Chapter 515: Chapter 515: Cleanup

The Duke landed at the command post on the defense line, conveying the news that the Nest had been destroyed by Wizard Herbert to Earl Hardy, Vivian, and others. Upon hearing the news, everyone finally relaxed their tense nerves, showing expressions of relief. Although they knew that other threats might still lurk on the Florence Continent or even the entire Wizard Plane, at least, in the battle of Maple Hill County, they had achieved a stage victory. They were just ordinary members of the Wizard Plane and did not have much capability to do more. What the Duke and the others could do was merely to protect this piece of home. The destruction of the Nest significantly reduced the pressure on the border, but the Duke did not rest at ease. The scattered Insect Race, lacking unified command and spread across Silver County and surrounding territories, might not pose a major threat, but if left unchecked, they would still pose a continual threat to civilian safety and territorial security, even potentially forming new, small-scale nests in some corners. The Void Insect Race always seized the opportunity to build nests so that even if the main Nest was destroyed, the species could continue to develop. Those Nest embryos were like sparks, keeping their hope of continuation alive. Once a Nest embryo remained undiscovered, the Void Insect Race could revive from the ashes. Based on known information, the will of these Nest embryos is a collective consciousness with previous memories. According to limited research, the will of the Void Insect Race's Nest can "see" everything seen, touched, or smelled by each Insect Race. The Nest's will is equivalent to being able to see everything all Insect Race sees, as long as they hatch from that Nest. This is another characteristic of the Void Insect Race, information sharing. This also explains why a Nest can command so many Insect Race simultaneously, as each Insect Race serves as the eyes and ears of the Nest, which acts as the brain for each Insect Race. Each time a new Nest embryo appears, it inherits all the memory information from the previous Nest, acting as a clone. However, unlike a clone, it is indeed a new Nest, only inheriting all the information of the previous Nest. These Nests are also connected, communicating and passing information among each other. However, there seems to be some distance limitation, unable to conduct remote command like a Nest commanding Insect Race. The exact communication distance of a Nest is still unknown and requires further research. What is confirmed is that distance and the level of the Nest are directly related. The higher the level of the Nest, the more it can transmit information over long distances to Nests in other locations. If a receiving Nest's level is not high enough, it likely cannot transmit information back. When Herbert was purging that Level two Nest underwater, that Level two Nest likely transmitted a broad range of information before it died, informing all Nests within its communicable range. This is something Herbert is very aware of; he cannot prevent the Nest from sending this information. At least until obtaining a thorough understanding of the Void Insect Race, it's unknown how to intercept such transmissions between Nests. Herbert specifically reminded the Duke to complete the cleansing work attentively as the Nest development strategy of the Void Insect Race is very strong. Upon receiving the information from the underwater Nest, they would inevitably alter their development strategy, likely shifting from rampant expansion to discreet, concealed development. This development speed would be much slower, but safer, also more conducive to the growth of the species on this Plane.