Chapter 83: Ulysses Owes Ten Eggs: Go Home, Hug Your Male Lord, Fan Your Wings, Sleep

Floating Island.

Inside the artistically designed, irregularly shaped residence.

Hill was painting.

Today's model wasn't being very cooperative.

The Female Zerg's mysterious, powerful black wings hung behind him, occasionally fluttering gently as he kept adjusting his posture and angle.

At first, Hill was puzzled, thinking Iso's wing roots were itchy.

After staring at those constantly moving wings for a while, he finally realized...

Iso was courting him.

The Female Zerg's wings, which resembled terrifying weapons of war, clearly weren't suited for courtship. There wasn't the slightest romantic atmosphere. It looked more like he was displaying military hardware.

Any Male Zerg facing those wings would think the Female Zerg was preparing to slice his head off.

It was rather strange for courtship.

Ever since Iso had returned from the battlefield, Hill had watered him plenty of times. He shouldn't have been lacking either pheromones or Psychic Soothing.

Was it because of today's novel?

That mysterious author named An had written a novel about them, even including Isidore's journey through time.

He was probably a Male Zerg gifted in artistic creation just like Hill himself, possessing extraordinary intuition and an exceptional ability to capture inspiration from the intangible.

The publication of the novel had caused their family a certain amount of trouble.

Members of the military had come to question them.

The main reason was Isidore.

Hill had been surprised by the military's sharp instincts.

The investigation had reportedly been carried out under Marshal Ulysses' direct orders.

In the end, they found nothing.

Isidore had been too young when he traveled through time, and since he had gone back into the past, there simply wasn't much valuable information.

The upside was that everything had now been officially registered with the Federal Military.

He and Iso had also read the novel.

Within its delicate, heartwarming writing, they could clearly feel the author's affection and goodwill.

He wondered whether that creator had also been investigated by the Marshal.

Most likely.

Anything related to the author had obviously been taken over by the military and was being protected under the strictest secrecy.

Even high-ranking officers like Iso and General Cyril couldn't uncover anything.

They only knew, roughly, that the Male Zerg was somewhere within the First Military Region.

Completely brought under the Marshal's territory and protection.

Besides him...

...another individual's information had received exactly the same treatment.

€€€€The little friend Isidore had spoken of, who was supposedly suffering terribly.

The game player who shared the same garbled starting ID as the author An.

Perhaps...

...they were actually the same person.

After meeting Isidore, he had written this story.

Everything fit together rather neatly.

The only problem was that Isidore possessed an overwhelming desire to rescue that little friend, leaving them completely at a loss.

Trying to rescue someone from under Marshal Ulysses' protection was obviously unrealistic.

For now, they could only keep this matter hidden from Isidore.

Hill found himself thinking about many things.

By the time he came back to his senses...

...he discovered Iso staring at him with obvious grievance.

€€€€The military Female Zerg had spent all this time courting him with his wings...

...only for his Male Lord to become distracted.

For any Female Zerg...

...that was an enormous blow.

Hill set down his paintbrush and walked over.

"I'm sorry for making you wait."

"Did you want to do it here?"

Stopping in front of him, Hill lowered his head and gently kissed his forehead.

Without any hesitation, Iso spread his legs apart as he sat there.

Without his knees in the way, it allowed the Male Zerg to come much closer.

In that posture, embracing each other felt as though they could never be separated again.

Iso's pheromones surged unconsciously.

He opened his mouth and looked up, about to say something...

...only to see the Male Zerg's wings unfold behind him.

Their base was black...

...decorated with mysterious blue-violet patterns that shifted like the night sky itself.

A curtain of stars descended...

...enveloping him completely.

The Male Zerg answered his utterly unromantic courtship.

He answered it with his own mysterious beauty.

With burning love that belonged to Iso alone.

With an inseparable embrace beneath the moonlit sky and the stars.

The moon climbed to its highest point.

At this hour, the little hatchlings had long since fallen asleep.

The adult Female and Male Zergs each had their own business to attend to.

On a night when pheromones flowed so intensely...

...only single Zergs...

...and those neglected within their households...

...remained alone.

Ulysses was reading the latest report.

The Genetic Matching Center and the Ministry of Health had displayed remarkable foresight.

Six months from now, the Zerg Federation would experience a small baby boom.

The three novels written by An had greatly promoted relationships between Male and Female Zergs, along with the Federation's birth rate.

Today's chapter, featuring "Male Zerg wings," had been particularly effective.

They wanted to award An a medal in recognition of his contributions.

"..."

It was a national medal.

