Chapter 42 They absolutely cannot let Horace get out…
In the following days.
The story of that round building spread among the insects.
Upon hearing the description of that building, all the insects would twitch their antennae with contentment and happiness.
I'm so happy just to be able to hear it.
Including the insects on Planet Carlo.
Although they built a hive for the king, while inside the hive, their vertical pupils could only ever see the king.
They dared not linger in the hive for fear of disturbing the king, so they made no connection between the building Denton mentioned and the hive.
Moreover, all insects have been powerful enough since thousands of years ago to survive and rest in the open on planets with harsh environments.
No insect has the awareness that it needs a nest.
They didn't even dare to dream of seeing the oval, beautiful, and comfortable building Denton had described.
They are content as long as they can hear it.
Inside the insect nest.
Ai Ying looked at the nest that stood firm in the storm not far away, rested her chin on her hand, and nodded in satisfaction.
Over the past few days, the nest has been battered by storms, yet it has remained undamaged.
Due to the properties of feather iron, the nest even tends to become more robust.
In this way, such a nest would be sufficient for the insects to use for a long time on the storm-ridden planet Noah.
Thinking of this, a lively smile appeared in Ai Ying's eyes:
As a Gu master, what she once wanted most was to personally build a nest that her Gu worms would like.
Unfortunately, because she was disliked by the Gu worms, no Gu worm was willing to form a contract with her.
Her vast knowledge of Gu insect architecture was completely useless.
Ai Ying's gaze gradually widened as she watched the insects tempering their bodies in the storm, searching for wind crystals for her. A slight smile played on her lips:
Although she's in a different world now, it's still a dream come true for her.
At that moment, Isaiah behind her seemed to sense her much-relaxed mood.
A gentle breeze stirred around him, blowing his amber-brown hair into Wang's jet-black hair.
Ai Ying noticed the movement behind her and turned around to meet three pairs of beautiful and pure eyes.
Every pair of eyes was filled with expectation.
During this time, she had become adept at appeasing the lord insects.
They were too well-behaved; even if they made mistakes, it was just minor squabbles between insects, and they would never cross her bottom line.
Therefore, even though her abilities were enough to intimidate a Lord Insect, she rarely used Gu magic to suppress them.
She rested her chin on one hand, her voice carrying a faint sigh:
“You all like that nest so much.”
"Is it because you don't like being in the insect hive with me?"
The pupils of the three lords suddenly trembled:
Oh my god!
The king's words were like a knife stuck into their core.
How could that be!
Being able to be with the King—no, just being able to see the King every day—is the happiest thing in the world!
How could they not enjoy being in the hive with the King?!
Fiedlock shook his head more violently than the storm outside the window.
Saville knelt on one knee, his deep blue eyes filled with unease and panic: he always wanted to be close to the king, and always hoped to be by the king's side.
Isaiah looked at the king, and a hint of tears welled up in his amber eyes.
Ai Ying looked at the three insects reacting violently, and her voice softened considerably:
"So, do you still want that nest where I have to live separately?"
The three insects shook their heads frantically:
Compared to the King, nothing else matters in the interstellar world.
Ai Ying stood up, controlled her mental energy to pat the heads of the three insects, and praised them with a light laugh:
"Good girl."
After appeasing the three lord insects who were secretly vying for ownership of the nest, she could finally focus her energy on the numerous lower-level insects and two higher-level insects on Noah's Star.
Under the constraint of the energy of the three lord insects, all the insects on Noah's Star were gathered by the energy to the open space in front of the insect nest.
Each insect's vertical pupils gleamed as it gazed at the nest ahead.
They knew that was where the king lived.
Even if they couldn't see the king, just knowing that he was in the hive made them unable to suppress their excitement deep within the hive core.
As soon as Ai Ying appeared outside the insect nest, she sensed the intense emotions of all the insects—their excitement, devotion, and desire to give everything for her.
Wherever her gaze fell, every insect struck its most upright and obedient pose.
They stared at her intently, as if trying to etch her image into their insect brains forever.
Ai Ying looked at all the insects, her gaze carrying the unique majesty and tenderness that a Gu Master holds for Gu insects.
During the two hours each day the storm subsided, she taught each insect how to build a nest.
She taught them how to build the framework of the nest, and how to change the shape of the feather iron...
All the insects listened attentively.
They knew this was a task given to them by the king.
Realizing this, all the insects were prepared to do everything in their power to build this nest.
They thought excitedly:
They can finally continue to do something for the king!
They've finally become useful insects!
Seeing the eager looks on all the insects' faces, Ai Ying thought for a moment and then concealed the fact that the nest was built for them.
