[Silver-tier synthetic magical beasts: Six-winged Goldbiter Rats]
[Abilities: Rapid Devouring, Common Sense, Rapid Flight]
[Additional abilities: Natural Selection, Infinite Splitting]
[Additional skills: Silver-tier magic, Dark Cut]
Compared to bronze-tier goldbiter rats, the silver-tier goldbiter rats were created by fusing ten regular goldbiter rats. When compared to common goldbiter rats, they had the added abilities of Rapid Flying and Dark Cut. A single goldbiter rat’s ability was relatively poor in comparison to the silver-tier magical beasts of the same level. Still, those magical beasts could not endure a large number of goldbiter rats.
Tens of thousands of silver-tier six-winged goldbiter rats circled Watson and released the Dark Cut ability. They were even slaughtering their own kind. Their six pitch-black wings drew dark rays of light, and the light beams criss-crossed to form a vast black net. The ravines, which were already plagued with holes, were heavily covered, became even messier.
Half an hour had passed since Watson fused Moriarty. In that half an hour, he had fused more than half of the goldbiter rats near the Dragonspine Snow Mountain, and a small portion had fled to the border.
During that process, he discovered something significant—all goldbiter rats shared the same consciousness.
He had, by all appearances, used the technique to replace the awareness of the fused goldbiter rats. All of the goldbiter rats should have been under his control, but those that escaped had a strong will to oppose him. Furthermore, that state of consciousness felt incredibly familiar to him.
“Did that consciousness belong to the Heaven-devouring Rat King?”
Watson was puzzled.
He had initially intended to utilize the system to fuse the goldbiter rats. Then, he could control all the other goldbiter rats by randomly controlling one of them. It would not harm the border in any way. Instead, it would be his subordinate’s assistance. However, it seemed like that method would not work anymore.
“Those little rats appear to contain some cells as well as some unusual components. They will continue to divide as long as they eat something. It is undoubtedly a great attribute to food. The person who created that is a genius!”
Lilith was standing close to Watson. She pinched a six-winged goldbiter rat with two slender fingers. Then, she slipped the rat into her mouth and began chewing as she talked. Her crimson lips were flushed with blood, giving her a seductive appearance.
Soon after, she spat out a couple of gnawed-clean bones. She commented, “It does not taste nice. I should have seasoned it with salt and pepper.”
“They eat live rats? As expected of one from the ancient race. No matter how strong they are, one could not change their characteristics.” Sylvan frowned; he was uncomfortable with the thought of raw meat.
He was born with a sense of superiority as a long-lived and gorgeous elf. Furthermore, Lilith had just ridiculed him and Antonio as inferior, so he could not help but react.
“Do you have any concerns about my conduct, inferior humans? The strength of a race is not determined by what you consume. Eating raw meat can help to preserve the food’s most primal energy and boost its power. For tens of thousands of years, the inferior human race has only bothered about minor issues; they have no idea how to increase their power. I am surprised that you have not changed after tens of thousands of years.”
Lilith wiped the blood off the corners of her mouth and looked at Sylvan. “Oh, right! I can tell you are not a human, but rather an elf. You are not even as good as a human! Elves, as I recall, were the offspring of a tree-dwelling species who were persecuted by other races and compelled to live in trees. You have a coward’s blood coursing through your veins.”
Tens of thousands of races had lived on that land in ancient times. Perhaps it was an exaggeration, but it was certainly more than what they had at that moment—angels, demons, giants, dragons, and other mighty races. There were also the weaker species like the humans and other arboreal species.
“Do you want to fight me?”
The corner of Sylvan’s mouth twitched when his bloodline was insulted. No matter how well-mannered he was, he was furious with that remark.
“Let’s fight then. Don’t beg for mercy when you’re defeated.”
Lilith was determined not to be outdone. “Alright, stop bickering,” Antonio said as he waved his hand and stepped up to smooth things over. “With the destruction of the Dragonspine Snow Mountain, a significant number of goldbiter rats had been freed. There will be no peace at the border if those man-made magical beasts are permitted to spread havoc! Watson is the only one in charge of those rats right now. He will not be able to handle all of them on his own. Why don’t you tackle the problem in front of us first, if you have the time to argue?”
“Who are you to order me around?”
Lilith laughed coldly. “I forgot to mention you just now. I heard that you are my honorable master’s master. How can a lowly human become someone else’s master? Instead of letting you teach him, why don’t I do it instead? Of course, I’m not saying that my strength is enough to teach my master, but I don’t want to see my master’s body tainted with a lowly aura.”
“F*ck—” Antonio was about to curse.
He had wanted to arbitrate the conflict, but he had no idea Lilith would curse him as well. Why did it matter if he were Watson’s master? Even if Watson was exceptional, would he have advanced to the platinum tier so rapidly if he had not been Watson’s master? Lilith’s derogatory remarks were an insult to him. She could question his strength, but he would not let her trample on his dignity.
