Chapter 306 Spider Eggs And The Female Spider
Evan squinted his eyes and, to see clearly, took two more steps forward.
In the warm water in the center of the cave, thousands of spherical objects floated. They were as large as water balloons. They were soft and constantly drifted in the direction of the current.
At the end of the pool, there was a large spherical spider web.
It acted as a filter to allow the springs to flow, but these white balloons were isolated.
It was a very delicate way to bring hot springs to the pool. If Evan had to design it, he thought he wouldn't do it any better. No wonder it was mentioned that the intelligence of Acromantulas was close to that of humans.
Wait, why would there be water balloons in Aragog's Lair?
A small doubt crossed Evan's mind, and the scene before him was too suspicious.
He extended his wand forward and increased the magic output. The faint fluorescence at the tip of his wand became brighter and the incandescent light completely dissipated the darkness around him.
This time, he saw it clearly.
The white spheres floating in the pool were not water balloons at all. They were all Acromantula eggs. Under the strong light, it was evident that the thin, soft interior of the spider eggs harbored wriggling spider larvae.
Some were underdeveloped, and others were fully formed.
The formed spider larvae were covered in thick black hair and occasionally moved inside, as if they could hatch at any moment. It looked very terrifying.
Evan took a deep breath and looked towards the edge on the opposite side of the pool. All of them were spider eggs, clustered together, and many were pressed under the water. The number of spider eggs in front of him was completely beyond imagination. If they were all to hatch, he feared that the entire Forbidden Forest would become a world of Acromantulas.
Although the individual combat power of the Acromantula was not the strongest, with the terror of their numerical advantage, these Dark creatures would be invincible in the Forbidden Forest.
Evan tried to recall the description of Acromantula eggs he saw in the book "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them": The Acromantula is carnivorous and prefers large prey. It weaves dome-shaped webs on the ground. The female is larger than the male and can lay up to a hundred eggs at once.
Soft and white, they are as large as beach balls. The offspring are born in six to eight weeks. Acromantula eggs are classified as Class A Non-Tradeable Goods by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, meaning strict penalties apply to their import or sale.
Trafficking in Acromantula eggs was not allowed, though expressly stipulated. But on the black market, among goods of dragons and snakes, these eggs stood out as the most popular item among Dark wizards, due to their precious and rare value, hence the price was very high, often reaching astronomical figures.
Evan casually turned the spider eggs in front of him into Galleons of Gold and concluded that he could become incredibly rich if he took the eggs out...
Of course, it was just a thought.
Selling them was not an option at all. The spider eggs in the pool had to be destroyed, and just as he was considering what magic to use, suddenly the ground shook.
A loud rumble echoed from near and far.
Evan was stunned and soon realized that, given that there were spider eggs there, the female spider must be nearby, and the gigantic octagonal female spider was generally much larger than the male. The elephant-like Aragog was beyond imagination, the largest spider he had ever seen. If his mate was larger than him, how would she be...?
Upon seeing the pool filled with white spider eggs, Evan unconsciously tightened his wand grip.
Normal Acromantulas don't lay that many eggs. They usually lay no more than 100 eggs at a time, but there were nearly 10,000 in this pool. If these were descendants of Aragog's pair, it meant that she had also mutated like Aragog.
It must have been the work of the creature hidden in the darkness. The mutation had occurred recently. Aragog was very old. He had lived in the Forbidden Forest for many years. If he truly had such a large amount of offspring, he would have devoured the entire Forbidden Forest long ago.
The invasion of ancient and malevolent dark forces had transformed the Acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest into another species thirstier for blood and more terrible.
If it managed to regain its strength, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Boom, boom, boom...
Evan took a step back, carefully observing the source of the sound.
Just as he looked, a huge female spider emerged from the shadows behind the pool, almost three times larger than Aragog.
Its chelicerae closed, and the whole space vibrated.
Click, click, click...
Most striking was its shape. Its bulging abdomen was so large that it dwarfed the rest of its body. It seemed so heavy that the rocks on the ground behind it turned to dust. Eight hairy spider legs, each as thick as Evan's thigh.
Compared to its massive body, its head was too small, with eight pairs of lacquered black eyes reflecting the light maliciously.
At the forefront of its head, the peculiar and large chelicerae also looked different. The sharp spines were green and cold, completely saturated with venom.
"Click, click, human," the female spider's voice struck Evan's ears.
"Where is Aragog? I want to meet him," Evan shouted, gripping his wand firmly and stepping back.
Considering the size of the other, he wasn't entirely sure if he could defeat her.
"Do you want to see Aragog?!" The female spider looked at Evan, seeming to consider, her large chelicerae dancing. She slowly said, "The intruder must die, but I will be very kind, I will grant your last wish and take your corpse for him to see."
As soon as she finished her words, her entire body lunged towards Evan quickly.
She rushed like an avalanche, and Evan could see her grim expression. He cast several magical spells and retreated as fast as he could.
Almost immediately, the huge chelicerae of this female spider landed.
Boom! With a violent roar, there was a large crater where Evan had just been standing. If he had spent one more second there, his bones would really have been crushed.
Just like that night a few months ago, Evan's Diminuendo Charm didn't work at all on Aragog's mate. All his curses were repelled by the other side.
Evan noticed that this huge female spider was covered in blue and black armored scales, and his curse was blocked by these armors, not harming her.
An Acromantula with armor immune to spells? Was it still the same species?