Chapter 170: Chapter 157

 

After a lengthy laying session, which was mostly induced by the craziness of that lunatic princess I was confronted with, followed by a necessary resting period, I have finally time to process what happened, once I’m fully awake again.

Sigh.
Who would have thought things would lead to this?
Usually, if you irritate someone, they would want to get rid of you and not opt for taking you in as their permanent housemate.
On a rather forced basis that is.

All in all, I'd say my position is almost as bad as it was before.
Well, at least Chera is no ruthless captor.
Just a child that never learned how to take losses.
But the way she's going about this situation, Chera won't be able to win.
She's just pushing more and more into this endeavor like a gambler who wants to get back what she lost.
For now, I should consult my trusted attendee.

 

<Kyska, what do you think about this?> (E)

<The situation is certainly peculiar.> (K)

 

You don't say.

 

<Yeah, I had gotten that far already. So I was hoping for some more specialized advice.> (E)

<My princess, you seem time and time again to forget that this isn't my role. Such input isn't part of my expertise. Princess Chera's plan might work, but only at the heavy cost of many, many drones.> (K)

<You seriously believe there's a chance she might succeed?> (E)

<If she can field enough drones to reclaim the mycelium, and if she can hold it for long enough, it would be possible to hatch a great new batch of drones. If this situation was sustained long enough for the larvae to mature, it's not impossible that she could establish a strong position if they prevail.> (K)

 

Those are quite a lot of "ifs".
Not to mention, the dynamic until now speaks against her doing better in the long run.
Those fights take their toll and who knows how many more of these... crusteans?
Who knows how many more of them are out there?
If there'd just be a way to handle them better, then Chera wouldn't have to rely on me to get a hold of this situation.
If only they were better prepared.

 

<I don't think this is going to work. There's too great a chance that the new brood will perish due to starvation before Chera can claim any noteworthy food income.> (E)

<Then what are you suggesting, my princess? Princess Chera didn't seem intent on listening to you.> (K)

<I, I think we need to help her. Not with me settling in as her co-princess, but so that she'll gain enough of a foothold to rebuild. If Chera's hive wouldn't be at the brink of ruin, she wouldn't be so desperate about bringing me in.> (E)

 

What am I even saying?
It sounds totally conceited of me to think that I could just come here and get Chera out of the situation she couldn't dig herself out of in decades.

Huh, digging.
If I think about it, that could at least be the starting point for finding a solution.
If I can give Chera any alternative to the probably most toxic roommate ever situation, then she might concur.
My idea is that rather than trying to fight the enemy on their territory, we should further fortify the hive.
If we prepare traps, walls, or even simple palisades, this could be better than entertaining these skirmishes.
The monsters are wild beasts, and the best response to savage strength is ingenuity.
The ability to turn an unfavorable match around before it even starts.
While we might lack the tools, crafting facilities, or materials for anything advanced, for now at least, it would be nice if this hive could expand a bit.

In my opinion, fortifying the tunnels we can hold would be preferable to all the other options.
It might be possible to dig a bit deeper and channel some water to create a functional mycelium.
This sounds much more manageable than Chera's plan of just deploying a huge batch of troops in the apparently widespread cave system that Chera wasn't able to defend before.
That, and it would help the nursery if the larvae could benefit from the higher temperature of the deeper layers.

However, I remember that Chera said something about how the ground in this area is too hard to dig deeper.
This might pose to be a problem.
But there might be a chance that we could arrange something to push through.
We already had the same problem while mining the ore.
All we needed were some tools.
Hah... It would be so convenient if the whole problem could be solved by delivering some mining equipment.

Though, first I should check the condition of the ground itself before I order anything.
The good news in that regard, is that I'm already rather close to the deepest point of the hive.
The bad news is, this is only so because Chera has her quarters here.
After our last "talk" I'm not too keen on seeing her anytime soon.
Nonetheless, if I want to remain active, I have to pursue my plans.

After a short meal, which unfortunately consisted mostly of this meat that I don't find very appealing for breakfast, I step out and head to the area around Chera's place, where presumably the deepest part of the hive lies.
However, once I get there, the drones become weirdly focused on my presence.
They won't really give me an answer when I ask, so all I can do is resume searching for the deepest point.

I send out my beetles to search for the tunnel where the deepest digging operations commenced.
There has to be such a place, as they must have dug to a certain depth before realizing that it's too hard to continue.

While they're at it, I continue searching by myself, yet without great success.
I'm sure each of my drones does a better job at this than myself.
But then something happens that makes me realize why the other drones acted so weirdly.

 

<Screoh, Scriak!/Ah, Erys! What are you doing here?> (C)

 

Her appearance is by no means by chance.
It's obvious that she's tracking my movements.
Is she afraid I might run away on my own?
I doubt I'd have much of a chance escaping from all of her drones.

 

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<I was only taking a stroll. It's fine if I familiarize myself with the area, right?> (E)

 

That sounds to me like a sound argument she shouldn't complain about.

 

<I suppose so. This will be your home as well, after all. But let me guide you. I don't wish for you to come again so close to the outer layer and its threats.> (C)

 

Looks like I was right.
Chera is trying to control me.
At least she’s trying to be subtle about it, which could be considered an improvement from before.
This might work in my favor to pursue my plans further.

 

<Ehk, scrii, screak!/Erm. Actually, I was searching for the deeper layers of the hive. It's still slightly chilly for my part.> (E)

 

At this, Chera emits something like a frown, before answering.

 

<Erys, I already told you, there are no deeper layers. Below us is a massive plate of impenetrable matter. It's impossible to dig any deeper than this. Believe me, I've tried.> (C)

<What makes it so hard to dig there?> (E)

<Sigh. Fine. I'll show you.> (C)

 

She turns to a smaller tunnel, leading out of the hall.
Apparently, she wants me to follow.
So I do.

 

Conveniently, it isn't very far, as the place she wants to show me is apparently right next to her quarters.

 

<This marks the deepest point of my hive. Please enter and you'll see that any expansion downwards is a futile effort.> (C)

 

What could be so terrible down there?

I move behind her down the tunnel.
It isn't a very long one, and soon I reach an expanse.

 

<You might have noticed the discoloration of the ground above. Well, from this point on it only gets worse. The ground becomes harder and harder, side elements are embedded in it. Sharp and solid, they shred the claws of any worker I sent to work in an attempt to expand the hive. Not just here, but everywhere below the hive and its surroundings, there is this giant black plate that prevents digging. All the sites showed the same result. It just doesn't work! Do you realize?!> (C)

 

I take account of my surroundings.
My dark vision and sparse light stones aiding my sight.
As she said, the walls and ground are almost pitch black; however, there are small sparkling points embedded everywhere in the surface.

The glint interests me, so I move closer to get a better look.
Once I realize what I'm looking at, my breath hitches momentarily.

Chera is right.
Mining here is going to be a challenge.
Because what I'm looking at is a gem.
All these sparkling spots are gems!
Not just any gems, but the hardest material known to mankind.

Chera is sitting on a fucking adamantium mine!!!

 

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