Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

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Chapter 128: Heavenly Silkworm 2

“What do you mean by that?”

“Yes, wrapping your body in such a strong thread means you need to protect yourself from something that can’t be stopped without such a strong thread. It suggests that there’s something nearby that could pose a danger to it.”

“And if we find that danger, it’ll be easier for them to find food, right?”

As I finished explaining, the artisans in charge of the Silkworm Affair nodded in agreement with my reasoning.

“Indeed. If the Heavenly Silkworm wraps itself for protection, then what the master says must be true.”

“I thought it was just about building a home, but it seems there’s a reason for everything. Just like a person’s house protects them from cold, heat, and beasts. Even lowly insects can’t escape that fact?”

However, Shin Tu’s shocked expression was evident, but it seemed he was the cautious type due to his occupation.

He cleared his surprise and replied, “But can we be sure that just this one fact is enough? We haven’t confirmed it directly, have we?”

‘As expected, the cautious type; if you’re not careful, you’ll get caught, right?’

I wasn’t drawing this conclusion from just one fact, so I nodded in agreement.

This Fabre is quite cautious too.

Without being careful, he wouldn’t be able to catch things like Venomous Insects.

“Of course, I’m not certain based solely on one fact. There’s one more reason for my thoughts. Your disciple’s name is Yeongryeon, right?”

“Uh, yes, Yeongryeon. Why do you ask?”

“Could you perhaps go find some caterpillars from the nearby Samcho or Tangja trees? They’re the kind with a color similar to that of leaves?”

To explain this, showing it would be best.

Asking for his disciple to collect the caterpillars for demonstration, one of the artisans hesitated and asked, “Umm… Master?”

“Yes?”

“There’s a Samcho tree in the backyard…”

It was just the right moment to discover there was a Samcho tree nearby.

I decided to lead everyone to see if the creatures I’d been searching for were there.

“Then let’s all go check. It’s important.”

As we headed to the backyard behind the abandoned dilapidated facility, we spotted a tree that had grown wild without care, its fresh scent wafting toward us.

“Let’s see. Where might they be?”

The first place I checked was under the tree.

As I scanned the ground underneath, I quickly noticed several small, pale forms scattered about on one side of the tree.

‘As I thought, they’re here!’

I had been worried I wouldn’t find any, but thankfully it wasn’t like the pesticide-filled world of my past life—it was clear there were signs of them here.

Soon, I checked the tender leaves above, and spotted a few of them curled up, blending in with the green, right next to the chewed-up leaves.

I even spotted a pupa.

It seemed likely the others would soon become pupae as well.

‘Luckily, they’re the perfect fifth-instar caterpillars.’

These caterpillars have a look reminiscent of bird droppings to protect themselves right after emerging from their eggs, but once they reach the fifth instar, they become the ones I’m looking for.

Pointing at the plumpest, biggest one, I said, “Everyone, look here. Do you see this?”

As I pointed at the creatures, the artisans nodded in agreement.

It seemed since they were commoners, they had encountered such creatures at least once.

“It’s a green insect, isn’t it? I sometimes see these on citrus trees.”

“I’ve seen something similar on Tangja trees as well?”

“Yes, they chew on citrus leaves; they can be quite bothersome. The ones seen on Tangja trees must be these critters.”

As they said, these were pests that munch on leaves of citrus, Tangja, and Samcho trees.

However, it’s also true that when they metamorphose, they become one of the most beautiful insects.

The creature I pointed to is known as the Leopard Butterfly in Central Plains language.

It was the larva of what is called the Tiger Butterfly in Korean.

“But why did you want us to come see this?”

Unable to hold back my curiosity, Shin Tu asked why I wanted to come see these critters.

Smiling, I poked the caterpillar with my finger.

Tap!

Suddenly, the Tiger Butterfly caterpillar jerked its head up.

A yellow horn suddenly shot up from its head, then disappeared.

“Oh! What is this?”

“Doesn’t it look somewhat familiar?”

“Oh, yes! I’ve seen something similar from the Heavenly Silkworm’s caterpillar. Is that yellow thing the other reason you had in mind?”

“Yes, try smelling this.”

As Shin Tu asked, I poked the Tiger Butterfly caterpillar again.

