The Omega Becomes The Zerg Queen - Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Training

Early the next morning.

When Su Lili woke up, breakfast was already prepared on the table. Since she had expressed her love for the Duo Duo Fruit last time, this priceless fruit had begun appearing regularly on her daily menu.

There weren’t many Duo Duo Fruits circulating in the market, and even the high prices paid by the Zerg couldn’t fully satisfy the King’s daily needs. But no Zerg could bear to let the King go hungry. Although the meals prepared by the Zerg were diverse, in their eyes, if the King couldn’t eat what she liked, how was that any different from starving?

It was just a mere Duo Duo Fruit. Under Lucius’s instructions, the Temple’s logistics department had already begun negotiations with the Federation, discussing the possibility of long-term trade for the fruit between the two races. Of course, he didn’t forget to tell the adjutant that if the Federation was unwilling to cooperate, the Zerg wouldn’t mind using military means.

The twins brought over a set of clothes suitable for physical activity—a simple combat suit consisting of a short top and long pants. Following their suggestion, Su Lili tied her hair into a high ponytail, revealing her smooth forehead and beautiful features. She looked exceptionally spirited and upright, drawing constant praise from the two.

While Ceral handed her a Duo Duo Fruit with a straw inserted, he helped smooth the stray hairs at the top of her head, calmly explaining today’s plan.

“Today’s schedule is mainly focused on mental power training.”

“Lord Lucius will guide you. In the morning, there will be mental soothing training, and the afternoon will be practice for mental attacks.”

Damian also leaned in beside her. “Lord Lucius is already prepared at the Temple. If the King has no other arrangements, we will head over once you’ve finished your meal.”

The beautiful and exquisite boy squatted by her hand in a familiar posture, though he seemed to have grown a few centimeters taller. Even the colorful butterfly wings on his back were more brilliant. Looking straight ahead, Su Lili could only see his delicate chin.

“Damian, have you grown taller?”

Damian gave a cheeky grin and let out an obedient “Mhm.” His sparkling violet eyes looked over. “My King, do you prefer me taller or shorter?”

“Height isn’t something I can decide just by saying so,” Su Lili replied seriously. “Damian is cute no matter how tall he grows.”

“But if there were a choice, how tall would the King want us to be?” Ceral joined the conversation. Two identical, exquisite faces leaned close together as gentle and lively voices intertwined.

“Or rather, what is the King’s ideal height for the opposite sex?”

The twins’ back-and-forth was so natural and seamless that it often gave the illusion of speaking to the same person. Su Lili paused, thinking about how to answer; she had never considered this question.

Thinking of the opposite sex, the standard for Alphas common on Earth popped into her head. The latest data showed that the average height for an Earth Alpha was 188cm.

She answered somewhat hesitantly, “Probably someone taller, maybe 188cm.”

“Understood, My King.” Damian winked at her, tilted his head, and gave a playful military salute with his right hand.

“Mhm, we know now.” Ceral gave a soft smile, a thoughtful look in his eyes. He gently adjusted the King’s loose ponytail and said reluctantly, “My King, Damian and I will be leaving for a few days.”

“Lord Lucius will arrange for other Zerg to take care of your daily life.”

“What’s wrong? Where are you going? Will you come back?” Su Lili cast a confused look, asking anxiously.

“Don’t worry, My King.” Damian leaned his fuzzy head against the King’s hand again, trying to soothe her unease. “Ceral and I need to hibernate for a period. We will be back when the Royal Guard selection tournament begins.”

Su Lili instinctively rubbed his head—it really did feel great to the touch. Damian narrowed his eyes comfortably, lowering his head to nuzzle against the King’s palm, acting spoiled.

“The King must not forget us!”

“Don’t go favoring other attendant bugs just because we’re not around.”

The exquisite, androgynous face in her palm grew teary-eyed, looking both cute and pitiful. As Su Lili wiped away the moisture at the corners of his eyes, she couldn’t help but tease, “And if I’ve already found other attendants by then, what will you do?”

As the girl’s soft, dry fingertip brushed over him, a thin flush rose at the corners of Damian’s eyes. He widened his eyes in disbelief, his cheeks puffing out with anger as he pleaded pitifully, “My King, how could you be like this?”

