"Is it really here...?"
The voice of Shintu, softly questioning as he stroked the red pinnacle.
He nodded in response to his question.
"Yes, didn’t the previous Shintu mention that both the eggs and cocoons were found here?"
"Is that so?"
"From what I gather, it seems that the previous Shintu must have, for some reason, obtained both the cocoon and the eggs that flowed out when the white ants' house collapsed."
It seemed quite a stretch to believe that a Shintu with no prior knowledge of insects would find both the eggs and cocoons in the same place.
The cocoons would typically be located deep within the white ant mound.
The eggs, on the other hand, would usually be near the entrance or just outside.
So, the only possible scenario was something like this: For some unknown reason, part of the ant colony collapsed, causing the cocoon to spill out, and the adult insect might have laid the eggs near the break.
In a previous life, the two-tailed butterfly would lay eggs at the entrance of the Matsumura tail feather ants' mound, so it seemed likely that the two conditions could only be met under such a rare coincidence.
My deduction was that the previous Shintu, by chance, found this when passing by.
Shintu nodded, seemingly agreeing with my reasoning.
"Well... That makes sense."
And just then, a frantic cry from Hyang broke the silence.
The little creature was rolling around in front of the mound, brushing his head with his foot.
"Hyang, what happened? Did you get hurt?"
I had warned him earlier, but it was clear he had gone down to face the ants again.
He had earned a smack on the back for ignoring me, but for now, I quickly moved to check on him.
"Where did you get hurt? Stay still, Hyang."
"Did Hyang get bitten? So-ryong?"
Hyang appealed for attention, clearly in pain.
"No injuries here?"
Hyang was still groaning despite no visible injuries, so I carefully checked again, and finally noticed that his antennae were oddly stuck together.
Thankfully, they weren’t cut or bent, but his antennae were oddly sticking to each other.
His antennae, which never stopped moving and constantly seemed to be sniffing around, had earned him the name "Hyang," were now tangled together.
"Hyang, what happened to your antennae? Does this hurt?"
‘Ah, he’s been hit by the sticky substance.’
It seemed like Hyang had gotten into a tussle with the white ants and been hit by their sticky liquid.
Some soldier ants spray this sticky substance, or explode their bodies to release it when fighting enemies.
Worker ants use it to mix soil and build their homes. It seemed Hyang had provoked the white ants and been covered in the sticky fluid, causing his antennae to stick together.
I wiped his antennae with my sleeve, and the whining gradually stopped.
"Hyang, I told you not to do that earlier, right? It’s dangerous, so listen to Dad, okay?"
I felt bad for him, but it was important to make sure he didn’t get hurt again, so I scolded him. Shintu shook his head with a sigh.
"That little one is such a handful. Anyway, how are we going to sell this?"
As the commotion caused by Hyang subsided, Shintu started pondering how to sell the mound.
Then, Hu-aeun and Seol added their concerns.
"But, So-ryong, do you think we can sell this? It seems like we’ll need stonemasons to break it rather than sell it."
"That’s right. So-ryong, I don’t know how the white ants made this, but it’s almost like stone. Can we really sell this?"
Indeed, what they said made sense.
In my previous life, I had heard that the mounds built by the white ants were renowned for being sturdy, but these creatures were far larger, possibly dozens or even a hundred times bigger.
They could be considered low-level, if not the lowest-level, spirit beasts, so their homes would naturally be stronger.
The sticky liquid I had touched earlier wasn’t normal either. If they used it to mix the soil to build their home, the strength of the structure would surely be quite high.
If Shintu or the others mistakenly thought it was rock, it was no surprise—it could even be harder than concrete.
But Shintu was one of the five warriors of the Three Huang Five, part of the elite group.
I had heard that the Three Huang Five possessed some of the highest martial arts abilities.
Besides, Shintu was in great physical shape, like a strong ox.
I looked at Shintu, hoping that maybe, just maybe, his martial arts could break the mound.
"We’re probably looking for the center of this column. It’s likely just below ground level. The outer part will be harder, but the inside should be softer. If we break the outer shell, it should be easier to destroy the inside. Do you think martial arts could work?"
"Shouldn’t be a problem. Alright then, let’s try using some power!"
"Oh, really!"
"This is the first time I’ve seen Master’s stance!"
"To think we’d get a chance to witness Shintu’s stance!"
I asked the question as Shintu rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward.
His disciple, Yeong-ryeon, seemed a bit concerned, but Shintu didn’t seem bothered as he gathered his internal energy and began raising it.
His hands moved so fast they were barely visible as they struck the column.
It was lighter than expected, but still a direct strike from Shintu’s stance.
I clenched my hands and waited for the mound to crumble, but the column didn’t budge.
At first, I thought it was like the "penetrating power" that left the outer layer intact but ruined the inside.
But as time passed, the mound remained as solid as ever.
‘What’s going on?’
