Heavenly Silkworm 4
"Ah—no, wait. Hyang-i, spit that out first. Ptooey, ptooey. Hurry."
I'd been so startled I'd asked where she'd caught the bug in her mouth first—but that was the wrong order of priorities. As a father, worried she might get bitten and hurt, I ordered her to spit the insect out. Hyang-i spat the bug from her mouth with a wet ptooey.
Plop.
The bug she'd spat out, thrashing on its back, righted itself and revealed its full form. It was about the size of an egg overall—a translucent white body with antennae and short legs. It was dozens or hundreds of times larger than normal, but I knew exactly what this insect was.
That's a termite!
It was definitely a bit plump and quite large, but unmistakably a termite. What Hyang-i had brought back from somewhere was a termite—called baek-ui in the Central Plains tongue.
But there's no wood around here. Where on earth did she find this?
I was blinking in surprise at the fact that Hyang-i had caught a termite when—as if she hadn't forgotten my earlier question—her thoughts came through to my mind.
Daddy, if you go over there, there are lots of them! Hyang-i saw them!
Guh!
Even as I reeled from the shock of where Hyang-i had gotten the termite, I couldn't help but freeze at her insane cuteness. A daughter's heart-attack that squeezed a father's heart dry. No father could keep his sanity through that. Sure, the three of them fought and one of them running away from home could blow a dad's mental health to pieces—but this kind of insane cuteness was also the joy of raising a daughter.
No, seriously, what am I doing thinking about insane cuteness in this situation…
I flinched at Hyang-i's adorable thoughts and asked again.
"R-right, where is it?"
I'd thought our Hyang-i had a carefree personality, but she was surprisingly thorough when it came to getting things done. As if determined not to let it get away, she lunged at the spat-out termite, knocked it unconscious, then wriggled her way toward the base of a red peak. She headed for the foot of the rock peak, near where the stone roots began, then looked back at me and called out.
Chirrrr!
Daddy! Here, here!
I hurried over and crouched at the spot she was pointing to—a hidden space under a rock that formed something like a low roof. A hole cleverly concealed in a rock crevice came into view, and just as Hyang-i had said, several termites were poking their heads out.
Huuuh!
A thrill shot from the top of my head down to my toes! I stared blankly at the countless towering rock peaks rising all around me. And the hundred-plus red rock peaks began to look completely different from before. I could now precisely recognize what those peaks really were.
These red peaks weren't simple rock formations. The countless red rock peaks rising from this basin weren't mere peaks at all—they all looked like termite nests. And I roughly knew what kind of creatures these were. Termites were commonly known to live in wood, but not all termites lived in trees.
Th-these are the same kind as cathedral termites!
Scientific name: Nasutitermes triodiae. Commonly known as the cathedral termite. The ones before me were clearly a similar species to what were called cathedral termites, or cathedral ants.
Cathedral termites were a species native to the desert regions of Australia, and there was a reason they earned that name. They built peak-like homes resembling Europe's famous Sagrada Família cathedral, designed by the architect Gaudí. There was a reason they built such tall homes—structures of that design were optimal for heat and air circulation.
A termite's cathedral-like home might look like a roughly piled peak, but it was a highly scientific structure. Since cathedral termites lived in hot regions, when it got hot they drew cool air in through intake vents spread across the ground, and channeled hot air up through tall chimneys to exhaust it. And when night fell and temperatures dropped, they sealed the holes at the top to minimize heat loss.
A six-millimeter cathedral termite builds a nest over six meters tall, so the one Hyang-i caught earlier looked about six centimeters…
The nests being as large as peaks made sense—their bodies had grown larger, so naturally they'd built bigger homes.
"So-ryong, there's nothing special over that way. Did you find something?"
"Kid, find anything? It's all just the same peaks over and over."
Just as I realized the true nature of these red rock pillars—that they were giant termite nests—Hwa-eun and Sister Seol approached, sensing I'd figured something out.
"Have you found something?"
Shintu's question followed as he leapt down from a peak.
"I found something, but…"
"You found something?"
"Yes, over there…"
Instead of answering, I pointed at Hyang-i, who was yanking termites from the hole at her feet like a dad plucking gray hairs and tossing them behind her. The termites lay motionless, knocked out—she'd probably injected a bit of venom into each one. I could feel Hyang-i's thoughts: she was working hard to earn praise.
