Broodmother Queen Ant

"Ahem, Lupa, can you dig a small hole next to that tree for me?" Vincent asked as he pointed at an old tree with a wide trunk. It had several small roots poking from the ground.

The tree was different than the others and quite noticeable as well. It would be easy for Kazumi to locate this tree if they decided to search for the buried egg one day.

The second Lupa heard this. She dashed towards the tree and energetically started swinging her claws on the soil. A cloud of dirt hid Lupa a few moments later.

"I'm ready." Lupa exited the cloud of dirt. She shook her body, and most of the dirt on her body and clothes flew away. She was like a dog trying to remove water from their bodies.

"Lupa, come here. Tula, can you help me clean Lupa?" Ester had a frown on her face while she said this. The pair of crimson eyes caught the swaying and jiggling chest of the wolf girl. The chest inferiority complex was a hard one to conquer.

Vincent let out a secretive chuckle and went to bury the Royal Guard Ant egg below the old tree. Then he grabbed a rock and hit the tree trunk seven times after he finished. The seven dents meant this summoned number.

[Why didn't you ask Lupa to make a claw mark?]

-It would be better to make a mark similar to a secretive code or look like a natural damaged old tree than a claw mark. A person might report that there might be a beast near the city walls.-

[Not bad. We will then see what we can do with this egg if it's still unhatched.]

Vincent nodded and turned back, facing the three girls. Two were still patting Lupa to remove the dirt while the recipient was happily wagging her tail. It seemed Lupa like this a lot.

In the meantime, Vincent checked the cart. There wasn't much in it. Just a few things remained, such as bedsheets, rags, and large cloths.

Vincent placed them on the ground and stored the cart. He wanted Ester to keep some cloth-based items in her storage bag.

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[1x Wood wheel cart (Damaged) (Common Quality) gained.]

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"Ester, can you be in charge of these?" Vincent asked.

Ester nodded and did as Vincent asked. Lupa felt a bit jealous that she couldn't hold things for her mate. However, Lupa felt proud of the hole she dug under the tree. Lupa thought her assignment was better than keeping items.

Tula looked perplexed at the slightly grinning Lupa. 'Why do my Big Sisters act weird sometimes?' The young-minded Tula pondered.

[Should we plan on what to say? We might get interrogated if we show Koss's vice captain identification and Feng Mengli's disciple identification.]

Vincent agreed with Kazumi's speculation. He clapped his hands for attention and said, "Girls, listen up. We need to share the same story as we did before and told Tula's father."

Vincent turned his gaze at Tula and continued, "Tula, you know I want to hide my powers and the guardian angel inside me, so let's all say this story if we are questioned."

Tula nodded. Then Ester, Lupa, and Tula heard the story to say if questioned. Kazumi helped in the modification of the story to suit the needs.

In summary, most of the story painted Koss as a powerful hero fighting against swarms of ants and the Royal Guard Ant. The story continued how Vincent managed to survive with a stroke of luck after Feng Mengli appeared and saved the four remaining survivors.

Vincent wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page. One false move and his adventure would be a life in prison or one with a quick end.

Vincent, Ester, Lupa, and Tula continued walking toward the city. As per Lupa's scouting, only a few hours of walking were needed.

Two hours later, they walked past the last tree of the cluster of trees, representing the end of the dangerous Aero Forest. It was finally over. Vincent, Ester, Lupa, and Kazumi could finally take a breather from the dangers of the world.

Their feet soon stepped on a long dirt road. It was mainly leveled and flat, allowing the carriages to pass without much effort. A tear almost formed on Vincent's face as the dirt road symbolized civilization.

As they lifted their gaze towards the sky, an enormous stone wall welcomed their sight. The dirt road led to a stone gate with a thick iron door.

Two scout towers were on each side of the gate. Each tower had several small windows for ranged defense, a flag representing the Lusterfall Kingdom on top, and possibly a ballista after noticing a large arrowhead poking from the edge of each tower.

The thick iron gate was closed, preventing any dangerous people or monsters from entering, invading, or attacking. Lusterfall City extruded the impression of being impenetrable and safe.

"Let's go. " Vincent said with an excited smile on his face. A pleasant and relaxed life was waiting for him. A life he never thought he would have was waiting for him.

The two women that accepted to become his wives, legal or not, stood beside him. Ester checked that her hands were wrapped with a piece of cloth to hide the Retainer mark. Lupa closed her mouth to breathe from her nose for the mark on her tongue to stay hidden.

Tula followed behind Ester like a little girl walking behind her mother. It was her first time entering the city without her parents. She was anxious and afraid because Vincent mentioned the possibility of getting interrogated.

