---
The second guard's eyes widened slightly.
"That sounds like merchant exaggeration."
The first guard shook his head.
"Maybe," he whispered. "But the caravan captain swore at it. Said the ant god does not hoard strength. He spreads it. Like… like a plague of blessings."
The second guard muttered, "Blessings."
The first guard's laugh was dry.
"In Null, blessings and curses look the same," he said. "Especially when they have claws."
The second guard lowered his voice even more.
"And his harem. They say he takes care of it."
The first guard nodded.
"Protects them," he said. "Rewards loyalty. Punishes betrayal. If someone touches one of his women, they vanish. Not killed in public. Not tortured in a cell. Just… gone."
The second guard swallowed.
"The upper domain is already hell," he muttered. "If there is an ant god building a kingdom up there…"
The first guard shrugged slowly.
"Then maybe the upper domain has a new god king," he said. "Or a new disaster."
