Chapter 774
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Chapter 774
No, we cant just cut off everything else and replace it, Engineer Uzun said.
Are you certain? Chikere asked. Id keep my head of course. But if everything can work like this arm
First of all, I have to stop you there. Because if you treat everything like you treat this arm, youll run into some real issues. Doctor Escarra and the rest of the team performed a miracle just to replace your arm and frankly its another miracle that it held up here. You pushed this piece of technology to the very limits of what it could do without falling apart.
Thats how youre supposed to use things, Chikere said.
No, it isnt. Because trouble doesnt come only at the breaking point. Unlike your own body, you might not feel it straining but-
I can feel it, Chikere interrupted.
Uzun sighed. Of course. And just like your flesh, you didnt care if it collapsed.
I care, Chikere objected. Why do you think Im here to be fixed?
Uzun shook his head. If you cared, youd probably stop things before you took permanent injuries.
There was nothing I could do, Chikere said defensively, I was restrained.
Indeed, Engineer Uzun replied. From that point on, whatever you had to do to escape was necessary. But things didnt have to get to that point, if your path had gone differently.
Chikere frowned, I dont see how it could have. There was no possibility of me defeating that woman.
You could have not fought her. Not run off into enemy territory alone. That alone shows reckless disregard for the work of my colleagues in the lower realms. And a few who might be ascending soon, actually. In short I dont think we will be repairing you.
Oh, Chikere said. I understand.
-----
No, Grandmaster Sadiq said.
But its easy! Ill jump into the furnace or drain my blood into a bucket or whatever you need. And you can make a really good sword, Chikere said. It has to work right?
In normal circumstances, Sadiq said, The life of a swordmaster offered willingly may indeed create a peerless sword. But what would be the point?
Well, then Chidi would use it.
I dont think he would, Sadiq said. And such a blade would likely be extremely disobedient except to its intended recipient. Furthermore, for a blade to reach peerless power would require the life of a swordmaster. And you have already said that you are no longer one, correct?
Chikeres jaw dropped. Oh no, her head hung. Im no longer even worth anything as materials.
Sadiq shrugged. I wouldnt say it quite like that. But its not untrue either. So until you regain your status and come back with the acquiescence of your apprentice, I wont be forging you into a sword.
So she couldnt even die like she wanted. How unfortunate.
Fine, fine, I wont mention it. But I still dont see what you want from us. Besides not attacking you, which was probably going to be the case anyway with you all getting stronger.
We need to plan. To be stronger. Meerkats and warthogs arent enough. Were not strong enough individually, or as a group, or all together. I saw a lion, you know.
Okay? You know lions dont bother eating meerkats, right?
They could though. And with us having more natural energy, it might be worth it for us to try.
So stay pathetic.
Then we just get eaten by you. Or other eagles. Maybe even regular eagles, Three Squeaks said. And perhaps eventually well become as strong as Anton. But in the many many years between now and then, we have to survive. So we build alliances. Youll want our help too.
I still barely see how.
We can get into places you cant. Catch snakes that come for your eggs. The warthogs can smash open rocks, even. And what if some bigger eagles want to eat you? Can you beat them without help?
Maybe with a bow. Or an ally carrying a bow.
Exactly! Three Squeaks declared. Were not the only ones who can think. And we dont have to settle for just surviving. Personally, Id rather work together with everyone. Other meerkats are at the top of that list, but we cant do everything. We cant even make bows yet. Though Anton was helping them develop their own crafting techniques. The simplest things involved shoring up the walls of their burrows so they could have larger chambers. But they were also developing other tools to supplement their own claws.
There were also plans to put stuff on the warthogs too. They could dig stuff up with their snouts and tusks, but they didnt necessarily like getting their nose in the dirt. So nose guards. Anton had also mentioned armor, which involved finding things that were stronger than your own flesh and putting them in the way of injuries. Three Squeaks was going to get something made of lizard scales once they could work out the methods. But they really needed tools, and tools to make tools, before they could do much else.
