To Ed's surprise, the Hive's answer was very simple and clear:
"I know you're referring to the Demonic Tide. You humans may hate and fear the Demonic Tide Demonic Tide, but I am grateful to Demonic Tide."
The Hive Consciousness said seriously:
"Without the Demonic Tide, 'I' would not have been born from the Swarm and would have been forever trapped in the cage built by 'instinct'."
" The Sea of Flowers is a special area. I am very fortunate to have awakened my consciousness here. However, I am not the only lucky one. I defeated the ant colony, defeated the giant spider, and drove away those weak insects, all for the sake of monopolizing the entire Sea of Flowers."
"I agreed to cooperate with you because I sensed something special in you, not because I desired any restoration of order to the land."
The Hive Consciousness's tone carried a hint of emotion:
"Without the Demonic Tide, do you think we would be able to have this kind of dialogue on equal footing?"
Ed fell silent upon hearing this.
Wasn't his previous success in winning over those humans from the Tree Worship Church, and even intelligent demons like Willow, precisely because the Demonic Tide had thrown everyone's lives into chaos and disorder?
The reason people follow him, besides the cover of his identity as the Son of God, is essentially because they yearn for the order that preceded the Demonic Tide to return to the earth.
But for the Hive before them, and even for the mutated insectoids who might be alive or dead, the Demonic Tide was a sage who guided them to enlightenment, a debt of gratitude immeasurable.
Given such a great favor, it's already quite remarkable that the Hive didn't directly launch an attack on the Second Holy See.
"I understand what you mean. In that case, Sea of Flowers and the Second Holy See should maintain friendly relations. You don't need to do anything extra."
"That's not necessarily true."
Just as Ed was about to draw a line, the Hive Consciousness suddenly changed its tune, leaving him somewhat bewildered.
On the one hand, they claim the Demonic Tide as their benefactor, but on the other hand, they refuse to sever ties with the established order.
What, you want to be a traitor too?
Ed timely expressed his doubts and quickly received a response from the queen bee:
"I just don't see the benefits of so-called order, but it can still offer you some extra help."
After careful consideration, Ed uttered that classic line:
"So, what is the price?"
"After you have truly blossomed, please let me be the first to taste you."
"... Okay, I agree."
Now that things have come to this, Ed is like someone who's already burdened with too many debts and doesn't care anymore. He still has over ninety-nine years left on his loan to Seraphina, and now he's owed the Hive Consciousness a favor.
However, it seems that I possess some extraordinary qualities. A powerful being like the Hive Consciousness can easily see my special characteristics and invest in me.
But why am I so certain of my identity as the World Tree?
What initially seemed like a mere pretext to conceal their identities now appears to be gradually becoming the truth.
Ed could sense that something was wrong, but he didn't know where to begin to sort it out.
However, we should first rule out the possibility that I have the ability to make my words come true; otherwise, I could simply say "The world will return to normal" and everything would be over.
Ed looked at the Hive again in his mind:
There's one more thing I'd like to ask you.
Please speak.
"Your essence is actually Hive and Swarm Alienation by the Demonic Tide, isn't it?"
That's one way to understand it.
"Then why do your Swarm share some similarities with humans?"
"It's just imitation. After I defeat those enemies, I always learn something from them. For example, the specialized individual ' Soldier Bee ' was learned from the defeated 'queen ant'. If you want to see, the queen bee can also spin silk..."
"No, that's not necessary..."
"Well, in short, I've seen humans before and am quite interested in some of your physical structures, so my individuals will have some human characteristics to varying degrees."
"I understand... Well, I have one more small request."
"What?"
"If possible, could the Soldier Bee used in future collaborations not resemble humans so much?"
"Yes, but why?"
Ed was speechless for a moment, then, after sorting out his thoughts, he said:
Human perception of other races falls into two categories: intelligence level and the degree of similarity to one's own race.
"Those with high intelligence and high similarity will be considered friends, such as the lich in my territory and the legendary elves."
"Those with low intelligence and high similarity will be regarded as servants, such as the Blood Corpse they capture, and the monsters enslaved before the outbreak of the Demonic Tide."
"Low intelligence and low similarity are seen as beasts, such as those Aberration animals in the forest."
"And the last type is the Swarm, a highly intelligent but low-similarity group. Your Swarm is somewhat similar to humans, but no matter how much Alienation, it can never become highly similar to humans. It is stuck in this middle ground."
"Humans will be very wary of such a group, so your Soldier Bee can exhibit more of their original insect characteristics, completely eliminating any similarities between humans and the Swarm. This will actually be more conducive to establishing a normal and healthy relationship."
"I see, I understand."
The Hive said:
"Then, I look forward to working with you, and I also look forward to seeing you in person."
Ed looked up again; the larva in his arms was writhing in a strange position.
He placed the larvae back into the prism space beneath his feet, and the enormous queen bee in front of him awoke once more.
Earlier, when the Queen Bee was whispering with Ed in the Hive Consciousness, she also lowered her head in unison to dispel Seraphina's wariness.
Now that Ed has finished discussing things with the Hive, the queen bee has come back online, still looking rather dazed, making one wonder if the bee larvae she lays will have intellectual disabilities.
However, Ed now knows the true form of the Hive Consciousness.
This is a true collective consciousness; every bee is part of it, and every Hive is part of it. There is no one Domination another.
Since it's all the same thing... Ed looked at the bloated queen bee in front of him and felt he could still make a better impression on her:
"Won't you feel uncomfortable with such a heavy body?"
The queen bee pondered for a moment and nodded. To the Hive Consciousness, it was like a finger going numb—not a major problem, but still somewhat uncomfortable.
Seeing the other party's response, Ed knew that this time he had truly found a suitable match with his expertise.
He confidently extended his hand to the queen bee in front of him:
"Come, give me a gem."
The queen bee rummaged through several columnar spaces and placed a gem in Ed's hand.
Upon receiving the gem, the green sapling above the boy's head quickly emitted a mysterious blue light...