Chapter 308: Schemes of the Weak (1/2)

Scuttling sounds echoed within a dark tunnel as Crust-Mantles carried dirt from one end to the other. In the deeper end, Tier 4 Crust-Mantles broke large pieces of rocks, creating a lot of gravel in the process.

The rocks were easier to carry as two Tier 2 Crust-Mantles joined and carried it together. Most of the time, they were small enough to be carried by a Tier 2 Crust-Mantle alone. On the other hand, Transporting the gravel was a cumbersome process.

A Tier 2 Crust-Mantle, Jyorta's current form pulled forth a trolley and stopped a fair distance away from the flurry of activities.

He finished the memories of all the Tier 1 Crust-Mantles he had obtained. One common thing among them was the fact that all of them had been captured by humans from the same place underneath the desert.

After that, Jyorta took some break before focusing on the memory fragments of the Tier 2 Crust-Mantles. He had four of them to go through. It was well into the night when he started to comprehend the first set of memories.

The Crust-Mantles were expert diggers, capable of working with the least commotion. Their Skills were related to such, capable of digging through the earth while ensuring the created tunnels were rigid enough to never collapse.

'This is what Rhachis Ancestor Earth had intended when creating them. They can work in high temperatures, heavy pressures, in both air and water, and possess tough but agile bodies. Their bodies are also beneficial for consumption as they improve the consumer's Essence of Frenzy. Their fighting power is at the bottom of their Tiers, so they can never hope to rebel. Moreover, for some reason, they are a close-knit community, caring about the lives of their brethren more than their own, and can be forced to work using a hostage situation.'

'All these factors make them exploitable targets. The four Frenzy Beast races can exploit the Crust-Mantles as much as needed. And, if they outlive their use, they can be used as a farming material due to the beneficial nature of their flesh.' Jyorta thought.

The blue soul then continued to send memories to his brain, fully immersing himself in the memory. Now, he was no longer able to think, passively experiencing everything the memory has to offer.

He had planted certain stimuli previously. The moment his brain churned thoughts, it meant he had obtained some information to process. The blue soul would immediately stop sending the memory fragments and break him from the immersion. Jyorta would then think through the information he perceived and would resume when he had concluded his thoughts.

The trolley was made from silk, with most of the frame hardened thanks to the coiling structure of the silk threads used. It was twice the size of the Tier 2 Crust-Mantle, shaped into a rectangle. Two ropes extended from one side and were wound around the head of Jyorta's Crust-Mantle form.

When it reached the area, the Crust-Mantle form turned around, using its mandibles as a forklift to lift the trolley and made it face the opposite direction. After placing it on the ground, it turned around, facing the direction of the exit.

A Ground Controller Crust-Mantle used its psychic arms to send a steady stream of gravel into the trolley, filling it up within a dozen seconds. The moment it finished, it nudged the Tier 2 Crust-Mantle, ”Keep up with the good work. Nothing troubling happened outside, right?”

Jyorta's Crust-Mantle form chirped, looking around to notice that only its Crust-Mantle brethren were within the tunnel. It hesitated for a second before chirping, ”Everything we were told to ignore has happened. The Floating Spiders are a bloodthirsty race. They are nothing like the Lava Turtles.”

Hearing its words, the surroundings turned silent. It seemed most of the workers were listening to their conversation. For a couple of seconds, all work paused. The other Tier 2 Crust-Mantles too echoed its reply, validating its claims.

The Ground Controller Crust-Mantle let out sad chirps, ”There is nothing we can do about it. We are helpless against them. They have Tier 6 beings on their side while we can't even face their Tier 5 beings.”

Its chirps resounded through the tunnel, ”Resume our work. We can't be impatient. Our time will surely come.”

Jyorta's Crust-Mantle form sulked and started to pull the trolley. It soon increased its speed, accompanied by eight more Tier 2 Crust-Mantles. They sprinted towards the exit; the scuttling sounds they produced echoed within the dark tunnel.

After an hour had passed, the tunnel lit up and began to incline. They had to exert greater strength to pull the trolley up. Thankfully, they had built up more than enough momentum to do so. In unison, the nine Tier 2 Crust-Mantles exited the tunnel, running on flat, paved land before arriving at their destination.

Nine Ground Controllers stood before them, using their psychic arms to lift the gravel from the trolley before scooping them atop the hill. Just when they were done, another batch of Tier 2 Crust-Mantles, numbering nine arrived. It was an efficient loop, without any wastage of time. Everything, including their abilities, had been perfectly calculated to ensure the most efficient performance of the tasks.

Suddenly, chirps of all intensities resounded. The tone held anger, sadness, grief, pain, hatred, etc. it was an overwhelming influx of emotions. Even the Ground Controllers were startled for a second before chirping in unison, their cries echoing with the others.

'Someone important was gravely injured!' This sentence formed in his mind. Just as he was wondering, Jyorta's Crust-Mantle left its trolley behind and sprinted towards the source. The moment it noticed the Tier 5 Crust-Mantle sporting a massive hole on its back, it expressed its fury.