Then, I rubbed the osmeterium it had produced on my fingertip.

With a sticky sensation and a strong scent wafting from my fingertip.

When I presented it, Shin Tu jumped back, covering his nose and shouting.

“Cough! What, what is that smell?!”

The osmeterium, a horn-like organ observed in the fifth-instar larvae of creatures like the Tiger Butterfly, secretes a unique scent condensed from the citrus or Samcho and Tangja trees they consume.

To a human, it smells strongly like citrus vinegar, but to other insects or animals like birds, it is a scent strong enough to make them flee.

So I conjectured that the visible horn of the desiccated Heavenly Silkworm’s caterpillar must serve a similar purpose.

Tiger Butterfly larvae only develop osmeterium once they reach the fifth instar, which indicates that upon their emergence, dangerous creatures may be nearby.

This was my second reason to believe that something dangerous exists around the Heavenly Silkworm.

“The Leopard Butterfly larva releases a foul smell from its horn to protect itself from predators and insects that try to eat it.

Since the Heavenly Silkworm larva has something similar, along with its strong silk, it’s only natural that it aims to protect itself from something, right?

That is why I believe so.”

With that, as I presented my two pieces of evidence, Shin Tu finally looked at me with respect in his eyes.

As if his skepticism had been cured, Shin Tu, now an ardent believer, exclaimed joyfully.

“Even in my lifetime dealing with the Heavenly Silkworm, I’ve never thought about it like that. You told me you would think differently, and indeed, Wei So-ryong, you have a unique perspective!”

“Then, what do you think they might be eating?”

However, the respect in his gaze quickly turned to disappointment at my next words.

“That is…”

“That is!?”

“We’ll have to look for it starting now.”

“…”

Of course, I’m not some deity who can discover everything in one go!

*

Shin Tu’s expression may have turned to disappointment, but there was no reason to be disheartened just yet.

Just because I didn’t know right now, it wouldn’t take long for this Spicy Fabre to figure out what they eat.

“You needn’t be disappointed just yet.”

“W-Who said I was disappointed?”

“I just thought you seemed disappointed… Anyway, I should be able to find it soon.”

“Really!?”

‘While he’s built like a thief, he really is as light as a feather. Is that why his Lightness Skill is so quick?’

At my claim of finding it soon, Shin Tu’s face turned hopeful again.

I felt like I could almost guess the secret of Shin Tu’s Lightness Skill, so I asked him.

“Do you happen to know where this Heavenly Silkworm was originally collected?”

“The Heavenly Silkworm? I don’t know exactly, but I have a rough idea…”

“Yes, the best way to check what it eats is to observe where it was collected. Let’s head there first.”

Honestly, this hardship Shin Tu was going through was self-inflicted.

If one closely observes the ecology of insects or animals when collecting them, there wouldn’t be such trouble.

Wasn’t that what I did when I traveled all the way to the Huang Mountains to deal with Seol-i and Bin?

It was all to check their diet and ensure I had what they needed!

This entire situation arose because Shin Tu, traversing through the wonders of the Heavenly Silkworm’s craftsmanship, was so eager to pick one up without due diligence.

Thus, since we had a general idea of its habitat, I suggested we go check it out, but Shin Tu’s expression seemed reluctant.

“I doubt there’s anything noteworthy there?”

“Nothing noteworthy?”

“I thought I might be able to gather more eggs there, so I went to check, but it was just a rocky mountain with nothing at all.”

“A rocky mountain?”

“Yeah, it’s called the Red Cliff Forest. It’s a rocky mountain composed entirely of red boulders. I searched for quite a while and couldn’t find anything.”

‘A rocky mountain…’

As he said, that was indeed strange.

I clearly assumed there would be something like a predator nearby, but he described nothing being there at all.

Still, it could be that commoners just didn’t find something special.

There could always be a different perspective seen from an expert’s eye, so I decided to check other things.

“Was what you discovered an adult or an egg?”

First, I had to confirm whether what he found was an egg or an adult.

“Adults? If you’re talking about grown Heavenly Silkworms, I haven’t seen them, but I’ve found eggs and the Silkmaker together.”

“Eggs and the Silkmaker together?”

