Chapter 73: Heavenly Garuda Male x Zerg Military Officer (1): Can a Zerg Even Have a "Female Lord"?

[An-shen has started a new novel!]

Although it only had a synopsis so far, that didn't stop the readers from getting excited.

After all, knowing An-shen, once the synopsis was out, could the first chapter really be far behind?

[Rushing over at top speed! I'll always wave An-shen's banner!]

[Wait... something seems off about this story...]

[Heavenly Garuda male... Zerg military officer adoptive father... Female Lord??!]

[Huh??!]

Every single phrase was enough to make a Zerg's eyes widen.

Raising a Heavenly Garuda male egg wasn't unusual.

Most female Zergs pitied the unfortunate male hatchlings from the neighboring Heavenly Garuda race.

If an egg was found on the battlefield, then regardless of whether it belonged to a male or female Heavenly Garuda, the Zergs would simply raise it as if it were a Zerg egg.

It was an unspoken rule both sides tacitly acknowledged.

The Heavenly Garuda did exactly the same thing. If they found a Zerg egg, they raised it as one of their own.

The two races had a long shared history, and there was no reproductive barrier between them, so there really wasn't anything wrong with doing so.

The only thing that required extra attention was the hatchling's psychological well-being.

So a Zerg military officer acting as an adoptive father wasn't strange either.

But "Female Lord" was wrong by ten thousand percent—no, by a hundred million percent!

[I'm reporting this! We've got a traitor among the Zergs! He's trying to imitate the Heavenly Garuda! His ideology is seriously compromised!!!]

Of course, they weren't talking about the little male hatchling.

They meant a certain military officer adoptive father.

[A military officer actually doing something like this? I refuse to stand alongside him!]

[Suspend him immediately and investigate him!]

[Does he even have legitimate adoption papers?! Answer me!]

[For cross-sex adoption, the age difference has to be several hundred years. The adopter also has to be in old age and no longer capable of reproduction. This doesn't look legitimate at all!]

[Reported. Reported.]

[The Federation is extremely strict about adoptions. This guy probably never completed the paperwork.]

[Meaning they're not even on the same household registration.]

[Just what tricks did he use to keep the little male by his side and convince him to call him "Father"? Very suspicious. (magnifying glass) (stares)]

At that moment, every female Zerg transformed into a detective.

Based solely on a synopsis, they were determined to uncover every one of that military officer's "schemes."

Some genuinely couldn't tolerate such behavior.

Others were simply consumed by jealousy.

Good heavens... can a Zerg really have a title like "Female Lord"?

While insisting that the officer's actions were ten thousand times unacceptable, they were also twisting with envy.

Someone replied to the help-post in earnest.

[Little male, listen to me. The most important thing right now is asking the Federation to assign you a different adoptive father.]

[And hurry up and enroll in Male Zerg marriage classes.]

[Exactly. Marriage classes will teach you what Zerg marriages are actually like. We don't have anything called a "Female Lord" here. You can marry one Female Lord and plenty of Male Attendants. No female Zerg will bully you.]

[That's right. We're different from the Heavenly Garuda. We don't do that sort of thing.]

[Seriously? You're already looking down on them?]

[A bunch of people enslaved by male Zergs, and you still think your system is great? Ugh. (waves hand in disgust)]

[? A fake Zerg is back?]

[Haven't seen Heavenly Garuda trolls in ages. Seeing one again feels kind of strange.]

Ever since the two nations had gone to war, tensions had remained high.

The Heavenly Garuda had disappeared from the Zerg StarNet for quite some time.

Now that the war had ended, the Heavenly Garuda Empire was still in turmoil. Most of the chaos was confined to the royal family and upper ranks, though; ordinary citizens weren't heavily affected.

What had changed was that restrictions between the two nations had become even stricter, making it much harder to climb over the firewall and read novels.

They had only been able to keep up with School Heartthrob by secretly buying copied chapters from the underground black market.

They had to read them in secret.

If they were caught, the punishment was severe.

But now they had heard that An-shen was launching a new novel—and the protagonist was a Heavenly Garuda male.

Could they possibly resist?

They rushed over immediately.

No matter how troublesome the firewall was, they were climbing over it.

Even if the Imperial government dragged them away afterward for ideological re-education, they had to read the novel first!

