Chapter 136: Silver (3)
Translator: bjgoofy
I quickly took the Compendium of Venomous Creatures Under Heaven that Hwa-eun had brought and examined it more closely.
Silver Silkworm Moth.
Silver, silkworm, and moth.
Because the name literally translated to "Silver Silkworm Moth".
'There's a high chance this is the same creature!'
The instincts of a man who had loved venomous creatures for half his life, no, half of his previous life and then all-in during this one, so a full lifetime and a half, were firing like mad.
「Silver Silkworm Moth.
A moth whose body is covered in brilliant silver, roughly a chi and a half in size, with a wingspan reaching three chi when fully spread.
Gentle in temperament, but when threatened, it scatters silver Scale Powder. Skin that comes in contact with the Scale Powder experiences unbearable itching, causing the victim to scratch until bone is exposed.
If the Scale Powder is inhaled, the maddening itch inside the skull drives the victim to claw their own body apart until death.」
Looking over the description, the Silver Silkworm Moth was, as expected, a moth covered entirely in silver.
I lifted my eyes from the book and gazed at the silver pupal shell and silver cocoon I had just finished restoring.
The vivid silver cocoon and silver pupa leapt into view.
The fact that even the pupa and cocoon were silver meant a high probability that the moth inside was silver as well, and my heart was pounding.
If the cocoon and pupa described in the Compendium were where a Silver Silkworm Moth would be born, then surely it had to be this cocoon and pupa right here.
'C-calm down. Nothing's been confirmed yet, right?'
Of course, there was certainly a chance it wasn't.
Taxonomy didn't exist in this era, so the character for "silkworm" in the name might not indicate the same lineage or the same species at all; it could simply be part of the name.
Furthermore, moths were insects that underwent complete metamorphosis.
Complete metamorphosis meant that the larval insect dissolved entirely inside the pupa, turning into something like soup before creating a completely new body. So no matter how silver the pupa and cocoon were, the creature that emerged could be an entirely different insect.
Just look at butterflies, for example. Worm-like caterpillars transformed inside cocoons into all manner of brilliantly colored butterflies.
But no matter how much I tried to stay calm, my gut was already leaning toward the two being one and the same.
If my gut was moving in that direction, then there was a high probability that the pupa I had restored did indeed belong to the Silver Silkworm Moth described in the Compendium.
After all, this was the instinct of none other than the expert, Maewoon Fabre.
A moth among the Ten Great Venomous Creatures. Just the thought of it brought a smile to my face.
Thinking about how adorable moths were made the corners of my mouth curl up.
'Good lord! An insanely cute moth! A moth that's one of the Ten Great Venomous Creatures!'
The reason I was this overjoyed was that, while I was currently raising the three centipede sisters, Yohwa, Snow, Ice, the Golden-Furred King Bee, and Yeondu, if someone asked me to name the cutest insect in the world, I would pick moths without a moment's hesitation.
By purely 'objective' standards, the cutest insect in the world was, without question, the moth.
People wrapped butterflies in praise, calling them heralds of spring and flower fairies, lauding them as beautiful insects, but moths got a far harsher deal.
Calling them creepy, calling them useless. Women would shriek their heads off at the sight of a moth, in stark contrast to their reaction to butterflies.
But honestly, that was only because people didn't understand the cuteness of moths.
The truly fairy-like cuteness belonged to moths.
'I seriously don't get why people hate moths so much. The double standard is ridiculous: butterflies get way too much love, and moths get way too much hate.'
It had been the same in my previous life.
Whenever I featured moths on my stream, the chat was nothing but backlash.
Most of the reactions were complaints about how moths scattered too much Scale Powder, and people living in countryside houses found the ones that flew in and stuck to their windows revolting.
「"Alright, today's stream is about the cutest insect in the world: moths!"
'Moths? Mooooths? You're saying moths are cute?'
'Maewoon Fabre, you absolute psycho. Now he's calling moths cute? Dude, can you even function in daily life?'
'Suspicious. A guy whose type is moths?'
'Bug fanatic and on top of that a moth fanatic? What even are you?'
'Bro, do you even know what TinX Bell is? TinX Bell? Fabre needs to do a few more rounds of military service.'
But even the viewers from my previous life, though they didn't understand at first, had their opinions completely reversed by a single photo I posted.
'Okay, at this level, maybe it's... acceptable?'
'I respect Maewoon Fabre's taste!'
'You fraud Fabre, stop tricking us! Th-there's no way moths can be this cute!'
'I, I apologize to all the moths I've killed! Waaah! I was trash!'
'You killed moths like that? You... you monster!'」
The reason I called moths the cutest insects in the world was the sheer, overwhelming cuteness that moths possessed.
The reason viewers in my previous life had repented for their sins after seeing just one photo I showed them.