-----
Three Squeaks came upon Anton working with fire. That wasnt abnormal, but usually it wasnt so intense. And he also didnt usually do it in a hole in the ground. What are you doing? Three Squeaks asked.
Smithing. Sort of, Anton shrugged. Since many of you practice the fire element, Im testing to see at what level your natural energy will substitute for proper fuel. Its probably a bit beyond you currently, and youd have to make a forge, he gestured around him to the hole in the ground covered in rocks and fancy dirt. This might not be the best arrangement, however. Unfortunately, I didnt learn from anyone who wasnt already in an established environment. But all of you are figuring things out yourselves pretty fast anyway. Anton stood and stretched, Maybe you need less of this and more investment in body tempering. Eventually those claws of yours wont be enough. Especially since theyre not really for slashing, but digging.
Its a lot of work, Three Squeaks said. Spending many days to grow plants that we dont always eat ourselves. But then I eat bugs that eat the plants and I realize that its all worth it.
Anton laughed, Thats something we humans should do more of. Some of us can unnecessarily limit our diets. Im glad you all arent too upset about your fields being eaten.
It makes tasty food. I cant wait for the scorpions to grow big and juicy. But they have to eat other things that eat the plants. Its less fast? Three Squeaks pondered. For not as much more energy.
It is less efficient, Anton agreed. Though ultimately, it comes down to how much you can really eat. And how much energy you can handle. At least, with how things are going none of you meerkats are going hungry.
But then we have more children, and need more food, Three Squeaks said. Spring will be trouble.
That is where you have to learn restraint, Anton said. Thats something the Great Queen is surprisingly adept at, to be honest.
If she wanted to, she could probably establish a new colony every week or two. And with the intelligence of the void ants and her mobility, they could have sewn themselves all over the planet already. And maybe there were plans in place for such a thing eventually, but she had only actually established one small colony in the same section of forest as the leaf and stick bugs Anton had found.
More exposure to them had made Anton realize they werent two related groups, but rather they were somehow a single species that produced both fake leaves and stick forms, which was surprising as they were vastly different. Their communication abilities were still being studied, but Anton saw the intentionality of the two forms working together. The Great Queen was expecting to contact them first, as she would be less alien, at least. And quite a bit closer to their own size. Though Anton couldnt really say that void ants were really close to the stick creatures, despite technically being insects.
As for somewhat closer creatures there were a few hippos. Powerful creatures, capable of eating huge swaths of plant matter in a short time. Three Squeaks hadnt found the sapient ones yet, but he would soon. And it was better for him to put in the work than for Anton to simply point them out, especially since there wasnt a rush.
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Chapter 774
No, we cant just cut off everything else and replace it, Engineer Uzun said.
Are you certain? Chikere asked. Id keep my head of course. But if everything can work like this arm
First of all, I have to stop you there. Because if you treat everything like you treat this arm, youll run into some real issues. Doctor Escarra and the rest of the team performed a miracle just to replace your arm and frankly its another miracle that it held up here. You pushed this piece of technology to the very limits of what it could do without falling apart.
Thats how youre supposed to use things, Chikere said.
No, it isnt. Because trouble doesnt come only at the breaking point. Unlike your own body, you might not feel it straining but-
I can feel it, Chikere interrupted.
Uzun sighed. Of course. And just like your flesh, you didnt care if it collapsed.
I care, Chikere objected. Why do you think Im here to be fixed?
Uzun shook his head. If you cared, youd probably stop things before you took permanent injuries.
There was nothing I could do, Chikere said defensively, I was restrained.
Indeed, Engineer Uzun replied. From that point on, whatever you had to do to escape was necessary. But things didnt have to get to that point, if your path had gone differently.
Chikere frowned, I dont see how it could have. There was no possibility of me defeating that woman.
