As he killed and increased his rats, which now numbered just a little under seventy, a voice rang in his head:
Reach the Grand Desert city. Protect the Progenitor Tree.
"Huh? So did I finally killed a hundred of these things… that's good. Now I just need to reach that city and find the tree. It's good to know… even though I used the rats to kill them, apparently it still counts."
During this time, Faust had tested new maneuvers with the rats, and his control over them increased exponentially. He noticed that to use them efficiently, he shouldn't focus on individual control, but rather treat them as a group.
Also, every time the miasma rats killed, he felt a stronger connection with the artifact and the miasma itself.
Days passed, until finally, he saw it on the horizon.
Surrounded by mountainous rocks stood a huge city, protected by colossal dark sandstone walls, and at its entrance, an arc greeted those who passed beneath it.
Looking at it, Faust grinned as he kept walking.
"Heh, I'm close now. At this point, I guess most adventurers have already reached the city… it should be difficult to move freely through it."
Faust had hidden Plague Bringer inside his pouch and made all the rats return to their miasma form and enter the lamp. At this point, his control over them was much better than before. Even he was impressed by it—he was much better with the lamp than with mana, where he was below average at best, although he used it for far longer.
Continuing forward, he eventually reached the city's entrance as his red eyes darted around his surroundings, analyzing it all.
Now I need to be careful. If I'm not, it won't take long before I end up like the Old Rat Prince. Extreme caution is what I need…
Faust knew he wouldn't be able to act freely in this city. It was certain that other adventurers had already arrived. Most, if not all, were likely stronger than him in direct combat. As such, he should avoid fighting head-on.
In the Grand Desert City, he saw hundreds of sandstone houses nearby. Some were single-story, while others reached two or three stories high. On the gray sand streets, dozens of citizens were on the street and he could see even more hidden inside houses. Some armored people walked through the streets, but apparently didn't pay attention to him.
The natives of this area looked just like humans, although feeble and used raggedly clothes.
Before he could continue his thoughts, a voice rang once more in his head:
Protect the Progenitor Tree.
Faust smiled. Now he had only one goal left. It couldn't be that hard… could it?
I need to be careful and try to avoid direct conflict… If I can't, then I should act fast and kill them or run away before I'm at a disadvantage.
At this point, hesitation to kill was no longer something he struggled with, but killing was only a means to an end. Killing for no reason was foolish, as one would attract enemies and cause disasters on themselves.
"… I need a base… this trial should take a while."
Faust murmured lowly to himself as he looked around and quickly spotted a dark alley. Moving like a ghost, he slipped through several narrow paths of the city, distancing himself from the entrance.
Eventually, he found a one-story house that was rather isolated from the others. Its windows were sealed shut by wooden planks, and only a few more houses stood nearby.
Observing it for a while, he neither heard nor saw any movement. So, with a swift kick, he forced the door open and entered, then closed it behind him.
Inside, the house had only one room and was mostly empty—just a table covered by a large piece of tattered cloth and a couple of chairs. Everything was considerably dusty. Faust didn't care about that, though; this was actually comfortable compared to some of the places he'd stayed in.
As he sat on a chair, he began to ponder the "Progenitor Tree" mentioned in his seventh trial… and his current situation.
Since he acted quickly upon entering the city, it was unlikely he had been followed or seen by other adventurers. Still, the possibility wasn't zero.
This Progenitor Tree… maybe another adventurer knows about it? There's no information in the Old Rat Prince's memories… but asking an adventurer is risky. They might not attack me directly, though if they do, it won't be good… I also need more rats. But killing those stone imp creatures is too inefficient…
I could observe the city a bit more… maybe kill some natives? They seemed weak enough to handle. But that could attract too much attention. Damn it, this is too difficult. Everything I consider comes with a disadvantage.
So… should I take the risk anyway? Since this is a city, I might be able to find materials to make detonation runes, maybe even set up an area trap like I used to. Hm… that could work. If I do it inside this house, I don't think there will be many consequences.
Also, I need a weapon to test the Devour Rune. Its benefits are too great to leave unused. And the Old Rat Prince got the key here… maybe I could go to the place where he found it and see if there's anything left.
With that in mind, Faust solidified his plan.
First, he would investigate more about the key and the Progenitor Tree. Although he had access to the Old Rat Prince's memories, there was no information about the key—even though the man clearly knew something. That meant even with the Devour Rune, the old man had managed to keep certain knowledge hidden…
… Whatever was so important that he had to protect it even after death only made Faust more curious.
Then, if he decided to use this place as a definitive base, he would prepare the house he was currently in. If he was forced to retreat or fight for any reason, he'd rather do so in a place where he held the advantage.
And finally, he would increase the number of his miasma rats and strengthen his connection with the artifact. This, too, was something not present in the Old Rat Prince's memories. While the prince had a connection with the artifact, it had been more like a master wielding a tool.
To Faust, however, it felt as if the artifact was an extension of himself. His theories were either the miasma he absorbed during the Consume Rune or an aftereffect of the Devour Rune. Still, he didn't know exactly why.
With his planning partially finished, he grabbed the cloth from the table and fashioned it into a cloak, covering himself completely. Though tattered, it was large enough to conceal him from head to toe, even touching the ground.
Then, he left—heading toward the place where the Old Rat Prince had once found the key.
Moving through alleys like a phantom, it was easy to remain unnoticed. Though he didn't intend to interact with anyone, after a few minutes of walking, he heard two natives speaking in a dark corner of the alley.
Faust kept hidden and listened, hoping to learn more about this place or anything interesting. To his surprise, however, their language was strange and confusing.
"Trikki pi miti… In bobe ili onno tra!" said a muscular one, smiling.
The other replied, "Kip… Kip… pra gin… Eyo molo gin, In lakka kro…"
As he said that, Faust saw the muscular man grab a sack full of bronze coins and toss it to the ground, spitting afterward.
"Malla! Inhi tra gin!" His face twisted in anger as he extended his hand toward the other man and clenched his fist. "Ili lakka kro?"
The man laughed and said, "Eyo, eyo. Tra molo, nomo, nomo!" Then, he took a shiny blue stone from a pouch at his side and handed it to the burly man. "Irti, inhi tra."
Mana?!
He then walked away toward the street, while the burly man remained, slapping his own forehead as he sighed.
"Inhi malla… In onno tra molo… Hu in qui Hain eyo zola…"
After observing the stone for a while, he stored it in his pouch, looked around, and left.
Watching this exchange, Faust thought:
Did that stone had mana in it or I'm just seeing things… if I could learn how to store mana like that it would be useful.
Also, Is "gin" money? Judging by how he said it several times and the man gave him a few coins afterward I guess so… but what exactly were they talking about…?
Although still thinking, he resumed his journey toward the location faintly etched in his mind from the Old Rat Prince's memories. While he couldn't navigate the city in full, he had a decent grasp of the streets near the entrance, as it was a territory the Old Rat Prince had wandered before.
As he walked, Faust played the conversation back in his mind, dissecting each word, tone, and gesture. He hoped to decode their strange language over time, to turn confusion into comprehension.
But for now, his focus lay elsewhere.