I walked over to where Changcheon had dropped the needle and picked it up, laying it on my palm as I asked:

"Where did this come from?"

It felt familiar, but I wanted to confirm the origin first.

—Shrrrk. Shrrrrk.

‘—Tssrik. 『Ah, that—I just picked it up off the ground a while ago. Do you know what it is? I don’t know what it’s used for, but it looks like something made by humans...』’

At those words, I suddenly remembered the moment earlier when he had dug into the ground, rummaging through the swarm of locusts, and grabbed something in his mouth.

Back then, I’d just thought, what’s he chewing on?—but then he came flying at us and I forgot all about it.

Now that I was really looking at it, I realized that must’ve been when he picked this up and carried it.

‘Ah! So that shiny thing Changcheon picked up earlier—that was this silver needle!’

Which meant that the one who carried it... was one of the locusts.

The needle, which already felt familiar, now came with solid circumstantial evidence.

A familiar needle lodged in a locust? That made it... what, 99 percent certain?

I still didn’t know why the locusts hadn’t been artificially modified into spirit creatures like the army ants were, but still.

Just as I was about to return my gaze to the needle to ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) fill in that last 1 percent, Cho resumed his translation.

—Tssrik. 『There’s always one or two in every incoming locust swarm that carries something like this. I never thought much of it—oh, and what else...』

The whirring hum from his wings was long, but the translation was short, which made me curious. Judging by the way he stumbled, it seemed the message had been too long to fully translate in one go.

Cho scratched his head with his antennae as if struggling to recall, looking adorably confused.

When I patted his head, something must’ve clicked, and he suddenly exclaimed brightly:

*—Tssrik! Tssrk. 『Oh right! I thought it was the same thing humans shoot from those curved sticks when they hunt animals.

But when I thought more about it, it didn’t make sense. There’s no reason to hunt little locusts with something like this.』*

It seemed that King Locust Changcheon had assumed this needle was something akin to the arrows used by people in the highlands.

Like an arrowhead—it was likely he’d thought of it as a projectile for hunting.

Sister Jeokwol had also lived alone and knew little about humans. Apparently, Changcheon was no different.

But that wasn’t the point. What mattered now was that this needle had been found among every locust swarm.

That filled in the circumstantial evidence from 99 to 99.9 percent.

I turned my gaze back to the needle in my hand, intent on reaching a full 100 percent.

"Let’s see here..."

The long, slender needle was made of silver—not the same material I’d grown used to.

Up until now, every needle I’d encountered had been gold.

The one found in Cheong-yu Sojeo’s body had been a long needle.

The one embedded in the queen army ant had been a long needle.

And the one found on the camel spider had been a long needle too.

But this one... was the smallest of all. A fine needle.

It must’ve been due to the size of the host, but there was one thing that matched all the others.

It was hollow inside—designed to contain liquid or a substance—just like all the needles I’d seen.

‘That clinches it.’

Now all evidence pointed to the culprit, with 100 percent certainty.

It was the Five Venoms Clan.

There was no doubt—those bastards were up to something again.

In all of the Central Plains, only they would stick needles like this into insects.

And with that realization, I knew—Changcheon was destined to become one of us.

‘This is fate!’

I cried out “Nice!” in my heart, then turned to King Locust Changcheon with a solemn expression.

“Hm... It seems we share a common enemy.”

—Shrrk?

‘Tssrik. 『Enemy?』’

‘Ah, he doesn’t know the word.’

Since he didn’t seem to understand "enemy," I plucked the mushroom used for translation from the interpreter’s neck and held it in my hand.

“It means the ones who turned your kin into that... and the bad guys I’ve been chasing—they’re the same.”

—Shrrrk!? 『What do you mean!? Turned my kin into what!?』

At his words, I realized again—he had never seen what his own kind was supposed to look like.

His response was demanding, and I answered in a slightly sorrowful tone, my expression softening.

“The ones you think of as your kin... They’re supposed to have green bodies like the grass on the plains. They’re adorable, peaceful creatures. They quietly munch on grass, and at night, they rub their wings and legs together to sing peace into the world. In autumn, they announce the harvest.”

I let my tone drift, thinking fondly of those tranquil cricket songs on autumn nights.

“When crickets jump in autumn, people say, ‘A bountiful harvest is coming.’ It means the fields are full of crops and no one will go hungry for a while. That’s what we call a good year.

People love crickets. I do too.