Within the Federation, medals related to reproduction had only ever been awarded to married Zergs.

The Federation Female Parent Medal and the Federation Male Parent Medal were presented only to Female or Male Zergs who had raised ten or more hatchlings.

There had never been a precedent for awarding one to an unmarried Zerg with no hatchlings.

In the end...

Ulysses approved the proposal.

He had to acknowledge His Lordship's contribution to the Federation's birth rate.

Single-handedly increasing the Zerg birth rate.

What he had accomplished surpassed the contributions of many Female Parents and Male Parents.

That Lord treated Psychic Soothing like a daily quest...

...and displayed every protagonist and important character from each of his books on his wall...

...except Ulysses himself.

He would probably appreciate this sort of achievement-style reward.

Ulysses would personally deliver the medal to His Lordship.

...

In the end...

Two medals were delivered to Ulysses.

The Federation Female Parent Medal.

And the Federation Male Parent Medal.

Each rested inside its own red box lined with crimson velvet.

Since the Genetic Center and the Ministry of Health didn't know An's exact identity, they had prepared both versions just in case.

Ulysses picked up the Federation Female Parent Medal engraved with An's name.

The gold-and-crimson medal looked exceptionally fitting against the white gloves of his military dress uniform.

He quietly kept that medal for himself.

Then he looked toward the other one.

A national medal was exquisitely crafted.

Even ignoring what it represented, it was an exceptionally beautiful ornament.

Males liked beautiful things.

Ulysses contacted Uriel to ask about His Lordship's recent situation and whether he had time to meet.

[Uriel]: No.

[Uriel]: There's no need for you to come.

[Uriel]: His Lordship is writing behind closed doors. He only receives military Female Zergs who come for Psychic Soothing. Appointments for Psychic Soothing have already been booked three years in advance.

Ulysses:

"..."

His former adjutant had become increasingly impartial.

If he truly wanted to go...

...there was actually nothing capable of stopping him.

His spatial ability allowed him to appear directly inside His Lordship's room...

...or just outside the door.

He wouldn't even need to exert himself.

A light tear through space would be enough.

But...

Looking at the words His Lordship is writing behind closed doors...

...Ulysses ultimately gave up the idea.

Interrupting him now...

...would never be a wise decision.

Ulysses also realized he had been far too impatient.

Perhaps it was because the novel had described Enzo being allowed to see a Male Zerg's wings.

Or perhaps because the entire Federation had been filled with restless courtship pheromones these past few days.

His Female Parent's words echoed in his ears.

If you want something, go take it.

But...

...he actually didn't understand what he truly wanted.

God's attention?

A chance to change his destiny?

Or...

...that special favor he had never received before?

Like a hatchling who had grown up without ever receiving candy...

...trying to ask his Male Parent for a single sweet.

How childish.

Ulysses slowly rubbed the Federation Female Parent Medal between his fingers.

Little by little...

...he calmed down.

In the end, he merely asked Uriel to convey his greetings to His Lordship and to notify him whenever His Lordship became free.

He said nothing else.

...

The wave of pheromones triggered by the "Male Zerg Wings" chapter didn't begin to subside until three days later.

But it never truly ended.

During that time...

An Ruo noticed his novel's popularity had dropped somewhat.

He wanted to find out where all his readers had gone.

Then he discovered...

...they had all gone home to hug their Male Lords, fan their wings, and sleep.

Some even logged in during halftime breaks...

...rushed over to shower him with rewards...

...then hurriedly logged back off to continue.

An Ruo:

"?"

He truly didn't understand you Zergs.

Most of the remaining readers were either single...

...or neglected members within their families.

While they were reading, they kept running into happily satisfied Female Zergs who barged in to throw rewards around and show off.

Their resentment was even greater than Axel's after failing at courtship and being forced onto blind dates.

An Ruo:

Terrified.

He hugged his little blanket tightly.

Not wanting to watch successful people showing off, the single Female Zergs also began spamming rewards.

Every time one of those boasting Female Zergs appeared...

...they buried them beneath an even greater flood of rewards until they disappeared completely from sight.

Instant satisfaction.

The Female Zergs' holiday came to an end.

Those who needed to tidy up did so.

Those who needed to return to work went back.

The Male Zergs finally had a chance to crawl out of bed.

They couldn't help sighing over how difficult life must have been for those primitive-era Male Zergs who actually had to court mates.

Then they logged onto StarNet...

...shared stories about how their Female Lords and Female Attendants had reacted after seeing their wings...

...and continued reading the parts of the novel they hadn't finished while eating breakfast.

