Skavenblight.
"This female assassin rat has a pretty good figure. Bring her to my tent for a thorough interrogation."
Dax felt a wave of nausea and disgust as he looked at the female assassin rat before him, with her ample bust, swaying hips, slender waist, and sexy, fiery appearance, wrapped only in a few strips of cloth that exposed large expanses of pale skin.
He knew some inside information.
Skaven rats would use seductive female rats to tempt human elites. Through the superior genes of those human elites, they would improve the Skaven's offspring and entice those human elites to join the Skaven's side.
And surprisingly, such seduction often proved very effective. These female rats, trained in harsh environments, possessed skills and obedience that surpassed human women. There were always some fools who believed these sexy, obedient rat-girls were their true love, and then, for love, they would unhesitatingly stand against humanity.
Staging melodramatic scenes where humans only lost the right to live, those people only lost their lives, while they had to defend 'love'.
For such 'love-struck' individuals, Dax always tortured and killed them upon discovery. To hell with your love.
"Sir, isn't this a bit too much?" A guard beside him looked at Dax in shock. "Do you really want her sent to your tent?"
Dax glanced at the guard.
From the other party's lewd yet sincere gaze, he saw the filth in their heart.
It was clear the other party had already thought about it from a subtle, unspoken angle.
Damn it!
Dax cursed inwardly. This scoundrel.
"I said, take this female rat to my tent and dig for information from its mouth."
The guard nodded as if he had understood.
"Oh, its tongue is indeed very long, it must be able to smell a lot of important information, I understand, sir."
The soldier said with a straight face.
"Understand your grandpa, get to work, don't think about all sorts of messy things all day long." Dax kicked him, and the people next to him burst into laughter. The soldier fell to the ground, but he wasn't angry at all; instead, he was quite happy.
In this dark and damp underground, finding happiness was a very fortunate thing. They hadn't been to the surface and felt the warmth of the sun for a long time.
For the will of the Holy Emperor, they had to suffer here and get rid of those damned ratmen. They had to suffer so that others could live a happy and peaceful life.
Dax always encouraged them this way. The soldiers understood this; someone had to deal with the ratmen threat.
As long as their military pay was paid in full and enough supplies were sent, fighting wasn't a big deal.
Plus, their weapons and equipment were much better than the ratmen's. Their casualties were also smaller than the ratmen's.
"Have a few mages go together and search its soul with mind probes." Dax added, ignoring those who were laughing. The war in the Skavenblight had been going on for several months. They had also been underground for several months. There was no need to lose one's temper over some harmless jokes.
Such a leader would not gain support.
You have to respect others for them to respect you. This was an unchangeable iron rule. Trying to enslave others through fear and authority, and raising one's own voice by demeaning the other's dignity, would ultimately backfire.
"A bunch of scoundrels who are madly craving women." Dax cursed indifferently.
"Sir, you're wrong there. If you don't crave women, what kind of man are you?" another officer said, "This female rat does have a good figure; the only thing is its ratman identity is too disgusting. How heavy-mouthed must those guys be who dare to get involved with them?"
"You don't understand, do you? Turn off the lights, and in the dark, aren't they all the same? And its head is furry, so the feel is even better."
Listening to these guys' jokes, Dax was glad the Inquisition hadn't followed them to this world.
Otherwise, these guys would all be sent to the gallows.
"Alright, chat is chat, but don't cross the line. If you really can't stand it, apply to go to the surface for a few days." Dax said impatiently.
"Don't worry, boss, you know our personalities. We're just talking big; every one of us is a pure virgin."
The female rat that tried to assassinate Dax was taken away.
Dax no longer paid attention to those guys.
He suppressed the disgust and nausea in his heart.
He turned his gaze to the distant battlefield. The rats were still attacking from all directions, trying to reclaim their capital.
He commanded his army to defend in various tunnels, hoping to crush the rats in one fell swoop. To let them know that those who offend humanity, no matter how far away, will be punished.
However, he underestimated the Skaven's determination to defend their capital.
Under the command of the Council of Thirteen, they returned from all over the world, bringing various weapons and equipment to form a large army, launching a holy war, determined to reclaim the holy land bestowed upon them by the Great Horned Rat.
Skaven reproduce quickly, reaching adulthood in just five months. They were also not picky eaters.
Skaven killed on the battlefield were directly eaten as food.
Back and forth, it was almost forming a resource self-recycling combat mechanism like the Zerg.
However, he had too few men to expand the results of the war.
He could only defend Skavenblight.
Letting them repeatedly smash themselves against the human defenses. The sound of bells echoed in the vast underground space.
