HC:Pacifist | Ch. 160 - Tickets (Patreon)

Roth’s heartbeat quickened as he read the system description of the eggs. A pet! He was being offered a pet! When he first visited Greensburg, one of the things that caught his eye was all the rides and pets that players had. He was thrilled with the possibility of getting one for himself.

He took out the item he was granted as a reward for the [Supercolony's Survival] quest: the [Myrmecologists Handbook]. Things were starting to make more sense now. No wonder he was given a guide on how to care for a colony. He was being entrusted with one.

“Our greatest strength has always been in our numbers. But perhaps it’s time we take a different path. We’ve bred a new line of ants that can harness the powers of our different species.”

“So, what you’re offering me isn’t those queen eggs.”

“No. They are far too precious.”

“You’re giving me the eggs’ DNA?”

“Precisely.”

The gears in Roth’s mind were turning furiously. This meant he could select a combination of characteristics and fuse them into one ant species. “But why don’t you breed these ants here? Why are you giving them to a human like me?”

“Like I said. We can’t ignore our instincts. It isn’t easy to find a peaceful combination of species.” A series of flashes were transmitted through the mental link to Roth. Images of a baby ant imbued with different specializations. Its rise to become a powerful queen. The fear other queens felt toward the new mutant breed. Civil war and then genocide.

Roth gulped. Since these ant hybrids were stronger, the unadulterated ants perceived them as threats and couldn’t resist the urge to terminate their mutant siblings.

So that’s why the Lord wanted Roth to take this new colony away from Antioch. The treeants were torn between their instinct to survive and the one to breed. "But what about the rain of fire? And the radiation? Won’t it kill off these queens if I bring them with me? Won’t it kill the babies?”

“One of the alterations we made to these ants is that they are more resistant to the radiation of the rain of fire. Conversely, they are less intelligent when exposed to it.”

“And, again, that’s why you’re giving these eggs to me. They need someone to help them when they leave the protection of your shield and are exposed to radiation.”

“Correct.”

At first, he had assumed that he was being given a new pet from the goodness of Antioch's collective heart. It wasn't so simple. They had their agenda. Regardless, it was still good news for him.

“I’ll take my pick then.”

“Very well.”

Roth went through each of the eggs. Some were more expensive than others. For example, turtle ants were priced at only one vault ticket.

Turtle Ant Queen Egg (Pet)

Description: Turtle ant soldiers have massive dish-like heads that function as the colony’s gates and shields. A good colony geared toward defensive play.

Cost: 1 vault ticket.

On the other hand, most other eggs were priced at two tickets.

“Excuse me, Lord. Why are some of the eggs more expensive than others?”

“It’s simple. It’s easier for us to collect eggs from the queens in this colony. But to import eggs from other super colonies can be a pricey affair with the costs of transportation and all.”

So that’s what it was. If Roth’s suspicions were right, depending on which treeant colony he visited, he could get eggs at different prices. “And can I go visit the other colonies?”

“I’m sorry, human. Even though I trust you, that doesn’t mean the other colonies will. You’ll have to earn their trust individually. I’m not at liberty to share their locations. It’s part of our security measures.” Roth clenched his teeth. There were other treeant cities hidden out there! More achievements for the Hall of Fame! Maybe he could be the first player to find them all. That would probably grant him an awesome title. But, of course, it wasn’t going to be easy.

Even if he could find other cities later, he should focus on what he could get now. He would just make the most out of this opportunity. He carefully reviewed each of the eggs, paying special attention to what eggs were cheaper.

Then, he went through the [Myrmecologists Handbook]. He closed his eyes and opened his mind to the mental waves emanating from the tablet in his hands. The book wasn’t organized in chapters but was more of a collection of short videos.

He saw a picture of a turtle ant with their signature giant dish heads. He then saw a leaf-cutter ant wearing mineral armor. He then was presented with the image of an amalgamation of the two: an ant geared in mineral armor with giant shield-like heads, a walking fortress.

It didn't make much sense to him when he first went through the book. But now that he knew he could cross the different ant queens’ genomes, he understood why this was the reward for an epic quest. He was being given a guide by the system on what each combination granted him!

Whereas other players would have to do experiments and come up with their own combinations of genomes, Roth was being given the inside scoop! The information in this handbook was worth at least 100,000 gold.

Once he realized the value of what he was given, he couldn’t see eggs anymore. All he saw were priceless gemstones. Despite not knowing everything that having this kind of pet granted, the more he went through the handbook, the more impressed he was.

This pet would fit him like a glove. After an hour of reading the descriptions and thinking of possible combinations, Roth finally made his choice. “I’ve made my decision.”

“Pick the eggs of the queens whose specializations you want and lay them on that root over there.”

Roth first grabbed one of the many blank ant queen eggs in the basket. He then positioned it on top of the root that the lord indicated. As the egg touched the root, circuit-like patterns lit on it. The treeants had transformed the tree's roots into a machine.

“Now bring over your choices,” prompted the Lord.

