"It hurts so much. Lord Chuan, please spare me. Please spare this poor little rat …"
"Please stop. I offer my sincerest apologies for offending you just now! Please let me go … "
"Ji ji ji ji … Please stop …"
At the vent, the huge flame rat was rolling around crazily. Blue flames rose from its body and spread in all directions.
The temperature of the blue flames was extremely high. According to the measurement of the Moon Core, any martial artist below level four would be burned to ashes if they came into contact with the flames without any protective measures.
However, this cage, including the vent, was very special. The patterns drawn by the [Illusory Flame Metal] could completely isolate the blue flames.
Waves of blue flames spread, but they were blocked by the wall and rushed toward the flame rat, burning it until it squeaked.
Although the flames were born from its body, and the flame rat was extremely resistant to high temperatures, it could not withstand the continuous burning.
For a moment, the smell of meat wafted out of the vent, dispersing the stench left by the flame rat.
In the cage, the Blue Kitty returned to its mini form. It raised its head and sniffed with its nose, and a stream of liquid flowed out of the corner of its mouth. It looked at Hayashi River, using its eyes to show that it was hungry.
"The meat of a flame rat is not delicious. It will hurt your stomach."
Hayashi River rubbed the little guy's back with one hand and clenched his other hand into a fist. He activated the mental energy spike in the flame rat's body again.
Instantly, another miserable shriek was heard. The flame rat twitched in pain. Its scarlet eyes turned white, and its mind went blank. There was only one thought in its mind — the human race was too despicable. It really couldn't eat anything given by the human race. This ant-like human was simply a devil.
The flame rat was scared out of its wits by the blue meow, and it unconsciously ate all the meat that Hayashi River threw at it.
Then, a lethal mental energy spike was formed in its body. Hayashi River could casually activate it, and the flame rat would be in so much pain that it wanted to die.
"Are you cursing me in your heart?"
Hayashi River's expression was indifferent as he clenched his fists even tighter. He controlled the mental energy spikes inside the flame rat and stimulated the level-seven monster's brain and internal organs.
"No, no … I sincerely beg for Mister Chuan, Lord Chuan, and Master's forgiveness!"
The flame rat howled in pain. Its long tongue stuck out of its mouth as it grimaced in pain. Tears, saliva, and the liquid in its lower body spurted out …
Looking at this scene, Hayashi River frowned and sneered, "Master? I don't want to have a pet like you. Then, it's time to end this … "
Circulating his mental energy, Hayashi River was ready to give this flame rat a fatal blow and turn it into a plant-based flame rat to repay its hospitality.
"Machine owner. Please don't be angry, this guy still has great use. "
The Moon Core's voice sounded. "This flame rat is very intelligent, and it should know many secrets of the Phantom Flame Mine. If you turn it into an idiot, you won't be able to obtain further information."
Hayashi River's clenched fists paused. He took a deep breath and quickly calmed himself down. Then, he nodded.
"Indeed, this flame rat still has great use …" Hayashi River murmured.
Outside the vent, Hayashi River walked to the flame rat and threw a pendant-like object at it. There was a pearl-like object inlaid on the pendant. It was the Moon Core.
"What is this …"
The flame rat's eyes widened. It instinctively wanted to retreat, but its body was numb and it couldn't move.
Rays of light shot out from the pendant and turned into a light curtain that enveloped the flame rat.
These rays of light seeped into the flame rat's body and swam around its skin, muscles, and organs, examining the flame rat's body structure in an instant.
Ding ding …
Hayashi River's sensory goggles also received the detailed information of the flame rat's body. He couldn't help but be amazed by the detailed information.
He was amazed by the efficiency of the Moon Core, and its ability to detect living beings was far better than that of the mossy bones.
At the same time, Hayashi River was also amazed by the flame rat's powerful body structure. Its body was as tough as steel, and its claws and teeth were as sharp as six-star Heart Origin Weapons.
Not only that, but the flame rat's claws and teeth could regenerate very quickly. Even if they were broken, they could regenerate quickly.
That wasn't the most shocking part. What was even more shocking was the flame rat's tail, which was also the part that Hayashi River couldn't see from the vent.
