Chapter 993 The Final Sweep <TOC> Chapter 995 Heart of the Swarm
Next page password is bold portion: ste?lv1cICu
Translator: SumTLMan
In the periphery, there lay a morbid scene of Softworm corpses scattered all over the place.
Upon seeing this, Angel’s brows twitched in realization — it was clear that the Dreamweaver Ants had already infiltrated the Softworms’ nesting grounds!
He extended his mental tendril further into the nest, and what he perceived at its core presented a strange sight.
——The core was distinctly divided.
As if an invisible boundary had separated the interior into two distinct factions. On one side, the Dreamweaver Ants, on the other, the Softworms fighting against them.
It could hardly be called a fight — it was overwhelmingly one-sided, more akin to Softworms selflessly offering themselves up as a meal to the Dreamweaver Ants.
This sacrificial act was committed solely to hold back the advancing Dreamweaver Ants.
Every time a Dreamweaver Ant attempted to move forward, a Softworm would initiate combat, only for the ant to emerge victorious every time. After their victory, the Dreamweaver Ants would feast on the bodily fluids of the Softworms, retire to their chamber to sleep off the meal, only to awaken and return to the frontline.
But thanks to the Softworms’ self-sacrifice, the Dreamweaver Ants had yet to breach that “boundary.”
On the other side of the boundary, Angel saw a multitude of Softworms.
“There weren’t many eggs to begin with… How could there be so many Softworms?” Angel frowned as the number of Softworms, sufficient to delay the Dreamweaver Ants through suicidal attacks, hinted at an anomaly.
His intuition pointed him towards that enormous egg — perhaps the root of it all.
When Angel reached the deepest part of the nest with his mental tendril, he found no anomalies in the chamber that he’d previously allocated for that special egg. However, in another more spacious hall, he was met with a shocking sight!
The original egg had hatched, and moreover, it had moved to the spacious hall!
But what emerged was not a Softworm, rather… it was a blob reminiscent of a mix between nasal mucus and play-dough.
It had a transparent, flexible membrane, through which one could see the greenish, viscous fluid contained within.
Now, this so-called “Snot Monster” commandeered the entire hall. Its size was at least twenty times that of a regular Softworm, and it didn’t resemble a Softworm at all. Angel began to suspect, could it be that a different creature’s egg was mixed in with the others?
However, when Angel’s gaze drifted down towards the base of the Snot Monster, he abruptly froze.
Beneath the Snot Monster, numerous Softworms were incessantly crawling out. Upon closer examination, these Softworms appeared to have originated from within the Snot Monster itself!
Could it be that the Snot Monster was giving birth? Angel questioned, recalling that Softworms were supposed to be oviparous.
As Angel extended his mental tendril closer, he discovered that a series of fascinating reactions were transpiring within the Snot Monster, ultimately resulting in the formation of new eggs.
These new eggs incubated within the Snot Monster’s body, then hatched into Softworms within it, before finally emerging from it.
The newborn Softworms were divided into two batches: one set off for another compartment where Angel had prepared the blood essence of Akeso in advance. They transported the Akeso blood essence into the main hall for the Snot Monster to absorb. The other batch, however, dashed to the “front line” of the battle, engaging the Dreamweaver Ants in a fight to the death, resolutely defending their ground without conceding a single step!
“So, this is the mystery behind the fluctuation in Softworm numbers? But, its ability to spawn a vast number of Softworms…” Angel scrutinized the Snot Monster carefully. Could this Snot Monster, in fact, be the Queen of the Softworms?
The mere thought of this possibility made Angel’s heart pound faster.
He had been optimistically hoping that the special egg could hatch into a Morphing Softworm, but unexpectedly, it seemed to have hatched into what appeared to be a Queen!
The worth of a Queen was far higher than a Morphing Softworm! A Morphing Softworm was a fleeting advantage, but a Queen was an enduring benefit.
Just considering the Softworms killed by the Dreamweaver Ants would add up to a substantial sum of magic crystals!
Currently, the Queen was only hatching normal Softworms. However, if the Queen could hatch a Morphing Softworm just once, there would undoubtedly be a second time, a third time… At that point, the true value of the Queen would truly manifest!
Looking at the Snot Monster, Angel previously found it somewhat nauseating, but now, no matter how he looked, it was just adorable.
This was entirely a sustainable treasury!
Upon pondering, Angel hurriedly utilized his mental tendrils to extract the Dreamweaver Ant from the fray, returning it to its original nest amid its dazed state.
The threat posed by the Dreamweaver Ant to the Softworm must not be allowed to persist, those Softworms it had previously annihilated were, after all, magic crystals!
Having completed these tasks, Angel found himself grappling with lingering uncertainty. He had accepted in his heart that the creature was the Worm Mother, yet he had not seen an authentic Softworm Mother before. Thus, even with a plethora of clues, without the final affirmation, he was left feeling somewhat unsettled.
Reflecting on this, Angel arose and ventured towards the door.
His plan was to seek out Canter — the eggs of the Softworm and the insect nest were originally bestowed upon him by Canter, perhaps Canter would be able to identify whether the Softworm was indeed the Worm Mother.
No sooner had he opened the door than a piercing cold wind rushed inside. Unbeknownst to him, a heavy snow had begun to fall from the sky. The snowfall was considerable, blanketing the steel constructions within the fortress in a short span of time.
