Chapter 548 399 Goodbye, My Friend (13,000 Bonus, Previous)

Perhaps William III, who has received some information, can send some witch hunters to investigate and find the traces of his friend's parents. If they are dead, dig up the grave to see if the front teeth were refilled after they fell out unnaturally, or something else. And things point to another possibility. William III's parents may know something, but it has nothing to do with the Yellow Fang Cult, or it is simply because he lives in No. 13 that his friend has become a kind of sacrifice.

However, these seem to be meaningless to Dacus. It is more about consolidating William III's Tao heart? Complete William III's inner obsession, just like William III asked Jon Skylan not long ago, how Stephen died. It doesn't matter where you die, but how you die. It's a world of difference between dying after becoming a vampire and being killed by a vampire when you are still a human. William III can't do anything practical now that he knows it. At most, he can give Stephen a posthumous title in a religious form after his death.

Moreover, the Yellow Fang Cult is not like vampires. In Dacus's view, vampires have become a foregone conclusion, especially in Altdorf now. There may be only two vampires in Altdorf now, one is Genevieve, and the other is Baroness Helena von Kalper. But the Yellow Fang is different. There are great differences between the two. God knows how many members of the Yellow Fang are lurking in Altdorf, which is very tolerant and the second largest city of the Skaven.

The Yellow Fang believes in the god of the Skaven, the Great Horned Rat. The identities of the members are secret and they work behind the scenes. The most buggy thing is that they cannot be detected by conventional means. These members are ordinary people, no different from ordinary people on the street. The Great Horned Rat will not bless them. There is no trace of Chaos corruption. They are not deformed mutants, not vampires afraid of sunlight, but ordinary people.

Manipulating others without revealing their own goals is the specialty of the Yellow Fang members. For example, issuing certain tasks for adventurers and mercenaries to complete. These hired people do not know the secret transactions from accepting to completing the tasks. The people hunted by the hired people are likely to participate in the research of Skaven or discover something that should not be discovered. Or the hired men recovered some artifacts and books related to the Skaven, and these hired men had no idea what they were holding. Anyway, the mission was completed and the reward was received.

When the conspiracy of the Yellow Fang was thwarted, few people could find the real mastermind hidden deep inside. Even when facing the pursuit of witch hunters, the members of the Yellow Fang would calmly leave false clues and multiple scams to protect themselves from hiding in the dark. While hiding themselves, the members of the Yellow Fang liked to take various actions to break the existing order, plan some plans similar to terrorist activities, and spread fear and frustration in society, just to make the new order they envisioned come faster.

In a sense, the Yellow Fang is a vassal of the Skaven, a kind of subordinate secondary organization. The dogma and rules of the Yellow Fang are also very abstract. Members cannot reveal the existence of the Yellow Fang to the outside world unless they are recognized by the leader and can be absorbed as new members. Use all means to destroy the plans and products of the empire, destroy what can be destroyed, and hinder what cannot be destroyed.

Spread the seeds of fear, suspicion and despair in the empire. Rumors and hearsay are all useful intelligence. There are also four major events every year. When the four evil moons rise, they gather to offer sacrifices to the Gray Fairy, that is, the Great Horned Rat. This sacrifice can be human, dwarf or something else. If it is really not found, then one member will receive this honor.

According to this doctrine, Dacus believes that William III's friend should have become a sacrifice. Perhaps William III will follow in his footsteps soon. The reason is... William III lives at 112 Baker Street, which is 11 and 2, and William III's bizarre experience and subsequent derivatives are also emitting the fear needed by the Yellow Fang Cult, and finally completing the last step to achieve mystery and more fear.

"When did you come to Altdorf after that incident?" Thinking of this, Dacus asked seriously.

"After the incident, apart from being questioned, I spent most of my time in a state of confusion, immersed in hangovers every day. At that time, only alcohol could numb my nerves. After getting drunk at night, I would pass by there and take out an axe... nothing, everything was like a dream, but this dream really happened. My friends disappeared, but I was alive.

My parents thought I couldn't go on like this. After the winter, my parents used their connections to send me to Altdorf. They asked me to study at Altdorf University..." William III narrated calmly At the end, he paused, and after a moment, he continued, "I entered Altdorf from the south gate, and came to the southern part of Altdorf. At that time, I was standing in the square of Sigma Cathedral. I thought about what my friend said to me that night, and then... you guessed it, I did not cross the Reik River and go to the northern part of Altdorf University, but entered Sigma Cathedral."

