Chapter 47 After King Horace's Contract, all the insects...
Upon hearing the voice behind them, Fiedlock, Savile, and Isaiah suddenly stiffened.
Horace quickly used his fire breath to burn away the moisture in his eyes.
He absolutely cannot let the king know how vulnerable he is!
He absolutely cannot let Wang know that he got so angry just because a few insects said a few words to him!
He was determined to demonstrate his strength to the king!
Only in this way can he be recognized by the king and leave his mark on him.
He carefully placed the empty energy bottle he was clutching into the folded space, then turned his head, suppressing all the emotions within the insect core:
"king."
He sniffed and said nonchalantly:
"I'm fine."
Ai Ying felt the intense sadness within Horace's insect core, and hearing his blatant attempt to cover up his guilt, she sighed helplessly.
He was the weakest of all the Lord Insects, and was not accepted by the other three Lord Insects, so she couldn't help but feel a slight bias towards him.
She gave him a reassuring look, then turned to the three insects standing helplessly in place, her voice indifferent:
"Tell me, what were you doing just now?"
Isaiah was caught off guard by Horace's 'toastful' reaction, and then he heard the king's question.
He dared not lie to the king, and could only simplify things as much as possible:
“I was just… verbally pressuring Horace.”
Upon hearing his answer, Ai Ying gave him no response, only expressionlessly looking at the next insect. Saville panicked, completely unsure what to do, and finally lowered his head, honestly replying:
“I was just… targeting Horace.”
Ai Ying looked at Fedlock one last time.
Fiedlock's dark purple eyes were filled with trepidation and unease. He whispered his apology:
“Fidlock will never do it again.”
Although the three insects confessed and admitted their mistakes, none of them dared to repeat what they had just said to the king.
Sensing the three insects' panic and unease, Ai Ying pointed towards the window:
"Since you're all so free, why don't you go help the insects outside build their nests?"
She paused here, her voice filled with the coldness and majesty of a king:
"Let's not let this happen again, understand?"
"Yes," the three insects quickly knelt down and answered.
Horace stared blankly at the scene before him:
The king is punishing the insects that ostracize him...
Is this Wang standing up for him?
All the resentment and anger in his worm core vanished completely in that instant.
His lips curled up uncontrollably, and his whole body seemed to be bubbling with joyful red bubbles.
At this moment, even if he were to be teased by other insects, or even if he were to be beaten half to death by them, the smile on his face would not diminish in the slightest.
Oh my god!
How could there be such a lucky Zergling in interstellar space?!
Horace, who had always been too proud to admit the thoughts deep within his insect core, was now, for the first time, so clear:
He must stay by the king's side!
You absolutely must stay by the side of a king like that!!
Watching Wang give him a reassuring smile before heading back to his bedroom to rest, a determined flame flickered in Horace's eyes.
He absolutely must gain the king's approval!!
After a moment's thought, Horace's brain realized why the king had not yet recognized him.
Wang doesn't dislike him; in fact, she likes him!
The only reason the king doesn't approve of him is... because he's too weak!
Thinking about this, he felt even more disgusted with Fiedlock, who had pushed him with energy, and Savile, who had bumped into him.
Next, he must try his best to change the king's opinion of him and try to show his strength in front of the king.
This made Wang no longer hesitate to acknowledge him!
the next day.
Horace presented all the hard-won and extremely rare treasures to the king.
They even acted as if they didn't care at all, as if they didn't think they were that precious.
His words implied that acquiring these treasures would be as easy as taking candy from a baby, given his immense power.
But for some reason, the way Wang looked at him seemed a little strange.
A mix of pity and helplessness...
Horace's brain stirred again.
He felt that Wang might have hesitated and not made up his mind to accept him because he hadn't witnessed the scenes he described.
So he began to show off his power to the king in various ways.
For example, crushing an energy block with bare hands, or annihilating a gem with fire...
Ai Ying stood by the window, trying to understand what Horace was thinking, only to find that she couldn't understand at all.
Perhaps it's because staying in the insect hive is too boring?
She sighed silently and pointed out the window to Horace:
"Let's go outside and play."
Horace was taken aback by the king's words, then seemed to understand something and nodded vigorously.
"yes!"
Arriving outside the insect hive, he estimated the distance and slowly moved to a position where Wang could see him from the side of the window.
He gazed at the vast, storm-swept planet before him, his dark red pupils filled with unwavering resolve:
Wang must have felt that his actions inside the insect hive were too insignificant for an insect.
It's easier to demonstrate his power and usefulness outside the insect hive!
Not far away, an insect nervously watched Horace.
As Horace's subordinate insect, Merlin sensed the Lord's presence the moment he arrived on Noah.
The Merlin core was filled with panic at the thought of him deliberately cutting off the lord's communication.