After thirteen chimes, the howls of the ratmen also rose from the darkness, converging into an endless chorus.
Gunfire and battle cries followed.
"There's a fight to be had," Dax muttered to himself, "Those dead rats seem endless, wave after wave."
Upon hearing the bells, Udi, as an officer, hurriedly put on his clothes and left his quarters.
He walked along the hissing, steaming corridor towards his unit's camp. Taking advantage of the lull in the ratmen's attack, he quickly caught up on some sleep. This was destined to be a long war. The two sides were competing to see who could endure more.
Udi didn't want to wear himself out. The massive underground space had been reinforced, and a large number of steam-powered machines had been transported from Middenheim to Skavenblight.
Numerous steam pipes were laid in the cleaned underground tunnels.
A large number of defensive machines were set up at each tunnel entrance to stop large groups of ratmen.
Dax was determined to occupy the ratmen's capital.
For this, he planned to build a fortress on the ruins of the Skavenblight. That way, only a small force would be needed to defend this area. The other forces could then be used to expand the gains of the war.
By the time he reached the position, the ratmen had already launched their charge.
Some ratmen carried thick bludgeons, some carried bone-made great axes, and some just held rusty daggers. They charged forward in a dense mass.
A foul odor also emanated from them as they charged, mixing with the stench of previously dead ratmen, making the air on the battlefield indescribable.
It was like the smell of fermented and boiled excrement mixed with rotten corpses.
For this reason, the soldiers on the front lines had to wear respirators. To avoid being knocked out by the smell. The ratmen were numerous and charged mindlessly.
Before they could even run halfway, they were mowed down by the firepower established by the soldiers. The tunnel was soon filled with ratmen corpses. The scene was extremely bloody.
When they finally broke through the firepower, they encountered the steam-powered machines set up by Udi and others. These steam-powered machines were designed to resemble the upper body of a human, with tracks for propulsion below. Their entire bodies were covered in thick armor.
Driven by steam, they wielded heavy blades, axes, and spears. The ratmen would often shatter like cheese against the defensive line formed by these steam-powered machines.
"How are things?" Udi stood next to his adjutant.
"Nothing new, just another slaughter." The adjutant said nonchalantly, "They can't get past the defensive line controlled by the steam machines."
No sooner had he spoken than, as if to specifically contradict the adjutant,
Several steam-powered machines, equipped with saws and spears, rumbled and fell into a deep pit underground.
A flood of ratmen surged out from the collapsed area.
Skaven are absolute masters at digging tunnels.
Watching the ratmen swarm out. The adjutant, who had just been disdainful and thought the ratmen could be annihilated with a flick of a finger, turned pale.
He hadn't expected these damned ratmen to breach their defenses in such a way. The heavy steam machinery relied on steam pipes connected to them for power.
After falling into the deep pit, the heavy machinery crushed the steam pipes, paralyzing them.
Udi, however, was not surprised by this.
Ratmen are a despicable and cunning race.
Without the Holy Emperor's protection, they would have no way to fight these hateful creatures.
Ratmen are capable of building such a vast kingdom underground. They rely on their excellent digging ability.
It was no surprise that they would use their talent to open up the situation once they realized they couldn't break through on the surface. The reeking ratmen howled as they poured out of the sunken gap. The ground beneath the steam machinery continuously collapsed, causing the heavy machinery to lose support and fall.
Broken steam pipes spewed out plumes of hot white steam.
Some ratmen were hit by the high-temperature, high-pressure steam, emitting shrill screams.
However, the hot steam didn't stop them for long. The dead slave rats quickly submerged the steam pipes, pressing everything down.
Other ratmen crawled over the bodies of the dead and launched an attack on the humans. The soldiers standing at the forefront were engulfed by the rat tide, only managing to let out a few screams before falling silent.
"Switch weapons, we're going to have to fight a close-quarters battle." Udi patted the adjutant's shoulder armor, gripped his two-handed sword, and charged forward, rushing towards the black tide of Skaven ratmen.
He set his sights on a mutated ratman. The monster was enormous, its deformed head barely resembling a ratman anymore.
Its size was immense; Udi standing before it looked like an undeveloped child. The monster's shoulders were as wide as Udi was tall.
Its muscular arms were long, almost touching the ground.
Its hands bore twisted and sharp claws.
Capable of easily tearing through steel armor. Thin, dirty fur grew large, pus-filled boils.
A bald, hairless tail had a sharp, hiltless dagger crudely sewn into it.
Its scarlet eyes stared directly at Udi, filled with insane and bestial hatred and rage.
It roared as it charged at Udi.
Its pink, tumor-filled tongue extended into the air, disgusting and nauseating.
