Release that Witch

Only when The Seagull had completely disappeared into the sky, did Roland look away.

”Sometimes I think that we should just build a command post,” he whispered, ”build it in a place where everyone can see so that it would not only boost morale, but it would also be a part of the Battle of Divine Will. Later on, when historians need to note it down, it would be something to brag about.”

”Why would you be concerned about that?” There was a faint reply coming from the emptiness. ”If you want to be recorded in history, you will need to endure Wendy’s and Scroll’s chatter until you make the first move to admit defeat and change your mind—I’ve experienced it. However, it’s definitely not what ordinary people can tolerate. I think it’s better if you give them less trouble.”

Roland could not resist saying, ”Yes, I guess you’re right.”

The battle with the demons would most likely last for months, even years. He would have to work hard to adapt to this new normality.

While he was thinking about this, he looked at the guard who was standing in the distance. ”Call everyone, I’ll go to the Third Border City.”

The latter immediately bowed and replied, ”Yes, Your Majesty! I’ll tell the guards right away!”

According to Kyle Sichi’s report, new progress has been made in the study of the rubber worms.

It was time to examine the results.

”Let’s go,” he nodded his head sideways and walked towards the airport exit.

...

After confirming that the secretion of rubber worms was valuable, the Taqila witches not only opened up a series of new caves for them, but they also served as keepers during their leisure time.

After all, it was not easy to find common people who could calmly face devouring worms and work in the wormholes. Long-term work underground made it more likely to develop psychological instability. The breeding part had now been fully taken over by Taquila. The workers were only responsible for the shipment and the processing of rubber.

This could be interpreted as another error in Roland’s prediction. He had underestimated people’s tolerance level in a claustrophobic environment.

Rubber worms detested the sunlight and liked damp and moist areas. They would also make noises when moving. Even if they were not attacking, the constant moving swishing noises would be enough to cause a mental breakdown for the people around.

He could not provide every worker with lighting and communication equipment, formulate detailed shift regulations, or get a psychological comforting guide—it was not that he was unable to do it, it was more of the fact that the price-performance ratio was too low. A large number of factories outside could find and fill their manpower needs easily. There would be no need to spend it on the processes that required witchcraft. Therefore, he simply transferred ordinary people to work on a more relaxed follow-up process.

The Chicken-and-duck Knight Prius Dessau was not idle. He spent his free time on the preparation of breeding manuals and guiding the production. The reason why the related products of Neverwinter could emerge numerously was certainly due to his credit.

The expansion of the breeding structure created more samples for the testing of the rubber liquid. It was due to this groundwork research, that Roland could allow the entry of the Ministry of Chemical Industry, and prepare for the next steps of the plan.

After going underground, Pasha came forward. ”Welcome, Your Majesty. Your people are currently in the rubber worm laboratory. Should I inform them that you’ve arrived?”

”That’s not necessary. You can just take me there,” Roland said laughingly, ”by the way, I heard that Celine built a new breeding plant, which was even bigger than the previous ones?”

”Yes, it’s just across from the lab.” Pasha moved her main tentacles. ”Not only did it apply the latest research from the Quest Society, it also drew on ideas from Dream World—would you like to take a look?”

”Oh?” He said excitedly, ”Of course.”

”In that case, please follow me.”

Passing through a long aisle, Pasha then led Roland to a big hole.

There was an iron fence at the entrance, apparently used to prevent insects from escaping. From a small door at the edge of the cave, he could not help but be stunned by what he saw—the environment in the cave was designed in accordance with the ruin of the snow mountain. There were luminous plants, water systems, and giant mushrooms that were readily available. The three were clearly created after reasonable adjustments. The plants grew along the edge of the stone wall and the water fountain, thus becoming a new streetlight. As they were the insect’s staple food, the mushroom was obviously the most abundant species. The huge mushroom umbrella almost covered the entire ground. Numerous insects were flying around and under the dim fluorescence light, only clusters of white bodies could be seen. They ate the mushrooms heartily and the dense buzzing sound made Roland think of the silkworms that he raised as a child.

