Published at 2nd of September 2021 4:46 am

Chapter 498: Things at Ulthar

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Lucky was given an official post. His title was Zoog Department’s Vice Leader. Speaking of the Zoog Department, this was in the works for a long time already. Once Phecda World managed to form the alliance with the Zoogs, the department would come into action with Lucky as the vice leader and a human as the leader. Therefore, even though the PM team was still at Ulthar, Lucky was already the vice leader and was enjoying the privilege that came with it. Officially, based on the Phecda’s hierarchy, his position was taller than all the members of the PM Unit. But Lucky did not put on any air around them, he cared about them and helped them with the menial jobs. He’d give Gu Jun a massage and then Wu Siyu a back rub, he was such a good leader. But when he was around his Zoog underlings, Lucky was totally different…

After some selection, the Elder selected 10000 Zoogs from the troops who were supposed to attack Ulthar to form the scout unit to send to Earth. During their first gathering, they sat within the woods, listening to the lecture from the Elder Zoog. “Children, you’ll be leaving for Earth soon.” The Elder Zoog tapped on a rotten trunk and sighed, “You’ll leave home carrying the future of the Zoog race. Your responsibility is great, remember…” He paused before suddenly tapping his stomach hurriedly, “to loosen your throat and eat everything human beings have to offer!”

The woods instantly echoed with cheers. Whether they were assigned to Earth or not, all the Zoogs were clapping. Since Gu Jun said humanity would take care of their accommodation and food, these working Zoogs would take his word on it. Therefore, among the elite scouts, most of them were famed big eaters. They’d eat 2 chicken thighs when others only needed 1. As these 10000 Zoogs were moved to earth and brought under the human’s responsibility, it would greatly lower the pressure on the Zoogs tribe. Furthermore, they did not need to give tribute to the cats anymore. The price of chicken dropped like crazy. Therefore, there was no Zoog that was not happy. The day before they could not even afford chicken but soon, they would have so much food that wastage was inevitable. If that was not victory, then what was?

Hooray, Elder Zoog! Hooray, Lucky! With regards to the evil Zoog who was still trying to instigate a counter attack, no one cared about him anymore. The Elder Zog was teaching his successor the importance of adaptability. There were many ways to lead to victory, one shouldn’t be too hung up over the process as long as the result was victorious. In their original plan, the large eaters assigned at the frontline would die and that would lower the burden on the tribute. But now that they were going to be sent to Earth, their goal was still accomplished.

10000 Zoogs sounded like a lot but for Earth, they were like sand in a large river. There were so many countries and now there was even another Mysterium World. Therefore, MP Team accepted the 10000 Zoogs, in fact they would have taken double that number. But since they had not worked together in the past before, they would take this slow. How to arrange these Zoogs was another matter of concern. When the fatty Zoogs gathered together, it was quite a scene. Not all of them were excited. Some were feeling down. They were going to go work for the humans soon. These cunning humans, how kind could they be? These kind Zoogs were going to be tortured and then possibly die in another world. Poor things. But some of the brighter Zoogs were already discussing among themselves. They would go and work in the human worlds for several years, get permanent residency and then bring over their whole family. They would all apply to enjoy a better life there, where big chicken thighs would be served daily.

However, before they departed, their wonderful idea was already challenged. “The human worlds are very big on hierarchy!” Inside the forest, Lucky stood on a tree stump. He had his hands behind his back. He paced slowly about. A necklace made from chicken bone strung from his neck to show his official status. His beady eyes scanned the fat Zoogs before him and said seriously, “When we leave Enchanted Woods, we will be representing the Zoogs. How we appear to others is how the Zoogs appear to the worlds. If we do not follow the rules, then the Zoogs will be seen as idiotic, barbaric and primitive.” While he was giving his speech, some of the fat Zoogs were scratching their ears, others scratched their grumbling stomachs, not many were listening.

“Therefore, there has to be rules!” Lucky said loudly, “The rules we’ll have are similar to what the humans already have. To ensure that everyone can accomplish that paradigm shift in their thoughts, we will start now. You, you, and you, come and massage my back.” The selected Zoogs looked at each other, they did not even understand what the meaning of massage was. Lucky had to give a more detailed explanation. Seeing their hesitation, Lucky huffed. “I am the vice leader! If I am not satisfied, I can kick you out of the troop! Do you not want to go to Earth to enjoy chicken thighs and drink coke?” Then the Zoogs hurried to come massage their vice leader’s back and legs. Lucky groaned with satisfaction. You have not really enjoyed the joy of life until you have held a place of power…

“Being an official is great, being a vice leader is great…” Lucky’s claw rubbed his tummy and hummed a song that he made. Ever since it was announced that the Zoog’s working army had to follow the human rules, Lucky decided he didn’t need to walk anymore. He stayed lying in a comfortable rattan basket and was carried by other Zoogs. He was fed by other Zoogs too, this was all he had learned from Wu Siyu. At that moment, a studious Zoog asked, “Vice leader, Captain Gu is also an official, right? Why didn’t he need people to carry me?”

