Chapter 198: The Stranded Male Zerg × The Heavenly Garuda Emperor (16): Carl Nearly Swelled Up from Soaking in His Pheromones

[The whole galaxy knows about the Heavenly Garuda Emperor's little word game now! (angry)]

[So what if everyone knows? The chance of getting pregnant with eggs is already low, and the chance of twins is even lower. The Heavenly Garuda Emperor obviously signed that just to placate the male Zerg for now and keep him there. Who knows what'll actually happen later.]

[Even if he really does get pregnant, the Heavenly Garuda Emperor might not acknowledge that worthless piece of paper when the time comes. It's not like the world is short on treaties that might as well be toilet paper. Only Lord Carl would actually trust him.]

[If the Heavenly Garuda refuses to honor it, the Federation authorities can use the contract to put pressure on them.]

[What pressure? Don't make me laugh. With the Heavenly Garuda Empire's whole "galactic supervillain" style, do you think their Emperor is afraid of criticism? If he doesn't want to recognize a document, he simply won't. If he doesn't care, then he doesn't care. Military force is what actually works! March an army straight to their border and blow up the imperial capital. That's much more appropriate.]

[I wonder if An-shen's stories are connected. If it's like Axel's story and the Zerg Federation and Heavenly Garuda Empire establish diplomatic relations in the future, then none of this will matter anyway.

That book's timeline is twenty years in the future, and by then they were already celebrating some anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations. My blind guess is that formal diplomatic relations are established ten years from now, meaning they'll start making contact, negotiating, and cooperating before that. Given the hostility between the Zerg Federation and Heavenly Garuda Empire, spending ten years grinding away at negotiations wouldn't be surprising.

If we assume the fastest possible timeline and Ares gets pregnant this time, then the two countries will already have begun making contact before the eggs are even laid, and they'll have preliminary negotiation results before the eggs hatch.

So this contract really isn't that important. It's entirely there to placate Carl right now and get Ares through his mating season. There's no need to take it too seriously.]

[You've got more words, so I'm siding with you.]

[Wait, what? Everyone's just calmly accepting something as science-fictional as establishing diplomatic relations now?]

[It's a novel anyway.]

[That makes sense, but I don't want to discuss depressing stuff. Pass.]

[Whatever. Is anyone going to H19 Transit Station?]

[Hahaha, going there to ambush Lord Carl?]

[I'm going to visit the tavern Lord Carl went to! Gotta check in and commemorate the occasion!]

[I happened to be nearby. The moment An-shen's new chapter came out, I went around every tavern in the transit station. No idea which one Lord Carl and Ares met in.]

[Hahaha, I found two drunk aliens in one tavern—a mutated plant alien and a deep-sea alien with an octopus head. (image) What do you think? Don't they look exactly like the ones in An-shen's book?]

[They actually do! What a coincidence. It's like accidentally wandering into the novel.]

[Quick, look for a male Lord in a hood and black robe, and a Heavenly Garuda female coming over to flirt with him!]

[Didn't find those.]

[Lord Carl and Ares went to a hotel after meeting, so you should be searching the hotels.]

[True, true, but every hotel nearby is fully booked. Holy shit! How many of you came here?! The entire transit station is jammed with aircraft!]

[This is just like the ocean planet where Axel and Enzo had their date turning into a popular tourist destination. Never thought our shabby little H19 Transit Station would get swept up in the craze too.]

[An-shen's influence is unrivaled!]

[Stop coming. Seriously, stop. This tiny rundown transit station can't handle this much Zerg traffic. Anyone who didn't know better would think the Zerg Federation had invaded. You've scared the alien mercenaries half to death, and the star pirates literally packed up their aircraft and fled overnight.]

[I'm dying. If Lord Carl and the Heavenly Garuda Emperor really were at this transit station, they'd be trapped here too because so many Zerg aircraft are blocking everything.]

[Then do it in the hotel! Keep going until they can't tell day from night!]

[Speaking of which, the soundproofing in this crappy hotel is terrible. A high-ranking female checked into the room next to mine and has been rocking the bed nonstop. Those pheromones feel like they're strangling me. It's fucking lethal. I checked out and ran for my life in the middle of the night.]

[Don't run! Rooms are impossible to find right now. If you leave, you'll have to sleep on the street.]

[You don't understand. Those pheromones smell like a battlefield. I'd rather sleep outside.]

[What does a battlefield smell like? Don't tell me you actually ran into Ares? Aren't you going to knock on the door?]

[I value my life, thanks. A novel is a novel. If I knock on that door in reality, some high-ranking female is going to beat me to death.]

...

"It's so noisy outside."

The male Zerg rolled over and buried his face against the female's chest.

"Let's sleep a little longer."

The female covered his ears for him and activated military-grade soundproofing equipment.

Both of them were deliberately restraining their pheromones. The pheromones lingered only around their bodies, with the vast majority trapped inside the room and only a small amount leaking outside.

