Chương 416: Reaching the Heart of the Terragore Empire.

Flor stood in front of a large empty area with a solemn expression. The massive dome of rock and minerals she could see spanned several kilometers, with holes all around the place. Massive pillars held the ceiling from falling; on those pillars, one could see Terragore moving up and down like busy ants. Strewn across the land, one could spot smaller rock domes where Terragore entered and exited often. Additionally, on the left side of the large area, there was a massive hole that went down somewhere.

This hole was probably the nest where the young Terragore grew. What was eye-catching was the biggest rock dome right in the middle. Its size was four times bigger than the rest, and the materials to build it were clearly precious. Moreover, at the top of the dome, there was a massive grey crystal that emitted a powerful aura. Ignatia's antennae twitched back and forth, and she eventually muttered.

"That crystal… It is the core of a World Tree."

"What?" Flor was stunned. Everyone looked at Ignatia, and the Ant Queen explained.

"That core has been processed by something or someone. It has become something like a Ternary Essence Emitter. It takes the energy and air around it and purifies it, creating a high-essence-concentration region. That's why our skills have been slightly stronger lately." Verdantia was confused.

"That doesn't make sense. The core of the Corrupted World Tree dissolved itself into the land when Liu'er purified it. Other than her, there have been no World Trees dying recently. At least, I know of no records of World Trees dying nearby during the last nine decades. Not to mention, there are records about where each Core from those who died went." Tempestria crossed her arms.

"That means that it is older than that." Cinderielle asked, confused.

"What's the average lifespan of a <Terragore>? It shouldn't be too high, right? Such creatures shouldn't be able to build an item of that quality." A man at the side answered the question. He was a human with a lot of knowledge in this regard.

"Lady Cinderielle, a First Energy Cycle Terragore can live up to 30 years, a Second Energy Cycle reaches 40 to 60 years, and a Third Energy Cycle one could live up to 80 years of age." Cinderielle blinked.

"What about <Fourth Energy Cycle> monsters?" The man shook his head.

"There is no data. The only <Fourth Energy Cycle> Terragore that has been registered was said to be around 110 years old the day it was killed. It still looked healthy as well. However, those documents are not verified, so it is hard to tell if they are nonsense." Everyone became thoughtful. Flor sighed and spoke.

"Either way, we finally have the location of their main colony. That hut-like thing in the middle should be the nest of the <Terragore King> and <Terragore Queen>. Attacking it with our group is nothing but suicide. We should go back and regroup everyone to share knowledge before we start the siege on the main location. We can also see how Liu Shu is doing. After all, she has not spoken to us for more than two months already…" Everyone else nodded.

They were curious as well why the World Tree wouldn't speak with those closest to her. A few minutes after the group left, a creature left the largest hut in the middle. It was much different from the other Terragore. The body continued to be that of a furry, quadrupedal beast with long frontal limbs, incredibly sharp claws, a feral face, and an agile body. However, its color was pure white, while the eyes were blood-red.

The contours of the monstrous face were also slightly rounder, with subtly rounded features that lent it a graceful, almost feminine cast. This monster was the <Terragore Queen>. Behind her, a slightly smaller creature that looked darker than a shadow stepped outside. Unlike the feral graciousness of the white monster, this one was a compact mass of brutal ferocity. The mouth was slightly arched in a growl, some saliva dripping down onto the rock below and dissolving it.

He looked like violence incarnate, and he was the <Terragore King>. Both of them were looking in the direction Flor left. Clearly, they were aware of their presence. Then Terragore Queen growled at the King, and the other shot after Flor's group with such speed that it left a blur in his way. The Terragore King jumped upward, reaching the ceiling, and he pushed against it, propelling his body. He barreled down into the hole Flor's group had left from, creating a violent burst and explosion.

After landing violently, he sniffed the air, and his blood-red eyes looked at the walls and surroundings. Then, he shot through the tunnels. Flor's group continued traveling through the path they came from, their speed neither fast nor slow. Ignatia commented.

"Remember to erase our traces. The last thing we want is those monsters tracking us to the surface." She looked at one of her ants and patted her head.

"Wait behind, child. Remember to come back to Mommy if you see someone following behind us, okay?" Everyone moved slowly while that brown-colored ant with red eyes stayed behind. It moved toward the walls and tapped them, moving the rocks as if it could deform the surroundings at will. This ant was born with innate Earth Aether Mana control thanks to Ignatia's title. The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

As it looked at the surroundings, the ant suddenly noticed a small vibration on the ground. She tilted her head, placing her antennae against the wall to sense the vibrations better. Its mandibles clacked cutely, showing confusion as to what could cause such vibrations. Still, she felt that the movement was approaching their location. Therefore, she decided to quickly erase all traces nearby and create a fake tunnel that connected with a lower tunnel.