Every one of its sharp teeth was as long as a dagger.
Foul-smelling drool dripped from its mouth, its odor mixed with the monster's own stench, making one nauseous.
Even wearing a filtered respirator, Udi could feel the stench lingering in his nasal passages.
Udi blocked the opponent's first strike. The ratman monster's claws and his longsword sparked in their collision. The impact made him feel his hands tremble. The creature's strength was so immense that he had the illusion his hands were about to break. The only saving grace was that the creature's reaction speed wasn't as fast as his.
Seizing the opportunity, Udi plunged his sword into the creature's side. The longsword in his hand completely disappeared into the monster's body.
As it let out a pained howl, he slashed with his sword, and its intestines spilled out all at once. The monster howled in pain, flailing its claws in desperation.
Udi retreated a few steps to avoid injury. The monster stumbled backward, looking down at its scarlet intestines.
It reached out, trying to stuff them back into its belly.
Udi leaped up, and with a swift swing of his sword, he beheaded the creature. The massive corpse fell to the ground with a dull thud.
"Holy light, all-knowing and omnipotent Emperor of the Imperium, grant your protection." Udi looked at the monster's corpse, murmuring a prayer, then swung his sword and charged forward again, selecting other targets to hunt. The ratmen swarmed from underground like a tide, endless.
All of them were gaunt and appeared malnourished, looking as wild as starving wolves in winter. Their weapons were rusty and dented, and dirty rags covered their scabbed fur. Their eyes held a malevolent glint.
Clearly, they were all slave rats, used as cannon fodder. These creatures were cheap, grew quickly, and were the most useful cannon fodder for the Ratman empire.
Human soldiers, realizing the shift in the situation, also abandoned their ranged weapons and drew their swords or battle axes. The sound of blades cleaving bones and the dying cries of ratmen constantly echoed through the tunnel.
Udi took a deep breath, then plunged headfirst into the rat tide. The cold, sharp blade easily pierced the ratmen's bodies.
Effortlessly skewering them.
A swift slash could cut a ratman's body in half.
Udi let the instinct for slaughter consume him.
He chopped off the weapon of a slave rat attempting to ambush him, then plunged his sword into its throat.
Having dealt with one enemy, he then kicked another ratman flying.
He parried an enemy's attack with a swing of his sword, then brought it down with full force again, splitting the opponent's skull.
Udi was fearless, with only slaughter and the obsession with victory in his heart.
After dodging an attack from a strong Stormvermin.
Udi kicked the opponent's knee, his iron boot directly breaking its bone. The ratman fell to the ground, howling in pain.
Udi walked up and finished it with a sword thrust, disemboweling the creature and avoiding the gushing blood.
Before long, a pile of ratmen corpses lay at his feet. The other human soldiers were the same.
All around them were the corpses of Skaven ratmen.
Human weapons were far sharper and harder than those of the Skaven ratmen. They could easily cut through and pierce their weapons and armor.
Every human soldier cut down ratmen, outnumbering them by dozens, as easily as slicing melons and vegetables.
A group of tall ratmen, clad in black armor far superior to that of other ratmen, and carrying emblems carved with the image of the Great Horned Rat, appeared at the tunnel entrance, looking like the ratmen's regular troops.
After screeching, they charged towards Udi and the others.
Rats wielding staves and flamethrowers followed closely, launching their assault.
Streaks of green flame spewed from the warp-fire throwers carried by the flamethrower rats behind them.
Ratmen sorcerers, masters of crude warp magic, also brandished their staves, unleashing green lightning.
Several soldiers whose armor was shattered and runes blurred died with screams. Their armor, having lost its magic immunity, melted in the flames and lightning.
Warpfire and sorcery ignited their flesh. The creatures quickly turned into skeletons, then in a blink of an eye, became dust scattered by the wind.
Not even a complete corpse could be found.
Udi, however, was fearless. The symbols on his runic armor remained intact.
When the warpfire and the lightning unleashed by the ratman sorcerers touched his armor. The runes emitted a faint glow.
Blocking the terrifying flames and the sorcerer's lightning.
He charged forward with his sword raised. The black-armored ratman soldiers tried to stop him.
But he cut them down like slicing melons and vegetables.
He blew up the ratmen carrying warpfire throwers on their backs, causing them to die in explosions and spontaneous combustion. The ratman sorcerers, in close combat, fared even worse.
Udi could kill several frail ratman sorcerers with a single sword stroke.
Around him, ratmen fell one after another. Their fragile bodies were pierced and cut down by Udi.
More ratmen came forward, filling the gaps left by the fallen. Their replenishment speed was incredibly fast.
