Meeting with the Third Legion
"Lord Gabriel, Her Majesty Alyssa can go to school and even broadcast live to billions of low- and middle-level Zerg, but she doesn't have time to meet with us, the old ministers of the Resolution Court?"
As Gabriel had anticipated, Alfonso's call came the moment the memorial service livestream ended. He must have witnessed Her Majesty Alyssa's formidable mental power, capable of easily reaching the Zerg's spiritual world, and feared the Zerg Queen would discover the clues he had planted within the Meyer family, so he came to test them.
Gabriel exchanged glances with Alfonso on the video chat. Yes, Her Majesty Alyssa's early admission was also due to the message of discontent among the higher-class families conveyed by this old, vicious fellow.
How come she hadn't noticed before that this guy was used to wrapping up his goals in a bunch of high-sounding reasons and covering himself up with some indecisive fence-sitters?
But Alfonso handled the whole thing very cleanly. Without finding any evidence pointing to him, and before Her Majesty Elisa had lit up the meteorite stone in the underground palace, it would not be appropriate to break off relations with him.
Gabrielle was thankful that the light particle transformations in the video chat diluted the emotions of the communicator, so that Alfonso wouldn't notice the disgust in her eyes. She put on a polite smile and said, "Master Alfonso, you misunderstood."
"Please understand that Her Majesty Alyssa was frightened by the fierce battle between the degenerate students and the insect-like Rayne Guards. Then she requested self-isolation. And then there's the memorial service... Her Majesty Alyssa needs to sort herself out."
"Please rest assured. In fact, Her Majesty Alyssa has long wanted to meet the Lords of the Court of Resolution." Gabriel opened the densely packed schedule on his brain. "It just so happens that the new commander of the Third Legion is almost here with his troops at Saint Hobel's Palace to accept the appointment from the Worm Mother. Her Majesty Alyssa has indicated that she and the Lords of the Court of Resolution will hold a private welcome party for the new commander."
"This timing couldn't be better," Gabriel said with a smile. "It's not a public occasion. Even if Lord Alfonso wants to have a private conversation with Her Majesty Elisa, that's fine."
Alfonso hung up the phone with a smile.
But the moment Gabriel's optical projection particles dissipated into the air, the chitinous carapace on Alfonso's face, slightly cracked and flaky due to age, began to droop. The light from the window cast a distinct shadow on his face, and Alfonso's expression became terrifyingly gloomy.
He sank into the comfortable soft-armored chair in his office, his faded long nails tapping lightly on the tabletop, making a crisp clicking sound: "You are disobedient... You are all disobedient..."
-
Flora Gambi looked out the porthole at the Palace of San Jose del Monte, which was surrounded by thirteen satellites. It emitted a subtle white light in the dark universe and looked like a round and smooth pearl.
Great, we're finally here, Flora thought. This journey has been so unpleasant.
She felt that Drake might have been really confused by the Worm Mother's decree of dismissal, which was why he appointed her to lead this group of worms who disobeyed her to the Saint Hobel Palace to accept the Worm Mother's appointment.
The bullying and pheromone bullying she had endured along the way, both overt and covert, had left her feeling utterly annoyed. These pathetic wretches, their minds drained of their primordial essence, were nonetheless her colleagues. She couldn't quite manage to give them a good beating, or even help them control their primordial essence.
They even refused to obey Her Majesty Alyssa's orders, saying things like the Worm Queen didn't understand war and made blind appointments, and that Drake must have made some kind of private deal with the Worm Queen to sell off the entire Third Legion. Of course, her super-sensitive hearing caught all of this.
Are all the bugs that have used Chumi so stupid?
Fortunately, I saw the news that Her Majesty Alyssa was going to broadcast live on the way. After watching the live broadcast of the Insect Mother, these fools finally shut up like cicadas frozen in an ice cellar.
Thinking that she could finally see the petite insect queen in the live broadcast, whose slender waist was outlined by the large black skirt, Flora felt the greatest anticipation of this trip.
The reception hall of the Garden Palace embodies the epitome of the architectural aesthetics of the Zerg. Twenty-four intact, pure-white giant-jawed stick insect protozoa serve as pillars, supporting the 24-meter-high lobby. Chitinous shells shed by white scarab beetles form the building's walls. Eighteen symmetrically spaced floor-to-ceiling windows are inlaid with entire wings of glasswing butterflies.
These were built by Zerg who had made outstanding contributions after their death, donating their bodies for use as building materials. When Alyssa first learned that the entire building was made of Zerg corpses, she felt uncomfortable and reluctant to stay there. But after integrating the deceased Meyer's spiritual anchor into her spiritual world, Alyssa understood that for the Zerg, death is merely the end of the physical journey; having one's spirit accepted by the Zerg Queen is a Zerg's most enduring honor.
Now, Alyssa could sit comfortably at the highest point of the audience hall, on a throne forged from the shells shed by successive Zerg Queens during their transformation. The spirits of hundreds of thousands of years of Zerg history, the guardians of the Zerg, supported her; this was her greatest strength in facing challenges.
Behind Alyssa stood Ryan on her left, Gabriel to her right, and Alfonso to her left. The remaining 12 members of the Court of Resolutions lined up on either side. A long, plush red carpet stretched from the throne to the entrance of the audience hall. On it, Flora led 15 officers from the Third Legion, who knelt on one knee to salute the Worm Queen.
