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Chapter 1548 - The Pain of Knowledge
🕑 Added 2025-02-25 21:03:32 +0000 UTCThroughout the inner chambers of the fortress, there had been a persistent and harrowing sound echoing down the long tunnels. The ants knew it well, knew how it would hang in the air, shivering like a icy breeze, rattling against their antennae and disquieting their souls.
To the non-ants, it was even more terrifying, a mournful sound, filled with despair, with longing, it seemed to them as if a dispossessed soul was haunting the chambers, and their superstitious minds were disturbed. The ghost of the fortress, the banshee of the fifth stratum, the terror of the tunnels.
For the Brood Tenders, and for Theresant more specifically, this object of fear and discomfort had a different name: Academia.
“Pleeeeaaaaaaaassseeeeee!” Howled the magio-scholar of the Golden Tower, Englebert, tears and snot flooding down his face. “PLEASE let us see the chal!”
He clung to Theresants leg, refusing to let go even when she moved, letting himself be dragged along the floor. She lifted her leg and waggled it, trying to shake him off, but he had the grip of a lamprey, latched on for dear life. She lowered her leg again with a sigh. Every day, this same scene was repeated. It would be so bad, if it weren’t for…
“Look into you heeeeaaaaarrrrtt!” Sobbed the other mage, all four limbs wrapped around one of Theresants other legs. “We beg! WE BEEEEEEEEEG!”
Lady Meritious had a particularly piercing and resonant voice. Theresant had considered asking her if she could sing, but… after some consideration, had decided against it.
[I have to apologise for them,] Rathwyn stated, [again. I tried to tie them to their beds this morning, but Englebert chewed through the rope.]
Theresant didn’t need a translation to know what the scholars were after. They wanted access to the young chal, to observe and study them. It wasn’t necessarily a bad idea, to have another set of eyes and a different perspective brought to bear on the rearing process. It was just… they were so bad at controlling themselves. She wiggled her leg again, but the Lady Meritious was stuck like a barnacle, her grip unyielding.
This was very inconvenient.
[If they promise to stop coming here every morning I will allow them to observe for a portion of the day,] she finally compromised. [They must promise to behave themselves.]
They would be in an observation chamber, so the hatchlings wouldn’t be able to see or hear them at all, but further shameful displays would be unsettling to the Tenders, and thus lower the quality of their overall care.
Unacceptable.
[I’ll let them know,] Rathwyn said, then spoke aloud to the scholars.
There was silence for a moment. Blessed silence. Then the two mages broke out in fresh noise, tears and mucus, rubbing their faces on Theresant’s legs as they bawled with gratitude.
Filled with distaste, she began to use her other legs to try to push them off, prying them off her after several minutes of effort. It took some sime for the scholars to collect themselves, time that Theresant used to supervise the morning meal’s preperation and distribution.
So far, the snails were growing well, as far as the Tenders could tell, but they continued to experiment with their diet in the hopes of stumbling across foods they enjoyed even more. The chal didn’t appear to be super picky eaters, happily chomping away at the offerings the Tenders prepared, but Theresant couldn’t help but wonder if they were missing something.
Regardless, after the meal was done, Rathwyn and his two associates arrived outside the viewing chamber.
[They promise to comport themselves with the dignity expected of the magio-scholars,] he assured her, prodding both of the mages with his finger for emphasis.
[Yes, we must apologise for our… earlier display,] Lady Meritious said, looking abashed. [Our yearning for knowledge temporarily overcame our better judgement.]
Theresant could have pointed out that they had lost the battle against their yearning for knowledge daily for some time, but chose to keep her thoughts to herself.
[You may enter the observation room,] she told them, [but you are not allowed into the snailcare centre itself. We are taking strict measures to control the environment in which the hatchlings are being raised and will not take risks compromising it.]
[Very reasonable and understandable, as I’m sure my colleagues will agree,] Rathwyn stated solemly, with more poking.
[Yes… of course,] Englebert muttered, looking sulky.
[I… agree,] Lady Meritious said, looking very disagreeable.
Hoping she wasn’t making a mistake, she led the scholars into the observation chamber and watched carefully as they approached the oneway window.
[What has been happening inside the chamber today?] Lady Meritious asked, flipping out a notebook and beginning to scribble things down.
Surprisingly normal behaviour from them… this could be a good sign.
[They have just been awoken and fed their morning meal,] she told them. [The Tenders are now encouraging the hatchlings to move about the space and engage in the various play activities we have set up around the chamber.]
She used an antennae to point.
[Over there you can see we have created a multi-textured slide for them to glide over. The hatchlings seem to enjoy using their foot to glide over different types of surfaces.]