Nothing could stop a devoted reader from chasing updates!

Especially when the protagonist was one of their own Heavenly Garuda males.

They had to keep a close watch.

Otherwise these Zergs would steal him away!

[Despicable Zergs! Coveting our Heavenly Garuda male! (furious)]

[Why is a defeated nation making so much noise? Who said you even get to speak?]

[We kindly picked up the egg and raised him. Otherwise, were we supposed to count on you? By the time you arrived, the egg would've gone cold. (rolls eyes)]

Whenever anything related to the Heavenly Garuda came up, every Zerg immediately presented a united front.

On matters like this, they were exceptionally united.

Besides, they were the victors of the war.

They had every reason to be confident.

The Heavenly Garuda had repeatedly provoked their borders, even fantasizing about capturing Lord Xi'an of the Ninth Legion.

Their Marshal had personally led the counterattack, driving them back so thoroughly that the Heavenly Garuda had even lost territory.

And now they still dared to come here and shout?

The moment those words were spoken, the Heavenly Garuda readers who had climbed over the firewall all fell silent.

The Zergs and the Heavenly Garuda had been sworn enemies for generations.

The reason a war started was never the important part.

Who won and who lost—that was what mattered.

Victory determined who would hold the right to speak for a very long time afterward.

Including the right to win arguments on StarNet.

Losing a war was miserable.

Even arguing online lacked confidence afterward.

It was amidst that atmosphere that the first chapter of Adoptive Father was finally published.

...

【Late at night, inside a bedroom on Capital Star.

A blond-haired, purple-eyed male sat cross-legged on his bed in adorable pajamas while posting a request for advice.

Help: I was a premature Heavenly Garuda male egg born on the battlefield. A Zerg military officer found me, hatched me, and raised me. I really love him and want to stay with him forever. What should I do to convince him to become my Female Lord?

Any post involving a male always attracted enormous attention.

Combined with keywords like "Zerg military officer adoptive father" and "Female Lord," it exploded instantly.

Very quickly, countless female Zergs flooded into the thread.

1F: Are you for real, OP, or just trolling?

2F: Definitely fake. How many Heavenly Garuda males actually live among the Zergs? It's not like you stumble across one every day.

3F: Even if you really were a Heavenly Garuda male who'd lived among the Zergs for years, you wouldn't still be looking for a "Female Lord." What is this, some soap opera?

4F: Obviously fake. Cross-sex adoption laws clearly require a huge age gap. The adopter has to have entered old age already. Surely the little male isn't in love with some elderly female Zerg?

The first few replies were filled with disbelief, along with endless speculation about his adoptive father.

Axel grew angry as he read them.

His adoptive father wasn't some old female Zerg!

He was in the prime of his life!

He was incredibly handsome!

A female Zerg who wasn't even three hundred years old wasn't old at all!

Even one day, when he did grow old, he'd still be a handsome old female Zerg!

The Zerg childhood stage was extremely short.

Old age was equally brief.

For the overwhelming majority of their lives, their appearance and physical condition remained at their absolute peak.

Because of that, a thirty-year-old and a three-hundred-year-old looked virtually identical.

If anything, three hundred years old meant greater wealth and authority.

A steadier temperament.

Greater maturity.

A kinder personality.

A better understanding of how to care for males.

As far as Axel was concerned, his adoptive father was perfect in every possible way.

Except...

He refused to marry him.

He also refused to let Axel marry him.

Axel felt terribly wronged.

As for the adoption regulations...

Their relationship had never been an ordinary adoption.

Although he called Enzo "Father," they had never officially registered it.

Not an adoption certificate, anyway.

Heavenly Garuda males were naturally more sensitive and insecure.

When Axel was little, it had bothered him immensely.

Without legal proof, he constantly feared that one day Enzo would simply abandon him.

But now...

Now Axel thought...

If they didn't have an adoption certificate, then replacing it with a marriage certificate didn't sound bad at all.

Once hatchlings reached adulthood, they were expected to establish homes of their own.

They couldn't remain living with their female parent forever.

Even if Axel wanted to stay beside Enzo forever...

Enzo might someday marry another male...

At that point, there would no longer be any place left for him in that home.

After becoming an adult, Axel had actually begun feeling grateful that they had never formed a legally recognized adoptive relationship.

