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Chapter 1671 - Shake Your Money Maker
🕑 Added 2025-09-09 02:00:09 +0000 UTCHatchlings worked their way through the Antcademies believing that the Eldest had a plan in mind for all of the castes. The soldiers were intended to fight on the frontlines, with the thickest carapaces and the strongest mandibles, serving as the swords and shields of the Colony. Generals were intended to be fighting support, the second line of defence, providing auras, tactical know-how and their own formidable fighting prowess. Scouts, naturally, had been designed to move quickly, see everything and engage in a hit-and-run fighting style using their acid and speed. Mages for magic. Queens for egg-laying. Brood Tenders for rearing the young. Core Shapers to research and utilise pets. Healers to keep everyone alive.
Carvers? Well, carvers were intended to make things.
Yet… what to do with a carver who never made anything?
“Do you… feel like working with metal?” the poor Brood Tender asked the hatchling.
The little thing considered for a long moment, showing that unusual level of intelligence and consideration that had caught the attention of the Tenders to start with, then shook her head.
This was a champion, of that they were fairly certain, but so far… they hadn’t had that much of a problem with her. She was relatively quiet, obedient and studious. When they recalled the disastrous time they’d had with Brilliant, even as a grub, this seemed to be an incredibly easy-to-raise champion.
In fact, they had only encountered one difficulty so far in raising her. She said she wanted to make things. That was fine, that was what carvers did all the time. The only problem was, they couldn’t seem to work out what it was that she wanted to make.
“You could carve wood? Lots of things are made from wood,” another of the Brood Tenders suggested helpfully. She started listing things the Colony made from the mana infused and even mundane wood that they harvested, and the little ant listened carefully.
Some of the other Tenders thought it would be an enormous shame to have a champion of the Colony spend their time making furniture, but who knew how these things worked? Every champion seemed to be obsessed with something. Presumably, it was simply a matter of presenting options to the hatchling until she found out what it was she wanted to do.
“No,” the hatchling replied. “I don’t feel all that interested in wood.”
On it went. The Tenders presented option after option, craft after craft, and the hatchling listened, observed, then refused. Convinced they weren’t being thorough enough, they decided to take her on a tour of the many workshops in the Colony.
From the first stratum, they took her into the mines to see ore being harvested. They took her to the great refineries, where the ores were initially processed and sorted before being smelted in the vast furnace stacks. They followed the ingots as they were delivered to the great smithies, where the pounding of cherry red metal and the ringing of industrial hammers set their antennae to quivering.
The hatchling wasn’t interested.
They took her to the tea fields, showed her the tender care that was given the precious plants, showed her the elaborate methods of harvesting, drying and processing the leaves before they were stored, ready for transport. The milk-processing facilities, where milk was brought in from the Colony-run cattle farms, millions of gallons a month, to be processed into butter, cream and cheese. The bakeries, where biscuits, scones and cakes were created, dozens of tons a day, before being shipped out to every corner of the Colony.
The hatchling was unmoved.
Growing desperate, the Brood Tenders sought out every master craftsant in the Colony, hoping to find whatever it was that would spark the little one’s interest.
Carpet weavers created intricate patterns from coloured threads, expertly interlacing them to create images and shapes that pleased the eye with their symmetry and beauty. Lace makers, endlessly tatting with pure white fabrics to make decorative pieces for clothing and furniture. They even found the single, solitary ‘fashion designer’ within the Colony, a very peculiar and unusual ant who attempted, in vain, to interest her siblings in clothes.
Nothing seemed to interest the hatchling in the slightest.
She watched it all, taking in the information, but there was no inspiration or spark taking hold.
Increasingly frantic, the Brood Tenders did something they would normally never allow, and took the hatchling to the surface, outside of the safety of the tunnels. There, they hoped to show her the humans in the growing city of Renewal and see their strange habits, wondering if something, anything, would interest her.
The humans of Renewal were well accustomed to having ants moving amongst them, but not Brood Tenders, never Brood Tenders, so the arrival of their small group brought far more attention than they had hoped. Indeed, they found it rather surprising the humans had even been able to tell what they were.
Thankfully, the people remained at a respectful distance, allowing them to take the hatchling to see the various sights. They showed her the cathedral and the… strange, strange people within.
They showed her the offices, where the mayor and others worked to help administer the town, documenting all sorts of things and making decisions for the betterment of all.
Finally, on the verge of giving up, they showed her a cafe.
The hatchling watched the humans ordering food. She watched them eating it, drinking their tea and other beverages. She watched them talk and laugh amongst each other.
None of it was interesting.
Then she watched as they walked to the counter, reached into the strange little pouches they kept, withdrew something shiny, and placed it in the owner's hands.
What, she thought, was that?
Comments
carson
I know from mentions in previous chapters that this is going to be the champion Merchant. But it would ne funny if they'd named it Brathiant.
