Chapter 407 Aphid Time, Spending Up! (1/2)
”If you believe your entire world is a prison, is it wrong to try and break it?”
Question posed by Orisan'shan. Founder of the Closed Circle Society at the Academy of Stone Soul.
After chatting for a little while, I bid farewell to the Queens and let them get back to their important work, namely eating and producing brood. In one month, the colony will have over ten thousand individuals. I've no idea how they're going to manage the education program now that the wave is subsiding, but I'm sure that the council will be able to work something out. Getting literally thousands of monsters to form a core, level up to tier three and get enough Bioma.s.s to mutate is going to be a logistical nightmare. Especially now that the farms are not going to be effective.
Wait a second! A flash of understanding hits me and I dash back toward the Queen.
”The Aphid Queen? Where is she?”
Surprise showing in the twitch of her antennae, the Queen turns back to face me.
”My pet? She's down here, producing young aphid. Where did you think she was?”
Excitement thrills through me.
”So it's started then? The aphid project? Are there any in the expanse?”
Victoriant nods.
”I think the first of the aphid went out yesterday. The soldiers and scouts have been hard at work in the expanse getting it ready. Wills, Advant and Sloan have been down here since yesterday. Didn't you know?”
…
”Uh… I've been busy.”
The Queen's antennae begin to vibrate, as if she sensed my lie and is preparing a thwack. I need to clear off!
”I'll go check it out! Thanks-bye!”
And we're outta there! Practically sprinting, I blow past some confused looking Brood Tenders and out into the Dungeon tunnels. From there it's a short hop over to the expanse proper and the ant presence here is immediate.
Soldiers and scouts are in position around the entrance, climbing over the mounds of damp earth and clinging to the trees. There are literally hundreds of them here, and a steady column of Bioma.s.s is being hauled out and taken to the Queens in a steady column.
Holy moly! I blinked and the colony moved into the expanse in a flas.h.!.+ Faced with hundreds of cooperative monsters, it appears as if the monsters of the expanse had little choice but to roll over and accept their fate.
”Eldest? I didn't expect to see you here,” Advant's scent reaches me.
I turn to face the much smaller soldier approaching from the nearby column.
”Hey there Advant. How goes the expanse takeover?”
”Smoothly! We managed to exterminate the old aphid population pretty easily. The new aphids are being tended to now and they started producing Bioma.s.s just a few hours ago. Want to have a look?”
Of course!
My glee knows no bounds as I follow Advant into the depths of the marsh, helping to pulverise monsters along the way. It doesn't take long before I'm able to witness a tender sight that I'd only seen in doc.u.mentaries before. High in the branches of the largest, mana infused trees, tiny aphids cling to the thinner branches, extracting whatever sweet tree juice they need to survive. All the while a team of ants watch over them, checking the aphids for problems and s.h.i.+fting them about periodically to ensure they're getting the most efficient meal. As I watch the ants begin to prod the little bugs with their antennae and the aphids happily offer up Bioma.s.s for their defenders.
Perfect!
”How many aphid do we have so far?” I ask my guide.
”Roughly thirty. The Aphid Queen only started producing young recently, but the population should rapidly expand. We think we should have over a thousand in a week.”
Makes sense. The aphid, despite their cuteness, are very simple and weak monsters. The only complex thing about them is their capacity to offer Bioma.s.s nectar from their business district. No weapons, no armour, no advanced senses. They are helpless without the ants watching over them. Which means, egg laying wise, they are cheap as chips to produce. The Aphid Queen could knock out a couple thousand a week, given enough food.
It's wonderful to see the system coming together!
”This is good stuff Advant. This might help the colony pick up the shortfall in Bioma.s.s now that the wave has receded.”
”Just as you predicted, Eldest.”
With that casual expression of confidence in my non-existent foresight, the ant claps me on the side with one antenna and then wanders off to see to her many duties. Which leaves Tiny, Crinis and myself in the middle of the marsh expanse, left to our own devices.
Not willing to put it off any more, I let Crinis and Tiny cut loose to rustle up some experience whilst I try and deal with something I've been putting off for some time: my status.
I might have four brains but I just can't handle the numbers dammit! Since the fight with Garralosh, I got a heap of levels, a heap of skill levels, a ton of Bioma.s.s and with all my new glands, there is a metric ton of mutations I need to do. Perhaps the fear of the itch is what did it, or perhaps the fight with Garralosh just left a bad taste in my mouth. Regardless, the time is now!
Right now my status looks like this:
Name: Anthony
Level: 14 (Rare Core) (V)
Might: 91
Toughness: 79
Cunning: 64
Will: 45
HP: 158/158
MP: 230/230