Roth walked toward the racks and grabbed the eggs he wanted. He hoped his choices were correct, but only time would tell. He was breaking new ground here. No player had ever been here before. He just had to trust his gut, the handbook, and go with it.

The first egg that Roth picked was the size of an orange and was jade green.

Weaver Ant Queen Egg

Description: Weaver ants have the unique ability to use their larvae to spit silk and weave it into many different shapes. They can fashion leaves into complex shapes.

Cost: 1 vault ticket.

The reason for his choice here was the obvious synergy between his eco-tailoring class and the weaver ants. Although he had privileged information on what he would get from mixing different specializations, and he knew the skill trees the colony unlocked, he had no idea of how powerful the combination of a pet colony with weaver ant DNA and his eco-tailoring profession would be. To Roth, though, it seemed like there was a lot of potential.

When the weavers told him that he needed a team of ants to learn their techniques and recipes, he had never imagined that he would, one day later, be in possession of a full colony of his own! Hopefully, he would be able to request his colony's help when crafting.

Even if that wasn't possible, according to the handbook, the weaver ant DNA meant that his colony would at least provide him with a steady supply of ant silk. That was a material he could surely use. Another selling point was that it was an indigenous species to the Green Woods, and he could buy it at a discount.

Roth proceeded to the next egg he had chosen. This was one of the smallest ones in the racks and had a golden sheen.

Acorn Ant Queen Egg

Description: These ants can make colonies in small spaces. They are capable of making their home in hollow acorns.

Cost: 3 vault tickets.

Roth hadn’t met any acorn ants in Antioch. The higher price suggested that these eggs were imported from one of the other colonies. One reason for choosing it was that these ants could live in tiny spaces.

Roth didn’t want to have a pet farm that he left somewhere and only saw once in a while. According to the [Myrmecologists Handbook], this specialization would enable him to carry around his pet.

The main reason for Roth to choose the acorn ants was a synergy that he found between them and another species’ DNA. If he was correct, this DNA was crucial for his future development.

Roth moved next toward a black egg, one of the biggest in the racks. This was the species that synergized with the acorn ants. It was, incidentally, the very first species he’d seen in Antioch.

Carpenter Ant Queen Egg

Description: These ants make their nests inside trees and keep aphid farms.

Cost: 1 vault ticket.

Even if there was no synergy between these ants and the acorn ants, Roth would have picked it without a second thought. The reason was simple. Carpenter ants were the ones that programmed the trees. They carved circuitry inside of the mutated giants of the forests and were the most fundamental species in the colony. They were the ones that had made the shield-generators and teleportation devices. Roth couldn’t pass on the opportunity of having pets capable of producing this type of machinery.

He placed both the big black egg, the size of a cantaloupe, and the small golden egg, as small as a grape, on the root next to the others. More of the roots’ bio machinery activated, illuminating the vault.

Finally, Roth splurged the last three credits in one foreign ant he hadn’t seen in the Green Woods. He grabbed the shiny red egg. It looked like a ruby.

Fire Ant Queen Egg

Description: These ants can endure cold and wet environments.

Cost: 3 vault tickets.

According to his handbook, the synergies he would get from adding his ants to the mix were out of this world. There were many other specializations he wished he could get. Sadly, he had run out of tickets to spend.

"Done."

“Are you sure these are your choices?”

“Yes.”

“Put your tickets on the root, please.”

Roth grabbed the little golden coupons and set them on the root. They faded into motes of light that were absorbed by the root. The biomachine came to life with different wooden hair-thin fibers stretching from the roots and wrapping around all the eggs, thus starting the genome transfer sequence.

The blank ant egg changed from color to color. First, the shell became red and then darkened until it was black. It shifted to green, then to yellow, and then green again. The final color was a greenish copper. The transfer procedure took one minute.

Congratulations! You’ve received [Hybrid Ant Queen Egg].

Hybrid Ant Queen Egg (Pet)

Pet rating: A+.

Description: This queen has been bred to take up different specializations from different ant species.

Genome:

[Acorn]; [Weaver]; [Carpenter]; [Fire].

Would you like to hatch the egg and start the colony? [Y/N]

"A+ grade? Pets have grades too?" He didn't know that. He had to consult his team's library to find out more.

As for hatching the egg, Roth decisively selected no. The last thing he needed was for the primitive instincts of the ants of Antioch to take over and for his queen to be killed like the caterpillar. Additionally, according to the handbook he’d gotten, he had some preparations to go through before this ant queen could see the light of day.

“One of the genetic improvements we’ve made to the blank ants is they don’t need to mate. Your new colony is ready to go.” The sentence was said with excitement and pride.

“Thank you for your trust, Lord. I’ll do my best to take care of it.”

Roth grabbed each of the eggs he had selected and put them back where he’d found them. He spared one last look at the infinite number of possibilities that he was leaving behind and thought of how envious the guilds would be if they could see this. He turned back and headed toward the teleportation tree. It was time to get out of here.

Ch. 159 - The Vault

INDEX

Ch. 161 - Growth Set