When you looked down at a moth from above, depending on the person, 'a small, very small number' might feel fear or revulsion. But when you met their faces head-on, it was simply impossible to feel any disgust toward them.
Antennae like rabbit ears, fluffy fur on their bodies and legs, and those big eyes.
Bumblebees were supposedly the poster child of cuteness, but it was only because moths weren't well known; compared to a moth, even a bumblebee's charm paled in comparison.
That was why it was my firm belief that anyone who could look a moth straight in both eyes and still swat it with a fly swatter was someone with a wicked heart.
'Damn right.'
"Soryong, do you think it's a match?"
Hwa-eun's voice reached me while I was lost in thoughts of adorable moths.
I was a little reluctant to pull myself out of imagining just how cute the creature would be, but depending on my efforts, I would soon be able to meet it in the flesh.
I nodded, showed her the pupa I had restored, and said,
"Look at this. Don't you think a Silver Silkworm Moth will come out of it?"
"Oh! You said you were busy, so this is what you were working on? It looks so lifelike, Soryong. And you're right, I really think so too."
As expected, Hwa-eun shared my opinion.
Well then, it was time to find out how a Heavenly Silkworm became a Silver Silkworm.
***
To find the reason the Heavenly Silkworm had transformed into a Silver Silkworm, I needed the family's help, and for that, my father-in-law's permission was essential.
I decided to visit him, report what I had learned, and request his assistance.
After all, he had promised to support my hobby activities anytime.
"It appears the Heavenly Silkworm is evolving into one of the Ten Great Venomous Creatures, the Silver Silkworm."
"Is that so!? That would be an extraordinary discovery! And evolution? By evolution, you mean it advances forward and becomes an entirely different being?"
Thinking about Cho and Bin's cases, if an ordinary Heavenly Silkworm was trying to become a Silver Silkworm, one of the Ten Great Venomous Creatures, then what it needed was, as expected, evolution.
There was no other explanation. When I laid out the concept and the information I had gathered, my father-in-law nodded thoughtfully, finding it plausible.
"Yes, Father-in-law. The Blue-Spotted Centipede was a low-grade venomous creature, yet it transformed into the far superior Flying Celestial Centipede and Ink-Black Ghost Centipede, did it not? That's why the only word for it is evolution."
"So the Heavenly Silkworm will also evolve into a Silver Silkworm?"
"Yes, that is what I believe for now."
"Considering the two children, it's a reasonable argument. But finding the method won't be easy...."
"Yes, but we already have two prior examples, so it shouldn't be too difficult."
"Do you have a plan?"
"Of course. To that end, I'll need to make a trip beyond Tang Family Mountain, so could you spare me some warriors?"
"Warriors?"
At the request for warriors, my father-in-law tilted his head.
He seemed curious about what I intended to do with them.
But it was nothing complicated.
What I planned to do with the warriors was to examine the two cases of evolution I already had some information on and find their common thread.
That was the only way I could figure out the reason behind the Heavenly Silkworm's transformation into a Silver Silkworm.
Of the two evolution cases I could draw information from, one was Cho's evolution.
I already knew how that evolution had occurred.
But the cause of the other case, Bin's evolution, remained unknown.
The reason I had requested warriors was that to find the cause of Bin's evolution, I would need to investigate the place where Bin had hidden after running away from home.
"I plan to investigate the cause of Bin's evolution and see what commonalities it shares with Cho's."
"Ah, so you want to find the place where Bin was hiding?"
"Yes, Father-in-law."
"Very well. Take the Poison Blood Squad and your Venomous Creature Squad."
"Understood!"
As expected, my father-in-law understood before I even had to spell it out.
With his permission, I left the Family Head's Hall and hurried off to find Bin.
"Bin!"
She had been sunbathing with the others in the rear garden, and at my call, she lifted her head with a languid expression.
Looking every bit the fully grown lady now, radiating a charm that could make any father's heart melt, Bin answered.
-Tseureut?
"Bin, Daddy has a favor to ask."
-Tseu, tseureut? 『A, a favor?』
"Yeah. It's nothing major. The place where our Bin became this beautiful. After you left ho.... I mean, could you tell me where you were? Daddy's just been curious about where his little girl was all that time."
Before, her feelings had been like those of a small child, but perhaps because of the evolution, what I sensed now was more like a young girl's heart.
True to form, her tsundere tendencies hadn't disappeared even after evolving. When I asked her to show me the location, Bin answered with a faintly sulky air.
Though it was clear she was pleased deep down.
-Tsst, tseu-tseureureu.... 『F-fine, if Daddy wants it that badly....』
"It's not far, right? Can we make it back within a day?"
-Tseureut.... 『Yeah....』
Having secured Bin's agreement, I gathered the warriors my father-in-law had authorized and followed her lead, only to arrive at a place I never would have expected.
