Chapter 995 Heart of the Swarm <TOC> Chapter 997 Frost Moon Confidential
Previous page password is bold portion: ste?lv1cICu
Translator: SumTLMan
“The intricacies are hard to articulate,” Canter contemplated for a moment. “My understanding of the Softworms is limited, but I propose using the Dreamweaver Ants to influence them.”
Canter’s suggestion is essentially to compel the Worm Mother to give birth to a new worm species using the Dreamweaver Ants.
For instance, by regulating the speed and frequency at which the Dreamweaver Ants feed on the Softworms.
“Presently, due to the ceaseless predation of the Dreamweaver Ants on the Softworms, the Worm Mother is under immense strain. Under such high pressure, her primal instinct for survival takes precedence, thus resulting in her hatching out ordinary Softworms as food.”
“Now, if the Dreamweaver Ants were to slow their feeding frequency, lessening the pressure on the Worm Mother, she might have the time to ponder over a solution to this significant issue posed by the Dreamweaver Ants.”
“In such a scenario, once she determines a solution to tackle the Dreamweaver Ants, the Worm Mother might start working towards that direction, undergoing corresponding transformations internally, eventually, perhaps, birthing other warrior classes of Softworms.”
Softworms are a type of communal insect, akin to ants, with distinct types and divisions of labor.
The Worm Mother stands as the central figure, surrounded by warrior classes beneath her, with the lowest tier being the common Softworms.
There are different classifications among the warrior class of Softworms, with the Morphing Softworms being one of them.
Angel pondered over Canter’s rationale and plans, finding them somewhat feasible. Any species, when confronted with an existential threat, might undergo explosive self-development.
With this in mind, Angel decided to create a strategy for the Dreamweaver Ants’ infiltration. Every few days, the ants would visit the Softworm nest for a while.
As long as the Worm Mother survives, there’s a chance for the birth of a warrior class!
“However, even if we don’t see the birth of morphing worms, a constant birth rate of ordinary worms represents substantial gain,” Canter remarked, shaking his head. This, too, was a stroke of luck for Angel.
Angel, however, wasn’t overly concerned with these potential gains.
If he had been meticulous about these benefits, he wouldn’t have allowed the subsequent scene of the Dreamweaver Ants voraciously feeding on the Softworms, forcing the Worm Mother into relentless hatching.
Without further ado, Angel prepared to promptly design the “invasion” of the Dreamweaver Ants.
While Angel was occupied with the design, Canter sat aside, entertaining himself with the Monument of the Strange Ring.
By the time Angel had almost completed outlining how to automate the Dreamweaver Ants’ “invasion,” it had been more than half a day. In terms of time, it was the middle of the night.
Nonetheless, in the Abyss, the contrast between night and day is minimal; the exterior is still blanketed by a vast expanse of white snow, harmonizing with the dim hue of the sky.
Upon emerging from the Monument of the Strange Ring, Canter took a look at Angel’s creation. The formation here involved the automation of alchemical machinery; Canter couldn’t help but marvel after seeing it.
“By the way, I have a favor to ask you,” Canter put down Angel’s plan, addressing Angel.
Angel turned his attention to Canter.
“If we really hatch multiple Morphing Softworms, I’d like to reserve one in advance for Cherie,” Canter articulated. Canter himself knew transformation spells, but if Cherie wanted to learn such spells in the future, lacking the aid of a Morphing Softworm would result in considerable time wasted.
“No problem,” Angel agreed immediately. Actually, he initially wanted to suggest that if there were multiple Morphing Softworms, he wouldn’t mind gifting one to Cherie, considering the Softworm egg originally came from Canter.
However, recalling that Canter somehow always whimsically linked him with Cherie in his conversations, Angel dropped the idea to avoid any potential joking from Canter. If multiple Softworms do hatch, he’ll simply give one away.
With the matter settled, Canter bid farewell and departed.
He fiddled with the Monument of the Strange Ring, which still had several obstacles to overcome. He had originally planned to ask Angel, the creator of the monument, to help him solve the mystery, but seeing Angel enthusiastically delve into his research, he kept silent.
After all, besides Angel, Popoca was another option.
Coincidentally, he had spotted Popoca from a nearby tower using his Wizard’s Eye earlier.
Thinking about this, Canter left in a rush.
After Canter’s departure, Angel immersed himself in the intricacies of his craft.
…
Deep within Downfallen Forest, a group of wizards stood atop a cliff.
Below the cliff was an endless forest. However, at the heart of the forest, there was a conspicuous area where light and shadow intermingled, marking the Translayer Gate.
Through it, one could traverse to the fourth layer of the Abyss.
Most of these wizards were those Samantha had brought out from the inner layers. Now, they all quietly gazed at the Translayer Gate.
Their previous escape route in Blackwater Basin was far from covert. If it were the two great demons, discovery should have been effortless. Barring unforeseen circumstances, those two great demons might well catch up shortly.
Standing at the juncture of light and dark, an interlayer interaction, two figures stand on either side. Samantha, an epitome of grace and arrogance, lips reminiscent of shattered glass, hovers midair, her back adorned by myriad icy glimmers.
In contrast to Samantha’s anticipated readiness, Sanders remains motionless, leaning against a withered tree, his head bowed in contemplation.
Originally, Sanders was meant to be the rear guard. But Samantha, having shaken off the two demons pursuing them and having escaped the inner layer first, took responsibility for the others, ensuring they were safe. After these arrangements, she joined Sanders to help him with his cleanup duties.