"I tell you clearly that although you were drunk that night, what you saw was real. What you saw was the Skaven. Do you remember the lizardmen I just talked to you about?

In the eyes of you anthropologists, lizardmen are a type of beastman. This is really a heretical behavior! Here I sincerely suggest that those scholars should go out more, take a look, and experience the hospitality of the lizard people. They will throw the intruders into a snake pit full of poisonous snakes. Perhaps only in this way can we let them Those academics who stay in their rooms and think about things all day long become practical? Instead of making outrageous and abstract remarks every now and then, they were obviously made on the fly or after being drunk.

In fact, it is not the case. Lizardmen are lizardmen. We elves and you humans were all created by the ancient saints and are unique species. Lizardman is a relatively broad term. This general term includes various creatures, including bipedal lizards, crocodiles, and frogs sitting on chairs. They are all lizardmen and are all included in the general term lizardman.

Just like you humans, the barbarians in Norsca are humans, the Huns and Kurgans living in the chaotic wilderness further north, the city-states in Bretonnia and the south, the Cathayans living on the other side of the planet, and Those ancient Nehekhara people are all human beings, including all kinds of human races in the empire. You all have a name, human beings! "

After Darkus finished speaking, he looked at William III sitting opposite him. Although he did not understand the imperial race, William III's appearance was obvious. Tall, with black hair and gray eyes, this is the embodiment of the most optimistic, forward-looking and enterprising Amberlogans. The main body of the Amberlogans is located in Reikland and is the descendant of Sigmar.

However, William III does not have these characteristics. William III is tall, light-skinned, has tawny hair and dark hazel eyes. These are the embodiment of the "hillbilly" Wesson, although the Wesson collar and Rick collar are close to each other. are very close, but the races of the two territories are not the same. Most of the Wesen Territory are Melogan people, which are very different from the Amberlogans in the Rick Territory. Of course, the Wesen Territory is still Solvay collar. As for "hillbilly", it is a derogatory name for Merogan people from other races in the empire.

William III nodded. He was thinking about the signal sent by Darkus's words. Darkus first told him that the rat men existed, and then turned the topic to another direction. What does he think he is afraid of? It seems that Darkus doesn't want him to know about the rat people, but this seems a bit to him? After all, Darkus told him a lot just now, about the approximate location of Gal Maraz and how to find it, the true situation of Sigma and the other side of the world. These are all incredible secrets and knowledge, but when it comes to the Rat Man It seems that Darkus chose not to talk about it?

"I know what you are thinking, and I also know what you are going to say next? The reason why I told you that the Skaven are real is because I want to answer your inner confusion. Now your confusion has been answered, You know that night was not a dream, what happened to you was real." Darkus said while reaching out his hand to stop William III who was hesitant to speak.

In Darkus' opinion, sometimes it is good to live happily. He understood William III. For William III, the things and information he learned would become shackles on his shoulders. Sometimes these shackles would Pressure turns into something that pushes a person forward, but he believes that sometimes, it should be done in moderation. Otherwise, the pressure will crush a person, especially when he knows something but is unable to respond. This will make a person become paranoid, crazy and twisted. When a person starts to become like this, the Four Gods of Chaos Those monsters and monsters are about to respond in a friendly manner. There are too many examples of this in history.

Aren't "Leech Lord" Festus and "Eternal Chosen" Archaon from Nordland such typical examples...

In essence, William III is a human being. He does not need to take one step and count ten steps like Darkus. He not only needs to calculate the present, but also thinks about the future. After all, he is an immortal species. After I die, there will be no floods. Yes, if he takes one step at a time, the flood will come before he dies, and all of this is related to his previous behavior. He can only imagine how noisy and tormented he will be by then.

The plan and future design that Darkus made for William III was to create the No. 13 prototype, and then use the steam tank as the fulcrum to establish the Sigma Firearms Army. In this way, the belief in Sigmar will further expand within the empire. The establishment of a firearms army requires supporting research and design personnel, blacksmith workers and qualified soldiers, which is always better than those whipper fanatic believers. In his opinion, those fanatics are useless, let alone firearms. They don't even have armor. What can they do? Kill the big devil alone or kill the big horned beast alone. Firearms can kill the big horned beast when it is pressed against its chest. And those Weapons in the hands of fanatics...

