Alien world

Chapter 1888, Section 521: Win Her Over Through Her Stomach

Looking around the cave, there was nothing particularly special about it.

Such caves are scattered throughout the Graybeam Mountains, and since the ratmen are naturally adept at digging, they can only ignore the underground rats. In any case, Liberty City is no longer what it used to be, and small-scale rat swarms pose no threat whatsoever.

But those iron cages...

Annan observed the skeletons in the iron cages; they were all dressed as mercenaries and hunters. It seemed they had bad luck, trying to get a meal but being discovered by the ratmen.

Strangely, the way they were imprisoned seemed to be an interrogation... What did the ratmen want to know from them?
He had an inexplicable sense of unease, because to the ratmen, "waste" was shameful. Was it possible that the ratmen did not put food in iron cages to suffocate?
Annan looked away: "Let's go outside, my men are right here—"

The sound of hurried footsteps coming from the cave interrupted Annan's words as a squad of elite rats rushed in.

They didn't see their new master, the black dragon; only two thin humans stood on the shore. Their bloodlust immediately took over, and they approached them.

Black Pearl was surprised and delighted; the next step was for her to hide behind the prince and let him protect her.

Just then, she suddenly realized that Anan was no longer beside her, and then a figure pressed against her from behind.

"Princess, what should we do? The enemy is coming!"

Black Pearl stammered, "I...I should be the one saying that, shouldn't I?"

Ignoring everything else, Annan hid behind Black Pearl and urged, "Quickly transform into your dragon form and kill them!"

"My prince, you will hate my hideous appearance..."

"How could that be? A powerful and tyrannical black dragon, I'd love it more than anything!"

"Really?"

Annan's words were like a princess's cry for help from a high cliff, giving Black Pearl strength—even though she was playing the role of the princess at this moment.

"My prince is hiding behind me."

Black Pearl spoke in a gentle tone, but her expression was full of cold evil, and her tyrannical dragon might was unleashed towards the elite rat.

The charging elite rats braked suddenly, realizing their new master had turned into a human. They were about to kneel down and beg for mercy, but it was too late.

The obscure and profound dragon language magic emanated from the black pearl's mouth, and a chain of lightning struck the elite rats who didn't have time to crawl, instantly branching out and spreading to form a lightning net that encompassed all the ratmen.

The chain lightning did not kill all the elite rats at once; several remained smoking, stiff and motionless, but not dead.

Black Pearl took a deep breath, about to silence him, when suddenly Annan's shout came from behind:

"Leave one alive!"

Black Pearl suppressed her urge to kill, watching Annan walk over and stand in front of the elite rat that was trembling slightly. She asked in rat-human language, "Can you speak?"

The elite rat trembled: "Master...Master..."

Annan gestured towards the iron cage above the underground river: "What do you want to know by arresting people?"

"Not us..."

"Who is that?"

"Lord Grey-haired Rat..."

Annan, having caught something, pressed, "Grey-haired rat? Where is it?"

The elite rat stammered, unable to speak, only daring to turn to the black pearl after it thought Annan, who was on the verge of death, had wasted several scrolls to stabilize its injuries.

Annan turned around and asked, "You know?"

Black Pearl's long eyelashes drooped as she softly said, "I killed it..."

Oh no! With the gray rat dead, the ratmen will probably know there's an intruder here.

"It's okay, you didn't do it on purpose."

After offering a perfunctory word of comfort, Annan pressed further about what the elite rats were doing there, only to be told that they were digging burrows to ambush humans.

Where did they ambush the humans, Old Vale, or...?

Annan abruptly raised his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through layers of rock and mountains, landing on the empire to the south. He continued to press the ratmen for details of their plans, but the elite rats couldn't answer. The elite rats were merely stronger slave rats equipped with weapons and armor; they weren't much smarter.

Realizing he had stumbled upon some incredible clue, Annan lost interest in playing along with Black Pearl's role-playing game.

"Leave here first. My men are waiting for you outside and will help you heal your wounds."

"how about you?"

"I need to find out what the ratmen are doing."

"me and you togather."

Black Pearl isn't a fool like White Dragon. How could she let go of such a good opportunity to spend time alone with Annan and cultivate their relationship?

"But your injury..."

"Do you have anything to eat?" Black Pearl asked him.

Annan took out several roasted lambs and calves from his magic ring, all prepared for Illymoyas.

Black Pearl's eyes gleamed with a wolfish light as she tried her best to maintain her composure: "Prince Annan, could you turn around first?"

"Ok."

Annan turned around, and then he heard muffled swallowing sounds behind him.

I hope Black Pearl won't get so greedy that she'll swallow herself whole...

belch--

Several seconds later, a muffled hiccup sounded, followed by a soft call: "All done."

Annan turned around and saw Black Pearl pursing her lips, wiping her mouth with a napkin in a ladylike manner, as if she had just finished afternoon tea.

If we ignore the pile of food that could feed a small team for a week, leaving not even scraps.

Annan picked up the crumpled metal tray that had been chewed several times like a candy and then spat out. Hmm... it had no bones.

When Elimos eats, she spits out the bones very elegantly, like spitting out fish bones.

"Are you full?"

"full."

She wasn't actually full, but Black Pearl had to act like a lady, like a suffering princess.

"It's been sitting out for too long and gotten a bit cold, so it doesn't taste very good. I'll prepare some freshly roasted beef and lamb for you when we get back." Annan felt a little apologetic for not feeding Black Pearl properly. "What would you like to eat? I can have my men prepare it..."

Black Pearl looked at Annan, who kept talking, and saw something else in his eyes besides materialism... Who could resist a prince who would appear to save them when they were helpless, seriously injured, tired and hungry, and bring them a sumptuous meal?

"Then let's prepare for action."

Although the death of a gray rat might alert the ratmen secretly deployed, Black Pearl could distract them again.

The ratmen would only assume it was a black dragon that had wandered in; there were no witnesses... oh, there were a few.

Annan stared at the elite rat, who was being suppressed by the dragon's might and was crawling on the ground. Too lazy to waste words, he opened a portal and threw it to Shadowsong for interrogation and training.

After questioning them, if they can be educated, they will be educated; if not, they will be sent to the mines to work until they die.

As the portal connected the two locations, Illymoas, who was lying in the vault, raised her head.

"The stench of the black dragon..."

Whispers echoed through the vault.

The black dragon's aura lasted only a short time, quickly disappearing. Elimoas abandoned her plan to leave the treasure trove and instead lay back down on the pile of gold coins to doze off.

She dreamt that Annan, made of pure gold, knelt on a gold-embroidered carpet, holding flowers made of jewels, begging her to marry him…

(End of this chapter)