Chapter 100: Little Rat, Big Rat
Uncle Lin had been speaking in a local dialect, to avoid being understood by the other beastkin. He had been referring to Bai.
But Bai had understood. It was an old, obscure language, a remnant of the ancient empire, known only to a few.
…And Bai was one of them.
But even so, Uncle Lin hadn’t revealed anything more, only giving her a meaningful look.
Lin Yan had understood immediately, standing up and saying to Bai, “Little sister, I have to go. I hope we meet again.”
“Alright,” Bai said, standing up as well, then, remembering her role, she quickly sat back down, her face a mask of indifference.
But in that brief moment, Lin Yan hadn’t noticed anything, but Uncle Lin’s pupils had constricted.
“Wait, that’s…”
“Uncle Lin?” Lin Yan asked, seeing his strange expression.
“…” He didn’t speak, his gaze shifting from Bai to Lin Yan, his lips parted as if to say something.
But in the end, he remained silent, turning and leaving.
Lin Yan, though confused, followed.
“Huh? Are they gone?” Eleanor asked, returning with more snacks and placing them before Bai.
“What is it?” Bai asked.
“Oh, that lady ordered these. She’s quite generous. The best snacks in the house,” Eleanor said cheerfully. “Now that they’re gone, we can share them!”
“Alright,” Bai said, her mind elsewhere. Seeing Lin Yan again, after so long, had left her with a strange, complex feeling.
“By the way, there’s one more thing,” Eleanor said, sitting down, her cheerful expression turning serious. “I think… there’s something strange about this festival.”
“What do you mean?” Bai asked, her interest piqued.
“Hmm… I can’t quite put my finger on it. I’ll probably know more when the time comes. For now, it’s just a feeling,” Eleanor said, grabbing a handful of snacks and stuffing them into her mouth. The wine might have been terrible, but the snacks were quite good.
“Have you found out when the festival starts?” Bai asked.
“Three… mmmph… days… mmmph…”
“…Eat slowly. I’m not going to steal it from you,” Bai said, a headache forming as she watched Eleanor talk with her mouth full.
“But… I have to… get back to work,” she said, her voice muffled. Her accent was now surprisingly similar to Bai’s.
“…” Bai sighed. She had already gathered the basic information. Why was Eleanor still so focused on her job?
If Norma knew about this, she would have dragged her back to the Twilight Marsh by the ear.
But…
She stroked her chin, her gaze drifting towards the direction Lin Yan had gone.
“Uncle Lin’s expression… he clearly knows something.”
“And Eleanor’s intuition, as the High Priestess’s successor… it feels like… this festival is a conspiracy, from top to bottom…”
…
On the road.
Uncle Lin walked quickly, heading away from the Wild God Altar, Lin Yan beside him.
“Uncle Lin, what’s going on?” she asked, her voice low, speaking in the ancient empire’s dialect.
“Later,” he said, his expression tense.
But then, he remembered what he had seen. “Miss, is your sword missing?”
He had been shocked to see Bai, when she had stood up, wearing Lin Yan’s sword at her waist.
He was certain it was hers.
It had the Lin family crest, and he could sense the psychic energy within it.
How could a little beastkin girl she had just met possess her sword?
Lin Yan paused. “How did you know?”
He didn’t answer, instead asking, “When did you lose it?”
“…About five or six years ago? A long time,” she said, thinking back. In Vikarn Port?
She had given it to someone…
No, wait, it was a precious item. Why would she just give it away, to someone she couldn’t even remember?
“Five or six years ago…”
Had that beastkin been in Vikarn Port five or six years ago?
But Vikarn Port was deep within the Empire, not on the border.
It was almost impossible for a young beastkin to cross so many obstacles to reach it, and then return to the Savage Lands.
Unless… she had bought it, or inherited it from someone else.
After a long moment of thought, he decided to tell her. “Miss, I saw your sword just now.”
“Where?” she asked, surprised. She had tried to find it, or at least the person she had given it to, but with no luck.
But it hadn’t been a major concern. She had been busy with her military duties and had eventually forgotten about it.
“Just now,” he said, his voice low. “On that young beastkin.”
“Hmm…?!” Lin Yan’s eyes widened. She had felt a strange sense of familiarity with the little girl called “Hong,” but she hadn’t recognized her.
“Miss, I think we’ve overlooked something,” he said, his voice filled with worry. “It’s not just about the sword…”
“It’s just a sword,” Lin Yan said, interrupting him.
“Such a cute little girl. It’s fine if she has a good sword for protection,” she shrugged, but then a strange feeling washed over her. She had said those exact words before.
“Strange…” she murmured.
Uncle Lin, seeing her dismissive attitude, changed the subject. “About the festival, I’ll brief you when we get back to camp.”
“Alright,” she nodded, knowing it was a serious matter.
They walked quickly, leaving the outer district of the Wild God Altar.
At the same time, in the core area, Volker, the Plague Rat beastkin, lowered his ears. “They’re gone.”
“Good,” Diana said with a sneer. “I thought they were going to send a few more little rats over. I didn’t expect…”
“I don’t like that comparison, Diana,” Volker grumbled. He was a rat-kin, after all.
“Don’t worry. You’re a big rat,” she said with a smile. “Big rats, little rats, they’re all good at gathering intelligence…”
