After handing the reins of the wasp's mount to the guards to watch outside, Zhu Jue, escorted by four majestic tall magic ants in iron armor, walked through the natural path on the rough bark and got into the nest.
This is a spherical ant mound located at the top of a branch. It has three entrances and exits leading outside. In spring, you can climb up to the treetop to pick elm coins. In other seasons, there are only a few ants coming in and out. It is mainly the worker ants that guard and hunt on the tree. So it’s considered a daily work channel.
The entrance and exit Zhu Jue walked through was as big as a pinto bean, and the other two entrances and exits were smaller. There were several big-headed ant soldiers guarding each entrance and exit, and their tentacles rubbed all the ants passing by. Drilling into the ant mound, the main passage is relatively spacious, and the entrances to the cells on both sides are arranged neatly, as regularly as a honeycomb.
I saw a few big-headed ant workers carrying a clay pot, getting into a nest chamber, and then quickly came out. Then one of the worker ants used the wool held in its jaws to get some from the clay pot. The liquid is smeared on the wall near the entrance and exit. When you get closer, you can smell a faint smell in the tentacles.
It was an inhibitor, Zhu Jue smelled it. Almost every nest was vaguely filled with this smell. It was a secretion emitted by the queen ant that inhibited the development of worker ants. It was also a stabilizer that ensured the order of the ant nest. Generally speaking, inhibitors do not need to be deliberately spread. The smell emitted by the queen itself will spread to all parts of the nest through the ventilation system and the natural contact of the ants. In addition, the worker ants come and go, and they will always be exposed to a sufficient concentration of inhibitors. , the occasional mature worker ant will not challenge the entire system.
But Zhu Jue realized that each of the two vassal ant tribes in this nest only has one queen, but the scale is not small. In addition, it runs up and down the tree, and natural methods are not enough to distribute the inhibitor evenly and fully, so Worker ants are needed to apply it. After asking the local big-headed ant noble accompanying him, it turned out to be true. Because inhibitors are different among different ant tribes and cannot be used universally, and the number of queen ants is small, this work requires scientific planning. Applying it to the most frequent doorways is the most economical and practical way. If more ant queens appear in this nest, the male ant noble expresses concern that some ambitious vassal nobles will take unfavorable actions, so he is very concerned about spreading inhibitors every day.
Then he continued to visit. Zhu Jue was not very impressed by other details in the lair. Some places felt no different from the local ones, while some places felt unique to mountain lairs.
For example, there are strong winds in the mountains. There are always ants outdoors that are blown far away by the sudden strong wind. After ordinary worker ants are blown away, it depends on fate. It is good to be able to find pheromones and return to the nest of their own group. If they get lost or enter by mistake, It doesn't matter if other forces lose some territory. But nobles, especially those with high status, cannot give it up easily, so the local rule is that high-ranking nobles will not leave the nest easily. If there is an accident, there will be a search and rescue team riding flies in the nest. They will follow the wind and be nearby. Searches are carried out, and the missing nobles usually mark them with pheromones near the place of disappearance, or climb to high places to wait for rescue. The survival rate is said to be high.
Leaving this lair, Zhu Jue followed the guidance of the local nobles and flew upward along the crest of a nearby hill. He quickly flew over the area where shrubs and tall grass were distributed, and arrived halfway up the mountain where there were only low weeds and wasteland.
Here, there is a nest of surrendered indigenous ants.
This nest is different from the tree nest just now. Because the conditions are too harsh, there are no big-headed ants to guard it. The only ones left here are indigenous ants.
Zhu Jue found this hidden nest in a pile of big rocks. There were no traces of civilized buildings on the ground of the nest. A group of huge Japanese ants lived in the crevices of the rocks just like their ancestors thousands of years ago. . If Zhu Jue had not been guided in advance, it would be difficult for Zhu Jue to notice the existence of an ant nest on the ground even if he flew over here.
The wind on the mountain is very strong, and the wasp swarms can only fly close to the ground, constantly using shelters to avoid the sudden strong wind, and they must always be prepared to overcome turbulence. Fortunately, the mount's muscles are well developed, and it can barely move against the wind even if it is against the wind. This would be a lot of effort if it were a fly or bee mount, and it could be blown far away if you are not careful.
Stopping and landing one meter away from the entrance of the stone crevice, several guards approached first and cautiously contacted the nearby Japanese ant. The other guards were ready to support or protect the evacuation of the God Envoy King at any time. After all, this kind of indigenous ant tribe, which lives alone in the harsh mountains and rivers, is more likely to submit to the Ant Alliance in name only. It has strong autonomy. It is not uncommon for them to rebel in order to grab a few more drops of honeydew.
Fortunately, the contact with the Japanese ant was relatively smooth. These big ants are actually much more docile than they look. Their huge size gives them more advantages in moving in the mountains, rather than a warlike personality.
Two envoys from the queen ants in the nest were sent to greet the envoy king. This tribe still maintains a very primitive queen ant system. The male ants are driven away during the mating season and are not allowed to come back, so there are no male ants in the nest. The queen ant not only lays eggs, but also manages the nest, but more often than not, the worker ants unite and govern themselves, and the queen only makes the big decisions.
Zhu Jue entered the nest, and the surrounding worker ants were still doing their own thing. Even with their IQs, they could not quite understand Zhu Jue's status and identity. It was just because some kind of pheromones smeared on their bodies made them think that Zhu Jue and his party were not enemy ants, so It won't attack, but it can't be said to be close and obedient.
It was the two queens of this nest who obtained the crow honey brought by the southern governor's caravan in the trade. After becoming addicted, they were tempted to submit, just to get the quota of one drop of crow honey every three days. In fact, the rule of the southern governor seldom interfered here. Every once in a while, caravans came here to unload crow honey and other necessary supplies, and re-smeared the nest and the ants with the scent, and then the Japanese ants took over. Tributes and merchandise were given to the caravans, and that was that.
The Queen Ants heard that the Divine Envoy King had a noble status, but they did not know who was superior to the Southern Governor. Zhu Jue and the Queen Ant also felt that the mantis was not talking about it when they communicated. It seemed that these The queen's brain was damaged by crow honey, or she was just plain stupid.
Zhu Jue walked around and saw that the nest was really not much different from the original ant nest. The nest chambers were simply made of plant fibers and soil piled in the gaps between stones. They were also made of pottery and stone obtained from the caravan. Tools, fabrics and ropes give the place a somewhat civilized feel.
Zhu Jue also learned that the reason why this lair existed and was specially brought under the control of the southern governor was because it produced important specialties.
