A long time had passed since Lin Miao's ant colony entered the otherworld, and he, as their keeper, had suddenly awakened divine authority and been swept into these unexpected events.
As he gradually adapted to all of this, he also found more free time to think about other matters.
“Using the divine system... That means there are other gods out there besides me.”
Lin Miao thought silently to himself.
However, some of the system's functions were still blocked due to his abnormal awakening.
On top of that, there was absolutely nowhere he could go to ask about the situation.
So for now, all Lin Miao could do was continue to observe and care for the ant colony.
【Your servants need more food to quickly recover from their injuries.】
“They're getting more and more voracious.”
Lin Miao muttered helplessly as he looked at the system prompt that popped up.
Although this was far from the first time, the colony's craving for food remained endless.
If they were an ordinary ant colony, they could never have digested the massive amount of food Lin Miao supplied. But they had long since surpassed the limits of their species.
Fish food and mealworms were devoured endlessly. At the same time, the colony's population exploded, and their nest continuously expanded.
Lin Miao had tried feeding them other things along the way, but he always returned to mealworms. They were the most efficient and cost-effective food source.
Yet even this efficient and affordable food was starting to fall short of their consumption. That was how insatiable their appetite had become.
“Shouldn't you guys cut back a little by now?”
Even right after winning the war, they still scoured their surroundings for food like starving ghosts.
Lin Miao shook his head and turned his attention to the new caste of ants currently emerging from their cocoons.
This new generation had naturally inherited the abilities of leafcutter ants, instinctively knowing how to cultivate the fungi brought along with them.
【Your servants wish to obtain food in a new way.】
They immediately set to work farming.
The first location selected for farming was the land near their nest in the otherworld.
The trees and grass there had already been cleared to build the nest, meaning they had more than enough raw materials to cultivate mushrooms.
【The Queen Ant is unsatisfied with the slow growth of the fungi.】
However, a problem quickly arose: the fungi brought over from the terrarium could not adapt well to the otherworld's environment.
“Makes sense. The mushrooms those ants want to cultivate are different from the ants themselves—they're just ordinary fungi.”
Lin Miao thought to himself.
Unlike the ants that had become his servants and evolved by consuming the unique resources of the otherworld, the fungi cultivated by the leafcutter ants possessed no special properties whatsoever.
It was only natural for them to struggle to adapt. After all, it was an entirely different world.
“What now? Do I have to decide which mushroom they cultivate too?”
Feeling as though a chore had suddenly been thrust upon him, Lin Miao couldn't help but frown.
For a moment, a thought crossed his mind: should he secretly swipe some of the loot brought back by the Awakened in his organization?
But touching those unknown otherworld biological samples was a completely different ballgame from buying exotic ants.
【The Queen Ant has discovered a clue.】
Fortunately, it didn't take long for the colony to find the answer on its own.
This was entirely thanks to the first-generation Queen Ant, who had been freed from her egg-laying duties. Her intelligence had been greatly enhanced, allowing her to think much more deeply.
“Is that a mushroom as well?”
Lin Miao watched the screen, his interest thoroughly piqued.
Deep in the dense forest, the scouting ants had discovered a giant mushroom growing on a massive tree trunk. Just like the oversized ants, it was exceptionally large.
【The Queen Ant has detected that the mushroom is mildly toxic but highly nutritious.】
All the information gathered by the scouts was transmitted to the entire colony in real time.
Meanwhile, the Queen Ant, residing in the deepest part of the nest, could clearly perceive and analyze this information.
Ultimately, the Queen Ant made a decision: they would discard the fungi brought from the terrarium and cultivate this giant otherworld mushroom instead.
The mild toxicity was indeed an obstacle, but since most of the colony had already undergone resistance training with the formic acid solution provided by Lin Miao, they were already building up a tolerance to toxins.
“Well done.”
Although they had run into a hitch, they had ultimately resolved it on their own.
Satisfied with this outcome, Lin Miao couldn't help but praise them.
Sure enough, focusing his investment on the Queen Ant to constantly elevate their intelligence was the right path.
【Your servants have sensed your joy.】
Just then, a system prompt popped up, informing Lin Miao that the colony had sensed his emotions.
Emotions—at least as Lin Miao understood them—were originally something the colony should have been completely incapable of grasping.
Since they belonged to entirely different worlds, Lin Miao and the colony originally had no way of truly understanding one another.
But things were different now. The constantly growing colony was now beginning to perceive what emotions actually were.
“Can they really develop feelings? Is it accurate to say they've learned to feel?”
Lin Miao wondered silently to himself.
Of course, they were currently only vaguely perceiving emotions through his influence as a god, much like how they previously couldn't fully understand his words and could only run wild.
However, as Lin Miao observed their growth in real time, he was absolutely certain they would not remain at this level forever.
Although he was the one constantly helping them, providing nutrients, and introducing new ants as material for their evolution, what they would ultimately become was something he could not predict.
“But I can't stop now.”
Even so, now was not the time to worry about the distant future.
The beastkin who had fought as mercenaries alone possessed strength that far exceeded the colony's current conventional combat power.
The colony needed to grow even further.
Lin Miao arrived at the ant seller's place once again.
Holding a test tube, the seller said to Lin Miao, “I only managed to get my hands on this one recently. It was quite a hassle, since the colony isn't very large yet.”
“Just one is fine. Don't worry, I'll pay,” Lin Miao replied calmly.
This seller illegally imported and bred all kinds of animals from around the world, but he seemed to treasure this single ant in the test tube above all else.
Lin Miao opened the test tube containing the ant and put it into the terrarium.
After all, as long as they consumed a single specimen, the Queen Ant could analyze its entire genetic profile, gaining the ability to modify the entire colony.
【Your servants have recognized your reward and rushed over.】
Three of Lin Miao's worker ants immediately pounced on the target that had been dropped into their unfamiliar environment.
There was only one enemy, and three worker ants had lunged at it.
“You have quite a reputation. Let's see what you can do.”
Lin Miao looked at the ant, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.
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