The Divine Spear

【The servants remain highly vigilant toward the special power contained within the weapon】

The ant colony discovered this long spear while cleaning up the battlefield after their overwhelming victory.

‘That is the spear used by the beastkin; it contains the power of a god.’

Lin Miao switched the screen's view and saw several worker ants surrounding the spear on the ground, their antennae twitching constantly.

The spear's owner had already been torn to pieces and devoured, but this spear was inedible.

It was more ornate and much larger than an ordinary spear, with blue energy still rising from its shaft like smoke.

No matter how dazzling or precious it was, to the ant colony, which normally had zero interest in inorganic matter, this was something they absolutely could not ignore.

They had already grown to the point where they would no longer easily overlook such unknown dangers.

Lin Miao knew very well that compared to directly bestowing power upon a servant, sealing a portion of a deity's power into a weapon and gifting it carried an equally immense cost.

Furthermore, for a deity to interfere in a world, they had to have servants and territory under their influence.

For deities who had not yet secured a firm foothold in Terra, such a weapon was undoubtedly a massive expenditure.

Now that even its wielder was gone, leaving it abandoned here meant they had made a complete loss.

‘I hope they don't just destroy it.’

Lin Miao subconsciously glanced to the side.

The ants were crushing and decomposing the corpses of the deceased beastkin, while stripped clothing, armor, and other items were gathered together to be either dissolved by venom or buried in the dirt.

They would thoroughly destroy these inedible metal fragments and rags, leaving absolutely no usable resources for the enemy.

This decision was both shrewd and highly tactical.

But if the hard-won holy spear was destroyed like the other weapons, honestly, it would be a terrible waste.

After all, venom likely wouldn't be able to corrode it anyway, and if it fell into the hands of other enemies, it would only cause trouble for them.

【Elise orders the long spear to be brought back to her main nest】

“Hmm?”

Just then, as if she had read Lin Miao's mind, Elise actually ordered the spear to be retrieved.

This time, it was not because she had received Lin Miao's will, but because she herself judged that this holy spear had to be recovered.

‘Why?’

Watching the screen as a worker ant carried the spear in its mandibles and crawled toward the main nest, Lin Miao felt a deep curiosity rise within him.

What on earth was Elise thinking to bring this thing back?

Elise, who received a fixed portion of the prey as feed every day, was still constantly growing and evolving even now.

Honestly, Lin Miao couldn't help but feel a spark of anticipation.

Having devoured more things and gained stronger cognitive abilities, what kind of actions would Elise take now?

【Elise orders this item to be offered to the Great One】

Shockingly, Elise had actually ordered the holy spear brought back to the main nest to be offered to the "Great One" they were beginning to perceive with increasing clarity.

That was, Lin Miao outside the terrarium.

【Elise firmly believes that the Great One possesses all knowledge that they cannot comprehend】

“So, basically, she doesn't understand it, so she's bringing it to ask me.”

Looking at the prompt, Lin Miao couldn't help but laugh out loud.

It turned out Elise wasn't thinking of anything overly complex.

Just like a child who encounters something they don't understand and immediately goes to ask a taller, older adult.

Since she and the entire colony couldn't make heads or tails of it, it was only natural to hand it over to Lin Miao—who had always provided them with new materials, warned them in times of crisis, and guided them forward—to seek answers.

‘Just for this, it's worth it.’

This alone was enough to satisfy Lin Miao.

It meant that communication with the ant colony was becoming smoother step by step.

More importantly, this was the first time they had actively initiated communication with Lin Miao.

【The servants are waiting for the response of the Great One】

Lin Miao walked into the room where the terrarium was kept and saw several worker ants gently placing the holy spear at the bottom of the terrarium, quietly looking up at the sky.

That spot was directly beneath the transparent acrylic lid where Lin Miao dropped new materials each time.

“...”

Lin Miao swallowed hard, put on thick protective gloves, and tightly fastened the cuffs of his long-sleeved shirt.

Having taken every precaution, he prepared to do something he had previously only dared to imagine in his mind.

‘Here goes.’

Then, Lin Miao slowly reached his hand into the terrarium.

Lin Miao didn't know what the ant colony would think upon seeing this.

Until the moment Lin Miao used two fingers to gently pinch the spear—which was only the size of an ear pick to him—and pull it out, the ants inside the terrarium merely watched quietly without making a single move.

Actually, their reaction was quite understandable.

Putting himself in their shoes, if he saw a giant hand reach down from the sky and gently take something from the ground, he would also freeze on the spot, unable to utter a single word.

At the very least, they didn't show hostility toward Lin Miao, rush to bite him, or crowd around out of curiosity, which was already a huge relief.

But the moment Lin Miao completely removed the holy spear from the terrarium...

The tiny stick instantly reverted to its original size, clattering onto the floor in front of Lin Miao with a loud clang.

‘Seriously, there are still so many things I don't understand.’

Lin Miao quickly moved the spear—which was originally over two meters tall and meant for a beastkin—to another room. Looking at the floor scratched by the spear tip, he couldn't help but sigh.

He would figure out how to deal with it later.

For now, Lin Miao tore open a packet of sugar cubes and poured them into the terrarium.

Rewarding good behavior and punishing bad was his principle.

Only by constantly reinforcing this impression and training them would the ant colony bring things to him without hesitation whenever they encountered something similar in the future.

However, as far as ordinary food was concerned, it was about time to switch to a different reward.

Although the symbolic meaning was what mattered, the current ant colony had already grown to a point where they could no longer be satisfied by such meager offerings.