Him saying he found both eggs and the Silkmaker likely meant he discovered both the eggs and cocoons.

When I asked for confirmation, Shin Tu nodded.

“Were the cocoons empty?”

“Yes. The empty cocoon is what I’ve been using for the Heavenly Silkworms now.”

From the situation, it seemed a grown adult had mated and laid eggs right after breaking free from the cocoon.

That means there should be some food sources I hadn’t guessed lurking around.

So, I suggested we go check it out together.

“Even so, let’s go take a look. An expert’s perspective might see something different.”

“An expert perspective?”

But Shin Tu couldn’t seem to understand my expert perspective.

Though I had previously explained what an expert was, it appeared he didn’t grasp the concept.

“How should I explain this… Ah, that’s right.”

The best way to explain expert perspective is to give it in simple terms.

I pointed to the ornament on my clothes and asked, “Do you have any idea how precious this is?”

The ornament had the Ice Orb given to me by Nangong Seol attached to it.

Shin Tu glanced at the ornament with the Ice Orb and casually responded, “It’s just an Ice Orb. Although it’s small, it’s worth easily a thousand silver. But it’s not something this Shin Tu would steal.”

“Eh!?”

‘What!? It’s that expensive!?’

I thought since Nangong Seol had simply handed it over, it wouldn’t be this costly—what a surprise!

After calming my astonished feelings, I explained, “That’s what I mean by expert perspective. Who besides you, Shin Tu, would be able to tell this is an Ice Orb? To others, it’s just a piece of jade with a slightly different color. Moreover, who would notice its value so quickly?

So, just like that, if we go check it out, what I see might differ from what common folks see.”

“Oh, I see!”

It seemed my explanation suited a thief’s level of understanding, and he nodded.

With a face full of renewed hope, Shin Tu responded, “Right, let’s go at once!”

He seemed ready to drag me along instantly.

I calmed Shin Tu down and asked, “But how far is it?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Well, I feel like if it’s far, you wouldn’t want to let me go. It’s just that…”

“Ah…”

When I pointed to the two strands of thread tied around my ankles, Shin Tu nodded understandingly.

Those threads tied by Yo-hwa were far from gentle—he’d seen how fierce she could be.

‘She’s scarier than a wife!’

*

Luckily, Shin Tu responded that it was only about a day’s travel.

The reason for trying to hatch the Heavenly Silkworm here was that it was collected nearby.

Shin Tu looked at the artisans in charge of the Silkworm Affair and asked, “What should we do with the artisans? If they’re of help, I’ll keep them, but if not, I want to send them home.”

Before heading to get permission from Yo-hwa, it would be best to get the place organized first.

Being there wouldn’t aid me at all.

“Let them all go back. I don’t think I’ll need them.”

“Alright. Then I should share the gold I’ve brought along since they’ve been working hard and send Yeongryeon back.”

Just as I was about to leave after making those remarks, the old man who had been introduced as the head of the artisans approached me.

“Master, may I take a look at that for a moment?”

“That?”

I thought perhaps he wanted to gawk at the Ice Orb, but the old man’s gaze was directed at my ankle.

He was staring at the thread tied by Yo-hwa.

It occurred to me that the old man was skilled in Silkworm Affairs.

That meant he must have a discerning perspective on thread.

‘Maybe I should show them what they think about weaving cloth from Yo-hwa’s thread?’

Nodding, I allowed him to examine as he crouched down and inspected my legs.

“Could I touch it?”

“Sure.”

Just as I permitted him to feel it, he was taken aback.

“Th-this is!”

The old man opened his eyes wide in surprise.

“Everyone, come here!”

He called over the other artisans, who all clamored to examine my legs.

“What kind of thread is this!?”

“It’s light, durable, stretches, and then returns to its form!”

“It glistens more beautifully than silkworm’s thread!”

“I’ve never seen such thread in my life!”

It seemed Yo-hwa’s thread was incredibly valuable.

Even I could tell it was soft, sturdy, and highly elastic.

‘Should I consider making something like a bladeproof outfit for martial artists and selling it?’

In the Central Plains Martial World, where clashes with swords are commonplace, if I made and sold these, they’d fly off the shelves in no time! That thought briefly flitted through my mind.