Chapter 104

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

Chapter 104: About the Human Race

As for the area outside the castle,

A new Goblin Ranch has been established on the side of the castle, though it only accommodates about three hundred goblins, which is much smaller than the Second Ant Nest.

Beneath the castle lies an extensive network of ant tunnels, nearly covering half the size of the Fog Zone. The periphery of this network is dotted with small ant nests that serve as monitoring stations for the Fog Zone and resting spots for nearby ant colonies.

Not only the Fourth Ant Nest, but the other four nests have similarly expanded their networks.

These five nests are interconnected, effectively turning this vast stretch of forest into the ants’ domain. While minor movements might go unnoticed, any significant activity is sure to be detected by the ant colony.

The resources within this area are also under the control of the ants.

Primarily, these resources include various herbs and trees.

Besides the Ganerdor Grass, known for its detoxifying properties, there is also Smoked Grass, which aids in stopping bleeding, and Vision Flower, which has hallucinogenic effects.

Vision Flowers are scarce, and their hallucinogenic effects are not potent; a large quantity is required to induce a trance in a goblin. Therefore, Lin Yu has only cultivated a small amount.

The main focus of cultivation is on these three types of herbs. Although the forest is home to many other plants, the Identification skill can only reveal the names of these specific plants.

Regarding trees, apart from discovering a few more Red Fruit Trees, they also found apple trees.

These are genuine apple trees, and their presence in this forest is a mystery. There are only two of them, and the fruits they bear are small and sour, not particularly palatable.

However, after being cultivated in Magical Soil, the apples have grown larger and sweeter.

There are also several other types of trees.

One is a fruit tree from another world, known as Lan’er Fruit. The fruits are light blue, have a faint aroma, and a mild taste with just a hint of sourness.

Consuming the fruit revealed no special effects, and Identification could only provide its name. Due to its bland taste, Lin Yu has not prioritized cultivating this fruit tree.

The other fruit trees are even less appealing; their fruits are more unpalatable than Lan’er Fruit, and they also lack any identification details or noticeable effects.

Lin Yu primarily cultivates the Red Fruit Tree and the apple tree.

These fruit trees are mainly planted in the Herb Garden of the underground ant nest. After several months of cultivation, dozens of fruit trees have matured enough to bloom and bear fruit.

Apples can be distributed to the daughters at banquets, while the majority of the red fruit is entrusted to ants possessing the "Magic Backpack" skill, as storing them in an alternate space prevents spoilage.

…

While Lin Yu was lost in thought, a familiar figure came into view.

Being the largest among all the ants, it was easily recognizable.

It was Red Pupil; she had returned from a hunt in the north, clutching a… was that a praying mantis-type monster? It must be a Class B Monster, right?

Every time Red Pupil goes hunting, she brings back the most powerful wounded monster to finish off herself.

Behind her were Little Tear and some other Iron Armored Ants. Like her, they were clutching wounded monsters; their larger size makes it easier for them to carry these monsters compared to Military Ants and Acid Ants.

These wounded monsters will be thrown into the prison on the underground level of the castle, where ant guards will keep watch over them.

I must remember to go down and finish them off later.

It’s Sister Red Pupil.

Sister Red Pupil has returned.

And also Sister Little Tear.

Lin Yu overheard the faint murmurs of the Stealth Ants behind her.

It appeared that Stealth One and the others were quite close to Red Pupil.

"Go down and assist Red Pupil, bring her to me."

"Yes, Mother."

They responded promptly and swiftly descended to the base of the castle under the effect of ‘stealth.’

Only Lin Yu and Stealth One remained.

"Aren’t you going to find Red Pupil?"

Stealth One and Red Pupil seemed to share a strong bond.

"If all the Stealth Ants leave and no one is here to protect Mother, Sister Red Pupil will be upset."

Upset?

Hmm, does Red Pupil get upset… I don’t recall ever seeing her angry.

As Red Pupil returned to the castle, Lin Yu noticed that Army Lady and Lvzi had also arrived.

She spotted them immediately.

The exploration team led by Army Lady approached in a neat formation, making them easily recognizable.

