Chapter 337: Chapter 20 Inferior Rat_2
Lorenzo spoke as he took out a mottled coin from his pocket and tossed it in front of the beggar.
The wary gaze suddenly froze, as if in disbelief. Then, he quickly grabbed the coin, sending the dust on the ground flying along with it.
A Shrike is engraved on the coin. Only those genuinely mixed in the Lower City District know that this is the real hard currency.
The beggar’s gaze towards Lorenzo changed significantly. For someone of his status, this coin was enough to live comfortably for many days.
"Inferior Rat."
The beggar pocketed the coin, hiding it in the innermost part of his clothing. His eyes scanned the surroundings, hoping no one saw any of this.
"As expected..."
Lorenzo whispered to himself, as if he had anticipated all this.
"Have you seen any new faces these past few days?"
"No... at least not in the area where I’ve been."
Paid off, the beggar became much more straightforward, answering with ease.
This was also within Lorenzo’s expectations. He didn’t think that casually asking would reveal the whereabouts of those stowaways.
There’s no place of absolute chaos. Within all chaos, there’s always a latent order controlling it all, much like how Bola regulates the economy of the Lower City District, serving as a mediator between powers. But in reality, he is a member of the Purification Mechanism, and all this chaos is tightly controlled by another layer of larger order.
The beggar is also a part of that order, though at the lowest level.
He is an Inferior Rat, a degraded rat. But when rats gather, they can exert tremendous power, as is the case with these beggars.
Inferior Rats are also a gang in the Lower City District, but they don’t have a fixed territory. Instead, they are scattered throughout the district, making a living by trading intelligence. These beggars scattered on the streets are their eyes.
News that the mounted police can’t uncover, perhaps these Inferior Rats can. After all, those stowaways can only be in the Lower City District now, hiding in this warped forest.
"Take me to see the Rat King. I want to buy some intelligence," Lorenzo said.
The beggar shook his head, "No, the Rat King won’t see anyone."
"Still so wary?" Lorenzo said.
His understanding of the Inferior Rats also came from Bola. According to Bola, these damned rats are the most troublesome guys in the Lower City District. Although they don’t steal or rob, their omnipresent eerie presence really sets one’s heart racing.
That’s why Bola rarely collaborates with Inferior Rats. These guys are everywhere, and Bola worries that his identity might be discovered by them. Although there’s always been a crisis of identity leaks during the tenure of successive Bolas, a large-scale purge by the Purification Mechanism always solves it.
But Inferior Rats are different. They would gather information for the Rat King, so all intelligence is recorded. From casual chats to rumors... Anything the Inferior Rats deem valuable or interesting could be reported.
It is said that in a certain sewer in the Lower City District, the archive of the Inferior Rats is hidden. As long as they hear something and find it useful, you might even find some offhand comment you made in there.
To this day, Bola doesn’t know if that archive truly exists or if the mysterious Rat King, never seen by anyone, is real.
But much like urban legends, there are always bits and pieces of it. Moreover, the size of Old Dunling isn’t just what’s apparent on the surface; there’s also the complex Furnace Pillar System underground.
Even Lawrence could set up a cultivation base in those complex underground pipes, let alone a group of omnipresent rats.
"This isn’t about being wary; it’s about rules," the beggar said sternly.
"But what if I want to purchase intelligence? A lot of it."
"I can take you to someone who knows," the beggar replied.
Lorenzo nodded. He’s conducted several transactions with Inferior Rats, and the process is mostly like this: randomly find a street beggar. Lorenzo often has good luck; among the ten beggars he picks, at least nine are Inferior Rats. They won’t take you to see the Rat King but will lead you to someone who knows.
Typically, this person who knows is referred to as an intelligence broker, serving as the intermediary connecting the buyer and the Inferior Rats.
But this is also the peculiar part of the Inferior Rats. As long as you ask to see the Rat King, they will all refuse, seeming as if the Rat King truly exists, yet there is no position for a Rat King in the entire structure of the Inferior Rats.
The beggar stood up, picked up the dagger that had fallen to the ground, and then hid it within his clothes. He signaled Lorenzo to follow him, and the two began walking down the complex path.
Though these Inferior Rats may be lowly, they are shrewd. Sometimes, if you’re looking for someone in the Lower City District, their efficiency can be higher than Bola’s.
Before long, they arrived at a low building. Like many structures in the Lower City District, it was twisted and malformed, looking like a monster under the night sky.
A few beggars lay in front of the building’s door, while more hid inside. They were a group of despicable rats, huddling together for warmth.
Lorenzo could feel many eyes glaring at him, but this didn’t pressure him at all. He showed no fear, kept his head down, and walked into the low building with the beggar.
The dim interior was reeky, but it was much more spacious than it seemed from the outside.
The beggar used his foot to nudge a sleeping beggar aside, revealing the trapdoor beneath him. He opened it, and inside was a deep darkness.
"Let’s go. Hope you can endure this."
A nauseating odor wafted up from below, unbearable even for the beggar.
Lorenzo glanced at the deep darkness and bent down to enter without a second thought.
This action somewhat surprised the beggar, who then stopped Lorenzo.
"Aren’t you afraid?"
Lorenzo gave him a mysterious impression, like a calm and fearless person. The beggar had seen many such people. After all, this is the Lower City District, where there are bandits everywhere, and showing fear here means death. Many would pretend to be calm and fearless, but Lorenzo was different; he seemed genuinely like that.
Below lay a dark and narrow tunnel... In reality, no one knew what lay below. What if it was a trap filled with sharp knives? And yet, this guy dared to step in without hesitation. That’s beyond fearlessness; it’s like a fool, unaware of life and death.
"What? Will you kill me as soon as there’s an opportunity?"
Lorenzo glanced at the pit, a place truly suitable for murder.
Who would have thought the beggar nodded.
"Indeed, but we usually kill those annoying guests," he said. "We would lead them into the same tunnel, but inside it’s filled with traps of sharp knives."
"Are there sharp knives here?" Lorenzo asked, sounding somewhat naïve.
"No, you are a wealthy customer. We prefer to gain wealth without shedding blood."
As the beggar spoke, he fumbled in the nearby darkness and found an oil lamp, lit it, descended first, and stepped into the darkness.
This was a signal of trust, but trust or not, it didn’t matter to Lorenzo. The darkness had little effect on him, let alone knives not coated with Holy Silver.
Still, he had to be cautious. After all, rats lived in sewers, where bacteria were plentiful. Perhaps they wouldn’t kill him, but they could at least make Lorenzo suffer for a while.
Lorenzo stepped in, and after the two left, the feigning sleeping beggar got up, covered the trapdoor, and in his mind, recalled Lorenzo’s appearance. He made a strange noise towards the dark corner.
Soon after, the darkness responded with a similar sound, and a black rat with a long tail crawled out. He hugged this familiar old friend, petted it, attached a metal tag to its tail, and then set it free.