...

【Enzo couldn't refute him.

As Axel's guardian...

...he had accompanied the Male hatchling through his physiological awakening and witnessed his transformation firsthand.

Even if he had done nothing more than hold him...

...offering comfort and support...

...he had still experienced the Male's pheromones.

He had felt the warmth as Axel rubbed against him.

His conscience was guilty.

"You need a real... qualified guide."

Enzo said.

"I am not qualified."

"Neither as your guide..."

"...nor as your guardian."

Axel stubbornly met his gaze.

His eyes silently asked,

Why can't it be you?

But the Female Zerg avoided his eyes.

"I can listen to you."

"I'll go on blind dates."

"I'll meet other Female Zergs..."

Axel finally compromised.

At the same time, he made Enzo a promise.

"But from now on..."

"...you can't use 'You've never met any Female Zerg except me' as your reason for rejecting me anymore!"

"...Alright."

Enzo agreed.

...

A blind date simply meant choosing a meeting place.

A Male Zerg and a Female Zerg sat face to face...

...holding an interview with a very clear objective.

Generally speaking...

The Female Zerg was the job applicant.

The Male Zerg was the interviewer.

Each side brought their own expectations and conditions.

They discussed the possibilities of their future together.

Then decided whether they wished to continue walking that road together.

Both parties possessed the right to accept...

...or reject...

...the marriage contract.

Axel sipped fruit juice through a straw.

Across from him sat the fifth Female Zerg he had met today.

His reasons for rejecting the previous four had been:

"Too young. I like older ones. They know how to dote on others."

"Too enthusiastic. Talks too much. I like someone quiet who simply stays beside me."

"Too cold. I prefer someone gentle who knows how to take care of hatchlings. Ideally with twenty years of childcare experience."

"His eyes are too red. They remind me of Heavenly Garuda. I'm scared. Blue eyes are better."

So...

...the one now sitting across from him possessed:

Blue eyes.

Advanced age.

Three hundred and fifty years old.

Quiet and reserved.

Previously married.

Divorced.

Raising three hatchlings.

The youngest was older than Axel himself.

Rich childcare experience.

He perfectly matched every one of Axel's requirements.

Axel:

"..."

For Enzo to actually find someone like this among countless candidates...

...hadn't been easy.

Within Zerg marriages, age differences were perfectly normal.

A gap of less than one hundred years counted as being the same generation.

Two hundred years was ideal.

Three hundred was acceptable.

At four or five hundred years...

...you simply waited to inherit the estate.

The two looked awkwardly at one another.

The Female Zerg really had come looking for a marriage partner.

He had heard there was a high-ranking Male Zerg and immediately came.

He simply hadn't expected...

...such a young one.

He looked as though he had only just reached adulthood.

Compared to the Zerg's long lifespan...

...he was practically still newly weaned.

Looking at the Male before him felt no different from looking at one of his own little hatchlings.

There wasn't the slightest romantic thought in his mind.

"Did Your Lordship come alone?"

"Are you looking for a Female Lord or Female Attendants?"

the Female Zerg asked.

He sounded completely prepared to help Axel screen potential candidates.

"I'm not alone."

"Someone's upstairs."

"The Zerg I raised... I mean... someone from my family."

"I haven't decided what I'm looking for yet."

"I'm just following my family's advice and taking a look first."

Axel answered quietly.

The Female Zerg glanced toward the second floor.

Although he couldn't see anyone...

...the moment he'd entered, he had already sensed the powerful aura of another high-ranking Female Zerg.

"That one upstairs..."

"...isn't your biological Female Parent, is he?"

the Female Zerg asked.

Axel blinked in surprise.

"How did you know?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"If he were your real Female Parent, he would never have arranged for an old Female Zerg like me to come on a blind date with someone your age."

As he looked upstairs, anger flickered across the Female Zerg's face.

But when he turned back toward Axel...

...his expression softened again.

The way he looked at Axel resembled someone looking at a little hatchling whose Female Parent had died and who was now being bullied by the other Female Zergs belonging to his Male Parent.

Although he pitied the little hatchling...

...he also understood he couldn't interfere in another family's private affairs.

With a heavy sigh, he told Axel,

"If he doesn't treat you well..."

"...then get married as soon as possible."

"It'll be better once you're independent."

"Huh?"

Axel froze.

Opening his mouth, he hurried to explain,

"Actually, that's not..."

A figure stepped between them.

Enzo had come downstairs.

His expression was dark and calm as he addressed the Female Zerg.

"You may leave."

...】