You could have not fought her. Not run off into enemy territory alone. That alone shows reckless disregard for the work of my colleagues in the lower realms. And a few who might be ascending soon, actually. In short I dont think we will be repairing you.
Oh, Chikere said. I understand.
-----
No, Grandmaster Sadiq said.
But its easy! Ill jump into the furnace or drain my blood into a bucket or whatever you need. And you can make a really good sword, Chikere said. It has to work right?
In normal circumstances, Sadiq said, The life of a swordmaster offered willingly may indeed create a peerless sword. But what would be the point?
Well, then Chidi would use it.
I dont think he would, Sadiq said. And such a blade would likely be extremely disobedient except to its intended recipient. Furthermore, for a blade to reach peerless power would require the life of a swordmaster. And you have already said that you are no longer one, correct?
Chikeres jaw dropped. Oh no, her head hung. Im no longer even worth anything as materials.
Sadiq shrugged. I wouldnt say it quite like that. But its not untrue either. So until you regain your status and come back with the acquiescence of your apprentice, I wont be forging you into a sword.
So she couldnt even die like she wanted. How unfortunate.
Fine, fine, I wont mention it. But I still dont see what you want from us. Besides not attacking you, which was probably going to be the case anyway with you all getting stronger.
We need to plan. To be stronger. Meerkats and warthogs arent enough. Were not strong enough individually, or as a group, or all together. I saw a lion, you know.
Okay? You know lions dont bother eating meerkats, right?
They could though. And with us having more natural energy, it might be worth it for us to try.
So stay pathetic.
Then we just get eaten by you. Or other eagles. Maybe even regular eagles, Three Squeaks said. And perhaps eventually well become as strong as Anton. But in the many many years between now and then, we have to survive. So we build alliances. Youll want our help too.
I still barely see how.
We can get into places you cant. Catch snakes that come for your eggs. The warthogs can smash open rocks, even. And what if some bigger eagles want to eat you? Can you beat them without help?
Maybe with a bow. Or an ally carrying a bow.
Exactly! Three Squeaks declared. Were not the only ones who can think. And we dont have to settle for just surviving. Personally, Id rather work together with everyone. Other meerkats are at the top of that list, but we cant do everything. We cant even make bows yet. Though Anton was helping them develop their own crafting techniques. The simplest things involved shoring up the walls of their burrows so they could have larger chambers. But they were also developing other tools to supplement their own claws.
There were also plans to put stuff on the warthogs too. They could dig stuff up with their snouts and tusks, but they didnt necessarily like getting their nose in the dirt. So nose guards. Anton had also mentioned armor, which involved finding things that were stronger than your own flesh and putting them in the way of injuries. Three Squeaks was going to get something made of lizard scales once they could work out the methods. But they really needed tools, and tools to make tools, before they could do much else.
-----
Three Squeaks came upon Anton working with fire. That wasnt abnormal, but usually it wasnt so intense. And he also didnt usually do it in a hole in the ground. What are you doing? Three Squeaks asked.
Smithing. Sort of, Anton shrugged. Since many of you practice the fire element, Im testing to see at what level your natural energy will substitute for proper fuel. Its probably a bit beyond you currently, and youd have to make a forge, he gestured around him to the hole in the ground covered in rocks and fancy dirt. This might not be the best arrangement, however. Unfortunately, I didnt learn from anyone who wasnt already in an established environment. But all of you are figuring things out yourselves pretty fast anyway. Anton stood and stretched, Maybe you need less of this and more investment in body tempering. Eventually those claws of yours wont be enough. Especially since theyre not really for slashing, but digging.
Its a lot of work, Three Squeaks said. Spending many days to grow plants that we dont always eat ourselves. But then I eat bugs that eat the plants and I realize that its all worth it.
Anton laughed, Thats something we humans should do more of. Some of us can unnecessarily limit our diets. Im glad you all arent too upset about your fields being eaten.
It makes tasty food. I cant wait for the scorpions to grow big and juicy. But they have to eat other things that eat the plants. Its less fast? Three Squeaks pondered. For not as much more energy.
