[Tree] Chapter 419: Investigating the Mudcloaks

Ashlock had long suspected something was up with the Mudcloaks.

When he had rescued them alongside Douglas from the Dragonite Mines, a mere Soul Fire Realm pocket dimension, he had thought of them as cute little monsters reminiscent of dumb dwarfs. They could hardly speak coherently and had almost been wiped out by a race of primitive monsters. All he saw was potential in using them as a labor force, but nothing more than that.

"But the warning signs had been there from the start." Ashlock mused, "Even in the pocket realm we rescued them from, they had created cannons capable of killing those giant turtles. At the time, I thought they were ancient weapons from a forgotten era or perhaps built by someone else."

There was no doubting it anymore. The Mudcloaks had been the ones to build those cannons as they had repeated such feats with increasing scale. Whether it be turning Geb into a walking fortress equipped with a cannon able to damage a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator or manufacturing suits of armor and weapons that let them wipe out the mortals under Vincent's control. The Mudcloaks were far more knowledgeable and powerful than they were letting on.

Until now, he'd mainly left their management to their 'king' Douglas. Ashlock had doubts regarding how the Mudcloaks viewed Douglas and even the Ashfallen Sect. But they were diligent workers and had so far done nothing but help the Ashfallen Sect develop and grow. So scrutinizing them had never really been a priority for Ashlock, and he preferred to let them do their thing.

"But I need to be involved if the dimensional geolocator can lead them to the upper layer and Elder Vortexian. This has gone beyond some cute monsters with questionable abilities. If they can access the layer of creation above me, they could get up to a lot without my knowledge."

Since he had some free time, Ashlock decided to sate his curiosity by following the Mudcloak that had taken the artifact through the mountain. He was going to thoroughly investigate them.

"System, what do we know about the Mudcloaks?" Ashlock asked in his mind while tracking the Mudcloak that was moving faster through the mountain than he expected. The little guy was practically in free fall.

[The Mudcloaks are a monster race originating from the Dragonite Mines pocket realm. They stand 3 feet tall, but little is known about their actual bodies as they are obscured by tattered black cloaks made from their own skin. Their notable large glowing blue eyes are suspected to be because of their glowing moss diet. They are considered to be harmless monsters with childlike intellects]

Ashlock raised a metaphorical eyebrow at the end of the summary of the system. "I don't know about you system, but I witnessed a Mudcloak swallow a human whole, so calling them harmless doesn't seem right and childlike intellect? Cultivators would be a space-faring civilization if children were as smart as these Mudcloaks."

[That is the description pulled from my memory. Do you wish to update it?]

"No, hold on. Who updates your memory?"

[I can't disclose that]

"As expected," Ashlock changed his angle, "Where do the Mudcloaks originate from?"

[The Dragonite Mines pocket realm]

Ashlock didn't believe that for one second. "Pocket realms are created by Monarch Realm and above cultivators. Are they also able to create new lifeforms?"

[Some can, but it's extremely rare. Usually, outside monsters are brought in and left to breed inside a pocket realm to populate it]

"Right, so the Mudcloaks and those kobold-like monsters that hunted them were brought in from outside."

[That is likely correct]

Ashlock hummed in thought. "Mhm, what about those kobolds? Where did they come from?"

[The kobolds you refer to are known as Lesser Drakthars, a common type of monster found on higher layers of creation. They are classified as typically earth affinity monsters with a focus on body cultivation, giving them robust bodies and relentless stamina that cannot be matched by other monsters until the Star Core Realm]

"Hold on, why the Star Core Realm?"

[Monsters that focus on body cultivation typically outperform monsters that concentrate more on Qi techniques, as before reaching the Star Core Realm, monsters have no way to regenerate Qi quickly besides devouring each other. You could think of it as comparing a warrior class and a mage class]

Ashlock recalled the situation back in the Dragonite Mines. The Mudcloaks had weak bodies and had to use their brains to outsmart and build runic weapons to have a chance of fighting back against the relentless Lesser Drakthars.

"If the Mudcloaks are mages in that situation, it's no wonder they were struggling since the pocket realm was limited to the Soul Fire Realm. Hold on, who named the Mudcloaks?"

[Douglas Terraforge, Grand Elder of the Ashfallen Sect. As the crowned king of the Mudcloaks, he named them, and this name was registered in my memory]

"Ah, I see the confusion now. When I asked for information about the Mudcloaks, you only told me what we know about them since Douglas became their king. What were they called before he named them the Mudcloaks."

[Unknown]

"What do you mean unknown?"

[There are no records of such a race existing outside of that pocket realm]

"So they must have been created? But that wouldn't make any sense. The Dragonite Mines were a Qi-deprived wasteland. I can't see a way the Mudcloaks could have gained access to so much knowledge while trapped in such a place."

