Chapter 97 - Mortals Drown (Part I) (Patreon)

After booking a room at a random inn, Lucian entered his room and locked the door.

First, he placed the scrolls and papers he had collected from Grandmaster Miao on the bed. Next, he carefully stored the pouch containing silver, gold, and Spirit Stones below the bed, together with the hornet artifact he had nearly forgotten about.

Afterward, he removed his robes, inner shirts, and trousers, folding them neatly. In two more seconds, he was totally naked. Then, using his Qi perception, Lucian detected no Qi fluctuations inside the room, not even from the insect artifact, while through scents, sounds, and his instincts, he picked up the usual number of spies observing from afar.

There could be people watching me without being detected, Lucian thought. That Wei Zhang would have been difficult to notice if he had not approached directly.

He was accustomed to dealing with mages and mutants capable of invisibility or sensory camouflage, but he was deeply impressed by how resourceful Qi could be. Fortunately, he too had a way to avoid Qi perception.

Under Lucian's command, crimson lines rapidly formed within his left pupil as a rune depicting a half-closed eye composed of three lines shimmered into existence, surrounded by a circle of shifting sigils.

Devilish Arts: Boon of Sloth - Body Over Mind

At the same time, another rune formed within his brain, depicting a four-fingered hand grasping a neck.

Devilish Arts: Boon of Lust - Out of Touch

Controlling both runes simultaneously, Lucian first used his intent to command the surrounding Qi, and used his inner control to accelerate his Qi flow. He did it while trying to open the second chakra point, the Sacral Chakra.

Despite feeling subtle changes in his lower abdomen and legs, and sensing improvements to his regeneration and stamina, Lucian knew this chakra point would still take considerable time to fully open. Then, when the short cultivation session ended, he activated the Rune of Sloth to observe his body more carefully.

With his latest strengthening and enhancements, Lucian could now access other aspects of his runes, improving older abilities while unlocking new ones. Or, in his case, recovering the abilities he had lost after being sent to this world.

Feeling both Qi and Blood Essence circulating through his body, Lucian began to shapeshift. He consumed a great amount of Blood Essence, causing his body to darken, and small patches of black fur to spread across his naked skin.

Then, pieces of his body began falling to the floor.

Slowly, mostly because of Lucian's conscious effort to preserve the structure of his meridians and chakra points, each piece of black-furred flesh on the floor twisted and reshaped itself into a black rat with crimson eyes. These rats remained perfectly still while Lucian continued the transformation. At last, nearly thirty rats filled the room.

Among them stood a larger, grotesquely deformed rat lacking paws and a tail. Its swollen body was covered in protruding blood vessels, and in its belly there was a fleshy ginseng-like organ. Other heads seemed to grow out of its back, as if it were a fusion of critters.

When the shapeshifting concluded, Lucian’s perception flickered within his Sea of Consciousness, that dark space he usually found himself in after activating the Rune of Sloth. Then, his vision, hearing, and all other senses were divided among the dozens of rats.

Observing the crippled and nearly gangrenous larger rat, Lucian felt deeply satisfied.

Now that I can control Qi, I can preserve my meridians, chakra points, and the Qi naturally flowing through my body in a medium while activating the Rune of Sloth, he thought, spreading his consciousness among all rats.

Feeling himself become twenty-eight entities, Lucian realized the larger rat had been formed from three bodies and not one.

That is the price required to preserve my current cultivation, he thought. Maybe it will grow in the future.

Dismissing the matter for now, Lucian left two rats in the room with the larger one, and sent five others to survey the inn. The little black creatures were searching for places where spies could be hiding.

Given that only the larger rat could perceive Qi, the smaller ones had to scurry throughout the entire building, relying on their hearing and sense of smell to locate people.

Of course, Lucian was a vampire, not a common shapeshifter. The rats born from his transformation were far stronger and more sensitive than ordinary vermin. After the five rats finished scanning the inn and found nothing suspicious, they hid themselves in concealed spots while the remaining twenty left the room in batches.