“Hmmph, he’s not an official!” Lucky instantly sat up inside the basket and huffed with dissatisfaction, “Listen carefully, none of those humans are actual officials. They are all fighters. No, Captain Gu he…” He was still talking when Lucky narrowed his eyes. He saw Gu Jun lead Peacock and Malachite out from the trees. They walked through the sea of Zoogs and strode over. Lucky rolled out from the basket. He dragged his large body and said politely, “Doctor Gu, you’re so early today!”

Lucky cursed internally at his dumb kin. The Zoogs would know once the Nightmare Man entered the forest so why no one told him anything? If he was showering, then wouldn’t they have seen everything?

“We’ve already completed the things we need to do at Ulthar.” Gu Jun told Lucky, “We need to go back before the channel disappears. Are you guys ready?” No other Zoogs understood the danger of the human world better than Lucky, it was even more dangerous than Dreamlands. He had just enjoyed 2 days in paradise, naturally he wouldn’t want it to end so soon. So Lucky stammered, “You sure you don’t want to stay for a few more days? The channel is still quite stable. Ulthar is such a pretty place, you should stay for a while longer.”

“We’ll depart before dusk.” Gu Jun saw through his plan. “Be ready.” After Gu Jun and his friends left, Lucky turned back to his underlings nervously… he just showed how meek he was before the humans… “So Captain Gu is really not an official.” The studious Zoog suddenly sighed, “No official would come deliver the news in person.” The other Zoogs nodded. They thought Captain Gu was a high ranking official but now they realized he was just a delivery man. Just like that Lucky’s authority remained unchallenged. He rolled back into the basket and enjoyed his chicken while ordering his underlings to prepare for the departure.

Since there was still half a day left until the departure, the PM Team wandered about Ulthar. Thanks to the protection of the cats, Ulthar had always been a peaceful town. As long as they did not challenge the local taboo, the humans were treated like VIP at the town. The villagers were very kind to them. Bell Grant, Ryan Nathan and Linapova entered a tavern. They weren’t there for drinks but for information. Even though most of the Ulthar citizens had not wandered away from town, there were often merchants from Dylath-Leen that stopped here. The Drunken Cat Tavern was the town’s biggest watering hole so the boss should know a lot of things.

“Is there a nightmare man among your group?” The boss asked in a whisper as if the name would bring misfortune. Before that the boss brought the group to a private room, saying that he had something confidential to tell them. Turns out the boss heard from the Evil Zoog who came to drown his sorrow that the legendary nightmare man was in their midst. The rank of the Evil Zoog in the tribe had fallen so low that he did not even have the right to the moon wine anymore. On the other hand, the stupid Zoog that he used to bully and mock now had a new name given by the human called Lucky and was on his way up. Lucky did not even acknowledge the evil Zoog’s presence anymore and that hurt the most. He had contributed so much for the tribe, blood, sweat and tears. The plan was flawless and he was the mastermind behind it. It should have made him a historical figure, was it his fault that the Black Merchants scammed them?!

When the evil zoog was drunk, he rambled everything to the boss, including his revenge plan. He knew that the Black Merchants were still looking for the Nightmare Man. They wanted to capture the Nightmare Man to finish his show at the Sunset Theatre and then had him sold to the cannibals at Leng Plateau. He knew that the PM Team would have to pass through the Enchanted Wood to return to Earth. The woods were beyond the cat’s protection so if he sold this news to the Black Merchants and had them lay down an ambush there… The nightmare man was powerful but the Black Merchants were cunning. After the nightmare man was captured, the alliance between the humans and the Zoogs would definitely be ruined. Wars would happen and he would be needed again. The dream was so beautiful that the evil Zoog slammed on the table happily. He even claimed that he would not be called Evil Zoog anymore but Dark Zoog.