Matthew Pyatt
Is chapter 1670 missing?
Pordgy
Merchant, accountant, or... Fineant
Codered999
That sounds too close to fascist, how about Fashantnista?
Pockman
“They even found the single, solitary ‘fashion designer’ within the Colony, a very peculiar and unusual ant who attempted, in vain, to interest her siblings in clothes.” Poor Fashant (i guess)
alt31415
No no, for Paymant you have to change an e to a. Merchant works as-is!
Runaway_Cactuar
The emergance of Merchant is prolly 9/11 plus Pearl Harbor to the Brathians lol
Roombot
She’ll give the brathian conglomerate a run for their money
Nigel Franklin
Or is it just MInt-ant?
alt31415
who
alt31415
Merchant is born. WHO'S READY TO MAKE SOME MONEY?
Tag
Industriant?
Orthes
Its Merchant!
Ruwa
An ant that wants to make coins....okay that wasn't on my bingo card today
Captain Nuclear
Ahahahaha, the Brathian Champion
Nathan C
Armani being reincarnated into this story was not on my bingo card. Let's all give a warm welcome to Armanti.
Nigel Franklin
Ant economist? Or ant sociologist?
Koala Man
And enter the one currency that that will hold stable for future centuries and that will also be proven to be unforgeable .
Koala Man
Heathen! Tunnel ball is all there is in life! Gooo! The Maggies!!
Niels Valkenborgh
Or Accountant?
Pockman
We don’t know for sure, just think of how Anthony handled negotiations with the Barathians
Bluesun Rise
Merchant, merchant, you all lack vision. Obviously this is gonna be Paymant!
giann flroesca
IS IT MERCHANT?? LET'S GOOOOOO
Touch
This is sooo interesting, I was getting tired of football stuff, it was good but wish it’s shorter
C Gillan
The monstrous MerchAnt has arrived. Woe to the pockets of all other reaces.
TheLostGolem
Probably Surpass. Ants do everything better.
guvvuf
This crafter crafts profit, huh.
Yanni
It’s impossible for someone to write MONEY in big capital letters and not hear it in the Mr Crabs voice.
TheLostGolem
Ah yes. An craftant interested in making cold hard cash.
Roombot
The first champion not to be personally trained by Anthony!
Roombot
It’s Merchant! We know about her from a future excerpt
A Reader
And so begins the rise of MERCHANT
Collector of Stories
You hear that? It’s the death cry of merchants around the world
Buck
We welcome you, Merchant!!!
andwhyisit
Chapter 1417 said this: "The influence of Solant on the organisation of the Colony is difficult to understate. Perhaps of all the champions who arose within the Colony, her impact was the greatest, even when compared to Brilliant, or Merchant." So... yeah, we knew about the name of this champion over a year ago.
Ether's Blessed One
Merchant? Businessant?
Cylar
Conglomer-ant?
Brandon14754
Merchant we know from an excerpt is a champion is this is probably her
David Eddy
I’m curious to see what aspect of the exchange of goods sparked a carver’s interest. I guess the colony will be having a new treasurer? Or maybe just a show-ant?
Nemelor
They felt a great disturbance in theirs wallets, as if millions of gold suddenly cried out in terror.
BelligerentGnu
Merchant has had an epigraph or two, I'm certain.
shawn B
Merchant is borrrrrrrn!
fair3238
because it's already teased before
Alex Shinall
"Have you found what you would like to make?" "Yes" "Oh thank the Eldest! What is it then?" " M O N E Y"
jeffrey niski
Anthony is going to be so baffled by this champion
Rekcus
Is this the highly anticipated introduction of Merchant? The Fourth champion of the Colony? Or will it be Accountant? I can't remember which ones were introduced in the story so far, or only in the pre-chapter blurbs.
Caleb Herring
Yessssssss!!!
ChillyPepper
I vote capitalisant! But yes Merchant probably fits better hahaha. Anthony is in for a shock when he's finished evolving
Lonez Zhavec
Okay. How were people already talking about a Merchant champion a few chapters ago?!?!
kev mil
Oh God. The champion of economics has been born. I wonder if she'll rival that of the briathians
Alessandro Mattioli
Economant
Codered999
And so Merchant the crafter caste Champion, first champion of her caste, decided she wants to make something every other ant only makes as a point of working with other sapients, she wants to make Money
Hayden Leech
Believe it or not, every single brathion just felt a collective chill up their spines.
fair3238
Merchant Debut.
Sam Beasley
I'm putting my money on MerchAnt, as a name.
Willow
Merchant? Or has that name been used already. Do they create coins or just make money.
Napalm078
MERCHANT!
Hayden Leech
Merchant!!!
No_Creative_Name
Música! La música la toca!
NyxWell
FACE THE ANTS WRATH
KooZnack
Thanks for the chapter!