Visibility outside the dwelling had significantly diminished due to the snow flurry, a white expanse in all directions. Even the floating star trees planted by the doorstep were crowned with a snowy white peak.
Despite the oppressive darkness of the sky, the gentle descent of the snowflakes introduced a few strokes of enchanting beauty to the otherwise dismal Abyss.
In fact, Watchtower Fortress even bore traces of a world found only in fairytales.
Angel did not allow the heavy snowfall to deter him; he proceeded to venture out nonetheless.
Upon arriving outside the courtyard, Angel’s peripheral vision caught a glimpse of a vibrant red hue. Lifting his gaze, he noticed residual red light emanating from a tower not far off.
A frown creased Angel’s brow. Had his sight deceived him? He seemed to have caught sight of a figure bathed in a brilliant red glow.
Angel stared intently at the tower for a few moments, detecting no motion. After some thought, he decided not to investigate further. Even if there truly was someone present, it was likely a wizard or apprentice residing in the fortress — there was no necessity to probe.
With this thought, Angel continued his trek outside.
Meanwhile, behind the tower, a man dressed in a white robe gently ran his fingers over a chain glowing with a bloody luminescence, gazing at the snowfall in the somber world outside, his eyes sparkling with fleeting shadows.
Before Angel could step outside the bounds of Sanders’ residence, he spotted Canter, adorned in a navy-blue wizard robe, descending from the heavens, stirring up a flurry of snow.
The lavender flower wizard hat Canter donned was now blanketed with white snow, and coupled with his lengthy white eyebrows, an interesting contrast was formed.
“Good afternoon, Lord Canter,” Angel greeted, offering a respectful bow.
“Truly a chip off the old block, you are. Even in this timeless Abyss, you manage to keep track of time.” Canter retorted, smirking. If Angel hadn’t greeted him with a ‘good afternoon’, he would have forgotten whether it was day or night by now.
Canter: “Judging by your looks, are you planning to head out?”
Angel: “I was on my way to consult you, Lord, how fortunate it is to meet you halfway.”
This was hardly a coincidence, Canter had agreed to keep an eye on Angel for Sanders, so he purposely left a Wizard Eye nearby. As soon as he noticed Angel stepping out, he swooped over.
Canter didn’t bother to explain, instead he said, “Need my help? Fine, let’s head over to Sanders’ place and you can tell me there. I can already smell the incense that he lit before leaving, is that it?”
Angel nodded. Indeed, Sanders had lit a bottle of incense before leaving, supposedly for tranquillity.
However, Angel didn’t feel any effect, and the scent was quite subtle. He could only detect a faint, elusive fragrance if he tried hard to sniff it.
“Moon Coronet Incense, a fine choice indeed. Didn’t expect he’d be so generous.” Canter commented, heading straight for Sanders’ house.
Halfway there, Canter looked up towards the direction of the high tower.
It was deserted now, but Canter had stationed a Wizard Eye there earlier, so he knew who had been there.
Upon realizing that person was also from the Savage Grottoes, Canter didn’t dwell on it any further.
Returning to the house, a warm and comforting scent greeted him. Canter shook off the cold and the flying snow that clung to him vanished. He then hastily made his way to one side of the hall.
Finding a reclining chair next to the Moon Coronet Incense, he leaned back and took a few deep breaths.
Utter bliss!
The effect of the Moon Coronet Incense was indeed subtle, but it was good for stress relief. Amid the perilous environment of Watchtower Fortress and countless battles, Canter had accumulated immense stress. Therefore, the incense had a much better effect on him than it did on Angel.
Had Angel not mentioned that he needed Canter for something, Canter would have whipped out the Monument of the Strange Ring, enjoyed the cozy surroundings, relaxed his mind, and tackled the bottleneck that had been hindering him.
After a while, Canter turned his gaze towards Angel at the other end of the room, leisurely inquired: “You mentioned you needed my advice. What’s it about?”
“Lord Canter, do you recall the Softworm egg you once bestowed upon me?”
An awkward grimace flashed across Canter’s visage, a memento of a time when his gifts were scant and he had bequeathed a seemingly useless trinket, found by pure happenstance. Later, he had to supplement it with a nest of spatial properties to appease Sanders’ accusations of stinginess that would have otherwise endured for centuries.
Now, Angel unexpectedly brought up the egg. Could it be that the Softworm was failing to hatch, and he was seeking advice on its incubation?
Canter’s thoughts whirred like a spinning top, contemplating the best way to sidestep the issue.
However, to his surprise, Angel didn’t inquire about the method of incubation, but instead queried, “What I wish to ask, Lord, is whether you are familiar with the appearance of the Softworm’s mother, the Worm Mother?”
“The Worm Mother? Why this sudden interest?” Canter replied, his gaze laced with skepticism.
Without holding back, Angel procured the Softworm’s nest from his bracelet, stating, “The egg you gifted earlier has already hatched. There was one particular egg, and the creature it birthed, well, it bears a striking resemblance to the Worm Mother.”
Upon hearing Angel’s words, Canter’s expression froze, as though captured in a moment of profound revelation.
Chapter 993 The Final Sweep <TOC> Chapter 995 Heart of the Swarm