Large wings and mating patterns

For some delaying purpose, the Pompeii slowed down its return journey.

Text messages of inquiry poured in like snowflakes, and the Zerg Mother's Chief Internal Affairs Officer responded in a unified and stern manner: "Your Majesty, taking into consideration the condition of Ryan Warlock, who was injured during the rescue, has considerately canceled the interstellar jump, which could have adversely affected his recovery. There's no need to worry, everyone. The Pompeii is on its way back. It's expected to arrive in ten days."

"I sincerely suggest that all commanders prioritize defense, patiently await the summons from His Majesty, and do not abandon their posts." Gabriel sarcastically pointed a finger at the commanders of the Second and Third Legions at the end of the holographic video.

The commander of the Third Legion, Drake Black Armor, smiled softly. "Don't worry, Master Gabriel. If those little guys under my command can't hold the line against the alien beasts, I will personally rip out their mouthparts and gizzards."

"As for the Second Legion," Drake glanced at the Second Legion commander who was pretending to be deaf and dumb in the holographic video, "I think there's even less to worry about in terms of the defense line facing interstellar humans, right? After all—"

"We Zerg are very likely to usher in a long-lasting peace with humans, right?"

When Drake's silver eyes fixed on a bug for an instant, it gave it a strong, uncomfortable feeling, like being stared at by its prey. The tiny red pupils in his silver eyes shrank into needles, and the poison needles on Gabriel's arms almost immediately erected in reflex.

"Drake Black Armor." Gabriel's red eyes darkened, a sign of the venomous spider gathering energy. "I've heard that insects who have fought their way up from remote, desolate planets often lack a bit of upbringing compared to other high-ranking families. Aren't you overreaching a bit by presuming to speculate on defense arrangements beyond your authority? Luke Tren, you have no problem with the actions of Drake Black Armor, commander of the Third Legion, correct?"

Though the holographic video feed was a virtual signal, the atmosphere was like a powder keg. Luke Tren, commander of the Second Legion, who had been called upon, understood that Lord Gabriel simply needed a statement. After weighing the pros and cons, he respectfully addressed Gabriel, "Lord Gabriel, I understand. I will await His Majesty's return within the outer ring of Saint Hobel's Palace."

Drake also put away his murderous aura and said, "Master Gabriel, I will also be waiting in the outer star ring of Saint Hobel Palace."

After hanging up the holographic video, Gabriel's armored spirit collapsed. She wanted to rub her hands again. Her Majesty Elisa hadn't appeared. Her decades of accumulated prestige as the Chief Internal Affairs Officer was only enough to convince the commanders of the Second and Third Legions to wait outside, but she was unwilling to leave.

These hateful, ambitious creatures! Do they think that just because Her Majesty the Insect Queen is weak and Captain Ryan is injured, they can bite off a big piece of fat meat from the Saint Joseph Palace?

...Given the current situation, maybe it is really possible.

The Zerg's current military strength consists primarily of three legions. The First Legion, primarily responsible for the defense of Saint Hobel's Palace, can be considered the Zerg Queen's personal guard. Its commander, Tiger Warlock, is Ryan Warlock's father, and its members are primarily elite children of high-ranking families.

The Second Legion was primarily responsible for the front lines against interstellar humanity. Gabriel was relatively understanding of Luke Tren's desire for assurance. After all, the attitude of the Palace of Saint Joseph towards interstellar humanity was directly related to practical matters such as the future development and military funding of the Second Legion.

The Third Legion is responsible for defense against interstellar aliens. Of the three legions, it's the most peripheral of the star clusters, and also boasts the longest defenses and the widest coverage area. Interstellar aliens are the degraded form of all cosmic life. Their predecessors may be humans or Zerg, capable of appearing anywhere in the universe through wormholes. Interstellar humans also have their own dedicated legions dedicated to defending against interstellar aliens. It can be said that interstellar aliens are the common enemy of all cosmic life.

Subjugating interstellar beasts is a tough job. Not only is the journey exhausting, but the battles are brutal. Therefore, the Third Legion is often the first choice for less privileged, lower-class Zerg who are willing to risk their lives for a better future.

