Who made him a paladin?

Chapter 25 The Ratmen of the Sewers

Xia Nan and his group quickly completed all the mission formalities after leaving the office.

He is currently standing inside the armory, taking inventory of the supplies for this mission.

【Dancing Light Spell】Three magic scrolls, each capable of releasing a controllable, levitating orb of light that lasts for three hours.

One storage roll, several gauze masks.

It is worth mentioning that although the Empire strictly restricts the ways to obtain magic, functional magic is widely distributed in the form of scrolls.

Everyday scrolls for lighting, warmth, storage, and other purposes can be bought at general stores, with prices ranging from a dozen silver coins to a few gold coins.

This can be seen as a compromise made by the royal family between control and people's livelihood, and it even provided many positions for scribes and copyists.

In addition to the usual supplies, Xia Nan also went to the canteen of the Holy Furnace and took ten pieces of roasted beef steak and three roasted deer legs.

Everyone thought Xia Nan was going to use these delicacies to attract rats.

Little did Xia Nan know that he had the [Gluttony] buff as a backup. If a teammate was bitten, he could apply the buff and start a feast on the spot, eating and healing at the same time.

……

With supplies ready, Xia Nan led Team F to the mission location.

Speaking of which, the capital city of Weiss, which covers an area of ​​316 square kilometers, has a permanent population of around 170 million and a floating population of around 50.

Because of the dense population, a huge amount of daily waste is generated and difficult to discharge, making the sewers a foul-smelling abyss that some people dare not step into.

Therefore, Charlotte's arrangement is somewhat like revenge.

However, Xia Nan also had a basic understanding of this sewer system.

It was built two hundred years ago and was designed by the Royal Academy of Engineering at the time, based on the drainage concept of the underground city-state of the dwarves.

The main road is about three meters high and more than four meters wide, enough for three hand-pushed garbage trucks to pass side by side.

The main body uses gray glazed bricks, which are said to be able to withstand a century of erosion without collapsing.

The entire system consists of twelve main canals radiating outward from the city center, branching into hundreds of branch canals, which eventually flow into the water purification tank outside the city.

It is said that low-level mages there purify the sewage day and night before discharging it into the Weis River.

It sounds quite advanced.

In reality, this system only relies on the difference in elevation and manual dredging to maintain its operation.

Once the rainy season arrives, the sewers in low-lying areas will overflow, and the entire capital will be filled with a nauseating stench of excrement.

However, it's the dry season right now, so there's no need to worry about that.

Xia Nan snapped out of his reverie and suddenly began to ponder something.

He recalled the effects of lust on the succubus last night.

So, what about using Sylvie?

This person is a recognized genius of the Royal Academy of Mages, and the value of his special abilities is self-evident.

Xia Nan glanced at Sylvie, who was playfully fighting with Tata, with ill intent, as if she were a thief.

Right now.

With a slight thought, lust is silently activated.

An information box pops up on the left side of the view.

Race: human

Favorability: (22/100)

Genius Mage Trait: The contractor automatically generates three layers of magical shield daily, each layer capable of withstanding one first- or second-level spell attack. The shield disappears upon being hit and refreshes at midnight the following day.

Xia Nan nodded with great pleasure.

Doesn't this mean that if I anger Sylvia again, I won't have to worry about her retaliation at all?

I can do some silly things again.

Just as Xia Nan was secretly pleased, Sylvie suddenly stopped.

Her right hand unconsciously pressed against her lower abdomen, and her cheeks quickly flushed red.

What...what happened?

In a daze, she felt a warm current spreading from her lower abdomen, eventually gathering in her chest and forming an indescribable tingling sensation.

This feeling wasn't like being sick, nor was it like a magical fluctuation; it was more like being gently touched from within.

"Your Highness?" Lisa noticed her unusual expression. "You don't look well."

"It's nothing." Sylvia released her hand from her lower abdomen and waved it off as if nothing had happened. "It's probably because... the tea I drank this morning was too hot."

Xia Nan whistled, the corners of his mouth curving up and down, looking quite like someone who had succeeded in doing something bad.

To be honest, he actually wanted to use [Lust] on Lisa as well.

After all, a master-level expert like that would definitely have better skills.

But when Xia Nan thought of the tuft of white hair on her calf, she gave up the idea.

Although Lisa herself doesn't have a goaty smell and is quite cute, it's a bit too bizarre to trigger intimate CGs with [Lust].

Forget it, I'll wait until I'm mentally stronger before talking about it.

……

In a hurry, the team arrived at the entrance to the sewer.

Looking around, Xia Nan saw a semi-arched opening embedded in the side wall of the street.

The iron gate was half-open, its hinges badly rusted, creaking and groaning in the wind.

Inside the cave entrance are stone steps that extend downwards, their surfaces covered with sticky moss.

The sound of flowing water could be faintly heard coming from the depths, low and continuous.