"Th-this is!?"
"Wh-what is this, kid? Hyang-i, what are you doing? Things keep coming out!"
"Hyang-i, what is that?"
The three of them wore shocked expressions at the giant termites. Even Yeong-ryeon, Shintu's disciple, joined them and widened her eyes at the ants.
"What on earth is this?"
"This is, well…"
Wait, but what am I supposed to call them?
Finding them was one thing, but I needed to give them a name—and cathedrals didn't exist as architecture in the Central Plains. I fretted over what to call them, then a brilliant idea struck me.
Ah, of course!
"Th-they're called Pagoda Termites!"
Come to think of it, the only tall structures in the Central Plains that resembled those were the pagodas built at temples. Even I had to admit it was a solid translation. Just like cathedral termites, the name even carried a religious meaning—it felt excellent. A perfect hundred-point localization tailored to local conditions.
"Pagoda Termites?"
"Pagoda Termites?"
At their questions, I tapped the red peak—that is, the Pagoda Termite nest.
Tap, tap.
"I thought these were red rock peaks, but I was wrong. These are all Pagoda Termite nests. This entire massive peak is a termite home."
"What!?"
"Th-this huge peak is a termite nest!?"
"This enormous peak? All of them? Really?"
People flinched and edged away from the peaks at the revelation that they were giant termite nests. I nodded and continued.
"Yes. These massive peaks are actually the homes of those Pagoda Termites."
"Then these creatures…"
Just as I'd finished explaining the true nature of the red pillars surrounding us, Hyang-i's sharp cry suddenly rang out.
Chirrrt!
At Hyang-i's sharp cry, I looked her way. Among the termites being yanked from the hole like a dad's gray hairs, a larger one had poked its head out. Several big-headed termites blocked the tunnel entrance with their heads and began facing off against Hyang-i.
"Hyang-i, no! Get back!"
Chirt?
Startled by my shout, Hyang-i flinched and backed away, sending me a feeling of surprise at my sudden yell. She'd been working hard for praise, and seemed to think I was scolding her. I quickly scooped her onto my shoulder and said,
"No, I'm not scolding you. Those ones are dangerous, so you have to be careful."
The ones poking their heads from the termite tunnel entrance were soldier termites. The worker termites had kept disappearing, so the soldiers had probably come out in force—and the sound of their mandibles clicking began to reach us.
Click! Clack-click!
A termite soldier's mandibles were powerful enough to deal fatal wounds to ants of the same rank, so extreme caution was needed. That was why I'd shouted at Hyang-i so urgently. If she charged in thinking she could fight the soldiers and got bitten, she could be seriously hurt. She was a spirit beast, so she wouldn't be easily hurt—but I couldn't let my guard down. After all, if those soldiers' powerful mandibles were meant to deal with the Heavenly Silkworm's tough silk, even Hyang-i couldn't afford to be careless.
To keep Hyang-i from feeling hurt, I decided to tickle her chin and head and heap praise on her.
"Our Hyang-i did so well. You found the termites for us, after all."
"Ah, so Hyang-i found them? Our Hyang-i did wonderfully. She's so clever, isn't she?"
After Hwa-eun quickly joined in the praise and we'd thoroughly complimented Hyang-i, Shintu pointed at the soldier termites blocking the tunnel entrance and the termites sprawled before them.
"So these are the ones threatening the Heavenly Silkworms? Then what about their food?"
This seemed to be the question that had been interrupted by the soldiers' appearance—now that we'd found the ones threatening the Heavenly Silkworms, where was their food? I'd said that if we found the creatures threatening the Heavenly Silkworms, their food would be nearby as well.
"Hmm… We'll have to check that now."
"We'll have to check? How do you mean?"
The probability that the Heavenly Silkworms were connected to these termites was ninety-nine percent. There were many creatures that lived in symbiosis or parasitism with termites and ants. At Shintu's question, I pulled out the wooden case I'd seized from him—no, that he'd handed over. And I smiled as I spoke.
"With this."
After bringing Cho-hwa and Yo-hwa back as well, the first thing I did was lead everyone toward the tallest peak—the one at the very center. To figure out the Heavenly Silkworm's food, I figured we needed to hatch one of their eggs—and doing it at the oldest peak here seemed best.
