Deep in the Living
Chapter 286 - 274: The Sound of Rats

Chapter 286: Chapter 274: The Sound of Rats

Spine stared at the inn in front of him, excitement vibrating through his backbone.

"We actually encountered an inn! Indeed, due to the threat of ash storms, some separate, large inns are set up in this area before the Huge Bridge.

After all, in addition to Pilgrims, the Sequence occasionally also brings visitors.

The inn is built from special volcanic rock, completely shielding it from the storm’s impact.

It’s perfect for us to take shelter, as well as to get some sleep and food."

Luo Di, however, was a bit puzzled, "Who could possibly run an inn here?"

"It may be someone from the Hell Trading Group, or other small to mid-sized powers associated with the Sequence, so that their people can rest and reorganize before heading to the Sequence at the bridge.

And, the price of such inns is generally very high, making it a good profit as well."

Luo Di intended to ask more about the Hell Trading Group, but Crow Colt had already brought them to the front of the inn.

Indeed.

The inn in front of them was larger and taller than those in the town they passed, resembling a standalone apartment building from the Human World, thirteen stories high.

Enclosed with a heavy arched Iron Gate, on which a special Hell Array designed to counter the storm was drawn.

Two unique red candles burned on either side of the gate, still radiating a strong blood-red glow in the raging wind, helping passing individuals to clearly locate the entrance.

Seven minutes until the storm forms.

Just as Luo Di was about to dismount and knock on the hefty Iron Gate in front,

a heavy footstep came from the side, accompanied by a sense of oppression and pain, forcing Luo Di to abruptly turn his head towards the direction of the sound.

Through the storm,

a figure wrapped in a pitch-black rubber cloak approached quickly, each step leaving a substantial footprint on the ground, faintly accompanied by the sound of metal colliding, even as if it was coming from within the figure’s body.

The tall and sturdy mysterious person, over 1.9 meters tall, soon arrived in front of the gate, their gaze turning towards Luo Di.

First the figure looked at Crow Colt turning into a crow, then at the spine necklace representing Spine’s identity, and quickly shifted to Luo Di’s left arm.

A female voice came from beneath the hood:

"A spine and a torture device... Who exactly are you?"

"An envoy from Chaos Nest City, preparing to visit Mr. Hook in the Punishment Room."

Upon hearing the name Hook, the mysterious woman’s body visibly trembled.

She wanted to inquire more, but as ash-like blades struck at her throat, slightly cutting the surface, "...We’ll talk in detail after the storm ends; go inside first."

The enigmatic woman touched a teleportation rune on the Iron Gate, and was teleported to the inside without having to open it.

Luo Di followed suit.

Hum!

The noise vanished.

In its place was the absolute silence from within the inn.

Candles were lit on either side of the counter, where a Demon elder with a huge nose was smilingly gazing at the two guests.

The mysterious woman did not immediately proceed with the check-in, but asked sternly:

"Please show your business documents for Pain Sensation Plain, and the power or trading group you belong to."

"Sure thing."

The innkeeper skillfully took out the relevant documents from under the counter—and after verifying their correctness—proceeded with the check-in process, resulting in a relatively upscale Obsidian Key.

Before leaving, the mysterious woman took another look back at Luo Di.

"You would probably set off on your journey as soon as the storm ends. We’ll meet at the gate then."

This time, using the light from inside the inn, Luo Di could clearly see the woman’s face covered by the hood,

a pale, colorless female face, with streaks of white hair occasionally visible beneath her hood.

She looked more like a human than a Demon. Due to the cloak’s concealment, only a part of her face was visible; her body’s specific characteristics couldn’t be seen.

But Luo Di was certain that the woman before him was a member of the Sequence, as his left arm had already started to slightly react.

"Okay, see you then."

With the woman gone, Luo Di began the check-in process.

But this time, he couldn’t rely on his envoy status for a free stay; the big-nosed innkeeper made it clear that running this inn was a private enterprise of the trading group, and even envoys had to pay.

Luckily, Spine carried a good amount of currency prepared in advance.

As three gold coins engraved with the gates of Hell were stuffed into the proprietor’s mouth, an Obsidian Key was spit out.

The end of the key was inscribed with the Hell runes for "1309".

"The best rooms are always at the top. Enjoy your stay, young Envoy, sir. Later, when the storm is fully upon us and no other guests have arrived, I will personally deliver a delicious meal to your room."

"Mhm."

