The captain of the ship reached out.

Chapter 19 Ugh... Just kill me!

The poor mouse was trapped in the spider web for two days and two nights.

We wait from sunset to sunrise, from darkness to dawn.

I was starving and dizzy from waiting.

Phoebe still sees no possibility of escaping this predicament.

If that damned rat-eating spider had just come and eaten her sooner, it would have been a good way to give her a quick death.

But two days and two nights passed, and the owner of the spider web still hadn't returned.

This is just waiting to die!

Her current state is—

It's almost dead, but not quite.

Later, Phoebe's consciousness began to blur, her eyes gazing blankly at the sky, muttering to herself as if in a dream.

"Your Majesty... Phoebe... must go first..."

Goodbye... Mom...

Tick ​​tock!

Suddenly, a drop of viscous liquid dripped from above and landed on Phoebe's lips.

She slightly opened her eyes, and in her blurry vision, a black outline gradually magnified.

Is it one of those mysterious mushroom monsters?

Is it going to eat me?

Phoebe gave a bitter smile.

Well, finally... I can be free.

The mouse closed its eyes and quietly awaited its death.

...Hmm?

What is covering the body?

What else crawled in?

But it feels so good.

I don't want to struggle anymore, I might as well just go to sleep...

I don't know how long I was unconscious.

Phoebe woke up with a start and found herself lying on a soft, fungal carpet.

All around were rows of large, black mushrooms that looked like black towers, standing motionless as if they were asleep.

"I...I'm not dead?"

Phoebe looked down and discovered that her leather jacket, cane, diary, and the [Hidden Jewel] on her chest were all gone.

The only good news is that he was not injured.

Apart from being very hungry, there seemed to be nothing unusual.

Did these mushrooms save me?

Phoebe was taken aback.

She had witnessed the fierce battle between the mushroom and the poisonous bee, so she knew that they were not the kind of docile and harmless monsters.

How could they be so kind as to let themselves go?

While she was lost in thought, a voice rang in her mind.

"You're awake!"

"Who? Who's speaking? Get out here right now!"

"You rat-people, how can you be so rude to your savior?"

Horn extended a tentacle and waved it in front of Phoebe as a greeting.

He's figured it out now.

Some things you can't avoid.

As their territory continues to expand, they will inevitably come into contact with these rat-people sooner or later.

Instead of waiting for other mice to discover us, we should take the initiative and get information about the "Rat Emperor" from this explorer mouse.

Saving someone's life is part of extending goodwill.

Of course, while she was on the verge of death, Horn didn't forget to use [Parasitism] as a last resort.

【Parasite】

[Name: Phoebe Tucci]

Race: Skaven (?)

[Rank: One (Lv18)]

[Secret Path Class: None]

[Physical Fitness: 2]

【Magic Power: 2】

【Spirit: 6】

[Talents: Treasure hunting; Keen sense of smell]

[Skills: Digging Lv6; Evasion Lv4; Claw Attack Lv2; Dexterity Lv3...]

[Status: Moderate hunger; Mild dehydration; Loyalty stamp]

A seal of loyalty?

What is this thing?

Before she could examine it closely, Phoebe had already come to her senses and stammered.

"Y-you...you're this mushroom!?"

Oh my god!

The mushrooms can talk!

Isn't it strange that your mouse can talk?

Horn mentally scoffed, while simultaneously saying in his mind, "I am the master of these mushrooms. You can call me... Horn!"

Horn, the Mushroom Lord!

Phoebe memorized the name and spoke cautiously.

"Lord Mushroom Master, thank you for saving my life. May I ask... could you let me leave?"

"certainly."

Horn's tone was very friendly: "But before that, I have a few questions for you."

"Speaking."

"What is your background?"

"I am Phoebe Twitch, an explorer from the Twitch Dynasty, one of the thirteen Knights of the Round Table under the command of the Rat Emperor!"

So they really are under the command of the "Rat Emperor"?

Honestly, Horn really wanted to complain about the title "Rat Emperor".

But then I thought about it again.

Since there are things like the Black Emperor and the White Emperor, it's normal for there to be a "Rat Emperor," right?

Reasonable!

So it seems that after escaping the laboratory, B-056 actually established a rat empire on the Mysterious Island?

Since it's called the "Tuch Dynasty," it must be quite large!

In comparison, he himself was in a much worse situation, unable to even officially dominate the swamp.

However, it could also be because Tucci escaped relatively early?

"Would you mind telling me about your dynasty and emperors?"

Phoebe was about to answer when she suddenly perked up her ears alertly, her tone serious.

"Your Excellency, are you perhaps trying to uncover the secrets of our dynasty in order to harm Her Majesty the Empress?"

"...?"

Horn didn't understand why the mouse's attitude had suddenly changed.

But if he had to admit it, he couldn't deny that he did have a secret desire to gather intelligence.

Faced with Horn's silence, Phoebe's expression grew even more resolute and fervent.

"My loyalty to the Empress is unwavering, even unto death. Even if you kill me, I will not reveal any information about the Empress to you!"

Upon hearing this, Horn understood that the negotiations had failed.

Several tentacles wrapped around Phoebe's body from all directions, binding the little mouse tightly, and the [biotoxin] began to take effect.

"Gulp... Just kill me!"

She let out a mournful cry and then fainted.

At this moment, Horn's mood was still somewhat strange.

How did a perfectly good conversation turn out like this?

I've already been very friendly.

and many more……

Could it be the [Loyalty Seal] causing this?

I opened the panel and took a look.

[The Seal of Loyalty: The ideological seal that the "Rat Emperor" imprinted on all the rat people of the Twitch Dynasty.]

Imperial power is supreme!

The rat people will forever be loyal to the "Rat Emperor," and any thoughts or intentions detrimental to the Empress will not be tolerated.

[This can be removed using "purification" spells.]

Good guy!

Is there such a brainwashing-like ability?

Clearly, this, like Horn's [Split] and [Gene Integration], belongs to the special talents of the [Rat Emperor].

Someone who can establish a dynasty must have some ability.

It's no longer realistic to have a normal conversation with Phoebe.

However, Horn was not without ways to obtain intelligence.

The upgraded Lv4 [Biotoxin] can not only paralyze and kill, but also cause hallucinations!

Isn't it normal to experience hallucinations after eating mushrooms?

This is perfect for Phoebe.

……

……

"When was your Twitch Kingdom established?"

Horn's voice was faint and distant, which made Phoebe subconsciously lower her guard and instinctively pour out her inner thoughts.

"The Tucci Dynasty...has a history of over a hundred years..."

Even when she was in a half-awake state, Phoebe would still proudly puff out her chest when mentioning Her Majesty the Queen.

"Her Majesty the Queen has just celebrated her 120th birthday and remains in excellent health; she will lead the Twitch Dynasty to greatness!"

A 120-year-old rat!?

Does this animal have such a long lifespan?

Horn was surprised again.

He also learned a new piece of information from this passage.

The laboratory on [Mysterious Island] has been abandoned for at least a hundred years!

No wonder his escape was so difficult; the territory outside had already been almost completely divided up by other experimental subjects.