Others Summon, I Forge Beast Armor

On the way to the palace, Luke remembered the Insect Princess’s request.

One ceremonial armor each for herself, her mother, and her aunt.

The problem was that he couldn’t forge anything without knowing their species first, and he hadn’t asked Cicadelle before she left. Luckily, that was one of the benefits of leaving Amigo behind in the Insect World. He got to know a lot of things.

According to Amigo, the Insect Queen was an ant, while her sister was a bee. To forge armor fit for royalty, Luke wondered what he could do to make them stand out from the other insects.

"Maybe I could make crossbreed armor using a few human materials," he thought. "Small details like human cloth and thread could make them look more noble. Do you think the royal family would appreciate something like that, Amigo?"

"Yes, they will," Amigo answered confidently. "From what I’ve observed, the Insect World values cultural aesthetics. If you add human textiles, they’ll be amazed."

Luke trusted Amigo’s judgment, but he didn’t want to overdo it. Less was more. If he tried using materials like Man Metal, the insects wouldn’t even be able to move.

〖Full Armors: Bullhorn Ant | Manyglow Centi-Ant | Crown Bee〗

〖Stock Materials: Man Thread | Man Cloth〗

〖Buffs: +Tensile Strength | +Tear Resistance | +Retention〗

〖Nerfs: -Flexibility〗

〖Gradings: 5/10〗

At the end, it cost more to crossbreed Man materials to Insect armor than the other way around. Luke spent 1.5 Flame points for each.

Shortly after, they arrived at the palace, the biggest anthill Luke had ever seen. At its foot was a civilization of insects. Houses, streets, and shops. A city in every sense of the word.

Luke was spotted immediately because he was the only human. A group of wasp guards surrounded him and Amigo as quickly as they could and offered to escort them. These wasp guards were even donning his products.

Luke looked around the clever architecture of the ants as they walked into the anthill, past chambers and tunnels, until they arrived at the palace. Three insects were already seated on the thrones.

The Insect Queen was in the middle, an ant two meters tall, while the bee’s wings were as wide as the palace. Their sizes were shocking.

Luke realized Cicadelle was just a little munchkin compared to her elders.

"My Queen," Luke greeted, bowing.

"There is no need for formalities, Armorer," the Ant Queen said nicely. "In fact, it is we who should be bowing to you. Because of your armor, our people survived. Mothers still have children. Soldiers returned home. The war that threatened to erase us has finally come to an end."

"Our warriors were once fighting with nothing but courage," the bee added. "Now every soldier marches protected. You forged peace for us as well."

"The pleasure is mine. Seeing your people safe is reward enough," Luke replied.

Beside the throne, Cicadelle puffed out her chest, grinning from ear to ear as though Luke’s praise belonged to her as well.

"Our clan owes you a debt that cannot be measured in coins," the Insect Queen resumed. "My brother’s army had a lot of weapons and equipment. Since everything becomes the victor’s property, a share would be yours.

Unfortunately... we cannot part with them. Rebuilding an army requires every weapon we can recover.

However, there is one treasure we have no use for. You would value it far more than we ever could."

"What treasure?" Luke asked, interested.

At her request, a termite servant presented a capsule. Something like a strand of thread was inside it, whitish and glowing.

"That is the blessings my brother carried within him," Queen Formica explained. "It was through that he channelled his power of conquest and slew 4000 soldiers before he was subdued and slain."

〖Aspect Discovered!〗

〖Name: Aspect Of Conquest〗

〖Class: Simple〗

〖Magnitude: 10.0〗

Luke collected the item and bowed. "This is wonderful. Thank you.

And in return... your ceremonial armor is ready."

The Ant Queen’s eyes widened.

"So generous..."

"Then let tonight’s banquet begin in earnest!" Cicadelle declared excitedly.

The feast soon arrived. Every dish was vegetarian, like fruits and roasted roots. Amigo ate without restraint.

Meanwhile, Luke was still trying to figure out what the Aspect reward was about. He decided to store it in his inventory. There would be plenty of time to study it later.

Right now, he was focused on locating a Life Tree in the Insect World. Every world had a World Tree, and Life Trees were their subordinates. A pure world like the Insect World should be no different.

"Your Majesty, there is one more favor I wish to ask," Luke said. "My companion requires the sap of a Life Tree to grow. Do you happen to know where I can find one?"

"Yes, we would gladly help," Queen Formica smiled. "Our Insect World has three of them. My sister’s legion watches over the nearest. I shall have them escort you there immediately."

"Thank you very much," Luke bowed again. "And thank you, Princess, for accepting me with open arms."

"The honor is ours, Armorer!" Cicadelle cheered.

"Amigo, did you hear that? We’ve found a Life Tree," Luke said.

"I heard! I heard!" Amigo bounced excitedly. "Unknown Branch, here we come!"

Moments later, a squad of bees entered the palace. After saluting the royals, they escorted Luke and Amigo out of the anthill and to the nearest Life Tree as instructed.

The translucent branches of the Life Tree were visible from a mile away, a beacon of nature. Just as Queen Formica had said, a colony of bees had established an outpost around it.

Luke noticed the atmosphere changed the nearer he approached. The air became richer in Aeon for the first time because of the tree’s presence.

Soon, they stood before it. The tree was tall, twisted, and skinny, with roots so big that they became one with the ground.

Luke thanked the bee escorts for bringing them there. Then, he placed his hand on the trunk, feeling the energy pulsing through. Shortly after, he summoned the Hell Ape Gauntlet and carved a wound in the tree.

A magical sap spilled out, which he collected and gave to Amigo. Amigo understood what he was supposed to do. The Condition said: Consume the sap of a Life Tree, and he did just that.

Gulp!

Luke stared at his three-eyed turtle, hoping to see any changes.