Chapter 843: The Conduct of a Loyal Official
Prius had never heard of the Third Border City.
Border Town had been established to serve the mine — a settlement, not a city, with nothing in its name to earn such a prefix. Before His Majesty’s arrival in the Western Region, only Longsong Stronghold had deserved the word at all.
He understood what was meant when they arrived at the cave at the foot of North Slope Mountain.
He had long wondered about the fortress-like structure the Ministry of Construction had raised there. Its position was strange: the First Army guarded it, the North Slope Mountains rose at its back, and it stood too far from any real border to function as a defensive outpost against an invading force. He had asked around City Hall and received nothing useful — some said the construction team answered only to Minister Carl, others that no one outside had authority to inquire. He had stopped asking. He was curious, not reckless.
He had never imagined he would step inside.
The sight of the man-made underground passage stopped him in his tracks. A long tunnel carved into the mountain’s heart, opening into a cluster of caves so vast and interconnected that calling the whole of it a city was not, he realized, an exaggeration. The interior of an entire mountain, hollowed and shaped. He could not fathom what it must have taken to build it.
Could men have done this?
He stole a glance at His Majesty, and felt his estimation deepen.
Duke Ryan had once seemed invincible — had dominated the Western Region for over a decade and made the barren land as unyielding as iron. A man of formidable method and ability. But after all, he had only been a man.
What followed shook Prius even further.
In a flat, open chamber, two figures approached from the far end — men dressed like old-style warriors, attire that had become rare since the flintlock’s rise through the First Army. One of them looked Prius over slowly, then turned to His Majesty.
“Are you sure about this?”
“Sooner or later my subjects will know.” Roland’s tone was easy, considered. “Better to give them time to adjust than to keep concealing it. We’ll begin with the City Hall officials.”
The guard sighed — the helpless sigh of a man outvoted — and waved toward the dome of the hall.
A black shape descended from above. Silent. It settled on the ground before them like a dropped shadow, and it was full of tentacles.
Prius’s heart lurched. The sound that wanted to come out of him was very large, and he swallowed it only barely. The creature in front of him was something no nightmare had prepared him for. No demon from any story had ever looked like this. He wanted to step back but found that his legs had forgotten their function. Only the steadiness of His Majesty’s presence kept him upright.
Then a voice reached him — but not through his ears.
It arrived directly in his mind. Female. Soft.
“Your Majesty, it is good to see you.”
“And you, Pasha.” Roland smiled. “How are the worms?”
“Their numbers have increased. As long as there are mushrooms, they simply keep eating.”
“Easy to feed, then.”
“Very. You can count on us.”
“Good. When the war begins, you’ll be occupied with other things, and I mean to raise more than a thousand. They should grow accustomed to people now.”
Prius stood rigidly still and reassessed everything he believed about the world. His Majesty spoke to this creature with the ease of a man talking to any other official. And the creature — the deference in its voice was nothing like the menace of demons in old stories. If the monsters in those stories had spoken like this, perhaps they would not have been frightening at all.
He took two careful breaths. His heart found a slower pace.
What does he want me to raise? Worms?
And is this the secret? A concealed non-human entity beneath the North Slope Mine?
His Majesty seemed to read the confusion plainly. He placed a hand on Prius’s shoulder. “This is Miss Pasha. She was once a renowned lady. A demon’s curse changed her outward form — but inside, she is still human. There is no reason to fear her.”
“A… lady?” The word took a moment to land.
“Precisely.” The king’s voice was quieter now. “Come, walk with me. I’ll explain everything.”
And so Prius heard a story that should have been impossible. There were more creatures like Pasha — dozens, perhaps more. Four hundred years ago they had lived in the Barbarian Land and built their own towns, but they could not withstand the combined assault of demonic beasts and demons. Most died in the wilderness. A handful escaped west. The curse that transformed them also made them immortal — condemning them to live forever in those changed bodies, carrying the memory of what they had been. Now Roland had taken them in. They would fight alongside Neverwinter against the demons, and they were, by His Majesty’s word, subjects of Graycastle.
“I understand,” Prius said quietly.
“As you’ve seen, their appearance creates a bad first impression. Very few people have been told.” Roland paused. His gaze was steady. “If you speak of this — you know the consequence.”
“I’ll keep it secret, Your Majesty.” The oath came immediately, and he meant it. Impossible as it all was, he did not intend to examine how much he believed. He would believe what His Majesty told him. That was the essential conduct of a loyal official.
“Glad to hear it.” The king nodded.
With the ancient survivor Pasha as their guide, the party moved through a long passage. She paused at its end and gestured ahead.
Another vast cave opened before them. Enormous, dark, alive — strange plants rising from the floor, and between them, through the mushroom formations, enormous worms crawling with the unhurried certainty of things that had never needed to hurry. Prius stared. He had endured a great deal of stimulation in a short span of time, and he found he had reached some interior floor beneath which further shock simply could not land.
