Some books recorded that it was the work of an evil legendary wizard from the time of the ancient magic civilization. Others said that it was a curse from a fallen god.
The more credible ones were the results of the research of the druids, the children of nature. They claimed that the cause of the disease came from a special virus. After many years of experiments, they could even use the characteristics of the virus to strengthen themselves and obtain even more powerful shapeshifting abilities. For example, a werewolf with an extremely strong vitality. This branch was known as the shapeshifting masters.
Of course, the druids' shapeshifting was fundamentally different from that of the werewolves. At the very least, they could control the contagion and wouldn't transmit the disease to others, or pass it on to their descendants.
All in all, the ruling class of Auraire had already reached a consensus that the werewolves were extremely dangerous. Once they were discovered, they were to be controlled immediately. If they couldn't be controlled, they were to be exterminated immediately. Many places even entered a state of emergency once traces of them were discovered, and the army was even authorized to execute them on the spot without trial.
André had read a lot about the werewolves in books, but this was the first time he'd seen one alive. Even in the collection of the necromancer Ulysses, there were only two corpses soaked in embalming fluid. From this, one could see how rare they were. Most of them had died long ago from persecution and pursuit.
It had to be known that more than half of the churches viewed the werewolves as pests. The nobles also felt that the werewolves were a threat to their rule. Even the druids, who had always stood aloof from worldly affairs, viewed them as unnatural creatures. As long as they were discovered, they were bound to be forcefully dealt with, either by imprisoning, isolating, killing, or driving them to the wilderness. In any case, they had to be kept as far away from people as possible.
As for the otherworldlings who lived in the city with their identities concealed, they usually had to be careful their entire lives. This was especially true during the night of the full moon. When they were strongly summoned by their wild nature, they often needed to lock themselves in sealed basements with iron chains. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to return alive if they rushed out onto the streets.
However, Bernie Ecclestone's situation was clearly different. He made full use of his own advantages and the chaotic situation in Valen City to establish a powerful force, making it impossible for the underground guilds to exterminate him. If they did, then the remaining Ratmen would spread the bestiality and turn the entire city into ruins.
No matter what, as a werecreature rejected and spurned by mainstream society, Bernie was worthy of respect for being able to make it this far. He clearly knew how to use forceful methods to resist, but he also knew how to compromise and reach an agreement that both sides could accept. Otherwise, Valen City would be in a completely different state right now.
Shaking his large rat-like head, the old man stared into André's eyes. After a full minute, he sighed, "How surprising. There's actually someone in the south who can recognize a werecreature. It looks like your identity is not ordinary …
My guess was correct. I had indeed relied on the spread of the Bestiality Disease to create a large number of Ratmen. Only then was I able to force those large guilds to compromise with me.
However, as a price, I couldn't infect any more normal people, nor could I expand my tribe. Otherwise, they would wage war against us regardless of the cost until we were completely annihilated.
In reality, every member of the Rat Gang had joined willingly. They understood what it meant to be a werecreature, but in order to fight for the right to survive and to earn enough food for their wives, elders, and children, they still decided to take the risk with their lives.
Back then, it was because there were so many people who couldn't survive that I was able to challenge the six great guilds and successfully deal a fatal blow to those arrogant fellows. I made them understand that if we couldn't get what we wanted, we would rather die with the city.
Did you know, in that operation called the Rat Plague, a total of three hundred and fifty of our members were sacrificed? Many of them were fifteen or sixteen year old children, and some were over fifty years old. However, they succeeded in infecting over a thousand of the guild's fighters with the bestiality disease. With the first rise of the full moon, the six great guilds' rock-solid rule over Valen City was finally shaken.
Perhaps this was the first time they felt fear, destruction, and death, and it could also be the last time.
However, none of this was important. What was important was that over a thousand werecreature werecreatures threw the territory controlled by the underground guilds into unprecedented chaos. Over five thousand people were infected, and it was only with the help of the pirates that the situation was barely pacified. Every street was covered in blood, corpses, and severed limbs. Even after several months, the thick stench of blood could still be smelled.
It was a massacre, and everyone who was infected was killed without exception. At the same time, the prosperous smuggling trade also suffered a great blow, and it took close to ten years for it to slowly return to normal.
Due to the unprecedented success of this attack, the leaders of the underground guilds finally understood the enormous power I controlled. They began to fear, fearing that I would launch another attack and destroy this city that could bring them countless riches. Thus, they chose to negotiate.
In the end, as you can see now, I was imprisoned underground forever, like a real rat. I was never able to see the sky outside, and they promised that they would never take the initiative to attack the Rat Gang. They even allowed us to do some business at the docks to make a living. "
After listening to the old man's narration, André nodded thoughtfully, "So that's how it is … Everything you did was to help your subordinates fight for more benefits. Otherwise, you could've given it your all back then and turned the entire Valen City into a battlefield. Using the advantage of numbers and destructive power, you could've completely destroyed the six great guilds and become the true ruler of this island. Even the Pirate King wouldn't have been able to do anything to you then."
"Perhaps … But since so many people chose to believe in me, then I can't betray their trust. At the very least, I can't let the entire city go down with me for my own ambitions."
Saying this, old Bernie's eyes revealed something called faith. It was so resolute that it hadn't wavered in the slightest even to this day.
Without a doubt, this was a person worthy of respect. He was a true hero who could grasp power, but wouldn't lose himself.
He knew what he could do and what he couldn't do, and he stuck to his bottom line from beginning to end, even if it meant losing his freedom as the price. Not to mention anything else, just staying in the dark underground tunnels day in and day out wasn't something an ordinary person could endure.