The ant nest, half-collapsed, was swarming with fire ants emerging in droves.
Ignoring the human flesh they usually relished, they were busy moving piles of rubble, while numerous soldier ants patrolled around. A few even approached Eddie's direction.
Before Eddie could act, Grey Wolf, who detested the fire ants, promptly sent them tumbling down the hill with blasts of hellish black flames.
Facing such a multitude of ants, even a powerful Grey Wolf couldn't gain the upper hand.
However, against just a few soldier ants, each several meters long, it easily defeated them, venting the frustration accumulated during the previous ant nest assault.
Grey Wolf reveled in his triumph, pummeling any stray ant that came too close.
As the ants cleared the debris, several hidden bags were unearthed.
Eddie and his group, observing from above, spotted three golden ant eggs being carefully carried by the fire ants, ready to be transported back to their nest.
Eddie contemplated; although useless to him, these golden beast eggs were valuable.
He called out to Yehken and Hessian on the opposite cliff:
"Who wants them? There are two golden-level soldier ant beasts, and one is a future queen ant..."
"I don't want it!" Yehken quickly declined, having bonded with the Hercules Beetle last time and feeling it was fair to let his companions have their turn: "Let Hessian have them."
"What? I don't want them either!" Hessian, stark naked, protested loudly: "I only contract with beautiful summons, not ants. Give them to the Li brothers. I don't care for them!"
Despite his nonchalant demeanor, Hessian was actually heartbroken, his chubby cheeks trembling.
Under normal circumstances, he might have eagerly accepted.
However, since Eddie stood up for him and helped him regain his dignity, Hessian resolved to change for the better.
With a special training plan from Eddie, Hessian realized his future lay with his Ironhide Rhino, his life-guarding beast.
Although still weak, its potential far exceeded that of a non-life-guarding golden soldier ant. The Ironhide Rhino, forever loyal and immune to death or desertion, would always be a reliable partner.
The golden soldier ants, although appealing, would be lost forever if they died. Besides, lacking intelligence, they had limited utility in combat.
Fortunately, these were enhanced beasts; if they had been regular golden soldier ants, they might not have been as effective as a silver-level Demon Wolf.
"Let's leave the golden queen ant to the ant colony. It's the future queen. We'll just take the two golden soldier ants," decided the Li brothers, realizing the urgency to bolster their strength.
With golden ants, their power could increase tenfold, and they would no longer lag behind the group.
They were keenly aware of their fortune in contracting golden-level beasts like the soldier ants. These were still in egg form, offering the chance for gradual nurturing.
Without Eddie, even if they had found the golden ant eggs, they could only longingly gaze at the treasure.
Under Eddie's signal, the Blood Fiend Queen swiftly descended from the sky and snatched the two golden ant eggs.
The ant colony erupted into chaos but was inherently terrified of the golden-level Blood Fiend Queen.
Unable to fly, they could only reinforce the protection of the remaining golden queen ant egg. Dozens of fire ants climbed atop each other, forming a dense wall, and quickly retreated the queen ant egg into the depths of the nest.
The remaining soldier ants sealed the nest tightly with rocks, seemingly fearing a pursuit from the Blood Fiend Queen.
Their instinct to protect the queen ant was paramount. Even though it was just an unhatched golden queen ant egg, from its birth, it was destined to become the next queen.
"These ant eggs are incredibly tough!" Eddie noted, observing the unscathed golden soldier ant eggs despite two massive tremors.
"If it were me, I'd do like the monkey did with the Chaos Egg. The monkey's fused Diamond Ape might be crappy, but it's way better than before," Hessian suggested mischievously, still without clothes and hiding behind a rock. Though shy to show himself, he couldn't resist giving the Li brothers dubious advice.
"No, we don't want to fuse a Chaos Egg!" The Li brothers unanimously rejected the idea.
With a mere one in ten thousand chance of success, it seemed hopeless. Besides, these were already golden-level beasts; why take the risk?
Eddie also felt that using golden-level beast eggs for a Chaos Beast fusion was somewhat foolhardy. Higher-level beasts made finding a suitable Chaos Egg more challenging. Hessian's idea was a bit too greedy.
Though just soldier ants, being golden-level beasts was already quite impressive. It's important not to be too greedy.
