As if there was nothing more to do, the small ant kept moving and soon reached a small hole that it went inside.
Theo looked at his hand and couldn’t help but feel a stingy feeling.
"Here, young master." Elias crouched down and applied a little potion’s droplets on the finger before moving back up.
Theo nodded in thanks and didn’t get up. This was what he ca to do here: to observe the ants and find out what a hive mind is.
He went closer to the little hole the ant ca from and looked around, only to see that there were no ants around.
He stayed there just like that for a long ti before the mantis suddenly hopped from his shoulder and went near the hole.
’What are you doing?’ Theo asked through the bond due to habit; he wasn’t really looking for an answer directly from the mantis.
But the mantis stared at Theo for a second before it moved its foreleg inside the hole by a little. Surprisingly, it went halfway in, and soon, it pulled it out with speed.
Theo looked at that foreleg with surprise. There was the sa but small ant in it now, but before he could even do anything, the mantis bit into the center of its body and tore it into two in a split second.
’NO!’ Theo shouted in the bond, making the mantis stop midway and look at him with the sa old expression.
He looked at the ant that was in two parts now but still moving with focus. It had still not died.
But soon enough, Theo witnessed another thing.
"Its antennas are glowing right now..." Theo muttered, making the others look at it too.
And it was true — the ant’s two antennas on the tiny head were glowing.
Theo soon saw the glow disappear completely, and the kill ssage ca. It was not even half of a single experience point, making him know again that it was just level 0.
"We need to plan sothing; can’t go on like this." Theo got up and stretched his hands up.
"How would you like to plan, young master?"
"The basics that I know about an ant colony is that..." Theo spoke, picking everyone’s interest. When he found that everyone was listening carefully, he continued."For starters, there is an ant queen, the one that is laying the eggs constantly to birth more ants. Most of these ants that are born are sterial females who can’t lay eggs, and they are what are called ’worker ants’. They are the most vital ones that have very different kinds of work around the colony."
Theo stopped, his gaze never leaving the small hole on the ground."Then there are the male ones. They are quite simple. All their purpose is to mate with the new queen after it leaves the colony; their lifespan is mostly in weeks."
Elias winced after hearing that. The males in the insect world had always been trampled with, their purpose being just to be a reproductive tool to progress the generations.
"That is what the book had written," Theo said. It was obviously a lie — there were no books on ants specifically in the library.
Mainly because there was no need for one to begin with. Theo had already told Bernard to get a few if there were any.
But still, he couldn’t just wait for those books. What the quest wanted from him was to discover the ’hive mind,’ and he was going to keep doing that until he completed it.
From now on, there was no leveling, as it was not possible, and the knight training would only be half a day, so he had all the ti in the world.
Theo sat there and observed the ants for a long ti before it was ti to move back to the carriage.
All along the carriage travel, no one spoke a single word seeing Theo in such a hurry.
And it was him that broke the silence too.
"This colony might be more inclined to than I had hoped before..." Theo spoke out loud with his eyes out the window.
Elias and Clara, both veterans when it ca to knowing Theo, waited silently for him to speak his mind clearly.
"This is most probably a new colony," Theo stated with thoughtfulness.
"How did you get to that, young master? All we saw there were a few ants that ca out," Elias spoke, only to realize it the mont he spoke it.
"Are you saying they are a new colony or sothing?" Elias asked in curiosity, and Theo nodded with a smile.
"If this really is a new colony, then I might need to be a lot faster. It’s still not clear how I will discover this hive mind factor," Theo spoke and continued, "I might just need to observe the whole colony all at once... how do I do that when they are in a hole all the ti?" Theo questioned himself, yet aloud.
"Maybe you take them in your terrarium room?" Clara said jokingly, wanting to make the mood a little light.
Yet both Elias and Theo stared at her with serious expressions.
Theo kept a hand on his head and realized it too, "Maybe this is the only way I can observe the ant queen too? By taking it in the terrarium room," Theo spoke with a dumbfounded expression before looking back up, "This is such a golden opportunity! If the ants really are in small numbers, then we might just be able to pull it off..."
Elias nodded in agreent, "You will have to make a lot of arrangents to do that. I had researched a little about insects seeing how you were so fond of them. And from what I understand, making a good quality terrarium to inhabit the ants would be a good idea. I can help make one that is as similar to this barren land, young master," Elias said, making Theo’s eyes beco a lot more excited.
While Clara and Elias bickered with each other later, all Theo could think of was one thing.
’I am glad they are in my life,’ he thought and looked out the window again, having seen a lot more paths being opened in front of him.
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