As for Lvzi…

She actually noticed me first!

Wait, I’m on the third floor of the castle. How did she spot me?

And her gaze is… so intense…

Being under such a scorching gaze, it’s impossible to ignore!

Please, just stop staring at me…

After Lvzi was dragged away by Army Lady, Lin Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief, but then she shuddered.

She recalled the morning incident when she was possessed by Military Eleven. The sight of the drooling green ant lunging at her had been quite terrifying.

She… wouldn’t come looking for me, would she?

"Mother, I’m back."

Ah!!

The sudden voice from behind startled Lin Yu.

But upon listening closely, it was the gentle voice of Red Pupil.

"What’s wrong, Mother?"

"Nothing, it’s fine…"

Red Pupil approached and scrutinized Lin Yu.

Only after ensuring Lin Yu was unharmed did she relax.

"The sisters are returning one by one. I’ve instructed Stealth Two to have everyone wait in the main hall on the first floor. If the main hall is too crowded, they can move to the side hall or the lobby. If space runs out, the remaining ants will have to stay outside the castle."

"Alright, once all the ants have gathered, I’ll leave it to you to organize their meals and tally their levels. Also, there are some things I need you to announce during the dinner."

"Isn’t Mom going to eat in the main hall?"

"I’ll just have my meal here."

"Although it was my idea to have the dinner, speaking in front of so many ants is really daunting for me. Just the thought of it makes me nervous…"

"If Mom comes down to eat, I think my sisters would be thrilled."

"But…"

"If there’s anything that needs to be said, I’ll handle it. Mom just needs to sit beside me."

"Okay, that works."

"If I only have to make an appearance, then I can just focus on eating!"

"It’s great to have Red Pupil around…"

"So, what does Mom need to tell us?"

"It’s about matters concerning the human race."

Afterwards, Lin Yu and Red Pupil discussed her plans.

"Although the human village mostly consists of villagers without any class, even a small team of Class D Weak Ants could easily destroy the village. In fact, it’s the human towns that require our attention."

"Aowenduo Town, the closest town to Granville Forest, houses human soldiers and the Adventurer’s Guild."

"According to Jilly, the highest rank in the Adventurer’s Guild is the Guild President, who is Class B."

"Among the remaining adventurers, aside from a few Class C, Classes D and unclassified make up the majority. It’s said that there used to be Class B adventurers besides the Guild President, but they seem to have perished deep within Granville Forest during an adventure."

"However, this is just the information Jilly knows, or perhaps it’s the information the Adventurer’s Guild reveals on the surface?"

"Additionally, I didn’t get any information about the town’s army from Jilly."

"Generally, lower-class adventurers operate on the outskirts of the forest, while slightly higher-level adventurers venture deeper into the forest."

"In the First Ant Nest, the Third Ant Nest, and the Fifth Ant Nest, there’s a chance these adventurers might appear within the area covered by the ant nest network."

"If the adventurers discover the ant tribe, it could attract the Adventurer’s Guild and even the human army, as the ant tribe is marked as highly dangerous by the human race."

"Since there are many unexplored areas in the forest, there’s really no need to provoke the humans."

"If you want some seasonings, you can occasionally go to Jilly’s village to trade… I mean, exchange something of equal value!"

"Just some seasonings shouldn’t attract the town’s attention."

"So, this dinner is mainly to inform the daughters to stop exploring the areas where human adventurers are active, leaving only a few lookout points to monitor their movements, and focusing exploration in the north and west."

"What does Little Pupil think?"

"Mother has a good point; after all, we don’t look suitable to interact with humans, but…"

"But what?"

"Has Mom ever thought about what would happen if we were discovered by the human race? There might be individuals in the human race like Stealth One and Stealth Two."

"Indeed… If a human like Stealth Ant entered the forest, it’s hard to say they wouldn’t find the ant clan."

"If we are discovered…"

"What do you think, Little Pupil?"

Red Pupil shook her head.

"We can only tell our sisters to be extra careful. If we are truly discovered, we must be prepared to go to war with the human race."