As a result, the pheromone concentration inside the room was exceptionally high.

The body that had been deprived of male Zerg pheromones was being saturated from every direction. Even the egg sac felt completely satisfied and extremely comfortable.

In the room next door.

New guests checked in.

"I can't believe we actually managed to pick up a vacant room. That wasn't easy."

The disguised male Zerg removed his hat, revealing silver-gray hair and amber eyes.

"So many Zergs suddenly showed up that I thought my whereabouts had been exposed and they'd all come to arrest us."

The male Zerg sighed.

The female Zerg beside him cautiously surveyed the room, inspecting every corner. Only after confirming there was nothing wrong did he nod to the male Zerg and say:

"They aren't here for us. They're here because of that Lord's new novel."

"Another one. Such creative drive. Enough to make a wolf jealous."

The male Zerg sighed again.

Avis looked at him with a complicated expression and reminded him, "You're a male Zerg."

"Oh, right. Forgive me. I've never lived among the Zergs, so I keep forgetting I'm a Zerg."

Ul walked over to the bed and casually lay down.

Only to be scooped right back up.

After spending so many years as a star pirate, Avis could adapt to practically any environment, but taking care of a male Zerg still required more refinement.

A female Zerg had slept in this bed before.

It wasn't clean.

He wanted to put the male Zerg on the sofa, but the sofa probably wasn't much cleaner.

Holding the male Zerg with one arm, Avis used his other hand to take fresh bedding from his spatial button and replace everything.

Ul hung off him with a smile, secretly kissed his jaw, then watched as Avis nearly lost control of his expression before forcing himself to endure it and giving Ul a disapproving look.

Ul had managed to keep having angry sex with that cold-faced Avis for so long. Why would he care about a harmless glare?

Instead, the look only made him itch inside. He kept smiling, kissing and touching Avis as he deliberately caused trouble.

"Male Lord." Avis helplessly put the male Zerg onto the bed. "We still have to travel tomorrow morning. You need to rest."

"All right."

They'd traveled by starship and aircraft all the way here, so Ul really was tired. He simply couldn't resist teasing Avis whenever he saw that cold expression.

Lying in Avis's arms, Ul yawned and whispered:

"There's someone important next door."

After thinking about it, he added, "Or maybe a Heavenly Garuda?"

He couldn't distinguish between Zergs and Heavenly Garuda.

If they relied solely on their auras, other Zergs wouldn't be able to distinguish them either.

Avis had sensed something as well. He raised a hand to tuck the blanket around the male Zerg and said:

"Whoever it is, they aren't here for us, and they don't have time to bother with us. Sleep."

No female Zerg who had specifically gone out on official business would bring a male Zerg along.

This situation looked much more like a secret rendezvous.

"Mm."

Ul answered and fell peacefully asleep in Avis's arms.

The transit station remained congested for three days because too many Zergs had flooded in.

They failed to leave on the second day and only managed to depart with the crowd on the third.

Even when they checked out, the Zergs in the room next door still hadn't left.

"What incredible stamina," Ul remarked.

Avis immediately wondered whether Ul was implying that he wasn't enthusiastic enough.

Did Ul prefer the type who took the initiative and pinned a male Zerg down to do it?

That style was far too Heavenly Garuda-like.

Then again, after spending so long as a star pirate, Avis wasn't particularly bound by rules anymore.

If that was what Ul liked, he could try it too.

...

[Ares's mating season didn't end until an entire week had passed.

Carl nearly swelled up from soaking in his pheromones.

"How is that my fault?"

Hearing the male Zerg muttering under his breath, Ares turned around and glanced beneath the hem of his clothes.

"Let me see. Is it swollen?"

An infuriated Carl hurled a pillow at him.

The lightweight pillow was easily intercepted.

Ares held the pillow in his arms, feeling strangely melancholy for a moment, reluctant to part from him.

He really wanted to abduct the male Zerg back to the Heavenly Garuda Empire.

"What evil scheme are you thinking up now?"

Carl watched him warily.

He knew perfectly well that plundering was ingrained in this Heavenly Garuda's very bones.

During this week of mating season, Carl had nearly had his waist and hips broken from Ares riding him.

Those few times on the desolate planet, Ares had still been conscious and deliberately restrained himself. Even when they fought, Ares had always made sure not to hurt him.

But throughout the mating season, the Heavenly Garuda had been overwhelmed by his pheromones and possessed far less rationality.

When he restrained Carl, he truly restrained him.

Carl couldn't overturn him at all.

"Nothing."

Ares put away his thoughts and straightened the male Zerg's collar for him.

"I'll take you back, and then... we'll meet again next month."

Carl: "?"

When had he ever agreed to meet Ares again next month?

As though seeing his confusion, Ares explained:

"Eggs need their male parent's pheromones. They have to receive pheromones at least once a month. That's the bare minimum."

"What eggs?"

Carl suspiciously looked at his stomach, convinced he was talking nonsense.

"There might be eggs."

