SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK...

BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ...

By the time they caught up with the "bait," they found that the two Iron Bone Knights at the forefront had already been swarmed by a large group of flies, mosquitoes, fleas, bedbugs, and other insects. The insects bit them furiously while laying eggs inside their bodies; the eggs hatched into maggots at an astonishing rate and then grew into adult insects. The cycle continued unceasingly. Even the Iron Bone Dragon Filament Worms that had mutated into Knight Armor on their bodies couldn't save their lives.

Moreover, as the knights' blood flowed unchecked and the sweet, fishy aroma of their Blood of Transformation dissipated, it attracted more and more insects from the caves. The other Iron Bone Knights, disposable by design, couldn't escape their fate either. As appetizing prey, they were solidly surrounded by the skin-crawling insects.

However, this was precisely the scenario the Swarm hoped to witness. Everything was going according to plan.

After drinking the specially fortified Blood of Transformation from the bait, the insects all staggered as if drunk. Following their instincts, they slowly congregated in the mushroom forest to form a massive entity, barely making up a five-meter-tall, humanoid female figure that reached the cave's ceiling.

But in Byron's eyes, her appearance was indescribable. Her hair was made of red mycelium, her eye sockets were filled with countless wriggling maggots, and her flaccid body was composed of who knows how many earthworms and nematodes. In her abdominal cavity, innumerable rats scurried about, and on her forehead grew colorful fungi resembling two massive horns. Her body was covered in black, white, yellow, and red mold... A dark cloud of flying insects surrounded her, and with every breath, clouds of bugs and spores were inhaled and exhaled...

This Bizarre seemed to represent the entire ecosystem of the underground mine, a level above the collective will of a single-species entity like the Swarm. One could even say she was the natural will of this small cave world. Unless every living thing within the cave was destroyed, she would be an undying existence. However, at that moment, she was like a drunk, deep in slumber, utterly defenseless.

The true body of the Chǐ God has appeared. Calling in professional exterminators like the Swarm was indeed the right specialization. What one knows, one does well; what one doesn't, cannot be done. If it had been up to me to act, I wouldn't have known where to start. They say accidents tend to happen when dealing with Evil Spirits and Bizarres, but in the end, it all comes down to a lack of power. This operation has been remarkably smooth.

Nevertheless, while Byron was impressed by the Swarm's professionalism, he couldn't help feeling disgusted over and over again. But just when he thought the operation was going smoothly with no surprises, a voice of admiration suddenly came from beside him:

"What a beauty!"

Byron's body stiffened as he turned to look, only to see the eyes of the Swarm fixed on the mass that was the Chǐ God, shining brightly.

You... something's not right! Could it be that the Chǐ God has some offbeat power that can influence people's minds?

No sooner had he muttered this to himself than Digory of the Thousand Legs beside him also nodded and exclaimed, "Teacher truly has an eye for beauty, indeed a beauty! I'd like to invite her for a drink of Witch Juice, if possible."

Once, he had dealt a fierce blow to a stunningly beautiful female Leopard Spirit Warrior, yet now he wholeheartedly agreed with his own teacher. And both spoke clearly and logically, seemingly not at all confused in their minds.

How can we be from the same Sect with such different tastes?

Byron couldn't help doubting himself, internally exclaiming: Compared to these two, who dares to say I'm not the normal one?!

The Book of Giant Insects Sect should indeed be destroyed as soon as possible.

However, he had to feign agreement against his will, "Yes, yes, a beauty indeed. But, Teacher, should we strike down the 'flower' now?"

To his surprise, the Swarm flatly rejected his suggestion: "We can't destroy her. I can hear her heart's voice through empathetic connection. This Bizarre, no, this beauty, is driven by hunger and the urge to breed, and she won't let any 'food' that steps into this ecosystem escape. She greedily devours everything, merely conserving her food supply. And although the Chǐ God has a tenacious vitality, she is not an undying Curse Spirit. For now, she can only reside within this fragile ecosystem of the cave and will not, cannot leave this place. As long as you restrict your men from venturing in here, only operating in the mines, she will not harm them. I plan to establish a research base here to study how to ascend from a 'collective will' to the 'natural will' of an ecosystem."

The proverb of the Wilderness Sequence: I came, I saw, I conquered!

The objective is to conquer oneself, conquer Nature, and then step by step transform the vast Wilderness into a Humanized World suitable for Human habitation. Controlling this unique ecosystem was a temptation that the Swarm could not possibly refuse.

"No problem. If this cavern is useful to you, then there's nothing better. Teacher, you may use this place as you wish. I will then build a fort nearby, and if you have any needs, feel free to command me."

