May 16, Year 1 of the New Calendar
More than three months had passed in the blink of an eye. During that time, Lin Jin had chosen to focus on developing the territory he already held rather than expanding into new lands.
After so many major battles, the Sunrise Expeditionary Army was utterly exhausted and desperately needed time to recuperate.
The reclaimed territory needed managing, and the spoils of war would also take time to put to use.
During this period, Lin Jin had practically been clocking in every day, following the same three-stop routine.
His first task each day was to visit several important cities and personally emit simulated sunlight for a while.
Then he would check on Ashen City's technological progress and offer guidance when necessary.
Finally, he would check on Raily's progress to make sure nothing went wrong.
Once all three tasks were done, he would return to his statue and focus on absorbing faith.
As he absorbed faith, he would also unconsciously continue to radiate pure light.
The longer the bugs basked in that light, the stronger and smarter they became.
And in this comfortable, stable environment, the earliest group of females had successfully conceived and begun laying eggs.
Unlike mammals, bugs could lay several hundred eggs at once, or even thousands.
The world of Hollow Knight did not seem quite that extreme, but they still laid well over a dozen at a time.
As a result, the Ashen Clan's numbers had multiplied more than tenfold in one go, thanks in no small part to the excellent environment Lin Jin had created in Ashen City.
Out in the wilderness, even if the bugs could fully indulge their natural instincts, such a thing would have been beyond imagining.
And these bugs, exposed to the light continuously from