"Ancestor! Ancestor! I'm still here!"
Just as the Rat God was about to wave goodbye to Lu Zhi and Qin Huai, the Rat Emperor, who had been shrinking in a corner like a quail, rushed out in a panic.
Rat God: ???
The Rat God looked down at the plump, orange-furred Rat Emperor, a hint of confusion in its eyes, "Where did this cat come from?"
"Pfft—" Lu Zhi couldn't help but burst out laughing, especially when he saw the Rat Emperor petrified as if struck by lightning. He helped the Rat Emperor explain, "This is the Rat Emperor who established the Rat Kingdom, and he is your subject."
The Rat Emperor quickly nodded, its beady black eyes looking up at the Rat God with worship and awe. It fidgeted with its front paws, "Rat, Rat God, Ancestor, my ancestors were guided and blessed by you, and they have never forgotten your teachings. We have worked hard to build our own nation for rats and live in peace with humans. Now that you have awakened and returned, it truly, truly makes rats happy!"
The Rat God gazed at the Rat Emperor for a long time before saying, "So, you are their descendant."
The Rat Emperor was extremely excited, "Yes, yes, Rat God."
The Rat God's gaze softened. Despite its appearance as a young boy, its aura was enough to inspire awe and respect in all rats, preventing any trace of irreverence.
The Rat God waved its sleeve and said, "You have done well. Your subjects are waiting for you outside. Leave with them."
The Rat Emperor became anxious, "Rat God, the Rat Kingdom was built for you. Aren't you going out to see your subjects?"
The Rat God shook its head, its golden, glassy eyes seeming to swirl with flowing light, "This is the country built by your ancestors and you. They appointed you as king, so you are the Emperor of the Rat Kingdom."
The Rat God floated up. Golden ripples suddenly appeared beneath the feet of Lu Zhi, Qin Huai, and the Rat Emperor. The Rat God's figure gradually disappeared, and the last thing they heard was its final words: "It is not yet time for my true awakening. I look forward to the day I meet all the gods again."
Softly, the Rat God transmitted a message solely to Lu Zhi: "Whenever you wish to see me, just call my name, 'Xuan He'. No matter where I am, I can come to your side immediately..."
Lu Zhi's expression flickered. In his last glance, he saw the Rat God lying back in the coffin.
Alone, isn't it lonely?
Or perhaps, Xuan He has long been accustomed to this kind of life?
So well-behaved, it makes one's heart ache.
...
As soon as Lu Zhi and the others were teleported out of the Rat God Hall, they found themselves in mid-air. What threw Lu Zhi into a panic was that the shrinking effect had worn off. He suddenly reverted to his adult size mid-fall and plummeted downwards.
After flailing his limbs a few times, he was caught.
With that familiar scent, Lu Zhi knew it was Shen Qi without even looking back.
Ignoring Qin Huai and the wailing Rat Emperor, Shen Qi calmly set Lu Zhi down. "Is it resolved?"
With his feet on the ground, Lu Zhi finally felt grounded. He nodded, "Sort of."
Lu Zhi observed the sky outside, where dawn was just breaking. It turned out a whole night had passed, and the sky was about to lighten.
Suddenly, rustling sounds converged from all directions. A large number of Rat Emperor's personal guards surrounded them. One black rat rushed towards the Rat Emperor, shouting in self-reproach, "Your subordinate was late due to drinking! Are you alright, Rat Emperor?"
Although the Rat Emperor was thick-skinned, if Qin Huai hadn't caught him when he fell, the Rat Emperor would have been quite hurt.
The Rat Emperor put on an air of a king and waved his hand, "I'm fine, I'm perfectly fine."
The black rat guards began to recount everything that had happened after the Rat Emperor's kidnapping and disappearance. Then, pointing their spears at the three of them, they asked vigilantly, "Were they the ones who kidnapped the Rat Emperor?"
"No, no, no, they are all my saviors." The Rat Emperor concisely explained the situation, concealing his embarrassed state.
"In short, they are all honored guests of our Rat Kingdom!" The Rat Emperor waved his hand grandly and decided to host a thank-you feast, dismissing the rat soldiers.
At Lu Zhi's reminder, the Rat Emperor also hastily instructed his guards to release the people in the dungeon.
Xia Zhi, Wang Cao Tian, and Jiang Yue were just about to sabotage the dungeon and rescue people when they saw the rat soldiers opening the dungeon, respectfully inviting them out, and releasing all the innocent people.
The three of them: ???
What's going on?
When they entered the Rat Emperor's palace under the guidance of the rat soldiers and enjoyed food, music, and dancing, Lu Zhi, Shen Qi, and Qin Huai finally arrived late.
"Holy crap, what happened?" Wang Cao Tian's day-long curiosity finally couldn't be contained. "Did you save the Rat Emperor?"
Lu Zhi, having shrunk again and entered the Rat God Palace, was already accustomed to the discomfort of being small. Shen Qi and Qin Huai behind him had also shrunk, and they all became miniature figures.
"Yeah, saved him on the way." Lu Zhi briefly explained what happened in the Rat God Hall. "We need to find that painting. To escape right under the Rat God's nose, that ring must be a treasure of an otherworldly apostle god, right?"
Xia Zhi nodded, "I didn't expect so much to happen overnight. You've worked hard."
Jiang Yue laughed heartily, "Did we just win by lying in the dungeon?"
Wang Cao Tian clenched his fist, "Ah, what a shame. I wanted to try fighting an otherworldly apostle to see who's stronger."
Lu Zhi unceremoniously shot him down, "Forget it. That person is an S-class powerhouse, no, no, they could withstand the Rat God's attack, even if it was just for a moment. They're probably dual S."
Wang Cao Tian was shocked, "Holy crap! Really?"
Qin Huai thanked the rat attendant pouring him wine, "The weakness of that otherworldly apostle's shattering ability is that it cannot affect anything living. Similarly, it can shatter anything inanimate it touches. It's very dangerous... Wait, isn't there another apostle?"
"Now that you mention it, what about Loifis? What about Yan Shao?" Jiang Yue looked around, but couldn't see either of them.
Qin Huai opened his datapad, "There's a signal now. I have Loifis's location... Huh? They are in the City of Neverending Nights now, not on Neverending Island."
Xia Zhi adjusted his glasses frame, "Yes, Yan Shao is also in the City of Neverending Nights. It seems the other otherworldly apostle is in the City of Neverending Nights."
"Loifis replied to me, saying those two otherworldly apostles have disappeared." Qin Huai frowned, recalling the scene of the otherworldly apostles escaping in the Rat God Hall.
Meanwhile, Lu Zhi was focused on eating fruit. He casually peeled an orange and ate a segment, his face puckering from the sourness. He didn't want to waste it, so he thought for a moment and handed the rest to Shen Qi, smiling, "I've peeled it for you. Eat it."
Shen Qi: ...
Lu Zhi's face fell, and he said mournfully, "What? Aren't the oranges I peeled sweet?"
Shen Qi reached out and pinched his nose, "Haven't you already tasted whether it's sweet or not?"
Lu Zhi slapped away his hand, saying earnestly, "It's sweet, I promise."
Shen Qi chuckled softly and murmured, "Little liar."
Then, he expressionlessly finished the rest of the orange, which made Lu Zhi's teeth ache.