Chapter 66
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Chapter 66: Hardworking Goblins Deserve Fair Treatment
Good morning.
Another refreshing dawn greets me.
Though I seem to have overslept – Red Pupil and Little Tear aren’t in the cave, likely out hunting already.
Huh… This sudden feeling of being home alone?
…
Through her "Unique Skill – Queen Ant," Lin Yu could precisely track all offspring ants’ locations and statuses. Any important reports from them would directly transmit to her consciousness.
The ant colony’s distribution manifested in her mind as clusters of shining points.
She instinctively recognized each luminous dot’s corresponding ant without conscious effort.
The brightest spark represented Red Pupil, surrounded by twenty-four others – an exploration team comprising Acid Ants and Iron Armored Ants. Ahead marched Military Ants responsible for pathfinding and enemy detection, while behind followed another Military Ant squad for encircling prey and transporting spoils.
Further away, Little Tear led an identical exploration team with matching numbers of Iron Armored Ants and Acid Ants.
Having no immediate tasks, Lin Yu decided to observe their activities.
Sharing perspectives through an Acid Ant from each team, her vision split into dual viewpoints.
Red Pupil’s perspective showed Iron Armored Ants collaborating with Acid Ants to defeat Swift Leopards – Class D high-level monsters faster than Blue Apes but otherwise ordinary. Their speed advantage nullified by acid attacks, they stood no chance against Red Pupil’s team.
The leopards abandoned several corpses before fleeing. The slower Military Ants couldn’t intercept them.
Though Red Pupil could potentially pursue, it would require significant effort.
"Leave them. Military Ant sisters, transport the prey back. Others advance."
Seeming to share this assessment, Red Pupil ignored the retreating leopards and continued northward.
Meanwhile…
Little Tear’s group encountered Granville Fire-Breather – essentially a giant lizard with the "Fire Breath" skill.
Its flame range barely reached ten meters.
Though most ants bore Worker Ant-secreted Special Mucus coating, Little Tear deemed it wasteful against a single foe. She ordered all ants to retreat twenty meters, then directed one of her four carried Acid Ants to attack.
Despite usual clumsiness, Little Tear displayed unexpected combat competence.
Caught off guard by the ants’ superior ranged attack, the fire-breathing lizard took a direct acid hit to its back. The corrosive liquid splattered across its scales, dyeing them deep green as the creature writhed in agony.
Since Acid Ant secretions could harm fellow ants, Little Tear maintained distance.
"Your turn!"
She lowered her body, allowing the acid-spitting Acid Ant to dismount.
The Acid Ant scuttled forward, sinking acid-coated mandibles into the monster’s neck. After final convulsions, the creature’s Health Value hit zero.
Previous battles revealed that injected acid causes massive internal damage.
Upon defeating this foe, the Acid Ant evolved to Class D.
Acquired skill: "Poison Surcharge."
/"Poison Surcharge": Applies toxic properties to targets.
Every Acid Ant reaching Class D gains this skill.
It allows acid to carry additional toxicity, significantly boosting offensive power and pain induction.
Beyond acid, venom can coat mandibles, forelimbs, or even entire bodies.
After acquiring the new skill "Poison Surcharge," the Acid Ants’ offensive capabilities reached new heights.
…
Having observed Red Pupil and Little Tear’s work for some time, Lin Yu shifted her gaze away.
Her eyes settled upon a Military Ant stationed within the cavern.
Clang… clang…
In this deepest tunnel of the cave, over thirty green-skinned goblins swung their stone axes rhythmically. Some meticulously chipped at the crimson Magic Stones embedded in the walls, while others labored to deepen the subterranean passages.
Goblins fashion crude stone axes from durable rocks – tools lacking sharpness yet sufficient for excavation.
They wielded their implements with restrained force, fearful of damaging the precious Magic Stones.
Any goblin caught fracturing a stone would face immediate execution by the supervising Military Ants, its corpse dragged away to be replaced by fresh labor.
This perpetual threat compelled them to prioritize caution over speed, though excessive sluggishness also invited lethal punishment.
With countless replacements awaiting their chance, survival demanded precise balance between efficiency and care.
Though somewhat moved by their plight, Lin Yu ensured three daily meals of their beloved Goblin grass served in abundant portions.
Reluctant eaters required only mild "persuasion" from Military Ants to comply.
Yet inevitably, some grew so weary of the monotonous diet they refused entirely – these ungrateful specimens were promptly eliminated.
Multiple rebellion attempts had occurred, but Class D Military Ants effortlessly subdued the level 1 goblins.
A single enforcer could quell thirty insurgents without strain.
After repeated failures, the goblins surrendered to their fate.
Five such mining tunnels operated simultaneously, each manned by twenty to thirty goblins under the watch of three Military Ants and ten Weak Ants.
Daily yields totaled around a hundred Magic Stones, predominantly low-grade fire attributes.
Deeper excavations now occasionally revealed medium-grade stones distinguished by their vivid crimson luster.
During routine inspections, Lin Yu encountered only one incident – a goblin executed for chipping a stone.
As she lounged idly on a hay pile observing her daughters’ work, eastern scouts brought news:
The orchard fruits had ripened.
