The water speed of the stream has been relatively sluggish, and the width of the stream has not changed much. But as the fleet turned and headed southeast little by little, the fog on the creek was getting worse every minute.
It indicates that the swamp that is filled with water and mist all year round is very close.
As it approached the swamp, the entire fleet became more and more combat-ready, and busy ants, bees, and flies could be seen everywhere.
Because the stream flows from the swamp to the large lake, this last leg of the journey is still a countercurrent, and in this foggy area, the wind is very weak and the wind direction changes frequently.
There was no wind against the current, so during the last section of the journey, the fleet could only rely on the diligent traction of the bees. This would inevitably affect the speed. In the end, it was expected that the journey that could be completed in half a day would take nearly a full day. .
As the sun set in the west, the dim light of dusk filtered through the dense fog, staining the sky and earth with a purple-red atmosphere. Only then did the fleet finally enter the swamp waters.
This is an area densely covered with water plants. The water area is vast, dividing the only land above the water into scattered small islands.
But these small islands are not a desperate situation for crawling insects. Since the water is densely covered with vegetation such as reeds, calamus, and lotus, most of the small islands can be connected through complex bridges composed of these vegetations. Parasitic ants live on these islands. . But outside the swamps, these parasitic ants are still rare.
Due to the large number of dragonflies and damselflies in the swamp area, the flying knights did not dare to easily enter this area for reconnaissance. The Legion of the God Envoy King was very unfamiliar with this area and had almost no effective intelligence support.
Now, the Legion of the God Envoy King must find a suitable parking place before it gets completely dark, and then establish an advance base. This is the most urgent task at the moment.
The protagonist and twelve flying knights rode fly mounts and followed them above the fleet. This was the time when dragonflies and damselflies were active, and normally these flies would be easy to target.
However, since there is a swarm of nearly two hundred bees nearby, no matter how ferocious the dragonfly is, it cannot help but retreat, so the protagonist and the others have the courage to continue following.
Since there was no investigation in advance, it was not easy to find a suitable anchorage in a hurry, especially since this place was in an "enemy-occupied area" and there might be a large number of ferocious insects coming out at night, which increased the risk factor of the operation.
But God seems to be favoring the protagonist and the Legion of God's Envoy King. Not long after the fleet sailed into the swampy waters, they discovered an isolated island that was not connected to nearby islands.
It is said to be a small island, but in fact it is a tree stump above the water. The original tree trunk has decayed and collapsed, and has completely disappeared under the erosion of time.
But the tree roots and a section of the tree stump remained, and were preserved for a long time through carbonization in the muddy environment. Some strong vegetation grew around the tree stump, climbing on it, and their roots fixed some soil, forming a small island.
Unlike most other islands, which are connected by intricate overpasses formed by reeds and calamus, this island is isolated and has no roads to other islands, so it will be very safe.
It is getting late, and although the protagonist feels that the island is a bit small, there is not enough time for the fleet to continue to linger. So the protagonist asked the flying knight to send an order to the fleet and let the bees lead the fleet to the island.
The fleet quickly anchored at the edge of the island. Ropes fixed the walnut ship to the plants on the island, and then some ant warriors began to land.
These ant warriors quickly swept through the small island. Some insects hiding on the island were either killed or escaped, completely eliminating the safety hazard.
Then, the ants began to build a base on the island overnight. It is very safe here. Except for flying or swimming insects, other threats, including parasitic ants, cannot directly reach the island.
The ants were able to build a base and unload supplies with peace of mind.
But the disadvantage of this island is as the protagonist observed before. It is too small. It is more than enough to accommodate one legion at present. When the army of the God Envoy King gathers and a large amount of supplies are hoarded, it will not be enough.
Especially in swamp areas, the groundwater level is very high, and there is little soil on this tree stump island. The ants can only make nests inside the tree stumps, using the natural channels that have been corroded or eaten by insects to transform them.
Fortunately, the stump is intact as a whole, and the outer bark and xylem have been carbonized, providing a good barrier. The ants of the God's Envoy King's Army used the dug moist soil mixed with plant fibers to block the unnecessary entrances and exits, leaving only a few openings.
Inside tree stumps, ants also rely on natural tunnels to expand their nests inside decaying trees, or use ant concrete to divide overly large spaces.
A nest that is not too grand but still exquisite is taking shape little by little through the hard work of countless ants. This is the first lair of the Angel King's Legion in the swamp area, let's call it [Swamp City].
Just when the ant army was busy, it was getting late. If the bee and fly knights returned to [Great Lake City] for the night as originally planned, there might be dangers on the way. The protagonist simply decided to let the bees and fly mounts stay here together for the night.
Due to the limited space, a small number of flies could hide in [Swamp City] to rest safely, but the bees had to crowd together and spend the night in the lee of a tree branch.
Fortunately, it was a peaceful night. The most dangerous aerial predators, dragonflies, were not active at night.
The next day, the sun rose, and the golden light of the morning shot into the swamp, but it could not dispel the haze. It was still a dark world here.
Lambotu led the fourth legion to have unloaded all the ant workers and supplies, and the tree stump nest was basically built, with some follow-up repair work left.
The Walnut Fleet needs to return, and they will transport the second batch of troops and supplies in about half a month. During this half month, the Fourth Army must hold on to the forward base alone.
Fortunately, the parasitic ants can't fly or swim, so they shouldn't be a threat here.
The protagonist also decided to stay. He will directly command the Fourth Army and expand the size of the base as much as possible based on the existing base to accommodate more troops and supplies.
The protagonist's idea is that when he has three or four legions on hand, he can launch an offensive against the parasitic ants.
As for the transportation from this island to other lands, the protagonist is not worried at all. The supplies carried this time include a lot of thick ropes, which can be used to build several bridges similar to the [Linshui City] rope bridge to serve as transportation lines for the army.
In this way, this group of uninvited guests who are unfamiliar and hostile to the swamp have taken root.
But the swamp won't be indifferent!