The information displayed by the goggles showed that the flame rat's tail was very long; it was at least twice as long as its body. From the perspective of the vents, one could see that there were circles of tendons inside the tail.
These tendons were even tougher than its claws and teeth.
That's right. The strongest part of the flame rat was its tail. It also relied on this seven-star drill-like tail to dig holes in a place like the Phantom Flame Mine.
"As expected of a level-seven monster. Every part of its body is a treasure!" The Moon Core praised.
"Indeed. During the Dark Ages, level-seven monsters were rare. I didn't expect to see one here." The mossy bones also praised.
Hayashi River stared at the flame rat, and inspiration for the construction of Heart Origin Equipment appeared in his mind. Every part of this level-seven monster's body was an excellent material!
Moreover, this might be one of the few flame rats left in the world, and the Heart Origin Equipment made from it might be a model that was out of print.
"No, no, don't kill me …"
The flame rat quivered. It sensed Hayashi River's murderous gaze, and because it had the energy of the Moon Core in its body, it heard two unfamiliar voices from time to time, which frightened it.
The flame rat turned over and lay on the ground. It kowtowed repeatedly and screamed, "Sir. I'm the only flame rat in this world. If you kill me, there won't be a second one. If you take me in and breed me with other female rats, with our reproductive ability, you'll have an endless supply of materials! Mr. Chuan, if you let me go, I can give birth to thousands of descendants for you to slaughter! "
Hayashi River, the Moon Core, the mossy bones, and the Blue Kitty were all stunned. In order to survive, the flame rat used itself as a breeding rat and sold its descendants. This flame rat's personality was really cold and cruel …
"Meow!?"
The Blue Kitty licked its paws, and its eyes were fierce. It wanted to kill this flame rat.
"What the flame rat said makes sense …" [Moon Core] agreed.
Hayashi River frowned. He didn't like this flame rat to begin with. Wouldn't it be better to just kill it? He wouldn't leave any trouble by his side.
"Machine owner, don't worry. I have a way. You can't treat it as an intelligent species just because it can speak human language. It's still a beast in nature … "The Moon Core advised.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The flame rat that was called a beast kept kowtowing and screamed, "That's right. Mr. Chuan, just let me be a breeding rat. That's enough. Also, I've never eaten humans or any other species. I haven't even eaten dark dwarves. Not long after I was born, the flame rats died out. I survived by eating the creatures in the mine. It's a miserable life … "
After hearing [Moon Core]'s advice, the Flame Rat quickly told Moon Core about its life ever since it was born.
This flame rat was born more than 70 years ago. According to the average lifespan of a flame rat, it had just reached adulthood. It had just grown from a child to an adult flame rat, and it was still young.
When it was born, the flame rats were already on the verge of extinction. This [Phantom Flame Mine] was actually a huge trap for flame rats.
Back then, the reason why the Flame Rats disappeared without a trace was because of the [Phantom Flame Mine].
A long time ago, in order to exterminate the flame rats, the other species in the Northern Region hollowed out the [Phantom Flame Mines] and created their favorite nests.
After most of the flame rats entered the mines, they sealed off the [Phantom Flame Mines], and the number of flame rats in the Northern Region decreased by 80%.
The remaining 20% were hunted by the other species outside. That was the truth behind the extinction of flame rats.
"Every [Phantom Flame Mine] was sealed off with special measures. For example, the defensive measures in this cage are only effective against flame rats.
"My ancestors were trapped inside. They had no food, and they couldn't get out. They kept attacking each other and devouring their own kind. As time passed, their numbers decreased …"
The flame rat recounted the history of the extinction of its species. Its eyes were filled with tears and sorrow.
Hayashi River watched coldly from the side. He didn't feel any sympathy for the flame rat. It was normal for such a ferocious monster to go extinct since it had such a high reproductive rate.
Seeing that the human was unmoved, the flame rat stopped crying and continued to narrate.
It was supposed to be the last flame rat of its species, and it should have gone extinct more than 40 years ago. The environment inside the mine was too harsh, and its species died out.
However, more than 40 years ago, the dark dwarfs came and started to excavate the [Phantom Flame Mine]. They opened up a hole in the cage inside the mine, and the flame rat's range of activity increased. That was why it was able to survive until now.