After Flora stood up, Alyssa finally got a closer look at her. She'd been a bit surprised when she'd received Drake's message about selecting a female as the next commander. She'd assumed females in the military would have a harder time than males. But after meeting Flora, she realized she'd been too narrow-minded.
Zerg females are inherently unlike human females, possessing strong feminine traits. Many even boast females that are more robust than males. Flora is one such towering female. She's even slightly taller than Ryan without his claws. She has honey-colored skin, black hair, and muscular build, her chest muscles practically bulging from her breastplate. Yet, she also possesses a defining characteristic of any wasp: an exaggeratedly thin waist.
Alyssa: ...
Seeing different Zerg mimicry has become one of her pleasures lately.
Flora, meanwhile, boldly observed the Worm Queen on the throne. Today, she wore a long red velvet dress gilded with crimson. Her black hair was elegantly tied up, with only a few playful curls cascading down her ears. Her golden crown was inlaid with finely cut rubies, and her golden eyes shone brightly.
This Zerg Queen reminded Flora of a ruby ring nestled in a velvet jewelry box. She instantly understood why Drake had so graciously accepted his dismissal; no Zerg could resist such a Zerg Queen. She also understood why, after the Zerg Queen publicly discussed her human experiences on the Starnet, online public opinion about her was even more positive than before her public appearance. Beauty is a universal language; whether human or Zerg, we all appreciate beautiful things.
Alyssa smiled and said to Flora and the others, "Welcome, warriors who are defending the alien defense line for the Zerg. Thank you for your hard work in coming all this way."
"Today we will only have a simple welcoming ceremony. Flora's appointment ceremony will be held in the Guardian Square of the Palace of San Joseph-Loup in three days."
The insects behind Flora were agitated. Flora lowered her head and said, "Your Majesty Alyssa, please allow me to lead the Third Legion. In fact, although Drake intended me to lead the Third Legion, this decision was not approved by more than half of the senior officers within the legion."
"Behind me are the bugs who object to this. I am merely the leader, responsible for bringing everyone here. I ask that you choose the most suitable commander for the Third Legion from among me and these bugs behind me. I believe that everyone will be convinced by your noble choice."
"I understand." Alyssa nodded. After listening to their self-introductions one by one, Alyssa looked very embarrassed. "Everyone is excellent, and I'm not very familiar with military affairs. Who should I choose to be fair?"
She turned to Alfonso on her left: "Sir Alfonso, can you give me some advice?"
Alfonso didn't care who commanded the Third Legion. A cannon fodder legion, dealing with alien species all day, might be rich thanks to its high degree of autonomy, but whether it would live to see the light of day was uncertain. But the Worm Queen's attitude pleased Alfonso.
He thought he might have misjudged the situation. This delicate, exquisitely dressed little Pearl wasn't disobedient; it was simply the venomous spider behind her that held too much influence. All growing pups go through a period of rebellion. If he showed enough tolerance and pampering, it would be easy to make this little insect mother, whose breath was fragrant and whose pheromones were difficult to control, abandon Gabriel and join him.
Alfonso relaxed his facial muscles and smiled like a truly warm old man. "Your Highness, please trust your instincts as a Zerg leader and make your choice."
Alyssa turned to the other members of the decision-making court. They all followed Alfonso's lead and had no objections.
Alyssa asked the army bugs standing behind Flora, "Why can't you accept Flora as your commander?"
The soldier bugs exchanged glances. To be fair, Flora had a lot of experience, many military achievements, and was very powerful, so Drake had no problem choosing her.
But, it’s because of Chumi.
While the use of primordial honey is now fairly common in the Third Legion, it was banned by the previous Zerg Queen and remains so to this day. Comrades who have made mistakes together are always closer than those who strictly abide by the rules and never cross the line. Throughout the journey, Flora had always expressed her disapproval of their collective consumption of primordial honey. This had left them resentful of Flora becoming their superior.
Even if Flora just pretends not to see it, that would be fine.
So they all talked about Flora's unkindness in front of the Insect Mother and exaggerated the minor mistakes.
Alyssa frowned: “If Flora has so many problems, why did Drake nominate her? Have these mistakes of Flora been reported to the Military Affairs Department or the Military Court?”
Gabriel opened his intelligent brain at the right moment and swished through the files, reporting, "No, Your Majesty Alyssa. The Military Affairs Office and the Military Court have no record of Flora violating discipline. However, the military bugs who just filed the complaint have a number of violations of military discipline at the Military Affairs Office, including being late for drills, damaging public property, and not wearing uniforms as required."
Army Bug: ...
After using the first honey, I always feel a little drowsy and dizzy. I didn't expect that the Military Affairs Department would record it faithfully. This was a disgrace to the Insect Mother. They sounded like a bunch of unreasonable military thugs.
But the Worm Mother didn't seem to take these violations to heart. She just gently twisted her small chin, a little worried: "Both sides have some faults. Who should I listen to..."
At this moment, the dumb, large beetle behind the insect mother took a step forward, its hard shell knocking against the ground with a dull thud: "Ha!"
Alyssa's eyes lit up. "Captain Ryan said we can choose a commander through a bug fight. The commander of the Third Legion needs a powerful bug. So, in three days, we can have a point-to-point bug fight in Guardian Square. The winner will become the commander. How about that?"
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