After everyone put on their masks and used two scrolls of [Dancing Light Technique], they stepped in one by one.

Once you reach the bottom of the stone steps, your view suddenly opens up.

Xia Nan discovered that the gray glazed bricks on the arched dome were covered with dark brown moss.

In the center of the canal was a waterway about a width wide, with sewage gushing southwards, and floating on the surface were things that Xia Nan didn't really want to identify.

However, even with masks on, the stench, mold, and pungent smell of sulfur compounds still made everyone feel uncomfortable.

"vomit……"

Sylvie let out a suppressed retching sound.

"Damn it!" she mumbled, covering her mouth with her sleeve. "Is Charlotte serious? Sending an imperial princess into the sewers?!"

"She's absolutely serious," Xia Nan said in a similarly muffled voice. "She probably doesn't even have the concept of 'princess' in her mind."

Sylvie gritted her teeth in anger, but didn't say anything more.

She knew in her heart that she had volunteered to join. Complaining aside, backing out would be more embarrassing than crawling into a sewer.

"Sister Xiaosha, do you want me to breathe for you?" Talia's sudden question startled the other two women.

Can this kind of thing be replaced?

Sylvie is certain that Tata is Xia Nan's sister.

There isn't a single normal person in that family.

The group continued their journey deeper into the area, their footsteps making a clattering sound.

Using the light from the [Dancing Light Spell], Xia Nan discovered that red arrows could occasionally be seen on the pipe walls; these were the markers guiding them to their destination.

After walking for about thirty minutes, the passage ahead suddenly widened, and the vaulted ceiling became much higher.

Xia Nan stopped and looked around.

This is an open area formed by the confluence of three branch canals, about half the size of a basketball court.

Scattered throughout this space are a dozen or so makeshift shacks built from rags, planks, and sheet metal.

A damp hemp rope stretched between the shacks, with tattered clothes hanging on it.

What caught Xia Nan's attention even more was the people.

Suddenly, a dozen or so thin, bony figures poked their heads out of the shack.

Their skin was a waxy yellow, their eyes were sunken, and their pupils shrank to the size of pinpoints in the light, conveying fear and vigilance.

But soon, they emerged from the shack, staggering around like zombies.

Xia Nan narrowed his eyes.

Several people were found to have grayish fleshy growths on their arms and necks, which were likely caused by prolonged exposure to sewers.

Xia Nan flipped his wrist, and the ashes in his hand returned to their original shape, pointing forward.

"Don't come near."

Upon seeing the greatsword, the crowd immediately stopped in their tracks.

But a hunched old woman, her hands trembling, carried a broken bowl as she walked over.

"My lord... please have mercy, could you give us something to eat? Even bread crumbs would be fine. My grandson and I haven't eaten for two days."

Xia Nan couldn't help but sigh.

Xia Nan had a slight understanding of the backgrounds of these people.

They were called "rat people" by the nobles on earth, meaning a lowly people who lived underground like rats and dared not see the sunlight.

Imperial law stipulates that anyone who fails to pay the poll tax for three consecutive months will have their citizenship revoked.

Without citizenship, one cannot enjoy the right of residence.

Without a place to live, it's impossible to find a formal job.

As the cycle continued, these people had nowhere to go but to crawl into the sewers.

During the day, they would hide inside to avoid patrols, and at night they would sneak out to rummage through the garbage for leftover food.

However, due to the recent assassination attempt, the capital has increased its nighttime security, making them afraid to go out.

Because they are often kept in the dark, and are corroded by toxic gases in sewage, various skin diseases, lung diseases, and eye diseases have followed one after another.

This is the empire's kill line.

Even more cruelly, after they die, their bodies will be taken back by personnel.

As for what he was going to do, Xia Nan had no idea.

What puzzled Xia Nan was that the Vatican would occasionally send someone to distribute food.

Even if they don't go out, they can survive on relief food and won't go hungry for three days.

Putting aside his questions for the moment, Xia Nan looked at the Imperial Princess.

At this moment, her face also showed a hint of fatigue and helplessness.

Xia Nan did not utter a single harsh word against the princess who lived in the clouds because of these pitiful people.

Even if Silvisa had compassion, she was powerless to shake the rules and hierarchy of the entire empire.

Out of compassion, Xia Nan considered taking out the food and sharing it with these people.

But after thinking about it carefully, I decided against it.

Because doing so will only harm these people.

These ratmen don't eat high-end foods like steak and deer leg right away; instead, they save them to savor slowly.

This will inevitably lead to disputes over food.

But at least for today, Xia Nan will make sure they have suitable food.

"Get out of the way, everyone. Can't you see the paladins are on important business?"

A short, stocky middle-aged man pushed through the crowd and strode over.

His name is York. He is the Vatican's contact in the sewers and the boss of this area.

York stopped in front of Xia Nan, and gave a crooked military salute by pounding his chest with his right hand.

"Good morning, gentlemen. York will now lead the way."