“Is this… what I’m to raise?”
His Majesty had been observing him the entire time. He nodded, with what looked very much like satisfaction. “Correct. They’re called rubber worms. Their secretion is an industrial material of significant value — as important, in its way, as meat and eggs. The expedition team found them in the Great Snow Mountain and brought them back. They can only live underground, which is why the survivors of the Third Border City have been tending them.” He paused. “I hear that to feed your chickens and ducks, you’ve been raising earthworms.”
“Essentially, yes. It reduces the birds’ foraging range and helps them grow faster.”
“These worms are similar to earthworms — not in their breeding method, but in their nature.” Roland nudged one of the rubber worms off a mushroom with the toe of his boot. The creature did not react until it hit the ground, then dragged its considerable belly into the tall grass and disappeared. “Not aggressive. Fond of mushrooms. Large, but passive — they won’t bite. The only task is to collect the mucus from their bodies at regular intervals.”
“Mucus.”
“Have you seen a milk cow? The point isn’t the animal — it’s what the animal produces.”
“By collect — do you mean squeeze it out?”
“Harvest would be the better word. Find the most efficient method.” Roland’s expression was mild. “That said — the worm itself is not precious. Sometimes it’s faster to kill one and extract the mucus directly. Their reproductive rate is considerably faster than a chicken or a cow.”
An involuntary shiver moved through Prius. He could not have explained why, but he had the distinct impression that His Majesty held no particular affection for the rubber worms.
Roland’s tone returned to its usual register. “This notebook describes their habits.” He handed over a small volume bound in cowhide. “Read it alongside what you already know from your poultry work. Devise whatever methods you think best for accelerating their growth and simplifying the harvest. I want to see results by next month.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Prius accepted the booklet. “I’ll be doing this alone?”
“The First Army garrison will assist you.” Roland smiled. “Work hard. There may be a place for you at this year’s Award and Honor Ceremony.”
Chapter 843: The Conduct of A Loyal Official
Translator: TransN Editor: Meh
Prius had never heard of this city. Border Town had become a place of residence because it was to serve the mine, and it had nothing to do with a ‘city’, let alone to prefix the city with ‘the third’. Before His Majesty arrived in the Western Region, only the Longsong Stronghold deserved to be called a city.
When they arrived at the cave at the foot of North Slope Mountain, Prius understood what His Majesty had meant.
He had always been curious as to why the Ministry of Construction established a fortress-like building in Neverwinter. The location of a strategic point being guarded by the First Army was a bit strange. At its back was the North Slope Mountains, and to the left and right, there was too great a distance from the borders to defend against army invasions, let alone allow them to properly guard His Majesty’s castle.
He asked some of his colleagues in City Hall, but none of them gave him a satisfactory answer. Some said the construction team there was under the direct management of Minister Carl, and others had no authority to inquire into it. Such being the case, Prius stopped asking. After all, he was only curious. There was no need to go so far as to get himself into trouble.
However, he never thought he would personally step into this military position.
When Prius saw the manmade underground aisle and a large cluster of caves, his jaw almost dropped.
“How did they make this?”
“One year ago, there was nothing in this area. Now, it’s like the interior of the whole mountain has been connected. It’s not exaggerating to call such a spacious underground area a city… but, could this have been done by men?”
Prius cast a furtive glance at His Majesty, to whom his awe deepened.
Duke Ryan had indeed picked the wrong opponent.
The Lion overwhelmed the other big families and had ruled the Western Region for over a decade and they made the once barren land as solid as a piece of iron. This was a manifestation of his perfect methods and capability, but… after all, he was just a human being.
What happened next shocked the Elk knight even more.
As he arrived at a flat and open hall, by the trailer, Prius saw two men dressed like warriors walk over to them—since the popularization of flintlocks in the First Army, guards dressed in this attire were rarely seen.
One of them looked Prius up and down before he turned to ask His Majesty, “Are you sure it’s going to be alright?”
“Sooner or later, my subjects will know about it. Instead of concealing it, I think it’s better to give them some time to accept it,” Roland replied. “Let’s start with the City Hall officials.”
“Alright then…” The guard sighed helplessly. He then waved towards the dome above the hall. A flash of black shadow descended and quietly fell in front of the crowd.
Prius’ heart pounded in his chest and he almost cried out!
“Oh my god, what the hell is that?”
Looking at the blob monster, full of tentacles, in front of him, he felt a chill as it crept up his spine “Even a demon from hell wouldn’t look as horrible as that.” The knight wanted to retreat but found that his feet had gone numb. The only reason he didn’t fall to the ground was the calmness His Majesty exuded.
Then he “heard” a voice.
However, the soft female voice did not come from next to his ear, but from directly within his head, “Your Majesty, nice to see you.”