Udi was like a tireless machine, slaughtering his enemies.
Around him, scattered remnants of flesh and blood were everywhere.
His armor was also smeared with blood, completely changing color.
Artillery fire and gunshots rang out. The Ripper, with heavy strides, entered the wide tunnel from the unfinished fortress, supporting the hard-pressed defense line. The huge exhaust pipe on the Ripper's back let out a sharp whistle, and rolling steam and black smoke were released from it.
Amidst the deafening gunfire, each shot knocked down all the ratmen in front of it. The projectiles spewed from the huge muzzle formed a net of slaughter, blasting bloody holes in the ratmen within range. The rapidly rotating circular saw blades, like scythes, reaped swathes of weeds.
Mangled flesh flew, and blood splattered.
In just a few seconds, the elite ratmen who had launched the charge fell in swathes, rapidly turning into shredded remains. The war wheels that had just been pushed out were also shattered. The rat ogres had no advantage against the Ripper and were easily killed. The efficient slaughter robbed these ratmen of their courage, and when the bell rang again, they fled in a panic.
Udi plunged his sharp sword into a slave rat's body, and amidst its screams, he sliced open its torso.
He looked up; the ratmen had already dragged the bodies of the dead back into the dark tunnel. The eerie screams slowly faded away.
However, those creatures hadn't left.
If one were to walk into the dark tunnel, one could still hear the sound of those ratmen chewing on corpses.
Fatigue washed over Udi's body. The battle hadn't lasted long, but it was intense, exhausting his strength.
He looked around; the scene was bloody everywhere. The pungent smell of blood temporarily masked the stench.
"Sir." Udi's adjutant walked over.
His condition didn't look good either.
Crimson blood stained his armor. There was also a wound on his shoulder, blood gushing out.
"Don't be so careless next time," Udi said. "Those rats are very cunning. If you had discovered the underground cavity earlier, perhaps we wouldn't have had this close-quarters battle."
The adjutant, wearing an air-filtering mask, showed a look of shame. The numerous previous failures of the ratmen had made him believe that this race was nothing special.
He hadn't expected those cunning Skaven ratmen to quickly make him realize the price of arrogance. The collapse of the defense line was not a big deal.
Dax had enough strength to retake the defense line.
However, the label of incompetence would definitely fall on them.
"It's alright." Udi had no intention of reprimanding the other party, only hoping that he would pay more attention. "But you must remember, we are not just fighting for ourselves; if we can eliminate the ratmen, it will benefit all of humanity."
The adjutant nodded.
Udi told him to go find a military doctor for treatment and then prepare for the next tasks.
Fisher jumped down from a Ripper and walked over to Udi.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, those ratmen won't take my life," Udi laughed.
Fisher nodded, looking at the steam machinery that had fallen into the deep pit.
"Those guys are really cunning."
"If they weren't cunning, they wouldn't be gutter rats."
Workers rushed over from the fortress. They carried various tools and used steam engineering machines to transport materials to repair the defense line. The speed was very fast.
If nothing unexpected happened, they should be able to repair and reinforce the machinery and the ground before the ratmen's next attack.
Udi and Escher chatted for a while.
Soon, a messenger soldier came running over.
"Udi, Lord Dax is looking for you."
Udi had to leave Fisher, who was deep in conversation, and walked over to the messenger soldier.
"What does Lord Dax want with me?"
"I don't know, he just said he wants you to see him."
"Alright, I'll go wash up, then I'll be right over."
Udi handed his duties over to his adjutant and Fisher before going to wash up.
His body was covered in blood and shredded flesh.
It hadn't congealed yet, so there was no smell.
But once it dried, the stench would be unbearable for ordinary people.
"Ah!! Ahhh!! Ah!! Ahhh!!"
As Udi, having quickly rinsed himself, approached Dax's tent,
Heart-wrenching and panicked moans rhythmically emanated from within.
Pushing aside the tent flap, he saw the naked, broken female rat. The female rat had prominent curves, a tall figure, and a slender waist.
Her skin was fair and delicate.
If one ignored the rat-like head, her figure was absolutely top-notch.
Unfortunately, the female rat-person was now broken.
Her limbs were limp, and she lay on the torture chair.
Her eyes were glazed over, and saliva uncontrollably drooled from her mouth.
Her body was covered in marks left by primitive torture.
Her sharp teeth had been knocked out one by one.
Every finger had been twisted off, a bloody mess.
Her limbs were secured by sharp knives and hooks, and crimson blood continuously flowed from the torn wounds.
Several black-robed mages stood inside the tent, emitting an unsettling aura. They were all practitioners of necromancy, skilled in sorcery that manipulated souls and flesh.