Ashlock paused as a realization hit him, "It's almost as if they were imprisoned there... the giant turtles dominated the surface, forcing them to hide away underground. But that's where the vastly superior Lesser Drakthars lurked, constantly raiding their cities and hunting them. This makes far more sense. If I suppose they were brought in from somewhere else and imprisoned there, that explains how they have such advanced technology and could develop rapidly when freed and given access to a place with a higher quality of Qi."

However, there was still one issue. If the Mudcloaks came from elsewhere, why was there no record of them existing outside that pocket realm?

Ashlock queried his system again. "Is there really no records of any similar monster existing? Not even one they could have evolved from?"

[Let me see]

Ashlock felt the divine tree in his Inner World flash with power, sending a pulse down into the mountain's depths.

[Unable to verify. The cloaks of skin they wear shield their bodies from outside interference. I've never seen anything quite like it. If you brought one before your Evil Eye, I might be able to glean more information]

"And if that doesn't work?"

[We would have to dissect one]

Ashlock really hoped it wouldn't come down to that. His focus returned to the Mudcloak, who had reached deep into the mountain. The little guy had gone straight to the giant hangar where a tiny team of Mudcloaks was working on upgrading his bastion alongside their own airship-style thing that looked suspiciously more like a starship every time he saw it. The expansive space felt quite empty with so few Mudcloaks around and all the production lines deserted.

"They are all off working with Douglas on fulfilling my orders." Ashlock felt oddly bad about it, but it had to be done. Completing that city would give them access to immense wealth through the Eternal Pursuit Pavilion and a brand new pool of mortals from which they could harvest divine energy by converting them into devoted followers. The new mortals would also serve as potential customers to sell pills to, so it was overall a project that took priority only secondary to surviving the beast tide.

The Mudcloak met up with a group of Mudcloaks that looked much the same as any other Mudcloak, but Ashlock could tell their cultivations were all in the Star Core Realm.

"Are those it's leaders?" Ashlock wondered as he watched on. The Mudcloak showed the group the artifact, and they all crowded around it like curious children. No words were exchanged, but many excited hand gestures were going on.

[They are communicating telepathically]

"As I thought," Ashlock grumbled. He knew that Douglas's crown allowed him to speak telepathically to all Mudcloaks, no matter the distance. Their hold over the common language was also too basic to facilitate the advanced things they got up to. "So they have been communicating telepathically this whole time. Can I intercept it?"

[It seems to be part of their genetic makeup rather than a technique fueled by their earth affinity]

"So even my desolation Qi can't block it? Interesting, I wonder if that only works locally?" Ashlock had many questions. Almost everything about the Mudcloaks was one big mystery, and with every layer he unraveled, he was faced with a new layer and many more questions.

How did they reproduce? What was their structure of leadership? Did they really only eat moss? Why are there no records of their existence? What were they doing in the Dragonite mines... why the hell were they building a spaceship?

Ashlock wasn't learning anything new from watching on, so he decided to take action. Instead of flooding their minds with his Abyssal Whispers, as he wasn't sure how well they could handle it, he decided on a different approach. One more befitting of a king.

After the battle at Nightrose City and learning that he could use his Nascent Soul Realm Ents as mouthpieces, the shadow lich Anubis seemed like a suitable Ent to use as a representative. While the lich's home had been set as Stella's shadow, Ashlock could always call on him by activating a Soul Anchor to recall the Ent to Red Vine Peak.

Sending out the order to return through their link, he only had to wait a moment. Rising from the shadows cast by his canopy, the white bamboo lich seemingly stepped out of the darkness and stood before him.

"You called, Creator?"

It was at this moment that Ashlock realized he had never spoken to one of his Ents before. "Creator? That's a new title."

"I was birthed from your immense dominion over the end of all things," the Ent said cryptically, "Therefore, you are my Creator, and my sole purpose is to serve." The black flames that served as his eyes flared with passion as the lich bowed slightly.

"Do you remember anything about the Shadow Sovereign you were guarding?"

"I do not, Creator." The lich straightened up, "That part of me was destroyed during my creation."

"What of your past remains?"

"That which was deemed relevant by the Creator. Anything else was stripped away and used as fuel during my creation process."

Ashlock hadn't been the one to deem anything relevant or not, meaning that had been the work of his system. If that was the case, was Anubis loyal to Ashlock or the one who had actually created him, which was the system? Either way, that didn't matter. Anubis deemed him as his 'creator' and seemed fiercely loyal. The system had made sure of that by stripping everything else away.

"Anubis, I have a task for you."

"How can I serve the Creator?"

Ashlock faltered. He was going to have to get used to that title.

"Head down to the Mudcloaks hanger and serve as my mouthpiece. I need to speak with them."

"As you command," Anubis bowed. Shadows swirled around his feet, and he sunk into the darkness. While a portal would be quicker, Ashlock wanted the lich to make an imposing entrance. He wanted the Mudcloaks to remember who ruled this place and that he was always watching from the shadows.

Switching his focus back to the Mudcloaks below the mountain, they had placed the dimensional geolocator on a table and were effortlessly assembling a contraption around it as if they were one mind working many hands. It was so seamless how they worked with one another that Ashlock couldn't help but marvel at it.