Now this drunk Zoog was locked up by the boss inside an iron cage. Bell Grant shivered hearing the story. Another tragedy almost happened. Danger always came at the most unexpected time. They only sighed in relief when they saw the evil zoog snoring peacefully inside the cage. Even though most of the Zoogs looked the same, this dark zoog was unique because he had exposed teeth and his wounds still hadn’t healed. He chuckled viciously as he lived out his dream.

“Nightmare man? Boss, what is that?” They did not know much about that, they did hear the Zoogs refer to Gu Jun by that name. Apparently it was due to his experience at Dreamlands. “Nightmare man, he’s the madman who murdered his way out of Dylath-Leen with his abyssal eyes!” The boss said excitedly. His beer belly extended proudly as he started his tale, “No slave has ever managed to escape from the Black Merchants before…”

The group listened quietly. When they heard how the nightmare man managed to cut his way through the sunset theatre, they gasped in shock. They had no idea Captain Gu had gone through such a harrowing journey. His experience at Dreamlands was like a visit to hell. Their difference in power to Gu Jun was much larger than they thought.

The team members then left the tavern to report the Dark Zoog’s plan to Gu Jun. The Zoog had to be punished and an explanation was demanded of the Elder Zoog. Cracks were already forming in their alliance so early in its formation.

Gu Jun and Wu Siyu went for a walk. They hadn’t had a couple time in a long time already. This was a rare moment for them to relax. They wandered down the pretty village, taking in the sights and rubbed the cats that wandered past. Their feeling was as warm as the afternoon son. But after some walking, Wu Siyu suddenly said, “Dirty-minded Jun, you once said that human evolution is not perfect and I think I agree with you now. How I wish humans had four legs… Two for normal use and two for spare, we can switch them at ease.”

“I don’t think that’s good…” The image of it caused Gu Jun some horror. “But if you don’t feel like walking, I can carry you.” He was just saying that as a couple’s joke. But Dirty-minded Yu did jump on his back. As they trotted down the road in this fashion, they were accosted by Bell Grant’s group. The 12 of them were connected by the MP Team’s mental pillar, they could sense each other’s presence, it was like they carried a GPS within them. When Gu Jun heard about the Dark Zoog, he adjusted his expression immediately. He had Bell grab the tavern boss and the Dark Zoog, and Polinova get the Elder Zoog and leopard cat. They would hash this out at the temple where Peacock and Malachite were still harassing The Great Atal about this and that.

Yu Chi and Feng Peiqian though, they had their own activities. “Peiqian, why did you drag me here?” Yu Chi asked as he stood beside a round fountain made from cobbles at the fringe of the town. “Captain, this is a wishing pond.” Feng Peiqian looked at the clear water inside the pond and her voice softened, “According to legend, it has been blessed by Bastet. The couples at Ulthar will come here to get the goddess’ blessing. It is the reason why the families here are so happy.”

Yu Chi frowned. “Bastet and a wishing pond? But there is no such record in her legends… Is it left out of the legends or is this unique to Ulthar?” Yu Chi thought to himself as he knelt down to study the cobble on the fountain. “Does it contain the power of Bastet? But how? Is it the structure of the pond or the water source?” Yu Chi tapped at the stone and stared closely at the water, looking for inscriptions or symbols.

Feng Peiqing sighed. She looked into the sky, as she expected, a stone was not going to be cracked so easily.

“Wait, found it!” Yu Chi suddenly exclaimed in glee. He did find a cat’s head carving on one of the undersides of a stone. This carving was not simple.

“Peiqian, get me some paper and ink.” Yu Chi urged. “I wish to copy down this symbol. Is that doable? Is that a taboo? Peiqian, I need to go ask the Great Atal about this, ask him about this wishing pond… No wait, you guard here, I will go ask…” Feng Peiqian felt like drowning herself inside the pool.

“Captain, stay here. I just made that all up.” She sighed. “This is just a normal pool.”

Yu Chi, who was already running, stopped. He scratched his head and groaned, “You’re joking right? But that does not explain that symbol, it does not look like a story… right.” It hit him. “This is an example of your sensory ability kicking in! You ‘made up this story’ not knowing you were influenced by a mysterious power. This might be an important clue… Could it be Bastet who is behind this…? I need to go and ask.” Yu Chi’s jaws set and he flew away. “Peiqian, you should come with me. The pool is not going to disappear. There’s no need to guard it. We need to go and find out why you’d come up with that story.”

Pei Feiqian studied Yu Chi who rushed away and took another deep breath. The man’s brain was working perfectly fine. But what exactly was going through his mind?!

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