Together we approached the largest peak at the center of the basin and first searched for a ventilation hole like the one Hyang-i had found.
"We need to find a hole like the one from earlier."
"Understood."
"Got it."
Chirt!
At my words, everyone scattered to search for ventilation holes, and before long one was found.
"So-ryong, over here!"
I ran toward Hwa-eun's voice and found a hole hidden much like the earlier one. Lying down to look into the hole, I saw termites poking their heads out just as before.
"Then let's check right away. You said I just need to pour internal energy into it, correct?"
"That's right."
Following what Shintu had told me, I took one of the now only three remaining eggs from the wooden case and set it on my palm. Then I began pouring internal energy into the ping-pong-ball-sized egg.
The Heavenly Silkworm egg immediately began to change color. The inside turned blue, and then a white larva tore through the shell and burst out. It was a peculiar creature, with an osmeterium continuously rising from its head like a horn. After only seeing dried-up specimens, seeing a living one in person drew a gasp of admiration from me.
Ooooh! So cute!
Its plump white form was cuteness itself. The little silkworms were cute too, but the Heavenly Silkworm had a natural cuteness different from theirs. The plump segments and the soft, squishy feel in my hand. That distinctive wriggling cuteness.
"So-ryong?"
"Ah, yes!"
I'd been so absorbed in the Heavenly Silkworm's cuteness that I'd briefly zoned out, then quickly snapped back at Shintu's call. I set the newly hatched Heavenly Silkworm down a short distance from the termite hole. It seemed to look around for a moment, then, having confirmed the termites, quickly crawled toward them.
But strangely, as it approached the ants, its osmeterium began to change shape. What I'd thought was a horn flattened out and transformed into something like a yellow sprout. Then the termites rushed over and began licking the center of its yellow leaf-like organ. From their behavior, I finally roughly understood the Heavenly Silkworm's ecology.
Ah! So these Heavenly Silkworms have an ecology like the large blue butterfly!
I thought the Heavenly Silkworms likely had the same kind of ecology as the large blue butterfly. The large blue butterfly's ecology is quite unique. After mating, adult large blues lay their eggs near the nests of a particular ant species, and when the eggs hatch, the ants carry the larvae into their nests. Large blue larvae produce honeydew from glands on their rear ends like aphids, and the ants love it dearly. So they feed the butterfly larvae brought into the nest through trophallaxis, and even go so far as to feed them their own young.
As if confirming my theory, the termites that had sucked honeydew from the center of the leaf-like organ on its head picked up the Heavenly Silkworm larva and disappeared into the tunnel.
"So-ryong, the ants carried off the Heavenly Silkworm!"
"Ah—no, So-ryong, those things carried off the Heavenly Silkworm!"
Hwa-eun and Shintu seemed shocked that the ants had carried off the Heavenly Silkworm, but there was no need to worry. I'd already expected this, and we needed to dig anyway. Assuming the Heavenly Silkworms had the same ecology as large blue butterflies, raising them would absolutely require these Pagoda Termites—which meant we'd have to dig and capture a queen.
Last time the army ants were a bit dangerous and died so I couldn't catch them, but cathedral termites help with farming and aren't dangerous, so they're perfect, right?
I smiled at Shintu and asked,
"Elder, are you any good at digging?"
"Digging? You don't mean—"
"Yes. It seems we'll need to dig."
"No—so you should have protected it before they carried it off! You said you'd figure things out, and you haven't figured out a thing!"
Shintu grumbled at the mention of digging. He seemed to think I wanted to dig to recapture the Heavenly Silkworm—so I decided to give him an answer that would leave him no choice but to dig enthusiastically.
"No. I've figured out everything I needed to."
"You've figured it out!?"
Shintu's eyes went wide with shock when I said I'd figured everything out. I pointed a finger at the ground below and said,
"Yes, of course. But the reason we need to dig is—didn't you say you needed Heavenly Silk?"
"W-well, of course I do!"
"Didn't you see? The Pagoda Termites carried the Heavenly Silkworm away. That means there might be piles of cocoons from hatched Heavenly Silkworms down there underground."
"What!?"
Shintu's eyes went round as saucers and fixed on the red pillar. After all, I was saying that the treasure he so desperately wanted might be buried underground.