It is less efficient, Anton agreed. Though ultimately, it comes down to how much you can really eat. And how much energy you can handle. At least, with how things are going none of you meerkats are going hungry.
But then we have more children, and need more food, Three Squeaks said. Spring will be trouble.
That is where you have to learn restraint, Anton said. Thats something the Great Queen is surprisingly adept at, to be honest.
If she wanted to, she could probably establish a new colony every week or two. And with the intelligence of the void ants and her mobility, they could have sewn themselves all over the planet already. And maybe there were plans in place for such a thing eventually, but she had only actually established one small colony in the same section of forest as the leaf and stick bugs Anton had found.
More exposure to them had made Anton realize they werent two related groups, but rather they were somehow a single species that produced both fake leaves and stick forms, which was surprising as they were vastly different. Their communication abilities were still being studied, but Anton saw the intentionality of the two forms working together. The Great Queen was expecting to contact them first, as she would be less alien, at least. And quite a bit closer to their own size. Though Anton couldnt really say that void ants were really close to the stick creatures, despite technically being insects.
As for somewhat closer creatures there were a few hippos. Powerful creatures, capable of eating huge swaths of plant matter in a short time. Three Squeaks hadnt found the sapient ones yet, but he would soon. And it was better for him to put in the work than for Anton to simply point them out, especially since there wasnt a rush.
Chapter 774No, we cant just cut off everything else and replace it, Engineer Uzun said.Are you certain? Chikere asked. Id keep my head of course. But if everything can work like this armFirst of all, I have to stop you there. Because if you treat everything like you treat this arm, youll run into some real issues. Doctor Escarra and the rest of the team performed a miracle just to replace your arm and frankly its another miracle that it held up here. You pushed this piece of technology to the very limits of what it could do without falling apart.Thats how youre supposed to use things, Chikere said.No, it isnt. Because trouble doesnt come only at the breaking point. Unlike your own body, you might not feel it straining but-I can feel it, Chikere interrupted.Uzun sighed. Of course. And just like your flesh, you didnt care if it collapsed.I care, Chikere objected. Why do you think Im here to be fixed?Uzun shook his head. If you cared, youd probably stop things before you took permanent injuries.There was nothing I could do, Chikere said defensively, I was restrained.Indeed, Engineer Uzun replied. From that point on, whatever you had to do to escape was necessary. But things didnt have to get to that point, if your path had gone differently.Chikere frowned, I dont see how it could have. There was no possibility of me defeating that woman.You could have not fought her. Not run off into enemy territory alone. That alone shows reckless disregard for the work of my colleagues in the lower realms. And a few who might be ascending soon, actually. In short I dont think we will be repairing you.Oh, Chikere said. I understand.-----No, Grandmaster Sadiq said.But its easy! Ill jump into the furnace or drain my blood into a bucket or whatever you need. And you can make a really good sword, Chikere said. It has to work right?In normal circumstances, Sadiq said, The life of a swordmaster offered willingly may indeed create a peerless sword. But what would be the point?Well, then Chidi would use it.I dont think he would, Sadiq said. And such a blade would likely be extremely disobedient except to its intended recipient. Furthermore, for a blade to reach peerless power would require the life of a swordmaster. And you have already said that you are no longer one, correct?Chikeres jaw dropped. Oh no, her head hung. Im no longer even worth anything as materials.Sadiq shrugged. I wouldnt say it quite like that. But its not untrue either. So until you regain your status and come back with the acquiescence of your apprentice, I wont be forging you into a sword.So she couldnt even die like she wanted. How unfortunate.Fine, fine, I wont mention it. But I still dont see what you want from us. Besides not attacking you, which was probably going to be the case anyway with you all getting stronger.We need to plan. To be stronger. Meerkats and warthogs arent enough. Were not strong enough individually, or as a group, or all together. I saw a lion, you know.Okay? You know lions dont bother eating meerkats, right?They could though. And with us having more natural energy, it