Chapter 70: Chapter 68 Ratman Priest
In the middle of a plain, tall thatches stretched into a dense patch, obscuring the field. The thick and continuous root system had almost taken away all the survival resources, making it impossible even for trees to grow here.
The edge of each blade of thatch was as sharp as a knife, a careless touch could cut the skin. Even herbivores disliked these spiky thatch leaves and stayed far away to forage elsewhere.
As a result, this field of thatch became the sturdiest barrier for the tribe of mouse-people living here.
The tall thatch leaves stood upright, the mouse-people stood within, their figures completely obscured by the tall leaves. The dense thickets, which might be an obstacle for others, were like a fish to water for the mouse-people.
The root system of the thatch provided food for the mouse-people, and the leaves could help them block their enemies from chasing. All along, this group of mouse-people lived steadily here, with a population steadily increasing, reaching over three hundred.
The vast thatch plain had always allowed the mouse-people to live securely, without being overly concerned about the threat of external enemies, but recently, the leadership of the mouse-people tribe found themselves plunged into panic.
The Dragon Nest Tribe had been sweeping through nearby beastman tribes extensively. Naturally, the mouse-people couldn’t be oblivious to this, and it was precisely for this reason that the mouse-people were thrown into a state of terror.
One tribe after another was ravaged and destroyed, flames rising high into the sky with thick smoke, leaving their settlements in ruins. Rows of beastmen were tied up and taken prisoner, lined up and marched toward the distance.
The "marauders" jubilantly turned the remaining traces into ashes.
The fate of the beastmen after being captured was clearly understood by the mouse-people, even if they hadn’t personally experienced it. It was undoubtedly a difficult situation with a slim chance of survival.
"What should we do? Another tribe was just wiped out by those marauders. I saw Hada and the others captured with my own eyes. Are we just going to sit here and do nothing?"
At the center of the thatch plain, beneath a constructed grass nest, a mouse-man paced back and forth, panic-stricken, his face full of terror.
"If not, what do you propose we do? Those marauders’ power is something we cannot withstand. Are you suggesting we go out and fight them?"
"I don’t mean that, but at least we should make some preparations."
"There’s no need to fear, with the great Beast God’s protection, those marauders can’t invade."
The entire great thatch plain was an inherent barrier for the mouse-people. During the development of the mouse-people tribe, it had stopped countless enemies and predators, so some mouse-people, although afraid of the Dragon Nest Tribe’s actions, were not overly terrified.
"But I’ve heard the leader of those thief marauders is a dragon. In the face of a dragon, not even the gifts from the Beastman Emperor can hold up!"
Inside the central house of the mouse-people tribe, chaos immediately ensued, with mouse-people chirping and panicking.
"Enough!"
At that moment, the Ratman Priest sitting above slammed the scepter in his hand, which was as tall as a person and had a red crystal embedded at the top, and the beastmen below instantly fell silent.
The Ratman Priest glanced around, coughed lightly, and slowly spoke:
"The Giant Dragon Race is truly a race blessed by heaven, immensely powerful, but it’s just a still-growing Young Dragon, and we’re not that bad. Not to mention we are favored by the Beast God, even the Sacred Artifact in my hand can give that Young Dragon a tough fight."
The Ratman Priest shook the scepter in his hand, and the red crystal on top immediately flashed with a dark red light, like a Demon God lurking in the abyss casting them a gaze, making all the mouse-people feel a chill down their spine.
"Blessed be His Majesty the Beast God, thank you for your mercy..."
The mouse-people immediately bent down, lowered their heads, and sang hymns of praise.
The Ratman Priest, seeing this, maintained an aloof demeanor, but inwardly felt a subtle sense of pride.
In fact, the reason he could become the Ratman Priest was simply because he found a red crystal in some unnamed ruins and could summon fireballs from it, which he used to demonstrate miracles and set himself above his tribe, becoming the Ratman Priest.
He did not possess any of the skills that a real Beastman Priest should master, such as medical care, communication with the Divine, and spell-casting.
That’s why, actually, this Ratman Priest still held some fear toward the Blue Young Dragon that occasionally soared through the skies, only comforting himself that since the mouse-people were active under the thatch plain, the dragon might not discover them, hoping nothing would happen.
With the worship of the mouse-people before him, the Ratman Priest was filled with a surge of grandeur.
"If that little Young Dragon dares to invade our territory, I will give them a lesson they won’t forget!"
The Ratman Priest’s tone was filled with authority, his voice firm and resounding.
At the same time, a visible wave of magic power rippled and spread in all directions. The dark red light in the red crystal on the scepter flowed like lava, gathering at its center, raising the temperature of the entire space, as if the next moment it would spew out scorching flames to engulf everything before it.
With the scepter in a semi-activated state in his hand, the Beastman Priest felt emboldened.
Indeed, with the Sacred Artifact in hand,
and so many of his kin here, what should one small dragon be afraid of!
The Beastman Priest spoke in a manner even he seemed to believe, his voice booming with bravado.
However, the next moment,
BOOM!!!
The ground suddenly shook, as if awakened by an enraged dragon, sending the mouse-people inside the house almost tumbling.
"An earthquake?"
The mouse-people were filled with uncertainty,
SWOOSH!
Suddenly, a visible torrent swept down from the sky, the entire thatch house seemed to be caught in a level twelve storm, teetering precariously.
The next moment, two sinister scaled giant claws suddenly descended, tearing through the thick layers of thatch, ripping the entire roof apart like it was made of paper.
The entire roof was lifted and flung away inch by inch under an overwhelming force, with blades of thatch swept into the air like dark clouds blotting out the sky.
"This!!!"
The mouse-people, terrified, looked up, stunned by the horrifying scene, while the Ratman Priest’s mind went blank, losing the ability to speak.
"A group of little mice..."
And at this moment, a grand, imperious voice rang out from the void.
On the now bare roof, an enormous and sinister head peered in from the sky, looking down at them all.
"I just felt a surge of magic power. Was that you, little mice?"
In a voice ancient and stern, those blood-red eyes swept over all the frozen mouse-people, finally landing on the red crystal on the Ratman Priest’s scepter.