Laws of the Insect Hive - Chapter 44

Chapter 44: Gnolls

System’s [Limb Regenaration], which he could share with Shava, was fundamentally different from [Mind Transmission], as Quin had endowed it to him.

To be more precise, [Limb Regeneration] was an ability unrelated to the mind, and thus, [Mind Transmission] could not be used to transfer it.

As such, System would not transfer [Limb Regeneration] to Shava, but instead, he would use [Mind Transmission] as a means to activate it. Logically, since Shava possessed the talent [Insect Adaptability], System would be able to awaken the dormant [Limb Regeneration] in Shava’s bloodline.

Therefore, after Shava awoke her [Limb Regeneration] ability, System’s [Limb Regeneration] would not disappear due to that.

…

After trying out on how to use his tentacles on Shava, this experiment undoubtedly provided a new direction for System’s future.

First, he would use [Mind Transmission] and [Ability Enhancement] to activate Shava’s [Limb Regeneration]. After experiencing and succeeding in his endeavor, System would then use that special power on himself to activate his [Insect Adaptability]’s unique abilities. Insects that had all kinds of strange forms and habits possessed numerous unique abilities.

In System’s mind, it was worth giving it a try. He pondered for a while and then wrapped his tentacles around Shava, who had fainted, bringing her back to one of the temporary nest’s empty rooms.

System set down Shava and left the room to check on the ant larvae within the temporary nest.

Soon, he discovered that the first batch of ants, which had turned into pupae, would exit their cocoons as adult ants in a couple of days.

Presently, the male and female larvae that System had been paying special attention to were thriving.

When the ant larvae and pupae saw System moving closer to them, they also expressed their affection for him. Fortunately, they had not drifted apart from him despite not coming in contact for two days.

After System calmed down all of the ant larvae and pupae, he arrived at a special empty room. In the corner of the empty room were two golden disc-like items—the Grasshopper Queen’s eyes.

System could not bring himself to eat Quin’s corpse. In the end, he had chosen to take out her eyes.

System used his tentacles to gently grasp the two eyes and went out of the nest once again. He spread his wings and flew into the sky at breakneck speed.

System’s current speed was much faster than Quin’s at that level, and his wings were more powerful too.

As he flew higher and higher, System could feel that the wind blowing in the air was becoming stronger and stronger. There was even a trace of coldness in the strong wind, which caused System’s body to stiffen slightly.

A grasshopper’s body was extremely light, so it was challenging for System to maintain his balance under the gale of wind.

In the beginning, System wanted to fly against the wind, but after flying for a while in the sky, he suddenly felt something strange from his body.

Flying was not relying on just brute strength.

System slightly changed the angle and degree he flapped his wings, and as the powerful gale blew past again, System flew with the wind.

The speed of his grasshopper’s body increased suddenly by almost two times. He flew upwards with an even faster speed while borrowing the strength of the strong wind.

As he went higher, the air in the sky became much thinner, and the temperature dropped, becoming much colder. However, in the end, System still managed to fly within the clouds of the sky.

“I already said that clouds are just a form of water. See, it’s similar to mist…” murmured System, using [Mind Transmission] to himself while in the clouds.

Meanwhile, when System looked down from the bottom of the layer of clouds, he could not help but be a little stunned.

Flying was humanity’s dream since time immemorial. Undoubtedly, being able to observe the world in the clouds was a wonderful feeling.

Under the misty clouds, System saw the seemingly endless glacier mountains a few thousand kilometers away, a boundless green forest, and the vast grassland on the other side of the forest’s peripheral.

Near the lake, System could even see numerous brownish-orange butterflies, flying past from near the lake.

After System’s third molting and the new ability [System’s Eye], System’s vision had become very powerful. He could even see the hole of his temporary nest in the forest’s gaps from the clouds. However, it would be difficult to see the patrolling ants near the hole clearly.

System surveyed the forest, and soon he spotted two slimes in a swamp that was a few thousand meters away from him. He had been looking for slimes’ traces for some time now.

Unexpectedly, other than the slimes, System seemed to have spotted a village of green-skinned creatures, which were over ten kilometers away from him. He also saw some creatures that had dog heads and the body of a human. They resembled Gnolls—creatures often met in fantasy literature.

The Gnolls seemed to have some dispute with the Goblins.

The temperature in the clouds was really low, and the air was thin, so System flew downward after staying there for a little while.

After System placed Quin’s eyes back in the nest and stored them away carefully, he flew toward the green-skinned creatures’ village.

System did not have designs on the Goblins and Gnolls, but he wanted to get a better understanding of this world by observing its intelligent races.

System’s first encounter with the green-skinned creatures was when he had just awakened in this world. At that time, a wild boar, which could release flames, had run past him as three club-wielding green-skinned had been chasing behind it.

At that time, System’s compound eyes had been unable to see things in the distance while his ability to sense the surroundings had not been very accurate.

However, thinking back now, the boar’s flames had not been that strong. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for the three thin and weak green-skinned creatures to chase it.

After hearing the world’s voice, System had gained a deeper understanding of the strength hierarchy of this world.

That flame-releasing wild boar and slimes should be similar to System and Quin, creatures that were in the process of transforming into magical life forms.

However, as compared to him and Quin, System felt that the wild boar’s and slimes’ magical powers were slightly different.

They did not give System the feeling that they had heard the world’s voice before.

“Is it possible that they are the offspring of magical creatures and inherited their powers from their bloodlines?” speculated System.

System was unclear whether that was the truth or not.

…

The lair’s environment was dirty, and it was accumulated with weed. As System got closer to the lair, his antennae picked up the pungent scent of excrement.

For the first time, System felt that possessing the [Enhanced Sense of Smell] ability was not a good thing.

Maybe, the smell of excrement was incredibly delicious toward maggots, but grasshoppers detested it.

Evidently, the green-skinned creatures lacked human construction skills. Judging from their few shacks, which made of tree branches and weeds, they did not even know how to build ordinary dirt houses. Such a shack might be able to block some of the cold wind at night, but definitely not rain.

System stopped on the branch of a tree. Then, he observed and listened in on the conversation of two creatures under the tree.

There were more than 20 Goblins in the village’s gathering ground and about three Gnolls.

The Gnolls’ bodies were extraordinarily robust and were about 1.9 meters in height. The Goblins seemed scrawny and small, as adult Goblins were only about 1.2 meters tall, compared to them.

The three Gnolls were walking around the Goblins’ village while speaking in an unknown language to the Goblins. The Goblins seemed extremely flustered!