Chapter 2040 - 548: Alakdo's Most Useful Episode (Happy New Year!)

Deep within the Ten Thousand Ridges Mountain Range, a hidden cave nestled between layers of rock.

There was no light source here, only the faint, flickering blue light emitted from the magic array on the ground illuminated the rugged rock walls, akin to a tomb.

"Whew——!"

At the center of the magic array, Edgar Kaufmann woke with a start.

It was as if a drowning man had finally broken through the water's surface, gasping violently, cold sweat soaking through his gray magic robe in an instant.

Just one second late——

That icy glow would have pierced through his clone's lower back!

As Luo Yan had guessed, the confrontation in the forest with Qianqian was not Edgar's true self, but instead was a "mirror" clone he had created using a secret recipe from the Academic State, based on a shard of his soul.

As a thread-like blue light point drilled into his nostrils from the void, the soul-rending pain slightly eased.

With a trembling right hand pressing against his chest, Edgar took full minutes to calm his wildly beating heart, and his breathing gradually steadied.

"So close..."

Although the destruction of a clone wouldn't kill the true self, the backlash on the soul level would still damage his transcendent foundation.

If he hadn't fled swiftly just now, having his tail caught by that elusive character, the consequences were unimaginable...

Once calm again, Edgar's gaze became extremely somber, beginning to carefully reflect on that final questioning voice he heard before dissipating.

'Who do you want to interrogate?'

The inherent pressure and teasing hidden in laziness quickly reminded him of someone... someone who spoke of "science" in the Magic Hall.

"Colin?!"

The instant this name flashed in his mind, Edgar's pupils suddenly contracted.

As a member of the Academic State, while he hadn't had direct interactions with Prince Colin, he was not unfamiliar with the prince's "voice and appearance."

After all, that guy had made quite a splash in the Academic State, even ousting a "Candidate Sage"… though the guy was ultimately forced to leave as well.

However, Edgar couldn't fathom why, being a prince of the empire, this noble would appear in such a godforsaken place?!

Not only is the Ten Thousand Ridges Mountain Range a godforsaken place, but Spinor Earl's Domain to the south of the Ten Thousand Ridges Mountain Range is clearly within this scope as well.

Moreover——

The demon called him Your Majesty.

Edgar's expression gradually turned serious, even revealing a hint of faint anxiety.

He couldn't understand why a dignified human prince would be involved with demons from hell, nor why a human prince would be referred to as Your Majesty by a little demon.

But one thing was certain——

If the "Your Majesty" spoken of by the little demon was indeed Colin, then things were thoroughly troublesome.

"Need to destroy the information..."

Edgar mumbled to himself, daring not to pause for a second, stumbling up from the magic array.

Near Burial Peak are still his laboratory and altar!

Since Prince Colin appeared in Spinor Earl's Domain, stepping onto Burial Peak is merely a matter of moving a little...

Grabbing the crystal staff leaning against the wall, he stuffed the notes about soul experiments on the table into his arms, then hurriedly pushed the door open and rushed out.

Yet as soon as he stepped out of the stone chamber's door, he found the passage outside in utter chaos.

Countless ratmen were swarming around like headless flies, sharp cries rising one after another, and many ratmen were trampled underfoot in the congestion.

Edgar seized a passing ratman overseer, demanding loudly.

"What happened?"

The ratman overseer squeaked wildly in terror, pointing toward a direction deep within the cave.

"No, I don't know! But the fellows saw smoke signals rising from Burial Peak! Many guys are saying... saying the human army has invaded!"

Ratmen are inherently skittish low-level creatures, a slight rustle can scare them witless, and a small misunderstanding can suddenly embolden those who were frightened witless.

Burial Peak is still quite a distance from here, with several outposts in between; even if humans indeed dispatched troops to attack, they couldn't break through the defenses so quickly.

Edgar didn't believe this minion's tale but was still sweating at the information revealed amidst the words——

Colin's foot indeed stepped onto Burial Peak!

He swallowed a mouthful of saliva with difficulty.

Such swift action!

...

At the same time, Burial Peak, the rat tunnels under the granite erupted in chaos.

Countless ratmen clad in ragged leather armor were screaming as they dashed around the intricate tunnels, chattering noisily, with cries about everything.

"Damn it! The humans have invaded!"

"Curse it! Has anyone seen my prisoner?"

"Tail!! My tail!"

"Forget your tail! Quickly deliver the banner to the king——!"

"Who stole my gold coins!?"

Just now, a messenger was suddenly sent from the rear base, bringing a brand new war banner, and accompanied by news that utterly shocked the ratmen, both with joy and fear——

They were liberated!

The leader of the Rot Clan, Merk, declared that the territory around Burial Peak was completely granted to the Defender General "Desolate Bite Shrek" and the Shrek Family, elevating them to be the new Ratman Clan Warlords in the Ten Thousand Ridges Mountain Range.

Sitting on a bone-laden stone throne, newly elevated as the "Desolate Bite Warlord," Count Shrek looked at the flag in his hand painted with a broken tooth totem, feeling both excitement and anxiety.

What thrilled him was that becoming a warlord was a lifelong pursuit for the ratmen!