Ares said, "At least one dose of pheromones a month can't be skipped. That's the minimum. And after the eggs are laid, you'll also be responsible for incubating them."

Carl: "???"

Why did he feel like he'd been tricked?

"We'll talk about it if you actually get pregnant," Carl muttered quietly.

Although he'd been extremely worried about Ares becoming pregnant and had forced the Heavenly Garuda Emperor to make all sorts of promises, if he was being truthful, the probability was so tiny that the chances of it happening after a single time were negligible.

If there really were eggs, then of course he'd provide the necessary pheromones.

As for incubating them...

Wouldn't that be the perfect opportunity to grab the eggs and run?

Well, it wouldn't exactly be grabbing the eggs and running.

Ares had promised to give them to him.

Carl would take the eggs back to the Zerg Federation and be responsible for incubating and raising them.

Carl put his cloak back on and pulled up his hood. Ares also put on his disguise device before escorting him to the aircraft.

"Then... goodbye."

Now that they were actually parting, even Carl felt reluctant to leave.

"This place is too close to the Zerg Federation. It's too... dangerous. Don't come here again."

Carl's expression was complicated.

Ares didn't care about such a minor risk.

He was SS-rank. Unless Ulysses personally came after him, it wouldn't matter how many other Zergs showed up.

They would be the ones in danger.

Not him.

But he didn't reject the male Zerg's concern and merely said:

"Next time, I'll arrange somewhere better."

"There won't be a next time," Carl said flatly.

The female's mating season was already over. As long as he controlled himself properly, he could go a hundred years without another problem.

As for what happened a hundred years from now...

That wasn't something Carl needed to worry about.

He certainly didn't believe that a hundred years from now, the Heavenly Garuda Emperor would still need to seek out a single male Zerg like him to solve his physiological needs.

Ares thought differently.

"As long as there are eggs, there'll be a next time."

Carl had no idea where his confidence came from.

Before they'd done it, Carl had been the one worrying about pregnancy and all the possible what-ifs, while the Heavenly Garuda Emperor had insisted it was such an unlikely event that it basically couldn't happen.

Now that they'd done it, Carl was the one who thought the odds were negligible, while the Heavenly Garuda Emperor was brimming with confidence.

Could it be...

Could a female somehow sense something?

Carl hesitantly looked at Ares's stomach, wavering slightly himself.

In the end, he merely said:

"Good luck."

"Good luck to us."

Ares stared at him and spoke firmly.

Carl wanted to sever the connection between them.

Ares was determined to drag him right back into it.

Carl wasn't sure whether this could really be considered good luck for him—or for any potential hatchlings—but he still gave a muffled acknowledgment.

...

When Carl returned home, he had intended to sneak upstairs unnoticed, only to discover his male parent sitting in the living room waiting for him.

He hurriedly straightened his clothes and composed his expression, putting on a smile. Pretending he'd merely returned from an ordinary outing, he walked over with light, cheerful steps.

He greeted his male parent and immediately tried to head upstairs.

But Joshua stopped him.

"You went out to see a doctor... and the appointment lasted an entire week?"

Joshua asked.

"Cough. Yeah. I've been completely cured now. An amazing doctor!"

Carl spun around in front of him, looking bright and cheerful.

Joshua studied him.

Seeing how well Carl looked—and how unmistakably he resembled someone deeply in love—Joshua helplessly sighed.

"Indeed."

Completely fallen.

Carl moved closer and sat beside him.

"Male Parent, I want to work in the Ninth Military Region."

Joshua sucked in a sharp breath and nearly blacked out.

Every family had its own troubles.

Apparently, even his family, which had practically transitioned into specializing in hatchling education, was no exception.

He had encouraged male Zergs to pursue the stars and the vast universe.

His own hatchling had taken that literally, physically gone out to pursue the stars and the vast universe, and nearly died on a desolate planet.

And now Carl was telling him he wanted to go to the Ninth Military Region.

"As a military male?"

Joshua asked, supporting his head with one hand.

"Ah, no. I want to be a military doctor. A physician."

Carl knew how to pilot mechs as well and was especially skilled with mechs controlled through psychic interfacing.

But he wasn't ruthless enough.

He had no will to fight and no interest whatsoever in going to the battlefield. Nor did he want to spend his entire life training for it while knowing perfectly well that military males weren't allowed onto the battlefield anyway.

Joshua was actually surprised by his decision.

"A military doctor? Are you sure? Are you doing this to pursue love, or because it's something you genuinely want?"

Carl's face instantly reddened.

He'd known he couldn't hide it from his male parent, but he hadn't expected Joshua to call him out so directly.

"Ah, no. Well, not exactly. Maybe... a little of both."

Carl carefully examined his own thoughts.

"The military is always short of physicians capable of Psychic Soothing. I'm very good at it. I can perform soothing without any physical contact. Even on an SS-rank... um, I can do it."

"And..."

"If one day he goes to war against the Zerg Federation, I'll be on the front line."

...]