System's POV
chapter-517

Rocky traveled during the day and rested during the night, allowing his Master to bathe in the moonlight.

Four days had passed since Thirteen won the battle against the Goblin Emperor, and his group was currently making their way back to the area where the Lizardmen Tribes were located.

Due to Ratatoskr's request, they made a few stops at different Ratmen Undercities, where they inquired if news about the Goblin Emperor's death had spread.

Just as expected, the Ratmen had indeed received the news through the power of the Shard of Origin.

The reigning Ratmen King even asked if the Shard of Origin could be returned to them, but Giga, Blacky, and Hercules said no.

Until their Master had opened their eyes, they planned on keeping the Shard of Origin with them for safekeeping.

Of course, the Ratmen King, as well as his subordinates, didn't like this answer.

But what could they do about it?

Rocky could easily expel them from his Mobile Fortress and run away deep underground.

There was no possible way for them to catch the Magma Bal-Boa, so the only thing they could do was reluctantly agree and wait for Thirteen to wake up.

Of course, Rocky didn't stay in their Under-Cities to wait for his Master to wake up.

He continued to travel toward the Lizardmen Tribes, understanding that his Master would want to be there when he woke up.

Having served Thirteen for years, Giga, Blacky, Rocky, and Hercules knew what kind of person their Master was.

If he could take control over an entire race with the Shard of Origin, would he really obediently return it to them?

Of course not!

Thirteen was neither a good nor bad person, but he could be greedy at times.

Very greedy.

With such a Divine Artifact in his possession, there was no way he wouldn't use it for his own good, right?

The Ratmen King knew that this possibility existed as well, so he had begged Ratatoskr to keep the Shard of Origin safe and to also convince Zion to return it to them.

Of course, the White Ratman, who was the Hero of the Ratmen Race, promised to do it.

But deep inside, he was afraid of the teenage boy, especially after undergoing the hellish training that he had to go through since the time he had met him.

Finally, a week later, Thirteen finally opened his eyes, which made Erica and Sherry finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"About time you woke up," Erica complained. "I no longer need to bathe you every day."

Thirteen blinked once then twice before raising his hand as if to ask Erica to give him something.

"What are you doing?" Erica frowned as he looked at Thirteen's hand.

"Compensation," Thirteen replied. "For sexual harassment."

"Huh?!" Erica couldn't believe that the teenage boy had the audacity to ask her for compensation when she made sure to clean his body every day out of the goodness of her heart. "What are you talking about?"

"You touched my family jewels, so you need to pay for it," Thirteen replied.

"Excuse me?" Erica, who was so close to giving Zion a good smacking, asked while raising her fist. "Do you think I have interest in your little snake? Oh, I'm not talking about you, Tiona. No offense."

Tiona nodded in understanding before flicking her tongue on Thirteen's cheek as if giving him a kiss.

"Little snake?" Thirteen scoffed. "You dare call my mighty dragon a little snake?"

"Hahaha!" Erica laughed out loud while holding her stomach. "What the hell? You call that a mighty dragon? Well, I have to admit that it looked cute in its own way."

"Let's see if you can continue laughing once I'm done with you," Thirteen replied.

"Hah! Who's afraid of who? Bring it on."

"Famous last words. I'll take a picture of you doing a peace sign and spread it on the internet."

Sherry watched this bickering from the side and smiled faintly.

Although Zion looked a bit lethargic, she could see that the young man was well and good.

"The two of you are like a married couple," Sherry commented. "So when is the wedding?"

"Who will marry this twerp?" Erica snorted. "The only thing good about him is his influence."

"Who will marry this Auntie?" Thirteen replied. "Just look at her—you can instantly tell that her menopause starts next year."

"Excuse me?" Erica pinched Thirteen's cheek. "I'm only seventeen. How can I have menopause, you brat?"

"The color of your hair should be red not dark blue," Thirteen commented after prying Erica's hand from his cheek. "Wait, it should be brown. Similar to the color of poop because the head it's attached to looks like poop."

"Bastard, I'll end you!"

"O-Oi! I still haven't recovered. Just where do you think you are touching?!"

Giga, Blacky, Hercules, the Ogres, and the Trolls watched as Erica shook their Master's body with smiles on their faces.

They had been worried for the past few days, so seeing that their Master had the energy to bicker and frolic with Erica put their minds and hearts at ease.

A few minutes later, Thirteen finally managed to break free from the Sorceress' headlock.

He was still feeling weak, which was the side effect of pushing himself to his limit. It was for this reason that he was unable to overpower Erica right away.

Fortunately, Sherry soon stepped in and helped Thirteen, separating him from the Sorceress, who was having fun messing with him in his weakened state.

After breaking away from Erica's grasp, the teenage boy asked Tiona and Sherry what happened while he was unconscious.

Several minutes later, he now had a general understanding of what transpired during the last few days.

"All of you did well," Thirteen said to his Monster Army. "We worked hard to get the Shard of Origin, so it's only natural for us to keep it."

Giga and the others exchanged knowing glances because they had guessed right.

Ratatoskr, who heard the teenage boy's words, immediately pleaded for Thirteen to return the Shard of Origin to his people.

"Tell me, where is the safest place to keep this Shard of Origin?" Thirteen asked the White Ratman, who was now kneeling in front of him.

"…In the Ratmen's Ancestral Grounds?" Ratatoskr replied.

"Fool." Thirteen crossed his arms over his chest. "If that place is safe, then how did the Goblin Emperor manage to take it?"

"Then… where is the safest place?" Ratatoskr inquired.

"Here, of course," Thirteen answered. "Do you think someone can take the Shard of Origin inside Rocky's Mobile Fortress?"

"Well, you're not wrong. But…" Ratatoskr couldn't deny that what Thirteen said was true.

Now that Thirteen had said it, the Mobile Fortress was indeed the safest place he could think of. If the Shard of Origin stayed with Rocky, no one would be able to find it even if they tried.

"Don't worry. I'll hold on to it only for safekeeping." Thirteen patted the White Ratman's shoulder. "It's not like I'm planning to use your race to fight my battles for me, you know?"

"Really?" Ratatoskr asked, feeling renewed hope that the teenage boy wouldn't use the power of the Shard of Origin to take control of their race.

"Really." Thirteen nodded. "You and your race are in good hands."

"Thank you very much!" Ratatoskr bowed his head repeatedly.l

"Oh, you sweet summer child," Erica commented. "You have no idea who you're dealing with."

"Um, excuse me?" Ratatoskr, who heard Erica's comment, looked in her direction.

But the young lady only shook her head and pretended that nothing was wrong.

In order to change the topic, Thirteen told Ratatoskr that if he wasn't convinced that he would not do anything with the Shard of Origin, the Ratman was free to accompany him on his journey.

Naturally, Ratatoskr welcomed this proposal.

He failed to notice the looks of pity Giga and the other Monsters were giving him because the young Ratman had unknowingly signed up to become one of Thirteen's henchmen, just like Taiga, who was currently traveling somewhere in the Central Regions of Solterra.