That way...

He could marry Enzo.

Axel continued scrolling through the comments.

Although most readers didn't believe him, some were answering sincerely.

11F: Speaking strictly about the title, if you two want to be together, you'll first need to dissolve the adoptive relationship before you can establish a marriage.

15F: As for this "Female Lord" business... I'd still recommend Your Lordship take Male Zerg marriage classes first. We simply don't use the title "Female Lord" in Zerg society.

16F: Female Zergs are naturally attracted to males. You'll need to start adjusting your mentality and behavior to be more like a proper male.

Learn how to be a male?

Axel stared blankly at those replies.

His adoptive father had always raised him exactly like a male Zerg.

He attended school with male Zergs.

Made male Zerg friends.

But Axel possessed inherited memories.

He had known he was a Heavenly Garuda from the moment he was born.

From the instant his life began, his mind had already been filled with Heavenly Garuda language and cultural knowledge.

Even though everything about his upbringing afterward had been designed to shape him into a male Zerg...

Many of his beliefs still clashed with those of the males around him.

In the end...

They were different.

Even wrapped in the identity of a male Zerg, deep inside he remained a Heavenly Garuda male.

He feared loss.

He feared pain.

He disliked whips.

He disliked those thrilling games.

He disliked being pursued by countless female Zergs.

He was even afraid of unfamiliar females.

Whenever female Zergs he didn't know walked past him or tried speaking with him, he became terribly nervous.

He only wanted to go home.

To let his female hold him.

Kiss him...

He also wanted to incubate eggs together with his female.

Enzo was the female he had chosen.

A female Zerg.

His adoptive father.

He had been a Heavenly Garuda egg born prematurely on the battlefield.

He had hatched before reaching full term, leaving his female parent's body too early.

Back then, his consciousness had been far too weak.

He couldn't remember what had happened.

Nor did he know where his female parent had gone.

He had lain upon the cold earth.

Everywhere smelled of gunpowder and rain.

He had been terrified.

Just as he was about to lose consciousness...

A pair of warm hands gently lifted him from the ground.

They carefully wiped away the rainwater and mud clinging to his shell.

Wrapped him inside warm clothing.

Pressed him protectively against a warm chest.

It had been so wonderfully warm.

Even now, he still remembered the warmth of those hands.

The warmth of that embrace.

It had become the source of every bit of security he had ever known.

Afterward, he was taken aboard a Zerg warship and transferred to a centralized nursery.

His condition became critical several times.

He never knew what the Zergs responsible for him had discussed.

In the end, however, they placed him in the care of the very female Zerg who had rescued him.

Only after being incubated against that female's body temperature did he finally survive.

Only then did he successfully hatch.

That was how Enzo became his adoptive father.

So now...

How could he persuade that same female to become something more?

His Female Lord?

Did he really need to learn the customs of male Zergs?

Axel's gaze drifted toward the group chat displayed on the right side of his screen.

His group of male Zerg friends was discussing tonight's plans.

Night had already fallen.

The well-behaved Axel had already showered, climbed into bed, and was preparing to sleep.

His male friends' nightlife, however, was only just beginning.

〖Who Sleeps? Get Up and Party〗: "A brand-new nightclub just opened in the East District! Handsome female Zerg dancers showing off their abs! Who's coming?!"

〖Never Sleep〗: "Me! Me! Me!!!"

〖Pick Me Up, I Can Still Drink〗: "Who cares whether they're female Zergs or not? The important thing is partying together! Let's go!"

After thinking for a moment, Axel sent a message as well.

〖8 PM Curfew〗: "Count me in."

The group chat fell silent for a moment.

Every male reacted exactly the same way.

〖Never Sleep〗: "What about your curfew?"

〖Who Sleeps? Get Up and Party〗: "Didn't you say your female parent would break your legs if you got home late?"

That was only an excuse Axel had used before to turn down invitations.

Enzo would never actually hit him.

Mainly because Axel had always been unbelievably well-behaved.

So well-behaved that female Zergs couldn't help feeling sorry for him.

Enzo had always hoped he would become a little more lively.

A little more carefree.

Actually going out at night still frightened Axel.

But if he wanted to become a proper male Zerg...

He had to bravely take the first step.

Starting with...

Not coming home for the night.

...】