The Rat Plague was a verse in the epic of Ogrande City.
Although it wasn't particularly severe and posed little threat to Transcendents,
it spread to every district of Ogrande City, affecting everyone.
It held an extremely profound impact and significance.
At the same time, this major event—the Rat Plague—acted as a powerful catalyst.
Many Transcendents stood to benefit from it.
'I need to set that hidden hunting trap as soon as possible. The sooner I get involved in this major event, the Rat Plague, the faster I can digest and absorb resources, and... leverage more power.'
Zorn had been pondering whether he should go to Adolf's Dojo to buy some items from the Witch Bishop.
Now it seemed not only necessary, but urgent.
"Mr. Zorn, have you heard about the major theft that recently occurred in the Bay Area?"
Isaac's voice pulled Zorn back from his thoughts.
"Hm? A theft?"
Zorn's expression tightened, and his eyes narrowed as he looked at Isaac.
'Has the news already started to spread?'
Zorn had erased all traces of his involvement.
But the remnants of the Evil Spirit ritual and the Ritual Platform had been left behind.
After all, they were part of the "Informing Rite."
"Not really."
Zorn shook his head.
Isaac's interest was piqued at the mention of Evil God Organizations and the feuds between Transcendents.
Newly awakened Transcendents were always curious about everything in the Extraordinary World.
"It's been causing a huge stir these past few days."
"When I was resting at the tavern, I heard a lot of people discussing it."
Isaac began to fill Zorn in on the details.
"Rumor has it that the Homer Mafia Boss, an Arsonist, teamed up with some Evil God Organization. They used the cover of the rain to steal a cache of important resources, supposedly worth over a hundred thousand gold pounds."
"This has to be the biggest heist in Ogrande City in recent years."
"Over a hundred thousand gold pounds?"
Zorn rubbed his fingers together.
'That Viscount Brin really has some nerve. Resources worth tens of thousands of gold pounds, and he inflates the number to over a hundred thousand.'
'Don't tell me he's planning to use my name to cook his books!'
Aside from the matter of the resources' value,
from Viscount Brin's point of view,
the Homer Mafia's underlings had been sacrificed, important resources were missing, and the Mafia Boss who oversaw everything had vanished.
This was clearly a long-planned inside job—a classic case of thieves robbing thieves.
"Also…"
Isaac continued.
"I heard that the 'big shot' involved has put out the word that anyone who provides valuable information will be rewarded with at least 500 gold pounds."
"I know you have a lot of friends, so maybe you have some information on the matter."
"Five hundred gold pounds. That's not a small sum!"
Zorn nodded. He was starting to understand the young Rat Catcher's intentions.
The young, naive boy was trying to show him a path to riches.
Too bad.
This path was far too risky.
Isaac continued.
"I heard that at the crime scene, there was a cruel and bloody sacrifice."
"An extremely evil live sacrifice, at that. Damn Evil Spirits."
Zorn rubbed the bridge of his nose upon hearing this.
"When the police station went to investigate, an official Transcendent deduced from the remains of the mysterious ritual that the perpetrator was a mad and terrifying individual."
"They say he left traces of the ritual there specifically to announce…"
Isaac scratched his head, struggling to recall the awkward term.
"It's… an Evil Spirit's Informing Rite!"
Zorn added nonchalantly.
"Yes, yes! That's it, an Evil Spirit's Informing Rite."
Isaac nodded eagerly.
"Mr. Zorn, you're so knowledgeable. I can never remember those obscure, difficult terms."
"My teacher said that the terrifying Evil God Organization performed this bloody, live sacrifice as a message. It's meant to tell everyone that a terrifying Evil Spirit… has arrived!"
"And we Rat Catchers have a duty and responsibility to hunt Evil Spirits."
Isaac said with grim determination, clenching his fists.
The Evil Spirit's Informing Rite served as a perfect disguise, concealing Zorn's true purpose: revenge against the Mafia and the greedy Viscount.
It was enough to help Zorn take back what was rightfully his.
At the same time, this Informing Rite was Zorn's own Sacred Mark, lightly etched into the ongoing saga of Ogrande City.
It would help Zorn grow, to a certain extent.
The mark wasn't bold, nor was it particularly deep.
But this was only the beginning.
After a hearty meal and some conversation, Isaac the Rat Catcher had recovered much of his energy and stamina.
At Zorn's invitation, Isaac began a thorough inspection of the entire manor, inside and out.
