Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

Moji and Soji were certainly larger than ordinary larvae, but they were noticeably smaller than the silver cocoon I had discovered inside the termite nest.

The silver cocoon I had found within the termite burrow had been nearly 25 centimeters in size, just shy of a full span. Since a larva must be at least 20 centimeters long to pupate within a cocoon of that size, Moji and Soji clearly did not measure up.

Of course, since they were still Third-Stage larvae, the difference in size was natural. They hadn’t fully matured yet, and the growth of larvae varied depending on their diet and environment.

Still, I couldn’t help but feel concerned. The size of the cocoon was directly influenced by the larval stage. A larva’s final size depended on how well it ate and grew. For that to happen, it needed to develop properly—but neither Moji nor Soji showed any signs of advancing to the Fourth Stage, nor did they seem to be growing larger.

They weren’t particularly active either. All they did was sleep every day, which only made me worry even more.

However, when larvae skipped straight from the Third Stage to the Fifth Stage, they would undeniably surpass the 20-centimeter mark.

Now, Moji and Soji had grown well past 25 centimeters, as thick as an adult’s forearm, plump and firm. That was the appearance of Moji and Soji, who had bypassed the Fourth Stage and directly evolved into Fifth-Stage larvae.

Even more astonishingly, their bodies had begun to shimmer with a silver hue.

Their shells now gleamed with a golden radiance.

‘...Damn... This is the Silver Silk Caterpillar!’

I called the Silver Cocoon Bug by its English name, and it definitely had a certain grandeur to it.

It was like how calling something “Sanha Honey” made it sound luxurious, while just calling it “honey” felt mundane.