Chapter 946: The Spider Queen's New Home

Chapter 936: The Spider Queen's New Home

In recent days, He Lingchuan had been busy entertaining merchants. The first batch of palm oil had been refined, and its quality was excellent. It was high time for the Yangshan Archipelago to start looking for customers, or it would be too late.

Furthermore, with the archipelago's future abundance of resources, it was He Lingchuan's undeniable responsibility as island master to expand his network and broaden trade routes.

However, whenever he returned to the Yangshan Archipelago, Madam Zhu would always appear nearby.

Once or twice was fine, but after the third and fourth time, He Lingchuan found it strange. Madam Zhu had never particularly liked humans, especially crowded places. Why wasn't she staying on her own Coiling Silk Island?

"Madam Zhu," He Lingchuan said as she once again ambled around him, her eight legs meandering. He could almost see the dilemma etched across her forehead. "If there's something on your mind, just say it."

"Hmm..." Madam Zhu hesitated. "Nothing."

He Lingchuan knew to interpret her words in reverse. Someone as straightforward as Madam Zhu rarely equivocated.

"Is Second Madam Zhu giving you trouble?"

The relationship between the two sisters had always been somewhat peculiar. Madam Zhu possessed immense power, while Second Madam Zhu was full of stratagems. When it came to handling people and affairs, Madam Zhu was no match for her.

"Not exactly. But after it moved into its new home on Coiling Silk Island, it finally mentioned something to me—" Madam Zhu, rarely so hesitant for so long, finally blurted it out! "It had already moved once in eastern Mou Kingdom."

"Oh?" He Lingchuan asked casually. "It wasn't satisfied with the first location?"

Second Madam Zhu had thousands of offspring; moving once was incredibly difficult. How long had it been in Mou Kingdom? Only half a year longer than He Lingchuan. Why move again?

"That place was quite good, but it couldn't stay because Beijia found it!" This was what angered Madam Zhu: her sister's cunning and dishonesty for not explaining the risks clearly before moving!

Now that her sister had moved to the Yangshan Archipelago, would it bring disaster upon them?

Man and spider stared at each other, speechless.

Madam Zhu delivered this bombshell, expecting He Lingchuan to be startled and jump to his feet. To her surprise, he merely blinked and counter-questioned her:

"That's it?"

"Aren't you worried?" Shouldn't a normal person be extremely frightened upon hearing that a nightmare was coming?

Seeing He Lingchuan's calm expression, was this truly the reaction he should have?

"I thought it was something major," he said casually. "What's meant to come will always come."

Madam Zhu surveyed him with her twelve eyes. Only when she confirmed he truly wasn't agitated did she let out a sigh of relief. "If I had known you'd react this way, I would have told you sooner."

And she had agonized over it for so long.

"What else did Second Madam Zhu say?"

"Oh, it wants to discuss something with you on the island."

He Lingchuan was dumbfounded. "Was this an invitation from a few days ago?"

"About two days ago, right after it confessed everything to me," Madam Zhu huffed. "I haven't wanted to deal with it these past few days!"

"Don't be angry, don't be angry," He Lingchuan said. He wanted to pat her to comfort her, but seeing Madam Zhu's long, spiny legs, he decided against it. "Come on, let's go back to Coiling Silk Island and see Second Madam Zhu."

His new tenant had been settled for a few days; it was time for him, as the landlord, to check in.

From a distance, or on the surface, Coiling Silk Island looked no different from before. The shores were still rugged with rocks, and the island remained lush and green. Only occasionally could one spot spiderwebs hanging from treetops or tucked into rock crevices.

Ever since He Lingchuan had deployed the Punishment Dragon Pillar, these islands were no longer enveloped by malevolent qi, and living creatures began to visit. In just a few days, birds were already singing in the forest, and a greater variety of insects, unlike the tiny black bugs that previously thrived only in malevolent qi, now clung to leaves.

There were no paths on Coiling Silk Island, only scattered round or pointed stones. He Lingchuan took the easy way out, climbing onto Madam Zhu's head and letting her carry him to the subterranean spider lair.

Her eight legs moved far more smoothly than two; he closed his eyes and felt not the slightest jolt.

Soon, they arrived at the subterranean spider lair.

In fact, He Lingchuan had heard rustling sounds from the surrounding woodland for a while; he was familiar with the noise, which was the sound of the subterranean spiders' long legs scraping against fallen leaves.

Second Madam Zhu had sent out smaller spiders to greet them.

As they descended the steep rock face, He Lingchuan felt the air grow increasingly humid. This place wasn't entirely devoid of sunlight; from dawn until noon, the sun would strike the vast, screen-like rock walls, allowing herbs in the crevices to thrive.

Beneath the rock face, a hidden stream flowed silently.

This was the subterranean spiders' favorite environment.

The spiders squeezed through an inconspicuous crack, and only then did He Lingchuan realize that the space grew wider the further they went. He wasn't sure if it was naturally that way or if it was the result of the spider colony's deliberate expansion.

Subterranean spiders were masters of environmental modification, knowing precisely how to dig tunnels safely without collapse.

Even here, there was still sunlight.

He Lingchuan noticed the ground was covered with a thick layer of soft, moist black soil, completely devoid of weeds. Several small spiders roamed nearby, immediately chasing away any birds that descended.

Madam Zhu told him that seeds had just been sown here to grow the base grass for the fungal mat.

The "base grass" referred to three specific plants meticulously chosen by Second Madam Zhu, rich in the nutrients required for the fungal mat's rapid growth. Without this base grass for foundation and sustenance, the fungal mat might not grow well.

"So meticulous? I thought the fungal mat could just grow directly in the rock cavities." The fungal mat was the foundational link in Second Madam Zhu's unique agricultural chain, serving as both a pasture for aphids and a culture medium for various delicious fungi and luminous spores.

"It requires a base fertilizer. Later, the base grass and pine needles will need to be chopped up and fed to the fungal mat."

After that, they entered the cave, leaving the sunlight behind.

Every *zhang* (approximately 3.3 meters), a glowing luminous spore above illuminated the otherwise dark subterranean lair, making it clearly visible.

Spiderwebs were entangled everywhere.

He Lingchuan had seen plenty of such setups in the Demon Nest Swamp, so he wasn't surprised in the least.

The residence the sisters had chosen for themselves was a geode cavern, a series of large and small caves nested within each other, leading one after another, and connecting to sea caves towards the shore. According to Madam Zhu, the expansion project here had only just begun. They intended to expand and widen it until the entire subterranean lair was a network of passages, spacious enough for even two giant spiders to move about freely.

Calling it a residence, He Lingchuan scratched his head; it was more like an underground fortress or a labyrinth!

In terms of sturdiness, it seemed not much different from the former Demon Nest Swamp. A common person entering would quickly become disoriented. He wondered how these subterranean spiders navigated.

"So, where is Second Madam Zhu?"

"In the bay."

Madam Zhu led the island master through a bewildering series of twists and turns, even getting him disoriented, before they suddenly emerged into bright daylight. He found himself stepping out of a sea cave, just one more step away from walking into the crystal-clear, glass-like seawater—

A cool breeze carrying the scent of salt water swept over them as they arrived directly at the bay.

(End of Chapter)