He knew better than anyone how powerful and violent the lord was; if the lord saw him on Noah's Star, he would only face certain death.
But Merlin dared not ignore the lord, so as soon as he realized the lord had left the hive, he quickly went to the lord to apologize:
"My lord, Merlin knows his mistake."
"Merlin just wants to observe the situation on Noah Star for a while longer before contacting the adults."
Horace looked at the subordinate insect that had appeared in front of him, and after thinking for a while, he remembered what good thing this insect had done.
In the past, he would have unhesitatingly taken away the energy belonging to him from the insect's body and then dug out its core.
But now...
The thought that Wang might be watching him from the window, and the memory of how Wang loathed fighting and infighting among insects, made him take a deep breath and grit his teeth as he uttered a single word:
"roll!"
Merlin had prepared himself for serious injury or even death from his insect form, but he never expected the lord to let him go so easily.
It took him a moment to react before he scrambled to his feet in a panic, wanting to leave as quickly as possible according to the lord's orders.
Just then, Horace seemed to realize something and spoke up somewhat abruptly:
"What have you been doing on Noah's Planet these past few days?"
Merlin dared not lie at all and recounted everything he had done over the past few days in detail.
As Horace listened to his explanation of the process of building a nest, his eyes, which had been dark, suddenly lit up.
He's very skilled at refining feather iron!
Isn't this the perfect opportunity for him to demonstrate his strength in front of the king?
It can also help the king solve the problem of building a nest, killing two birds with one stone!
Thinking of this, he waved impatiently at Merlin, his voice filled with disdain:
"Get out of here!"
Merlin hadn't finished speaking when he heard the lord's words.
Without hesitation, he quickly left the place.
Only when he reached his own nest did he finally escape death, panting heavily, his insect core throbbing incessantly.
He's still alive!
He actually managed to escape alive from the lord's clutches after knowing the truth but not reporting it!
Merlin stood before his nest, tears glistening in his eyes:
He could finally live peacefully in his nest, happily awaiting the day he would see the king again.
Oh my god!
How could he be so lucky and happy!
Just then, he once again sensed the communication linking him to the insect web.
This time, the one who came to him was a subordinate insect of Lord Horace, who was of equal status to him.
Because the insects share the same energy source as their lord, they can faintly sense each other's current situation.
In the past, whenever they tried to contact him, he would hang up without hesitation.
But after receiving the lord's pardon, Merlin hesitated for a moment before finally connecting the communication.
Before the insect on the other side could speak, he lowered his voice and said:
"I am on Noah's Planet."
He didn't reveal the current situation on Noah's Star, but based on what he had heard from other insects about the King's preferences over the past few days, he solemnly said:
"Heal the scars on your body so that your insect body looks better."
After he finished speaking, he quickly hung up the call.
Since the lord doesn't mind not reporting what he knows, he probably won't blame the other subordinate insects who came to Noah Star.
With that thought in mind, Merlin entered his own nest with peace of mind, his eyes filled with happiness.
On the other side.
Horace had no idea what Merlin had just done.
He was gathering all the visible feather iron together with energy, and then refining them together with fire breath.
With a wave of his hand, a streak of fire, illuminating the gray planet, arrogantly appeared in mid-air.
The next second, he threw all the feather iron into the fire.
Horace manipulated his energy, refining the feather iron while changing the form of his fire breath—sometimes a throne, sometimes a crown, sometimes a simplified version of a bug hive…
The beautiful and dazzling firelight transformed the surrounding dark sky into a brilliant and stunning display of color.
Not far away, Isaiah, watching him refine the feather iron until it was almost translucent, couldn't help but frown:
What was Horace thinking?
Of course he could see his location, which allowed Wang to see his every move.
But was Horace only doing this to show the king that he was refining feather iron?
No, no, no, it can't be that simple.
While Isaiah used his energy to help the lower insects build their nests, he subtly observed Horace's actions.
Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, the hurricane around him abruptly stopped for a moment.
He clenched his fists, a deep sense of apprehension hidden in his eyes:
With Horace's current energy level, how long can he hold out?
Half an hour, or an hour?
Overdrawing his energy will definitely cause him to get injured again.
Horace was now standing right where the king could see him, and given the amount of time he could sustain himself, the king would not have finished dealing with state affairs and would not have left the window.
This naturally leads us to see Horace injuring himself in order to help the lower insects build their nests.
Isaiah took a deep breath and slowly loosened his clenched hands:
That's a brilliant tactic.
Moreover, it's a method that they simply cannot replicate.
He, along with Fedlock and Savile, were all acknowledged by the king, and their insect bodies were restored to their peak health and strength, making them completely incapable of injury.
Naturally, there was no way to gain the king's pity by using wounds.
However, Horace, lacking the king's approval, was always at risk of injury, which in turn drew the king's attention.
