Chapter 95
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Chapter 95: We’re Law-Abiding Ants!
Their conversation lasted the entire afternoon.
Though conversing with a younger, blindfolded girl, Lin Yu marveled at sustaining such lengthy dialogue –
This brought her more joy than acquiring monster intel.
…
At dusk, the girl departed the forest bearing the wolf leg.
"Mother seems quite taken with her?"
…Yeah.
Although you couldn’t tell from her voice, there was a lingering sense that Red Pupil might be jealous?
What can I do? Mommy here adores cute girls the most.
Little Pupil is cute too, but since he’s not a girl… it just doesn’t hit the same.
Over the next ten-odd days, I spoke with Jilly several more times.
Each conversation was lively, and I continued gifting her fresh meat. Gradually, the little girl grew more vibrant, and Lin Yu sensed her deepening trust, affection, and admiration.
Though Jilly’s tone remained aloof, Lin Yu increasingly began to regard her as a younger sister.
Still, no matter how close they grew or how much the girl acted spoiled, revealing her true form was out of the question.
If discovered, she’d truly have to imprison her.
Hmm…
Actually… maybe that’s an option?
Just kidding! Imprisonment would surely breed resentment, ruining their current easy camaraderie.
Besides, locking up innocent children is pure villain behavior!
I’m a righteous member of the Ant Tribe! Probably…
…
Additionally, each meeting yielded new information.
First regarding Western Village One, Jilly’s home: it falls under Aowenduo Town’s jurisdiction. This border settlement near Granville Monster Forest boasts 40,000-50,000 residents, with nearly twenty surrounding villages collectively housing about 10,000 people.
Villages grow sparser closer to the forest, making Western Village One among the nearest. Its population of 300+ marks it as particularly small.
Town access requires identity cards—nationally recognized documents that project recorded information when touched. These costly cards are rare in villages, possessed only by select individuals who regularly transport bulk crops to sell in town.
Jilly’s knowledge of urban affairs remained limited due to her rural upbringing.
Next came intel about the Ant Tribe itself.
Jilly appeared only familiar with the Weak Ant Tribe. Alarmingly, Weak Ants—not the broader Ant Tribe—are categorized as monsters requiring immediate extermination upon discovery, labeled high-risk.
This brought Lin Yu both relief and anxiety: relief that humanity viewed Ant Tribes as non-trivial threats (while remaining undetected), and tension because their expanding tunnel network now reached human-explored forest zones. Discovery could trigger human retaliation.
With Aowenduo Town’s military strength unknown, avoiding human provocation seemed wisest anyway—especially with northern forest regions still unexplored, likely hosting powerful monsters. Formal contact with humanity could wait until the Ant Tribe grew stronger.
…
This remained Lin Yu’s stance.
Until her latest meeting with Jilly.
"Mom’s been sleeping these past few days…"
The girl’s opening words trembled with lost helplessness as she fidgeted. Though aware her "Sister Adventurer" (a Class C Adventurer beneath even Guild Presidents) dwelled in the forest, their fortnight of bonding had fostered dependence.
She clung to faith in her sister’s solutions.
"Sister, what should I do… *sob*… what do I do?"
Lin Yu hadn’t anticipated Jilly’s drastic decline after just three days apart. She urged the girl to compose herself.
Is it critical?
Previous chats had scarcely mentioned Jilly’s mother, implying recovery—but clearly not.
"*Sniff*… Mom sleeps almost all day now. Her waking hours keep shrinking… Detoxifying herbs don’t help anymore…"
What poisoned her?
"A Cyclops Spider bit Mom three months back."
Cyclops Spider? Lin Yu hadn’t observed such monsters within the Ant Tribe’s territory—likely inhabiting northeastern zones where human adventurers operate. Beyond detoxifying herbs, her sole remedy was the Dispel skill, which had success rates dependent on target strength. High-tier monster venoms might resist it entirely.
What tier is a Cyclops Spider?
"…A Class B Monster."
"Class B…"
That’s good; the success rate for dispelling Class B Monster toxins remains high.
But you didn’t mention this earlier because my Class C Adventurer rank seemed inadequate, right?
"Do you have a solution, sister?"
The little girl’s lips quivered slightly.
"No, I can’t save her."
That was the only permissible answer – revealing her true identity would be disastrous.
Moreover, maintaining her fabricated persona as a mere Class C Adventurer required maintaining this pretense of helplessness.
She’d visit the mother secretly after midnight.
…
Jilly seemed crushed by this final disappointment, falling silent after receiving the answer.
Her teeth sank into her lower lip as muffled sobs escaped, tears soaking through the blindfold cloth and tracing glistening paths down her cheeks.
Though Lin Yu couldn’t see the girl’s eyes beneath the fabric wrap, she easily imagined the despair twisting those hidden features.
"Return home, Jilly. Cherish these days with her."
"Uuuu—waaaah!!"
The girl nodded jerkily before collapsing into unrestrained weeping.
Lin Yu’s white forelegs twitched with the urge to comfort the child, but she reluctantly retracted them – such gestures would only raise questions.
After her crying subsided to occasional sniffles, the girl stumbled homeward while wiping swollen eyes.
When darkness fully enveloped the land, Lin Yu initiated her plan.
The "Dispel" skill currently resided only with Army Lady and Red Pupil. The former remained occupied with northern battles while the latter’s massive frame proved inconvenient.
This left Lin Yu no choice but personal intervention.
She dismissed Red Pupil’s company due to his conspicuous size, opting instead for Stealth One. Though lacking Red Pupil’s broad carapace, Stealth One’s back matched Military Ant proportions – more than adequate for Weak Ant-sized Lin Yu.
However upon mounting, Stealth One emitted an odd vocalization.
Am I truly that heavy?
