Chapter 340: Pray to An-shen: Other gods might not be useful, but this one should have a special advantage against Marshal Ulysses, right?

Ares really didn’t look like he intended to take the egg away.

Eugene looked him up and down. In the end, after setting the spaceship to autopilot, he sat down with Ares so they could have a calm conversation.

Ares sat down on the sofa opposite him and casually undid two buttons of his uniform, as though he felt unbearably stuffy.

As he did so, his brows knitted for an instant and the corners of his lips tightened slightly, as though he wasn’t feeling well.

Ares had only just finished laying the eggs. His body was still very sensitive, and on top of that, lactation had begun early. Sometimes the swelling became severe and needed relief. Usually Eugene would help him, but now Ares only gave him a faint glance without saying anything. He neither asked Eugene for help nor intended to bring the matter up.

Eugene understood why Ares was acting this way.

Inside the Tianjia Imperial Palace, they were intimate partners who could lean against each other, make demands of each other, and care for one another.

But now, at this moment when they were about to separate, each of them represented his own position—the opposing Tianjia Empire and Zerg Federation.

Ares would not show weakness to him.

Before this, Eugene had thought Ares was capable of anything.

He was a powerful Tianjia female who would never be restrained by emotions. Even blood ties and familial affection didn’t seem particularly important to him. A lifelong pursuit of power and accomplishment was what mattered most to a Tianjia female.

But looking at Ares now, Eugene suddenly felt that his judgment might have been too one-sided.

He had imagined Ares as too powerful.

Too cold and unfeeling.

Only now did Eugene remember that Ares was still a female who had just given birth, a new female parent who had only just become a parent and was already being forced to separate from his hatchling.

For any female who had given birth, that would be a devastating blow.

It could even be called cruel.

But Eugene had no choice either...

The matter involved their hatchlings and was tangled up with the relationship between the Zerg Federation and Tianjia Empire.

He didn’t know what he was supposed to do.

When Ares looked at him again, Eugene finally placed the egg into his arms, allowing him to hold it a little longer.

If they were truly going to separate afterward, this might be the last chance the father and child had to spend time together.

Eugene couldn’t bear to deprive them of it.

Ares was actually surprised when Eugene voluntarily handed him the egg and couldn’t help raising an eyebrow.

Just moments ago, the Male Zerg had been clutching the egg tightly, looking as though he was terrified Ares would steal it away.

And now...?

Although he didn’t understand, Ares still naturally took the egg into his arms and settled it between his thighs and lower abdomen.

After carrying it for six months and holding it for another month, he was extremely familiar with this egg, and his movements were natural and practiced.

Even though he was holding the egg, his eyes remained fixed on the Male Zerg, staring directly at him.

Before Eugene could say anything, Ares suddenly felt the finger resting against the shell get lightly hooked by a thread of Psychic Power.

That Psychic Power was immature and weak, carrying a faint sense of anxiety.

Ares was slightly surprised and looked down at the egg in his arms.

...

Hatchlings already possessed a certain degree of self-awareness while still inside their eggs.

This was particularly obvious in male eggs.

High-ranking male eggs could even extend traces of Psychic Power to sense the world outside and transmit their own emotions.

Right now, the male egg was extremely anxious and worried.

Hatchlings possessed inherited memories.

The twin eggs had known very early on that their bloodlines came respectively from the Zerg Federation and Tianjia Empire.

They were mixed-blood eggs born from two hostile species.

With an identity like that, their future circumstances would be difficult.

But both their female parent and male parent loved them dearly and had taken excellent care of them, never allowing any danger to approach.

Their inherited memories told them that mixed-blood hatchlings would face difficult circumstances, but exactly what kind of “difficulty” that meant was still far too complicated for two little hatchlings who hadn’t even broken out of their shells.

They couldn’t understand it.

His twin brother rarely thought about these things.

Every day, after receiving Psychic Soothing from their male parent, he slept peacefully. Occasionally, when the two eggs were alone, he would even bump his shell against his brother’s and invite him to play.

