Hyun 1
“This, this inside…? Is it really certain?”
Shinto asks while caressing the red peak.
I nodded to his question.
“Yes, didn’t the previous god say that he saved both eggs and cocoons here?”
“yes?”
“I guess the previous god probably got the cocoon and eggs of the heavenly sleep that came out when the white ant’s nest collapsed for some reason.”
When a man named Seon-dae Shin-tu, who knew nothing about insects, thought about the possibility of obtaining both eggs and cocoons, which should exist separately, in one place, it was clearly probably a coincidence.
The one that fixes it will be in the deepest part of the termite hole.
The eggs will usually be located outside the nest, near the entrance to the burrow.
So if you think about the possible cases, there’s probably one.
Could it be that for some reason, the ant nest had collapsed on one side and the larvae were flowing out from inside, and that the adult ants of the ant nest had laid eggs near the cut surface of the collapsed nest?
In the previous life, the twin-tailed butterfly laid eggs at the entrance to the burrow of the Matsumura’s tail-clipper ant, so perhaps this coincidence was the only way for the two conditions to be met.
My guess is that a passing Shinto priest must have been lucky enough to find it.
Shintu nodded his head after hearing my explanation, as if it seemed plausible.
“Ahem···. Indeed.”
And then, suddenly, Hyang-i’s urgent cry is heard.
-Tsuru! Tsurut!
I clearly had it on my shoulder, but when I turned my head, I saw the scent screaming in front of the ant hole.
The guy was rolling around in front of the anthill, sweeping his head with his foot.
“Hyang-ah, why? Where are you hurt!?”
The scent said the guy was dangerous, but it was clear that he had already crawled down and was now facing off against ants again.
I was about to get a slap on the back for disobeying my father and approaching the ant again, but I quickly approached and examined the scent first.
I’m saying this because I was worried that he might have been bitten by a soldier ant and seriously injured.
“What is it? Where did it bite you? Stay still, Hyang-ah.”
“Did you get a cold? A dragon?”
Let’s calm him down with a worried voice, the scent appealing as if it were in a lot of pain.
-Tsurut. Tsurut···.
However, after calming down the scent and examining the body thoroughly, no particular wounds were noticed.
“You’re not hurt anywhere?”
-Choo-ur. Choo-ur···.
“Are you really hurt?”
There wasn’t any particular injury, but the scent kept bothering me.
I examined him again to see if I had found any injuries, and only then did I notice that his antennae were oddly shaped.
Fortunately, the antennae of the incense burner were not cut or bent or anything, but they were strangely shaped.
The reason it was named “fragrance” is because its antennae seem to constantly move and smell scents even on a normal day.
For some reason they were stuck together.
“What’s wrong with your antenna, Hyang-ah? Is this where Aya is?”
-Tsrrrr.
After calming down the scent again, you can feel a sticky liquid when you touch the scent’s antenna that is stuck to you for some reason.
‘Oh, this guy got hit with sticky water?’
The scent guy seemed to have gotten splattered with sticky liquid by termites.
Some soldier termites shoot sticky fluid or burst their bodies to release sticky fluid from inside their bodies when fighting enemies.
Also, worker ants are the ones who use it to dig up dirt and build their nests, and the scent seems to have stimulated the termites for no reason, and their antennae got stuck after getting hit by the sticky liquid.
I wiped the guy’s antennae off with my sleeve and only then did his teasing subside.
“Hyang-ah, I said you couldn’t do that earlier, right? It’s dangerous, so listen to me carefully, okay?”
-Tsuru···.
When I spoke in a stern voice, Hyang-i’s antennae drooped like a puppy with big ears, losing energy.
It was heartbreaking to see him get so hurt, but I was still worried that he would get hurt again, so I rebuked him sternly. Shintu shook his head and said.
“That guy is really out of his mind. How can I sell this anyway?”
As the commotion caused by the scent died down, Shintu began to worry about how to sell the Ant Tower.
And then there was the worry of Hwa-eun and Seol.
“But Yong-ah, can we sell this? It seems like we shouldn’t sell it. We’ll have to call the stonemasons to break it.”
“That’s right. A dragon. I don’t know how the white ants made this, but it’s as good as a rock. Can I sell it?”
Certainly, as Seol Nui and Hwa Eun said, that part was a bit worrisome.
In my previous life, the termites that built towers were notorious for being quite sturdy, but these guys are dozens or even hundreds of times bigger than those.
They are lower-class, no, you could say lowest-class spirits, so their house will be that much stronger.
The stickiness of the guys I touched a little while ago was not ordinary, and if they made a house by mixing dirt with it, its strength would also be quite high.
If Shintu or other Seol sisters or Hwaeun are completely mistaken for rocks, then it is not strange to think that they are almost certainly more than concrete.
However, Shinto is a warrior who belongs to the fifth rank among the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.
I heard that the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors had great martial arts skills, didn’t they?
Moreover, Shinto has a considerably strong physique, like a cattle thief.
I looked at Shinto expectantly and asked, wondering if I could just destroy this tower with a long sword or a long wind.
“What we’re looking for is probably the center of this pillar. It should be slightly below ground level. And the inside should be a bit softer than the outside, so if we can just destroy the outside, it should be easier to break the inside. Maybe using some kind of long-hand method?”
“I guess it can’t be done. Well then, should I try my best for once?”
“Oh, as expected!”
“Master’s work! This is my first time seeing it!”
“Is this a chance to see the work of an adult Shinto?”
——————
faqwiki.us
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
Shinto steps forward, arms outstretched in response to my question.
Although he was a little worried when his disciple Yeongnyeon heard that it was his first time seeing the method, Shintu began to raise his internal energy in front of the giant red ant tower with an indifferent expression.
