Chapter 68: Listening to the Sound of Someone’s Mental Defenses Shattering: Ulysses Applies to Visit Him at the Frequency of Three Meals a Day...

The entire prison knew that I received the Marshal last night...

And even lost my bed in the process...

An Ruo didn't dare meet Uriel's worried gaze.

Whenever the other military female guards looked at him, he couldn't help feeling there was something unusual in their eyes.

Even though he knew it was most likely just his own imagination running wild, he couldn't stop himself from overthinking.

After struggling through today's Psychic Soothing sessions, An Ruo hurried back to his cell.

The moment the door shut behind him, he let out a long sigh of relief.

Out of habit, he opened his terminal and logged onto StarNet.

The first thing on the front page was news of the victorious expedition returning.

In the news footage, the Marshal walked at the very front.

His eyes were bright and razor-sharp.

His overwhelming presence made it seem as though he embodied victory itself.

It was enough to inspire confidence throughout the Federation.

This guy...

He'd already torn open space and rushed back yesterday.

And today he was still going through the ceremony as though nothing had happened.

The report placed particular emphasis on the Marshal's excellent mental condition.

At the same time, it casually compared him with the Garuda commanders, who were either dead or had succumbed to psychic collapse.

An Ruo finally understood.

Yesterday, Ulysses had come to him for a "conditioning treatment" and "beauty maintenance."

All so he'd look perfect on camera today.

Still...

The photos really were stunning.

His presence was unbelievably powerful.

Looking at him made bugs believe he could sweep aside every obstacle.

That he was invincible.

It also made them willing to trust him, follow him, and believe he could lead them toward a better future.

He was the type who could instantly convert even the most stubborn anti-fan into a devoted admirer.

An Ruo quietly saved several screenshots.

He even downloaded the video.

Besides Ulysses, there were two other bugs who particularly caught his attention.

One was the black-haired, black-eyed officer walking only a single step behind the Marshal.

€€€€General Cyril of the Third Legion.

The other was the young officer with golden eyes standing slightly behind Cyril.

€€€€Major General Iso, Commander of the Shadow Forces.

Iso...

Black hair.

Golden eyes.

He looked exactly like he did in the photographs Isidore had sent him.

Only now, dressed in military uniform, he appeared far colder and sharper.

Another character had stepped out of his novel and into reality.

An Ruo's feelings were complicated.

He cropped out separate photos of Iso and Cyril.

Then projected them onto the wall alongside the others.

In an instant, the cold metallic-white wall became much livelier.

Xi'an and Claire.

Hill, Iso, and Isidore—the family of three.

And then...

Cyril and Iso.

Father-in-law and son-in-law?

The Zerg only really acknowledged immediate family.

Relationships outside the household registration weren't something An Ruo knew how to describe.

If Cyril ever saw his photo displayed beside Iso's...

He'd definitely explode.

An Ruo secretly shrank that photo down a little and tucked it into one corner.

After all, there was already an Iso in the large family portrait.

Having two of him felt a bit repetitive.

Then there was Ulysses...

An Ruo hesitated for a long time.

In the end, he still didn't project his photo onto the wall.

Even though he genuinely liked that picture.

It was attractive enough to serve as promotional material for his Psychic Soothing sessions.

Around lunchtime, he received another visitation request from Ulysses.

An Ruo casually rejected it.

That was one of the reasons he hadn't displayed Ulysses' picture.

If the real person barged into his bedroom one day and saw it...

That would be unbearably awkward.

After all...

This particular individual already had a history of entering without warning.

...

Meanwhile, StarNet was in an uproar.

Everyone was discussing the expedition's achievements, the Marshal's growing reputation, and the outstanding officers who had distinguished themselves.

Among them, the most talked-about figure was undoubtedly the female Zerg who shared the same name as the protagonist of the recently explosive novel—

Major General Iso.

[The Shadow Forces Major General... Iso?]

[Just the same name?]

[And he just happens to have black hair and golden eyes too?]

[Someone dug up his records. This Major General's information is buried ridiculously deep. Very little has been made public. What we do know is: born in the Underground District, graduated from the Federal First Military Academy, Male Lord Hill, one son—Isidore.]

