Dear father,
Our election has shifted the balance between the political forces in the capital. I have the crime families and the university on my side, but I can’t control the Senate without connections in the military.
With the foreigners’ help, I’ve been lobbying the North General. I desperately need you to send more of our garden’s produce. The nutritious delicacies are highly sought-after among the higher ranks of the military. If you send me more, I can slowly work the captains under the North General’s command and win him over.
Please send me more gold, too. I know you’ve been doing all you can, but I barely won the elections. I need to secure more support if I’m going to reinstate slavery in the capital. It’ll be worth it, Father. I promise.
Yours truly,
O’Shaughnessy Lindstor
Kulvar Lindstor put down his son’s letter and got lost in his thoughts. A Lindstor sat on the throne of the capital. Things were going well for the family. If he managed to help O’Shaughnessy consolidate his power in the capital, then the Lindstors’ rule over Sapphira would become absolute.
Knock, knock.
“Come on in!”
A dark-skinned woman with a sand-colored cloak covering her face entered through the door. As it closed, she revealed her face. She had one sharp, hazel eye, whereas the other was blue, a glass prosthetic. She was covered in tattoos, but they only did so much to hide her scars.
“Taskmaster, status report.”
“The Busterds refuse to sell us any of their produce, sir.”
Kulvar removed his glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose. “What about the Svensters? Or the Woglers?”
“Same, sir.”
The Slaver Alliance, composed of the Busterds, the Svensters, and the Woglers, was the only power that could rival his own in Sapphira. But why did they have to be so stubborn? It was only a matter of time before they were absorbed into the Lindstors.
Kulvar drummed his fingers on the table. What could he do? He had to support O’Shaughnessy somehow. If his son needed rare medicinal herbs and fruits, he had to secure them.
“Reach out to the Marils in Hadestown and make them an offer they can’t refuse. Also, post a request to all the foreigners working under us to collect more treasured herbs and fruits.”
“We’re running low on funds, sir.”
“Empty our coffers if needed! This is no time to be frugal! If we’re short on gold, just deploy our hunters and capture a new batch of slaves to sell in the market!”
“Yes, sir.”
“Oh, and make sure you spread the rumor that the Svensters sold us the produce. We need to weaken the Slaver’s Alliance. We can’t afford for them to grow any stronger. They might already be lobbying in the capital.”
“Yes, sir.”
Kulvar stood from his chair and walked over to the window. He would have built his office higher if the floors above weren’t military property. However, he couldn’t complain. From the 90th floor, he had one of the best views of Sapphira, the city sculpted in the canyon. Its pink rock reflected the warmth of the sunlight while softening its heat.
He could see the North and South gates leading into the canyon and the Sun Fortress guarding the East Plains. The Moon Fortress stood somewhere above him. He cleaned his glasses and put them back on. A few floors below, a group of dwarves clad in metal armor rode limestone coyotes.
His mood soured further.
“What of the dwarves?” Kulvar asked.
“They bought out the entire 82nd floor, sir.”
“I know that! What I want to know is how! Where did they get the money?”
“We do not know sir.”
Kulvar scratched his chin in thought. When the slavers had driven the dwarves away from the canyon, they had made sure they turned against each other. They were but a shadow of what they used to be. Why weren't they staying in their forsaken mountains? How had they scrounged up the money to buy so much property? The 82nd floor used to be mostly owned by the Slaver Alliance. Why did his enemies sell so much property to them? Were they in cahoots? Was the Slaver Alliance trying to bring the dwarves to their side?
“What about our agent? No news from him?”
“No.”
Kulvar massaged his temples. He had spent so much money creating that dwarf cyborg only for him to disappear without a trace.
“Have you tried persuading them?”
“You know dwarves. I can get nothing out of them.”
