Ascension of the Sylvan Cosmos

Chapter 96. Starting the search.

Ignatia was walking back from the nesting area after placing down her daily set of eggs. Thanks to her Level Up to 13, she was able to lay more of them daily. 'My little darlings are growing in numbers~. Also, thanks to Liu Shu, I can lay more eggs than usual.'

Her finger touched the glowing wooden necklace around her neck with a smile.

[Level 6 Vitality Ant Necklace (Basic-Grade Flawless Level)]

+36 Aether Mana

+126 Phoer

+36 Anima Energy

Aether (+6), Physique (+18), Anima (+6), Willpower (+6).

[Phoer Surge (Active)]: You can increase the Phoer efficiency used on skills for 10 minutes.

[Ant Vitality (Passive)]: If you are from the ant race, your Phoer regeneration is increased by 6.

Notes: A necklace created from rough materials which fulfills its purpose. It was created by World Tree Tianlian Liu Shu to help Ant Queen Ignatia with her daily egg-laying endeavor. While the overall quality is low, the effects are more than decent, showing thoughtfulness about the recipient in the creation.

Igantia's lips arched softly when she read the note. 'That little World Tree is really cute, isn't she? Hm~, should I find a good prey and hunt them to create yummy fertilizer as a reward?'

While Ignatia planned a mass murder to feed Liu Shu, Flor arrived. "Ignatia, I need you."

Ignatia's thoughts were blasted away like the wind as she looked at Flor intensely. Her lips arched, and even her insect-like compound eyes seemed to gleam with profound emotions. "Oh~? What do you need me for, dear Flor?"

Flor, completely unaware of the double meaning of her words, spoke seriously. "There has been a breach through our perimeter, and neither your ants nor my fairies informed me before the intruders were too deep. I think that something is wrong."

Ignatia showed an openly disappointed expression. "Oh, you need me for that."

Flor was dumbfounded. "What are you sulking for?"

Ignatia walked toward her, and, with incredible familiarity, she used her arms to bury Flor's body into her ample bosom. Having been accustomed, Flor didn't dodge and allowed herself to be hugged by the Ant Queen. Ignatia looked down with a satisfied smile. "Well, three months have gone by since then, right?"

Flor blinked. "Well, not quite. It has been eighty-one days since then."

Ignatia would've rolled her eyes if she could, but, having compound eyes, she just sent a complete deadpan that even Flor caught. The Rose Fairy Queen coughed, embarrassed. "Sorry. Continue."

Ignatia walked toward her chair, built from unknown materials by her children, and sat comfortably while caressing Flor's body. "Well, whatever. You are too cute for me to reprimand."

Flor muttered with reddish cheeks. "I-I am not cute."

Ignatia smirked and didn't answer, starting to explain her thoughts with a serious expression. "Listen, Flor. Since they didn't answer, I will tell you not to be optimistic."

Flor's face sank, and Ignatia commented while patting her back. "To be honest, I had a few scouts around the area that I didn't tell you about. Their stealth abilities are really strong, being at the E- Rank. So, unless a creature overwhelms them in either Level or Tier, they are really hard to detect."

Ignatia pointed at a corner of the ceiling and smiled. "Even you didn't notice her existence. Although that one is a bit stronger than the rest."

Flor blinked and followed Ignatia's finger. Squinting a bit, she could see a fist-sized and completely still ant that melded with the chamber's environment. The level of camouflage stunned Flor. "Wow, your child is almost invisible."