She knew that these insects would only meticulously carry out her commands if the nest they built was related to her.
If they had known that the nest was built for them, they might have saved her a lot of materials that they considered precious.
Thinking of this, she didn't say anything more, but simply waved her hand to signal all the insects to carry out her orders.
Meanwhile, Fidelock and the other insects who had built nests constantly patrolled Noah's Planet, responsible for solving the difficulties encountered by the lower insects when building nests.
Ai Ying sat by the window of the insect hive, holding the tea that Saville had offered after observing her preferences, and sipped it slowly.
As she watched the nests slowly being built outside the window, a sense of reality suddenly washed over her.
This is her planet.
These are all her insects.
They are all real, her insects.
Outside the insect hive, all the insects were busily building the nest that the king needed.
They didn't know what they were going to do with building so many nests, nor did they know if they could go inside and take a look after the nests were completed.
But none of that matters.
All they need to do is carry out the king's orders!
This is an order personally given by the king!
With this in mind, the insects worked even harder.
Preparing gifts for the king is an instinct they are born with, their duty, not a king's command.
But what they are doing now is on the king's orders!
The king gave them the order!
Wang thinks they are useful!
What would normally take a day for lower-level insects to build a nest was completed in half a day thanks to their frantic efforts.
Previously, apart from storms, Noah's Star was a desolate wasteland, but now other buildings have appeared.
These nests are like fortresses standing in the storm, sturdy and warm.
Ai Ying stood in the storm, looking at the numerous nests that were just one step away from completion, and gently issued the final command:
"Now, paint the nests you've built with your favorite colors."
Although all the insects had some doubts, they still resolutely carried out the king's orders.
Their favorite color—
Black, of course!
Its black color is as beautiful as the king's hair!
A black as dazzling as the king's eyes!
Ai Ying sighed helplessly as she watched them paint the nest black without a second thought.
A while ago, she saw an insect rubbing its gray hair on the ground during its rest period.
They only stopped when they were satisfied, their original hair color had been rubbed into a messy black.
I don't know why, but these insects seem to have a special fondness for black.
After all the insects have completed the final step of the process.
Ai Ying looked at them and encouraged them:
"Enter your unique energy into the energy lock of the nest."
Upon hearing the king's words, all the insects froze in place:
Isn't this the King's Nest?
What do we do with inputting their energy?
But faced with Wang's gentle and encouraging gaze, they all subconsciously followed his instructions and channeled their energy into him.
Ai Ying looked at them, still standing there dumbfounded, and said with a smile:
"Now, go into your nest and take a look."
"See if you like it."
ah?
What was Wang just saying?
Many insects tilted their heads, and circles seemed to be constantly spinning in their vertical pupils:
What is their nest?
Do they have nests and caves?
After a long while, some insects finally reacted, looking at the king in disbelief, then turning to look at the nest they had built:
The king's meaning is—
The nest they built... belongs to them?!
But they...
Waaaaaahh ...
They're just a bunch of useless, lowly insects—
Waaaaaahh ...
The gifts they presented to the king were all so poor that they didn't deserve even a glance from him.
But, waaaaah—
The king not only did not despise them, but also personally soothed them with his breath, and even built a nest for them!
For thousands of years, apart from the king, no insect has ever had a place to live alone.
But now, they have it.
They now have a nest of their own...
In their collective memory, there had never been a king like the current one... who did so much for them, these useless, lowly insects.
They experienced this truly once again:
What a lucky bunch of insects they are!
What a privilege to have met such a king!
All the insects stared blankly at the king in front of them.
The core of each of their insects was surging with intense and turbulent emotions.
They wanted to die for the king, and they also wanted to live for the king...
Once all the insects entered the completed nest, their already not-so-intelligent insect brains simply stopped functioning:
Hiss—
Hiss hiss hiss—
After a string of gibberish, they were finally able to produce normal sounds:
"Hiss—Wow!"
"Hiss hiss hiss hiss—Waaaaaah!!"
Actually, the nest wasn't particularly exquisite, and the space inside was quite empty. Apart from a round nest bed and a cabinet, there was nothing else.
But in the minds of insects who don't even know what a nest should look like, this is the best nest in the world!
Wow—the huge space makes me feel so safe!
Wow! The black and white walls are the most beautiful colors in the universe!!
Wow, wow, wow—this nest bed is so comfortable!
Many insects close their eyes uncontrollably as soon as they get into the nest bed.
Their antennae drooped softly by the bedside, occasionally twitching happily.
Inside the nest, they could barely hear the storm outside, only the faint sound of the wind.