But sometimes, for whatever reason, when their numbers explode... they turn into what you saw. It’s like the rain falling from the sky or the winter cold—it’s a natural thing.

But when it happens, people think the heavens are punishing us. The insects that once sang of bounty now come like a curse, and we believe it must be because we’ve angered the sky.

But judging by that needle... this wasn’t a natural change. Someone tampered with them. Someone with bad intentions made your kin that way.”

As I emphasized that point, saying someone had deliberately corrupted his kind, Changcheon’s antennae stood rigid.

Then came the sound of his wings—furious.

—SHRRRRRK!

‘—TSSRIK! 『Who... who did this to my kin!? Who turned them into such vile creatures!?』’

His cry was like fire. His wings and legs rubbed so violently, it was as if they smoked.

I clenched my fist and responded.

“The Five Venoms Clan. I’ll need to confirm it, but... I’m almost certain. They’re the only ones who use needles like that.”

—Shrrr...

‘Tssrk. 『The Five Venoms Clan...』’

Changcheon looked westward—the direction the locusts had flown from.

As he began flapping his wings, I grabbed him and asked:

—Shrrk. Shrrk.

“You’re not seriously thinking of going alone, are you?”

—Shrrrr...

‘Tssrik... 『To make my kin into soulless beasts... unforgivable!』’

So hasty...

I shook my head.

“They’re likely somewhere down the mountain, but you can’t do this alone. Even if you find them, that would just be part of their group. Their base... no, their nest is elsewhere. And there are too many of them for you to fight by yourself.”

—TSSRIK!

‘Tssrik! 『Even so, if they are my kin’s en—ah! Enemy! Don’t try to stop me!』’

He wriggled in my grip, trying to escape, but I gently calmed him.

“I’m not trying to stop you. Just like they hurt your kin... they hurt my family too.”

He froze.

I think he was shocked—learning I had lost family to them as well.

Shared sorrow, as the saying goes.

I hadn’t lied.

Several warriors of the Sichuan Tang Clan had died at the hands of Blood Cult scum now aligned with the Five Venoms Clan.

Since they were from my wife’s family, they were as good as my own blood.

And if they were killed by the Blood Cult serving under the Five Venoms, then it's no different from the Five Venoms killing them directly.

‘Complicated math, but not wrong.’

Now that he’d stopped struggling, I let go and continued.

Time to bring it home.

“If you want revenge for your kin... why not join me? I’m already moving to wipe the Five Venoms Clan off the face of this land. You and I—we’ve both lost our loved ones. We’re the same.”

Changcheon looked up at me, still and silent.

He seemed to be weighing my offer, turning it over in his mind.

Then, he looked up again and nodded.

—SHRRRK!

‘—TSSRIK! 『Very well! I’ll stay with you until the day we uproot them!』’

“Great! Then from now on, we’re friends—and family!”

As Changcheon and I clasped hand and foreleg in brotherhood, exchanging the eyes of warriors, the translator, just waking up, blinked and asked:

“Um... what the heck is going on?”

“What do you mean? So-ryong’s family just got bigger. He’s excited again.”

At that, the interpreter’s face twisted in even greater confusion.

***

Not long after, the returning party came rushing over, asking urgently:

“What happened?!”

“What’s the situation?!”

“With the help of the Locust King, the treatment is complete.”

“Phew. Thank goodness.”

“Indeed, that’s a relief.”

But as soon as they saw my awkward smile—and the translator’s—after I said the treatment went well, their attention quickly shifted to the silver needle I held out.

Though Hugae shot a sharp glance at the translator, even he knew this was a far more pressing matter.

“So you’re saying this silver needle was found on one of the locusts? And it appears to be something used by the Five Venoms Clan?”

“Yes.”

I answered Ji-ryong’s question, and then my elder brother, who had been turning the needle over in his hands, asked:

“You’re certain this was made by the Five Venoms Clan?”

“Yes, Brother. I’ve seen them several times. It matches.”

“So-ryong is probably right. It’s similar to what we found in the Beast Palace.”

“It feels a lot like the one we pulled from Cheong-yu Sojeo’s body.”

“Then it’s confirmed.”

“So it really is the Five Venoms’ work?”

They were all asking the same thing—was this truly a Five Venoms Clan needle?

And with both Seol and Hwa-eun backing up my assessment, everyone nodded.

Anyone who had seen the Five Venoms’ needles agreed—it was unmistakable.

After that, everyone’s expression darkened.

None of us had expected those bastards to attack using this method.