Even his taskmaster being unable to break down a dwarf in interrogation was a testament to their tenacity. “I don’t like dwarves. Stubborn. Unslaveable. Bah. Everything I hate. I don’t like that they are in Sapphira, either. Divided, they are negligible, but it can be dangerous if we give them a place for their clans to flock to. I’ll speak to the magistrates again. I want them out of my city.”
The taskmaster’s silence didn’t change, but Kulvar could practically hear her disagreement. “Out with it, taskmaster. I don’t keep you around to agree with everything I say.”
“Sir, they could only buy all these properties because of the O’Shaughnessy Act. If your son’s enemies get wind of how you circumvented his policy, they can use that against him.”
Kulvar clenched his fists. He hadn’t thought of that, but it sounded like the kind of nasty trap that the alliance would come up with. “As always, you’re right. Just ensure you bribe, threaten, and maneuver things so they can’t purchase even one more inch of my city.”
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“Very well, sir.”
“Also, get me Ali. I want to know what’s going on with our garden. According to his last report, production was very disappointing this week.”
The taskmaster bowed and left. Kulvar approached the desk and grabbed some parchment and a hawk feather. He dipped it into the inkpot and began writing back an answer to his son. President O’Shaughnessy had to know what was happening in the city and that his family was sending him whatever help they could.
*
So much had happened since the game update last week. He just couldn't understand how all these events had culminated in him being turned into a lackey for his ants.
“More.”
“Are you sure?” Roth sent out telepathically. “I don’t want to cause another cave-in!”
“More.”
Roth sighed and kept digging through the rock.
“Stop.”
Roth obeyed. He closed his eyes and felt the presence of the Leafies. Even from across the wall, he could feel each of the ants. The twinkling dots formed the shape of a tree made of light.
“One final push,” the Lord of the Oak encouraged.
Roth nodded. He stretched the claw in his finger and gently pierced through the rock wall before him. He pushed, he pushed, and finally, it gave. When in [Mole Form], his claws cut through rock as if it were butter. He withdrew the claw quickly to avoid making the hole too obvious. From the small hole, a lone ant scout emerged. Then two, then three, then a dozen.
When Roth returned to Sapphira the affection stat with the Leafies had dropped to the single digits. Rebuilding his relationship with his pet colony had taken a while. Thankfully, his new nature affinity bonus significantly helped him hurry things along.
Love for Life (Stat Bonus)
Description: Birds sing, and flowers bloom in your wake.
Effects:
All healing effects are enhanced;
All positive animal and plant-life interactions are enhanced.
His Zoomorph race, high charisma, and many different skills made him irresistible to animals in AstroTerra. With the added effect of [Love for Life], not even the pragmatic, stubborn Leafies could resist his charm. They were back on excellent terms.
When they told him their plan and asked him for help digging through rock, Roth started digging immediately. After a few days of work, the project was finally completed.
“Have you finished with the other holes?” the Lord asked.
Roth sent the Lord a mental picture of all the other holes he had made around the garden and along the wall separating the tunnel from the greenhouses. “Yes,” Roth confirmed.
“Very well. Thank you, benefactor.”
The Leafies appreciate how you have aided them in their expansion.
+20 affection.
[Tribute] skill activated.
The Leafies have offered you [Ashberry], [Pearl Fruit], and [Glass Grape].
Roth drooled at the sight of the expensive consumables. He loved this new pet skill.
Tribute (Pet Skill)
Description: One hand washes the other. If you scratch your pet’s back, they will scratch yours.
Effects:
Your pets will offer you presents;
Scales with affection and pet grade.
All his three pets had unlocked it once he got each of them to level 30. Finally, Roth could comprehend just how valuable a pet’s grade and affection were. The kind of gifts they could offer him depended on how powerful and rare a pet was and how much affection they had for him.
He had already received more than a few statboosters from the Leafies and Lin. Lua, however, wasn’t too good at gift-giving. As a princess of the herd, she was used to being given gifts, not vice versa.
He studied each of the consumables.
Ashberry (Consumable)
Description: A berry congealed from the flames of a burning bush that is kept permanently ablaze.