Design institutes, firearms bureaus, and foundries will also be formed accordingly. This is what the empire that takes the scientific and technological route needs when the biological route is unavailable. In addition to personnel and factories, the empire and the dwarves will further deepen cooperation. All of this will pave the way for the next appearance of the twin-tailed comet, allowing the empire to complete its revival faster, instead of two hundred years after unification, the empire is still paying for the mess of the Three Emperors era. This would be good for the Empire, the Elves, and the world at large.

These things will take the rest of William III's life to complete. If some operations go well, the Second Vampire War and dealing with Conrad will not be as noisy as history. Now, William III has another main mission, to find Gail Maraz. Although there are difficulties, the two main missions do not conflict and can complement each other. Religion is sometimes very convenient. Saying that everything is the will of Sigma can solve many things.

Darkus believed that this was enough for William III. It was too much. In addition to helping the development of the empire, William III also had a name after his death. Perhaps William III left a strong mark in history. Will he become a saint after death and be remembered by the people of the empire? And letting William III know too much about the Skaven would not be of any intrinsic benefit to William III, especially the information he got in the previous conversation. The Black Death of nine hundred years was in a broad sense, and when William III was young His encounter was specific, whether it was broad or specific, it showed that the Empire's situation regarding the Skaven was not as optimistic as he imagined, but more complicated and noisy, but it made sense after thinking about it.

Darkos knew the Yellow Fang Sect very well, and the more he knew about it, the more he became afraid of it. He even knew that the headquarters of the Yellow Fang Sect was in Kronburg, where the Yellow Fang Sect had a stable political power and a strict hierarchy, and the social status of its members played an important role in the imperial society. Through William III's narration, he believed that the Yellow Fang Cult played a very important role in the imperial society. It accepted the command of the Skaven and cooperated with the Skaven to tamper with history, assassinate investigators and other activities.

The Yellow Tooth Sect radiates from Kronburg as the center to the surrounding areas. It has branches in Middenheim in the north, Marienburg in the west, Altdorf in the south, and Bogenport, the fulcrum of Reikland. In addition to these, the Yellow Tooth Sect has branches He is also very influential in the Empire's underground society, and can speak to the dark side network, brokers, the Ranoder Thieves Guild, and the river pirates on the Reikland river.

In fact, the Yellow Fang Cult is more powerful than Darkus thought. The Skaven assigned the Yellow Fang Cult many abominable tasks, including processing evidence, covering up theft and murder, and covering up things that cannot be concealed. Provide a scapegoat. Influential members of the Yellow Fang Cult in human society will use their influence to change public opinion and direction, such as saying in public that all this panic about the legendary talking rats is diverting attention from the real enemy of the Empire: Gray Bretonnians on the other side of the mountains!

Using complex lies, outrageous rumors and unwitting agents to operate behind the scenes, and continuing to use conspiracy to confuse the public, is the specialty of the Yellow Fang Cult. These tactics and more ensured that even if evidence of the Skaven's existence were exposed to the public, it would be difficult to spread further. This world did not have the Internet, and only the larger cities in the Empire had newspapers.

The information dissemination capacity of this world is extremely limited. Except for larger cities, those small villages and towns are extremely isolated and cannot understand what major events are happening in another place. They are completely unaware of what is happening in another place. Unlike in the Internet age, if something bad happened, half an hour later, the whole world would know about it.

Yellowfang members and coerced officials taunt and denigrate those who try to warn Imperial society of the Skaven's existence. Those who insist on their opinions will soon disappear suddenly and disappear in various ways, and their dignity will be stripped away. , reputation will be in tatters. Their friends are unwilling to investigate lest they also suffer a tragic accident. The missing relatives are thought dead, but in reality they languish under the brutal lashes of the Skaven and never see the sun again.

However... this is just the Yellow Teeth Sect. The heavyweight players behind it have not yet appeared. Compared with the heavyweight players behind them, the Yellow Tooth Sect is more like an appetizer and a pre-dinner dessert.

"Rat! Stories about rat people living beneath the city? You're crazy! Say no more! Or you'll be locked up, or worse. Let's go before anyone else hears us."

Skaven spies lurk in the most remote villages of the Empire, the prosperous cities of Glorious Reikland, and the long, dark corridors of power, tracking every move of humanity, waiting for the right moment to strike. The Asshin Assassins threaten and murder officials throughout the Empire, most atrocities occurring without a trace.

