After most mages had tried pumping the ground full of mana and nutrients, letting the rats eat their fill, it was time to initiate phase two of the plan. While phase one was about gathering the rats, phase two would concentrate on keeping them in place, either if they wake up or during phase three when the plan reaches its final stages.
Since the plan is devised to eradicate as many of the rats as possible it would be troublesome if they can escape their extermination because of a mistake that even rookies won't make when hunting or clearing nests.
