A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 273 Interruption of the "Coronation Ceremony"

Amidst the cacophony of chatter, Rorschach and Singerev listened to Freddy's explanation and came to understand the role of the Mouse Whisperer.

Wherever there are cities, there are bound to be rats. These rodents are born to survive on the surplus left by city dwellers. Even the queen's castle is no place they can't go. The little creatures don't like to roam the halls and churches because there are too many people and too little food.

However, there is a problem with finding people: mouse talkers themselves lack language and intelligence compared to ordinary people. Although they can communicate with mice, the information that mice can understand and convey is also limited.

If the "temporary king" Singrev gives orders to find Caroline, the rat whisperers can understand it as "find a tall woman with brown hair (that's what they call humans and elves of normal height, and they're afraid of 'tall women')." It's hard to say how much of the "brown," "female," and "human" element will be retained when conveying this to the rats; in comparison, having the rats smell the scent is more reliable.

"So it's no use. We don't have the missing person's clothes or personal belongings, so we can't let the rats smell them." Rorschach watched the comical coronation ceremony, where the rat whisperers were trying to piece together a crown using wire, stones, and various other slightly valuable materials. The others were circling the "king" and chanting incomprehensible songs.

Small creatures began to scurry about in the garbage heap, most likely the Mouse Whisperer's companions.

"I taught them the songs, though I don't want to admit I have such terrible students," Freddie said, strumming his guitar to accompany the little ones.

"So let's go, the elder wants to put that thing on my head!" The dwarf, noticing the "crown" looked like iron thorns, quickly said to the elder, "No, no, no, this will cut your head, cause tetanus, do you even know what tetanus is?"

It seemed futile to try to make these skinny little people understand hygiene, so in the end, the bard stepped in. He took a small packet of candy from a brown paper package and gave it to the rat-whispering elder. After giving the elder a commission to find the "brown young female giant," the three of them were escorted out of the garbage mountain by a crowd of cheering people.

"Are you familiar with the Rat Whisperers?" Rorschach couldn't say whether he liked or disliked the natives. No one would be close to a creature that crawls and scrambles in the garbage dump, which is basically the same as rats. But at least this group was benevolent, and Rorschach couldn't help but chuckle when they crowned Singrev king.

"Of course. After all, that's how I get in and out of the Shadowlands." The poet strolled around relaxedly, as if returning home: "They're entrenched in the garbage dump, and if I build a good relationship with them, they'll help me guard this well and make sure this end of the well doesn't get blocked."

Could these little creatures really be combat-capable? Rorschach hadn't seen any trace of magic in them, and judging from their living conditions and physique, they didn't seem to possess much physical strength. However, Rorschach was more concerned with another question: "Is it possible to travel back and forth to this place simply by using that well?"

The poet shook his head: "There's no such thing as a free lunch! The well is special, and so am I. Currently, my name has been forgotten by the people of the city, but as long as there are still people who remember me, as long as there are still people who sing the songs I composed, then this poet still has a chance to return. So, even if I become obsolete someday..."

"They won't come back?"

Freddie again denied Rorschach's guess: "No, I'll spend the rest of my life in the shadows. It's certainly gloomy and terrifying here, but there's nothing good on the ground either. I have more friends here."

Freddie's words led Rorschach to suspect that Benedict Conch, who also claimed to have a way to travel between the two places, was a "famous actor."

"So what do we do next?"

"In most stories, the mage is the one with the brains. Since Lord Rorschach doesn't think much of the Rat Whisperer's abilities, what do you suggest we do next?" Freddy bowed exaggeratedly to Rorschach, as if he were playing the role of a jester.

Rorschach ignored Freddie's teasing, guessing that the poet was unhappy because he looked down on his friends, but Rorschach did not have any of Caroline's personal items, and those "long-tailed beagle dogs" were useless.

The boy stopped. In the distance, the first thing he saw was a river, which seemed to correspond to the Tamas River in Storm City. However, the settlements there were lower, more dilapidated, and more scattered than those in Storm City, casting dark silhouettes in the dim, stagnant space. Further away, the outlines of larger, oddly shaped buildings appeared and disappeared in the fog.

Even with Rorschach's darkvision, this world is like a landscape sealed in epoxy resin, and it's epoxy resin that has oxidized and turned yellow.

"This damn place must have some kind of administrative structure."

"Institution? What a trendy term. As expected of a mage, you've uttered something even a wandering bard wouldn't know."

Rorschach was getting impatient with the "Jester's" performance: "The establishment means there are administrators and rules in this place. If you insist on using this weird and sarcastic style of performance, I don't mind serving you with a fireball in my left hand and ice in my right."

The poet composed himself: "As you wish. Indeed, this place has administrators, and the rules are a ton of them."

"Aren't they in cahoots with the Istanky authorities?"

"Those from the underworld dare to challenge us? We live in the Shadowlands! Even beggars in Storm City are more noble than them, even though beggars fall into this godforsaken place every day."

The three headed towards the settlement, about to cross a bridge. Rorschach continued explaining his plan: "Let's go into the city first and find a place to stay. If Teacher Caroline is alright, she's definitely in the city. The wilderness and garbage dump are uninhabitable. We need to find someone who can gather information and has influence in this area." In short, they needed to find local experts to help them. Relying on a mage who wasn't good at divination and a dwarf wielding an explosive hammer was unlikely to succeed in finding a needle in a haystack.

"Local power" doesn't necessarily mean relying on the administrators or lords of this Shadow City. Rorschach asked Freddy if the priority was to ensure that the local administrators and the surface world weren't colluding, so that the group wouldn't continue to be pursued by the Iron Crown Knights and other authorities after entering the city.

Having ensured the above, even without actively seeking out Teacher Caroline, spreading the news of a young spellcaster coming to Shadow City would likely prompt Caroline to inquire about Rorschach's situation and then come knocking on his door.

Rorschach now has a guess: if Professor Caroline is being tracked by the authorities on Earth, then entering the Shadow City must be a deliberate act, using the "expulsion curse" of the Shadowlands to evade detection.

This place is truly a haven for wanted criminals. Once you enter, your star rating is instantly removed from your list—it's so satisfying!

The last resort was in Rorschach's personal pocket. The Pearl of Balan had fallen into a dormant state after Rorschach's series of divinations. He could wait for the pearl to revive, and then perform divination in the same field, which would likely yield more detailed results.

"Wait," the poet said, agreeing with Rorschach's plan, but there were more important things to do right now. He grabbed Singrev, who was about to go straight to the bridge, and said, "Here, you have to be extra careful when crossing any bridge or fording any river."

(End of this chapter)