However, most of the Empire denies the existence of the Skaven, as if trapped in some kind of groupthink. In the Imperium, where such a widespread threat so blatantly escapes notice, those who speak out will die, or face the prospect of witnessing the public humiliation and subsequent silencing of their peers who speak out. The knowledge of the Skaven's existence lies deep within him.

A scholar might stumble upon a lost record of Skaven activity, or a city watcher might notice a common pattern in certain cases of theft and unexplained death, leading to a series of investigations from which the Skaven can't escape means. Keep an eye on the surface, searching for those Skaven who are too close to discovering the truth and take necessary action.

Murder is often the most practical and effective solution to problems. Humans rarely have any commendable safety measures when facing the Skaven. Even if Eshin assassins are not dispatched, those Skaven can It takes little effort to sneak into their homes and leave them dead in their sleep. If you are facing a group of nobles with security measures in place, the Assin family assassins who can easily sneak into almost any stronghold will appear.

When the cunning and treacherous Skaven complete their actions, the clean-up will come into play. The authorities may receive an anonymous tip-off, which can easily find indisputable evidence to prove that the person who is about to make the Skaven public is a heretic or other extremely vicious criminal. If this person survives the Skaven's actions, he will also face the pursuit of the authorities.

And this person's records about the Skaven will be destroyed as heresy, or unknowingly stolen by the Skaven hiding in the dark. Then as time goes by, people will soon forget about this matter. Perhaps the only thing that lingers in people's minds is the memory of the disgraced or dead heretic, and then the next pacifier will appear.

Many times, things are not perfect. Killing a noble or a person of social status who knows too much will lead to more investigations, and the investigation is often likely to find clues. However, facing this situation, the Skaven also have ways to deal with it. They will let the Yellow Fangs cooperate with them and make the target person shut up in various ways to ensure cooperation.

This customary method has unexpectedly good results. After all, many officials have dirty secrets that can destroy themselves, and the Skaven are experts in finding these secrets. From minor corruption to collusion with demons, anything can be used to silence witnesses and investigators.

"They are watching me all the time! I know! In the cracks of the wall, under the stones, in the canal, there are their figures everywhere! But I don't know when I fell into passivity. I can feel that they are tightly binding me. Now, I need that strange powder every day, otherwise my eyes will not stop crying, and my shaking hands can't let me complete any work..."

The last page of the diary of this intellectual clearly shows that he was coerced by the Skaven.

Unlike the Empire, the Skaven are not like this in the entire Old World. All the tunnels lead to the Mordor, and the Mordor is located in Tyrell, so Tyrell has been under direct attack from the Skaven, so the southern city-states spared no effort to resist the Skaven.

Leonardo da Miragliano designed the wall specifically for Miragliano to resist the frontal attack of the Skaven army. In addition, the prince of Miragliano also sponsored a mercenary group composed of anti-Skaven veterans to deal with rats in the sewers.

"The Imperials think the ratmen are a legend because they have reached an alliance with the ratmen. Look at the hair on those Imperials. What's the difference between them and the ratmen? They are already half ratmen!"

"Witchcraft! Magic! The Skaven have cast a powerful spell of ignorance throughout the Empire to cover up their existence! This is why the Imperials don't take a bath!"

"They know, yes, yes, they know, but they dare not tell the people. Why? Look at them, they have been seized by fear! If they admit that there is another threat under their feet, then the Imperial society will collapse! Look at what those ratmen have brought to our southern city-states!"

Such remarks are endless in the southern city-states, but there is no practical use. The Skaven and the Yellow Fang Church are committed to intensifying tensions between countries, so these stories and words have become fairy tales and cannot be trusted. As for things that cannot be discredited, the Skaven will modify them into interesting and bizarre children's stories. Even if the corpses of Skaven appear in the territory of the Empire, they are beastmen.

Boris Todbringer was still stubborn when he died, believing that the Skaven were a kind of beastman, but unlike the common beastmen, the Skaven did not have sheep heads, beef heads, or horse heads, but rat heads.

In Dacus's opinion, these things are very interesting, like a kind of social behavior. You may have seen a big black rat in clothes running past you in the dark, but before defining the Skaven, you cannot judge what you saw. It may be a deformed child, a child playing a prank, a stray beastman, a dog in rags, or someone who is drunk and unconscious, or has hallucinations.

If you have the ability to investigate further and discover the real existence of the Skaven, the question is, how to describe it to others with the intervention of the Skaven and the Yellow Fang Cult? Where is the evidence? Usually, before finding evidence to prove the existence of the Skaven, the person is already dead. In the end, this person disappeared, and everyone would regard this person as a lunatic. Perhaps soon, another person will appear and repeat the mistakes of the previous person.