Despite the dangers of the battle, the rewards were significant. Not to mention Eddie, Yehken and Hessian's summoning tomes both advanced; Yehken's high-tier bronze tome officially became a silver tome, gaining a blank page and an upgraded poison talent. Eddie noticed signs that his hundred-year-old treemen guards might soon evolve to silver-level with a bit more external help.
Hessian's bronze tome upgraded from initial to intermediate stage, and the ancient laws bestowed upon him a young hippo beast.
Although it looked rather clumsy, it was a gift from the laws, and Hessian dared not discard it. Rejecting a beast gifted by the laws meant losing the chance to receive any more, with future tome upgrades yielding only blank pages.
Seeing Hessian's frustrated face, Yehken couldn't help but burst into laughter. "At least it's a bronze-level beast.
If trained well, after your rhino beauty, you might nurture a little hippo beauty!" Yehken laughed so hard he rolled on the ground.
"I'm broad-minded and peaceful, like still water, and kind-hearted. I won't stoop to your childish level," Hessian tried to maintain a gentlemanly facade in front of the Blood Fiend Queen, but his self-praise was in vain as she didn't spare him a second glance.
Yehken pretended to sympathize, patting Hessian's shoulder.
Just as Hessian thought he would offer comforting words, Yehken's comment floored him:
"Hessian, kind-heartedness isn't your thing, but being broad-bodied fits you well. Look at all that fat – you and the hippo are a perfect match, a family of three with the rhino!"
Even Yehken's joke made Yehken laugh.
The Li brothers, having contracted the golden soldier ants, roared triumphantly. A faint golden exoskeleton, like armor, appeared on their bodies, covering nearly half their surface.
Yehken threw a punch at Lyqeen's chest, causing only a slight shake with no movement from his feet. Previously, Yehken's full-force punch would've sent Lyqeen flying and likely broken his ribs.
Now, Lyqeen withstood the blow unscathed, a testament to the golden ants' defense, still in their juvenile state. If they mature, their defense might multiply, covering their entire body.
"Amazing, truly worthy of a golden-level beast!" Yehken exclaimed in awe.
"Though it hurts a bit... If you summon the Diamond Ape and hit me again, I probably still can't take it," Lyqeen acknowledged, thrilled with the ants' potential.
"Your golden ants have much room for growth. Even without summoning the Diamond Ape, my power from the Hercules Beetle has increased tenfold. I could knock Hessian flying with one punch," Yehken confirmed the ants' value, prompting Hessian to protest: "Hey, don't use me as an example! I'm not your punching bag!"
"The defensive capabilities are good, and other aspects are acceptable too. The only downside is the lack of intelligence, making it difficult for them to break beyond the golden level."
Eddie sighed. While the golden soldier ants were golden-level beasts, their potential was ultimately limited and not the most ideal.
"Having golden-level beasts is already the greatest honor of our lives. We'll treasure them!" Lyken solemnly nodded to Eddie.
He and Lyqeen were both pragmatic and understood their limitations. They knew they needed extraordinary effort for even minor progress.
Though not the best golden-level beasts, how many warriors in this world possess such creatures?
Lacking extraordinary talent or substantial family backing, they were ordinary young men who had attained what others only dream of.
Even Yehken and Hessian with their tomes had yet to acquire golden-level beasts.
How could they be anything but content?
Without Eddie, they might have starved in the Tower of Heaven, or been mere bodyguards, risking death by beast attack.
Their gratitude to Eddie was immense, choosing to repay him over a lifetime for altering their fate. They didn't utter thanks because deep gratitude goes beyond words.
"Worrying! If Inan... ah, brother Inan has arrived at Hope's Edge and encounters the chaotic mercenaries, it could be dangerous!"
Eddie's sister suddenly exclaimed, recalling something important.
Yehken and the others were sweating at the thought. If Inan happened to arrive at Hope's Edge during the chaos, the situation would be dire. They all looked to Eddie, hoping for a solution.
"Inan has a tome; she should be safe," Eddie reassured his sister, feeling it best to return and check. "Let's head back to Hope's Edge and see what's going on. I suspect there's something fishy behind the mercenaries' madness and infighting. Someone must be stirring trouble."
"We should hurry back..." For Eddie's sister, Inan was her future sister-in-law, and she couldn't bear the thought of her in danger.