Gun of Ashes

Chapter 338: Chapter 21 Rat Nest

A small sound arose, and before long, a black mouse crawled out from the corner. The man was especially happy to see it, scooped it up, petted it a few times, then removed the iron chain from its tail. He placed the mouse on the ground, watching it happily scamper away, once again merging into the darkness.

”We better hurry, a guest is on his way, he’s one of Bola’s people,” he said.

The priest in front of him said nothing, only observing the man’s actions.

It was a very untidy man, just like the other inferior rats, a vagrant, dirty and messy, with cotton-like blocks hanging off him like stones.

He was an information dealer, his brain containing news that the priest wanted.

”Can you communicate with mice?”

The priest didn’t seem rushed, instead asking unrelated questions.

”How could that be possible.”

The information dealer laughed at this unrealistic notion.

”But you got information from that mouse? Another guest.”

”It’s just some small trinkets.”

The information dealer boldly took out the iron chain, ”The mouse is just the messenger.”

The chain was extremely ordinary, but the priest knew there was some pattern on it, a pattern that could be interpreted into a message.

”Mice used as messengers?”

”Underground is very complex, with crisscross pipes, and mice can be great helpers if trained.”

The information dealer said, another mouse appeared in his hand, and behind him in the dark, something was moving, their numbers were vast.

”Let’s get to the point! Priest, you come from Florence, it’s not just to see someone like me, right?”

The priest struggled to pull his gaze away from the darkness behind him, his eyes filled with disgust; he hated this place, hated these people. If not for the information, he would never have come here.

”I want to know what’s been happening recently in Old Dunling.”

”Be specific.”

”A few days ago, what happened in the north of Old Dunling?”

The information dealer’s petting suddenly stopped, a subtle gleam flashed in his eyes, as if he’d heard some interesting news.

He slowly leaned back, settling into a comfortable position on the worn wooden chair.

”That’s not a good question.”

”But I need to know, we can pay the price,” the priest said.

The information dealer was silent, staring at the priest, then a cold smile emerged on his face.

”We don’t know much, after all we’re just some inferior rats, only hearing bits of rumor.”

The information dealer spoke and closed his eyes, seemingly thinking of something, his calm face showing traces of hidden pain.

The illusion and reality in his mind overlapped, like a bizarre hallucination.

In a moment, countless vagrants emerged from the darkness, whispering by the information dealer’s ear, conveying all interesting or suspicious information to him. The information dealer carefully stored the message one by one into his memory.

In their descriptions, countless images appeared in the information dealer’s mind, the darkness where the information dealer and priest were suddenly shattered, as if a box had been opened, everything became clear.

The information dealer raised his head to look to the side, darkness illuminated, stone bricks and wood fell from the sky, constructing a stage-like scene in the mind’s illusion, in the casino, men appeared and conversed.

”These days, the train schedules have changed for unknown reasons, so annoying.”

”Which schedules?”

”The one for winter tourism in the North, it was supposed to depart a few days ago, but it’s been delayed again for days.”

An inferior rat sat in the corner of the casino, overhearing the conversation.

The information dealer looked to the other side, the darkness dispersed, a scene appeared out of nowhere.

”What are you looking at?”

On the streets of the Lower City District, a man secretly took out a bottle, half-filled with a sticky black liquid.

”What’s that?” said another.

”I don’t know, I saw a train pass by last night, but something’s peculiar about it, it’s huge, much bigger than a normal train. This stuff spilled from it, I secretly collected some.”

That night, a menacing shadow swept across the horizon, in the wilderness the man watched the steel object’s advance, struck with terror beyond anything else.

”What are you saying?” The man clearly couldn’t understand what he was trying to say.

”Look! I suspect it’s a military weapon, they must be researching something.”

The man said, showcasing the black liquid’s power, flames plunged in, blazing fiercely, hard to extinguish.

Nearby, an inferior rat slightly lifted his head, peeking out to see the two men helpless against the flame. He noted down the conversation, figuring the strange black liquid could fetch a good price from the information dealer.

The information dealer continued reminiscing, all scenes shattered, transforming into a warm bar.

”There’s a god in this world, there must be a god!”

The drunken man shouted.

”I saw it, I heard it too, in the blizzard night, I heard a thunderous sound, braving the snow I walked out, seeing grand lights falling at the end of the horizon! And that was the deep night!”

The man was a hunter living in the outskirts of Old Dunling, who would always come to this cheap bar to get drunk after a gainful hunt. Only the vagrant sitting on the side remembered his ramblings, considering it an interesting piece of news, believing the peculiar information dealer would definitely enjoy it.