So much so that even as a rat catcher, he denied that Skaven ratmen really existed.

"I haven't seen what you said. There are no ratmen in this world. There are only very large rats. Do you understand? Him? You mean him who mentioned the existence of ratmen before? Sigma, he was just unlucky. He slipped from the ladder and fell down, and his back fell on his dagger. This process lasted more than ten times? Thirteen times? Yes, yes, thirteen times, unlucky guy."

This outrageous statement, which is no less than six shots in the back to commit suicide, was said by a retired rat catcher of the Empire. Is he stupid? Is he crazy? No, he is very smart. He knows what happened, but after knowing what he knows, he still does not admit the existence of the rat man. That is because he is smart and afraid. If he admits it, he will follow in the footsteps and fall off the ladder continuously.

"Captain, I am not saying that your people are liars. But the evidence is here. There is a tunnel in your prisoner's cell that leads to nowhere. Look here, the mark, right here, the tunnel is opened from the inside. Your prisoner did not escape from the cell, but someone, or something, dug it out from inside."

This is what an investigator once said. The next day he died in the dock area of ​​Altdorf, with thirteen wounds on his back. He may have climbed up the crane in the dock area the night before, but unfortunately he fell down and fell on the dagger, and this process happened to be repeated thirteen times.

People can never believe and understand things beyond their own cognition, no matter which world is like this. Let's not talk about the Skaven, let's take vampires for example. Although the vampire war was raging in the empire, some human scholars did not even admit the real existence of vampires. The so-called vampires may just be the title given to outstanding nobles, and the army of the dead in Sylvania may be manifested for various reasons, some kind of group phenomenon or group hallucination.

Since vampires do not exist, why do Skaven exist? In addition to vampires and Skaven, it seems that the people of the empire believe that other strange existences do not exist. I have never seen them, so how can they exist? Many times, humans can't even tell the difference between immortals and people, and can't tell whether the elves in front of them are Asur, Duruchi, Aslai, and Ainel.

Unless they are those who have opened their eyes, like Ms. Erica Kramer who runs a monster shop in Sarka, she has faced Duruchi directly and can immediately tell that the elves in Asur costumes in front of her are Duruchi, but this situation has only occurred once.

However, this does not prevent humans from laughing at other people when they are drunk in the tavern...

Although many things really happened, there are always some smart people who think that this does not exist, is unreasonable, and use various so-called scientific methods to explain a certain thing. Unless, as Dacus suggested, those scholars who are always thinking about it in the house should carry out actual investigations and walk around, feel being thrown into a snake pit by lizardmen, and think about the difference between lizardmen and beastmen while being bitten by venomous snakes. In the arms of vampires, feel the rapid loss of blood in the body, and think about whether vampires exist in the process of rapid blood loss.

As for the people, forget it. It is a bit ridiculous to carry out basic education in the empire and open up the people's wisdom. This calf is very big and very unrestrained, no less than building a railway in the empire.

Dacus knew that the underground empire of the Skaven rats stretched from one end of the old world to all parts of the world, one area after another, seemingly endless. There is no clear definition of boundaries underground, which is completely different from the concept of territory of the surface races. Except for the Old World, the other side of the world is the sphere of influence of the Skaven.

In this huge underground empire, there are countless settlements. Not to mention other places, there are several super-large settlements in Dacus within the empire. In the Skaven society, Altdorf has the title of "Second Skaven Magic City". From this title alone, you can imagine how terrifying the underground of Altdorf is.

This city is built under Altdorf, with a large population, wealth and resources. The only thing missing is the dimensional stone, otherwise this second title may have to be replaced. There are several clans that rule the underground stronghold of Altdorf, among which the Skryre clan holds most of the power. Under the leadership of the Skryre clan, Altdorf's underground rivers, moats, and sewers have been transformed, and the nearby river outlets and caves have become underground ports for the Skaven.

The Skaven used the environment of Altdorf to engage in trade activities. Barges frequently came and went, and goods were constantly being transported. Trade was the capital of a city's prosperity. This was true for the humans of Altdorf, and it was also true for the Skaven, so much so that Altdorf even had a small Council of Thirteen.

The ground and the underground complement each other. Although the Skaven were hostile to the humans on the ground for various reasons, they also became richer with the ground, and they accumulated vast wealth by stealing.

