Chapter 32: The Visitor
Beside the base camp's insect nest, fifteen thousand Demon Beasts stood ready. This was already a formidable force; an ordinary third-stage nest could hold out for at most a few minutes, provided those Insect Race Queens didn't mass-produce troops.
The Jila Insect Nest had reached a bottleneck at this stage of development. To continue growing, it would have to venture deeper into the base camp forest.
Su Xiao had only explored about a third of this forest. The area closer to the inner side remained largely unexplored. There, a river at least a hundred meters wide cut the entire forest in two.
The swamp to the south had been fully explored. Crossing the swamp led to a poisonous fog zone. Even with the Demon Beasts' tolerance, they would be corroded by the toxic mist within minutes.
That area wasn't impossible to explore, but it was unnecessary. According to Bubu Wang's observations, a giant red frog lurked deep within the poisonous fog. With that toxic frog present, no other insect nests could exist nearby.
To the north lay the grassland where the Sacrificial Bull God resided. That area was off the table for now. To the east was the territory of the Sun Tribe. Given the current scale of the Jila Insect Nest, it clearly couldn't contend with the Sun Tribe.
In other words, to continue developing, they would have to cross the river deeper into the base camp forest.
Just as Su Xiao was planning the route, the Demon Beasts stationed two kilometers away sent an alert signal. With the insect nest as the center, a ten-kilometer radius was all Jila's Insect Race territory.
The signal from the Demon Beasts was strange. It indicated an Insect Race attack, but only a single creature.
Surrounded by a large group of Demon Beasts, that foreign Insect Race creature arrived near the Mother Nest. It was a combat-type Insect Race being. Its appearance resembled a giant butterfly, but its body was covered in carapace, and its wings had a metallic texture. When it spread its wings, this combat Insect Race creature was at least seven meters wide.
Such a behemoth was conspicuous among the Demon Beast horde. Its light red compound eyes scanned the surroundings, as if searching for something.
"Hiss~"
The giant butterfly Insect Race creature let out a screech. The homebody Jila, rarely seen outside, actively emerged from the insect nest and came to Su Xiao's side.
"This is a fourth-stage Insect Race creature, E-Gui. It represents an Insect Race Mother Queen."
Jila extended her hand forward. The E-Gui butterfly immediately shifted its gaze to her.
"Hiss~"
A pustule bulged on the E-Gui butterfly's back. The pustule burst with a *puchi* sound, splattering green fluid everywhere. A bare-backed woman appeared on the E-Gui butterfly's back. Her cheeks had patches of carapace. Instead of hair, she had blade-like sharp armor.
"Submit to me, my subordinate individual."
The woman on the E-Gui butterfly's back spoke. She was a fourth-stage Insect Race Mother Queen. Of course, the one appearing now was not her main body.
Su Xiao looked at Jila. Jila nodded. It wasn't that she intended to submit to this fourth-stage Mother Queen, but rather that she was indeed the other's subordinate individual.
To put it plainly, this fourth-stage Mother Queen had cultivated the Insect Race Queen that once gave rise to Jila's predecessor. That Insect Race Queen then cultivated Jila.
Although there was a direct genetic relationship, there was no inherent control between Insect Race mothers, unless it was a fifth-stage mother. Even if the Insect Race Queen that cultivated Jila appeared, she couldn't influence Jila in the slightest.
"I refuse."
Jila's mental fluctuation spread. The Demon Beasts around the E-Gui butterfly surged forward, ready to tear this fourth-stage combat Insect Race creature apart.
"What a pity. You choose to refuse."
The Insect Race Mother Queen didn't seem angry. Among the Insect Race, powerful mothers were often willing to accept mothers from other nests, provided the other party was willing to offer resources, i.e., Life Stones.
"Your methods are wrong. Mag will soon attack you."
The Insect Race Mother Queen seemed unaccustomed to communicating with other intelligent beings. Her tone was very stiff, but after a brief exchange, it became more natural.
"Mag?"
