Chapter 47 - Chapter 47: Chapter 42: The Plan for Pest Control i (2/2)
“I’ve been raising that nest of termites for quite some time now. Although their food mainly consists of wood and tender leaves, using them as ants for pest control is also doable. I’ll bring a batch of Worker Ants down later to help me with pest control.”
Qin Niu silently calculated in his heart.
Termites prefer to be active at night, so later this evening when I head down the mountain, I’ll bring a batch of Worker Ants and then return them tomorrow morning.
The most frustrating thing is that the Ant Queen’s breeding skill hasn’t been upgraded yet, capable of producing only ten eggs a day, which is incredibly rubbish.
1 must find a way to help the Ant Queen rapidly improve her breeding skill.
Anyway, as they’ve already settled in that large camphor tree, they’re not short of food at all.
1 have considered using the two low-grade Contract Charms in my possession to tame two other ant queens, like the Bull Head Ant, Tiger Patterned Ant, and Army Ant which are all particularly good species.
One issue is that suitable Breeder Ants are hard to find, and secondly, the success rate is really quite low.
Thirdly, it’s very time-consuming.
By the time the new tamed Ant Queen lays her first batch of eggs, and those eggs develop into pupae, transform into adult ants, the corn in the field would almost be ready for harvest.
There simply isn’t enough time.
Moreover, each low-grade Contract Charm is extremely precious to me.
Unless I encounter a suitable and excellent creature, I’d rather save them.
For now, the only hope is that termite nest.
They dispatch black stink ants as if it were child’s play, let alone dealing with the defenseless Core-Boring Worms, which would be as easy as slicing vegetables.
Moreover, they have an exceptionally keen sense of smell, are small and agile, making the entire cornfield their potential hunting ground.
That being said, the frogs, spiders, and other insects in the cornfield could all potentially pose a threat to the termites’ lives.
Therefore, Qin Niu is still deliberating on using termites for pest control.
Tonight I can only experiment with a small number of Worker Ants, and if the losses are great, I must immediately cease.
I’d rather lose the entire crop of corn than see that termite nest destroyed.
Even more so, 1 cannot afford to risk the greater loss for the smaller gain and sacrifice a large number of Worker Ants for pest control, which would affect the overall development speed of the ant colony.
Just yesterday, experimenting with Banyan Tree Blood already cost the loss of a Young Worker Ant.
The outcome for another is still unknown.
He walked into the mountain with a frown, head lowered.
The three Core-Boring Worms were brought along; I intended to feed them to the termite colony and have the termites memorize their scent.
After entering the mountain, I headed straight for the Ant Nest.
On clear days like this, many villagers go into the mountains to gather firewood.
In this world with relatively backward technology, where civilization is primarily focused on cultivation, everyone aspires for longevity and to be revered by heaven and earth. Thus, there is no mining or use of energy sources like coal or natural gas.
Both the common folk and officials alike rely on firewood and charcoal for warmth, cooking their food, and firing the bricks used for building houses.
Since firewood is expensive, green bricks and tiles are beyond the means of ordinary families.
Only the well-off, like Wang Furen’s household, can afford to build houses of green brick and tiles.
Essentially, every household stores up dry wood.
Not surprisingly, there are many people who go to the mountains to chop wood.
In fact, the entire village only has two successful individuals like Wang Furen and Xu Zhenchang who have built houses of green brick and tile. The clubfoot who tamed a Treasure-Seeking Mouse has only recently risen in the past two years and currently holds the provisional status of a Beast Tamer in the Beast Tamer Association; his financial strength is probably not very robust.
Hence, the house he lives in temporarily can hardly be called luxurious.
Mainly because there aren’t many opportunities to make money in the countryside.
That’s why the clubfoot is considering developing in Black Tiger City.
Even so, in the eyes of the public, the clubfoot is still seen as a winner in life. If he can improve his Beast Taming Skill or if the Treasure-Seeking Mouse can be upgraded by one grade, the clubfoot’s future achievements could far exceed those of Wang Furen and Xu Zhenchang.
Qin Niu is now a provisional Insect Master, his status not much different from that of the clubfoot.
His Ant Nest’s location is on the outer edge of the deep mountains, and under normal circumstances, no ordinary villagers dare to chop firewood here.
Many villagers form small groups of three to five to enter the mountains together.
They then chop wood on the periphery of the forest.
However, everyone subconsciously keeps a certain distance from the Yan Family’s mountainous land.
While the tigers and wolves in the mountains are frightening, the Yan Family is even more terrifying, and no one dares to offend them.
Upon arriving at the Ant Nest, everything is still quiet, with only two Soldier Ants stationed at the entrance of the nest keeping watch.
The ant colony is still very weak and adopting a defensive posture.
They’re secretly developing within this large camphor tree.
This is a very sound development strategy.
“Fourth, bring out the Young Worker Ant from yesterday,” Qin Niu communicated with Fourth in ant language.
I’ve been consciously trying to improve my proficiency in the ant language, and I converse with them whenever 1 come to see the termites.
But because communicating drains spiritual power, I’m unable to chat with them incessantly like ‘talking on the phone.’
Currently, only Fourth and the Ant Queen can communicate with me properly.
The other termites can receive my simple commands for now, but we are not able to converse..