[Fascinating, fascinating!] Englebert muttered to himself, also furiously writing down his notes.
As the seconds passed, the two scholars appeared almost magnetically drawn to the window before them. Before long, they were practically pressed up against it, their eyes glaring feverishly as they tried to observe every movement of every chal in sight.
Theresant pointed at the two of them, concerned, and Rathwyn just shrugged apologetically.
She was reluctant to say anything else, but her insticts demanded she be a good host, so Theresant felt compelled to speak.
[Any moment now, I expect the next singing lesson to begin.]
The two scholars froze in place, as if struck by lightning, but before they could properly react, a single, clear note rang out through the observation chamber.
[The snails are given group and individual lessons, as well as times like this where we give them the opportunity to simply listen and join if they so choose,] she explained. [They almost always do.]
Indeed, as the note was held, resonating in the air, the little chal opened their mouths and joined in, their little voices combining to form a bright, if thin, accompanyment to the angelic sound of the magpei singer.
Both researchers were furiously writing, or at least, it seemed as if they were. On closer inspection, Theresant thought they were merely moving their hands randombly, covering the pages with disordered scrawl. When she focused on their faces, she jumped.
Only the whites of their eyes were showing and a foam was dripping from their mouths.
[Are they diseased?!] she demanded of Rathwyn, leaping back. Had the snailcare centre been contaminated?
He leaned forward to see the state of his fellows and sighed heavily.
[They have been overwhelmed with excitement, I’m afraid,] he said. [I’ll have to take them back to our rooms to recover.]
He hesitated for a moment.
[Could I ask for some soldiers to help? They’ll likely fight me if I try to take them away.]
Comments
Gopard
Thanks for the chapter!
Grim TheCat
Honestly, these "scholars" disgust me. They seem more like stalkers than scholars. I would never allow them around the Chal with this obsession. They wouldn't treat them like individuals or people, but more like objects of study or worship. Disgusting.
Bethany Bluebird
Oh no I understood you! I was confused by the 'found the dictator' comment lol
alt31415
Bethany, what I mean is all that'd be needed to justify attacking the colony anyway is to say something like what I said.
Ashborn99
jsjsjsjsjsj i love it
Fabian
How else can you explain the ants giving access in this way? Only wearing Theresant down did the trick.
Bethany Bluebird
...Pardon? I'm not sure I follow.
Syf0
Found the dictator
taukid
So they're basically the foaming mouth guy from Avatar the Last Airbender https://youtu.be/uTA2fxOedxo?si=v2YCPIqARij7Ll9f
Brian Schwab
Tyftc! Some more possible edits: In “Every day, this same scene was repeated. It would be so bad, if it weren’t for…” I believe would should be wouldn’t. And in “It took some sime for the scholars to collect themselves, time that Theresant used to supervise the morning meal’s preperation and distribution.” I’m pretty sure sime should be time. And in “She was reluctant to say anything else, but her insticts demanded she be a good host, so Theresant felt compelled to speak.” I think insticts was supposed to be instincts. That’s all I saw in this one.
alt31415
Agreed that it's on-brand. Like, this is the story where the MC was abandoned as a child and starved to death at the age of 14 and he's like, "Yeah but I mean, everyone has problems in their lives." One of the first things in the entire story is him calling the voice of the system Gandalf. The Church of the Path uses a statue of fucking Ian McClellan (Something we STILL have no explanation for!)
Roombot
I feel like it’s 100% on-brand for Chrysalis
alt31415
"Alas it seems our fears were justified: Mind-linking with monsters is dangerous. Look how they've beguiled our greatest minds. Alas all we can give them is the release of death." Seems incredibly easy for me.
Xavier Belmont
Is there something in the water? This seems to be happening with worrying regularity.
Roombot
Hahaha those poor researchers
Bethany Bluebird
Yeah but it's also gonna be a LOT harder to justify attacking the Colony when ALL the nost brilliant magical minds of your generation are standing right in the middle of the target for the nuke... XD
Aaron Willard
Bet the Nameless would be helpful getting the mages back to their rooms
alt31415
Unfortunately, it's not the golden city's researchers we need to worry about...
alt31415
THE SINGING MUST STOP
Anthony Romanov
I was dieing due to lack of oxygen! From laughing so much! 🤣🤣🤣🤣☠️🤣🤣🤣🤣
Caleb Herring
So cute! Can’t wait to see these little guys grow up!
BelligerentGnu
........little over the top on this one.
Bethany Bluebird
Oh MAN, can you IMAGINE if all the researchers from the Golden City defected and ran away to join the Colony?? Lured away either the juiciest of bait-- INFORMATION...