Samantha watches Sanders silently, her gaze filled with a mix of emotions.
However, Sanders, currently absorbed in his thoughts, remains oblivious to Samantha’s gaze. His mind is focused on matters of the Wilderness of Dreams.
Despite the impending potential confrontation with the two demons, Sanders pays them no mind. He considers the Wilderness of Dreams of greater significance, even more so than the hunt planned by Lord Mengke.
He is mulling over how to deal with the Purifiers of the Dream Realm.
According to his and Angel’s conjecture, through the activation of the Dream Conch using nightmare power, all worlds might give birth to the seedling of fragment worlds similar to the ‘Wilderness of Dreams’.
This resembles the prior ‘Wasteland of Dreams’ that was born in the Abyss.
However, when these fragment worlds begin to sprout, they will undoubtedly face a round of cleansing. These Purifiers, as Angel explained, are entities as vast as continents and their strength is unparalleled.
Precisely because of the existence of these Purifiers, the Wasteland of Dreams was torn apart at its inception.
If they can handle the Purifiers, does it mean that the ‘Wilderness of Dreams’, a subsidiary world, will gradually emerge in different worlds?
What would happen if these subsidiary worlds gradually merged? Even if they remained separate, could they interact and communicate through the Wilderness of Dreams? Could information be relayed in real-time? Would conquering the vast interdimensional wilderness become the norm?
Regardless, Sanders is certain that this is a grand spectacle of the future Wizarding World!
However, before this grand spectacle could unfold, they must first face the Purifiers.
Sanders has been pondering how to tackle these Purifiers ever since he left Watchtower Fortress.
The strength of the Purifiers should not be underestimated, yet they are not invincible.
“If we can harness our real-world strength in the Wilderness of Dreams, a vast formation of wizards could create defenses, and with a specialized spell, perhaps the invaders can be banished.”
However, the dilemma lies in how to channel such strength into the Wilderness of Dreams.
With a sigh, Sanders rubbed his temples, as if trying to ease the migraine building up.
“You seem troubled? Is it because of the two great demons?” A voice, cold yet seductive, whispered into Sanders’s ear.
Turning around, Sanders looked at Samantha. His eyes briefly displayed a sense of alienation.
“What troubles me is when will this performance of the Abyss come to an end?” Sanders replied coldly.
Samantha met his gaze and parted her lips, “It shouldn’t be too long.”
As they conversed, a rift suddenly opened in front of them, at their interstitial meeting point.
“It’s coming!” Samantha, who had been on high alert, was quick to react as the rift appeared.
But just as she was about to attack, a potent aura began to emanate from within, while a grey undercurrent began to seep out.
Upon seeing this grey undercurrent, Sanders was initially puzzled. But the realization hit him soon after. He quickly warned Samantha, “No, it’s not a demon inside, retreat!”
Samantha’s reaction was prompt as well. She stepped back several miles following Sanders.
“What’s going on?” Samantha asked in bewilderment. She too could sense that the aura from behind the rift was not from a demon.
Sanders remained silent, his gaze fixed tensely on the rift.
Samantha followed his gaze and, with growing uncertainty, noticed that as the grey undercurrent spread, all the plants around transformed from lush green to lifeless grey. Even the soil appeared parched.
“Is it absorbing life force?” Samantha asked.
“No,” replied Sanders.
It took Samantha a moment to understand Sanders’s implication. Her uncertainty was replaced with shock when she saw a pair of hands emerge from the rift, slowly prying it open, as if opening a door.
A hunched figure, comparable to a troll in size, wrapped in a ragged, grey robe, slowly crawled out.
The gloomy gray current seeping out of his robes seemed as if a ghostly river had been unveiled.
“Could this be…” Samantha’s pupils suddenly constricted, “The Harbinger of Doom!”
Truthfully, the Harbinger of Doom wasn’t any more powerful than a great demon, but it was a being that even the deepest layers of Abyssal entities would think twice before trifling with. Wherever it trod, an eternal residue of ill-fate would linger.
Being in close proximity to it would mean being ensnared in its Doom.
This Doom was akin to maggots gnawing at one’s very bones, capable of infiltrating the river of one’s destiny, bringing catastrophe to anyone barring doom witches who dared confront it.
However, the spells of doom witches belonged to the wizardry system of the Western Lands, virtually nonexistent in the Southern Region.
Thus, to engage it would be futile, merely inviting unnecessary strife.
On a positive note, the Harbinger of Doom was relatively passive. If you left it be, it would pay you no mind.
“What we should pray for now,” Samantha continued, “is that the Harbinger of Doom doesn’t head towards Watchtower Fortress, or else…”
The fortress would unquestionably be doomed.
After the Harbinger of Doom emerged, it took a sweeping glance around. No one dared to meet its gaze, for being noticed by it was an invitation to calamity.
Perhaps prayers did have their power; the Harbinger of Doom did not move toward the fortress but instead lumbered toward the north side of the Howling Plains, with a leisurely, deliberate pace.
“Judging by its direction, it appears to be heading towards Silent Shore,” Samantha hypothesized.
“Regardless of where it goes, at the very least, we have now obtained valuable information. The greater demon won’t likely pursue us… Moreover, that Descendent of the Demon God probably won’t choose to use this passage either.”
Chapter 995 Heart of the Swarm <TOC> Chapter 997 Frost Moon Confidential