Jila looked at the Insect Race Mother Queen with confusion. She was communicating according to Su Xiao's instructions; otherwise, this homebody wouldn't speak so fluently.
"Over there."
The Insect Race Mother Queen pointed north. Who Mag was became obvious. There was a fourth-stage insect nest near the grassland. Mag was likely the Mother Queen of that nest. Bubu Wang had even stolen eleven Life Stones from there.
"Mag is an anomaly. Her evolution method is the same as yours: hunting other insect nests to strengthen herself. The insect nests you've been hunting are her prey."
The Insect Race Mother Queen's gaze shifted to Su Xiao, a hint of confusion in her eyes.
"In that case, why hasn't she stopped us from hunting?"
Jila spoke according to Su Xiao's instructions. Su Xiao still couldn't figure out the purpose of this Insect Race Mother Queen's visit.
"She is waiting. Waiting for other mother nests to grow. Every three hundred star moons (days), she hunts once. After hunting, she continues waiting. This has repeated for twenty-five cycles. When she discovers you, she won't be very friendly."
The Insect Race Mother Queen pressed her hand onto the E-Gui butterfly's back. Her lower half detached from the E-Gui butterfly's body. Red carapace rapidly grew over her form.
"I am Da Cuo... Hong E, the oldest Insect Race on this continent."
When the Insect Race Mother Queen spoke her name, Su Xiao could barely understand the first part. He only caught the last two characters: Hong E.
From Hong E's fragmented words, it was clear she came here with neither malice nor much goodwill. First, she asked if Jila was willing to follow her. After Jila refused, she tried to intimidate them with the nearby fourth-stage Insect Race Mother Queen, Mag.
"Hong E, your tribe is very far from here, isn't it?"
Su Xiao spoke. Although communicating through Jila was a decent approach, this homebody Insect Race Queen lacked presence.
"Human..." Hong E glanced at Jila, then looked at Su Xiao: "How peculiar."
Hong E didn't directly answer Su Xiao's question, but it was essentially an admission.
"If I'm not mistaken, your tribe is over there."
Su Xiao pointed northwest. Based on his deductions, Hong E's insect nest should be in that direction.
If the Sun Tribe, Mag's Insect Nest, and Hong E's Insect Nest were arranged in a line, then Mag's Insect Nest would be in the middle, blocking the path between the Sun Tribe and Hong E's Insect Nest.
Mag's Insect Nest and Hong E's Insect Nest were likely hostile under normal circumstances. Although they were very far apart, once the Sun Tribe attacked Mag's Insect Nest, Hong E would definitely send reinforcements. The Insect Race Mother Queens understood the principle of "when the lips are gone, the teeth are cold."
As for the other fourth-stage insect nest, it should be very far from both, on the other side of the continent.
If the base camp forest was taken as the radiation center, the surrounding major powers included: Mag's Insect Nest, Hong E's Insect Nest, the Sun Tribe (Fire), the Hasaro Tribe (Predator), and the Ya Wa Tribe (Poison).
As for the remaining two totem tribes and one fourth-stage mother nest, they were all on the other side of the continent. Just traveling there would take over ten days, even with an Insect Race army marching without rest.
Su Xiao had basically figured out the distribution of surrounding forces. In other words, the only ones that could threaten him were the two major Insect Races and the three major tribes. The other three major powers were too far away, making conflict very unlikely.
"I come with goodwill, hoping to reach an exchange with you."
Hong E finally stated her purpose. As for what she had her eye on, there was no need to think twice. Aside from the Demon Beasts' "remnant individuals," the Jila Insect Nest had nothing else this Insect Race Mother Queen would value.
As for whether to trade, of course they would. Because Hong E couldn't possibly cultivate a complete Demon Beast from its "remnant individual" alone.
To cultivate a Demon Beast, one first needed its "remnant individual," followed by extremely high-purity Demon Force. If the Insect Race mother didn't fuse with Demon Force, even if she cultivated a Demon Beast, it would be a defective product, ranking in the middle tier among third-stage Insect Race combatants. Su Xiao had already verified this through the Wuguang Insect Nest experiment.