What stunned him the most, however, was the size of the cave.

Judging from fact that he could not see the end of the light-emitting plants, this place seemed bigger than the main residence of the Third Border City—He assumed that the new farm was just a combination of several old caves, but now it seemed to be the contrary. The organized blue spots and the well-shaped water system gave him the feeling of a large factory.

”This is exactly on the edge of the Impassable Mountain Range, which is about the same height as the surface of Neverwinter.” Pasha volunteered by saying, ”If you open a hole from the south side, it’s only one kilometer away from the Kingdom Main Street.”

This meant that there was only one wall dividing the new breeding farm and Neverwinter. If he remembered correctly, by estimating the distance passed just now, it would be no more than two kilometers away from the main city area. The outside of the rock wall should be the temporary residential area for the migrants.

Roland asked rhetorically, ”In order to transport the liquid secretions?”

”Exactly.” Pasha raised her main tentacles. ”Your Majesty, please look at the southern end.”

He glanced at where she was pointing—He only saw a deep trench under the wall, like an escape route deliberately made for rubber worms.

”What’s that?”

”Extracting area,” Pasha explained. ”Celine used the vocalization of insects to create an aisle that would get more and more narrow on the wall. As long as a specific buzz was let out on one end, they would crawl into the aisle, toward the source of the sound—but due to limitations on the width of the aisle, they could only explore halfway and their bodies would be stuck in the aisle with their heads above.”

”And then?” Nightingale, who had been listening on the side, could not help but ask.

”Then we will start the magic core at the end of the aisle.” Pasha went on to say, ”It’s been adjusted to the razor blade mode. This cyclone is generally used to defend against the enemies of the narrow aisle. The core emits a magic light and fills up the aisle, shredding any obstacles that are in front of the light. The horizontal aisle is the path through which the magic light passes.”

”The bugs will be split in two, and the mucus in the belly will gather together with the drainage trough in the lateral groove. In this way, you don’t need to kill them one by one, and you can get a lot of mucus at once.” She paused and said, ”The one-kilometer distance is reserved for the collectors. According to Celine’s idea, ordinary workers can enter the receiving area from the outside of the extracting area, but other than the trenches and the pools where the mucus flows, nothing can be seen. This is an easy way to collect and also less likely to cause panic.”

”...”

Roland was silent for a moment.

He had nothing else to add.

This program could be said to be extremely mature under the existing technology. It took into account the entire process from breeding to harvest. If you built a rubber plant outside the mountains, then it would include even the production and processing. In particular, this type of modern-style, streamlined slaughter line was a concept that had been learned from Dream World.

Would using the precious magic core and Celine’s lifetime research as a butcher’s knife be considered as too mediocre a task?

Even if you could not find the Chosen One and activate the Instrument of Divine Retribution, you did not have to be so self-punishing.

Suddenly, Roland thought of a problem.

”How many rubber worms can this breeding farm accommodate?”

”It’s expected to be around 100,000. However, given their speed of reproduction, it will take about a year to fill this new farm.”

”What about the dead bodies after the secretion’s extracted?” he asked. ”How are you planning to get it out?”

This was not a small problem. Roland once saw in a documentary that a modern chicken farm had hundreds of tons of chicken manure every day. If it was handled carelessly, it could result in serious soil and water pollution. Once the production was scaled up, any small detail could cause immense trouble.

It was still possible for the God’s Punishment Witches to transport the bodies. Once the worms multiplied to more than 10,000, it would be easy to kill them, but difficult to clean up. If the bodies were not disposed of in time, the accumulation in the hole would definitely have a disastrous effect.

”Don’t worry, Your Majesty.” Pasha chuckled. ”Fran and the rest of the witches are not reluctant about coming. In fact, it’s amazing how much the three worm carriers can exhaust when digging fully.”

”Coo—” After she understood this sentence, Nightingale let out a stomach gurgling noise.

Uh... okay.

Now Roland finally understood why the entrance had a small gate, but still needed a large fence to be installed.

That was just reserved for the three witches’ entry into the aisle for dining.