"Mr. Chuan. I was too hungry just now. That's why I offended you. I really didn't mean it. Please forgive me … "the flame rat begged.
Hayashi River's expression was indifferent. He was listening to the analysis of the [Moon Core].
"Machine owner. I've scanned its body completely, and I know all its weaknesses. We can implant a device to control it. That way, we'll have an excellent fighter, "the [Moon Core] said.
Hayashi River was stunned. He didn't expect the [Moon Core] to have such a function.
"If that's the case … Alright, I'll spare its life," Hayashi River murmured.
Then, the shrill scream of the flame rat came from outside the vent. The implantation device mentioned by the Moon Core was very violent. It extracted the energy from the energy crystals and injected it into the level-7 monster's body, forming a controllable bomb inside the monster's body that resembled the energy crystals.
Looking at the flame rat's skin, there were many bulging things wriggling crazily like small snakes. The Blue Kitty covered its eyes with its claws. It didn't dare to look.
"Mr. Little Meow. This is because I've been too damaged, and my database is also severely damaged. That's why this happened. Otherwise, the implantation process would be painless. "
The [Moon Core] was very close to the Blue Kitty. It explained the principle in detail while performing the implantation.
Hayashi River was speechless. Why was it explaining to this little thing? Shouldn't it be explaining to him, the machine's owner?
After a while, the implantation was completed. The [Moon Core] tried to activate it, and in the flame rat's body, there was a terrifying and chaotic energy wave. The monster was so scared that it started to talk in mouse language again.
"Thirty six-star energy crystals. If the machine owner needs them, you can blow it up into ten complete pieces. The head, limbs, and body are all intact. You can directly blow up its spine, and the materials won't be wasted …"
The [Moon Core] checked the implantation and reported to Hayashi River.
Outside the vent, the flame rat was lying there. After experiencing so many shocks, it didn't have any strength left. Listening to the [Moon Core]'s explanation, its body couldn't stop shaking, and it cried secretly. Why was the human in the cage so scary? He was like a demon.
Squeak, squeak … No, not a demon, but a group of demons.
And that Blue Meow. It was such a terrifying high-level beast, but it disguised itself as a kitten. It was also a demon!
The flame rat's tears and snot flowed freely. It was very annoyed. It should have followed the old rules. If it encountered other creatures, it should bite them to death. If it couldn't bite them to death, it should run away. That was the way to save its life!
Its ancestors, the flame rats, were imprisoned in the [Phantom Flame Mine] because they listened to the flowery words of the humans and dwarves. Over the years, they had been waiting for the day when the entire race would be wiped out …
"I really regret it!" The flame rat was filled with regret.
In the cage, Hayashi River sat down and stretched his body. He took out a box of toiletries from his pocket and threw it to the flame rat.
"Clean your body and mouth, and wash away the breath. Also, you're Mr. Meow's pet from now on. You'll be called Rat Big. "
Hayashi River ordered.
Squeak, squeak …
Meow, meow …
Rat Big and Blue Kitty protested at the same time. The former didn't like the name "Rat Big", and the latter didn't want this pet.
"Be good … Haven't you always wanted a mount that you can ride? It'll be so cool to ride this flame rat! "
Hayashi River directly ignored the flame rat's protest. He lowered his head and comforted Blue Kitty. A level-seven monster as a mount, how cool would that be!
Meow … No matter if it was level-seven or level-eight, it was just a rat. It was just big enough. I don't want it …
Blue Kitty was reluctant. Its dream was to ride a dragon. It didn't matter if it was a flying dragon or a terrain-type dragon, as long as it wasn't a rat …
Such a protest was naturally ineffective. Under Hayashi River's indifferent gaze, Rat Big quickly cleaned himself up and covered his breath with a spray.
Not to mention, Rat Big immediately fell in love with these toiletries. Were these things used by humans? They looked very noble …
"The defense measures of this cage have been figured out. We can break it at any time."
At this moment, Mossy Bone, who had been silent, spoke. He had been studying the structure of the cage.
Hayashi River exhaled. After breaking the defense measures of the cage and getting a pet like Rat Big, he could leave at any time.
Looking at Rat Big, Hayashi River asked, "Can you shrink and come over? The defense measures here can be removed. "
Rat Big opened his mouth and lowered his head in shame. His body couldn't shrink. Only high-level beasts like Blue Kitty's master could master this ability.