Accompanied by the almost gentle sound of the wind, many insects experienced true sleep for the first time.
No need to worry about sudden storms, no need to worry about the ever-present chaos and unease in the insect brain, no need to worry about any creature suddenly intruding...
They settled down in their own little nest and slept peacefully.
A few hours later, they opened their eyes from the nest, their vertical pupils showing an unprecedented sense of relief.
They glanced longingly at their own nest, then eagerly set out into the storm to find better and more beautiful wind crystals for the king.
Several newly emerged insects met together, and they almost simultaneously rushed to speak:
"Hiss—you have no idea how warm it is inside the nest!"
"Hiss—you have no idea how comfortable the nest bed is!"
"Hiss—you have no idea how wonderful it is to live in a nest!"
The insects exchanged glances and suddenly realized that they all had nests built for them by the king…
A strange feeling spread deep within their insect brains:
Hiss—I really want to catch an insect that knows nothing and tell it about their nest!
Hiss—I really want to tell the other insects who know nothing how happy they are!
The next day, the insects on Noah's Star received another order from the King.
The king ordered them to eat one piece of wind crystal he had collected every day.
Mondl picked and chose among all the wind crystals:
This is too big to eat;
This is shiny, you can't eat it.
That round thing, you can't eat it either...
When Mingming presented the crystals to the king, he always felt that none of them were of good quality, but when it came to eating them himself, he couldn't bear to eat any of them.
Finally, with a reluctant expression, he swallowed the smallest and ugliest piece of wind crystal.
Other insects behaved similarly to Mondstadt, consuming wind crystals with a mix of heartache and reluctance.
After eating and resting well, all the insects immediately left the nest and marched forward relentlessly against the storm:
They must find an even better, better, better wind crystal for the king!
In the past few days:
Their tentacles became lively and agile, like leaping musical notes on the gray planet.
Their hair was much smoother now, no longer looking messy like before.
Their shells also became bright and strong.
All the insects seemed to have undergone a complete transformation, becoming stronger and more loyal.
But what's most different from before is their eyes.
The once cold and emotionless vertical pupils now shine with tiny points of light.
Those lights are called hope.
*
Fidellock, Savile, and Isaiah looked at the changes on Noah's Star with a hint of disbelief in their eyes.
As lords, their inherited bloodline memories are deeper and clearer than those of lower-level insects.
Therefore, they were particularly aware that the Zerg had existed for thousands of years and had never seen such a sight.
There has never been such a king before...
Never before has there been a king who could make all the insects live with such happiness and hope.
Their pupils shimmered with a light they themselves were unaware of.
What Wang changed was not just those inferior insects outside, but also them.
The moment they thought of Wang, the tense atmosphere between them instantly subsided.
The three lord insects stared at each other, their eyes filled with rejection of the other two, but the heavy killing intent they had felt long ago was gone.
Even the most ruthless Fiedlock withdrew the black energy around him.
Savile glanced expressionlessly at the two insects with his deep blue eyes, then continued to sense the resting king's presence through the walls of the insect nest.
Isaiah appeared to be smiling, but deep down he was suppressing a deep displeasure.
However, as the insect who understood the king's emotions best, he knew that the king abhorred fighting among the insects.
If he were to do anything to other insects in private, the king would definitely despise him if he found out.
They might even banish him from their side.
Therefore, even though he loathed Fedorok and Savile to the extreme, he still maintained a facade of peace.
Fortunately, he had already sent the higher insect, Bilia, away in the name of the king.
but……
Isaiah seemed to have thought of something, looked at Saville, and his voice lost some of its mirth:
"If I remember correctly, Noah's Star is on the very edge of your territory."
"The closest planet to Noah, Jell, is Horace's territory."
Upon hearing his words, both Savile and Fedorok turned around instantly and looked at him.
Savile's deep blue eyes held a chilling glint.
"yes."
“But I have already had my subordinates investigate. Horace is far away from Noah Star and will not be aware of the commotion here.”
"I won't let him notice."
Fiedlock squinted.
Although the Zerg lords rarely interacted, he still had a deep impression of Horace.
He remembered Horace's previous display of aversion to the king, saying that he and his lands had no need of a king.
Horace even destroyed a planet that was preparing gems for the king.
Such a disloyal insect to the king is utterly unworthy to be by his side.
"If he dares to show up, kill him... expel him."
Isaiah's amber eyes flickered slightly as he heard the two insects' words:
"Very good, then we've reached a consensus."
Horace must never appear on Noah's Planet.
No insect could be so magnanimous as to watch the king favor other insects.
He could not accept that the king would share his tenderness with another lord insect.