Luo Di pocketed the key and ascended the inn’s only staircase.

The staircase was also lined with white candles, providing a pleasant light and fragrance.

By the time he reached the top floor, he had already forgotten about the danger of the storm, his body and mind soothingly relaxed by the candle’s scent.

The only discomfort was the faint sound of rats coming from within the walls as he climbed the stairs.

Click~

The door lock sprung open, revealing an unexpectedly luxurious suite.

On the entrance cabinet, sat three distinctly colored candles: the white represented tranquility, blue for trance-like states, and red for excitement, catering to the varying needs of the guests.

A bone fireplace was burning, emitting a rich marrow scent, tantalizing Luo Di who hadn’t eaten all day.

Before long, the hotel owner, who had been knocking at the door, came in.

What he carried was not a lavish feast, but rather a sizable pot of freshly roasted shredded meat. Its alluring aroma was both appetizing and unfamiliar; Luo Di had never tasted this kind of meat before, nor had he seen it in Hell Town.

"What meat is this?"

"You know, my dear Messenger~ Although my inn is associated with the Trading Group, they come around only once every three months, take most of the operating funds, and leave only a limited supply of food.

All basic ingredients have been eaten up now.

As the inn stands alone on the Pain Sensation Plain, it cannot restock supplies as easily as those in town.

I have anticipated this situation and deliberately bred huge rats within the inn’s walls. When ingredients run out, I can take a few as food.""

"These are all fat and nutritious huge rats. If it’s not enough, I’ll bring you another pot later."

"Enough!"

"Well then~ If you need anything, just shout from the stairwell, and I’ll hear you," said the innkeeper.

"Okay."

The room door closed.

Luo Di looked at the fragrant shredded meat before him, and after ensuring it wouldn’t harm his body, he tentatively took a bite. It tasted quite good, and gradually overcame his psychological resistance, savoring it with relish.

Yet, during the meal, he could still hear the sound of rats within the walls.

His stomach now full.

Luo Di, out of habit, exercised to aid digestion, and finally, he lit a pure white candle at the bedside and fell into a peaceful sleep.

Perhaps it was the effect of the high-quality candle, the proximity to the lair of the Order, or his adaptation to life in Hell and on the move, but Luo Di slept deeply and even dreamt.

"Luo Di, why are you sleeping during class time?"

A wave of criticism came.

Luo Di abruptly propped himself up from the desk. He had returned to the classroom of Senior Year, Class Five, where the logic teacher was staring at him from the blackboard.

Being an excellent student, the teacher stopped hassling him when Luo Di woke up and continued to scribble on the blackboard.

Luo Di also subconsciously turned his gaze towards his classmates, to his old friends, to Gao Yuxuan, and to the class monitor; they were all listening intently and watching the blackboard.

However, Luo Di quickly noticed a strange yet familiar face sitting in the back row—a new transfer student with a foreign face and white hair.

It was both unfamiliar and familiar; Luo Di felt he had seen him somewhere before.

Just then,

Screech!

A sharp scratching noise came from the blackboard as if someone was scraping it with fingernails.

As Luo Di turned his gaze to the blackboard, he found the teacher merely writing with chalk, and the other students seemed not to hear it, continuing to pay attention to their lessons.

Just when Luo Di thought he had misheard,

Screech!

The sound of the board being scraped came again, this time even more piercing, almost giving Luo Di a headache.

What was strange was that still, no one seemed to hear it.

But,

The scratching sound grew louder and more frequent.

Luo Di couldn’t stand it anymore and rushed to the podium to investigate the source of the noise. Strangely, the blackboard’s surface showed no scratch marks, but the sound persisted.

The noise was coming from within.

Ignoring the teacher’s attempts to dissuade him, Luo Di went ahead and removed the entire blackboard.

Indeed,

Behind the blackboard was full of scratch marks, and a huge rat hole was there.

At the same time,

The teacher’s scolding faded away, turning into a squeaking clamor.

Turning around,

The teacher’s mouth was growing wider, and instead of teeth and a tongue, it was filled with rats.

Not just that, all the students listening to the lesson were the same, with rats of various sizes crawling in their mouths, through their eyes, and even some hairless newborn rats sliding out of their nostrils.

Quite a few rats had fallen onto the desks and the floor, using their sharp claws and teeth to destroy everything in the classroom.

However,

The new girl transfer student had already taken up a set square and a compass, starting to slaughter the rats nearby and inviting Luo Di to join her with a glance.