Ivan sensed a change in the situation and immediately jumped down, adeptly stepping on other trunks on his way down.
But he had already stirred up a 'hornets' nest'.
'Bang, bang, bang.'
For some insect communities, the insect queen is their sore point. Once the queen was captured, wood silkworms communicated the news to others in secret, and the typically clumsy wood silkworms suddenly revealed their fierce side.
They transformed into moths en masse, attacking the enemy like missiles upon sighting them, while Ivan raised his shield, the round shield echoing with a barrage of impacts.
The commotion grew louder.
Ivan successfully landed on the ground, with the moths still relentlessly pursuing him as their numbers grew.
Around him, other mulberry trees also began to stir.
"Don't panic, my lord, we're coming to support you."
Seeing their lord facing unusual danger, Leider and a few others stepped forward to help fend off the attackers.
While running, Ivan instructed, "Retreat, split up and don't follow me. Pass the order not to approach Mulberry Ridge." He himself ran towards the back side of Mulberry Ridge.
After the group retreated, moths drilled out of the mulberry trees, tracing the scent of the insect queen and pursuing it.
In a short while, Ivan had sprinted to the back of Mulberry Ridge, leaving the moths behind.
He quickly pulled out two potions, one to mask his scent and another to repel insects, pointing his finger into the glass bottles, the potions vaporized into a mist that enveloped him, replacing his scent.
Continuing his retreat, he soon realized the moths had indeed stopped following him, inwardly praising his preparedness.
While the moths were thrown into disarray, he had circled back to the castle from the other side.
"We need to gain control over the insect queen quickly, otherwise who knows what chaos they could cause."
From the apothecary lab on the fourth floor, Ivan looked towards Mulberry Ridge, witnessing mulberry trees falling one by one, aware that the moths had become frenzied, and only the presence of the insect queen could calm them down.
Justine caught up with him, "Did you succeed?"
Ivan was slightly proud, "Of course, who else do you think your man is?"
Justine nodded seriously, "Hmm, I knew you wouldn't have a problem if you were involved."
Of the four villages, Silk Village was situated close to the front of Mulberry Ridge.
The activity on Mulberry Ridge frightened many villagers, witnessing the fall of the mulberry trees they once depended on for survival. Their feelings were complex, as these trees had been treasures of the village, which adults instructed their children to protect.
"All is destroyed."
In the village office of Silk Village, an old man peered through the gap in the window, patting his leg in distress and sighing repeatedly.
"Old Jim, stop howling; be careful, or you'll draw those things over here," the village chief of Silk Village patiently advised. If it weren't for the fact that Old Jim was his elder and quite aged, he would have driven him away long ago.
He followed with a sigh, "Those trees were already dead. Destroyed or not, they were dead. Ah! I hope our lord can truly solve the problem with Mulberry Ridge. Then our Mulberry Valley can return to how it was a few years back, with everyone raising silkworms, farming, and hunting, not like the chaos now."
Old Jim reluctantly closed the window tightly and turned around to reprimand, "What you are saying is inconsiderate. Haven't you seen our lord guarding Mulberry Ridge all night, staying until dawn before descending the mountain? How could he possibly not solve the problem? It's only because you youngsters haven't progressed much. Otherwise, there would be no need for our lord to step in personally."
"You are right," replied the village chief of Silk Village, unable to retort. "That's precisely why I hope not to waste our lord's efforts."
Old Jim spoke the truth. Ever since the lord had arrived in the territory, he had not had a peaceful sleep, thinking night and day about resolving the issue with Mulberry Ridge, making all the village chiefs feel deeply ashamed.
"Just wait, our lord will surely pacify Mulberry Ridge."
"Yes, he certainly will."
The village chief of Silk Village and Old Jim exchanged glances and nodded firmly.
In the past, the stories about the lord exhausting his efforts to resolve the problem with Mulberry Ridge had already spread across the entire territory, showing the villagers his determination and efforts.
The lord was young, but he was a true nobleman who sincerely cared for Mulberry Valley.
Unknowingly, Ivan had already won the hearts of many villagers, becoming a lord truly recognized by his people.
At this moment, an unprecedented incident occurred on Mulberry Ridge. Together with the command issued by the lord, although villagers felt uneasy, they all hoped that the lord could resolve the issue once and for all and dispel the gloom over Mulberry Ridge, returning bright sunny days to Mulberry Valley.
This night was destined to be a sleepless one for the people of Mulberry Valley.
At the dawn of a new day, someone who had been secretly observing Mulberry Ridge noticed that at sunrise, the disturbances on Mulberry Ridge had calmed down, and no more mulberry trees fell.
"Quick! Everyone come out and follow me to the castle; the lord has an announcement to make."
"Really? Is it solved, the problem with Mulberry Ridge? It seems silent over there—"
"Stop talking; you'll know once you're there."
Under the summons of the chiefs of the four villages, the villagers, carrying a mix of anxiety and anticipation, arrived at the open field below the castle mountain, standing in an orderly manner with people from their own village, waiting for the appearance of their lord.