Byron could also accept this result. As long as he kept the Bizarre from killing indiscriminately and it didn't hinder his mining and technological advancement, plus a free enforcer was too good an offer to pass up.

The Swarm admiringly gazed at the beauty for a good while, observing the Flea, the louse, the maggot... SLURP~

Putting away its drooling expression, it then turned to Byron and said, "Don't worry, I won't let you suffer a loss. We Wizards believe in Equal Exchange and don't have as many schemes as the Nobility. Last time, General Newman exhausted his core guard, and it was with great difficulty that he piloted his 'Support' back from a battlefield dominated by two powerhouses, barely escaping with his life. Support, support, and in the end, his support landed on the heads of the People of Castilia; now it has become a complete joke among the upper echelons of Hightins."

At this point, the Black Witch's tone also had a hint of mockery.

"Now, Port Royal's control over the Heitings Colony has significantly weakened. They have no choice but to desperately seek external aid. Newman has not only used the appearance of the Kingdom's Heartfelt Trouble, the Mad Hunt, as a pretext but also invited a hunting squadron composed of the Church Tribunal and the Empire's mercenary Doppler Swordsmen. The estimated time of arrival should be soon. He has also placed some of his Hope on the foremost Pirate General, Bill. Nowadays, Bill is constantly entangled by that Miss Tilly, TSK TSK... Anyway, just thinking about the process makes me feel queasy.

"I see that Bill, this young man, has the potential to achieve great things. Although he was your former superior, your achievements in forbidden knowledge might even surpass his. The time has come for you to make a choice..."

Upon hearing this, Byron thought: What a joke. Could Tilly be more disgusting than you two? Our Bruh might throw up at the sight of Tilly once or twice and get used to it, but creatures like you have long departed from the Human category!

But the following words from the Swarm instantly made his ears perk up.

"Above the first ritual, the Holy Grail of Blood, there are two more primary sublimation rituals. If you follow the path of *Bloody Mary's Gourmet Cookbook*, you will then need to conduct the sublimation ritual to ascend to the Middle Sequence: the 'Sacrificial Grail,' also called the 'Blood Feast Grail.'

"For this, you must concoct 108 types of core Blood Brew. During the ritual, you must personally drink each type, allowing your body to memorize their effects. This will ultimately transform the blood within you completely into the Blood of Transformation, which possesses the power of metamorphosis and renewal.

"The only constant in this world is change. Every cell in your body, including teeth and organs, can be continuously renewed and replaced. Your physical limits, Recovery Power, endurance, and speed will naturally become incomparable to those of mere mortals. Your lifespan will be substantially extended, and the ailments of ordinary people will no longer harm you.

"You will be able to continuously produce Blood of Transformation of the same rank as yourself without needing to kill. Even if stranded on a deserted island, you could use your own Blood of Transformation to create various Blood Brews.

"Furthermore, you will inherently possess various incredible transcendent abilities. You could take a drop of someone's blood to assume their likeness, or transform into a crow or bat. Most crucially, you will no longer have to envy the extraordinary stamina of those brute-force professions! From then on, you will truly be an indefatigable workhorse..."

The Miracle, *Bloody Mary's Gourmet Cookbook*, which Byron had snatched from Bloody Eye Salman, also contained information about the 'Sacrificial Grail,' though it was far less detailed than the Swarm's explanation. At this moment, he finally learned from the Swarm the ultimate goal of the Bloodthirsty Cult's transcendent path regarding the transformation of Life Essence.

It was the Mythical Creature: Night Demon, an affiliate of Lilith from before the Silver Era!

A choice now lay before Byron. Upon reaching the Third Order, whether to first conduct the 'Ritual of the Sacrificial Grail' or to first perform the Middle Sequence's Promotion Ceremony would determine the future path's focus: whether to emphasize the 'Beastliness' of the Black Witch path or the 'Divinity' of the Ladder of Glory.

If it hadn't been for the repeated prompt in the *Sailing Logbook*: "Remember! The Great Flood has never receded, please fasten your Anchor tightly!" Byron might have hesitated. But this stark red warning made Byron realize from the very beginning that his understanding of this world was only the tip of the iceberg. Beneath the deep waters of the unknown world, who knew how many terrifying things were hidden.

He decisively chose to first solidify his own 'Anchor' by ascending to the Third Order through the Ladder of Glory.

As for the Storm Knight's next step, which focused on treasure hunting—the Promotion Ceremony named 'Pirate's Treasure Chest'—the first thing that popped into his mind was the news that had been causing such a stir within the Bantaan Archipelago lately... Silvergold Island!