Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

As I wrote the name So-ryong’s Venomous Creature Chronicles on the red silk cover in front of my father-in-law and the rest of the family, a wave of praise followed.

”So-ryong’s Venomous Creature Chronicles. A book chronicling So-ryong’s knowledge of venomous creatures. A simple title at first glance, but for a man to put his name on a book—it signifies sincerity and dedication. It’s a fine title. Truly excellent.”

”Hmm... To stake your name on it? Bold. Very bold. You are indeed my son-in-law.”

As expected, among men, this kind of gesture resonated deeply.

Of course, I had named the book after myself for a reason. Just like Fabre’s Insect Chronicles, if I was going to write a book, it only made sense to attach my name to it.

But beyond that, putting one’s name on a book was an act of confidence.

It was a declaration that I would pour my entire heart into this work.

After all, if the book turned out to be subpar, my name would be dragged through the mud for generations to come. No one would attach their name so easily unless they were absolutely sure of its worth.

So, as I accepted their praise with a smile, the elders returned my expression with approving grins of their own.

”Yes, I will stake my name on it and give it my all.”

And with that, the So-ryong’s Venomous Creature Chronicles naming ceremony concluded, marking the beginning of my first proper rest in two weeks.

”Then, since you’ve spent all this time sleeping under the open sky, go get some proper rest, son-in-law. We’ll see you at dinner.”

”Understood, Father-in-law.”

”Son-in-law, I’ll have the servants prepare warm bathwater for you. Stop by the bathing quarters first.”

”Yes, I will. Then, I’ll take my leave for now.”

After bowing in farewell at the Lord’s Hall, I quickly made my way outside.

However, I wasn’t heading toward the bathing quarters like my mother-in-law suggested.

I had agreed to her suggestion, but my destination was elsewhere—the Venomous Creature Garden.

Before returning from the valley, I had asked Deputy Commander Gu Pae to prepare something for me at Gujin Gate.

As much as I longed for a warm bath and a soft bed after two weeks of rough travel, this matter took priority.

”Is everything ready?”

I rushed into the Venomous Creature Garden, immediately seeking out Gu Pae, who stepped aside to reveal what he had prepared.

”Yes, So-ryong. Will this do?”

Behind him was a large box, its lid covered in numerous air holes.

I wasted no time in checking its contents.

”You’ve drilled the holes properly. What about the fabric?”

”As you requested, I’ve prepared black cloth separately. Also, since the finely ground soil would scatter too much, I mixed it with crushed Queen of the Flame Veil remains, just as you instructed. It hardened quickly.”

Inside the box was the familiar red soil, thickly layered along the walls and floor.

I had extracted this soil from the Queen of the Flame Veil’s nest, using Bini to transport the rocks back. Then, I crushed them into red sand and mixed them with termite bodily fluids, replicating the way termites built their tunnels.

Tap, tap.When I knocked on the hardened surface, it produced a solid, stone-like sound. ”This should be sufficient.”

”Then this will serve as the Silver Silkworms’ chamber?”

”Yes.”

The reason I had Gu Pae prepare this was simple—it was for the Silver Silkworms.

I needed to replicate their original nesting conditions as closely as possible.

Unlike mammals, which easily display signs of discomfort when their environment is unsuitable, insects—especially larvae—are slow to react.

They don’t outwardly express dissatisfaction, making it all the more important to create an ideal habitat from the start.

If insects are kept at the wrong temperature, their growth can slow down or stop entirely. That was unacceptable.

”Maximizing size is non-negotiable. Absolutely.”

In the world of insect enthusiasts, bigger is always better.

Even in my past life, the commonly raised stag beetle was worth only around 20,000 won at entry-level sizes, but if it grew past 9 cm, it could sell for up to 10 million won.

That’s why, even while traveling, I had taken special care of the Silver Silkworms.

During the day, I carried them on my shoulder.

At night, I placed them inside a warm pouch made of Yo-hwa’s silk.