The male egg was more sensitive and thought about things more often.

But ultimately, these weren’t problems an unhatched little hatchling could solve.

His Psychic Power also wasn’t strong enough to sustain prolonged thought.

Whenever he thought too much, he would eventually fall asleep, and when he woke again, he would have forgotten what he had been thinking about before.

Today, when his male parent took him out of the incubator, he had woken up.

At first, he thought his male parent was going to give him comfortable Psychic Soothing like usual.

Instead, his male parent stuffed him under his clothes and carried him away from home.

When he realized his male parent was trying to “steal” him away, he had been truly startled.

His feelings became extraordinarily complicated.

He didn’t want to leave his female parent or his twin brother, but at the same time, he worried that if his male parent’s actions were discovered, his female parent would catch him and punish him.

He knew the relationship between his male parent and female parent was different from the husband-and-wife relationships described in his inherited memories.

It didn’t resemble either the Zerg Federation’s customs or Tianjia’s.

But he also knew that they were currently in Tianjia.

All the attendants who took care of them at home were Tianjia, and his female parent was Tianjia too.

If his male parent tried to escape and was caught, his female parent would definitely be furious and wouldn’t let him off easily.

Tianjia females were allowed to punish their own males.

As long as they didn’t go too far, no Tianjia authorities would interfere.

And his female parent had an extremely high status.

Even if he went a little too far, no Tianjia would dare interfere.

The little male egg had spent the entire journey frightened and anxious, quietly hiding inside his male parent’s clothes and not daring to cause him any trouble.

There had even been a few moments when he wanted to persuade his male parent to go back.

Perhaps his female parent hadn’t noticed yet.

Perhaps there was still time to return.

But his male parent was a Zerg Male Zerg.

He didn’t know how his male parent had come to Tianjia, nor did he know how he had ended up together with his female parent.

But as a Male Zerg, his male parent definitely wasn’t accustomed to life in Tianjia.

The hatchling couldn’t stop his male parent from returning to his homeland.

When his male parent boarded the spaceship, the little egg had almost believed he was going to succeed.

He could finally focus on sadly missing the brother and female parent he might never see again.

Then, while he was still melancholy, the little male egg discovered that his female parent had appeared on the spaceship!

His female parent had followed them!

Was his female parent going to catch both him and his male parent and bring them back?

Was his female parent angry?

Would his female parent punish his male parent?

The little male egg was terribly worried, so anxious he practically spun in circles inside his shell.

...

Females were usually poor at distinguishing the precise meanings contained within a male hatchling’s Psychic Power, but Ares could sense the hatchling’s anxiety and worry.

He stroked the egg and said softly, “Matters between adult Tianjia... and adult Zergs should be left to adult Tianjia and adult Zergs. Little hatchlings don’t need to worry about them.”

Ares’s voice was steady and firm, carrying a comforting strength.

After being coaxed by him like this, the little male egg actually did calm down.

Eugene watched him with complicated emotions in his eyes.

Ares was a good female parent.

If not for the enormous differences in values between the populations of their two species, Eugene might have been willing to let Ares raise the hatchlings.

He would even have been able to trust Ares to take care of them.

No.

If things truly were like that, perhaps they wouldn’t even have needed to separate.

But right now, that wasn’t possible.

Even if he trusted Ares to treat the hatchlings well and believed he could take good care of them, Eugene couldn’t trust Tianjia society as a whole.

Even as the Tianjia Emperor, Ares couldn’t forcibly change the beliefs of every Tianjia.

There would inevitably be moments when even he wanted to help but lacked the power to do so.

Eugene didn’t want his hatchlings growing up in an environment like that.

He couldn’t bear to imagine them becoming more and more depressed with each passing day, the light in their eyes gradually dimming while they still forced themselves to smile...

He didn’t dare gamble with their hatchlings’ lives.