Sylvan and Antonio were like Emperor Cluck when it was ready to fight—they rubbed their fists and got ready to attack Lilith.
Watson could not stand it anymore; he sighed. “Lilith, I told you. One of them is my master, and the other is the border count in charge of this territory. You have to be more respectful to them and not cause trouble for me. Otherwise, I won’t take you in.”
“Alright, Young Master Watson. For your sake, I’ll be a little more polite to them.”
Lilith panicked when she realized Watson did not want her and replied to him respectfully.
“I’ve already fused the majority of the goldbiter rats at the Dragonspine Snow Mountain. I will travel to other parts of the border to find the remaining goldbiter rats! I have a strange feeling in my heart, even if I do not know where they are right now.”
He could not sense the particular thoughts of the other consciousnesses since the goldbiter rats had two consciousnesses, but he could determine the other party’s location. He assumed that the other party felt the same way. It was like a cat and mouse game. He was the cat, while the other party was a rat that had no choice but to flee.
“As one would expect from my most exceptional disciple. Since that is the case, let us move quickly and take action.” Antonio gave his approval with a thumbs up.
Sylvan heaved a sigh of relief and turned to face Watson. “Watson, please allow me to discuss this with you. The Fairy Castle is essential for border protection. We simply can’t afford to lose it. Let us clean up the goldbiter rats near the Fairy Castle first, okay?”
At that moment, he no longer saw Watson as a chess pawn. Instead, he was someone that he could cling to in his hours of need. Watson was only a ten-year-old child, and he had claimed the boy as his son. That was how he interpreted the situation.
“I can go to the Fairy Castle first, but I have one condition.”
“What is it?”
“I want to rule the border.”
“What did you say? Are you sure you want to rule the border?” Sylvan’s ears twitched as if he had misheard the child. Watson wanted to rule the border, so where would that leave him?
“Lord Sylvan, you did not hear me wrongly. I want to rule the border.”
Watson’s young face was full of seriousness as he said, “There are still some missing things in the border under your reign. Many horrible things had happened because I had been weak. So, now I want to rule the border and make this place stronger. Of course, I can’t do that without Lord Sylvan’s help.”
With the convenience of the fusion system, he could expand the border in a few years, but that would be too long. He wanted Sylvan to command and merge the other towns, including Monte Town, with Blackmoon Castle.
Watson had believed that by becoming stronger, he would allow his family to live a happy life without any threats. Unfortunately, he was mistaken. Someone had destroyed the Dragonspine Snow Mountain right in front of Sylvan. It felt like a pair of invisible hands had covered the sky and suffocated him.
Sylvan twitched his lips as he noticed Watson was serious. In the past, if he had heard Watson’s comments, he would have promptly summoned his magic. However, Sylvan sighed as he noticed Lilith staring at him.
It was not that he was afraid. He simply did not want to argue with Watson for no reason. Furthermore, Watson’s words made sense. He had allowed someone to ruin the Dragonspine Snow Mountain right in front of him. He had failed in his responsibilities. Even the king’s emissaries had not discovered it. How could he exact their revenge?
“Watson, you are the first person who dares to speak to me like that. I have to say that you are very brave. I will not hold it against you for the sake of our master! I will only ask you one thing. What benefits will I receive if I agree to your request?”
“First and foremost, Lord Sylvan, you will remain the nominal ruler of the border. Second, I will make the Fairy Castle ten, if not a hundred, times stronger than it is now. Is this acceptable?”
“Deal.”
Sylvan paused for a moment before nodding. He would have laughed if Watson had used such comments in the past. However, the young man was qualified to make such a guarantee.
“Watson, since you have already made a decision, then I need to remind you that Sylvan and the King have always been on bad terms. The King might have something to do with the destruction of the Dragonspine Snow Mountain. It’s clear that he doesn’t want the border to have any power. If you merge the towns there, it will pique his interest. Are you sure you want to do that?”
It meant Watson would go against the entire Holy Dragon Kingdom.
“I don’t care about the King. I will punish whoever threatens the safety of my family. Even if he is the King, I will drag him down from that position!”
Watson’s voice was not loud, but every word was decisive. “I will rule the borders now, and I will rule the kingdom in the future.”
The oath he made floated in the air. If he could not protect his family as the ruler of the border, then he would do it as the kingdom’s ruler. He did not believe that anyone would dare to hurt his family and friends then.
Lilith looked at Watson in admiration, as if she was fascinated by his declaration. Sylvan and Antonio looked at each other as if they did not expect Watson to say such bold words. Then, Antonio seemed to have thought of something, and his expression changed. “Wait, Watson, take back your words!”
Unfortunately, it was too late.
The moment he made the oath, the platinum-tier tool, the pen of truth, which Watson had just received, suddenly shone and floated in front of him. It wrote his words in red ink in the air as if it wanted to tell the truth from the falsehood of his words.