However, the Mudcloaks paused their workflow when they noticed something was off. The shadows in the room snaked their way toward the doorway as if attracted by a force and began to condense into a gateway—a swirling abyss of shadow from which a being slowly emerged.

As spindly fingers of white bamboo reached out, Anubis's Nascent Soul Realm pressure flooded the room. His head and upper torso were next, and he loomed over the Mudcloaks, who were three times smaller than him. He even had to hunch his back to fit in the barely human-sized room.

"Greetings, Mudcloaks," Anubis said in a voice that was ever so slightly inhuman to the ear. It had a certain mythical touch as if it were created by magic or an illusion of the mind rather than actual sound waves.

The Mudcloaks exchanged a glance and likely a few telepathic words before one stepped forward. "Friend?"

Anubis chuckled, "I'm neither a friend nor a foe. I merely do what my creator orders of me." By this point, Anubis had fully stepped into the room, though his long cape of shadows remained partially behind in the gateway.

"Who is your creator?" The leading Mudcloak asked.

"I'll leave that to him," Anubis said, and Ashlock took that as his signal to step in. Flooding Anubis with his power, an aura of desolation manifested around the lich, and his flickering black flame eyes blazed with a golden radiance. He hadn't 'overtaken' Anubis; he was simply using the Ent as a focal point for his all-encompassing power that was all around them.

Ashlock hadn't even said anything, yet all of the Mudcloaks in the room grew excited.

"The great devourer!" They cheered.

"Another new title," Ashlock said, and Anubis effortlessly relayed his words but added an echo to clearly differentiate between the two. This way, he spoke without using Abyssal Whispers. But it did lack some of the grandeur that came from using the skill to talk. "Tell me, Mudcloaks, why do you call me this?" He had Anbuis raise a finger and point at the leading one. "You tell me."

The Mudcloak pointed at itself.

"Yes, you."

The little guy jumped up and down as if he had just won the lottery.

Ashlock let out a long sigh.

"Stop that," he had Anubis place his hand on the Mudcloak's head. The little guy stopped jumping and simply stared up at him with big blue eyes. "Why do you call me the great devourer?"

"Because you're the great devourer!" The Mudcloak raised its short arms like a happy penguin, and the other Mudcloaks in the room burst into cheer.

Ashlock was starting to remember why he had never bothered to converse with these monsters. Perhaps the system's judgment of their childlike intellects was confined to their capabilities of holding a conversation.

"I have many questions for you."

"Questions?" The Mudcloak eagerly nodded, "Questions must be dominated by answers."

"What—never mind. Tell me, what were you doing in the Dragonite Mines?"

"Eating!"

"Eating what."

"Moss!"

"Let me be more specific." Ashlock felt a headache coming. If this was some high-level technique to avoid answering questions, it was working. "Who put you in the Dragonite Mines pocket realm?"

The Mudcloak seemed confused as its eyes narrowed, and it ever so slowly raised its hand only to point at itself. "Me?"

"You put yourself there?"

The Mudcloak nodded proudly, "I was born there."

"So you're a young Mudcloak?"

The Mudcloak pointed at itself again.

"Yes, you."

"Oh," The Mudcloak seemed confused, "Young? We are all the same age."

Ashlock glanced between the Mudcloaks in the room and, sure enough, couldn't tell the difference between them. It was as if they were clones of one another.

"So there's no older Mudcloak I could ask about your history?"

The Mudcloak shook its head under Anubis's hand.

Ashlock was stumped. Were they really all from the same generation? It was hard to believe, but had they just come into being all simultaneously in that pocket realm?

"Come to think of it, I've never seen a Mudcloak child. Tell me, Mudcloak, how does your race reproduce?"

"Whenever the cause requires more Mudcloaks!"

Ashlock was this close to ordering Anubis to boot the Mudcloak like a bowling pin. Luckily, he had the patience of a tree. It was a bit of an outlandish demand, but it had to be done.

"Show me how another Mudcloak is made."

"Ok." The Mudcloak tried to walk off, and Anubis let it go. The little guy wandered over to another Mudcloak and reached into its hood. The darkness around the second Mudcloak's giant eyes seemingly devoured the leader Mudcloak's hands.

"What the hell is it doing? Is this how they mate—OH MY GOD." Ashlock couldn't help but shout in his mind as a fully grown Mudcloak was pulled out of the other Mudcloak's hood and set down in between them.

"See," the leader Mudcloak gestured to the one it had just pulled from the abyss of another's hood. "New Mudcloak."

"Right, that's it. You're coming with me." Ashlock ordered Anubis to grab the brand new Mudcloak and bring it up to Red Vine Peak for inspection under his Evil Eye.

The Mudcloak gave an excited cheer at being kidnapped, and the other Mudcloaks seemed jealous as they deflated like balloons.

Ashlock swore he would never understand these strange monsters.