[Wait... so this Major General is that One-Star-Coin Iso?! (Horrified)]

[Are we really never letting the one-star-coin thing go? (Deadpan)]

[We'll never let it go! (Angry) He actually only gave Lord Hill one star coin!]

Some bugs tried explaining that Iso hadn't actually given Hill only one star coin.

But by then, the truth no longer mattered.

Netizens had already decided that "one star coin" would forever be Iso's nickname.

[Wasn't An-shen writing science fiction? Then why does Iso exist? I could barely understand Claire's story—Lord Xi'an read the novel and decided to marry Claire—but what about Iso and Lord Hill?]

[I refuse to believe someone like Lord Hill could exist in reality. Such a perfect Male Lord... such a perfect father... he's every female Zerg's dream.]

[The most unrealistic part is Isidore, isn't it? There's actually a hatchling with that name in real life. "God's Gift." Just hearing the name tells you how deeply his parents love him.]

The internet was still debating whether any of this was real.

They would rather believe every one of those bugs was fake...

Than accept that the novel itself might be true.

Then an insider appeared.

[What? You guys didn't know? This book was actually commissioned by General Cyril's Male Lord, who hired An-shen to write it for his son.]

Everyone online: ???

Philor: ???

An Ruo: ???

€€€€Since when?!

The supposed insider sounded completely convincing.

He claimed to have attended one of Philor's reading clubs.

For those unfamiliar—

Philor was Lord Hill's male parent.

And also the Male Lord of General Cyril of the Third Legion.

[Huh? Wait? They never mentioned a commissioned novel at the reading club.]

Philor himself was the most bewildered person present.

[Of course they did. You just weren't listening carefully. Lord Philor even hinted at it.]

Philor: Huh?

Rumors always spread much faster than clarifications.

Before long, StarNet was flooded with posts claiming that School Heartthrob had been a commissioned novel written by An-shen.

And that rumor conveniently "proved" the story of Lord Hill and Iso.

School Heartthrob wasn't science fiction at all.

It was a commissioned memoir!

An Ruo: "..."

I'm tired.

Let the world end.

Just remember to @Hill and @Iso about paying the commission fee.

Of course, not everyone accepted the explanation.

First...

Lord Hill was simply too perfect.

So perfect that he didn't seem like someone who could actually exist.

Second...

The novel was obviously full of science-fiction elements.

Otherwise, how was Isidore's time travel supposed to be explained?

[The characters are probably too perfect because they gave An-shen specific requirements when commissioning the story. Everyone has multiple sides. I can accept that Lord Hill isn't quite as perfect as he is in the novel.]

[No! I can't accept that! My Father Hill is the very best! If he's different from the novel, my heart will break.]

[He can't be that different. Just look at the name "Isidore." It's a combination of Iso and Hill, and it means God's Gift. That name is overflowing with love.]

[So Iso is real too? The poor kid from the Underground District really became the Female Lord of a General's son?]

[And in only twenty years he reached the rank of Major General and became Commander of the Shadow Forces. Nobody has ever been promoted that quickly.]

[So this means... in the novel you can call me One-Star-Coin, but in reality you'd better address me properly as Major General Iso.]

[Exactly. He's S-rank! A genuine S-rank!]

This wasn't the kind of S-rank that appeared everywhere in novels.

This was a real-world S-rank.

The value was on an entirely different level.

Across the whole Zerg civilization, there were fewer S-ranks than could be counted on one hand.

And Iso was one of them.

The youngest of them all.

The male Zerg readers, meanwhile, were focused on something else.

[Seriously... with Iso's face, that body, and that aura, I'm not surprised at all that he married a General's son. (News Screenshot) (Image) (Image) (Image)]

[He's so handsome I can't even think straight. The higher the rank, the better-looking they are. That's a huge advantage when courting.]

Iso—

A man who conquered female Zergs with strength...

And male Zergs with his appearance.

At that point, his humble origins seemed completely irrelevant.

[Maybe General Cyril deliberately used his son as an investment.]

Someone speculated.

Those who knew a little of the truth immediately replied:

[If General Cyril heard you say that, he'd probably cough up blood.]

[Cyril: Added to the assassination list.]

[Anyone making that guess has clearly never met Lord Hill in person.]