Because the Skrut clan was highly respected for its excellent espionage work, the Thirteen Council of Mordor awarded the clan a contract to extend the underground empire to Middenheim. However, the proposal was opposed by the Skrull clan, and the Skrut clan refused the support of the Skrull clan.

There is now a permanent Skaven enclave beneath Middenheim, an enclave because Middenheim's environment restricts the development of Skaven settlements. The settlement is located at the end of a long, isolated cave, making it difficult to provide supplies and station. Due to the lack of support from Clan Skryre, the work of digging new tunnels has been affected in the absence of equipment and has exhausted Clan Skrull's financial resources and slaves.

From a certain point of view, the Council of Thirteen completed its goals, both weakening the Skrut clan and establishing a settlement in Middenheim. However, the goal of finding ways to increase the energy of the White Wolf's Holy Fire has not yet been completed.

Middenheim is like a stove. Humans live on the top of the mountain, and then the White Wolf Holy Fire spits out flames. In the middle, the ancient holy creations that can destroy the world are silent there. In the middle levels of the mountain and below live humans and Skaven who walk the underworld like cockroaches by the stove.

Not to mention Nunn, which is the industrial center of the empire. There is a proverb in the empire: the more turbulent the situation, the richer Nunn will be. This statement couldn't be more accurate. Whenever the empire fell into war, weapons orders were sent to Nunn from the empire's various kingdoms in an endless stream. During the war, Nunn's treasury was at its richest, and all the smelting furnaces were working all night. While the surface is rich, the ground is also rich. Nuln's wealth is the key target of the Skaven, and the industrial system is coveted by the Skryre clan.

The chronology alone records several things related to the Skaven and Nunn. In 1707 of the Imperial Calendar, the Skaven helped the orc warlord Gorbad Ironclaw attack the Empire, weakening the Imperial defenders from within Nunn, allowing the Greenskins to capture Nunn with very small losses.

In the year 2499 of the Imperial Calendar, the Battle of Nunn took place. Affected by the invasion of the Skaven and the ensuing fire, most of Nunn was destroyed.

In the year 2514 of the Imperial Calendar, the Gray Seer Chuanquillo secretly controlled the top administrator of Nunn, hoping to use this to create a civil war in the Empire, but the matter was revealed. Chuan Kui Luo, that is the famous Chuan Qui Luo. After seeing that the operation failed, he immediately started another job. At that time, many Skaven clans believed that the time was not yet ripe for a direct attack, but the Skaven still took action under his call, and as expected, the Skaven did not behave as they did shortly after. Taking Nuln like that at the end of the day resulted in the loss of most of it, and only part of Nuln was destroyed.

Interestingly, just as the Thought Seal really exists, the people of Nunn still did not believe that it was the Skaven after experiencing this incident, even the human soldiers who fought face-to-face with the Skaven. I am even more convinced that this is the work of mutated beastmen. As for how the beastmen bypassed the city defenses and appeared directly in Nunn City?

Although it failed this time, Chuanquillo's next plan to attack Nunn was successful. In the year 2524 of the Imperial Calendar, which is also the time of the end, Nuln was captured by the Skaven army under the command of the new Gray Seer Lord Chuanquero, chosen by the Great Horned Rat.

Altdorf has it, Middenheim has it, Nuln has it, and Marienburg has it too. However, the Skaven settlement in Marienburg is not underground in Marienburg. Marienburg is located in a swamp, and there is no way to do it underground. Developed into settlements. The Skaven have set their sights on the swamp, and there is an abandoned ancient Skaven stronghold in the swamp, the "Rat Rock". With this secluded environment, the Skaven focused their attacks on Marienburg and surrounding towns.

The Skaven of Rat Rock are very wealthy, after all, Marion is one of the most prestigious trading ports in the old world. At the same time, the Skaven there are also the most united. The reason is... There are monsters in the swamp that can crush them and force them to unite.

"The place where we first met was very special. I remember it was dim and there were many passages leading to various places in Altdorf. Do you often go there?" Darkus said, finally clearing up the confusion in his heart. After seeing William III nod, he continued to ask, "Sometimes, do you feel a chill down your spine? There seems to be something watching you in the darkness? I suggest you go there less in the future, or seal some unknown passages. live."

Darkus' words made William III hesitate. It would be better if Darkus didn't say anything. But when he said that, he had a strange feeling...

