Chapter 254: The Righteous Thief
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 254: The Righteous Thief
Arthropleura. He was a powerful individual known as the Purple General.
The reason he was called a general was simple.
Not only did he possess a hard carapace that seemed impenetrable and a jaw that could pierce through anything, but he was also exceptionally intelligent.
When he was still young, he had encountered a legion of fire ants.
He had joined their grand operation to hunt Microraptors, and it was there that his brilliant strategic mind shone.
It was after that battle that he earned the honorable title of Purple General.
The title was bestowed upon him with high praise by the vanguard's commander, the Fire Ant General, also known as Sharp Jaw.
To be acknowledged by Sharp Jaw in his prime—who was said to be stronger and more intelligent than any other ant—was a testament to his talent, which surpassed that of any other millipede.
Eventually, he grew in size and strength to the point where he could overwhelm most mammals and birds, reigning as the unrivaled leader of the Ten Thousand Year Golden Poison Cave.
But now, that same Purple General was flustered.
He had been observing the situation from underground, and only after becoming convinced that his opponent was nothing special did he emerge.
But what was this?
The cute, gek-gekking lizard was gone, and in its place was a lizard letting out ferocious cries.
Of course, its size was nothing remarkable.
It was smaller than a centipede, just the right size to fit perfectly into the Purple General's mouth.
Naturally, harming one another was forbidden in the Ten Thousand Year Golden Poison Cave, so he had no intention of eating the lizard.
Still, the Purple General had planned to assert his dominance and make the lizard his subordinate, but he soon realized how arrogant that thought had been.
The internal energy this creature possessed was stronger than that of any being he had ever seen.
The very fact that a mere lizard was standing on two legs was highly suspicious.
He was certain that if he had taken one more step forward, he would have been slammed into the ground instantly.
What an unfathomable difference in power.
“Kieeeek!”
But the Purple General was, after all, a general.
The leader of this place could not simply flee.
Steeling his resolve, he charged forward like an arrow.
*
“The Purple General is submitting!”
The black mantis flapped its wings in astonishment.
So his name is the Purple General?
“Kerrreuk…”
The millipede curled its body into a ball, as if trying to act cute.
“Kerreuk… Kirreuk…!”
It was a giant millipede. While shorter than Swish-Swish in length, it was much wider.
Honestly, based on its appearance alone, it was undeniably cool.
At a glance, you could mistake it for a snake wearing armor.
Of course, the moment you looked closely at its face, you’d receive a mental shock akin to peering into the abyss.
Unlike Miss Centipede, it had the distinct face of an insect.
Seeing such a creature trying its best to look cute was a strange feeling.
“Kerrrreureuk…”
It seemed to be a rather perceptive fellow.
Indeed, perhaps he hadn't earned the name "General" for nothing.
“What is this… Such an unprecedented event…”
The mantis wore a look of utter bewilderment.
Judging by its reaction, this millipede must be an especially strong creature in this cave.
Well, it made sense. Its level was 20 higher than the same species I had seen in the Silver Dragon Cave.
If the me from back then had fought this guy, I wouldn't have stood a chance.
Of course, the gap between the me of then and the me of now was about as wide as the difference between Soyeong's internal energy pouch and the Snake Queen's.
“You’re amazing, my baby…!”
Miss Centipede caressed me all over with her thirteenth to thirty-second pairs of hands.
The sensation was something I had never felt before, and it left me with a peculiar feeling.
I had been pampered like this often, but it was different from now.
Neither my Master's nor the Snake Queen's touch felt like this.
My Master's was a bit painful, and the Snake Queen's was slightly sticky.
But Miss Centipede's pampering was somehow ticklish and heartwarming.
Is this what a mother's love feels like?
Come to think of it, who was my biological mother?
If I truly am a descendant of Gomodo, does that mean my mother was a gecko and my father was the previous Gomodo?
…Gomodo, isn't this guy more dangerous than I thought?
Is that even physically possible?
I mean, I guess it might be if he learned a skill like Miniaturization… but still, isn't that ethically wrong?
Why a gecko, of all things?
Sure, their cute legs are a bit of a charm point, but just because you find something cute doesn't mean you should stick things where they don't belong.
“Baby?”
Miss Centipede, who had been doting on me, called out.
It seemed she noticed I was lost in thought.
It was time to get down to business.
“Kirreuk…”
There were others standing behind the millipede.
Those must be the insects Miss Centipede mentioned, the ones I was supposed to have my initiation with.
Seeing the millipede acting cute towards me, they began to whisper in confusion, and some were already trying to sneak away.
“Gek gek.”
I flicked my soft hand.
“Ke… Kerreuk?”
I know you can all talk, so don't play dumb. Get over here.
“W-Well… that is…”
Whoosh.
Thwack.
I slowly wagged my tail.
“Heek!”
These must be the old-timers of this place.
While I could get information from Miss Centipede, it wouldn't hurt to cross-check.
It wasn't that I didn't trust Miss Centipede.
It was because these guys might know something she didn't.
“Gek gek gek.”
At the sound of my lizard cry, the insects snapped to attention, their bodies rigid with tension.
Thankfully, they all seemed to have some sense.
I had considered making an example out of one of them, but if they were going to be this cooperative, I could probably let it slide.
Let's question them one by one.
“Th-This place… is called the Ten Thousand Year Golden Poison Cave.”
The white bug at the front spoke, its body trembling.
The Ten Thousand Year Golden Poison Cave!
