videoconference
Alfonso gathered himself together, walked out of the secret basement, and returned to his usual study.
During the time when he couldn't change back into his mimic form, he missed too many things. He urgently needed to know what the Decision Court, the high-ranking families on the scene, and even the insects on Starnet said about him after he exposed his ugly and old insect form during the live broadcast of the insect fight.
He's really old. Alfonso thought. In the past, he never cared about the opinions of the low-level Zerg on the Starnet. But a deceptive appearance is a good thing. Just like no Zerg would think that this old, kindly Zerg was a cannibalistic executioner, just like... he also didn't think that the soft, light, tiny Zerg Queen could have such strong mental power.
But not many people on Starnet cared about his embarrassing behavior. All the hot topics were about Chu Mi.
Alfonso's heart trembled, and he quickly browsed through the focus of the dispute between the two parties - the report from the Palace of San Jose, as well as the widely circulated posts from the low-level workers.
He felt something was amiss and called his subordinates, "Did you arrange for those low-level worker bug posts on Starnet?"
"Sir Alfonso! You're alright! That's great..."
"Skip the unnecessary small talk and just speak!"
"Well, the post that initially sparked heated discussion wasn't ours, but we quickly followed up and posted some posts opposing the ban on virgin honey, helping to stir up the topic. We've stirred up public outrage, and I believe the Palace of Saint Joseph's Palace won't dare to bring up the ban on virgin honey for a while. We still have time..."
"Idiot!" Alfonso cursed angrily. "The Palace of San Josepho only issued a report suggesting a connection between primordial honey and degradation, but didn't declare a ban on it! The lowly worker insects on the remote planets are either chipping away at rocks or digging mountains every day. How could they have the time to post such eloquent posts online? This kind of tactics... this kind of tactics..."
Yes, Alfonso narrowed his eyes. This method was exactly the same as the last time he manipulated StarNet public opinion to discredit the humanoid insect mother, and the result was exactly the same as the backlash he encountered!
At that time, a large number of trumpeters appeared, not arranged by them, but standing on their side to cheer them on. However, those trumpeters had no rules and were acting recklessly, like a group of drunkards causing trouble everywhere.
Then, those netizens who were wavering and waiting all turned to the side of the insect mother.
"They're trying to trick us into making the first move... The Saint Joseph's Palace must have already figured out a countermeasure!"
As if in response to his words, a subordinate who was monitoring public opinion on the Star Network in real time said, "News broke: Her Majesty the Worm Queen will deliver a speech to the entire public in a live broadcast at 9:00 tomorrow morning!"
-
Alyssa hasn’t seen Sewell for half a month.
At that moment, seeing Sewell on the video conference, her eyes quickly misted over. It was a bit embarrassing, but she just…just felt a little wronged when she saw him.
She couldn't cry. This wasn't a communication between her and Seville, but between the Palace of Saint Joseph and Starnet. Gabriel, Vio, Ryan, and Flora sat beside her, and Seville wasn't alone either. Alyssa took two deep breaths, looked up, and suppressed her tears, returning to her calm, responsible worm mother.
But her slightly sour pheromones still betrayed her. Ryan wanted to say something, but Vio's catching foot, hidden under the table, nailed him to his boot and silenced him.
Seville was also filled with emotion. Of course, he missed Alyssa. However, when he left the Palace of Saint Joseph, they had promised each other that they would each achieve something great. He didn't want to be a person who kept looking back on the road to career success. That would only hinder his progress and keep them apart for longer.
He believed Alyssa thought so too.
Alyssa had yet to accept his spiritual anchor into her own spiritual world—they had long since considered "acceptance" a sacred ritual in itself. When that day arrived, it would be the moment when they had cleared all obstacles and resistance, and Alyssa could, with a supreme gesture, officially announce to the public her choice of him as the Queen Consort.
"Your Majesty Alyssa, please allow me to introduce you. This is my sister, Isabella Knox."
Isabella was a long-legged beauty with silver wavy hair and a charming demeanor. Her lavender eyes, a pair that would have made it impossible for insects to mistake her kinship, mirrored those of Seville. Perhaps the mimicry of the chromatic butterfly family is more closely aligned with human form. If you ignore Isabella's four arms, butterfly antennae, and two-meter-two height, she would be practically indistinguishable from a human woman.
Isabella was very nervous. She saluted respectfully to Alyssa, then took out her intelligent brain and spoke in a stiff voice, "Ai, Your Majesty Alyssa, please allow me to tell you about the people's true opinions on Chumi and their real concerns collected by the Star Network this time. The data was captured by our Star Network Group's AI, which extracted keywords, refined the information, and then summarized it. Just in case, we also identified the specific associated IP addresses of the posters when we captured the data to filter out those false ones..."
Isabella's voice was so fast that it was almost like Flora's wings flapping during the insect fight. Alyssa had to interrupt her with a smile: "You don't have to be so nervous. Speak slowly, Sister Isabella."
The call of "sister" made Isabella's antennae stand up, and dazzling rainbows flashed across Isabella's antennae like a kaleidoscope, and then bent into a whirlpool shape. It was obvious that the big butterfly in front of her was very happy.
Isabella's data report was also projected onto Alyssa's screen. Yes, the post "I Confess, I Used Chumi" that initially sparked heated discussion was also edited by Sewell and then published and streamed by his engineers.
At that time, Isabella didn't understand why Seville posted a post that was obviously contrary to the policy orientation of the Worm Mother. After the post caused widespread heated discussion, she understood what it meant to test the waters and what it meant to alarm the snake.