——Also because they rarely have the opportunity to come into contact with the Zerg Queen, they are the legion with the highest degradation rate.

As far as Gabriel knew, Chu Mi was also most popular in the Third Legion.

During her tenure, Her Majesty Amelia had increased her visits to the Third Legion and her efforts to comfort its soldiers. It was during this patrol that she was attacked and killed, and Her Majesty Alyssa also disappeared. The fates of both Worm Queens were shaped by the Third Legion. What could Drake of the Third Legion still be dissatisfied with, and why did he have the nerve to come to the Palace of Saint Joseph?

Gabrielle's mouth itched with hatred. She sent a message to Vio: "Whatever you come up with, you must cure Ryan for me as soon as possible!"

They needed the First Legion's support. They needed a strong military presence. They really, really needed Ryan Warlock.

Vio replied quickly, "Lord Gabriel, I have exhausted all available treatment options. I have already submitted my final treatment recommendation to you. I hope you will seriously consider it."

Gabriel flatly refused, "Impossible. Her Majesty Alyssa is far too weak. I cannot take the slightest risk of harming her."

Vio didn't reply.

Oh my god, what a mess this is that's making the Zerg feel overwhelmed! Gabriel rubbed his hands. Her Majesty Aimi was truly remarkable, able to navigate so easily among these Zergs with their own agendas! She, Gabriel, was only the Chief Internal Affairs Officer in charge of the Zerg Queen's internal affairs. Diplomacy was truly not her forte!

Gabrielle was extremely anxious. At this moment, she felt that only by taking another breath of Her Majesty Alyssa's essence could she feel better.

She walked towards the classroom where Her Majesty Alyssa was taking classes. The closer she got, the quicker her steps became as she caught the sound of Her Majesty Alyssa reading. Her eight red eyes unconsciously curved into crescent shapes.

"Her Majesty Alyssa—"

Gabriel's rising voice abruptly stopped. Inside the classroom, Seville, who was tutoring Her Majesty and translating Zerg culture into a format more accessible to human minds, faced Her Majesty Alyssa, his magnificent, iridescent wings spread wide. Even the iridescent mating patterns were clearly visible on his wings.

Gabriel forgot to salute. She ripped the interpreter from her ear, took a few steps forward, grabbed Sewell, and dragged him out of the classroom. All of this was done in an instant. Alyssa felt like she had only blinked, and the beautiful big butterfly was gone.

Across the wall, Seville's large wings, which he hadn't had time to retract, had already turned a frightened dull gray. He raised his hands in surrender: "Master Gabriel, your hunting skills haven't deteriorated at all, haha..."

Gabrielle clamped her hand over Seville's mouth, and thick, sticky venom dripped from the open venom glands beside her claws onto Seville's face and chest. "Sevier Knox, Her Majesty Alyssa hasn't yet undergone a second pupation, and according to human standards, she's still a minor. Don't you understand the protection of minors in human culture best? How dare you display your ugly courtship marks to Her Majesty Alyssa! Don't forget, you're not even a candidate for the King's Consort yet!"

Sewell's eyes widened. Zerg culture didn't protect the right of underage sexual consent. Zerg that hadn't yet chrysalised couldn't release mating pheromones, and until a pairing was established, nothing could be done. However, before chrysalising, many Zerg would engage in courtship displays in advance, hoping to increase their chances of mating with their desired Zerg.

He admitted that he had played a little trick, and wanted to make a deeper impression on Her Majesty Alyssa before she returned to the Palace of Saint Hobel. He did not expect that Lord Gabriel would be so flexible in protecting Her Majesty Alyssa. The definition of underage was based on Zerg, but the protection was based on humans?

The venom crawled across his face and neck, irritating his chitinous epidermis with burning pain. Seville struggled to apologize through Gabriel's tightly gripped hand, "I'm sorry, Lord Gabriel. It was when Her Majesty Alyssa expressed her desire to see my wings that I lost my composure. This won't happen again until Her Majesty Alyssa pupates for the second time. I beg for your forgiveness."

Today's class happened to be covering some of the basic physiological structures of Zerg. When the documentary Pineapple showed the wing sacs typically found on the backs of winged Zerg mimics, Alyssa let out a small exclamation.