[?! You've actually met him?]

[I was lucky enough to see him from a distance while helping set up an exhibition at a museum. Absolutely breathtaking. His aura was so distant that I didn't dare approach him.]

[Why would Lord Hill be at a museum during an exhibition?]

People became curious.

Soon someone remembered the novel mentioning psychic artwork donated to museums.

Following that lead...

They actually found a painting suspected to belong to Lord Hill.

[This nebula painting, signed "XR"... could that actually be Lord Hill?]

[It's gorgeous. Exactly how I imagined Lord Hill's art would look. Lord Hill really is the greatest.]

[Stop praising a picture on your screen. You can't appreciate even one ten-thousandth of it online. You have to experience it in person. It feels like your soul is being cleansed.]

[Seriously. I visited once and my mental index jumped from 71 straight to 80.]

[??? It really works like that? I thought psychic paintings were just another science-fiction setting.]

[Surprised? An-shen's novel is actually a documentary.]

The female Zerg readers were completely stunned.

The novel had treated psychic painting so casually that hardly anyone had paid attention.

Even those who had only assumed some male Zerg readers might try learning the technique themselves.

Almost no one had realized what psychic paintings were truly capable of.

Until now.

Lord Hill's museum artwork had finally been discovered.

One female Zerg after another came forward to testify after experiencing it firsthand.

Only then did readers suddenly realize—

€€€€My god!

Those paintings had effects comparable to a male Zerg's Psychic Soothing.

€€€€And they were created by an A-rank male Zerg!

€€€€By Lord Hill himself!!!

Even if paintings couldn't possibly match the effectiveness of genuine Psychic Soothing.

Medicine with weaker effects was still medicine.

Not to mention that the price and accessibility weren't remotely comparable.

Besides...

They were Lord Hill's paintings.

His psychic power.

Every museum housing Lord Hill's artwork instantly became fully booked.

Tickets were sold out more than a month in advance.

Even the museum staff were utterly bewildered.

Female Zergs generally had little interest in the arts.

Especially museums like these.

Previously, most visitors had been sub-females or male Zergs.

Even the female Zerg visitors usually came only to accompany a male Zerg.

Now...

Virtually overnight...

Every ticket had sold out.

And over ninety percent of buyers were female Zergs.

No one understood what was happening.

Had the Federation's female Zerg population suddenly become passionate about fine art?

...

Meanwhile...

As An Ruo browsed StarNet while waiting for dinner...

He received yet another visitation request from the Marshal.

An Ruo: "?"

What was wrong with him?

This was already the third request today.

Was he applying at the frequency of breakfast, lunch, and dinner?

Thinking this couldn't continue forever, An Ruo finally lifted a hand...

And approved the request.

Afterward, he sat quietly in his room for a long while.

His gaze slowly drifted toward the brand-new bed beside him that still hadn't been used.

If Ulysses was following the official visitation procedure...

That meant he wasn't planning to do anything to him.

It should be alright...

Right?

With lingering anxiety, An Ruo finished dinner.

The little robot bug had only just cleared away the tray when another figure appeared outside his door.

The Marshal of the military.

As always...

Dressed in uniform.

An Ruo seriously suspected his wardrobe was filled entirely with different styles of military uniforms, selected according to the occasion.

Standing outside the transparent cell door, the black-haired, silver-eyed female Zerg asked politely,

"Hello. I submitted a visitation request for this evening. May I come in?"

Almost instinctively, An Ruo nodded.

The cell door slid open automatically.

The female Zerg stepped inside.

Only then did An Ruo suddenly remember—

Shouldn't the visitor have met him in the visitation area unless he specifically chose his room?

So why had Ulysses come to his room again?

Ulysses' silver eyes slowly swept across the wall behind the desk.

Compared to yesterday, almost nothing in the room had changed.

Even the bed was identical.

Which made the holographic projections covering the wall especially eye-catching.

Xi'an.

Claire.

Hill.

Iso.

Isidore.

And then...

Cyril.

Iso...

Finally, there was the freshly released news photograph from today.

The bug standing in front of Cyril had been cropped away.

Only a small strand of black hair remained where the cut hadn't been perfectly clean.

"..."