Chapter 308: Schemes of the Weak

Scuttling sounds echoed within a dark tunnel as Crust-Mantles carried dirt from one end to the other. In the deeper end, Tier 4 Crust-Mantles broke large pieces of rocks, creating a lot of gravel in the process.

The rocks were easier to carry as two Tier 2 Crust-Mantles joined and carried it together. Most of the time, they were small enough to be carried by a Tier 2 Crust-Mantle alone. On the other hand, Transporting the gravel was a cumbersome process.

A Tier 2 Crust-Mantle, Jyorta's current form pulled forth a trolley and stopped a fair distance away from the flurry of activities.

He finished the memories of all the Tier 1 Crust-Mantles he had obtained. One common thing among them was the fact that all of them had been captured by humans from the same place underneath the desert.

After that, Jyorta took some break before focusing on the memory fragments of the Tier 2 Crust-Mantles. He had four of them to go through. It was well into the night when he started to comprehend the first set of memories.

The Crust-Mantles were expert diggers, capable of working with the least commotion. Their Skills were related to such, capable of digging through the earth while ensuring the created tunnels were rigid enough to never collapse.

'This is what Rhachis Ancestor Earth had intended when creating them. They can work in high temperatures, heavy pressures, in both air and water, and possess tough but agile bodies. Their bodies are also beneficial for consumption as they improve the consumer's Essence of Frenzy. Their fighting power is at the bottom of their Tiers, so they can never hope to rebel. Moreover, for some reason, they are a close-knit community, caring about the lives of their brethren more than their own, and can be forced to work using a hostage situation.'

'All these factors make them exploitable targets. The four Frenzy Beast races can exploit the Crust-Mantles as much as needed. And, if they outlive their use, they can be used as a farming material due to the beneficial nature of their flesh.' Jyorta thought.

The blue soul then continued to send memories to his brain, fully immersing himself in the memory. Now, he was no longer able to think, passively experiencing everything the memory has to offer.

He had planted certain stimuli previously. The moment his brain churned thoughts, it meant he had obtained some information to process. The blue soul would immediately stop sending the memory fragments and break him from the immersion. Jyorta would then think through the information he perceived and would resume when he had concluded his thoughts.

The trolley was made from silk, with most of the frame hardened thanks to the coiling structure of the silk threads used. It was twice the size of the Tier 2 Crust-Mantle, shaped into a rectangle. Two ropes extended from one side and were wound around the head of Jyorta's Crust-Mantle form.

When it reached the area, the Crust-Mantle form turned around, using its mandibles as a forklift to lift the trolley and made it face the opposite direction. After placing it on the ground, it turned around, facing the direction of the exit.

A Ground Controller Crust-Mantle used its psychic arms to send a steady stream of gravel into the trolley, filling it up within a dozen seconds. The moment it finished, it nudged the Tier 2 Crust-Mantle, "Keep up with the good work. Nothing troubling happened outside, right?"

Jyorta's Crust-Mantle form chirped, looking around to notice that only its Crust-Mantle brethren were within the tunnel. It hesitated for a second before chirping, "Everything we were told to ignore has happened. The Floating Spiders are a bloodthirsty race. They are nothing like the Lava Turtles."

Hearing its words, the surroundings turned silent. It seemed most of the workers were listening to their conversation. For a couple of seconds, all work paused. The other Tier 2 Crust-Mantles too echoed its reply, validating its claims.

The Ground Controller Crust-Mantle let out sad chirps, "There is nothing we can do about it. We are helpless against them. They have Tier 6 beings on their side while we can't even face their Tier 5 beings."

Its chirps resounded through the tunnel, "Resume our work. We can't be impatient. Our time will surely come."

Jyorta's Crust-Mantle form sulked and started to pull the trolley. It soon increased its speed, accompanied by eight more Tier 2 Crust-Mantles. They sprinted towards the exit; the scuttling sounds they produced echoed within the dark tunnel.

After an hour had passed, the tunnel lit up and began to incline. They had to exert greater strength to pull the trolley up. Thankfully, they had built up more than enough momentum to do so. In unison, the nine Tier 2 Crust-Mantles exited the tunnel, running on flat, paved land before arriving at their destination.

Nine Ground Controllers stood before them, using their psychic arms to lift the gravel from the trolley before scooping them atop the hill. Just when they were done, another batch of Tier 2 Crust-Mantles, numbering nine arrived. It was an efficient loop, without any wastage of time. Everything, including their abilities, had been perfectly calculated to ensure the most efficient performance of the tasks.

Suddenly, chirps of all intensities resounded. The tone held anger, sadness, grief, pain, hatred, etc. it was an overwhelming influx of emotions. Even the Ground Controllers were startled for a second before chirping in unison, their cries echoing with the others.

'Someone important was gravely injured!' This sentence formed in his mind. Just as he was wondering, Jyorta's Crust-Mantle left its trolley behind and sprinted towards the source. The moment it noticed the Tier 5 Crust-Mantle sporting a massive hole on its back, it expressed its fury.

