"What?"
Looking at the bishops before him, the fortress commander opened his eyes wide in astonishment.
"You're going to meet those monsters?"
"That's right."
Bishop Karl nodded.
"The information we've gathered so far is insufficient. Because of that, we need more information. I believe the best method is to meet them and negotiate."
"Negotiate … But, they're demonic beasts!"
"Whether or not they're demonic beasts is not up to you to decide."
The elven bishop said indifferently.
"At the very least, based on the information we've gathered so far, those creatures clearly possess extraordinary intelligence. We might be able to communicate with them."
"But … but …"
Hearing those words, the fortress commander was at a loss for words. He hummed and puffed for a long time. But, he was unable to say anything. That was to be expected. The Fire Nation had always viewed those monsters as low-level demonic beasts. They never expected them to possess extraordinary intelligence. But now, after hearing what those people said … those monsters could actually communicate with them?
What a joke. If they could communicate with them, wouldn't our 50,000 soldiers have died in vain?
But, Bishop Karl and the others naturally wouldn't care about what the fortress commander was thinking. They simply informed the fortress commander of their decision, turned around, and left, leaving the fortress commander in a dilemma.
"What do we do? Milord? "
Seeing the departing figures of Bishop Karl and the others, the fortress commander's attendant asked in a low voice.
"Should we seal off the fortress and not let them leave?"
"No, let them go. I want to see what sort of tricks they're going to play … Have people keep an eye on them. Don't get too close."
"Yes."
Hearing the fortress commander's response, the attendant nodded. Then, he asked in confusion.
"That … Milord, do you really believe those demonic beasts can communicate?"
"How is that possible?"
Faced with the attendant's question, the fortress commander snorted disdainfully.
"Although they're a bit cunning, they're still nothing more than monsters! Demonic beasts! How could they possibly know how to communicate? I dare guarantee you that those fellows will be swallowed whole by the demonic beasts! Hmph! But, that's none of our business! Those people from the Nation of the Holy Church have been worshipping their gods all day long. How could those low-level demonic beasts possibly possess any intelligence?! Remember, no matter how cunning they are, they're still nothing more than beasts! "
"Yes!"
Of course, Bishop Karl knew what the people of the Country of Flames were thinking. But in his opinion, the situation wasn't that simple.
"According to our investigation, this undeveloped land has always been shrouded in the fog of chaos. This is in line with the information that the Holy Sanctum has."
The orc bishop looked ahead with a solemn expression.
"However, a month ago, the fog suddenly dispersed. Then, the people of the Country of Flames began to explore the unexplored land. Although they encountered those … creatures."
"I once asked the local residents. Before this, they had never seen such a magical beast."
The dwarf bishop stroked his carefully maintained beard again and said.
"These creatures appeared after the chaos fog dissipated. What do you think?"
"Currently, everything is nothing more than a guess. As the Eyes of Order, we need evidence to speak for us."
The Elven Bishop took a deep breath and looked up.
"In the name of Order, I hope that everything will go smoothly for us."
At this moment, they had already arrived at the top of the hill.
"Oh my Goddess …"
Gazing at the undeveloped land below, even the human bishop couldn't help but widen his eyes and murmur to himself. Although they had seen these creatures through the crystal ball before, when they actually appeared in front of them, it still brought a strange shock to everyone.
The endless swarm of insects was like an ocean, constantly surging. From afar, one could even mistake this place for a deep purple ocean. Just the sight of the densely packed bugs was enough to give one goosebumps. Not to mention … the appearance of the bugs was just too …
Indescribable.
"This is just too … too … too …"
Even the elf bishop widened his eyes in disbelief. He stuttered for a long time and eventually squeezed out a sentence. "Unbelievable!"
"There are so many of them. What exactly do they rely on for food?"
The orc bishop was concerned about another problem.
"There doesn't seem to be any food here apart from them. How do they maintain their existence?"
"Perhaps the 50,000 soldiers of the Country of Flames will be enough for them to eat for a while?"
The dwarf bishop stroked his beard and guessed with a chuckle. On the other hand, Bishop Karl shook his head.
"There are perhaps tens of thousands of them here. Even if we give them one each, it won't be enough for them to eat … Hmm …"
Everyone exchanged looks with one another and couldn't help but feel somewhat worried. As the eyes of Order, their primary mission was to determine if the bugs were creatures of Order. Secondly, it was to determine if the bugs were dangerous enough. During their investigation of the Country of Flames, the bishops discovered that the bugs weren't beasts in the usual sense. Instead, they clearly displayed the characteristics of intelligent creatures of Order.
The reason why they came here was to verify their guesses and at the same time, to assess the bugs' threat level. After all, demons and spirit-suckers were also considered creatures of Order. But it was apparent that the sacred temple wouldn't classify them as allies just because of this.
"I have to admit. If it weren't for the fact that I didn't sense the aura of demons from these bugs, I would have thought that a demon army had invaded the surface."
The human bishop gazed at the bugs with a complicated expression and didn't know what to say.
"I've been through a bloody battle. Trust me, demons aren't as ugly as these bugs."
The orc bishop patted the human bishop's shoulder and strode down the hill in large strides. The other four bishops followed closely behind and slowly approached the bug territory.
"Ssss — — —!"
Upon sensing their approach, a dozen bugs darted out from behind. They paced back and forth in front of the creep blanket and roared in protest. Looking at this scene, the bishops heaved sighs of relief. This was what they were most worried about from the start … The bugs would start a fight without a single word. But now, it seemed that the bugs had the ability to distinguish between them.
"We're not hostile!"
The elven bishop stepped forward, stretched out his hands to both sides, and shouted loudly.
"We'd like to talk to you! We're here with friendly intentions! "
"…"
The bugs sized them up and didn't say a word. Instead, they exchanged gazes with one another and seemed rather calm.
Of course, if Bishop Karl and the bishops knew what was going on in the bug network, perhaps they wouldn't think so.
"Tall?"
"Short?"
"Two-legged?"
"Low-level creatures with no modification value."
… Alright, we should be glad that we don't speak the same language.
After a few moments, the group witnessed a bug king flying toward them from behind. Just as they thought that the bug king was about to communicate with them, it flew above their heads, extended its tentacles, and wrapped around them.
What's that?!
Looking at the tentacles that wrapped around their bodies, the orc bishop instinctively gripped his warhammer and stared nervously at the bug king. However, the bug king wasn't affected at all. Instead, it wrapped its tentacles around Bishop Karl and the others. Then, the abdomen below the bug king slowly opened …
"Hey, hey, hey. Are they really going to eat us?"
At this moment, the dwarf bishop couldn't remain calm anymore.
"Calm down! If they intend to eat us, they won't do this! Let's wait and see! "
Bishop Carl hurriedly stopped his colleague. He widened his eyes and stared at the King Worm's open abdomen. Then, the tentacles that coiled around everyone retracted … and threw them into the King Worm's abdomen.
"W-What is that?"
The abdomen was extraordinarily large, and was covered in layers of mucus. Everyone who was caught off guard had their heads and faces covered in it. The dwarf bishop couldn't help but cry out, and even the elf bishop furrowed his brows. However, he quickly cast a divine spell and heaved a sigh of relief.
"Fortunately, this thing isn't poisonous."
"What do you guys think it … is going to do with us?"
Gazing at the walls of flesh around them, the orc bishop's tone became nervous. At this moment, they sensed the bug king moving slightly and immediately after, it began to move.
"Are they going to communicate with us … or take us as captives?"
"No matter what …"
Bishop Karl let out a sigh.
"We can only pray to the goddess for protection now."
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