“I’m taking him to the Zerg Federation,” Eugene emphasized, as though reinforcing his own resolve.

“I know.”

Ares didn’t object.

That surprised Eugene.

With Ares’s personality, if he wasn’t explicitly opposing it, that basically meant...

Eugene still found it unbelievable.

Ares didn’t seem like the kind of Tianjia who would willingly send his hatchling away.

Especially not to the Zerg Federation.

Doing something that was essentially handing a powerful future asset over to a rival was nothing like something Ares would ordinarily do.

Even though Tianjia and the Zerg Federation had already begun attempting contact, they were still nowhere near the point of friendly relations.

Their two peoples had accumulated grudges over a very long time.

Breaking the ice wouldn’t be easy.

There was still an extremely long road ahead of them.

Negotiations could even collapse at any moment.

If they truly did collapse, then perhaps one day father and son would turn against each other and meet on the battlefield.

Eugene stared deeply at Ares.

Of course he didn’t want that day to come.

If they truly had to meet blade against blade, then Eugene and Ares would encounter each other first.

That thought was far too heavy.

Ares, however, wasn’t as pessimistic as Eugene.

He was the Tianjia Emperor.

He knew what he was doing.

He would do everything in his power to push matters forward until his goal was achieved.

Until the future he wanted finally arrived.

He had the ability to do it.

And he was willing to do it.

But there was one more important matter right now.

He needed confirmation from the Male Zerg.

“You can take the male egg with you, but...”

Ares looked at Eugene.

Under Eugene’s vigilant gaze, he slowly continued,

“I know Zerg hatchlings are usually cared for by female Zergs. My Carl... you’re not going to go back and immediately marry some female Zerg just so he can raise my hatchling for me, are you?”

If something like that really happened, Ares would be so furious he could vomit blood.

No matter what it took, he would drag the Male Zerg back.

As he spoke, a dark crimson light flickered in Ares’s eyes, and his expression became somewhat savage and bloodthirsty.

For once, he openly revealed the tyrannical, insane side of a Tianjia female in front of Eugene.

It carried a female’s extreme possessiveness toward his male, the kind that would rather shatter everything than yield.

Eugene froze.

He had never seen Ares make an expression like that.

Ares had never questioned him like this either.

Nor had Eugene ever even considered this issue before.

He couldn’t marry a female Zerg...

Thinking back on Ares’s words, Eugene was so angry he nearly laughed.

That was it?

Forget the fact that he had never once considered marrying another female Zerg.

What made Ares think Eugene would even look at another female after already having him?!

Was Ares judging him by his own standards?

Or did he really have so little faith in their...

Eugene’s rising fury abruptly stopped.

He had been about to ask whether Ares didn’t trust their feelings.

Then he suddenly remembered that they had never exchanged any grand vows of eternal love.

Their identities didn’t allow them to do that.

Faced with a relationship like theirs, neither of them could be certain they would be able to walk together until the very end.

Eugene’s expression grew heavier as well.

He pressed his lips together and said, “I’m not marrying another female Zerg. If I married someone just because I needed a Zerg to take care of the hatchling, that would be irresponsible to them too. Besides, I can take care of the hatchling myself! I don’t need another Zerg!”

Ares studied his expression.

“If you’re unwilling, you don’t need to force yourself to make promises.”

Eugene: “?!!”

Who was unwilling?!

Furious, Eugene stood up, grabbed Ares by the collar, bent down, and kissed him.

There was something almost resentfully vindictive about it, his movements nearly turning into bites.

Ares was only briefly surprised before accepting it readily.

He pulled the Male Zerg onto his lap, using one hand to protect the hatchling egg between his waist and abdomen while wrapping the other arm around Eugene and deepening the kiss.

The Male Zerg’s movements were fierce, almost biting, carrying his irritable temper.

A personality like this didn’t fit Tianjia standards of beauty for males at all.

But Ares thought Eugene was perfect.

He liked his fiery, uninhibited nature.

