The maintenance bug has a round body, but is very agile. Its short legs have strong explosive power, allowing it to move quickly.
In this dark underground kingdom, lighting basically relies on light flies. Of course, there are also luminous fungi, but that is in the fungal wetlands. The main body of Hallownest is a hardened area like a city. The streets are lit by street lamps, and the light bulbs are transparent crystal balls that bind the light flies.
The Forgotten Crossroads is located in the area of Hallownest closest to the surface, with many roads leading to it. During the heyday of the kingdom, bugs came and went like tides, and it was very bustling. But now, the crossroads has been forgotten, and the small town on the surface above the crossroads has also declined.
The repair bug knew the name of the town, Dirtmouth, which means dust mouth. There were many buildings there, and those small houses were once full of bugs, but now they were deserted.
Throughout his short but busy career, the Repair Bug had countless opportunities to travel to Dirtmouth, but he'd refused. Being delicate by nature, the Repair Bug couldn't afford to expose himself to the declining, disorderly kingdom; it would put his life in danger. After all, this was no longer the White King's reign, and the Bugs no longer lived in harmony.
The maintenance bug has not experienced the disparity of the changing world, so he does not feel sad about it. He just does his job. In the past, all he did was repair street lights, road signs, and road signs, or go to other maintenance bugs' gatherings to socialize, and then have a crush on a graceful female... Now his life is very different.
The maintenance bug stopped at a platform. Not far away from him were some wandering bodies. These were bugs that had lost their minds. They were very cruel, and cruelty was their only remaining instinct.
The underground kingdom is well ventilated, with cold and moisture-rich air blowing across the dilapidated crossroads. Long grass grows out of cracks in the ground, swaying in the wind and making slight friction sounds. This is one of the few sounds in the dead underground world.
Not long ago, the maintenance bug found an egg in such dense and vibrant long grass.
His insect instinct clearly told him that this was a maintenance insect egg.
He took the eggs back to his hut.
That day was a turning point in his life.
It was just one more thing to do, but it made a huge difference. The focus of life shifted largely to taking care of the insect egg.
The maintenance bug leaped lightly, its toes stepping calmly over the streetlights, speeding along and jumping over the wandering body.
He told Simon that there were many bone nails at the crossroads, which was a fact.
After the kingdom's fall, countless warriors sought to explore this shattered world, driven by greed for wealth, a desire for the thrill of battle, or attempts to uncover the secrets of Hallownest's decline.
They came to Hallownest from all corners of the kingdom, or even from unknown lands further away, but many fell at the first hurdle, never even making it beyond the Crossroads.
Some of them are huge in size, so the bone nails they leave behind are naturally huge as well; some are very petite, so the bone nails they leave behind are also light and compact. However, this is not absolute. Some powerful warriors can wield huge bone nails with their slender bodies, making their offensive overwhelming and their defense watertight.
The maintenance bug didn't delay, picked up three bone nails and rushed home.
After so many years at the crossroads, the maintenance bugs' cautiousness ensured his survival. He knew very well that the bugs had their own roaming areas, and as long as he avoided those dangerous areas, he would be safe.
The only type of bug that roams around is one type, and that's the warriors.
The maintenance bug didn't expect to meet a warrior on his way home.
He really disliked warriors because they often had rebellious personalities. Often they would just wield bone nails out of boredom, chop down streetlights and road signs, and increase the workload for the maintenance bugs.
But this time the warriors were different.
The maintenance bug hid in the dark, watching a strange bug in a cloak walking on the road. He was very different, with a smaller body and a bone-white mask that made it impossible to see his true face. The huge helmet-like mask completely covered his head, leaving only two pitch-black round holes. The mask had three curved horns, but they were asymmetrical. The two longer ones grew on the left, and the shorter one grew on the right. The leftmost horn was much longer than the right, like a slanted bun.
His steps were neither hurried nor slow, and he looked very cute and non-intimidating.
The maintenance bug felt relieved and waited until this unusual warrior passed by before he emerged from the shadows and continued on his way.
He walked away easily, not noticing that the soldier had already turned around, his empty eyes gazing at the darkness where the maintenance bug had disappeared.
The Hollow Knight had no extra curiosity. He turned around and continued on his way, no longer paying attention to this secret peeper.
He intended to go to his resting place.
…
The maintenance bug returned home and leaned the bone nails he brought against the wall. The three bone nails ranged from small to large. The small one was less than half the size of the maintenance bug, and the large one was twice as long as the maintenance bug. They were all slender and not heavy.
Simon jumped lightly, got off the bed, and staggered to the maintenance bug.
He stretched out his insect limbs and gently stroked the bone nail, feeling every detail of it.
The maintenance bug started nagging again. He mentioned the strange bug he had just seen. Simon, who had been listening carelessly, now perked up.
Wearing a mask, a cloak, carrying bone nails, and with deep dark eye sockets, these characteristics made him think of the Hollow Knight at the first time.
But it should not be the protagonist of the game. The protagonist's horns are symmetrical, so this person should be someone of the same kind as the protagonist.
This is quite important information.
Could it be a broken container?
Simon thought absentmindedly that the vessels were returning to Hallownest one after another in response to the call. One of them would eventually complete his mission, defeat the Radiance once again, and restore the infected bugs to their sanity, allowing Hallownest to prosper once again... As for those who failed, they would naturally fall into the abyss.
It is too early to think about these things now. Simon understands that if he wants to survive, he needs to work harder.
After all, he's a bug with ambitions for the world, and what's needed to travel around Hallownest is strength!
Full of energy, Simon resolutely ran to the bed and began to dream.
The Dream Arena has begun!
…
Once a sub-consciousness is born, it will continue to exist, and even if it splits again, it will still be those sub-consciousnesses.
The energy consumed by the split consciousness will recover with rest, and the speed is not slow. On average, it has the ability to split again every time it sleeps, but Simon knows that there is a limit to this.
Split consciousness consumes not only energy, but also memory and imagination, which are the keys to building an independent personality consciousness. Based on Simon's experience, he feels that the number of his split consciousnesses will not exceed one hundred.
More than enough.
In tonight's dream, six sub-consciousnesses were fighting in a melee, and the main consciousness was sitting on a high throne observing the actions of the fighters.
There are three types of fighters: sword and shield fighters, dual-wielding swordsmen, and heavy swordsmen. If the sword has been replaced with bone nails, they can be called shield nail fighters, double nail fighters, and giant nail fighters.
It was a bit awkward, but after Simon repeated it a few times, it was surprisingly interesting.
The knight in the original work holds the nail in one hand and defeats the enemy with a simple swing. To achieve this, he needs strict control of the rhythm of the battle, flexible steps, and meticulous and error-free swings, just like a sophisticated killing machine. This is why the knight wins every battle.
Simon practiced swordsmanship hard in his dream, and was also preparing to start training after waking up.
The warrior's journey has begun.