Some traveled alone, others in pairs. Controlled by Lucian, the rats dispersed into the night, slipping through alleys, climbing walls to run across rooftops, and sneaking into barrels or people’s bags. They moved through the city unnoticed by all.

Lucian gradually became more accustomed to controlling dozens of entities. It was like swimming, in the way that even if you forgot, once in the water you surely would recall what to do.

Back to the rats, each one moved faster and sent increasingly detailed information back to Lucian as time passed. When his control reached its peak, he grouped them into five mischiefs. Three groups of rats headed toward the noble district, another toward the docks and brothel district, while the last moved to the slums.

Upon reaching the walls of the noble district, one mischief spread toward the mansions outside the walls, while the other two swiftly climbed over and infiltrated the district. Of course, the walls had arrays to detect living beings carrying Qi, but they didn't react to the rats. After all, the little black creatures lacked Qi.

Meanwhile, the pack of rats near the brothel district and the ones in the slums went to their destinations. When they detected the targets that Lucian was searching for, they stalked close behind.

At the same time, a pack of rats in the noble district spread out and advanced, so if one was found, others wouldn't be lost as well. The other group, however, went deeper into the district, toward a place Lucian had never visited.

The Feathered Serpent Castle.

Through four different crimson perspectives, Lucian observed the enormous walls decorated with scale-like patterns and the bronze-armored soldiers guarding the perimeter.

After the rats spread around the castle grounds, it did not take long for them to locate the smaller entrances reserved for servants.

Still, Lucian did not command them to enter.

Noting the discoveries for later use, Lucian directed the mischief of four rats toward a nearby structure whose rooftop was decorated with wave-shaped stone carvings. There, believers of the Tidal Church dressed in ceremonial robes were leaving the congregation with their families.

Observing them silently, Lucian soon found his targets. Just as he did in the slums, he commanded the rats to follow specific targets.

Teenagers. The ones too young to have awakened their Spiritual Roots.

Each mischief was in a branch of the Tidal Church, or near it. Some churches were only beginning their nightly ceremonies while others had already finished. They usually did the rituals at similar times, but it depended on the attendees. The one within the noble district, a bit further from the Feathered Serpent Castle, for example, remained mostly empty, forcing the rats to search more thoroughly.

There was still the group of rats outside the noble district that had moved toward the mansions. This pack was not positioned near a Tidal Church. They were, in fact, watching a brightly illuminated mansion.

Through scent and sound, Lucian detected dozens of people entering and leaving the mansion, while dozens more remained hidden, either guarding the building or observing its surroundings. Comparing the place with what he knew, Lucian was sure it was the residence and workplace of the leader of the East Bo Merchant Chamber, Chairman Bo Huang!

Securing the rats in concealed positions, Lucian directed the remaining critters to follow the teenagers inside their homes and noble mansions. No one noticed the small creatures, and no traps were triggered. Their lack of Qi and their enhanced physiques made them the perfect infiltrators against most low-realm cultivators.

When the teenagers went to sleep, the rats hidden beneath their beds moved. An image of a four-fingered hand flickered into existence, pressing against each teenager's neck. Specific commands were implanted into the minds of the sleeping youths during their peaceful dreams.

It did not matter whether they were poor children from the slums, the sons and daughters of prostitutes near the docks, the heirs of nobles within the noble district, or descendants of the City Council living near the Feathered Serpent Castle.

That night, they were all infected by a mental plague and forced to obey Lucian’s commands when the following day arrived.

And Lucian, still unsatisfied, continued searching for more targets until nearly half of his Blood Essence had been consumed. By the time he stopped, hundreds were infected by him. Most were teenagers, while a few adults received different commands.

Afterward, the rats dispersed in organized batches. They only converged at their new destination, outside Chairman Bo Huang's residence. They were all hidden in nearby houses. Twenty pairs of crimson eyes stared motionlessly, patiently waiting for the distraction the next night.