Chapter 490

Chapter 490: What to Do When the Two Bases Are Too Far Apart

“Ah, this…”

After his blood pressure spiked briefly, Trilobite quickly calmed down.

“Which of my bases got attacked?!”

“So annoying!”

Honestly, Trilobite’s worries felt a bit like showing off at that moment.

He now had several large bases.

For him, the most crucial one was the “sandbank” closest to the Ether Sea. There, patches of “red tree ferns” thrived, already showing hints of a “tree dam” presence.

Inside the “tree dam” lay an “experimental” shallow sea reef ecosystem formed by many ancient cup animals.

This spot was key to whether he could block or at least slow the “ocean’s advance.”

After that…

“Ah, seems nothing else matters much.”

“With the ‘ocean’s advance’ continuing, the swamp’s water quality must’ve changed.”

“The conservation areas in the lake area probably can’t support the original animals anymore, which will just attract invasive species.”

“Those Dream Beach Crocodiles leaving the coast and roaming wild in the swamp prove it.”

“At this rate, those ‘bases’ will have to be abandoned eventually.”

“On the swamp’s other side, I just planted a tree.”

“It hasn’t grown yet—barely set up as a base, I’d say.”

“That spot needs to hurry up and develop faster.”

“Which base got destroyed this time?”

Trilobite checked the system’s mini-map and instantly relaxed.

“It’s Themis!”

“Though that tree cluster in the lake area isn’t vital now, my Trilobite population’s still there.”

“Hmm, I should head back and check.”

“Then I’ll relocate Themis’ customer service young lady and the Trilobites.”

“As for the lake area…”

“I figure I can just hand it off to anyone.”

“But the issue is…”

Trilobite straightened up, gazing at the sandbank with concern.

The ‘tree dam’ of red tree ferns had taken shape, blocking smaller waves in some spots, but remained vulnerable to large animals.

He’d spent heavily to build the “ancient cup animal colony,” which finally housed its first residents—mostly cephalopods, bizarre insects, and small strange prawns.

It felt like dreaming back to the Cambrian period.

However, this ecosystem remained fragile and tender, barely formed and unable to withstand disturbance.

If something like a lungfish got in…

That would truly be like "a black fish entering a fishpond—scooping up everything in one bite."

Worse threats weren’t limited to the swamp or the ocean behind.

"Then there was that Flat Kenyichthyosaur invasion last time."

"It shows imperialism… uh…"

Only then did Trilobite realize he still hadn’t identified his enemies.

But that didn’t matter.

"Anyway, some unknown force remains hellbent on destroying us."

"If I return to aid Themis, someone must guard this place!"

Now Trilobite saw the flaw in his strategy—the bases were too distant, forcing him to rush between them like a firefighter.

Working nonstop without rest, forever stuck in 996.

Though filling his belly with delicious fare during the grind wasn’t half bad.

"Need a plan."

"Constantly getting raided…"

"This operation can’t continue."

But just then—

"Hmm!?"

Trilobite spotted several familiar figures.

—-

The moment Trilobite killed Malbasi with his saber teeth, his mangled soul wailed into the high void, streaking toward the densest cluster of Fantasy Trees of Subspace.

"Roar—woo—!"

The piercing shriek served as an alarm for the entire Chaos Council—mission failed, Malbasi slain.

Yet the lingering soul carried fragmented memories. Malbasi’s death came too swiftly; he never grasped how he perished.

From Malbasi’s final moments—

"He was pursued by the Endless Ether."

"Baimeng and Shaks aided him—proof the Chaos Mark functions, confirming their loyalty as chaos-aligned demon gods."

"But assassins from the Ether Abyss still hunted him."

"After entering that suspicious ‘new world’ and ‘Divine Realm,’ the Ether Abyss assassins fell behind. Yet Outer Gods from the Ether lured him into traps. Off-guard, he was slain by an unknown deity!"

Barbatos pondered, reconstructing Malbasi’s downfall.

The picture clarified:

"Though Malbasi’s Divine Body wasn’t the mightiest, an instant kill shouldn’t come easily. Whoever achieved this…"

"Only the Giant God was left!"

"And the ‘bait’ that lured Malbasi’s avatar was the two subordinate officials of the Giant God."

"It was clear that the one who killed him must have been the Giant God."

As the First Demon God, Barbatos was good at logical reasoning, and he quickly figured out the real killer.

But his next thoughts were…

"However, the one who set things up for the Giant God and drove him into the trap was the Abyss of the Endless Ether Realm!"

"And the one who later lured Malbasi into the trap was the blood octopus Outer God."

"They were the Outer Gods from the Ether, so it made sense for them to obey the Abyss."

"This was a truly sad situation for me."

"The Giant God had actually teamed up with the Ether Abyss!"

To Barbatos, things had gotten very bad.

The alliance between the Ether Abyss and the Giant God likely meant the "Giant God forces" could now use the Sea of Ether to create a safe zone near the shallow Ether Sea.

Or a "base."

There, he could stand firm, using this "base" to face the Chaos Demon Gods without hiding all the time like before, living day to day.

"This was tough."

"That guy can now hold his own ground!"

"So…"

"The war had to grow bigger!"

Barbatos thought for a moment…

He quickly changed his strategy.

"Let out Morax and Sotiko!"

"These two can move in the Sea of Ether, especially Morax, who was strong in the shallow ether!"

"Send them to fight whoever opposes me and deal with the ‘Abyssal Carpet’!"

"It doesn’t matter who lives or dies; it helps me either way!"

"Baimeng, Magaxia, and Shaks all had great power in the ether, so send them too!"

"Have them watch Sotiko and Morax; if they are solid, help them against the Ether Abyss!"

Looking at his new plan, Barbatos felt like a genius!

"Get the orders out."

"Hmm?"

"What are you standing around for?"

The First Demon God looked at his subordinate officials, seeing some stalling as if they had something to say.

"Um…"

"Great First Demon God, the ‘mercenaries’ from the Primal Wilderness seem out of control."

"They came here in big groups and are wrecking the Fantasy Tree of Subspace everywhere."

"The demon gods living in the ‘Chest of the Swamp’ and ‘Tail of the Swamp’ were already upset."

The Chaos Swamp Realm was huge, shaped like an "hourglass"; thick at both ends and skinny in the middle.

The wide parts on each side were called the "Chest of the Swamp" and "Tail of the Swamp."

Only the richest spot, full of stuff and energy, was in the narrow middle—the "Waist of the Swamp"; the other ends were poor lands with little going on.

Most demon gods didn’t want to live there; only "old-timers" or "losers" stayed.

But even after losing fights, Barbatos didn’t finish them off, just sent them away, showing they still had power.

They had people in the Chaos Council, like…

"Mr. Belial in the sixty-eighth seat already spoke up for them."

"Also, some lower demon gods and high-ranking demons said the new ‘City of White Heat,’ which is Gimmerly’s reborn Fantasy Tree of Subspace, seems off…"

"Bang—!"

He got cut off by Barbatos.

"Damn it!"

"What are these small problems!"

"I don’t care about the whining of losers and exiles!"

"Right now, our enemy is the Giant God!"

"If the Giant God falls, everything fixes itself!"

"Why don’t they get it!"

"Hurry and pass on the orders!"