-Puzzle.
The hem of the Shinto robe begins to flutter as the energy is drawn up, as if using great energy.
Immediately afterwards, Shinto’s hand shot into the pillar at an invisible speed.
-bang!
A shocking sound is heard.
The sound was lighter than I thought, but it was still a new skill called Tuje.
I waited with sweaty palms for the ant tower to collapse, but the red pillar did not even reach gold.
At first, I thought it was something like a permeable disease that looked fine on the outside but was actually sick on the inside.
So I was looking forward to the next scene, but even after some time had passed, the ant tower didn’t move at all.
‘What is it?’
As Na-na, Hwa-eun, and Seol-nu looked at Shin-tu in absurd shock, Shin-tu cleared his throat for no reason and spoke.
“Hey, you punk, I excel in lightness, magic, and acupuncture. My long-distance techniques are a bit… Ahem! That, that’s pretty strong.”
‘Then why are you putting on all these poses?’
Shinto was a truly absurd old man.
***
“Once I find it, I’ll find a way. Either ask for help from someone who excels in the art of divination, or like you said, get a stonemason.”
Hwa-eun, Seol-nu, and even Shin-tu’s disciples.
A white ant tower that wouldn’t budge even when knocked on with a hammer as you turned around.
The conclusion was that there was no choice but to find another way to open it.
Because the wall was so strong, something else was needed.
As Sister Seol said earlier, you can either find several stonemasons and bring them to me, or ask a skilled craftsman to do it for you.
I thought about bringing out the Tang family’s warriors, but because of the Odokmun and the Blood Cult, it seemed difficult, so I decided to find a way.
“Okay, then let’s come back again when you’re ready, Mr. Shinto.”
“Yeah, by the way, I guess I’ll have to sleep out here today.”
As I looked towards the ridge of the basin at Shinto’s words, the sun was already setting.
The sun hanging over the ridge was casting a red glow.
“I guess so.”
“They won’t attack at night or anything, right?”
The question was, what if termites attack at night? But there was no need to worry.
Termites are ants that never come out of their homes unless absolutely necessary.
And even if they do come out, the place they’ll come out of will be the end of the basin.
These basins must have been created because they pulled out trees and grass from the surrounding area that they use as food, so they won’t come out to this side where there isn’t even a single blade of grass.
“Yes, I don’t think you need to worry. White ants never come out of their homes. Even if they do, it will be towards that ridge.”
“Okay, then, I’ll go hunting. I’ll catch a wild boar and bring it back, okay?”
A new idea that nods its head to my explanation and even catches a wild boar.
I tilted my head at his words and asked.
“There’s so much to eat here, why bother hunting? Maybe you could just pick up some sticks from up there?”
“Huh? You have something to eat? Where on earth are you talking about? Is there still food left from the party?”
Shinto answered the question with a smile.
“White ants are really tasty.”
“Huh!? You’re saying you’re eating Baekui?”
“Are you going to eat that!?”
Shintu and his disciple Yeongnyeon looked shocked, but Hwaeun, who had already eaten the yellow-fried gosoaei, and Seol Nui, who was from Yunnan, said it was no big deal.
“I guess that’s edible too?”
“Well, in Yunnan, they eat bamboo insects, grasshoppers, and cicadas.”
“Should I sue that too?”
Even an expression of slight anticipation.
‘I haven’t tried it either, but I really wanted to try it sometime.’
Honestly, I wanted to try the queen ant because they say it’s the most delicious, but they’re currently not selling their burrows.
In Uganda, they say they catch termites and eat them fried, stir-fried, or baked.
I thought I should take this opportunity to increase my Spicy Fabre experience.
***
Although they looked reluctant, Shintu and his disciple Yeongnyeon picked up the branches.
And instead of incense, the candles and the magic potion attracted the termites.
Since the grasshoppers and termites were large, soldier ants were not that dangerous, and when the grasshoppers and termites hit the termites with their front legs, they would impale each ant on their legs, turning them into ant skewers.
Of course, it wasn’t dangerous, but I didn’t catch any soldier ants.
This is because their surface shells are more developed than expected and are very hard, making them unsuitable for eating.
-Sizzle.
The termites that were caught were hung on a tree and gently roasted over charcoal.
The savory aroma of the juices that fall from roasting termites and drip onto the campfire.
“Oh, it smells delicious.”
“Well, that’s true.”
When I skewered and grilled termites, the legs and antennae burned and they looked like rice cake skewers, but the aroma was amazing.
“Please, sir.”
First of all, when I handed Shintu a skewer that was nicely grilled, he flinched.
Shinto said with an awkward smile.
“Yes, you eat first. I’ll eat slowly. Since you’re young, you must have had the hardest time.”
“But is that even possible? There are rules of etiquette in the martial arts world?”
“Oh, okay, it’s okay.”
He once again extended the skewer towards Shinto, but Shinto flinched and waved his hand away.
Since I felt I should demonstrate, I decided to try a large, fragrant termite skewer first.
“Then, I will eat it with gratitude.”
-Ugh.
When you bite into a skewered termite, the rich meat juice bursts in your mouth.
They said this was a delicacy and it tasted really good.
So he ate one termite and smiled at the people and said:
“This is really delicious. Everyone, eat quickly…”
And at that moment, I suddenly felt like I was losing my mind, and the surprised voices of Hwa-eun and Seol began to echo in my ears.
“Cow, cow dragon···. cow dragon······.”
“Dragon!? Are you crazy······.”
‘Poison… It definitely wasn’t there, but what is it?’
It was strange because I checked for poison before catching and grilling it, but there wasn’t any.
Also, somehow, I feel like this right now is something I’ve experienced before.
I started to lose consciousness and everything before my eyes became pitch black.
