"Get your stupid ass of Urney! You dumbshit ant!"
The roar from Lumber and Gumber shattered the tense atmosphere. Both brothers gripped their spears tightly and charged into the middle of the ant swarm like two wild beasts. Seeing this, the ant leader immediately drew a stone sword from his belt to face the challenge.
However, the clash was far from equal, despite the ants' imposing numbers. Within just twenty minutes, the warriors' superior skill completely broke the ant army's formation. The ants dropped their weapons in unison, trembling as they surrendered. The ant leader fell to his knees, his voice quivering:
"We are sorry, Great Ones... Please, show us mercy... Spare our lives!"
Seeing this, the other ant warriors followed suit, kneeling down with their fighting spirit completely extinguished.
"What? You made such a grand entrance, but you're this weak?"
Shinji watched the scene with a hint of confusion before approaching the ant leader and offering a hand for him to take.
"Stand up. A leader shouldn't be kneeling; it's not very dignified."
Once the misunderstanding was temporarily set aside, the group sat down with the ants amidst the ruins. The old ant introduced himself with a slight tremor:
"My name is Kriz, the leader of the ant army in this forest. To be honest with you, we don't like war or fighting. The greatest passion of this colony is simply baking and cooking."
Lumber and Gumber, busy scrubbing every inch of their wooden crate named Urney, asked suspiciously:
"If you love peace so much, then why did you attack us in the first place?"
A flicker of fear crossed Kriz's aged face. He glanced around nervously as if afraid someone might be watching from the shadows before lowering his voice to a whisper:
"We were forced... He told us to eliminate you. In truth, we have no desire to make enemies with anyone."
The group immediately crowded around him, their curiosity piqued:
"Who? Who gave you that command?"
Kriz trembled even more, his voice coming out raspy and thick with dread:
"It was our superior... A truly terrifying being. You must be careful when facing him; his strength is beyond anything you can imagine."
Amidst the heavy atmosphere, a small ant appeared, crawling out from a hole in the ground. He wore a set of clothes fashioned from vibrant green leaves and carried a plate filled with fragrant, round cakes. Kriz smiled softly and patted the little ant on the head.
"Oh, thank you, Chiko. Good boy. Now, go over there and play with Uncle Reibei."
Little Chiko scurried off toward the other ant warriors resting in the distance. Lumber, curious, picked up one of the cakes and remarked:
"How heartwarming. I didn't expect ants to have such affection and care for one another."
The cake was round and felt slightly sticky to the touch. In the center was a brilliant reddish-purple filling, emitting an aroma so mouth-watering that it made everyone's stomach growl. Shinji took a bite, and the explosion of flavor in his mouth left the entire group stunned.
"This is a Skily cake. Its round shape represents the vast sky. This is a traditional recipe passed down through generations by our ancestors."
Kriz spoke while casually popping a piece of the cake into his mouth. The outer shell was a translucent white, made from countless tiny grains, hugging the eye-catching reddish-purple filling. The old ant explained enthusiastically:
"This cake is made from sticky rice, and the filling inside is ripe banana. We wrap them tightly in leaves and cook them for several hours to achieve this flavor."
Hearing these strange names, Shinji's group looked at each other in bewilderment:
"Sticky rice?... And bananas? What are those things? We've never heard of them."
Seeing their confused expressions, Kriz burst into a hearty laugh:
"Haha, of course! These plants don't exist on our continent of Gallela. To find them, you'd have to travel over 500 miles to the neighboring continent."
As he enjoyed the treats with everyone, the old ant continued excitedly:
"Just last week, we journeyed to the next continent to gather fruit. To be honest, we were quite surprised. It seems the Demon King hasn't laid a finger on that land yet. It is still incredibly peaceful and beautiful."
Curiosity piqued, Akidou stepped forward, his eyes shining with interest as he asked Kriz:
"So... which continent is it? Can you tell us its name?"
At that moment, Chiko ran back and handed Kriz a steaming cup of tea. He took a sip and answered calmly:
"It is the continent of Sernik."
The mention of the name caused the atmosphere to fall into a sudden silence. Everyone sank into deep thought, except for Shinji, who was still busy stuffing his face since he knew absolutely nothing about the maps of this world. Suddenly, Alba clapped his hands together and shouted:
"Aha! I remember now! That's the homeland of Commander Tetsutaro! It's located in the West!"