Udi could detect traces of magic in the foul air.
Undoubtedly, the female rat-person had suffered a double torment of sorcery and torture.
Using pain to break the opponent's mental defenses, and then having mages read hidden secrets, was more efficient.
Her sanity had been completely destroyed.
Dax, with a single sword stroke, severed the head of the female rat-person assassin, then, with a look of disgust, ordered the body to be thrown outside to be shredded and burned.
"Sir," Udi saluted Dax.
Dax nodded, wiping his sword, "You've arrived."
Udi asked, "Is there something you need from your subordinate?"
"That assassin revealed the location of the Council of Thirteen. After the capital fell, those cowards fled to another important city, which was once an important dwarven city, formerly known as Karak Eight Peaks. It later fell into the hands of the rat-men and became their Pillar City, and the Council of Thirteen is hidden there."
The dwarves of this world had slowly declined over the long passage of time.
But they had once been glorious.
In an era before humanity rose. The dwarven mountain kingdoms and the elven race were the two strongest and most prosperous races.
And Karak Eight Peaks was absolutely the most glorious and prosperous city in dwarven history.
It had existed even before the dwarves and elves went to war, built by their greatest artisans.
After the ancient war erupted between the elves and dwarves,
millions of dwarves and elves slaughtered each other for profit and honor.
Karak Eight Peaks, this dwarven mega-city, also participated in the bloody conflict between the two races. They furiously drove all the elves out of the forest areas surrounding the city. The process was satisfying, but it sowed the seeds of destruction. The cultural exchange and economic trade between elves and dwarves had allowed them to reach the pinnacle of their respective wealth.
However, the ancient war had completely consumed the wealth they had painstakingly accumulated.
And it created a blood feud between the two races. The ancient war between elves and dwarves ended with the dwarves achieving final victory. The elves were forced to leave the continent, abandoning their territories and returning overseas.
Before the victorious dwarves could celebrate, a series of geological disasters made them realize the cruelty of fate.
Mountains bent, fissures spread, valleys collapsed, and ashes and rocks erupted from eastern volcanoes, shrouding the entire world.
Rubble was everywhere. Thick volcanic ash, like black locusts sent by a deity, covered the entire sky.
Crops withered, livestock died suddenly. The dwarves were forced to retreat into their fortresses, enduring the harsh weather's ravages on their kingdom. The geological disaster caused countless orcs to migrate, eventually coming into contact with the dwarves, leading to a series of brutal battles.
The rat-men also declared war on the dwarves at this time. They swarmed out from underground, systematically seizing large and secondary mining areas of the dwarven kingdom.
Utilizing a vast network of underground tunnels, they quickly and effectively attacked all dwarven strongholds from below.
At that time, Karak Eight Peaks was the largest and most prosperous dwarven city.
Beneath Karak Eight Peaks also lay important and valuable mineral veins. They would never abandon it. To hold Karak Eight Peaks, the dwarves tried every means to resist the attacks of the rat-men and goblins, defending their ancient kingdom. They mobilized troops to respond to every disaster caused by the rat-men. They set up deadly traps in the complex tunnels and corridors.
They sent out dwarven elites, armed with powerful weapons and armor personally crafted by runic smiths, to patrol. They also specially formed a heavily armored unit called the Ironbreakers for regular patrols, specifically targeting the rat-men.
Any rat-men that appeared would be met with dwarven rifle, pistol, and cannon fire. To seize an inch of dwarven land, the Skaven rat-men had to pay a heavy price.
What was more troublesome was that when they captured a tunnel, it would often be recaptured within a short time. The Council of Thirteen, having suffered huge sacrifices with no returns, devised a sinister plan. They allied with the local greenskin orcs to attack the dwarves on the surface. They slowly contaminated the dwarven water sources using warpstone fragments and specially formulated poisons. They also sent giant rats to devour the dwarves' dwindling food supplies.
A series of blows caused dwarven morale to plummet due to plague, food shortages, and water scarcity.
When the rat-men developed portable warpfire throwers capable of melting dwarven heavy armor,
the dwarves of Karak Eight Peaks were inevitably doomed. The rat-men severely crippled the dwarves with various plagues and poisonous gases, causing their offspring to repeatedly die young.
In direct combat, dwarven heavy armor was powerless against warpfire.
After a series of battles, this glorious dwarven mega-city fell, with only about a hundred surviving dwarves escaping.
Karak Eight Peaks possessed the largest continental reserves of precious metals and jewels.
After the rat-men took control, they quickly acquired vast wealth through their digging talents.