He had already reached his limit in tolerating Fedorock and Savile.
As for Horace...
Didn't he himself say that he didn't need a king?
He simply fulfilled his expectations.
*
Polar magma is the hottest substance in the galaxy, said to be able to melt everything.
Anything, no matter how hard, will be instantly melted by the lava once it falls into it.
No species dares to set foot here.
Except for the Zerg.
Or rather, except for Horace, the Zerg lord.
A figure, seemingly oblivious to the pain, slowly emerged from the scalding lava.
He had long, dark purple hair, and his dark red pupils were filled with contempt for everything around him.
His handsome face carried a hint of arrogance, and red scales snaked down from his cheek to his neck, adding to his eerie beauty.
His body was being baptized by lava, and almost every second a layer of skin would peel off.
However, his powerful regenerative ability allows his skin to heal instantly after being burned.
As he repeatedly healed from his injuries, the insect blood that seeped out was unknowingly swallowed up by the magma.
But he closed his eyes with a sense of satisfaction:
Only the extreme pain of the insect blood leaving his body made him feel that he was still alive.
That's what allowed him to ignore all the thoughts in the insect's brain.
After an unknown amount of time, Horace finally emerged from the lava.
He glanced at the subordinate who had appeared before him after sensing his presence, and asked casually:
"What noises have you heard outside while I've been resting?"
The subordinate kneels on one knee, the insects chirping respectfully:
"Reporting to the lord, there has been no movement from the major star systems recently."
"Aside from Lord Isaiah visiting a few more planets than before, nothing else has happened."
At this point, the subordinate paused, his voice tinged with barely suppressed disappointment:
"There's also no news of the King."
A burst of fire struck his insect body.
Horace's pupils gradually turned deep red, and his voice became almost imperceptibly hurried:
"When did I say I wanted to hear these things?"
When did he ever say he wanted to hear...about her?!
Besides, there's absolutely no news about her!
There isn't anywhere...
Horace turned abruptly, his voice icy:
“Go on.”
The subordinate scrambled to his feet and quickly continued his report:
"Three days ago, a higher-level insect found a top-grade firestone..."
"Oh."
"Another piece of trash."
Horace snorted and commented expressionlessly.
Who would even look at something like this?
The subordinate, not daring to raise his head, continued:
"A fire crystal core has been detected on Fire Cloud Star, but no insects can get close..."
The Fire Crystal Core is the best fire-type gem in interstellar space, extremely rare, and can only be encountered once every hundred years.
It is the best...gift for the king.
Horace seemed not to have heard him and left the spot with a cold face.
But the direction he was heading... was the direction of the Fire Cloud Star mentioned by his subordinates.
The subordinate lowered his head, and after thinking for a moment, he did not mention the changes on Noah Star, which was adjacent to Jell Star.
He explored Noah's Star several times, and it was no different from before.
That inexplicable sense of security was probably an illusion created by the chaos in his worm brain.
*
On the planet Jer.
A thin, weak insect sensed the unease and despair in its brain, and its vertical pupils gradually turned crimson.
During the riots, he only wanted to destroy everything around him, and then let himself be severely injured or even killed by other insect pincers.
This was his only way of relieving his anxiety.
That's also what has kept him alive until now.
He grew weaker and weaker with each deadly battle against other insects.
But this time...
Archie stared intently in one direction, his crimson vertical pupils wide open.
That place is Noah Star, which is connected to Jell Star.
Hiss—what's there?
Hiss—this is so attractive to bugs!
The rioting insects were driven only by instinct.
Archie did not try to destroy everything around him, nor did he try to destroy himself.
He took out his only starship from the folded space—a dilapidated vessel that couldn't fly for long—and staggered inside.
Hiss—I want to go there!
Hiss—we have to go there!
Perhaps Archie was exceptionally lucky.
His dilapidated starship, which had little power, actually managed to get him to Noah's Planet.
Moreover, because the starship was so dilapidated and he was so weak, he was not discovered by the other insects and landed safely on the planet.
When Archie landed on the planet, for some reason, all the unease and confusion in his mind disappeared.
I feel so safe and secure here.
He gazed at the buildings standing tall in the storm, and absently shook his antennae:
What is that...?
It looks a little bit like...
Just then, he suddenly saw a lowly insect emerge from the round building.
Archie's vertical pupils narrowed to a straight line in shock:
Hiss—
So it turns out that insects really can hallucinate when they are about to die.
-----------------------
Author's Note: To all my darlings who threw raindrops and watered my plants with nutrient solution, I send you a huge kiss! Mwah! Mwah! Mwah!
Today's red envelopes are given out in sequence!
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