HC: Pacifist | Ch. 225 - Measures and Countermeasures (Patreon)

Upon hearing Roth and Lin, the creature stopped digging and whirled toward them. The agility of the animal surprised Roth. He had expected its awkward body to move clumsily, but it had just dived into the gravel, performed a graceful backflip, and turned toward them all in a split second.

The sudden movement made Roth and Lin take a step back, and seeing them stepping back, the creature did the same. It wasn’t acting aggressively; if anything, it looked scared of them. When Roth knocked on the tunnel wall, it stopped digging immediately. This seemed to indicate these were shy creatures.

Now that he was facing it, Roth could see its long snout. He couldn’t find any ears or eyes, only a nose and mouth. Curious about what animal this was, he inspected it.

Molly, the Rock Mole

Lvl. 26

Hp: 600

Ep: 100

Skills: [Burrow], [Dig], [Enhanced Smell], [Sonar], [Confetti Slash].

A mole! It was a she-mole! He had only seen molehills in the park; it was his first time seeing the animal.

“Hi there, Molly. Don’t worry. We’re your friends. We won’t hurt you,” he said reassuringly.

“Squeak! Squeak!”

This is your first time meeting the mole race. Charisma bonus activated.

Congratulations! Your charisma has reached 700.

[Well Spoken] has been upgraded to [Grand Persuader].

[Charm] has been upgraded to [Irresistible].

The mole moved her big paws in a swimming stroke motion, propelling her forward as if swimming in the gravel. Her long snout bent agilely as it sniffed Roth, Lin, and Roth again.

Molly likes your smell.

+21 reputation with moles.

The power of his zoomorph form and his many affinities and bonuses were proving their worth. Just by feeling his scent, he gained his first reputation points with the mole race. Molly kept sniffing him, and she seemed particularly interested in his pockets. Realizing that she was especially drawn to the pocket where he’d stashed his treeant’s acorn, he stepped back. Didn’t moles eat insects?

“No, Molly! That’s not food. These are my friends.”

“Squeak! Squeak!” she said, frustrated.

It had been a while since he’d met an animal he couldn’t communicate with. Even though the squeaking sounds it made weren’t too different from those in the Ratan language, it was still impossible to figure out what it was saying.

“I promise you I’ll bring you a snack later. Right now, I have nothing I can feed you. OK?”

“Screech, squeak,” the mole said and, after sniffing Roth a few more times, dove into the gravel and reemerged where it had been digging. Its claws slashed through the rock and turned the hard rock into ribbons. No wonder the mole had a skill called [Confetti Slash]; those claws were sharp enough to turn anything into smithereens.

Should he follow the mole and see where it went? Or should he leave the mountain? After pondering his next move for a few moments, he decided to make at least full use of the charisma bonus that had triggered because of his [Discoverer of Species] title. This mole wasn’t that high-leveled. Maybe their language wasn’t that difficult to learn. All he had to do was to get the mole talking and let his [Polyglot] title do the rest.

“Molly!”

“Squeak?”

“How did your parents meet?”

What a thoughtful question. Molly is pleased with how you’re taking an interest in her.

+24 reputation with moles.

*

Drake looked left and right and, after ensuring he wasn’t being followed, knocked on the steel door at the back of the butcher shop.

Ta. Ta-ta, ta-ta. Ta. Ta.

A gorilla with red cybernetic eye implants slid the visor open and spoke with a digital tone similar to Mario’s. “Password?”

“Tomatoes are fruits, not vegetables.”

The door unlocked, and the bruiser of the Raviolis let Drake in. He went past the slabs of meat hanging from the ceiling, thinking of how Roth would probably not have the stomach to come here, and looking left and right again, he dragged a shelf to the side and opened the hatch that led him to the Ravioli’s compound.

Now inside the dingy, cramped tunnels that linked several of the Ravioli's businesses, he headed toward the headquarters. He checked for any messages from Roth, but he was still probably traveling between the Green Woods and Sapphira.

He still couldn't believe that kid had managed to orchestrate Loki’s downfall—he was still shocked that Loki was the Hive King! Now that he had gotten more familiar with the world of AstroTerra, he could appreciate how scary Loki was. More than that, he could appreciate how special Roth was. When he thought of how Roth had fought hard to get himself under the Ogres’ protection, he couldn’t help but feel a little emotional. When he’d met BlueFire in the Ogres compound, he had even asked Drake if he was Roth’s father. Even though he had laughed and promptly denied it, the truth was that he saw that boy as a son.

The Union was growing more powerful each day, and they already had a stellar gathering of respectable craftsmen and the top guilds' attention. Drake knew this was just the calm before the storm. Some powerful people craved a piece of the pie, and it was only a matter of time before Loki connected the dots and found the connection between Roth and the Union.

The top guilds already knew that Roth had started the Union with his friends and mother, and he wouldn’t be surprised if Loki’s spies had gotten wind of it. Thinking about Roth’s earlier report, it wouldn’t surprise him if the top guilds had intentionally leaked this information to Loki. Even if they hadn’t, Pegasus had been blacklisted by the Union from the get-go, and that was suspicious enough.

Whatever the case, he could feel a storm coming. The premonition didn’t scare him. He was actually happy about it. It might draw some of Loki’s anger toward them and give Roth space to breathe.

Walking through the dark tunnels, he tried to think about what he would do if he were Loki. How would he attack the Union? How would he use it to try to get to Roth? He considered measures and countermeasures, like in the old days.

He didn't want to burden Roth with his worries. The Union was in his hands; it was his baby, his plan. He had to find a way to protect it. Roth, unknowingly, might have given him just the means he needed to do that. It all came down to how the boss would react to his suggestion tonight.

