“We belong to Utopia.”

At night, by the campfire, the singer said that she was explaining to Setsuna.

"Utopia, I know, is a big city-state."

The firelight was reflected on Shanshan's face. He was actually not that old, probably about the same age as Lu Ban, but the wind and dust had made him more mature.

"Yes, a big city-state. We practice a democratic parliamentary system. You know democracy? In the old days, it was the best political system. Whenever there is a problem in the city-state, we will convene a parliament and everyone will vote."

The singer spoke as she recalled, her face beaming with excitement.

Lu Ban thought about it and felt that he was probably on Shuangxin's side, so theoretically he should know about Utopia, so he didn't interrupt and just nodded.

"There aren't many people in our village, and everyone listens to the village chief."

Shanda said that he was not very interested in democracy or parliament. In the wilderness, small villages would often be destroyed by a sudden sandstorm or the passing of some insect swarms, and most of the villagers lived from day to day.

"You can also try. The village chief's judgment alone is bound to be problematic. Only when we discuss together can we come up with the best solution."

The singer spoke earnestly and persuasively.

But Setsuna just shook his head.

"Don't talk about this. Not all city-states follow this system."

Frostheart spoke.

"What other types are there?"

Lu Ban couldn't help but ask.

"Well, some city-states are led by the strongest saint, who alone is enough to decide the fate of the entire city. Some city-states are governed by several saints together. The city-states that have survived to this day all have their own unique things."

Frostheart explained with a smile, and the food cooking in the campfire also gave off a fragrant smell.

Lu Ban just wanted to eat.

He got what he wanted and got a bowl.

This kind of food is made by boiling something hard with water until it becomes soft. It is like soup, but thicker. At least it smells like food, but it doesn't seem to have much oil or water.

Lu Ban picked up the spoon and took a big bite.

The taste is like meat boiled in water, neither salty nor sweet, and of course, no fishy smell. This is probably what boiled chicken breast in water tastes like. To be honest, it doesn't taste good.

But at least it's better than bug meat.

Lu Ban was not so picky. The most important thing was to eat, so he quickly finished the food in the bowl.

"This stuff is delicious. Is this what people in your big city-state eat?"

Shanshan ate a little slower than Lu Ban. After he finished eating, he wiped his mouth to savor the taste.

"These are things that are easy to store. They are made from insects that are dried and then added to flour. Fortunately, we can still grow them there. The ones we eat in the city are cooked more carefully."

The singer explained.

"vomit--"

Lu Ban subconsciously wanted to spit it out, but he swallowed the liquid that was rising up in his throat.

"Why, you feel uncomfortable?"

The singer patted Lu Ban on the back.

"No, I choked."

Lu Ban lied against his will.

"Eat slowly. It's not like you haven't eaten this before."

The singer made a joke.

"We also eat insect meat, but we just roast it directly."

Setsuna looked at the bonfire.

Only then did Lu Ban realize that insects and insect swarms were not the same concept.

To be precise, the vast majority of creatures living in the wilderness are insects.

Some of these insects have soft shells, like giant cabbage caterpillars; some have shells as hard as steel and have wings; there are insects that swim in the desert and some that fly in the sky.

All in all, they're bugs.

For example, the camel-like creature that Lu Ban and his companions rode is actually a kind of insect.

The whole world is alienated towards the direction of insects.

The insect swarm is a completely different concept from insects. Although they look like insects, these creatures live honestly in their own ecological niches. Relying on these insects and the desert, humans can form a complete and self-consistent biosphere and develop sustainably.

But the swarm is the destroyer of everything.

They devoured everything they saw, eating up all organic matter and producing endless sand and gravel, turning this foreign land from a wilderness into the desert it is today.

These swarms of insects are like monsters created by some gods with the greatest malice, existing only to exterminate all living things in the world, and they are wreaking havoc in the wilderness.

The people of Utopia want to find the weaknesses of these insect swarms.

"We regularly send out some scholars, like us, to look for the Zerg, to look for the nests where these Zerg were born. Our research shows that the Zerg must have a nest, and the Queen is the instigator of everything. As long as the Queen is eliminated, the entire Zerg can be eliminated."

Late at night, Shuang Xin and Lu Ban were responsible for keeping watch. She sat by the campfire, the firelight illuminating her profile, giving her a strange look.

She became very excited and thrilled when she mentioned the Zerg, as if she was a geek talking about her professional field, and she could talk about it in detail.

"But maybe there is more than one Queen of Insects, or maybe these insect swarms are originally one?"

Lu Ban found that their research did not contain as much information as Feng Yu provided, so he reminded them.

"More than one? No, that's impossible. A swarm can only have one queen, but as one... yes, these swarms move together, so there must be some special way of transmitting information. I originally thought it was pheromones or smell or something like that. As one, this idea is very interesting..."

Frost Heart quickly fell into deep thought.

“You like bugs?”

Lu Ban asked.

"No, I hate bugs the most. My friends and family have all died because of bugs. I hate these creatures the most."

Frostheart clenched her fists.

"That's why I want to study bugs and how to completely expel these things from our world."

“It’s a long, long way to go.”

Lu Ban commented.

There may be many people in the wasteland who have aspirations like Frost Heart. These people may be like those who believe that the island can still be saved and those who are willing to resist the tide of magic. In this desperate world, they still hold on to hope.

Perhaps the next development will shatter their hopes, make their remaining wishes come to nothing, and completely destroy their sanity in the most profound way.

But such people still exist.

"We have discovered a ruin nearly 100 kilometers northeast of here. This ruin may be the location of the insect swarm's nest. Our goal this time is to investigate the surrounding ecology and, if possible, capture some free-roaming insects for investigation."

Frost Heart said again.

"The bugs wandering around..."

If the swarm is really a whole, then those insects at the edge of the swarm are not free-standing insects, but the tentacles of the giant creature, which are the most sensitive sensory organs.

If it comes into contact with it, wouldn’t it attract a large number of insects in minutes?

Lu Ban felt that he needed to persuade them.