Just as Isaiah felt the time was about right, he slowly stopped what he was doing, looked at Horace with a leisurely air, and waited for his performance.
An hour and a half was already the limit of Horace's energy usage.
Just when he thought he would stop refining the feather iron and pretend to be seriously injured, he saw that the fire breath he was outputting did not decrease at all.
Horace slowly and deliberately refined all the surrounding feather iron before swaying slightly.
Then, he pretended to be nonchalant, his face pale, and calmly walked into the insect nest.
A flicker of surprise crossed Isaiah's eyes, then he narrowed them, a sense of apprehension rising within the insect core alongside his fear:
Horace's actions were on a higher level than he had imagined.
That's really impressive.
How could the king not have noticed Horace's current situation?
But he still pretended that nothing was wrong.
This is much smarter than getting injured directly in front of the king.
Isaiah, along with Savile and Fidelock who were not far away, exchanged a glance, stopped what they were doing, and followed Horace back to the hive.
Horace's energy was already depleted again, and he could barely support his simple movements, so he didn't notice the insects following behind him.
Although his core was stinging terribly, his brain was extremely happy.
He felt that this time, the king must have seen his powerful appearance when he refined the Feather Iron!
He's so useful even when he's low on energy; the king will definitely recognize his worth!
Horace took a deep breath, enduring the pain in his body, and tried his best to appear strong and reliable, even using his fire breath to give his face a healthy light red hue.
Hearing the noise at the door, Ai Ying looked up and saw a proud and imposing insect shadow.
Horace now resembles a dying patient experiencing a final burst of energy before death.
A single glance at his physical condition is enough to tell you how dangerous his situation is.
Ai Ying recalled the scene of Horace arrogantly using energy outside, fearing that if she wasn't careful, the next time she saw him, he would only have a single insect core left.
She could no longer patiently wait for Horace to acknowledge her.
She looked at the insects not far away, and sighed with a hint of helplessness in her voice:
"Horace, I'll ask you one more time."
Do you want to stay by my side?
This time, Horace lost all restraint for even a second.
With his last remaining energy, he darted to the king and nodded vigorously.
"Think about it!!"
"Yes, yes, yes!!!"
He really is a genius bug!
It's useful to always show his strength in front of the king!
Doesn't that mean Wang is acknowledging him?!
Behind him, three insects wore expressions of joy:
finally!
Horace could no longer feign weakness and disgust them!
Originally, the other three insects were very resistant to other lord insects appearing around the king, and even more resistant to this lord insect gaining the king's recognition.
But this time, upon hearing Horace's answer, the three insects all breathed a sigh of relief.
Fidelock: Finally, I don't have to worry about Horace falling over with a push and then complaining to the king!
Saville: Finally, I don't have to worry that the king will think they are bullying Horace because of his weak performance!
Isaiah: Finally, I don't have to worry about Horace continuing to use his injuries to gain the king's sympathy!
Once Horace is accepted by the king and fully recovered, let's see what he can use to attract the king's attention!
Horace was so basking in the joy of the king's approval that he didn't even notice when the three insects behind him entered the study.
He knelt before the king, his dark red eyes devoid of arrogance, filled only with devout obedience.
He closed his eyes, letting the king's aura flow through his body.
The blood of the insects, which had been depleted over the past three hundred years, gradually became abundant again as the aura of the king was poured in.
Horace's weakened body gradually recovered, and the pulsation of the insect core became stronger and more powerful.
Ai Ying originally thought he would be somewhat resistant to her contract, but she didn't expect the contract process to be so smooth.
He even fully opened up the most important parts of the insect brain and core, allowing her to invade them.
Seeing the successful contract mark glowing on Horace's chest, her gaze softened slightly.
She ruffled his hair and praised him with a soft laugh:
"Good girl."
Horace's face turned bright red in an instant.
He suppressed the ecstatic throbbing within the insect core, which seemed to want to pierce him, and forced himself to lift his head.
But the curve of her lips just wouldn't come down.
He looked at the king, the scales on the side of his face shimmering with a happy glow:
From this moment on, he too is a king among insects!
He will never live a lonely life as a single insect again!
*
As Isaiah looked at Horace's exposed chest mark, his lips, which had been holding a slight smile, twitched as Horace passed by him for the sixth time.
The lords in the hive have all been approved by the king.
What is Horace showing off?
Is he showing off that he was only finally recognized by the king?
Looking at Horace's proud and smug expression, a sudden suspicion arose in the insect's mind:
Why does this insect look so unintelligent?
Soon, Isaiah remembered Horace's scheming actions.
He suddenly turned around and looked away:
Horace must have wanted them to lower their guard before continuing to use trickery to win back the king's attention.
He absolutely cannot fall for it!
Isaiah turned and left the spot.
During this time, his five subordinate insects had been restless and eager to make a move.
