Queen (Part 2)

System ultimately refused the Grasshopper Queen because of his lifespan.

Although the queen still could not understand System's way of thinking, she had clearly accepted his point of view.

That entire afternoon, System conversed with the female grasshopper, asking about some of her experiences while also telling her about what had happened since his awakening.

Near nightfall, the enormous female grasshopper, like a queen, flew away.

She was utterly determined to explore the vast world.

Over the course of that afternoon's conversation with the Grasshopper Queen, System obtained much information, including crucial details about the third molt.

Though there were many words the Grasshopper Queen could not express and communication between them was arduous, System still learned that the grasshopper queen's lifespan had indeed increased after her third molt.

The queen said that when the leaves of the trees fell, then grew back, and this repeated three times, she would die. In other words, she had three years left to live.

However, as for exactly how she had completed three molts in the brief span of a single summer, even the Grasshopper Queen herself was not very sure.

Unlike System, she rarely ate meat and basically ate only plants.

System guessed that the Grasshopper Queen had likely eaten some special plant, much like that unusual lizard meat, which had caused her body to undergo massive growth and special changes.

Unfortunately, the area where the Grasshopper Queen had grown was very far from here. Supposedly, it took a month to fly here, so System had no choice but to give up on it.

After all, it would take too long, and flying continuously through the sky was undoubtedly dangerous. It was better to keep stealing the ants' food—it was far more reliable.

Shortly before sunset, before the Grasshopper Queen left, System asked a question that had been weighing heavily on his mind.

The Grasshopper Queen knew she had three years to live, and she knew System's lifespan was very short. So why had she chosen to travel with System for two months, then mate with him?

Even after undergoing a third molt, grasshoppers still died quickly after laying eggs.

The Grasshopper Queen's answer was simple and direct: "Like. Smart. You."

The Grasshopper Queen's confession was so straightforward that System was caught completely off guard. Hearing such words from a giant grasshopper made the human soul within him feel intensely awkward.

Yet his blood kept trembling, and his body seemed to secrete some special hormone, filling him with joy and excitement.

Fortunately, System's reason ultimately suppressed his body's instincts. Compared to reproducing, he still wanted to live longer himself.

The Grasshopper Queen finally chose to leave at nightfall, sending System one last message before she departed.

"I. Return. Find you."

"Will you come back to find me?"

System looked toward the direction in which the Grasshopper Queen had flown, instinctively sending out a mental message, only to discover that with her departure, their mental channel had already closed.

Despite the awkward emotions brought by an insect's instinct to mate, meeting the Grasshopper Queen had been something that made System very happy.

At least there was another of his kind in this world with whom he could communicate, so he would not be quite so lonely.

And through the Grasshopper Queen, he had learned that the third molt truly could extend his lifespan. Perhaps three years was still short, but it was more than ten times longer than two months.

Shaking his somewhat dizzy head, System found his mind deeply exhausted after going an entire day and night without rest. He needed to let his head rest for a while.

After several hops, System secreted some [Corrosive Mucus] near the tree hollow, then returned to his nest to rest.

As usual, System entered his daily summary while asleep and considered his next plans.

Learning that the third molt could extend his lifespan had undoubtedly given System a shot in the arm. Compared with relying on the old druid, System still trusted his own kind and himself more.

As time passed, the muddy forest left behind by the torrential rain gradually dried out. The meat foods the ants searched for became fewer, while foods resembling grass seeds gradually became more plentiful.

The next two or three days would not be a problem, but after that, the efficiency of obtaining meat by robbing ants would decline considerably.

System knew he had to prepare early and find more sources of food—more different kinds of insects.

As long as he endured these next dozen or so days and raised his Molting Growth to its maximum level, everything afterward would become easier.

Once he gained the chance for a third molt and was no longer restricted by the need for varied foods, he could capture ants to his heart's content, or return to that tree covered in insect pupae and rapidly raise his level.

After the torrential rain, the forest gradually regained its vitality. Not only had mosquito-like insects increased, but System had often encountered scattered individuals of other insects lately, and the chirping of crickets at night had grown more frequent as well.

However, hunting these newly appearing insects was not much help to System. The efficiency was simply too poor; there were only a few kinds of prey that were easy to catch, and eating too much of them would cause them to lose their effect of improving Molting Growth.

If he wanted to obtain more varieties of food, he could only continue exploring farther afield.

Only by exploring farther could he gain more opportunities.

The next day, System inspected the ants near the ant nest as usual, then robbed worker ants of their food.

After failing to provoke a twenty-centimeter toad by throwing pebbles down at it from above, System began exploring farther away.

The terrain in every direction of the forest was roughly the same: all kinds of trees, vines, weeds, and rain-soaked fallen leaves and rotten branches that had begun to decay.

Because of the damp environment, many mushrooms had appeared in the forest—there were several every meter or so.

System did not dare try these foods, which might contain deadly poison, himself. But ants had carried mushrooms back to their nest before him, and over the past few days, System had also tried eating this food several times.

Through analysis by the derived abilities [Information Input] and [Information Reading], System had already identified seven types of mushrooms he could eat from the fragments carried by the ants.

Most of these mushrooms tasted far better than plant leaves, though they were still a little worse than meat.

It had a faint yogurt-like taste. If it had not been meat, it would have counted as very good food.

After jumping down from a huge white mushroom, System continued exploring and discovered a strange plant in the forest.

This plant had a special organ shaped like a water bottle, reddish-brown in color. Above the bottle was a leaf that seemed to serve as a lid.

If System's memories of his previous life were correct, this plant should have been similar to the pitcher plants of the rainforests from his former world.

The mouth of the pitcher was smooth, and it contained a special digestive fluid. The lid above it could secrete a fragrance that attracted insects while also shielding the pitcher from rainwater.

It was a typical semi-carnivorous plant.

Because of the torrential rain several days ago, the pitcher was already filled with water. It was likely basically impossible for it to catch any unlucky insects.

System tried biting the pitcher with his pincer teeth and found it exceptionally sturdy. Even his [Corrosive Mucus] had no effect on it. This plant, capable of secreting digestive fluid, likely possessed resistance to corrosive liquids.

System tried taking a sip of the rainwater collected inside the pitcher plant and discovered that it could enhance his [Corrosive Mucus]. However, the digestive fluid had already been diluted by the rainwater, so its effect on him was extremely limited.

Just as System was preparing to leave, his antennae suddenly sensed a strange aura...