Crafting

【Elise begins using the new types of hearts according to Celia's classifications】

The worker ants carried the magic hearts made by Celia, transporting them to the nearest nests.

Inside the nests, the new egg-laying bodies were producing cell masses that were about to evolve into mutated species, following Elise's commands.

The worker ants threw the magic hearts into these freshly produced, slimy cell masses.

Immediately after, the cell masses began to squirm, wrapping around the magic hearts and forming massive cocoons.

Thanks to Celia's efforts, having now half-stepped into this colony, her understanding of the ants was unmatched. The fusion of organic tissue and magic stone hearts proceeded exceptionally smoothly.

【The cells begin to react with the power of the magic stones】

According to Elise's design, the cells of these mutated species themselves already contained a massive amount of energy absorbed from their prey.

Now, they fused with the magic stones, undergoing a complete transformation within the cocoons to become a brand-new mutated species.

The worker ants carefully carried these cocoons to dedicated chambers.

‘You can already see the difference just from the cocoons.’

Lin Miao could tell at a glance the difference between the cocoons nurturing the new mutated species with magic hearts and those of the ordinary mutated species, letting out a soft sigh of admiration.

Unlike ordinary cocoons, those nurturing the magic hearts were larger, darker in color, and emitted a flickering glow from within.

【Elise witnesses a brand-new leap forward for the ant colony】

After a period of growth, the first new warrior finally broke out of its cocoon, revealing its massive body.

Before this, the heavy-armored ants and giant-jawed ants were the largest mutated species in the colony, created by Elise devouring large beetles.

But the newly born type of heavy-armored ant relied on the magic heart specifically tailored for ants, maximizing its energy utilization efficiency and completely shattering past size limitations.

A larger body, heavier weight, and a correspondingly more formidable power.

Just as other divine factions used magic and runes to create civilizations that defied physical laws, the ant colony had finally elevated its utilization of energy to a brand-new level, successfully mass-producing a new generation of monsters.

“This is truly astonishing. If we had faced monsters of this scale back then, we would have suffered an even more crushing defeat. So, what is the name of these monsters you've created?”

“They no longer merely contain energy within their bodies; they now possess magic hearts capable of explosively driving that energy. These brand-new mutated species are called ‘Tyrants.’ They will become the core combat force of the Great Devourer in the future.”

Count Merlin and Celia stood atop the spire of a ruined city, speaking as they watched the massive monsters continuously crawl out of the nest.

Its entire body was covered in an indestructible carapace, with three sharp, massive horns protruding from its head, and six thick, powerful legs supporting its colossal frame.

Even from such a distance, they could clearly see that the size of this new heavy-armored ant was not at all inferior to the grand manor house beside it.

Its strength was enough to easily send an elephant flying.

Who could have imagined that a monster of this caliber had actually evolved from a tiny ant?

【Elise is highly satisfied with the power of the new mutated species, her fierce fighting spirit ignited to hunt and seek revenge on her enemies】

Naturally, utterly satisfied with this new power, Elise immediately began preparing for war.

She wanted to wash away her past humiliation, defeat all divine factions—including the Lucadia Empire—and lead her colony to even greater prosperity.

“Are you absolutely certain? Once they sweep away all other divine factions in this world, will they really leave this place? Can you guarantee that their brutal nature won't drive them to slaughter all the defenseless survivors?”

Faced with Count Merlin's sharp questioning,

Celia raised her head and looked up at the sky, as if looking at Lin Miao through the screen. “...I believe. Through our connection, I have truly witnessed the sincerity of that Great One.”

Seeing the look in her eyes, Lin Miao let out a soft sigh.

Because Lin Miao's ultimate goal was to use the ant colony in the future to drive away the Outer Gods invading Earth.

Thus, from the very beginning, he had never intended to keep these ants—who eternally craved battle and devouring—confined to the planet of Terra.

【Elise orders Celia to craft an exclusive heart for her as well】

“I knew it would come to this.”

After all, as the First Generation Queen Ant, Elise herself was the incarnation of endless greed.

Eternally craving more, she naturally ordered Celia to transplant a magic heart into her as well.

She wanted to use the power of the magic heart to evolve into an even more powerful, higher-order existence.

“I will prepare it for you immediately, using the magic stone bestowed by that Great One.”

Celia requested Elise to have the massive magic stone Lin Miao had dropped into the terrarium sent to her laboratory so she could use it to craft Elise's heart.

Elise immediately dispatched a large number of flying species, transporting the magic stone to Celia at the fastest speed possible.

Looking at the screen, the magic stone—which was even larger than Celia's own body—cast a shadow that completely enveloped her figure, making her swallow hard.

“Well then, let us begin the crafting.”

The arm of Celia, which was covered by another parasitic mutated species—the symbiotic carapace ant—or more precisely, her fingertips, began to deform.

Her fingers became like razor-sharp blades, equipped with specialized edges meant for processing magic stones. Then, she personally began to cut and shape the massive magic stone.

【Elise memorizes and learns the entire process】

Celia could not possibly do everything herself forever, and Elise had no intention of letting her do so either. She was actively learning.

She wanted the entire colony to be able to complete this task independently, even without Celia's assistance.

After all, while inventing new technology was difficult, simply repeating a movement and process was precisely what the ant colony excelled at most.

‘Celia herself must be well aware of this as well.’

Watching Celia work with deep focus, Lin Miao made a decision in his heart.

Once Elise could complete all the work independently, he would grant Celia a brand-new status.

He wondered how Elise would react when she saw that.

Her abilities and power were certainly overwhelming, but in the eyes of Lin Miao, who had watched her grow from birth, she was ultimately still just an ignorant child.

Just as important as helping a child grow was teaching them reason and guiding them onto the right path.

Lin Miao thought that if he truly wanted to become the genuine god of Elise and the ant colony, he had to firmly keep this Queen Ant under control.