As subordinate insects that possess a portion of his energy, they will also become stronger as he grows stronger.
Moreover, they will also feel peaceful because of his emotional stability.
He loathed every insect that appeared before the king except himself, including his subordinates.
But now, as time goes by, his subordinate insects should have already made their own guesses about the king's birth.
Thinking of this, Isaiah's amber eyes filled with agitation.
Even though he granted energy to his subordinate insects, he had no way to control their instinctive craving for the king.
Even if he kills these five subordinate insects, they will not change their desire to see the king.
Moreover, the king disliked fighting among the insects.
If he had actually killed the serpent, Horace would surely have reported his actions to the king.
At that time, there might not be a place for him next to Wang anymore.
Isaiah squinted and quickly came up with a solution.
In fact, all the insects, besides wanting to see the king, also wanted to fulfill all the king's commands and expectations.
He told the insects about the king's appearance.
But at the same time, they were also told that if they did something that the king wanted to see, and then came to the king's side, they would definitely be valued by the king.
In this way, the king can be remembered from among a group of lords' subordinate insects and countless higher and lower insects.
Coupled with his constant oppressive power, all five subordinate insects were given orders to search for obsidian of various grades.
Savile did something similar.
His subordinate insects, and he himself, both possess rational characteristics.
With just a little guidance from him, they will know what they should be doing right now.
The king is currently in his territory.
His subordinate insects must thoroughly patrol the surrounding star systems to prevent the king from encountering any danger and to prevent any species from disturbing him.
Fiedlock didn't care about his subordinates at all.
For him, nothing mattered except the king, including himself.
So, when he sensed the aura of subjugation above Noah's Star, he finally remembered the few insects he had thrown into a remote star system.
He flashed to the sky above Noah's Star and, almost without thinking, decided to use spatial manipulation to throw the five insects that had appeared there into a more distant star system.
He will obey the king's orders and will not harm these insects.
However, he could keep them far away from the king unharmed.
Exclusivity is an instinct etched into the core of every insect.
But--
Fiedlock spent the longest time by the king's side.
You can feel the king's care for every single insect, whether it's a low-level insect, a high-level insect, a subordinate insect, or a lord insect.
It was precisely because of this that he was particularly reluctant to let the king see these subordinate insects.
However, he also clearly realized that, given the king's gentle nature, he would surely be very happy to see the subordinate insects.
He... wanted to make Wang happy.
For this reason, he was even willing to dissect his insect core, just to win Wang Yixiao's smile.
Fiedlock's dark purple pupils stared at the five subordinate insects in front of him with a cold yet chaotic gaze.
In his mind, the instinct to possess the king and the desire to make the king happy were constantly intertwined.
Finally, with a sullen face, he chose what he considered the ugliest insect and coldly threw the others into his spatial dimension.
His voice was so cold it seemed it could freeze insects.
"Behave yourself in front of the king, understand?"
Archie thought this was a hallucination he was having before he died, and tilted his worm-like brain in a daze:
Before...the king?
Inside the hive, Isaiah could sense the arrival of Fidelock's subordinates, but he paid no attention to it.
He knew that Fiedlock would deal with these subordinates without the king finding out.
He never expected that Fedrock would actually come before the king with a servant.
Seeing the genuine surprise and joy in Wang's eyes upon seeing his subordinates, the smile on his lips gradually turned cold.
Isaiah clearly sensed the king's growing favoritism towards Phideloc after seeing his subordinates.
So it turns out that Fedorok has become quite cunning.
They would rather suppress their desire to monopolize the king than allow his subordinates to appear before him, thus putting on the appearance of a good lord.
In any case, subordinates can be expelled from Noah Star at any time for various reasons.
But once a king's favor is gained, it will never be lost.
You should never underestimate any lord bug, not even the usually most docile Fidelock.
Isaiah took a deep breath, and just as he secretly increased his vigilance against Fiedlock, he suddenly sensed the presence of five subordinate insects.
He had no way to stop the king with energy.
They could only let the five subordinate insects land outside the nest.
Sensing Horace's aura emanating from every insect, Isaiah's eyes widened as he looked at Horace in disbelief:
He actually summoned all five of his subordinates to the king at the same time?!
Five of them! All the insects belonging to a lord!
Did he manage to suppress the possessive instinct within the insect core that yearns for the king?!
More importantly, he could sense the healthy and robust aura emanating from the five insects.
This would be enough for the king to know how well his vassal insects were doing under Horace's rule.
Such remarkable forbearance, such a cunning and manipulative approach—
Sure enough, Horace was the insect he needed to be most wary of!
-----------------------
Author's Note: Horace: !!!
How could I forget that there's such a thing as subordination?!
Mwah, my darlings, I love you so, so, so much~~
Today's red envelopes are given out in sequence!
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