But, before it could run to the Tier 5 Crust-Mantle's rescue, a psychic arm coiled around it, stopping it. "Don't, all you will be doing is escalate the situation. Leader is stronger than you think and will definitely live."

"But!" The Tier 2 Crust-Mantle chirped in anger, its mind clouded by hatred. Seeing its response, the Ground Controller Crust-Mantle was helpless. Its other psychic arms similarly held three other Tier 2 Crust-Mantles. They all wished to rush to their leader's rescue.

"Get back to work." Seeing the Tier 5 Crust-Mantle shake its head, the Ground Controller Crust-Mantles clattered their mandibles, controlling their broiling emotions as they placated the others.

Seeing the Tier 5 Crust-Mantle enter the sea alone, without even treating its injuries, Jyorta's Crust-Mantle form injured itself. Its injury prevented it from being able to work for the time being. Seeing its condition, the Ground Controller Crust-Mantle chirped in sadness before letting it go, "Take some rest. But, never try to help our leader. Those Floating Spiders always wish to gloat on our misfortune. When you help our leader, they will injure it even more. At least, its Sync Rate hasn't been affected."

Jyorta's Crust-Mantle form dragged its body and began to head towards the desert, retaining most of its attention on the shore, at the place where the Tier 5 Crust-Mantle had entered. A couple of hours later, it burrowed into the sand and entered a dome.

The entrance was inconspicuous, looking no different from the surrounding sand. But, a faint difference in the sand's porosity was what allowed them to locate it. When it entered, it noticed more than a hundred Crust-Mantles resting in the area.

It took a corner and rested, trying to figure out a way it can use to treat the Tier 5 Crust-Mantle. Its thoughts were apparent, laid across its mind, body language, and being. It was easy to figure out its thoughts.

Suddenly, the sand walls beside it churned as the Tier 5 Crust-Mantle entered. Seeing its appearance, Jyorta's Crust-Mantle form chirped in joy, "Leader!"

"Don't create a commotion," The Tier 5 Crust-Mantle admonished it, signalling the remaining Crust-Mantles to remain seated. All the resting ones hadn't been at the scene and hadn't witnessed its injury. Moreover, the Tier 5 Crust-Mantle only peeked its head through the sand and avoided exposing its injury.

Moreover, its face no longer sported the gash from before while its mandibles looked to be in a pristine state. For a moment, Jyorta's Crust-Mantle form stared in shock, unable to figure out the reason for its recovery.

"Come with me," The Tier 5 Crust-Mantle retreated into the sand. Jyorta's Crust-Mantle form hurriedly followed suit, burrowing into the sand. It followed the scent trail, using its mandibles to make a path.

As the sand was loose, it closed the gap the moment Jyorta's Crust-Mantle form passed through. Soon, it was unable to catch up, sensing the scent trail turn fainter and fainter. It activated its Tier 2 Skill, moving faster through the sand, soon breaking into a small dome.

The dome was only wide enough to allow the two beings to stand side by side. The Tier 5 Crust-Mantle still sported the large hole on its back. But, unlike before, its muscles wriggled, increasing in mass as they filled up the hole.

An hour later, its body was fully healed. But, it seemed it had lost a considerable degree of energy in doing so, panting in exhaustion while it looked at Jyorta's Crust-Mantle form, "We are one of the weakest race among the Frenzy Beasts. While creating us, Rhachis Ancestor Earth took great measures to ensure we wouldn't ever be able to Nurture powerful Skills. I can't even fathom how it is possible, but it is our reality."

"But, I don't wish for us to stay like this." It chirped, expressing its dissatisfaction. "I had purposely lured the Floating Spiders to injure me earlier. They couldn't resist gorging on my flesh. Now, using my injury as an excuse, I will go on a trip."

"Trip?" Jyorta's Crust-Mantle form chirped in confusion.

"Yes," The Tier 5 Crust-Mantle chirped in response, "If we wish to change our fate, there are only two alternatives. I am heading into the ocean to find the Skeps while I leaked the location of this resting place to the humans. For some reason, humans desire to capture Tier 1 and Tier 2 beings of every Frenzy Beast race. So, they won't be able to resist this."

"Everyone resting within are already privy of it. After they are captured, they will try to establish communications with the humans in Marble City." Its chirps were suffused with a gentle tone amid the sadness, "Most, if not all of you might fail and die. But, we have to grasp that slimmest chance of success."

"Based on everything I investigated, the Skeps are planning another invasion. The Lava Turtles are planning to temporarily vacate their homes and migrate somewhere else. The Spindle Bees and the Floating Spiders will be affected by the Skeps. Unfortunately, the River Whales won't be affected, but they will retreat further north to reduce their causalities."

"This will give us time to plan as less attention would be placed on us." It chirped, "Are you willing to be captured?"

"Yes! I will do anything for our future." Jyorta's Crust-Mantle form chirped with resolve, "Please be safe. The Skeps are terrifying foes that are at the pinnacle of evolution."

"That is precisely why I am visiting them. It is worth the risk." The Tier 5 Crust-Mantle burrowed into the sand and proceeded towards the sea.