"Flame rats aren't considered high-level beasts?"
Hayashi River was a little surprised. Rat Big was a level-seven monster. He might be considered a special genius among the flame rats.
However, according to the records, adult flame rats had at least level-five combat power. How could such a beast not be considered high-level beasts?
Rat Big shook his head. According to the ancient teachings, flame rats could only be considered a very powerful group among the beasts. They were still a distance away from high-level beasts.
In ancient times, before the Dark Love Era, the status of high-level beasts was the peak of this continent. It was said that they almost conquered the whole world and included the five seas in their territory.
After that, no one knew what happened. High-level beasts became rarer and rarer. Elves, dwarves, dragons, and then the rise of the human race. Only then did the current situation of the continent come into being …
"Meow …"
Blue Kitty couldn't help but straighten her body. Her face was full of pride. It turned out that her origin was so awesome!
Hayashi River, Moon Core, and Mossy Bone were also very surprised. They had never heard of such a saying. It should be recorded in the history of intelligent beasts …
"So you're saying that you're the only one left of the flame rats, right? That's a rare monster … "Hayashi River muttered.
Rat Big's big face immediately revealed a sorrowful expression. He spoke in a tearful voice about his tragedy. That's right, he was the only seedling left in the flame rat group. His masters must take good care of him!
"From the looks of it, it's not a bad thing to follow such a master. I can use such high-class toiletries every day. In order to increase the number of flame rats, the masters will probably use me to breed with all kinds of female rats. Such a beautiful life …"
Rat Big cried as he secretly fantasized about his beautiful life as a rat.
Hayashi River squinted at this flame rat. He was the best at acting. How could he not see that Rat Big was playing the sad card?
"If you want to live and leave with us, you have to prove your worth. How much do you know about the situation in this Phantom Flame Mine? And how much do you know about the dark dwarves here … "Hayashi River's face darkened. He stared at the flame rat and asked.
Outside the vent, Rat Big's eyes moved. He moved closer and said, "Mr. Chuan, Master Meow. I know the situation in and out of the Phantom Flame Mine, including the number of dark dwarves, the number of people who die while mining the Phantom Flame Mine, as well as their supervisor Takao, assistant Tim, and that mixed-blood dark dwarf. This lowly one knows everything.
Compared to these outsiders, I'm the original rat that was born in the Phantom Flame Mine … "
Without waiting for Hayashi River to ask, Rat Big quickly explained the situation of the dark dwarves in the Phantom Flame Mine in detail.
This group of dark dwarf miners came more than 40 years ago. Originally, because the mine was sealed, Rat Big could only live for half a year at most before dying due to a lack of food.
However, this group of dark dwarf miners came and opened an opening in the sealed mine, allowing Rat Big to survive.
At its peak, there were more than 30,000 dark dwarves here. Due to the high risk of mining the Phantom Flame Mine, there were less than 10,000 dark dwarves left.
The assistant supervisor, Tim, was born in the Phantom Flame Mine. He was 36 years old this year. When he was born, Rat Big even heard Tim's cries.
As for supervisor Da Jiao, he was a human, but he was trusted by the dark dwarves. There was a reason for this.
From what Rat Big understood, Da Jiao came to the Phantom Flame Mountain for revenge. He was looking for a guy with the surname Shi because that guy had plotted against Da Jiao's elder brother.
At the same time, that guy with the surname Shi was also an enemy of the dark dwarves. It seemed that something happened 60 years ago. That guy with the surname Shi plotted against Da Jiao's elder brother and offended the dark dwarves.
Thus, Da Jiao and the dark dwarves formed an alliance …
"60 years ago?"
Hayashi River's expression changed. He asked, "Did you find out the name of Da Jiao's elder brother?"
Rat Big's ears twitched, revealing a pondering expression. This was a long time ago. A few years before Da Jiao came, he often drank and cried, revealing some information.
Later on, Da Jiao started to arrange something and was often not in the Phantom Flame Mountain. Thus, Rat Big could not obtain much information.
"It seems to be called Spirit Shield … he also mentioned something about Li Men not saving others …" Rat Big tried his best to recall.