Now that I was back at the Tang Clan, it was time to give them a proper home.

If I was going to raise them, I wanted them to grow as large as possible.

And since I only had two of them, failure was not an option.

”Alright, let’s set them down.”

I placed the two larvae, which had been resting on my shoulder, onto my palm.

Their texture was just as smooth and soft as before.

Enjoying the velvety sensation for a moment, I lowered my hand into the box.

Even though I planned to keep the box in my room, I wanted to see if they liked their new environment.

But the moment I set them down—

Both larvae immediately reached out with their tiny legs, clinging onto my fingers.

”Huh?”

One latched onto my thumb, the other onto my pinky.

For larvae, which had shown almost no reactions before, this was an unusual response.

”Alright, let go now. This is your home.”

Casually, I tried to remove their grip and pull my hand away.

But just then—

”So-ryong, their horns!”

At Gu Pae’s alarmed shout, I turned my hand to get a better look.

The roots of their delicate, leaf-like antennae had turned completely black.

”Gasp!”

I knew this phenomenon.

This was the darkening reaction.

It was the exact same thing that had happened when the first Silver Silkworm I hatched released its heavy stagnant energy.

There was no mistaking it—this was an expression of displeasure.

Panicked, I quickly reassured them.

”Hey, hey, no! I’m not abandoning you!”

Fearing that they might start releasing stagnant energy like the first one, I hurriedly reached out again.

And just as before, they both clung tightly to my fingers and crawled back into my palm.

As soon as they did, the blackness in their antennae slowly faded away.

”Whew... that was close.”

Wiping the sweat from my forehead, I suddenly noticed something unusual.

A faint light had begun to glow from my palm.

”This... This is...!?”

Startled, I looked down.

At the base of their golden antennae, a soft, warm light was radiating.

Like the flame of a birthday candle, the tiny glow flickered gently.

At the same time, a soothing coolness spread through my palm.

Gu Pae gasped.

”Th-That’s refined energy!?”

It was clear now—when these creatures were upset, they released stagnant energy.

But when they were happy...

They emitted refined energy.

”Quick! Go fetch Grandfather Mandok Shingun and Father-in-law!”

”A-At once!”

Gu Pae hurried off, and I stood there, staring at the two larvae in awe.

Their leaf-like antennae wavered gently, clearly pleased.

Feeling the comforting energy spreading through my fingertips, I instinctively sat down and began a meditation cycle.

As the refined energy seeped into my body, my depleted internal energy rapidly {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} replenished—

As if I had just plugged into a divine energy charger.

The realization sent a chill down my spine.

”These little guys... They’re healers!”

Bright energy when happy, dark energy when displeased—like some kind of dual-natured priest.

No... more like a light and dark priest hybrid.

Why hadn’t I thought of this before?

If the first one could selectively release stagnant energy, shouldn’t I have considered the possibility that these two could do the opposite?

The Heavenly Silkworm and Silver Silkworm were the same species, yet fundamentally different.

And now, I had proof that their abilities extended far beyond what I had imagined.

As I opened my eyes, fully restored, I found my father-in-law and Grandfather Mandok Shingun staring at me in shock.

”This... What is this?”

”So-ryong, explain this at once!”

And so, I found myself wondering—

Should I just tell them I’ve acquired healers?

***

”Did you sleep well, everyone?”

Chirrup. Chirp. Kukku! As I rubbed my eyes and got up from the straw bedding, I checked on my little ones.

The two larvae clinging to the wall were, of course, my first priority.

”Moji, Soji, did you two sleep well?”

At my question, the faint light at the base of their antennae flickered briefly before fading.

Yesterday, I had confirmed that these two could restore internal energy and emit refined energy that aided in meditation and circulation.

With such valuable abilities, the elders had insisted that they needed proper names immediately.

Thus, in a bit of a rush, the two Silver Silkworms were officially named.

Moji and Soji.

In the language of the Central Plains, those names meant ”Thumb” and ”Pinky,” respectively.