"My friend, it's getting late and it's time for me to leave. There are always moments of separation when we get together, and time can never stay in happy moments. I can only tell you that the Skaven are real, and the rest of me is I will never tell you. As we talked about before, your place is here." Darkus finally pointed to the second Kislev matryoshka doll on the coffee table, waiting for William III's attention. After being attracted, he pointed to the third matryoshka doll on the coffee table and continued, "I have many conflicts with the Skaven, and these conflicts will eventually be resolved through force, and this is when I chose to take action. It's obvious, my friend, that you are not part of this plan."

In the end, Darkus chose not to tell William III the specific things about the Skaven. He couldn't tell William III about the origin of the Skaven? Or tell William III, if he knew that there are hundreds of thousands of rats as tall as humans under the city you live in, and they also have their own social structure, extraordinary technological level and magical attainments. He didn't even dare to think about William III's reaction when he heard this, so he simply stopped saying it.

"You are not like me. I can live for a long time, and there are many things that need to be solved by me. But you, my friend, you only need to solve one thing, no, two things.

When you are staring into the abyss, the abyss is also staring into you.

So, just don't look at it, don't try to understand it. Knowing too much is not good for you. You will be in a state of confusion and panic. The invisible pressure will overwhelm you and make you go to another path, or die before completing your goal. Don't talk about Skaven with people around you. Although you are the high priest, you can't protect yourself, and you can't protect the people around you. By the way, don't send people to Dietshafen, it will arouse vigilance.

Do you understand what I mean? "Darkius looked directly at William III and spoke in a serious tone.

William III listened quietly to Dacus's warning, and a trace of thought and worry flashed across his face. Dacus' words deeply touched his heart, making him realize the dangers that the abyss hidden behind things might bring. He kept analyzing the meaning of these words and thinking about every word. He realized that in Dacus's cognition, the Skaven were more difficult to deal with than the great demon guarding Gail Maraz. He also understood that knowing too much might become a burden, crushing himself, and even leading to destruction, and in the process, he did nothing.

However, after weighing the pros and cons, William III still felt a little reluctant. As the high priest of the Sigmar sect, the responsibility in his heart made it difficult for him to ignore it, but he also understood that Dacus's advice was out of concern and worry for him.

"I understand, my friend. Although I am somewhat reluctant, I will follow your advice and do my best to ignore the existence of the Skaven. Although this is difficult to do, I understand that my responsibility is to protect the entire empire and its people, not to let the empire fall into panic and make the current empire even more unsustainable. "William III finally answered, with a hint of heaviness in his voice. He looked deeply at Dacus, expressing his inner gratitude and trust.

Darkius, who stared at William III for a long time, sighed deeply, his heart full of worry and helplessness. He knew that although he had tried his best to warn William III, the other party did not seem to fully understand his intentions, or did not intend to fully follow his advice, and his words and performance would further stimulate William III's curiosity and thirst for knowledge.

Faced with this situation, Dacus felt a little disappointed, but he also understood that as the high priest of Sigmar, William III shouldered a huge responsibility, and his decision-making might be affected by various factors, not just wisdom and reason. Despite this, he still didn't want to give up, he wanted to do his best and do something more.

"My friend, I solemnly promise you in the name of the ancient saints that I will solve the problem of the Skaven ratmen! Because this is what I must do, I have this obligation! "Darkius decided to change his approach. If materialism doesn't work, then idealism will do. He knocked on the head of the third nesting doll while speaking. Then he continued, "When the time comes, I will take the best wine of Asheril and tell you the story of the Skaven in front of your grave, from how they appeared to how they disappeared.

And you have to promise me that you will form the Sigmar Firearms Army and find Gail Maraz. Then you can do something else, such as ending the rule of vampires in Sylvania, instead of studying the Skaven!"

"In the name of Sigmar, I swear that I will find Gail Maraz! I will spend the rest of my life forming the Sigmar Firearms Army and ending the rule of vampires in Sylvania! Instead of solving the problem of the Skaven. "William III hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded. He stood up and said in a firm tone. His voice was solemn and firm, with an unshakable determination.

"It's getting late, let's finish the rest of the wine for our friendship.

Friendship is priceless, although we haven't experienced much, and we have faced few challenges together. In the future, we will not support each other and move forward together. "Darkius nodded calmly. He did what he could and should do. Although things may not be perfect, he has done his best. Then, he leaned over and picked up the bottle. A smile appeared on his face, and he said softly.