No, a place I never imagined would be this close.
The Death Cave, where I had once risked my life for the Tang Family.
The place Bin had led us to was none other than the spot called the Death Acupoint, where Yin Energy had gathered.
The only difference was that back then, I had sensed a dark, ominous energy emanating from it, but now it had simply become a large, empty hole.
The cave, its appearance completely transformed from before, greeted us.
"They say you can't see what's right under your nose. To think the young lady Bin was in a place like this.... My apologies. It seems we failed to search thoroughly enough."
Gu Pae, the Captain of the Venomous Creature Squad, spoke with a remorseful expression as he looked down into the Death Cave.
He seemed to feel guilty for having searched the area multiple times without finding her, but it was actually better that they hadn't.
I answered casually.
"If she'd gone into a place like this, it would be easy to miss. By the way, quite a lot has changed, hasn't it?"
"It feels as though all the Yin Energy has vanished."
The last time, there had definitely been a dreary, oppressive energy seeping out, but now every trace of it was gone.
Just as I was about to climb down into the pit to check the interior...
-Tseureut.
The feeling conveyed from Bin was, 'I ate it all'.
She was saying she had consumed all the energy that had been flowing in.
"You ate it?"
-Tseureut.
I thought about Bin's answer.
'Cho evolved by consuming the Flying Celestial Serpent's Inner Core, and Bin evolved by consuming the Yin Energy that had accumulated in the Death Cave?'
Cho had evolved all at once by eating the Inner Core the Flying Celestial Serpent had gathered.
Bin had evolved all at once by absorbing every last drop of the Death Energy, a form of Yin Energy that had built up due to the terrain.
The conclusion converged on the same point: both had evolved by consuming something.
'So if both Cho and Bin ultimately evolved by consuming something... then did the Heavenly Silkworm also eat something when it was trying to become a Silver Silkworm?'
Both Inner Cores and Death Energy were forms of energy.
If so, then the Heavenly Silkworm must have consumed something brimming with energy as well.
I suspected that somewhere inside the termite mound, there might be something containing energy that we had overlooked, so I hurried back to the estate.
After all, it seemed like I would need to make another trip to the basin where the Pagoda Termites had gathered.
Just as I had returned to the estate and was heading toward the Family Head's Hall....
A voice reached me as I passed the entrance to the Myriad Poison Hall.
"Soryong, where are you off to in such a hurry?"
"Oh, Grandfather."
The voice that called out to me belonged to Grandfather, the Man of Ten Thousand Poisons.
He was coming out of the Myriad Poison Hall carrying something.
"I was on my way to see Father-in-law. But what's that you have there?"
"Ah, this? It's something you brought back."
What Grandfather showed me was a mushroom about the size of a thumb. It was one of the mushrooms I had picked from the termite colony, the ones I had asked the Tang Family to cultivate.
They had said the trial cultivation was already underway, so these couldn't be newly grown ones; they had to be from the batch I originally picked.
"What about them?"
"Ah, you brought back something quite interesting."
"Interesting?"
When I asked why he had brought mushrooms out, Grandfather praised me, saying I had found something interesting.
I tilted my head, and Grandfather rolled one of the mushrooms between his fingers as he spoke.
"It's less than even the lowest grade, but these are still a type of Spirit Herb. They contain trace amounts of Natural Earth Energy."
"Is that true!? Then aren't they quite remarkable?"
The mushrooms I had gathered were Spirit Herbs.
When I asked whether that made them not just 'interesting' but 'remarkable', the Man of Ten Thousand Poisons shook his head.
"Natural Earth Energy is too coarse, so there are no martial arts that use it directly. And for some reason, these mushrooms contain far too much Turbid Energy, making them more harmful than beneficial for humans.
An Internal Energy Cultivation Method allows one to selectively draw the necessary energy from Natural Earth Energy through controlled breathing. But if someone ate these and then performed Qi Circulation Meditation, the Turbid Energy would accumulate along with it.
However, they might not be bad for the venomous creatures you raise. Compared to humans, venomous creatures and beasts have a much greater affinity with Natural Earth Energy. That's probably why the termites eat them as well."
He was saying they could be used as something like treats for pets. Then a thought flashed through my mind.
'Wait. If a termite, a creature with a natural affinity for Natural Earth Energy, and the queen termite at that, had been eating those for fifty years...?'
There was no telling for certain, but the queen termite had to have accumulated a considerable amount of Natural Earth Energy inside her.
'And if a Heavenly Silkworm ate that queen termite...!? Good heavens!'
I had thought those Heavenly Silkworm bastards were just petty thieves freeloading off the termite colony. But it seemed that, perhaps because the Divine Thief had been the one to hand them over, occasionally a grand thief was born among them, one that devoured even its own host.
*****
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