For no reason, Leaf thought of the battle cry that the Reaper had mentioned to him.
“The black night sky has already collapsed, and the golden dawn will definitely come!”
The rat youth was nervous and excited. He almost wanted to pee in the pool.
“Why? Do you already find that unbelievable?”
Spider looked at Leaf’s expression and chuckled. He came closer and spoke mysteriously. “I don’t know.” “If you knew that the Rat God’s emissary attacked dozens of clan warriors in Black-corner City, would you not jump up in shock?”
“What!”
Leaf really jumped up. He opened his eyes wide and stammered. “Uncle Spider, what-what did you say? How is that possible? Don’t lie to me. How is that possible?”
“Who knows how the Big-horned Rat God’s divine power punishes those evil clan warriors?”
Spider shrugged and said, “Anyway, when these guys were participating in the Game of the Brave, they were ambushed out of nowhere. Most of them didn’t even get a clear look of their attacker’s face before they fell into a coma. When they woke up, the food and secret medicine that they brought along with them were all taken. Even their totem armor was stripped of several crucial parts!”
“Wait…”
Suspicious, Leaf said, “Since these clan warriors were all participating in the Game of the Brave, wouldn’t it be normal for them to be ambushed and attacked by others? Uncle Spider, you also said that they didn’t clearly see the appearance of their attacker, so how can they be sure that the attacker is the Big-horned Rat God’s emissary?”
“Because…”
Spider paused for a moment, and a mysterious smile appeared on his face. It was as if he was going to describe a scene that would make every rat civilian with a heart take pleasure in others’ misfortune from the bottom of their hearts, “Not only were those poor clan warriors robbed, the Rat God’s rune was even carved on their foreheads with a sharp knife!”
“Huh?”
Leaf’s expression suddenly became very strange.
The young rat with a rich imagination pictured the scene.
A clan warrior, who was more than five arms tall and as strong as an iron wall, was lying in the depths of the alley, sprawled on the ground, foaming at the mouth.
When he finally woke up from the nightmare, he felt a slight pain on his forehead, and his eyes were dyed red with blood.
An advanced orc with thick skin would not care about superficial wounds.
However, when he staggered to the street, all the clan warriors who saw him were dumbfounded as if they had seen a Holy Light ascetic descending from the sky.
In each of their big eyes that were about to pop out of their sockets, there was a Rat God rune that was dripping with blood and baring its fangs.
It was the mark of revenge.
It was also the mark of shame.
Thinking of this, Leaf could not help but burst into laughter.
Advanced orcs valued honor the most, and they despised the rat people the most.
Now, however, the high-ranking clan warriors had a mark that symbolized the rat people on their foreheads.
It was even more unbearable than killing them with a knife.
“Dozens of clan warriors had the same rune carved on their foreheads?”
Leaf stifled his laughter, and his face turned red. “The warriors weren’t prepared at all?”
“Of course they were. After three or five clan warriors were attacked, most of the clan warriors prepared themselves. They even set up traps in an attempt to capture the audacious and insane attacker.”
“Unfortunately, the hundreds of clan warriors were chased away by the Rat God’s emissary, and they escaped,” Spider said animatedly.
“Not only did they fail to catch even a hair of the emissary, they also suffered a new humiliation. The three pursuers who were left alone were knocked out, stripped naked, and marked on the forehead by the emissary almost right in front of their eyes.
“After paying such a terrible price, the only thing they got was a glimpse of the emissary.”