"Hahaha... This is the first time I've heard such a unique toast, but it doesn't prevent us from being friends. Cheers! My friend. "William III, who raised his glass, laughed.

In this moment of peace, the two friends raised their glasses silently, immersed in the atmosphere of friendship. However, after putting down the glasses, they were greeted with silence, and finally it was Daquus who spoke.

"This pendant is a gift from me to you, an item tailored for you by the high-level elf spellcasters. There are not many elves who have this treatment, let alone humans. Considering your identity as the High Priest of Sigmar, the pendant was made into the style of Sigmar's Hammer. On the surface, it looks no different from the pendants worn by other Sigmar priests, but there is an essential difference. There is a magical energy inside the pendant, which will maintain your life and make you live longer and healthier.

Sigmar's Hammer, I am really worried about those who are waiting to take over from you. At this moment, I can think of the strange look they gave you before they died of old age, but don't worry, in the end, that energy will dissipate, everyone will die, right?

With the level of human wizards, even if they picked up the pendant and put it in front of their eyes, they would not be able to find any clues, unless the elves who visited Altdorf before have returned. Of course, the pendant has other functions. Remember, when the pendant vibrates, it means that Chaos, Beastmen, Chaos followers or Aberrants have appeared beside you!"

William III held the pendant tightly in his hand, feeling the magical energy contained in it. Various emotions in his heart kept surging. He knew that this was not an ordinary gift, but a manifestation of Dacus's care and support for him.

"Darkius, I feel your generosity and trust. I will cherish this gift and remember your instructions and my oath. No matter when in the future, this pendant will accompany me until I step into the grave." William III looked deeply at Dacus and said solemnly. Compared with the actual function of the pendant, he valued the deep friendship and trust between the two of them more. He knew how lucky it was to have a friend like Dacus in this world full of variables. Although they could not face the challenges of the future together, they could work hard in another way.

"Alas... Don't, don't remember, before you enter the Blackfire Pass, take off the pendant and put it in a place you think is safe. When you return from the Blackfire Pass, put the pendant on again." Dacus said as he was about to raise his glass again. He didn't want William III to let the Great Demon Tzeentch take advantage of him when he was fighting against him, and this loophole was left by him. Wouldn't he become Tzeentch? Although other things might happen when William III went back and forth to the Blackfire Pass, such as the pendant being replaced, it had nothing to do with him. He had done everything he could.

After that, Dacus clinked glasses with William III, who was stunned there for a while, and drank the last liquid in the glass.

"My friend, although we will not meet again, you can write to me and give the letter to the Enil in the North City. They know what to do next. However... you also know that I live on the other side of the world, with the vast ocean between us, so don't expect me to respond to you immediately." Dacus stood up after he finished speaking. He knew it was time to say goodbye.

"I will. Let me see you off, my friend." William III, who stood up, also drank the liquid in the glass. Then he raised his glass to Dacus and said.

Dacus did not refuse William III's farewell. He knew that William III was very busy, but he would not miss this moment. After opening the door, he nodded to Flanes who was guarding outside the door, and then he, Flanes and William III walked silently in the Sigma Cathedral. After meeting with the elves who had already visited the Sigma Cathedral and were waiting in the chapel, he also came to the main entrance not far from the chapel.

When the main gate was pushed open by the Sigmar believers, Dacus saw two dwarves standing outside the gate. Just like before, he nodded to the older dwarf who was looking at him. He had seen this dwarf when he visited the wall of Kor Vanas in the Elm Park in the northern part of the city.

"Let's stop here, let's not hug." Dacus looked at Altdorf, who was in full view, and stretched out his hand to William III who was walking side by side with him.

William III held Dacus's hand tightly with a trembling hand, and the two hands separated after a long time.

"Goodbye, my friend."

Walking in the square of Sigmar Cathedral, Dacus turned around and looked at William III who was still standing at the gate looking at him. He stretched out his hand and waved to William III, then turned and disappeared in the crowd.

"Uncle, are they elves?" Pollock, who was also standing at the door with an orange in his hand and watching all this, asked curiously.

"Yes, they are the elves, the saviors of Altdorf." Alaric responded with a smile, and he added in his heart, we dwarves are also the saviors of Altdorf.

"Alaric, you and your clan are also the saviors of Altdorf, but your methods are different." After Dacus completely disappeared in the crowd, William III turned to Alaric and said with a smile, he knew that he would face new challenges. (End of this chapter)