Latiku's Discovery

A week had passed since Latiku began supplying Manus. It was about time for a harvest.

Manus was no demon. There was no need to keep Latiku on an assembly line, producing spider silk for immediate collection. Harvesting it at intervals would do.

Entering the Mental World, Manus found ten spools wrapped thickly in spider silk, round and plump, inside the enormous suspended woven sac used as a warehouse.

This showed the benefit of raising a highly intelligent spider. When harvesting spider silk, he could even have it pre-process the silk itself.

"Ten spools... enough to begin weaving."

Although this was not enough silk to weave robes, only enough for some small accessories, Manus still planned to begin making robes first. More spider silk would be supplied later, after all.

Manus went to check on Latiku again and found it carefully tending an egg sac... It could already lay eggs?

"With sufficient energy, I grew very quickly."

Another week passed. Latiku's body swelled further, and the bristles on its legs had completely disappeared.

Strands of silk connected the nest Latiku had woven for itself, stretching from ceiling to floor. The complex, split structures at the tips of its pedipalps plucked at the threads like fingers, producing vibrations of different pitches.

"You're... playing music?"

Manus did not remember teaching Latiku that.

"Music? I don't know."

Latiku swayed its cephalothorax.

"When my legs touch the threads, they sometimes produce special vibrations that are beneficial to growth."

"Oh?"

Manus was intrigued. For the moment, he was in no hurry to return to weaving robes.

"Show me."

"I am not familiar with this yet... but I will try my best."

Following its memories, Latiku plucked the threads, producing a simple combination of tones that barely formed a tune. Manus carefully observed the effect of