If Changcheon hadn’t intercepted them, if things had gone even slightly differently, the locust swarm might have reached the Central Plains—and caused utter chaos.

“They’re manufacturing locusts now, too? That means we need to move quickly.”

The urgency was clear in Ji-ryong’s voice, and I nodded as I replied:

“Yes, but we’ll need to wait just a bit longer. There’s someone—well, not a creature but a person—who must be part of this. I’ve sent Yeondu and Cho to bring her.”

“Ah, you sent them to fetch Cheong-yu Sojeo?”

“Correct, Hwa-eun. If anyone understands the Five Venoms Clan, it’s her. We need her counsel.”

As soon as everyone had returned, we’d rushed to send Yeondu and Cho by boat.

After all, it made no sense to go after the Five Venoms Clan without Cheong-yu Sojeo.

Even if their forces were likely somewhere below the mountain, finding their hidden base wouldn’t be easy.

But for someone who once belonged to the Five Venoms Clan? It shouldn’t be too hard.

Once I finished explaining, everyone nodded in agreement.

Then Hwa-eun’s voice rang out.

“And So-ryong—you should introduce him, don’t you think?”

I turned to her and saw that she was smiling warmly at the interpreter, who was introducing Changcheon to the children.

—Tssrrrk. 『This is Mr. Changcheon. He’s Dad’s friend now.』

—Chwarrrrk.

—Tssrik. 『Not “mister,” huh? Sorry, I didn’t know.』

—Kuuu. 『So you’ve become friends with Father?』

—Ska.

I’d already given Hwa-eun a brief rundown before everyone arrived, so she must’ve been signaling for a formal introduction to the others.

Since the kids had already met him, I introduced him to the rest.

“Ah, right. This here is the King of Locusts—his name is Changcheon. He’s decided to join us. He seeks revenge against the Five Venoms Clan for turning his kin into monstrous locusts.”

“Oh, Changcheon. That’s a strong name. We’re in your care, Changcheon.”

“Pleased to meet you. We hate the Five Venoms Clan just as much—they’re a sworn enemy.”

—Chwarrr. Chwarrrrk.

—Tssrrrk. 『I-I look forward to working with you.』

“He says he looks forward to working with us.”

“As expected of a locust king—so well-mannered.”

The greetings had just wrapped up when a hesitant voice piped up nearby.

“Um...”

Everyone turned to see the translator scratching his head.

“Yes? What’s the matter?”

“Am I... really cured?”

I had told him earlier that he was basically cured, but now he wanted details.

“Yes. The infection spread through your body, but once we pulled out the mushroom from your throat, your body absorbed the rest naturally.”

“I see. I apologize for the worry.”

His face showed visible relief at my explanation.

I was about to turn back to Changcheon when the translator pointed at the mushroom taken from his neck.

“But, uh... is that safe to eat?”

This guy still had a long way to go.

***

Two days later, just before dawn—

Cheong-yu Sojeo arrived.

—Siaaa. “It’s definitely a Five Venoms needle.”

The moment she arrived, she confirmed it without hesitation after examining the needle I handed her.

She also explained its purpose.

*—Sia. Ishi. 『Unlike the gold needles, this isn’t used to create spirit beasts or brainwash them. This one is meant to deliver simple commands to insects.

Basically, it marks one insect as a leader, and the others follow its lead.

This time, the command was likely to fly east—toward sunrise—since the locusts came from the west.』*

“Ah...”

Since they flew in from the west, the command was probably to head toward the Central Plains. I nodded at her assessment and asked:

“Do you think we’ll be able to track them?”

At that, Cheong-yu Sojeo gave a small smile.

—Siii. 『Of course. They probably think I’m dead. They wouldn’t expect me to be with you, So-ryong, so they’ll still be using my old signals.』

‘Time to throw the Five Venoms bastards a surprise party, then.’

The idea of catching them off guard brought a smile to my face.

But then Cheong-yu Sojeo asked:

—Siaa. 『But if it’s the west... we might have to go as far as the Western Regions. Will you be okay with that, So-ryong?』

She was asking if I was nervous—since in this era, most people rarely left their own village, let alone traveled across nations.

But worried? Far from it—I was thrilled.

If we’re heading to the Western Regions... that means India.

India has cobras—and countless unique venomous creatures.

And this was a world of wonders.

Who knew what kind of spirit beasts might be waiting out there?

‘Let’s go, to the Western Regions!’

My heart pounded with anticipation at what venomous marvels I might encounter next.