A New King, A New God, A New Order!
In the Ratmen Kingdom, the cleansing campaign continued until nightfall. The Royal Gryphon Knights had slain hundreds of thousands of ratmen. The Eternal Treant Guardians guarding the underground passages also dispatched a significant number of ratmen. Post-battle statistics revealed fewer than two hundred thousand ratmen survived, all of them ordinary, devoid of any professionals.
Killing ordinary ratmen didn't yield any experience, akin to dispatching common desert folk. Thus, following their lord's orders, the Royal Gryphon Knights spared the remaining ratmen. But they couldn't simply let them go either—not out of fear of future retaliation, but to extract more value from them.
Around 170,000 ordinary ratmen were gathered and, under the "witness" of the Royal Gryphon Knights, pledged their loyalty to Haotian. After swearing their oaths, they became citizens of the Golden Oasis, set to contribute to its future development and construction.
Haotian had no intention of feeding these tens of thousands of ratmen himself. The Ratmen Kingdom had stored ample food supplies. Previously, the food shortage arose because of over a million ratmen and the voracious dark dragon, Charles. With Charles dead and the ratmen reduced to a fraction of their original number, the existing food reserves would last them two to three months. During this time, they could work and gather food, alleviating any concern Haotian might have had about their sustenance.
Haotian left the ruins of the Ratmen Kingdom to them, allowing them to continue living there. Their new daily task was to mine stone in the surface rock mountains for Haotian.
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A Royal Inquisitor summoned the ratman envoy. "The lord has decreed that you are now the new king of the Ratmen Kingdom. You are responsible for managing the remaining ratmen and extracting stone and resources for the lord. Don't disappoint him!"
"Understood!" The ratman envoy knelt, filled with excitement and reverence. Had he known this outcome, he would have betrayed Rat King Aubrey sooner. Nonetheless, his timely defection, presenting Aubrey's private wealth to Haotian, demonstrated his loyalty.
"Now, gather your people," the Inquisitor commanded. "Clear the battlefield and transport all the ratman corpses to the surface."
"Understood, sir!" The ratman envoy hurried to relay the orders.
The surviving ratmen, traumatized by the brutal war, dared not defy him. Marked as citizens of the Golden Oasis, they instinctively followed their new lord's will, growing more loyal over time until they were willing to die for Haotian.
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Late at night, countless ratman corpses were transported to the surface. The Royal Gryphon Knights ferried the bodies to the Golden Oasis, piling them in the livestock yard. While ratman flesh wasn't suitable for standard consumption, it could feed the desert coyotes and even the golden gryphons.
Before leaving, the Royal Inquisitor instructed the ratman envoy, "You are responsible for the Ratmen Kingdom. From tomorrow, everyone must work hard. No ratman is allowed to be lazy."
"Understood, sir!" The ratman envoy replied with a sycophantic yet serious expression. Beside him stood the scout ratman who had provided the Golden Oasis with intelligence about the Ratmen Kingdom. Now a high-ranking official in the new Ratmen Kingdom, her task was to assist in its administration.
"The mined stone and gathered resources must be regularly sent to the Golden Oasis using space equipment. If enemies attack, report to the lord. Even if he is in the Golden Oasis, he will hear your prayers."
Hearing this, the ratman envoy and scout ratman were filled with awe and reverence, even a hint of devoutness—feelings typically reserved for the faithful.
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Countless ratmen knelt, watching the Royal Gryphon Knights depart, their majestic procession leaving a lasting impression. But instead of fear, they felt a profound sense of security.
"Stand up!" The ratman envoy's voice echoed. "From now on, I am your new king—King Harvey! Obey my orders and serve our great lord!"
"Praise the lord!" he shouted.
"Praise the lord!!" tens of thousands of ratmen echoed, grateful to be alive and in awe of their god-like lord. To them, the calamity that befell the Ratmen Kingdom was the wrath of a deity. Future generations would record this in their histories, noting that their survival and prosperity depended on the lord's protection, with betrayal leading to their annihilation.
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At the Golden Oasis, Haotian tallied the spoils of war. The kingdom-level conflict had yielded over four hundred thousand gold coins, far exceeding the usual gains from hunting. Rat King Aubrey's personal wealth added over a million common gold coins from the Sacred Continent, converting to nearly a hundred thousand lord's gold coins.
Altogether, Haotian amassed nearly six hundred thousand gold coins. Additionally, the war brought various magical gems, crystals, potions, and over a million pieces of equipment and unit blueprints, marking an impressive haul.
After the inventory, a Royal Inquisitor reported to Haotian. "Lord, Rat King Aubrey and his followers escaped through a secret passage. According to our captives, they're headed to the hidden Gray Dwarf Kingdom in the Anelby Mines."
"Track them closely but don't capture them," Haotian ordered. "We need a batch of blacksmiths for our territory."
"Understood, my lord!" The Royal Inquisitor bowed respectfully.
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Haotian felt an exhilarating sense of triumph as he reflected on the day's events. The foundation for his new order was laid, and with the new king installed among the ratmen, the future looked promising. The once chaotic Ratmen Kingdom now stood at the dawn of a new era, ready to serve under a powerful new god and his emerging order.