might be worth it for us to try.So stay pathetic.Then we just get eaten by you. Or other eagles. Maybe even regular eagles, Three Squeaks said. And perhaps eventually well become as strong as Anton. But in the many many years between now and then, we have to survive. So we build alliances. Youll want our help too.I still barely see how.We can get into places you cant. Catch snakes that come for your eggs. The warthogs can smash open rocks, even. And what if some bigger eagles want to eat you? Can you beat them without help?Maybe with a bow. Or an ally carrying a bow.Exactly! Three Squeaks declared. Were not the only ones who can think. And we dont have to settle for just surviving. Personally, Id rather work together with everyone. Other meerkats are at the top of that list, but we cant do everything. We cant even make bows yet. Though Anton was helping them develop their own crafting techniques. The simplest things involved shoring up the walls of their burrows so they could have larger chambers. But they were also developing other tools to supplement their own claws. There were also plans to put stuff on the warthogs too. They could dig stuff up with their snouts and tusks, but they didnt necessarily like getting their nose in the dirt. So nose guards. Anton had also mentioned armor, which involved finding things that were stronger than your own flesh and putting them in the way of injuries. Three Squeaks was going to get something made of lizard scales once they could work out the methods. But they really needed tools, and tools to make tools, before they could do much else.-----Three Squeaks came upon Anton working with fire. That wasnt abnormal, but usually it wasnt so intense. And he also didnt usually do it in a hole in the ground. What are you doing? Three Squeaks asked.Smithing. Sort of, Anton shrugged. Since many of you practice the fire element, Im testing to see at what level your natural energy will substitute for proper fuel. Its probably a bit beyond you currently, and youd have to make a forge, he gestured around him to the hole in the ground covered in rocks and fancy dirt. This might not be the best arrangement, however. Unfortunately, I didnt learn from anyone who wasnt already in an established environment. But all of you are figuring things out yourselves pretty fast anyway. Anton stood and stretched, Maybe you need less of this and more investment in body tempering. Eventually those claws of yours wont be enough. Especially since theyre not really for slashing, but digging.Its a lot of work, Three Squeaks said. Spending many days to grow plants that we dont always eat ourselves. But then I eat bugs that eat the plants and I realize that its all worth it.Anton laughed, Thats something we humans should do more of. Some of us can unnecessarily limit our diets. Im glad you all arent too upset about your fields being eaten.It makes tasty food. I cant wait for the scorpions to grow big and juicy. But they have to eat other things that eat the plants. Its less fast? Three Squeaks pondered. For not as much more energy.It is less efficient, Anton agreed. Though ultimately, it comes down to how much you can really eat. And how much energy you can handle. At least, with how things are going none of you meerkats are going hungry.But then we have more children, and need more food, Three Squeaks said. Spring will be trouble.That is where you have to learn restraint, Anton said. Thats something the Great Queen is surprisingly adept at, to be honest. If she wanted to, she could probably establish a new colony every week or two. And with the intelligence of the void ants and her mobility, they could have sewn themselves all over the planet already. And maybe there were plans in place for such a thing eventually, but she had only actually established one small colony in the same section of forest as the leaf and stick bugs Anton had found. More exposure to them had made Anton realize they werent two related groups, but rather they were somehow a single species that produced both fake leaves and stick forms, which was surprising as they were vastly different. Their communication abilities were still being studied, but Anton saw the intentionality of the two forms working together. The Great Queen was expecting to contact them first, as she would be less alien, at least. And quite a bit closer to their own size. Though Anton couldnt really say that void ants were really close to the stick creatures, despite technically being insects. As for somewhat closer creatures there were a few hippos. Powerful creatures, capable of eating huge swaths of plant matter in a short time. Three Squeaks hadnt found the sapient ones yet, but he would soon. And it was better for him to put in the work than for Anton to simply point them out, especially since there wasnt a rush.