This action was completely out of instinct and a strange fear creeping up her carapace. As she finished her quick work, the ant turned around, wanting to leave. At that moment, the ant that was going to create a tunnel to go through the proper cave paused. Instead, it turned around and gazed at the dark passage behind her. A few moments later, the ant saw two ominous red eyes appearing at the end of the tunnel. The body of the ant tensed, and her Aether Mana gathered in her body, ready to strike.

She wanted to delay whatever that monster was, even if it was for a second. That way, her dear Queen Mother would be able to escape further. Yet, the red-eyed shadow crossed the distance and struck her even before she could react. BOOOM! [-47, 499, 000]! Phoer Body Cores: -291/184 The ridiculous damage number was a complete overkill, and the raw power behind the strike made the ant burst into gore, splattering the walls. The Terragore King growled lowly, looking around him with squinted eyes.

He sniffed the air, trying to catch the trail he was following before. However, he couldn't, which frustrated him. Ultimately, he continued through the tunnel before him and sped up, becoming a quick shadow. Sadly for the Terragore King, the ant he killed completely redirected the tunnels in the area, making him rush through one tunnel that went straight in the opposite direction of Ignatia's group. At that same moment, Ignatia suddenly felt a small pinch in her heart and quickly looked back.

Everyone was confused, and Flor asked.

"Ignatia, what's wrong?" Ignatia opened and closed her mouth once. Then, she sighed and turned around.

"Nothing, we don't need to wait for that baby. Let's go." Everyone was momentarily confused before remembering the Ant that Ignatia sent to guard their back. Seeing the somewhat melancholic face of the Ant Queen, they all understood and became silent. Flor flew and sat on Ignatia's shoulder, leaning against her head and caressing Ignatia's long red hair. She didn't speak and just comforted the Ant Queen with her body warmth. Nobody spoke during the return way, feeling somewhat at a loss.

Who would've expected that their first death would occur the moment they decided to retreat? Some people in the group showed a sad expression. After all that Ant had been with them during the last three months, she had saved many people's lives during tense moments with her Earth Aether Mana control. One human woman who had become attached even started crying silently while biting her lip. Her gaze, though, was resolute and somewhat ruthless. Once outside, everyone squinted.

They've been underground for a long time, so the sun outside was somewhat bright. Harmonixia blinked a few times, adapting her gaze to the brightness.

"That was a long stay. I can't wait to get home and have a long bath." Verdantia looked at Ignatia's and Flor's retreating backs. Seeing that they had already left, she agreed with her.

"Indeed. I'll soak in warm water with a few mineral salts for a long while to recover my skin's suppleness." Tempestria bonked the two women.

"Shouldn't we visit Liu Shu first? Even if she looks good on the outside, remember that her outer appearance can be deceiving. Her <Avatar> should tell us a better picture of how Liu Shu is faring right now." Harmonixia commented.

"You girls go ahead first, I need to check that Violue is doing good~." Cinderielle blinked.

"You actually named your flower daughter? I thought you wouldn't, since there will be many like her." Harmonixia chuckled.

"Well, I also thought the same. However, since she is the first, I might as well give that little darling a name. It is a simple one that combines Violet and Blue. Nothing too complicated, haha." Tempestria muttered.

"Then… We should also name our Tree House Daughters, no? Calling them like that makes them feel… expendable?" Seeing the strange faces of the other three, Tempestria coughed.

"That's not the word, but I can't think of it." Cinderielle blinked.

"Unimportant?"

"No… More like… As if their identity as our daughters is not that influential…" Verdantia hit her fist on her palm.

"Ah… You are searching for disposable!" Tempestria pointed at her.

"That's the one!" Cinderielle shook her head with a chuckle.

"Well, you are not wrong. I'll think about a simple name as well. But first~, I want to see my Tiantian!" The others nodded and went to do their own thing. Meanwhile, everyone was told to retreat above ground as they began preparing for an assault on the main nest. The siege would not be an easy one in the slightest, so they needed to prepare the battlefield. The quests on the <Explorer Association> changed accordingly as well. If one looked, there were four types of quests. The first type was escorting missions.

Architects and other types of builder professionals would go underground to slowly modify the surroundings of the nest. The second type was clearing missions. The scouts would map the area and then they would clean up locations where they would later build. The third type was the building missions themselves. For every location a person completed, they would receive generous rewards, and their name would be written down on the wall of the <Terragore Fight>. All people who greatly contributed were placed there.

The last quest type on the Explorer Association was clearing the remaining outer nests of the <Terragore Empire>.