Since every time they crawled onto my hand, they always grabbed onto those fingers, I figured the names were quite fitting.

”My naming sense is top-tier, isn’t it?”

Despite their impressive abilities, the elders remained somewhat skeptical about their practical applications.

For one, their energy output was limited to a single person at a time—essentially a single-target heal.

On top of that, I hadn’t yet figured out how to make them use their abilities on command.

There was no way I was going to manipulate their emotions just to trigger their abilities. Some ruthless people, like those in the Five Venom Clan, might consider that, but I, Fabre, would never resort to emotional abuse.

With regular pets, I could simply scratch their heads or rub their bellies, but Moji and Soji were larvae.

I couldn’t exactly pet them, nor could I be sure that a simple touch would be enough to get them to activate their energy.

For now, I decided to raise them to maturity and observe them further.

”Alright then, let’s wash up and grab some breakfast.”

With Moji and Soji perched on my shoulder and Hangi coiled around me, I stepped outside.

I left behind Bini, who had become increasingly lethargic after evolving, as well as Cho, who was too big to accompany me.

By this time, the servants should have prepared the washing water.

Creak.As I opened the door and stepped out, I was greeted by an unexpected sight. It was Hwa-eun.

”Hwa-eun?”

Normally, the household servants would be attending to me, but she stood there holding a towel instead.

Seeing my puzzled expression, Hwa-eun responded with an awkward look.

”The maids... They’re too scared to come here. They said the number of venomous creatures keeps increasing, and it’s terrifying.”

What nonsense! My little ones were the gentlest creatures in existence!

Clearly, the next time we recruited new servants, I needed to suggest picking more open-minded candidates.

As I finished washing up, a warrior from the Lord’s Hall rushed over and delivered a message.

”So-ryong, before you have your meal, you are requested to visit the Lord’s Hall.”

Being summoned to the Lord’s Hall first thing in the morning...

I had a feeling this was about Moji and Soji’s unique abilities.

I nodded in response.

”Understood.”

After finishing my morning routine, I made my way to the Lord’s Hall—

And was met with an unexpected guest.

”Wait... Why is the King Beggar here first thing in the morning?”

It was none other than Elder Geolhwang.

Bowing slightly, I greeted him.

”It’s been a while, Elder Geolhwang.”

”Indeed. Have you been well?”

”Yes. But what brings you here at such an early hour? Was it you who summoned me?”

I had assumed my father-in-law had called me, but seeing Geolhwang here made me reconsider.

Sure enough, he nodded.

”I needed to see you urgently regarding a matter with the Martial Alliance.”

”The Martial Alliance?”

At the mention of the Martial Alliance, I straightened up and listened attentively.

This was about the information I had previously handed over to the Martial Alliance.

According to Geolhwang, after analyzing the data, the Alliance had pinpointed two locations where the Blood Cult (Hyeolg gyo) might have established their bases.

One was beyond the Great Moon Kingdom, which was expected.

The other, however, was within the Central Plains—near the border of Guangxi Province.

Or rather, it was in an area where territorial claims were ambiguous.

Since borderlines weren’t as clearly defined in this era, it was essentially no man’s land.

The Martial Alliance had planned to launch a covert raid on the site.

However, the authorities (Gwan, the government) had intervened.

Even though there was an unspoken rule of ”non-interference between the government and martial world”, the increasing movement of private military forces had drawn the government’s attention.

Thus, an official warning had been issued, forcing the Martial Alliance to stay their hand.

But then, an incident occurred in Yueyang (Ak-yang).

A bizarre series of deaths—”Guai-si”—had taken place.

”If we can uncover the cause or resolve the matter, the authorities have agreed to turn a blind eye to our movements.”

”Guai-si? And why do you need me for this?”

Hearing about unexplained deaths, I couldn’t help but wonder why they were seeking me out.

That’s when Geolhwang smirked.

Then, without even asking for permission, he stole my own signature line.

”Because this is your specialty.”