Countless rat-men slaves toiled daily, sacrificing their lives to mine minerals and accumulate wealth for the warlords and the Council of Thirteen.
It was also the most prosperous rat-men underground city, besides Skavenblight. The Council of Thirteen was hiding there.
Commanding rat-men across the world to launch a holy war.
Rat-men are extremely selfish creatures; if the members of the Council of Thirteen who command them could be killed, they would undoubtedly fall into leaderless chaos.
"I want you to eliminate the Council of Thirteen," Dax said, "Twist off all those rats' heads."
Udi had no reason to refuse. This was his chance to make a name for himself.
"Give me an elite squad, and I will bring back the heads of the Council of Thirteen members for you."
"That's probably not possible, you know. Those soldiers are trained for direct confrontation. Infiltration and assassination are not their strengths. You'll have to find suitable people yourself."
Upon hearing Dax's words, Udi was stunned.
He had to find people himself!!
This job sounded difficult!!
"Middenheim is currently the largest human city, gathering all kinds of capable people. I can give you some time to return to Middenheim and recruit a squad capable of completing the mission.
I will give you a special authorization document, allowing you to use various advanced steam equipment and runic gear, and I will also secure a few sets of authentic Imperial armor for you, just like the one I'm wearing; it can save your life."
A smile immediately appeared on Udi's face. The armor Dax wore was top-notch.
Not to mention being immune to magic, a sword strike wouldn't even leave a white mark.
It was definitely a divine artifact.
"Mission accomplished, sir, please grant me twenty sets of armor. I will definitely bring back the heads of the Council of Thirteen members for you."
Without thinking, Dax raised his leg and kicked him.
"Twenty sets, are you out of your mind? The wise men can't even manufacture those armors right now, and we haven't received material support from the Imperium yet.
Every set allocated is one less. Do you think I'm the Holy Emperor's son, that I can just have as many sets as I want? You brat, at most five sets."
"Five sets it is, then," Udi said, picking himself up and brushing off the dirt, a barely concealed smile on his face.
Five divine artifacts in hand.
He had never been so wealthy in his life. This time, he would fight his way in and out of Karak Eight Peaks seven times, taking the heads of those thirteen rat villains.
"Go, return to Middenheim, and find some elite soldiers and strong generals. Assassins, rogues, and other professions skilled in infiltration, take down the Council of Thirteen. If you can assassinate those rat-men warlords, then assassinate those rat-men warlords. You must leave them leaderless."
Holding the document signed by Dax, Udi immediately took the steam elevator to the surface.
His duties would be handled by others, so he didn't need to worry. The automatic steam elevator slowly ascended with the roar of machinery, gradually picking up speed.
A windproof kerosene lamp hung from the top.
Providing dim and faint light. The air slowly became fresher.
For the first time in months, Udi removed his filter respirator and took a deep breath of air completely free of any strange odors. The automatic steam elevator reached the surface after twenty minutes of operation. Their operations had already delved very deep underground.
It took a significant amount of time to come up each time.
Supplies and food were transported via elevators and pipelines.
As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, he heard a distant roar.
Looking up, a huge factory spewing steam came into view.
In the former Skavenblight, numerous factories and military facilities had already been established. The rat-men had left behind a large amount of warpstone and mineral resources here.
With a little processing, those materials could be used by humans. The miasma of the swamp had mostly dissipated.
Large quantities of magical plants used for purifying the swamp had been thrown into it. They greedily absorbed the toxins and waste, growing exceptionally lush. The water quality of the foul swamp was becoming clear. The stench was dissipating.
In a few more days, those swamps could be used to cultivate crops or establish hydroponic bases.
It was noon when Udi reached the surface. The warm sunlight shone on his body, making him feel an unprecedented warmth.
It was the first time he had felt this way.
Just basking in the sun made him feel an unprecedented sense of happiness.
A high-speed airship had already been prepared for him. The person in charge led him directly to the airship.
With the navigator's shouts, the airship's furnace roared, activating the runes covering the hull, and it soared into the sky, heading straight for Middenheim.
Middenheim.
Factory District.
Gessler, having finished his day's work, stretched his aching muscles, walked out of the factory gate, and stepped into the golden afterglow of the setting sun, ready to go home.
He had previously been a farmer conscripted by the nobles to fight outsiders.
After the big figures from the exploration team seized Altdorf, he stayed there for a while.
Later, it was said that manpower needed to be concentrated to build a fully industrialized city, so they were transported to Middenheim as workers.
His daily work was laboring in the factory, and the factory provided three meals a day and wages.
Gessler touched his stomach.
His former skeletal frame was gone, replaced by a small, inconspicuous potbelly.
