Chapter 394 - 320: The Ratman Threat

Chapter 394: Chapter 320: The Ratman Threat

"Clear out the western part of the forest?" Shire was taken aback. "Are you saying I should lead my clan to attack all the goblins in the western Nightmare Forest?"

"No, not goblins." Count Jean glanced at Herbert, who ignored him and continued to savor his red wine. The count let out a soft sigh and said, "Ratmen."

"Ratmen?"

"Yes. The entire western region, where it borders the Savoy Kingdom, is riddled with tunnels dug by the Ratmen. Those tunnels have interconnected to form an Underground Kingdom." Jean leaned forward, his hands clasped. "Those creatures despise the sun. They almost always emerge from their tunnels at night to forage for food."

"Unlike this old bat," he jerked a thumb toward Herbert, "my family’s domain is right on the edge of the forest. We’re constantly harassed by these creatures."

"Then what about the goblins?" Shire asked, puzzled.

Count Jean gave an awkward smile. "I’m afraid you won’t find many goblins in the western Nightmare Forest anymore."

Seeing Shire’s furrowed brow and questioning gaze, Herbert set down his wine glass. "Allow me. A long time ago, the Ratmen were already living in the western part of the forest, but no one paid them any mind back then. After all, they’re even smaller than goblins and refuse to crawl out of their holes during the day, so Adventurers were still focused on goblins."

"But at some point, things changed." He paused for a few seconds, as if recalling old tales. "Those Ratmen are incredibly prolific. They rapidly expanded their population, and they eat anything. If they can’t find food, they’ll even resort to cannibalism. But the most crucial part is that they dug a massive network of tunnels. If you want to kill them, you have to go deep inside, which is exceptionally dangerous for human Adventurers."

"Furthermore, these creatures carry plagues. If an Adventurer gets injured, they quickly fall ill. Without timely treatment, it can even be life-threatening. Yet the Ratmen themselves are immune to these diseases."

"So why come to me?" Shire asked, sizing up the two men across from him.

"My apologies. The Ratmen are incredibly difficult to deal with. My domain no longer has any towns like Yangjiao Town. The entire fringe of the forest has been cleared of human villages, precisely to prevent the Ratmen from swarming out at night." Jean stared at his wine glass, but seemed to have no interest in tasting it. "The Adventurers of Savoy know very little about the Ratmen’s burrows. Right now, all I can think of is to rely on you goblins."

"Wait a minute," Shire said, holding up a hand. "You just said there aren’t many goblins left in the west. You must understand, goblins are notoriously resilient. Give us just two years of peace, and we can produce several litters. While we can’t match the reproductive rate of the Ratmen, we’re still far more prolific than humans."

"Er..." Jean hesitated, fidgeting awkwardly with his hands, unsure of how to continue.

"The goblins in the west were all used up by them," Herbert said, but Jean immediately retorted, "My family never did such a thing! I even issued a decree forbidding the capture of goblins!"

Shire watched the two bicker, his brow furrowed, silently awaiting an explanation.

"Fine," Jean said, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender. "In the beginning, some Adventurers started capturing goblins. They used them to find the entrances to the Ratmen’s burrows and drove them ahead to scout the paths. This significantly increased the Adventurers’ survival rate, and gradually, many of them adopted this method."

"But things took a turn. After their hunts, these greedy men wouldn’t release the goblins. Instead, they’d tie them up and sell them directly to slave traders. Over time, it even became a trend among the high nobility of Savoy to keep goblins as pets." Jean rubbed his cheek, his voice tinged with frustration. "I prohibited it from the start, but people are greedy. Back when the goblins were still around, the Ratmen weren’t nearly as rampant. Once the goblins were gone, the Ratmen began raiding the surrounding villages in droves. And..."

He hesitated, then gritted his teeth and continued, "When humans fight goblins, they usually win. But when they fight Ratmen, even in victory, it’s easy to get infected with a plague that ultimately leads to death."

"So you want me and my clan to go to the western forest to fight the Ratmen until we’re both battered and broken?" Shire said with a mocking smirk.

"No, that’s not it," Jean said, hastily waving his hands. But his movements slowed to a stop, and he continued in a dejected tone, "My apologies. I admit that was part of my thinking. I know there will inevitably be casualties in a war against the Ratmen."

"Of course, if you disagree, that’s fine. Our original deal will be completely unaffected. After all, the two of us," he glanced at Herbert, "still bear the heavy debt of ’Jealousy.’"

"’The Ratman clans...’" Shire didn’t answer right away, stroking his chin in thought.

’These humanoids are more primitive than goblins... more savage, even. Their intelligence is low, lower than a goblin’s. They’ll stop at nothing to survive.’

’And by the sound of it, they’ve bred until they’ve formed their own kingdom. A lot of the goblins in the western forest must have been eaten by them.’