Symmetrical, crescent-shaped pink scar! Isn't it the same as the one on her back?

She immediately turned to Seville and asked, "Sir, if there's this on the back, does it mean it must be a wing sac?"

"For you, yes. After selecting a consort, the Zerg Queen may make certain ecological adjustments based on the consort's race, but the Zerg Queen will definitely have wings. This is because winged species make up the vast majority of the Zerg. It can be said that the Zerg Queen is a leader evolved based on the collective subconscious of the entire Zerg race."

Alyssa couldn't help but touch the scars on her back that had caused her so much pain in the past. It had been a long time since she'd returned to the Zerg. It turned out these scars could eventually grow wings!

The light in her azure-gold eyes was so dazzling that Sewell could hardly take his eyes off her. Alyssa asked again, "What will my wings look like?"

Sewell blushed at her question. To imagine the Worm Queen's wings was an insult. The Worm Queen's wings were only visible to the public during her coronation ceremony after her second pupation. That was the sacred moment when the Worm Queen displayed her authority over the entire Zerg. To see the Worm Queen's wings at any other time, one would have to strive to become a royal consort. After all, the moment of indifference after mating...

Sewell was unusually embarrassed, his handsome face blushing slightly. "Your Highness, I don't know what your wings look like. Perhaps you could ask Lord Gabriel about this."

"So, sir, do you have wings?"

"Yes. My species is the Illusion Butterfly." Sewell looked at Alyssa, who was innocent and expectant, and his wings were ready to move. For some unknown reason, he said to Alyssa, "Your Majesty Alyssa, do you want to see my wings?"

"Can I?"

"Any time you want."

Then, Sewell's wing sacs began to fill with fluid. A pair of shimmering wings emerged from the back of the winged insectoid's intricately designed clothing. Encouraged by Alyssa's admiring and astonished expression, they expanded until they were fully revealed.

The main color of the wings is deep purple, with a circle of golden spots on the edge. It blends from the edge inward, becoming more and more transparent, and at the base of the wings it becomes the same light purple as Seville's eyes.

Alyssa’s mouth opened slightly, she was so shocked that she couldn’t speak.

The Siyi Zhai curriculum also includes embroidery. This gradient shading technique is the most advanced embroidery skill, but she has not yet mastered it.

“So beautiful…” Alyssa couldn’t help but sigh.

"There are even more beautiful ones..." Sewell stared at the insect mother, his vest tubes throbbing, but it was completely different from the stress reaction he had experienced when he was attacked by an enemy. He had never felt so clearly that the blood pumping out of his vest tubes was warm.

Gorgeous, color-changing mating patterns appeared symmetrically on his large wings, and the dazzling beauty made the insect addicted. Sewell saw his own reflection in Alyssa's clear glass eyes, a big butterfly that was blushing, stiff, and trying its best to express itself.

Then, he was hunted by Gabriel's poisonous spider and dragged out of the classroom.

After hearing and confirming through Pineapple's direct report to her on the intelligent computer that it was indeed Her Majesty Alyssa who took the initiative to ask to see the wings, Gabriel snorted coldly and let go of Sevier.

"You said that we should fully respect Her Majesty Alyssa, help her reshape her values, and give her enough choices. Sewell, what does your behavior today mean?"

Seville was silent for a moment, then folded his wings. "You are right, Your Majesty Gabriel. I was wrong."

"Sevier. As long as Her Majesty Alyssa truly loves you, I will absolutely respect her choice. You've already taken advantage of many Zerg opportunities that they've longed for. I hope you can live up to Her Majesty Alyssa's trust in you."

"……yes."

The matter was settled. Seville straightened up, thought for a moment, and then said to Gabriel, "Lord Gabriel, what about you? I think you should also give Her Majesty Alyssa enough choice."

Gabriel frowned. "What do you mean? When did I stop Her Majesty Alyssa from choosing?"

Seville thought of the things that had troubled Gabriel recently and said, "You protected Her Majesty Alyssa and thought she was not suitable to provide spiritual comfort to Lord Ryan right now, but have you tried to tell her about Lord Ryan's current situation?"