Hayashi River's brows twitched. Da Jiao's elder brother was Spirit Shield?!
Spirit Shield Malenqiu!?
In the past, he was the leader of the seven great geniuses of the north, and also the one who mysteriously died while breaking through to realm eight …
When Lin Chuan learned of the name Spirit Shield from the Fire Gnome village chief, he knew that the cunning Fire Gnome elder did not reveal a lot of information.
However, he was sure that the commotion of the seven great geniuses breaking through to realm eight was likely related to Spirit Shield Malenqiu.
But he did not expect that Spirit Shield had a younger brother, Da Jiao, who had been hibernating in the Phantom Flame Mine, waiting for an opportunity to take revenge for his elder brother.
"What else do you know? Tell me everything …" Hayashi River asked.
Rat Big's gaze was somewhat dull. He had said everything he knew. What else could there be? This information was obtained because of his superb hearing.
As for the situation outside the mine, he did not know anything at all.
"In the past 40 years, who else has been imprisoned in this cage?" Moon Core asked.
Instantly, Rat Big's ears pricked up, and he revealed an excited expression. He was all too familiar with the people imprisoned in this cage.
He wanted to eat every single person imprisoned here, but he did not succeed even once. That was because the defensive measures here were too specific to Flame Rats.
"There was someone who said he was from the Sea-Ao Empire's royal family …"
"There was a fair-skinned human who spoke softly. When he saw me, he fainted on the spot. He seemed to be Zhong Wangsun's follower …"
"There were three people with the surname Gong …"
"One from the empire's military …"
"One from some knighthood …"
"The one with the surname Shi was the most imprisoned …"
Rat Big counted them one by one. In the past 40 years, the number of people imprisoned in this cage was about 30.
Other than the empire's military, it seemed that everyone's fate could not escape death.
"The empire's royal family, the military, the Imperial Knights, the Gong Family's branch, the Shi Family, Zhong Wangsun's descendants …"
Hayashi River muttered, but he suddenly felt enlightened. He more or less understood that the true culprit behind the breakthroughs of the seven peerless geniuses involved so many forces.
Mossy Bone also thought about it and muttered, "The people Da Jiao killed should be the enemies who killed his brother. The empire's military, the only survivor, can probably be excluded. As for the empire's royal family, the Imperial Knights, the Gong Family's branch, the Shi Family, and Zhong Wangsun's descendants, are these people the culprits who secretly attacked the seven peerless geniuses … "
Hayashi River was silent for a while. Combining the information he had gathered from Village Chief Li Men, he roughly deduced the truth of the matter.
"From what that old man Li Men said, he clearly respects Spirit Shield Malenqio, and it seems that Lord Wolf of Limestone Ridge agrees with him … Moreover, Spirit Shield is a member of the northern royal family. Whether he's a direct descendant or not, in the eyes of outsiders, his identity is that of the northern royal family …
"Such a peerless genius who reached level-eight, coupled with his own charisma, will become one of the leaders of the northern royal family in the future, regardless of whether he can take over the position of the king of the north.
"That's right, there's also Da Jiao. He's also a level-eight powerhouse now. This means that when he was young, his talent was also shocking.
"Both brothers are geniuses, and elder brother Spirit Shield has gathered so many peerless experts. For the imperial family of the Sea-Ao Empire and the other forces in the north, this is really like sitting on pins and needles …"
Hayashi River smiled. The truth he deduced might not be the whole story, but it should be a major cause.
At the end of the day, it was the long-standing disputes of the Sea-Ao Empire …
As for the assassinations that happened later, it was like an event. Once it started, the subsequent developments would be difficult to control.
[Moon Core] and [Mossy Bones] were silent. This kind of struggle had been like this since ancient times …
Taking a deep breath, Hayashi River looked at Big Rat and said, "I think there's something wrong with Da Jiao and Tim. Is there something wrong with these two fellows? Do you know? If you can give me useful information, I can take you away and find a good place to stay, and find some beautiful female rats for you … "
Hearing this, Big Rat's eyes lit up. He had been so enthusiastic because he had been waiting for this …
"Mr. Chuan, you've asked the right rat. This, you asked the right mouse. This little one is very clear about how many hairs these two have on their bodies … "Big Mouse said in a flattering manner.
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