He even liked the fact that Eugene was a Zerg Male Zerg.

Even though that very identity meant an endless gulf and countless chasms would always lie between them.

Only after a long time, when their lips and tongues finally separated, did Ares slightly calm the emotions boiling inside him.

His crimson eyes stared directly at the Male Zerg, dark and lingering with affection.

In a hoarse voice, he said,

“Put the egg in the incubator first.”

Eggs could hatch normally at room temperature.

Putting one into an incubator did provide the hatchling with a more comfortable and stable environment, but there was another reason as well—

so it wouldn’t interfere with what adult Zergs or Tianjia might do together.

Eugene’s face flushed slightly.

He hadn’t actually been planning to do anything with Ares.

Still, he nodded in agreement.

A little hatchling shouldn’t be present during adult matters.

After putting the thoroughly confused egg into the incubator, Ares continued keeping Eugene seated on his lap, holding him in that intimate position so he couldn’t run away.

He continued asking,

“You really won’t marry a female Zerg?”

“Heh.”

Eugene snorted coldly and countered, “And what about you, Your Majesty the Emperor? You’re not going to take advantage of my absence to marry one Empress, two consorts, and twelve attendants, are you?”

It was rare for Ares to hear anyone make a respectful form of address sound so thoroughly sarcastic.

But that was indeed Eugene’s style.

Rather than feeling offended, he looked at the possessive Male Zerg with considerable interest.

After a moment, he said,

“Every piece of land and every palace in my entire harem belongs to you.”

He paused, then added,

“My sleeping palace belongs to you too.”

Eugene thought disdainfully that it wasn’t as though he wanted any of it.

But at the same time, he was extremely satisfied with Ares’s promise.

He had no interest in entering Ares’s harem.

No Male Zerg would willingly place himself beneath another.

And the other party was even a Tianjia—

If Ares had been a female Zerg, Eugene might genuinely have lost his head over love and married into his household.

But Tianjia was impossible.

This was a matter of beliefs and political positions.

Eugene would not enter Ares’s harem.

But Ares’s harem couldn’t contain any other males either.

That was Eugene’s bottom line.

Male Zergs possessed extremely strong possessiveness toward their own females.

Eugene was the same toward Ares.

He wouldn’t allow Ares to marry anyone else.

Nor would he allow him to fall in love with anyone else.

Otherwise, Eugene’s heart would break.

And he would go insane too.

One Zerg and one Tianjia leaned against each other, as though borrowing warmth from one another, just like they had once done inside that cave.

In the end, they didn’t do that kind of thing after all.

Somehow, a simple embrace seemed to reassure them more than the closest physical entanglement ever could.

Ares stroked Eugene’s hair and said, “Ulysses is in the Ninth Military Region. I can only escort you as far as the edge of Zerg space.”

A national leader entering another nation’s territory without permission could be regarded as a provocation or even a declaration of war.

Especially when the two species already had a long history of hostility.

If Ulysses hadn’t been there, Ares could have concealed his presence, slipped inside, and escorted Eugene farther.

But right now, that was impossible.

If he didn’t want to make the already tense situation between the two sides even worse while they were cautiously testing the waters of contact, then he could only stop outside Zerg space.

Eugene abruptly sat upright.

Marshal Ulysses was in the Ninth Military Region?!

The top leader had come for an inspection!!?

No military Zerg could hear news like that without becoming nervous.

Especially when Eugene was currently planning to smuggle a mixed-blood egg laid by the Tianjia Emperor into the Federation. ℯℯ𝑙.

With a guilty conscience, his psychological pressure instantly shot through the roof.

Please don’t let anything unexpected happen.

Eugene prayed silently.

The Zergs didn’t believe in gods.

No matter how he searched his mind, he couldn’t find any deity he could properly pray to or make a wish to.

In the end, he simply prayed to An-shen.

Other gods might not be useful, but this one...

Surely he had a special advantage against Marshal Ulysses, right?