“Nice to see you too, Pasha,” Roland said with a smile. “How are the worms?”
“Their number has increased. As long as there are mushrooms, it seems they’ll just keep on eating.”
“They do seem easy to feed.”
“Yes, you can totally count on us.”
“When the war starts, you won’t have many hands to spare. Besides, I want to raise more than a thousand worms, so it’s better to let them get familiar with it sooner.”
Prius was startled—His Majesty talked so freely with the monster, just like he was talking with a common official. Not to mention the respect the monster showed towards His Majesty was totally different from the intimidating demons. “If ghosts and monsters in books talked like this, perhaps they wouldn’t be as scary.”
He took two deep breaths and he felt his racing heart slow down.
“What does His Majesty want me to raise? Worms?
“Besides… is this the big secret he warned me about? At the foot of the North Slope Mine is a concealed horrible nonhuman entity?”
His Majesty seemed to read his mind. Patting Prius on the shoulder he said, “This is… Miss Pasha. She used to be a well-renowned lady. Although she’s been cursed by demons, which is why she looks the way she does now, deep in her heart she’s still human. There’s no need to be afraid.”
“La… Lady?” Prius was startled and took a moment to come to himself.
“Exactly.” The King sighed. “Come, walk with me and I’ll tell you the details.”
That’s when Prius heard an unbelievable story. There were more monsters like Pasha. 400 years ago, they lived in the Barbarian Land and even built their own towns, but they failed to resist the combined invasion of demonic beasts and demons. Most of them died in the wilderness, only very few escaped to the Western Region. The demons’ curse turned them into monsters and made them immortal, which meant they had to live forever with that pain. Now, Roland took in those survivors. They would become Roland’s ally for fighting against demons, as well as the subjects of Graycastle.
“I… understand,” Prius murmured.
“But, as you can see, their looks can easily give people a negative firstimpression, so I have to keep it top secret and only very few have been told.” Roland stopped for a while, his eyesight freezing. “If you speak of this, you know the consequence.”
“I’ll keep my mouth shut, Your Majesty!” Prius hurriedly swore. Although this odd news was more inconceivable than the horror stories from grannies’ mouths, he did not intend to dispute how much was truthful. He would believe whatever His Majesty told him. That was the fundamental conduct of a loyal official.
“Glad to hear that.” His Majesty nodded.
With the blob monster… no, the ancient Lord Pasha as their guide, the party passed through a long aisle. She then turned back and said, “Here we are.”
In front of Prius, there was another huge cave. The bleak underground space was suddenly full of movement. Despite the unprecedented plants and cavernous view, the huge worms crawling among the mushrooms alone were enough to keep his attention.
Prius found that much stimulation, over a short period of time, had desensitized him.
“Is this… what I need to raise?”
His Majesty seemed to have been observing Prius the entire time. Finally, he nodded with satisfaction before saying, “That’s right. It’s called a rubber worm. Its secretion is a widely used industrial material, which is as important as meat and eggs. The expedition team found it in the Great Snow Mountain and brought it back. Unfortunately, it could only live underground, which is why it has been left to the survivors from the Third Border City to take care of.” At this point, Roland suddenly changed the subject. “I heard in order to feed the chickens and ducks, you raised earthworms?”
“Essentially… yes.” After quite some time, Prius finally caught up with His Majesty’s thought. “I can reduce the poultry’s foraging area, which will subsequently enable them to grow faster.”
“These worms are no different than earthworms, I don’t mean the breeding method, but the nature of the two.” Roland kicked a rubber worm resting on a mushroom. The worm didn’t move until it hit the ground, then, dragging its huge belly, it crawled off into the thick grass. “They’re not aggressive; their favorite food is mushrooms. They are massive, but they are passive, so you won’t be bitten. The only thing you need to do is regularly collect the mucus in their bellies.”
“Mu…cus?”
“Have you seen a milk cow? The point isn’t the cow, but what the cow produces.”
“By collect, do you mean, squeeze it out?”
“It’d be best if you could find a way to harvest it.” Roland smiled gently, “However, like I just said, the worm itself isn’t important. Sometimes it’s faster to kill the worm to collect the mucus. Afterall, their reproductive speed is much faster than a chicken or a cow.”
Prius suddenly shivered, for no clear reason he got the impression that His Majesty did not like the vital worms.
As this thought flashed through his mind, in the blink of an eye, Roland returned to his usual tone, “Written in this notebook are some of the habits of these worms.” He handed Prius a booklet, with a cowhide hardcover. “You can read it for reference and compare it to your knowledge. Then see if you can find ways to make them grow faster and collect mucus easier. I wish to see what you accomplish by next month.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Prius swallowed hard and took the booklet, as he inquired, “How am I to do this on my own…”
“The First Army stationed here will assist you,” Roland said with a smile. “Work hard and there will be a place for you in this year’s Award and Honor Ceremony.”