Finally, he spotted a brighter light ahead and heard chatter. He walked through the thick velvet curtains and entered the Raviolis’ headquarters. Like every other hideout belonging to the Raviolis, the headquarters was filled with ghostly lights from computer screens, test tubes with dissected creatures, and lights from gadgets and gizmos. Looking at the creatures floating on the giant test tubes, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of shame. Roth would definitely not have the stomach to come here.

“If it isn’t Sharky?!”

Hearing the greeting, he headed toward the armchairs in a corner of the room. There were only two people here. Toothy, one of the boss's most trusted captains, greeted him with his dark smile. He was known as Toothy because he only had one gold tooth. All the others had been knocked off his mouth in fights, and Toothy proudly wore his warrior’s scars.

The other person sitting at the lounge was bad news, though. “Lieutenant Shark,” Ginny greeted.

“Hi, Ginny.”

Like him, she wore a dark cloak and a mask that covered her features: pieces of equipment gifted to lieutenants. “So? Turning in a quest?”

“Maybe. You?”

“Yeap. Big one, too. One step closer to becoming a captain,” she taunted, but Drake didn’t fall for the provocation. Disappointed to see her taunt bounce off Drake without any effect, she tried another approach. “Anyway, what's up with you? How is your crew coming along? You've been turning a good profit.”

“Have I? I hadn’t realized. You have to forgive me; I’m not good with numbers,” Drake said, deflecting her inquiry while pretending he didn’t know of her attempts at undermining his position in the family.

“Well, you never cease to amaze me. It took me a full year to become a lieutenant for the Raviolis. You did so in a matter of weeks. I think I need to watch out for you, hey?”

“Oh, I wouldn't give myself so much credit, Ginny. You are a bright and talented lieutenant. I really cannot compare to someone as intelligent as you.”

The girl giggled and winked at him. “Flattery doesn’t work on me, Lieutenant Shark. Anyway, what are you here for? Meeting with Toothy?”

“Maybe,” Drake answered dismissively. He hadn't expected to find nosy Ginny here. Perhaps he should come another time.

Ginny, however, showed she wasn’t going to stay around longer. “I must be on my way and check how my crew is doing. Later, Sharky.” She walked in the direction opposite from where he had entered and disappeared into one of the many tunnels leading here. Drake sat in front of Toothy and waited for several minutes.

“Is she gone?”

Toothy lifted his eye patch, revealing a cybernetic implant with which he scanned the door she had disappeared into.

“She is.”

“Good. Toothy, I need to talk to the boss.”

“Not this again, Lieutenant. We’ve talked about this. You are a lieutenant. The boss doesn't meet with lieutenants. He only meets with captains.”

“Well, I have something that will interest the boss.”

“What is it?” Toothy asked curiously.

“Captain, captain, captain. You'll run to the boss and hog all the credit if I tell you.”

The captain sneered but didn’t deny the claim. “You have to give me something, Sharky. Otherwise, I won’t be able to convince the boss to talk to you.”

“Let’s just say I can help the Raviolis greatly expand their business.”

“How?”

“A Union.”

“You mean the cyborg union?”

“No. I mean a union made up of foreigners. One that’s clean. One that can get us into the renewal project.”

“Really?” Toothy said with a one-toothed smile. Drake nodded, confirming it. Toothy’s smile vanished. “That’s interesting. However, foreigners are unpredictable and hard to control. We’ve been burned before. That’s not enough to earn you the right to talk to the boss.”

Drake knew that Toothy would say something like this. “What if I throw you a bone? What if I tell you I know where the Gazpacho’s brass is hiding?”

Toothy locked eyes with him for a long moment. “You never disappoint, Sharky. Tell you what, I can help you set up a call with him. Not a meeting.”

“So be it,” Drake promptly agreed.

“Very well. Take this device,” he said, throwing him an orb the size of an apple. If the boss is interested, he'll call you. Just make sure no one is around when you get the call.”

Satisfied with Toothy’s promise, Drake packed the orb into his pocket and headed back toward the tunnels. Hopefully, this alliance would help him protect the Union from Loki. When the attack came, they would be ready for it.

*

Maybe it was because of Roth’s charisma, but accumulating reputation points with Molly had been easy so far. All he had to do was ask questions and let Molly squeak her stories.

“Squeak, squeak, worms, squeak, sports event.”

“Really? That’s incredible.”

Molly’s heart is touched that you would pay so much attention to her tale.

+19 reputation with moles.

Moles seemed to appreciate good listeners. He knew little about the animals except that they relied on the sense of touch and hearing. Following on the clue that moles appreciated good listeners, every now and then, Roth would also pat the mole gently, thanking her for her story. “Thank you for sharing that incredible story with me,” Roth said while gently patting Molly’s side.

Aren’t you a sweetheart?

+15 reputation with moles.

At first, all the stories were just an enigmatic jumble of squeaks and screeches, but the [Polyglot] title’s effects had kicked in, and he had already started to absorb Molian vocabulary.

You are making more sense of the Molian language.

Progress in learning Molian: 34%.

“Squeak. Hit with a hammer. Squeak, screech, undercover.”

“Really?” exclaimed Roth. “Have I told you how amazing it is that you can tell me a story while digging so proficiently simultaneously?” he said, patting Molly.

Molly appreciates your heartfelt compliments.

+21 reputation with moles.

You have achieved 300 reputation with moles.

You are now respected by all moles.

New title unlocked: [Friend of Moles].

Ch. 224 - The Depths

INDEX

Ch. 226 - The Games