Energy Conversion

【Elise identified the flaws in the ability and determined that a new structure and body were required to bear it】

The trait Lin Miao had extracted and given her was indeed a heavily weakened power, both incomplete and highly risky.

Just as he had anticipated, Elise planned to combine her own abilities with it, weeding out the drawbacks and maximizing its advantages.

She firmly believed that if she succeeded, the final result would definitely surpass the original.

【An imperfect structure, low efficiency, and a considerable level of side effects】

Elise first identified the problems that needed to be resolved.

These factors, which had once caused William immense suffering, were not entirely without impact on the ant colony either.

Elise decided to solve this problem by creating a new special species.

This was already second nature to her.

No longer like the egg-laying units of the past that laid fully-formed eggs to hatch into larvae, she would produce production units—rapidly multiplying clusters of cells that condensed nutrients obtained through Predation.

There were the heart-fusing worms, which specialized in processing the magic hearts of various outputs and forms that Celia had experimentally developed.

And the decomposers, which used powerful digestive fluids capable of dissolving anything to produce nutrient fluids containing various forms of energy, such as nutrients, magic power, and battle aura.

All of these were mutants born after mastering the new technology of the magic heart.

Elise was no longer satisfied with merely creating ordinary chimeras by mixing and piecing together biological abilities absorbed through Predation. Instead, she drove the evolution of the entire colony by creating these special species with unique functions.

This time was no different.

Lin Miao murmured in amazement as he looked at the new mutant Elise was cultivating.

In the outer nest, this new individual, composed of cells rapidly dividing according to Elise's will, possessed an extremely massive body.

Having expanded its size to the absolute limit with a magic heart, its appearance closely resembled an octopus or squid pulled out of the water.

Its entire body was covered in mucus, riddled with countless unidentified holes, and its extended tentacles dug deep into the ground.

This was highly similar to the Leviathan, which could only grow to the size of a whale due to its aquatic lifestyle.

However, Elise had designed this mutant to be anchored to the ground. As a result, all unnecessary organs were discarded, allowing its body to grow to the scale of a massive mansion.

“If this new mutant operates properly, we can indeed obtain a massive amount of nutrients using only a small quantity of magic stones,” Celia, who could perceive Elise's will more clearly through the hive mind, couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement after understanding the function of this giant mutant.

Its sole purpose of existence was to completely eliminate all the drawbacks of the new trait Elise had acquired and maximize its benefits.

Lin Miao watched the worker ants work together to carry the massive magic stones he had dropped through the terrarium, marching toward the mutant.

Soon, the worker ants crawling onto its body placed the entire magic stone onto the mutant's back.

A muscular orifice lined with razor-sharp, squid-like teeth suddenly gaped open, clamping down and crushing the offered magic stone.

The crushed magic stone was completely digested within its body.

With the help of the Energy Conversion ability Elise had acquired, the immense magic power contained within the magic stone was mixed with a large amount of water absorbed from the tentacles dug into the ground, converting into nutrient fluid.

Subsequently, this massive volume of nutrient fluid gushed out from its excretory openings, forming vast pools of nutrient fluid in the surrounding area.

Lin Miao didn't even need to do the math to know.

Once the ant colony, which had always been restricted by nutrients and resources, broke free from this shackle, they would unleash an unimaginably staggering amount of power.

But Elise, as always, was not satisfied with just this.

She keenly realized that the limit of the ability she had acquired depended entirely on how far she could push herself.

【Elise thought: Since the energy of magic stones can be converted into nutrients, other things should be possible as well】

There were still many things the ant colony, including Elise, did not know. They did not know why the daytime was hotter than the night, nor did they know why plants could grow so tall without eating.

But Elise's greed transcended all of that.

She thought that if even those unknown things could be claimed entirely as her own, the colony would surely become even greater.

“Your Majesty, I'm afraid the new mutant—the energy-converting worm—cannot be constructed within the turbulent interior of the Empire,” Celia spoke up first, anticipating Elise's thoughts just as she had been planning to construct this new mutant in large numbers across all nests to drastically boost productivity.

Although the infiltration colony led by Celia had already seized control of most of the southern region of the Empire and was frantically expanding their nests and population, the uninvited guests appearing from the south brought a massive variable.

“Those elves are no longer the elves we once knew,” Celia explained, detailing the situation to Elise based on her observations of the northward-moving elves during this period, as well as her actual combat experience against them.

Even she had been deeply shocked at first; by relying on their unique technology that combined magic and machinery, those elves had long since become a powerful force in the southern part of the continent.

Lin Miao also sighed after hearing Celia's words.

Naturally, for the elves to achieve such a monumental leap in development, they must have received the assistance of a god.

Yet, he knew next to nothing about them.

Because the Elven God, much like Lin Miao who had been lurking and watching the show from the sidelines, rarely posted on the forum, unlike other deities like the God of Knowledge.

“They consist of a small number of elves and a massive army of foreign races, possessing unknown technology that cannot be explained even by magic. Until we ascertain their exact strength, it would be best to construct the energy-converting worms only within secure territories.”

【Elise accepted Celia's advice. She believed there was no need to expose the power of the new mutant to the enemy just yet】

Although the elven civilization stepping out of its own territory was a brand-new threat, the special species created by the ant colony, such as the heart-fusing worms and the energy-converting worms, were similarly unprecedented and unimaginable biological weapons to their enemies.

Knowing full well how much of an advantage hiding information could bring, Elise did not deploy the new mutants to the still-unstable infiltration units.

【The vassals are preparing for a large-scale transport】

Instead, Elise planned to utilize the massive amount of nutrients already acquired to transport the explosively multiplying forces into the Empire's territory.

“My goodness.”

Seeing the colossal army pouring out of the nest, everyone couldn't help but be struck with horror.

Count Merlin, who led the survivors living on the southern lands of the former Holy Kingdom, was no exception.

“I-It's several times larger than last time.”

“If an army of this size pours over there...”

The survivors who had gathered after putting down their work trembled violently as they watched the Great Devourer moving in orderly lines along the pathways.

That black torrent, blotting out the sky and covering the earth, was enough to strike a bone-chilling dread into anyone, even those whose hearts burned with the flames of revenge.

The ant colony entered the Leviathan's mouth one after another, crossing the sea toward the Empire's territory!