Alien world

Chapter 1691, Section 324: One and a Half Pieces
To celebrate Liberty City having its first gray rat, a true ratman in the ratman sense, Annan hosted a small family gathering at the restaurant.

In Annam, the atmosphere was warm and harmonious, like a large family. Meanwhile, the rat-man elder was in a terrible predicament. He and the council elders behind him were frantically trying to find out why the old priest had gone to the far north.

What gave it a slight sense of relief was that the old priest wasn't after it or the Annamite stuff, but rather that something in the far north had attracted it there.

Its cooperation with Annam provided an opportunity, and the high priest took the chance to travel to the far north with the Rodent Clan.

Eager to tell Annan the "good news," Annan looked at the bloodshot eyes of the ratman elder and wanted to say, "Maria, Gale, we prepared a super cozy family gathering last night. Guess who wasn't invited?"
"Elder Ratman, I've always thought you were a clever rat, ranking among the top three in the Stunn clan..."

The rat-man elder, though expressionless, was still a little vain, especially being praised by such an outstanding human as Annan.

However, such sentences are usually followed by a "but".

“But…” Annan said with a look that suggested he was too naive, “You actually believed that?”

The rat-man elder was stunned.

"What do you think would make the High Priest personally risk going to the demons' lair and confronting them face to face... Isn't he afraid the demons might harbor ill intentions?"

The Ratman Elder wanted to say that the probability of a demon harming the High Priest was not as high as yours, but he didn't dare, for fear of inspiring Annan.

Given their current positions, Annan is more like the one in the chaotic camp.

But there's something true about what the Annamese people said... What could possibly make a high priest abandon his people and come to the far north alone?

"Don't let your guard down. There must be something extremely important about that important person coming to the North. Unless it leaves, we are not safe."

The rat-man elder suspected that Annan was trying to corrupt him again, but he had no evidence, and this was what worried him.

"Forget it, let's do this for now."

Annan seemed to have lost interest in continuing. "I'll have my men investigate what the High Priest is looking for. You'd better make sure your rats understand that the Blue Dragons have always thought that a third is too little for them. If this affects the cooperation, don't blame me for using your unreliability as an excuse to kick you out of the Shattered Mountains with the Blue Dragons."

"You can't do this, you Annamese bastard! I'm the one who discovered the Broken Mountains!"

When his own interests were at stake, the rat-man elder's eyes immediately turned bloodshot.

Annan's tone softened, and he sighed, "I know, that's why I've been telling the Blue Dragon not to do this. We're partners, and we've signed a contract. How can we break that contract? But you also have to take responsibility. For example, if the High Priest goes to the Broken Mountains, both the Blue Dragon and I will be unhappy. We'll be unhappy..."

Annan didn't say the rest of his sentence, but he guessed that the rat-man elder would understand.

The "kicking the ratmen out" story was obviously fabricated by Annan. The blue dragons coveted the ratmen's interests, and not only the ratmen, but also the interests of Free City. However, their orderly nature allowed them to uphold the contract.

Even if Annan exaggerated, does that mean the incident didn't happen?

The conversation ended with the ratman elder looking worried and abandoned.

The Annamese have changed their attitude towards me.

The rat-man elder noticed that Annan had gone from trying to appease him at the beginning to being completely emboldened now... Could it be that he had noticed something?
While the rat-man elders were filled with suspicion, Annan was preparing for the upcoming "Gathering of the Kings of the North" and "Trip to Montreal."

In addition to the Lawrence and Diatra families, the Amoria family, who had fled south, also arrived in Liberty City.

The twelve kings of the North are now halfway through.

Of the remaining six kings, two have perished, one is missing, two of the three who could be contacted refused to come, and only one is on his way: the Northern King whose ancestor died in the far north.

Annan focused his attention on them. The Gana family had become barbarians, so surely they must have preserved some records? When the patriarch and his descendants talked about their ancestors, they couldn't just say, "Your ancestor died in the far north. I didn't ask, and the other eleven kings didn't say anything either. Just know that this happened."

Then, Maria brought an unexpected surprise.

Her brother-in-law was wrong; it was her sister-in-law—the gray-haired rat priest—who indicated she could help.

"She wants to be the high priestess?"

Maria was speechless for a few seconds: "No... it's that they're willing to cooperate with us."

What does she want?

Maria said, "A priest's seat."

The gray-haired rat priestess hoped that Annan would allow the Rat King to return to his original position and then make her the clan's priestess.

Her situation was similar to that of the Rat King. Because she had no clan, she became a "wild" rat-person. However, as a priestess, she had a special status and only obeyed the commands of the Rat God and the Great Horned Rat. Therefore, she still held the noble status of a priestess, but without real power.

"Promise her."

This is a good thing. His sister-in-law is practically one of his own, and having his own people in charge makes it easier for Annan to control the clan. "But what about your brother..."

"She has the final say."

Annan sighed as he thought of the strong champion rat being so obedient to the petite gray rat.

The poor little brother was being toyed with by the female gray-haired mouse...

Maria relayed the message, and her sister-in-law said she would try to pull some strings within McKenney to ensure the Rat King could avoid punishment upon his return.

Then things become easier. Besides their hierarchical system, the ratmen also follow the law of the jungle. As long as the rat king challenges and defeats other clan rat kings, he can regain his status as rat king and lead the clan.

They've made progress in getting involved with the ratmen clans, though not the Stunn clan.

After the last king arrives tomorrow, the gathering of the seven kings in the North will also take place tomorrow night.

With one and a half of the two issues resolved, only one final task remains: rescuing people from the Empire.

The eldest sister had already agreed, but Annan hadn't dared to tell Olmedo yet.

He could easily win over Italia with a little coaxing and reasoning, and the gentle older sister couldn't bear to refuse him. But Olmedo wasn't so easily fooled.

"First, do you think the Empire will care about your opinion and change its behavior? Second, what's the difference between you going there in person and writing a letter? Finally, the Empire is in turmoil; do you think you'll be safe on this trip?"

“First, whether the Empire cares or not is unimportant; what matters is letting them know my opinion. Second, my personal visit better demonstrates the importance I attach to this matter. Third…”

Annan approached her: "Olmedo, we all know that the ships that stay at the dock are the safest."

Olmedo suddenly had a feeling of déjà vu.

Then, Annan lifted her cheeks: "But darling, that's not the purpose of building a ship."

(End of this chapter)