By knocking on the walls, Isaac could tell where the rats had burrowed.
He could even determine how many gray rats had once gathered there by the lingering smells, stray hairs, and other inconspicuous traces left in the corners.
Zorn, who possessed the Forbidden Sealed Object known as the Ring of the Two Serpents, considered his own powers of observation to be quite sharp.
But when it came to tracking rats,
it was a job best left to a professional.
「About two hours later.」
Isaac had marked a total of twelve spots on the basement walls.
Behind them were tunnels carved out by gray rats, with hidden entrances in the corners.
All these areas needed to be opened up, repaired, and refilled.
By the time they finished, it was nearly noon.
Zorn treated Isaac to a sumptuous lunch.
After seeing Isaac off,
Zorn waited for a moment. When Glangk didn't return, he figured the man had gone to negotiate with the Steam Factory Owner and decided not to wait any longer.
He hailed a carriage on a corner of Geluo Long Street.
"To the North Ring Street Police Station in the Fog Zone."
The driver thought for a moment before lowering his voice and replying politely,
"Right away, esteemed guest!"
Over the past few days, Zorn could feel the "Sacred Mark" he had created steadily growing stronger.
In other words,
the impact of the resources Zorn had stolen and sacrificed was far greater than it appeared on the surface.
Sometimes, a Sacred Mark painstakingly carved through a ritual could be quickly washed away by time and fate, vanishing without a trace.
But this time, a theft and ritual born of serendipity
had produced surprisingly excellent results in the turbulent Ogrande City.
To carve one's own Sacred Mark into the epic of Ogrande City!
It was like unlocking a permanent "Achievement," granting Zorn numerous buffs.
He could already feel it.
His Sequence was more stable.
His digestion of offerings and his daily cultivation had both become more efficient and smooth.
While this made Zorn marvel at the whims of fate, it also made him decide to fan the flames and etch his Sacred Mark even deeper.
Such opportunities were rare.
The deeper the Sacred Mark, the more astonishing the effects of the "Achievement."
Since he'd stumbled upon it, he couldn't let it go to waste.
...
「A little past two in the afternoon.」
Ansel Hall walked through the noisy, weeping, and clamorous lobby of the North Ring Street Police Station and out the front entrance.
Wearing a somewhat loose black police jacket, he loosened his tie, adjusted his cap, and let out a deep sigh.
Lately, the number of the Confused in the Fog Zone had dropped significantly.
The pressure of his patrols had lessened considerably as a result.
The City Hall Police Department had even organized training on Extraordinary Power for Law Enforcers like him. He'd also exchanged experiences with the Church's Transcendents, and he had learned a great deal.
But for some reason, a Rat Plague had suddenly broken out in the Fog Zone over the past few days.
Supposedly, quite a few people had been bitten by the terrifying creatures.
Some of the rats that had been killed were frighteningly large.
God only knew what kind of toxic substances those black-hearted Steam Factories were pumping into the sewers to breed so many huge, terrifying rats.
He'd heard that many house cats had been injured by the rats.
Even worse, the terrifying rats were hunting stray cats in packs.
Rats hunting cats?
The world seemed to be unfolding before his very eyes in a grotesque and bizarre way.
"This damn world… it's getting harder and harder to understand!"
Spitting on the ground, Officer Ansel looked up to see a newsboy, maybe eight or nine years old and wearing a grimy gray cap, approaching him.
He also noticed that the boy wasn't holding a newspaper, but something else.
Before he could ask,
the boy, who had big eyes and long eyelashes, looked up at him and asked,
"Excuse me, are you Officer Ansel Hall?"
His instincts as a Law Enforcer immediately kicked in.
"What business do you have with Officer Ansel Hall?"
"A gentleman just asked me to give this to Officer Ansel. He told me that you were him."
"Oh? And where is this gentleman?"
"Right over there."
Ansel followed the boy's gesture. There were a few pedestrians, but he was certain none of them were the man he was looking for.
Ansel shook his head, deciding not to bother looking any further.
"That's right. I'm Officer Ansel."
He nodded, taking the heavy, tightly wrapped object from the boy.
He also tossed the boy two Copper Coins for a copy of today's Ogrande Steam Daily. Wrapping the package inside the newspaper, he tucked it under his arm and headed back into the station.
He went to his office and closed the door.
He opened the package. As he examined its contents, the color drained from Ansel's face.