"We mean no harm. We are here on behalf of our master to pay our respects to the Undead City Lord."

After a moment of silence, the Gopher hesitated, then mustered his courage and shouted to the Undead before him again.

The Otherworld’s Dark Jungle Law had always made Li Ziyu wary. But now that he’d been discovered, rather than cowering, he might as well hear what the other party had to say. ’If they aren’t fools, they can’t possibly expect to attack my Undead Fortress with a group of Gophers, right?’

With this in mind, he closed his eyes and waved his hand, signaling for the Undead to let this Gopher in to speak.

After the Gopher finished shouting, there was still no response from the Undead. His legs trembled even more violently, and his heart pounded with panic. His mouth was dry. He’d heard that the Undead were the enemies of all living things—that they came from death and represented death itself. ’To think the City Lord sent me to provoke such beings... I’m probably going to die here today.’

KRAKA KRAKA KRAK...

A sound of bones grinding against each other rang out, sending a shiver through the Gopher. He jolted, his ears perked up, and he stared intently ahead. He watched as the Bone Wall before him began to shift. Pale white bones overlapped and pressed together, forcing an opening—a passage now formed right in front of him.

Within the passage of white bone, clusters of Soul Fire flared to life, faintly illuminating the interior and making it look even more sinister and terrifying. The Gopher swallowed hard. GULP. He cautiously glanced at the skulls embedded in the walls on both sides, leaned forward, twitched his nose twice, and then recoiled.

The Undead City Lord’s intention was for him to enter. But did he dare?

That was a passage made of bones by the Undead. Walking inside would be like throwing his scrawny body into a pile of them. If they blocked the entrance, there would be no escape. Horrifying images of being torn to shreds and devoured by the Undead flooded the Gopher’s mind, causing him to tremble uncontrollably.

Danger!

Grave danger!

Gophers were by no means a brave Race. On the contrary, they were incredibly timid. Their specialty was digging holes, creating labyrinthine tunnels underground to hide in. They never lived on the surface, as it held far too many dangers for them. If it weren’t for the need to find food, they might never set foot on the surface in their entire lives.

If he weren’t under the City Lord’s orders, the Gopher would have already turned tail and run as far as his legs could carry him, never to appear before the Undead. The problem was, he had his orders: the City Lord had commanded him to meet the Undead City Lord.

’This is going to be the death of me...’

’No matter how scared I am, I have to complete this mission. I can’t just turn back now. If I do, I’ll be exiled from my clan, which isn’t much different from being dead. A weakling like me with almost no fighting ability could never survive in the Wasteland where the strong prey on the weak.’

’Death waits ahead, and death waits behind. Since I’m going to die either way, I might as well take a gamble. I’ll bet the Undead City Lord isn’t as savage as I imagine.’

The Gopher ground his two large buck teeth together, his expression turning resolute. But the tears welling in his eyes, ready to spill at any moment, betrayed his true feelings. He clenched his fists, took a step forward, and walked into the passage made of white bone.

The White Bone Passage was filled with a sinister aura, like walking into a tomb. The Soul Fire used for illumination only inspired more fear. Once inside, there was no turning back. The bones behind him were already shifting back into place, reforming the wall as it was before.

The Gopher glanced back just once, and his heart nearly stopped. ’Waaah... there’s no way back...’ With a miserable look on his face and tears swirling in his eyes, he shuffled forward with tiny, hesitant steps.

In the main keep, Li Ziyu, who had been observing the Gopher all along, raised an eyebrow at the sight. ’A guy this cowardly? He wouldn’t even be qualified to deliver a declaration of war, let alone attack my Undead Fortress.’ His mind was put at ease.

’But at this rate, when is this Gopher ever going to make it through the passage? What’s with his steps getting smaller and his pace getting slower? Am I supposed to just wait here forever? What a joke!’

In the passage, the Soul Fire began to flicker violently. FWOOSH FWOOSH FWOOSH. The sudden change startled the Gopher so badly he leaped into the air, looking around in terror.

’I knew it! I knew it was dangerous! I knew these Undead wouldn’t let me go! Here it comes, here it comes! They’re going to attack! I’m a dead man!’

Thinking this, the Gopher instinctively wrapped his arms around his head, crouched down, and curled into a ball, not daring to look up.

"Faster!"

"Pick up the pace!"

"Move it!"

"Get going!"

However, the expected attack and pain never came. Instead, a series of messages flooded the Gopher’s soul, urging him forward.

Eh?

The Gopher slowly lowered his arms and looked up, bewildered. The Soul Fire was still flickering all around him, the urging messages continuing unabated.

’This... Are they just annoyed I’m too slow, not trying to kill and eat me?’

The speed of the messages was increasing, like a dense barrage of comments scrolling across his soul. The surrounding Undead seemed to be growing more and more impatient. The bones in the walls grated against each other, producing a cringe-inducing sound.

The Gopher finally snapped out of it. He sprang up and scrambled forward on all fours for his dear life. He didn’t want to die, and he especially didn’t want to be eaten as food just for being too slow. That would be a truly pathetic way to go! He had to get out of the passage, and at the very least, he had to meet the Undead City Lord and complete the mission his own City Lord had given him!

He was no fighter, but when it came to running away, the Gopher was quite confident. His round body and short legs were perfectly suited for moving through tunnels.

As he ran, the Skeleton Undead behind him also quickly returned to their original positions.

Light appeared ahead. The Gopher could already see the end of the passage. Only then did he realize the tunnel wasn’t long at all. The Undead hadn’t attacked him; he had just scared himself and caused all this trouble.

With a leap toward the exit, the Gopher burst out of the passage. In mid-air, he twisted to look back and saw the spot he had just emerged from seal itself shut, once again becoming a Bone Wall. When he landed, he curled into a ball and rolled like one before flipping over and getting to his feet.

He looked up and met a calm gaze looking down at him.

It was a Human, sitting on a White Bone Throne. By Human standards, he was somewhat handsome, with short hair and a short-sleeved shirt. He was watching the Gopher quietly.

’This is the Undead City Lord?’

’He looks just like our City Lord... not the rotting, skeletal Monster reeking of death that I imagined.’

The Gopher’s mind raced with wild thoughts, and he stood frozen for a moment.

Li Ziyu sat on his White Bone Throne, curiously observing the "ball" that had just shot out of the passage.

The creature before him looked like an upright gopher wearing adventurer’s clothes. Its head was still that of a rodent, not a human’s. It was short, reaching about to Li Ziyu’s knees. Its claws, however, were quite large, with three being especially long and prominent—perfect for digging. Right now, it was baring two large buck teeth, looking dazed and not very bright.

"I hear you wanted to see me?" After waiting a moment and getting no response from the Gopher, Li Ziyu spoke first, his voice steady and calm.