Not only did they quickly and accurately collect the opinions of netizens who were afraid of the ban on first honey, they also tracked their portable smart brains through IP positioning.
Seville: "We can continue to track and monitor those fake IP addresses and designate them as highly sensitive accounts. We'll pay special attention to them the next time they post. We can block, ban, limit traffic, and even infer their true intentions based on the content of their posts. As for those who genuinely post, most are bugs who have actually used the first honey. We can hand over the list to Saint Hobelu Palace, and they'll have the lower-level planetary governments focus on them."
Isabella had to admit that she had underestimated her younger brother in the past. She thought he was thin and weak, and only liked to study some weird and useless things.
Not only did he perfectly inherit the Knox family's business acumen, he was also very ambitious. He finally seized the opportunity tailor-made for him and showed his brilliance without any scruples.
Gabriel, of course, accepted this detailed report with a smile. They now had to bypass the Court of Decision for many things, making it more difficult to gather information and making decisions that were inevitably ill-considered. Free voices from all walks of life could broaden their thinking.
The meeting ended happily. Before hanging up, Alyssa and Seville stared at each other through the optical projection particles. Alyssa's beautiful eyes were once again filled with moisture. Seville tried hard to find topics to prolong the video call, but there were too many Zergs on both sides. Alyssa's side was fine; it was all the core team that had watched her grow. On his side, besides Isabella, there were also many elite engineers who admired the Zerg Mother and were proud to work for her. He didn't want to bring up his and Alyssa's personal affairs in front of them and undermine the Zerg Mother's dignity.
But he couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness Alyssa, I've prepared a speech outline for you. Would you like to take a look at it?"
As soon as he said it, Seville knew he had said the wrong thing. Sure enough, Alyssa was stunned for a moment, then smiled gently, as if very grateful: “Sevier, thank you. But this is my first time speaking to the public, I want to do it myself.”
After the conference call, Seville felt somewhat lost. Seeing the engineers leave the room, Isabella chided him, "I'll let you get away with your mouth! Who do you think you are? Can you be more thoughtful than Her Majesty Alyssa and her advisors? Her Majesty is truly good-tempered, even smiling at you like this."
Sewell: "I know, I just... I just haven't talked to her for a long time."
"...How long?"
"Ever since I came back..."
Isabella's eyes widened. "Didn't you say that you and His Majesty had communicated their feelings, and that His Majesty had clearly stated that he was ready to choose you as his consort? You got His Majesty's promise, and then you never contacted her again after you came back?"
"Because I promised her that I would build something great... I thought that at least our app should be online first, so that I would have a reason to contact her again."
Isabella rolled her eyes vividly. "If my suitors were like you, they'd have been blacklisted long ago! You know, you're like the kind of scum who, after teasing a female into sending matching pheromones to you, claims he needs to cultivate himself and then unilaterally terminates the pheromone matching."
Seville: "! Is... is that so? I didn't mean that. I just, I just really want to try my best to catch up with her. I want her to find that every time she sees me, she will find that I am closer to her. I just feel that I haven't taken enough steps now..."
Isabella sighed and patted Seville's shoulder. "Seville, you're not wrong to think so. However, she is the supreme insect queen and a female who is about to reach sexual maturity. Don't let her speculate and doubt while she waits. Trust me, find time to call her via video."
At 9 o'clock in the evening, Alyssa looked at her speech for the last time. She was sure that everything she wanted to say to all the Zerg had been remembered, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
Gabriel brought her some hot milk just in time: "Your Highness, you've worked hard. Rest your eyes."
“Mammy.” Alyssa smiled sweetly at Gabriel and looked behind him. “Why is it Mammy who brought me milk? Where is Sister Miranda?”
Gabriel gently plucked the pen from Alyssa's hand. Alyssa had been working very hard lately, hiring a private tutor to revise her Zerg language and writing, striving for accurate pronunciation for public appearances and writing her own speeches. Unaccustomed to writing with a hard pen, calluses had formed on her delicate white fingers, a sight that Gabriel found distressing.
"It's been a long time since I've served Your Majesty alone, so I deliberately sent Miranda away today."
Alyssa smiled and opened her arms, letting Gabriel hold her in his arms. She and Mammy had agreed that they could act like spoiled brats when they were alone.
Alyssa felt incredibly greedy. After returning to the Zerg, she constantly craved positive feedback and warm embraces. She was like a newly born plant, previously unwatered, so it didn't grow well, grew crooked. Now, desperate to correct herself and grow faster, she constantly sought love from those close to her for nourishment.
Gabriel, who had long been in tune with Alyssa, of course understood Alyssa's thoughts. She embraced this beloved baby and combed her soft hair. But she knew that the love she gave was not enough.
"Your Highness, Seville wishes to communicate with you. Privately. Do you accept?"
Alyssa immediately supported Gabriel’s chest with both hands and raised her head, her eyes shining: “Sevier? Now?”
"I, I didn't comb my hair..." Although Alyssa said this, her pheromones instantly became sweet. She held her hair together and straightened her collar, which had been messed up from being coquettish in Gabriel's arms.
She understood why Gabriel had sent Miranda away and come alone to serve her.
"Mammy, thank you!" Alyssa kissed Gabriel on the cheek, jumped down lightly, and went to find her own intelligent brain.
Gabriel touched his cheek, which still lingered with the scent of the Worm Queen, and muttered to himself, "Sevier is such a lucky guy!" His eight eyes squeezed together with laughter.
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