Departing from Deepnest, Simon arrived at the Stag Station in Queen's Gardens and decided to take a Stag Beetle directly to the Crossroads Station, which was very close to home.
Along the way, he collected geo piles he encountered.
These large rock formations had geo embedded on their surface and inside; breaking the rocks would yield geo of varying quality. Many times, geo piles eroded by weathering, with loose and pulverized rock, would scatter geo on the ground, which was then eaten by mindless crawlers, making it difficult to digest. So, killing these bugs that had mistakenly eaten geo would allow one to extract a small amount of geo from their abdomens.
Simon sometimes missed the taste of food, so he would kill a few small bugs along the way to fill his stomach. Killing them felt like opening a box; if he got geo, he would smile, but if not, he didn't mind.
Moss crawlers were eaten shell and all, with a crisp, refreshing, and natural taste. The surface plants were like a salad, adding another layer of flavor.
Rudos looked ugly, but they were chewy and tough, good for snacking on throughout the journey.
Mantis Petra was not good to eat; it was dry and had little meat. Simon only tasted a few bites before discarding it. Perhaps next time he would try roasting it over a fire to see if it would have a crispy skin?
He traveled to the station in a very relaxed manner, putting the collected geo into the fare machine. He didn't count, continuing until his pouch was almost empty, and finally, the indicator light came on. Then, the fare machine quickly retracted underground, and a bell rose up.
He struck the bell to summon the Stag Beetle.
This time, he waited for a long time before the Stag Beetle rumbled out of the tunnel.
He was a bit breathless, as if he had just completed a long journey, but upon seeing Simon, he said happily, "I remember you! I didn't expect you to find this station. I'm truly sorry, this place used to be heavily guarded, and few bugs came here. It's been too long since any bug used the station, and my memory has been severely lost. Now, looking around, I'm gradually remembering some places, but it's still not clear. Perhaps if you open a few more stations, I'll be able to recall those places completely."
Simon asked him, "Were you just dropping off a passenger?"
"Yes, he was a small fellow, much like you. You are both brave bugs, daring to explore the ruins of this kingdom." The Stag Beetle slowly gasped for breath, the airflow rushing through his chest creating a rumbling vibration. "Tell me, where do you want to go?"
"Forgotten Crossroads."
"Get on, we'll depart now."
The chair on the Stag Beetle's back was a sofa, with soft and thick cushions and backrest, making it extremely comfortable to sit on. There were no guardrails, but thankfully, there were straps to buckle around the waist to prevent falling. The lively Weaver larvae also jumped onto the Stag Beetle, burrowing in and out of the seats.
The Stag Beetle turned around and rushed into the deep tunnel. His long legs ran very smoothly, with gentle bumps, providing the enjoyment of a rocking chair. The comfortable sofa seemed to draw one's soul in. Simon lay comfortably, looking up at the tunnel ceiling.
There was a lantern on the tunnel ceiling every so often. Simon watched as each lantern rapidly approached, passed over his head, and moved away from him.
He remembered riding a bus, how the trees, utility poles, pedestrians, and pebbles along the road would slowly move from the edge of his vision, moving faster the closer they got, and then suddenly disappearing behind his field of view. He could always watch the scenery by the roadside, looking at what was far, what was near, approaching him, then moving away.
Movement in space often forces subjective thoughts to distort movement in time. Simon felt as if the scenery flowed together into a river of time, and he was seemingly traveling upstream.
Memories and the present overlapped, and a huge sense of frustration suddenly surged in his heart.
Simon closed his eyes, tapping his abdomen with his fingers.
The sound of the Stag Beetle's footsteps reached his ears, like the steady beat of hooves and the roar of the tide, giving him a sense of reassurance.
Exhaling a long breath, Simon once again reminded himself that he was a player, but he transcended being a player; he was role-playing, but he transcended role-playing, doing what he believed was right, and not doubting himself.
Simon shouted, "You are always right!!!"
The Stag Beetle roared breathlessly, "Of course! We definitely won't go off track!!!"
The wailing sounds echoed in the tunnel, fervent like a carnival.
...
Returning to the Crossroads, Simon was filled with emotion; it had truly been a long journey! It could finally come to an end for now.
Looking at the map and tracing the route, Simon took the final steps home.
Along the way, he encountered several aggressive small bugs, especially the Vengefly. These mosquito-like flying insects were utterly fearless, launching slow, direct dives at Simon.
Before the Crossroads was completely consumed by the Infection, dealing with these small bugs wasn't even worth drawing his Nail. Simon simply raised his hand, caught a Vengefly, and squeezed it to death.
Passing by the Gruz's nest, he could still hear the Gruz Mother's snores, indicating that she hadn't gone to block that passage, saving Simon some effort.
From a distance, he saw the cluster of round houses. The forge beside his home was steaming, and Paya was humming a song, staring at the melting metal inside the forge.
Nati wasn't outside. Simon wondered if he had gone to work or was hiding inside the house.
"Paya!" Simon shouted, waving. Paya turned and saw him, paused for a moment, then immediately yelled into the house, "Nati, get up! The little one is back!"
Nati stumbled out of the door, looking completely unawake, rushing headfirst until he tripped, which jolted him awake. Paya scolded him for being reckless and complained about him being lazy and sleeping. Nati didn't respond, instead standing on tiptoes and looking around.
He saw a white Maintenance Grub waving his hand and walking towards them, and immediately felt confused. He asked Paya, "Where's the little one? Who is that white fellow?"
Paya stood with her hands on her hips, "He is the little one! Look closely! He's wearing the cloak I made."
Nati observed for a moment, then nodded, "Yes, look at the Nails on his back. The little one had two when he left, and he still has two now."
They recognized the greatly changed Simon using their own methods, but deep down, they were still unsure.
It wasn't until Simon walked into the reddish glow of the forge fire, and his face fully entered Nati and Paya's line of sight, that they finally saw Simon clearly.
"Little one, how did you turn white?" Nati was a bit nervous, overwhelmed by Simon's change. He stood rooted to the spot, hesitant, staring at the bug in front of him, fearing to hear the question, 'Who is the little one?'
Simon went up and hugged Nati, "Yes, I turned white."
Paya smiled from the side, pulling Simon and Nati towards the house, "You've been gone so long, hurry and rest, drink some fresh dew. I'll arrange my work here and then prepare food. You go sit down, rest, and chat with Nati."
Simon and Nati walked arm-in-arm towards their cozy little round house, exchanging quiet conversation.
"It's good to be home."
"Yes, it's very good to be home."
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
There should be... around 20+ advanced chapters?
[email protected]/Greyhounds
If you guys wanna check it out.