I stared in disbelief as Shintu, Hu-aeun, and Seol looked on, confused. Shintu cleared his throat awkwardly and said,
"Well, this... I’m great at Qi Gong and Shenfa, but my stances are a bit... Ahem! It’s... pretty solid."
‘So why all the theatrics then?’
Shintu was truly an absurd old man.
"Well, since we've found it, I'll find a way. We can either ask someone skilled in martial arts for help or, as you said earlier, find a stonemason to break it."
Hwa-eun, Seol, and even Shintu's disciple.
We took turns trying to break the mound of white ants using martial arts, but it wouldn’t budge.
In the end, it seemed like we would have to find another method to open it.
The wall was so hard that we clearly needed a different approach.
As Seol had mentioned earlier, we could either bring in multiple stonemasons or ask a martial arts master who excels in stances for assistance.
I briefly considered bringing some of the clan warriors, but due to the O-dok-mun and Blood Cult, that seemed unfeasible, so Shintu decided he would find a solution.
"Understood. Then, when you're ready, Shintu, we’ll come by again."
"Right. By the way, it looks like we’ll have to camp here tonight."
At Shintu's words, I turned toward the ridge. The sun was already setting.
The sun, hanging at the edge of the ridge, cast a red glow across the horizon.
"Looks like it."
"Do you think they’ll attack us tonight?"
The question seemed to stem from concern about whether the white ants might launch an attack at night, but there was no need to worry.
White ants rarely leave their nests unless absolutely necessary.
And even if they did venture out, it would be toward the edge of the ridge.
They mostly collect wood and plants around the area to build their homes, and the mound we were at had no such resources. The white ants wouldn't come out here.
"No, there's no need to worry. The white ants never leave their nests unless necessary. If they do, it will likely be at the ridge."
"Well, then I’ll go hunting. I should be able to catch a wild boar or something, right?"
Shintu nodded to my explanation and said he would go hunt a wild boar.
I tilted my head and asked, "Is there really a need to hunt? We have plenty of food already, unless you want to gather some branches from up top?"
"Hmm? There’s food? Where exactly is this food? Do you still have food left from the Tang Clan?"
Shintu asked, and I smiled as I answered.
"White ants are quite delicious."
"What!? You’re eating... white ants?"
"You’re actually eating those!?"
Shintu and his disciple Yeong-ryeon looked startled, but Hwa-eun, who had eaten roasted grasshoppers before, and Seol, from the Yunnan region, didn’t find it strange at all.
"I suppose they can be eaten?"
"Well, in Yunnan, they eat bamboo worms, locusts, and even cicadas, so this isn't so unusual."
"Do they taste good?"
They even looked slightly excited.
‘Honestly, I haven’t tried it yet, but I’ve always wanted to.’
I had heard that the queen ant was the best part, and I ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ had been curious to try it, but I couldn’t sell the mounds right now.
In Uganda, people catch white ants and fry them, roast them, or even cook them.
I thought this would be a good opportunity to gain some experience with Spicy Fabre’s "food" skills.
***
Although reluctant, Shintu and his disciple Yeong-ryeon went to gather some branches.
Meanwhile, Hyang and Yo-hwa caught the white ants for us.
Since Hyang and Yo-hwa were larger, they weren't threatened by the soldier ants, and every time Hyang or Yo-hwa tapped a white ant with their forelimbs, they pierced it and strung it onto their legs like a skewer.
Of course, they didn’t catch soldier ants, since their exoskeletons were too hard and not suitable for eating.
As the juices from the roasted white ants dripped onto the fire, a fragrant aroma filled the air.
"Ah, this smells delicious."
"Yeah, it really does."
As the white ants roasted on the skewer, their legs and antennae burned, and they took on a shape somewhat like a rice cake, but the aroma was amazing.
"Here, Elder, please have some."
I handed the well-roasted skewer to Shintu first, but he flinched.
Shintu smiled awkwardly and said, "No, no, you go ahead. You’ve worked the hardest, so you should eat first."
"Is that really okay? There’s martial etiquette in the martial world, you know?"
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"Ah, well, that’s fine."
I offered the skewer to Shintu again, but he waved his hand, rejecting it.
Thinking I should show him how it’s done, I decided to eat one of the large, delicious-smelling white ants first.
"Well then, I’ll eat it gratefully."
It really was delicious, just as I had heard.
After finishing the white ant, I smiled and said to the others, "This is really good. Everyone, hurry up and eat..."
But just then, I suddenly felt my mind grow fuzzy, and the startled voices of Hwa-eun and Seol echoed in my ears.
"So-ryong... So-ryong..."
"Ryo!? What’s happening..."
‘Poison... There was no poison, but what is this?’
I had checked for poison before cooking it, and there shouldn’t have been any, so this was strange.
It also felt vaguely familiar, like something I had experienced before.
As my mind blurred and my vision darkened, everything around me faded into black.