Effects:
+1 fire affinity;
+1 wisdom;
Can only be consumed once.
Pearl Fruit (Consumable)
Description: A fruit harvested from the pearl tree. It is packed with nutrients.
Effects:
+100 ep;
+10% movement speed;
Can only be consumed once.
Glass Grape (Consumable)
Description: A grape from the glass vine that is famous for being the main ingredient in crystalline wine.
Effects:
+5% cooldown reduction;
+5 intelligence;
Can only be consumed once.
He lingered briefly, observing the ranks of treeants leaving through the hole, dragging one of the oak tree's roots in tow. He couldn’t wait to see what they would do now that he’d linked the garden and the greenhouses. Roth put the consumables away in his inventory and used the opportunity to check the Leafies’ progress.
Leafies (Pet)
Pet rating: A+
Lvl. 34
Queen: Lea
Soldiers: 2415
Workers: 30134
Affection: 87/100
Weight Lifting: 78 kg
Dexterity: 133
Intelligence: 165
Strength: 150
Subterfuge: 71
Skills: [Ant Constructs II]; [Bioenergy Power Grid]; [Bite]; [Fire Ant Swarm]; [Forage]; [Hunt]; [Poisonous Bite]; [Scavenge]; [Tree Pulse]; [Tribute]; [Tiny House]
Professions: [Aphid Husbandry]; [Bioengineering]; [Chitinsmithing]; [Fungi Farming]; [Leaf Weaving]
Even though their growth was slow initially, they became much more powerful once they overcame the initial bottleneck. They had already awakened several of their genetic skills.
Thanks to the carpenter ants' genome, they showed remarkable progress in harnessing bioenergy and cultivating aphid cattle.
Their ant-weaver ancestry inspired them to start leaf-weaving and fungi farming.
Finally, the fire ant genome allowed them to create living constructs. When Roth saw the fire ant genome in the [Myrmecologist Handbook], he had felt drawn to the potential of these living structures. However, he had failed to consider how the fire ant genome would make the Leafies fierce warriors. Roth still had some trouble coming to terms with how his pet terminated all other predators inside the greenhouse, but he had already accepted he couldn’t override their instincts.
Roth dove into the gravel like he’d seen Molly, the mole, do many times, rolled over in it, shifting his body toward his destination. Roth swam back down to the 82nd floor. Traveling through the gravel of a previously dug tunnel was much faster than breaking new ground, and Roth quickly emerged from the wall of his private room.
Human Form!
Roth wouldn’t need to be digging in the next few days, so he could finally leave [Mole Form] and return to his usual self. Lin was coiled up on a comfy, fluffy bed. Roth had no idea where he’d stolen the bed or the scattered toys from, but Lin promised that no innocent people had been harmed, and Roth had no choice but to believe in him.
He walked over to the mirror. No matter how much he looked, he just couldn’t get enough of the Lacertia set—the dark leather suit of armor with its eerie purple glow just looked too cool.
“What do you think, Lin? Will Mel like my cool new equipment?” he asked, but the kitten was too caught up in playing with one of his toys, a fluffy ball with colorful ribbons. Lin threw the toy away from him with one paw, only to immediately chase it with the other. It was as if his left paw was playing a game against his right one. Somehow, the game was more interesting to the kitten than his owner’s amorous life.
Roth grabbed the consumables the Leafies had just offered him and threw them into his mouth. The ashberry tasted like charred coconut with a grainy, savory pulp. The pearl fruit was dense and meaty but had a sweet taste. The glass grape gushed with juice, bringing the other flavors into a beautiful symphony of taste. This had to be the best fruit salad he’d ever tasted!
+1 fire affinity;
+1 wisdom;
+100 ep;
+10% movement speed;
+5% cooldown reduction;
+5 intelligence.
The power of nature flows into your veins.
+10 nature affinity.
After he ate the statboosters, Roth opened his character’s information to check on his progress over the past few days.