*Five days before - Unknown location in Aero Forest*

In a particular part of the Aero Forest, the sound of loud explosions and trees shattering under the might of a powerful person reverberated miles away.

Two young men couldn't believe what their eyes witnessed in the past few days. Blood, gore, and destruction were left in Feng Mengli's wake. Any place an ant stood was decimated under his unchallenged might.

The two disciples never thought their patriarch would get this angry and bring his fury upon the world.

"You are the last of the ants, I hope." Feng Mengli sneered.

A massive twenty-foot-tall Broodmother Queen Ant stood not far from Feng Mengli. It was seething with intense anger, but no matter how strong its bloodlust was, the old human without a speck of blood on his clothes remained unaffected. It was similar to a puppy angry for not receiving a treat.

Ten Royal Guard Ants stood in front of their queen and menacingly glared at Feng Mengli. The ten ants were different than the other previous ants.

A yellow hue-colored carapace could be noticed on multiple body parts. The different colored parts were unusual. Some were bigger; some looked stronger; some had a reflecting gleam as if metallic, and others had spikes protruding from them.

"No wonder I felt a sinister Qi the more I approached this place. I was right. The sinister Demonic Darklit sect must have colluded with the group Hawkeyes warned me about. The Seers Of Rebirth." Feng Mengli assertively looked at his surroundings to try and find a clue before he destroyed this place.

*SKROAR!*

Multiple strange Royal Guard Ants rushed towards Feng Mengli. A mysterious yellow gleam appeared in their eyes. Their power suddenly increased, and their speed accelerated. However, a bright yellow substance colored differently from acid leaked from their mouths.

The two young disciples retreated a few steps. They were following their patriarch to learn about the applications of the skills they learned in the sect instead of getting involved in fights.

The two young disciples won the traveling honor from a small combat tournament. It was created to pick strong young disciples for such honor and profound personal learning experience.

"Heavenly God Mantis Art. Twin Scythes." Feng Mengli swung both arms. Two transparent crescent wind blades cut two Royal Guard Ants instantly.

Five Royal Guard Ants rushed over the two corpses and prepared to lunge at Feng Mengli. Their wings fluttered, ready for a massive speed boost, and their four sharp appendages prepared to kill the old man.

"Heavenly God Mantis Art. Wind Spike." Feng Mengli flicked his fingers five times in rapid succession. An arrow or spike-like transparent wind projectile accurately shot and destroyed most of each five ant's heads.

The power and destruction Feng Mengli exhibited left the two young disciples staring without the opportunity to blink. A single bat of an eye could make them miss what was happening.

Five Royal Guard Ants slammed lifelessly on the ground one after another. Now, only three ants remained.

The three remaining ant's moving speed suddenly increased, yellow liquid leaked from their mouths, and what seemed to be steam exited from their mouths. However, their bodies weren't bloated. There weren't any signs of acid leaking on their body as their carapace wasn't melting.

The Royal Guard Ants probably didn't want any acid to reach their queen. What was giving them a boost in strength was unknown.

"I thought these pesky bugs were different, but now it confirms where Hawkeye's idea of a collaboration originated from. Is an alliance next after this last favor?" Feng Mengli thought out loud as he raised his arms and swung them similar to a swimmer's breaststroke.

"Heavenly God Mantis Art. Protective Wing." Feng Mengli uttered before a protective wind dome more potent than the one he created to protect Vincent and the girls, surrounded the three humans.

The turbulent winds ripped the three Royal Guard Ants into pieces as if they slammed themselves into a spinning shredder. The ten threatening monstrous ants perished in less than a minute.

Feng Mengli's power was unchallenged when killing the ten monstrous ants with ease. The two disciples understood how achieving second and third place in the tournament was the best thing that ever happened to them.

Witnessing the cultivation arts application in a dangerous situation by the patriarch of the Heavenly God Mantis sect was enlightening.

The person that won the tournament wasn't with them. Feng Mengli's son was the winner, but he wanted to stay on the Northern Continent and train. Like his father, he is a prodigy and is mastering both his father's and mother's sect arts.

The Broodmother Queen Ant became enraged. It lifted its body from the ground and sharpened its four monstrous large appendages.

The two young disciples flinched, and Feng Mengli frowned for the first time. A strange strong malicious aura surrounded the Broodmother Queen Ant.

"This Qi feels familiar. But where did I feel the similar Qi?" Feng Mengli felt he had to finish the Broodmother Queen Ant as quickly as possible. He couldn't treat the queen ant as a simple bug similar to the others. The aura felt sinister and threatening.