Seraphina was the first to grow impatient; the deep, resonant roar of a dragon echoed through the vast space.
"Didn't you need to talk to it? Why aren't you saying anything?"
Ed looked at the proud dragon with a "how dare you ask?" expression, wanting to say something but swallowing it back.
The current situation is like an insurance salesman deliberately hitting someone with his car to create demand, or a locksmith posting flyers on the inside of doors to demonstrate their skills. It's not that they lack ability, but rather that their attitude is somewhat problematic.
But now is not the time for bickering and arguing; important matters must be addressed...
He looked at the mountain-like queen bee, finally managing to shift his gaze away from her enormous "stomach" and meet her enormous compound eyes.
Seraphina's sudden entry rendered all of Ed's prepared lines useless. After all, he had planned to discuss cooperation with the Queen Bee, but instead, she demolished his doorstep right away. Any intelligent being would be unhappy about that.
Sighing inwardly, Ed forced himself to speak, suppressing his embarrassment:
"Uh, sorry to bother you, but would you be interested in collaborating?"
He was still speaking in human language, and if the queen bee in front of him couldn't understand, he was even willing to trouble Little Green to give her a leaf as a means of communication.
As soon as she finished speaking, the queen bee tilted her head, and the mouth below her compound eyes began to move, speaking in a sound that resembled the friction of carapace:
"Human beings."
As it spoke, it stretched out the " Ed figurine" in its hand:
"Did you make this?"
Ed didn't know why the big bug asked that question, but at least they could communicate.
Watching the other person play with him using their insect-like legs always gave him a chilling unease.
"I made it, but it's yours now. It's a gift."
Upon hearing this, the queen bee withdrew the figurine from her hand and looked at Ed with her enormous compound eyes, which reflected light:
"Humans, a gift?"
As it spoke, it began to wave its insect legs. Although its body was plump, the queen bee's insect legs were exceptionally slender and long. Soon, the creature took out a gem from a hexagonal prism space. It was the Territory Secret Pact that Ed used to divert Oliver's troubles.
"The taste is similar."
The queen bee continued speaking in a sound like her carapace rubbing together:
"This... is also a gift?"
Now that things had come to this, Ed nodded and put on a very fake smile:
Yes, I hope you like it.
In that instant, Ed felt as if he saw a happy expression on the face of a giant insect.
Communicating with the other party seems much easier than I imagined?
Why, did you give it to me?
Ed looked at the gem being played with in the long, slender insect claws and said:
"This demonstrates our sincerity in today's cooperation."
The queen bee put away the Territory Secret Pact, and her enormous compound eyes looked at Ed again:
"Cooperate," I said.
In that instant, Ed felt as if he wasn't being watched by one pair of eyes, but rather that within each hexagonal prism of the vast space, there seemed to be a pair of eyes staring at him.
Although it felt a bit strange, at least the communication was on the right track.
He said to the queen bee:
"I come from a human settlement beyond the Wilderness of Chaos. I have a large number of my subordinates that need to be transported and deployed by air. I hope we can cooperate so that your Soldier Bee can transport my subordinates."
The enormous head tilted, and its compound eyes tilted as well, seemingly tilting the gazes that were barely perceptible in the hexagonal prism space as well.
The queen bee pondered for a moment and said:
"Rewards?"
"As long as we maintain peace, I will build a corridor connecting a vast forest and Sea of Flowers, and I will ensure that that forest is also filled with blossoms."
This is another aspect of Ed's plan.
Having already conducted Oliver's Territory Secret Pact experiment, Willow had ample experience in altering the rules of small areas.
If a corridor-like area could be built, it would connect the Sea of Flowers to the vast forest within the Second Holy See.
By then, the friendly Swarm will not only be able to freely collect pollen in that forest, but will also be able to clear out the resurrected Blood Corpse that are heading towards the Second Holy See settlement.
Ed's plan once again achieved a win-win situation, with the Second Holy See winning twice.
The queen bee's compound eyes stared at Ed, and a rubbing sound came from within.
"Can you do it?"
"Yes, one of my men has already acquired, though not a powerful, ability to alter some of the rules within a small area."
Ed looked at the queen bee and said, "It really couldn't be more true, only omitting some of the embellishments."
" The Territory Secret Pact in your possession is proof of that."
The queen bee tossed the tiny gemstones back and forth, then looked at Ed and asked:
"Then why do the land and monsters exist?"
This is asking why there's a resurgent marquis in this territory? What a question! Who would give away good land?
Although he thought this to himself, Ed still explained:
" Blood Corpse are monsters that are constantly resurrecting in the Wilderness of Chaos. They can appear anywhere, and I already saw them when they arrived. Those monsters don't seem to be a problem for you. Our cooperation won't be difficult either, and your Soldier Bee won't need to participate in the battle directly, so casualties will be minimal."
Upon hearing this, the queen bee fell into deep thought, her enormous body moving rhythmically up and down.
Seeing the queen bee lost in thought, Ed pressed on with a pointed question:
"I want to know, how many insects are still in the Sea of Flowers?"
Upon hearing this question, the queen bee emitted a pleasant rubbing sound:
"No more."
Does this mean there are no other swarms? That means there were other swarms before...?
Ed looked at the somewhat proud queen bee and realized that she might also be a champion of a battle royale tournament, except that the map wasn't the entire continent, but this Sea of Flowers suitable for insects to live on.
"It seems I've found the right partner."
Ed seized the opportunity to praise the other party, and the queen bee seemed quite pleased to hear it.
"Cooperation is possible. Combat is possible, participation is possible, and additionally."
What does this mean?
Ed, watching the insect that could only speak one word at a time, finally understood the meaning of the sentence.
Soldier Bee can also participate in battles, but at an additional cost.
Very good, excellent.
Ed felt a chill run down his spine from his wallet. He didn't even want to ask what constituted a normal equivalent for the insectoids; he simply realized that the queen bee's thinking had evolved to the point where "adults have to pay more."
So confident in his own abilities?
Don't Soldier Bee have lives too?
Ed raised an eyebrow, his unease growing stronger.
He thought of the dark cloud of Soldier Bee that had been chasing him and Seraphina, which had vanished without a trace; he thought of the mere presence of a single, obese, and utterly defenseless queen bee in this vast space; he thought of the look in Seraphina's eyes when she ventured deep into the Hive, and the seemingly movable walls; he thought of the fact that not a single bee larva had been flung into the air from the Hive walls that Seraphina had destroyed...
His sharp, single eye gazed at the enormous insect, which wore a faint, almost mocking smile.