Such a physique belonged only to nobles and those of status.
"I never thought I'd live such a life free from worries about food and clothing. It's truly fortunate," Gessler said, looking at the steam engines lining both sides of the road. The deafening sound made him feel incredibly pleasant and at ease.
Hearing this sound meant there was work to be done, and he could eat his fill.
He didn't seek great wealth, but at least three meals a day, warm clothes, and a place to settle down.
No harassment from beastmen, no threats from wild beasts.
He just needed to work every day to get enough food to easily support his family, and he could even have meat occasionally and buy a few new clothes.
He was truly content with such a life.
Gessler was currently in the industrial district.
Leaving the industrial district, he arrived at a crossroads.
One road led to the residential area.
Another road led to the commercial district.
And one more road led to the inner city. That was where the adults of Valerius stayed.
All the roads were paved and hardened with concrete, clean and tidy.
From time to time, steam vehicles would drive by.
Lamp posts stood on both sides of the road, with unlit gas lamps hanging from them.
It was said that in a while, all lights would be replaced with electric ones.
Gessler didn't understand this.
He thought the gas lamps were already very good.
Even if they were a bit dim, they were still very convenient.
Gessler hummed a tune and walked back at a leisurely pace.
His residence was assigned to residential area A-6-9527.
All residences were currently uniformly allocated. The important figures seemed to not place much emphasis on stimulating commercial economy; although a commercial district was established, there wasn't much large-scale commercial activity.
When Gessler returned home, his wife and children had already finished dinner and were chatting at the doorstep. Their house wasn't big, only two rooms, but it was enough for the family.
One for the children, and one for him and his wife.
Such a life was nothing compared to that of nobles.
But compared to his past miserable serf life, it was truly a world of difference. The children were playing a game of knights and nobles.
After coming to this city, the children were exposed to something called comics.
Recently, a comic story about a humble knight helping a princess in distress reclaim her kingdom and eventually marrying the queen to become king had been circulating.
Because of this, many children enjoyed imitating the plot.
Gessler watched the children's happy faces, and his smile grew even wider.
Praise the Holy Emperor he had never seen.
Let such days continue.
Don't push a poor soul like him into the abyss again.
"Respected Queen, I will offer you my heart and lifelong loyalty," Gessler's eldest child, Laurie, said. "I will eliminate all your enemies, Your Majesty."
"I accept your loyalty, my knight," the girl playing the queen said, imitating the nobles she had seen before. The adults watched the children having a blast, and were happy to see it, gathering to discuss rumors they had heard.
Such as the dwarf alliance and the Skaven war.
Gessler and the others argued heatedly, looking as if they were strategizing and directing the world.
Although they didn't even know which direction the Skavenblight was in.
But this didn't stop them from bringing out some seemingly high-sounding statements they had heard in taverns and tea houses to show off their knowledge.
As dusk fell, everyone took their children and returned home.
At home, Gessler listened to his children loudly recounting the knowledge and experiences they had learned at school.
"Our teacher asked me what kind of person I wanted to be in the future, and I said I wanted to be a knight, a knight loyal to the queen," said Laurie, his eldest son.
"That's a good ideal, it's just a pity we don't have a queen," Gessler joked.
"No queen, but there will definitely be a distressed princess, and I want to help that princess defeat the Holy Emperor and reclaim her kingdom." Laurie, who was only about ten years old, showed a yearning expression when he said this.
He fantasized about becoming a hero, helping a beautiful distressed princess defeat an evil villain and reclaim her kingdom.
When Gessler heard his son's words, his usually amiable face turned exceptionally grim.
"You want to defeat the Holy Emperor for a distressed princess and reclaim her kingdom?" Gessler couldn't believe his child would have such a thought.
"Of course, how cool would that be, I want to defeat..."
Laurie hadn't realized his father's expression had changed.
Slap!
A crisp slap sound rang out, interrupting Laurie's next words.
Gessler, who had just been laughing and talking, backhanded his son, with such force that five red finger marks appeared on his son's face.
"How could you have such a thought??"
Laurie froze, not knowing why his father had hit him.
"If the princess' enemy is the Holy Emperor, then what you should do is kill the princess without hesitation. My child, how could you imagine your savior as an enemy? What a sin that would be. If it weren't for Him, do you think your father would still be standing here? Do you think our family could live such a stable life?"
"I almost died in Altdorf. If it weren't for the rescue by Lord Valerius, you wouldn't even see my corpse. They rescued us under the Holy Emperor's command, and gave us enough food and water, gave us a place to live, allowing us to live peacefully and happily."
