Chapter 93: Responsibility

Faced with Helier's questioning, Aled remained silent for a long time.

“That’s true, Hailier.”

After a long while, Aled finally looked up at Helier.

“Ivana just said the same thing to you.” Aled stood up and walked to the French windows to look out.

Helier walked to his side and followed his gaze outwards. From here, one could see the entire Hallelujah Square, with the towering Hallelujah Monument right before their eyes.

“I did do something cowardly. Before becoming a consul, I spent decades in the army. My father, in order to make me a soldier with guts, didn’t even let me run for commander, but instead made me witness the cruelty of the battlefield firsthand.”

"However, the more I see, the less I want war. Especially after I became the governor, I had more to consider. The first thing I needed to consider was the continuation of the North River system and the peace of the people."

Looking at the towering monument before him, Alain's voice carried a hint of vicissitude, "I look at this monument every day. It's like a mountain, pressing down on me ever since I sat in this position. The names of my ancestors flash through my mind again and again, reminding me of my responsibilities as governor."

“Hailier, my name will never be engraved on the monument, just like the old governor Colin. We all know what we did. Colin entrusted me with the mission of the little queen insect. I did the work, but he still refuses to have his name engraved on the monument.”

"This is a cowardly and shameful thing for us. We will never deserve a place on the monument. But if we had to do it again, we would still do it. We would be 'thieves' just to maintain peace and victory. We will bear all the consequences. You can go on ahead."

Helier remained silent for a long time after hearing what Aled said. He felt the same way as Ivana, unable to blame anyone except himself for the torment and pain he felt.

To blame him is merely to transfer one's own guilt onto Aled, while all the people of Northern River benefit from it; he shouldn't bear the blame alone.

"Your Majesty, the Zerg already know about this. How should we respond?"

Now that it has already happened, they should start thinking about how to handle the situation.

Aled turned to look at Helier, "Take good care of the little cub. She cannot return to the Zerg's life until she regenerates her core. Once she adapts to the Zerg's environment, the Zerg will take her back. Before that, the Zerg will not reveal this matter."

Hailier asked hesitantly, "Since the Zerg already know that we removed the core of the Little Queen, why doesn't it demand that we return the core to the Little Queen?"

Allard countered, "How much do you know about the Zerg?"

Hailier: "More than any other Celestial being."

As the supreme commander of the legion, he naturally had a very thorough understanding of every enemy and potential enemy.

“Every Zerg larva hatches with a brief inherited memory. During their early years, this inherited memory will be retained depending on the circumstances, following their own memories. However, this is not something they can actively choose; it is an instinctive choice. If the memory is painful, their body mechanism will choose to temporarily erase the painful memory in order to protect them.”

Hailier asked in confusion, "What does that have to do with the cub's core? Is it because the core can restore her memories, and the Zerg don't want the cub to regain her memories so quickly, since she can't adapt to the Zerg environment yet?"

Allard: "That's one reason, but the bigger reason is that their queen beetles are also afraid."

What are you afraid of?

“I’m afraid the little king worm will remember everything from the past and won’t even recognize him.”

Hailier opened his mouth, then fell silent.

The report and the information he obtained from Tang Ting about the cubs indicated that she must have blocked out her past memories, which meant that she had a very bad past.

She must feel abandoned by her family, and if she thinks about it now, she must harbor resentment towards her biological father.

Therefore, Wangchong preferred to leave the child with them to raise, allowing her to slowly grow a new core. This way, not only would they have a chance to make amends, but he, as the biological father, would also have a chance to make amends.

No father wants his child to resent him.

Allad: "There's only one thing we can do now, heal her."

"To give a healthy child back to the Zerg, both physically and mentally."

Hailier pondered for a moment and said, "I understand."

When he saw Evena just now, her expression made him guess that she had seen the memories of the little queen beetle, and Aled must know it too.

He doesn't know how a newly hatched queen beetle larva can survive in an unfamiliar environment, but he knows it must be very difficult for her.

The Fire Seed does not shrink in size due to energy depletion, but some Zerg possess this ability.

He didn't know what had happened to turn her back into a cub, and if he could, he hoped that the little queen insect would not remember those painful memories.

Helier breathed a heavy sigh of relief as he left Aled's office.

The Zerg learned of this, which, although it created a very dangerous hidden danger for the North River system, finally put his mind at ease, as he no longer needed to hide the matter.

Only by facing our mistakes can we move forward better.

Green Hill North Hospital.

Winnie pushed open the door and came in to find the hospital bed empty. Tang Ting was adjusting the equipment, and Luo Jin was making formula.

Winnie placed the insulated lunchbox on the table and asked Locke, "Where's the baby?"

Luo Jin raised his chin towards the balcony and chuckled, "She got up early this morning and went to lie on the balcony. I wonder what she's looking at."

Winnie looked toward the balcony and saw her standing on a stool, leaning against the edge of the balcony, with Karina beside her.

The two didn't seem to communicate much; they just seemed to be enjoying the morning scenery.

Looking at the two figures, one tall and one short, from behind, Winnie couldn't help but chuckle and took a picture using her personal terminal.

Looking at the photo, she smiled and said, "It seems that our Nana and Nuonuo get along the best."

None of the children in the family were afraid of her; even the most mischievous Otta would avoid her.

When Luo Jin and the others aren't home, if he gets into fights or causes trouble outside, only his older sister can keep him in check.

Winnie walked over and hugged Anno from behind. "What are you looking at, little Anno?"

Anno pointed to a building in the distance and said, "There's a flying vehicle."

She has been in the hospital for half a month, and she has noticed that every morning at this time, a row of aircraft flies out from the building in front of her.