The girl transformed before everyone's eyes, instantly causing a commotion in the inn.
When Lycanthropes began transforming, it usually meant attack and slaughter were imminent.
The soldiers immediately raised their shields in front of their master, every muscle in their bodies taut as they prepared to kill all these dangerous Wolf Pups at any moment.
However, unlike most Werewolves, the girl who called herself Fangus did not lose control of her wild instincts the moment she transformed. Instead, she quickly changed back into human form.
Ignoring the hostile, disgusted, and fearful looks around her, she continued, "As you can see, we are all Werewolves from the same clan.
"As for why we suddenly left the Sewer and came to the surface...
"Of course, it was because those damned Skaven destroyed our home!
"They somehow acquired a large number of silver-plated weapons and arrows, then launched a sudden ambush against us.
"Although we fought desperately, there were simply too many enemies.
"In less than half an hour, every adult in the clan had been slaughtered.
"Only us juveniles managed to escape amid the chaos."
"Skaven? An ambush? A large number of silver-plated weapons and arrows?"
Raymond instantly seized upon several key words.
Although the girl's account was very simple, he still noticed something unusual.
First, Skaven were relatively "peaceful" Lycanthropes.
Even when they completely lost their reason during the full moon, they rarely attacked others of their own accord.
Second, silver, as one of the most special precious metals in a magical world, could inflict tremendous harm on Demons, Devils, and Lycanthropes.
Under normal circumstances, Skaven, being Lycanthropes themselves, should never possess such a large number of silver-plated weapons.
It was as ironic as finding a dragon-slaying sword in a dragon's lair in a game.
Third, the number of Skaven carrying out the ambush had been enormous. This was clearly an organized, premeditated operation, not the work of some small gang of ten or twenty people.
Taken together, something major and unknown must have happened in the Sewer.
Just as Raymond was about to ask for more details, he suddenly saw Aipuke, the leader of the Thieves' Guild, enter from outside with four bodyguards.
"Outcasts?"
The bald, fat man immediately revealed undisguised contempt and disgust when he saw these ragged children reeking of the distinct stench of the Sewer.
But before he could wave for his bodyguards to throw them out, Raymond smiled and said, "You came at just the right time. I just received some astonishing news from these children. Perhaps you'll be interested."
"Oh? What news?"
Aipuke squeezed out a token expression of interest on his pudgy face.
He clearly did not believe a group of lowly Outcast children could offer anything useful. He merely found it impolite to say so outright.
But Raymond did not care. He simply continued, "A large group of Skaven armed with silver-plated weapons raided a Werewolf clan's territory and exterminated every adult Werewolf. Given the scale of Calimport's Thieves' Guild, this should qualify as an underground war, shouldn't it?"
"What?!"
Aipuke, who had been indifferent a moment ago, abruptly changed expression.
He immediately turned and gave his bodyguards a meaningful look.
Without another word, they rushed into the inn and brutally drove every guest out of the hall. Even the owner and waiters were shoved into the kitchen.
Once the place had been "cleared," the shrewd leader of the Thieves' Guild dropped heavily into a wooden chair.
The somewhat old chair was clearly bearing far more weight than it had ever been meant to support, and it instantly let out a strained creak.
Fortunately, it did not fall apart.
After shifting his enormous backside slightly, Aipuke finally asked in a grave tone, "When did this attack happen? Who led those Skaven?"
The girl clearly did not know whether she should answer, so she looked toward Raymond, the only one willing to give her food to fill her stomach.
Raymond nodded encouragingly. "It's all right. Tell us. If the information you provide is accurate enough, this gentleman beside me will not be stingy with his reward."
"That's right! Hurry up and tell me what exactly happened in the Sewer!" Aipuke urged impatiently.
If Raymond had not been present, he would have already ordered his bodyguards to seize these "Wolf Pups," lock them in a lightless dungeon, and interrogate them with whips and every sort of torture until they pried open their mouths.
As the leader of a Thieves' Guild, this man might look smiling and harmless all day long.
But in truth, he lacked none of cruelty, ruthlessness, and cunning.
He simply disliked displaying those traits like his peers did, much less treating them as a hobby.
Aipuke believed that using violence too often would not only fail to inspire fear, but might even have the opposite effect.
True violence should be like a whip held high overhead. It exerted the greatest intimidation only before it came down.
Once it struck the body, it was nothing more than pain.
Only when necessary did this bald, fat man reveal his most vicious side.
The girl did not notice Aipuke's dangerous gaze. Gritting her teeth, she said hatefully, "The attack happened four days ago.
"I don't know the Skaven leader's name.
"But he had very obvious features. He was blind in one eye, only half his tail remained, and there was a small notch in his left ear.
"I heard the adults say that rumors had already spread last month that other clans in the Sewer had been ambushed by Skaven.
"They must be trying to wipe us out completely and turn the Sewer into their own kingdom."
"Well? What did that make you think of?" Raymond asked meaningfully.
Aipuke stroked his chin and fell into thought, but he soon replied with a sneer, "It seems I'm not the only one in Calimport preparing for the coming Guild War."
"So the Skaven's unusual movements were supported by another guild leader. They reached some sort of cooperative agreement?"
Raymond immediately understood the implication behind his words.
He was very curious about just how large this so-called Guild War could become.
Would it be like gangs in the movies, with hundreds or even thousands gathering for a brawl?
Or would they send assassins after each other's important figures, or sabotage one another's illegal money-making operations?
Why would Calimport's rulers allow these Thieves' Guilds to fight each other?
Were they not afraid of nurturing some enormous force that would eventually seize power and overthrow them?
Or were these Thieves' Guilds merely tools in the power struggles of the upper nobility?
Given Calimport's complicated and chaotic power structure, Raymond felt it was entirely possible that a vast, unknown force was secretly manipulating things from behind the scenes.
Of course, he was not particularly concerned with what this city would eventually become.
He merely felt that he could probably make use of the coming war between the Thieves' Guilds.
After all, one important source of mana was slaughter!
And in Calimport's Sewer, there were thousands upon thousands of Skaven that terrorized the area.
These creatures often rushed into the slums at night, seized innocent poor people, and dragged them back to their nests.
They then spread Lycanthropy through bites, forcibly transforming their victims into members of their own race.
If the opportunity arose, Raymond would not mind carrying out an "exterminate the rats" operation.
Before you continue