"You can play those games, but you can never treat the Holy Emperor as an enemy, He is everything to us, Laurie. I don't want to hit you, but I can't think of any other way that would make you remember more effectively."
Gessler stared intently into his child's eyes.
"You must swear to me that you will only be a knight of the Holy Emperor, Laurie. Throw those damned nobles and queens into the trash, they are not worthy of any loyalty, they are despicable beasts, only fit for scorn and humiliation."
The child nodded, "I swear, Father. I will only be a knight of the Holy Emperor."
Gessler nodded at his child's sincere attitude of correcting his mistake.
Returning from Skavenblight to Middenheim.
Udi wasted a few days.
He didn't have time to appreciate the rapid changes in Middenheim. The number of factories was increasing.
Various hovercraft came and went, unloading and loading goods. There were also steam trains and steam vehicles traveling on the surface.
Middenheim was transforming into an unprecedented metropolis.
If it weren't for his mission, Udi would have liked to explore it.
But considering the mission, he gave up.
After landing, he headed straight for a tavern located on the city's outskirts.
Some merchants and adventurers gathered here. To find a suitable group of experts capable of infiltrating Karak Eight Peaks to assassinate members of the Skaven Council of Thirteen, this was absolutely the best place to look.
However, just as he walked into a pub called the Dog and Donkey, he unexpectedly encountered a brawl.
A human and dwarf duo had beaten up all the other patrons.
Beer was spilled everywhere. The bare-chested bar girls were all screaming and fleeing in panic. The two violent thugs quickly caught Udi's attention.
Clearly, these two possessed impressive martial arts skills.
More importantly, they were cunning enough.
During the fight, various insidious tactics emerged endlessly, making the mercenaries, who vastly outnumbered them, squeal and squawk, yet they were helpless.
Such talents were naturally spotted by Udi at a glance.
Upon inquiry, the dwarf was named Gotrek, and the human was named Felix. The combination of these two was also somewhat famous.
They had repelled Skaven, and even hunted vampires, ogres, and even Chaos daemons, and so on. They were nicknamed the Slayer Duo.
The duo wasn't very interested in Udi's invitation. They had only come here out of curiosity about what the fabled Middenheim had become.
Soon, they would embark on a new journey.
But as soon as Gotrek heard about assassinating members of the Skaven Council of Thirteen in Karak Eight Peaks, he changed his mind and agreed to go to Karak Eight Peaks with Udi.
The duo had been to Karak Eight Peaks and had even delved into its tunnels, so they were somewhat familiar with the place.
Next, Udi just needed to find a rogue who could infiltrate the Skaven lair and a mage who could disarm traps, then they could hone the team and set off.
Karak Eight Peaks. The Skaven called it the Pillar City. The continuous failure of assassins sent out made the members of the Council of Thirteen increasingly agitated.
Fear of humans also began to emerge in the hearts of some Skaven warlords. They had sacrificed too much, yet failed to reclaim the sacred land of the Skaven.
Below the Great Horned Rat Temple in the Pillar City, members of the Council of Thirteen who had escaped from Skavenblight were holding a meeting. The room was deep and filled with the power of warpstone. The overly dense warp energy had caused spatial structural deformation in this area.
"We have nowhere left to retreat," said a Verminlord, its bloated body seated on a chair inlaid with warpstone. "We must let those damned humans know that we possess the power to destroy everything. Over-provoking us will only lead to the premature destruction of this world."
"For years, we have set up enough altars and arrays around the world to pull the Blood Moon Morrslieb into this world and make it collide, at which point countless fragments will destroy everything."
"They will not accept threats."
"Nor can we surrender. Having lost so many resources and people, to surrender to those damned humans, absolutely not. We will fight to the end."
Several other Verminlords said.
"Then let's all be destroyed together. A world without Skaven shouldn't exist," the Verminlord who first proposed the idea shouted.
"The situation isn't that bad yet, we still have many trump cards up our sleeves," said a Verminlord from Clan Pestilens, covered in pustules.
"Those soldiers and ordinary humans are still flesh and blood, and plague can still be effective. We will contaminate the water sources of those human soldiers, seize their supplies, and wear down those who want to seize the City of the Great Horned Rat."
"Will that take too long?" a Verminlord asked. "It seems time is not on our side!"
"How can time not be on our side? Do those humans dare to sneak in here and cut off our heads?" the Verminlord from Clan Pestilens said mockingly.
"They can't do that, and we will immediately change locations with the slightest disturbance, continuing to fulfill the mission given to us by the Great Horned Rat. The destruction of human cities one by one means they will never catch us, only be drowned and gnawed in endless Skaven wars."