The brathian continue to be quite friendly and open with us, even allowing the carvers to peek into their workshops. The results of that visit were apparently a little humbling.

“They’re way ahead of us,” Smithant admitted freely.

She hasn’t changed much since the last time I saw her, in terms of attitude at least. Focused, a bit grouchy, entirely obsessed with her craft. It’s not always easy for me to tell, since I’m so much larger than every other ant, but I’m fairly confident she’s evolved recently as well. There’s a definite metallic sheen to her carapace and I’m not sure she always heated metal via her mandibles, or used her own carapace as an anvil. A nifty couple of additions, she doesn’t even need a forge to work anymore. Case in point, she’s busy testing some intricate wire… thing, even as we talk.

“Is it uncomfortable having your legs bend backwards like that?”

The spot she uses to hammer on is just behind her head. Her eyes are mutated enough that she still gets a good view of it, though she sometimes needs to turn a little.

“They don’t actually bend backwards, they rotate in the socket.”

“Ah… hmmm… so is that uncomfortable?”

“No.”

It sure looks weird.

“Sooo, we’re a long way behind them?”

“Yes. I think they didn’t care if we saw them at work, since we aren’t at a point where we could comprehend their advanced techniques. Their use of mana during the forging process is far beyond what we are capable of. For example, I’m fairly sure one of the forges we saw was actively infusing water mana into the metal as it was being worked. I’ve never even thought of doing that, let alone have any idea how it would be achieved.”

“I guess there’s going to be a lot to do once we get back from this trip,” I muse. “How long do you think it will take before we can match them?”

The grizzled carver cleans off her antennae as she ponders.

“A few years, I would say. For our smiths to really push their Skills into the higher ranks, we need to investigate more advanced techniques like these. Now that we have a clue, it should help us advance, albeit slowly at first.”

There are other secrets they reveal to us as well.

[I thought I felt a big monster sitting around here somewhere.]

[I’m surprised you noticed. The Shulk are fairly private creatures. You’ll forgive me if I don’t take you down to speak with it.]

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[Hey, a monster who enjoys a little privacy, I can respect it.]

It’s not like I’ll ever get privacy ever again. How far away from the Colony would I need to be in order to be alone in my own head? Even if I got there, Crinis would be latched onto my carapace, no question. I really hope I get back before she wakes up. I left a note in the event I didn’t… but I don’t think it’ll be enough to pacify her.

Marzban Corazan is apparently the brother of the Satrap and… their lead… fighty… guy. I don’t know his title. Unlike his pudgy, cheerful and fabulously wealthy brother, this guy is more jacked than a house of cards. If the Satrap is the fattest brathian I’ve ever seen, then Marzban is surely the most muscular. Wearing his shining, gold plated armour that positively gleams with the weight of enchantments it holds, he cuts quite the figure amongst the rest of the guards.

I mean, they’re all tiny compared to me, but I’m trying to pay attention to the little people.

[So… are all brathian settlements built around one of these guys?]

At the bottom of a large fissure that runs straight through the middle of the brathian settlement, the Shulk is a huge monster, tier seven at least, its core gleaming like a miniature sun. Part crab, part oyster, the thing has shells on its shells, and spends almost all of its time just chilling down there.

[Most of them,] Marzban informs me readily. [You would have felt the barrier you passed through when you entered our territory?]

I nod.

[That is a field projected by the Shulk. It keeps smaller monsters away, enriches mana, and reduces the burden of water pressure, allowing our settlements to thrive at greater depths than we would normally be able to live comfortably. In exchange, we provide for the monster’s needs. We feed it, keep it informed and entertained, and help to propagate their species. After all, more Shulk surviving to maturity means more places we can live.]

Huh.

[So this is a mutual agreement? These Shulk are intelligent monsters?]

[Oh, they are extremely intelligent. For monsters, they are relatively weak, especially through the early tiers, so it usually takes them a long time to become strong enough to settle down. This Shulk is over a thousand years old, and has seen much in its time.]

Deep below, the crab front-part of the monster rotates an eye-stalk to look up at me, so I wave an antenna in greeting, only for the creature to blow a few bubbles and go back to minding its own business.

I get the picture, I’ll get off your lawn. Sheesh.

After a bit over a day, everything is prepared and a grand procession prepares to exit the brathian city. Along for the ride are many of the dignitaries from the Island Conglomerate, including Marzban and Eran, the Satrap’s wife. Apparently, his daughter is also along for the ride, which seems… odd. It’s fine, I suppose.

We rise to the surface on our platform of air, the bubble finally breaching the surface as the water runs down the side. Ah… the fresh, open air of the fourth stratum once more. A surprisingly large fleet of sleek ships greets us atop the tranquil waters of the Lake. It takes a little while, but we manage to pack all of the ants, all our goods, along with the brathian contingent aboard, and then we are on our way.

Mages conjure winds to fill the sails, and shift the waters along the sides of the boats, speeding us across the lake.

[We’re going to head to Lakespire first,] Marzban informs me. [It’s a gathering of various Conglomerates. Think of it as a more-or-less permanent market the size of a city. If we can get other brathians to pick up the goods, they’ll be able to reach markets further away that our conglomerate doesn’t reach.]

[Sounds good.]