That self-proclaimed senior, the mantis, had said something like that.
For such a grand name, the place was rather small.
“As the name ‘Poison Cave’ suggests, poisonous insects gather here… Why would a lizard like yourself be here… Heek!”
A place where poisonous insects gather.
Didn't the Silver Dragon Cave have a similar area?
Was this some kind of giant Gu-poison pot?
But it didn't seem like they were just mindlessly fighting.
“Insects with strong poison like us, or those who can create inner cores, gather here. And at regular intervals, humans come and take them away.”
So it wasn't a Gu-poison pot, but more like a temporary shelter for insects that would become elixirs.
Humans take them away.
Did they mean they were taking away the insects to be offered to Jin-ryong?
But something about that felt off.
That millipede was quite strong, but it didn't seem to have the qualities of a fine elixir.
An elixir meant for Jin-ryong could be made from insects like these?
Something was strange.
Could it be that others besides Jin-ryong were also seeking this elixir storehouse?
That would make sense.
These creatures were capable of producing at least low-grade inner cores.
Even if this was the outskirts of the 100,000 Great Mountains, how did they manage to create a place like this without my Master noticing?
“Ge-ek.”
“A-Anymore than that, we don't really know… Ah, we get dried crickets for meals…”
Hmm, that's not the kind of information I need.
There were more than a few strange things here.
If I had just rampaged through, I might have been in trouble.
I should praise Taotie for her strategy when I see her.
…Still, he could have given me a bit more information before sending me off. This is all so vague.
“Baby, is there something you’re looking for?”
Miss Centipede, who had been watching my wandering eyes intently, asked in a gentle voice.
“Someone like you wouldn't have been captured by humans… You must have had a reason to come here, right?”
She seemed to have figured out that, unlike the others, I wasn't captured but had infiltrated this place with a purpose.
“…I’m similar to you, baby.”
Miss Centipede’s eyes grew sad.
Was she here to find her lost young?
“Of course, I was too weak to find a way out again, but you seem different, baby.”
Chirreureuk.
Miss Centipede's body brushed against my tail.
“Still, I’ve wandered around quite a bit, so I know a lot more than those insects. Shall I tell you what I know?”
That's my Miss Centipede.
No matter what, I had to get her out of here.
“There’s a place nearby where elixirs are stored separately.”
This was exactly the information I needed.
The location and types of elixirs.
“We can enter it too, but it’s actually a trap.”
And the way to access it.
“…Earlier, they said humans sometimes come in and take the insects, right?”
Miss Centipede glanced at the bug who had said that.
“To be precise, they take the insects that have eaten the elixirs.”
They take the insects that have eaten the elixirs?
…Now I get it.
Why they gathered the insects here.
And why I, who should be treated as a precious commodity, was brought here.
This place was, in fact, a key part of the elixir storehouse.
To be more precise, it was a hidden space adjacent to where the elixirs were gathered.
Seeing a pile of elixirs would naturally stir up greed.
But it would be impossible to touch the elixirs meant for Jin-ryong or other powerful beings.
However, what if an unrelated insect ate an elixir?
That elixir would effectively disappear from the world.
Of course, since it was inside the insect, the problem could be solved by eating the insect, but you couldn't possibly offer that to Jin-ryong.
In other words, they lure the insects into eating the elixirs and then dispose of them under the pretext that their value has diminished.
Anything offered to Jin-ryong had to be of the absolute highest quality, after all.
And the disposed-of insect (elixir) would go straight into someone's pocket.
The Ten Thousand Year Golden Poison Cave itself could be seen as one giant corruption pouch.
No wonder they were trembling before Taotie. So this is what they were plotting.
Knowing they were this corrupt, I felt like just leaving them be would be fine, but now that I've come this far, that would be difficult.
If nothing else, I couldn't just stand by and watch them steal things.
It was time for a righteous lizard to pass judgment upon them.
*
I was shoving elixirs and inner cores into my mouth as fast as I could grab them.
None of them seemed particularly high-quality, but it was better than nothing.
“Baby, are you really okay?”
Green saliva dripped from Miss Centipede's mouth.
Ah, I was being inconsiderate.
You have some too, Miss Centipede.
“Oh, is it okay for me to eat? Well… I should eat a lot and get strong so I can be helpful to you, baby…”
Miss Centipede demurely nibbled on a low-grade inner core.
“Kwiririk! Kwishik!”
The black mantis, who had joined us at some point, was also holding an inner core and tearing into it.
An insect that steals and eats an elixir is doomed to die.
But what happens to a lizard that steals and eats an elixir?
“How dare you touch these precious elixirs…!”
A few humans burst out.
As we had planned, Miss Centipede and the mantis hid, while I brazenly continued what I was doing.
Chomp.
Gulp.
Hmm, this fo-ti is pretty good.
“You bastard! You lizard! Did you eat all of this?!”
Yeah, I ate it.
“Gek gek gek.”
I tilted my head and chewed on the root of a snow ginseng.
Oh, this is pretty good too.
“Y-Y-You…!”
The bald human was furious, but there was nothing he could do.
His scheme of deliberately leaving the elixirs poorly guarded to pocket them later wouldn't work on me.
Because I was the lizard personally handed over by Taotie.
Moreover, I was a precious lizard to be offered to Jin-ryong.
I scratched my belly and put on the most arrogant expression I could muster.
“Gek gek!”
Are you pissed? Too bad!
No one can pass judgment on me, the offering for Jin-ryong!
This is the fatal flaw of this storehouse