Ceral’s lowered lashes hid the look in his eyes, but he offered a gentle smile. “The King is just joking with you, don’t worry too much, Damian.”

But what if it really happens, Brother? Damian’s sinister voice echoed in his mind. Those crystal-clear violet eyes now gathered a dark storm; the usually lively younger twin now looked like a demon escaped from hell.

“That situation won’t happen,” Ceral replied, his eyes curved and his tone remaining gentle.

“If it does,” Damian nodded, and their voices overlapped.

“Then we’ll make him disappear.”

…

The twins left after dropping her off at the Temple Hall. As the unified location for every Queen to soothe the Zerg race, the building was extraordinarily magnificent.

Su Lili pushed open the hall doors. Lucius was already there waiting.

Blooming roses decorated the white marble windowsills, and the morning sun filtered through the stained-glass windows on the side of the hall, casting a kaleidoscope of colors onto the floor. He stood with his back to the door in the colorful light. The hem of his snow-white priest robe was stained with brilliant colors. From the skylight above, clean light fell straight onto his upper body, making his pale gold hair shimmer like an angel beneath a divine throne.

“My King.” Lucius turned around, bowing elegantly. His emerald eyes rippled with gentle waves that could drown a person.

After leading the new King to a seat, he flipped through the Holy Book and slowly recounted the history of this hall.

“Zerg genes are naturally violent and bloodthirsty. The higher the Zerg’s rank, the more they are influenced by their genes. Before the First King was born, only the low-level Zerg with low intelligence could grow up in a daze. Almost all high-level Zerg were tortured to death by mental riots before reaching adulthood.”

“The Zerg God blessed us and took pity on our race. Just as the Zerg were nearly domesticated as tools by other races, the first Queen was born from the Mother Nest.”

“The Queen’s mental power possesses a special healing ability that can soothe the rioting mental seas of high-level Zerg. Gradually, more high-level Zerg lived to adulthood, and the Zerg’s combat power grew stronger.”

His long, white fingers paused on a page. Lucius smiled slightly. “Finally, the Zerg became the most powerful existence in the galaxy.”

“Our territory expanded rapidly, accumulating vast resources and wealth. The absolute obedience within the Zerg allowed our armies to be invincible. In the galaxy, no race could compare to us.”

“But all of that was suddenly halted.”

“The unity and prosperity of the Zerg began with the Queen. Without a Queen, there would be no Zerg today.” He lowered his eyes, fiddling with his monocle, unable to hide his disappointment. “The sudden passing of the previous Queen plunged the Zerg back into the former chaos.”

Regarding this, Su Lili was also curious. “Why did the previous Queen pass away so suddenly?”

“I wasn’t yet born when the previous Queen died.”

“The Queen died in an accident while out traveling. The previous High Priest and the Queen’s Guard who accompanied her all followed the King in death. Not much information was left behind.”

“But it is certain that the previous Queen’s death was no accident.” Lucius pushed his glasses, his thin metal chain swaying and casting flickering shadows on his handsome face. “The Zerg have never stopped investigating this matter. What is certain now is that there was a mole by the King’s side back then.”

“This mole somehow managed to bypass the Queen’s mental perception and the Zerg’s instinct to obey the Queen, lurking by her side to gain her trust, then taking the opportunity to murder her.”

“A mole!” Su Lili shrank her shoulders and let out a small gasp. Since the previous mole could lurk by the Queen’s side undetected, “Then what about now…?”

“Please rest assured, My King.” He gave a reassuring smile and closed the Holy Book. “The Zerg around you have undergone multiple screenings by the Temple and are trustworthy.”

“The first Queen used her mental power here for the first time to soothe the Zerg, opening a new chapter for our race. Since then, this hall has become the place for every Queen to practice and use mental power.”

His emerald eyes looked at the new King with gentle heat. Lucius placed his right fist over his left chest and lowered his head, his voice full of hope. “Your mental sea is wider than ever before; you will surely become the most powerful King.”

Seeing the Zerg’s automatic praise-the-queen skill about to activate, Su Lili changed the subject. “Let’s start training, Lucius.”

“As you command, Your Majesty.” Lucius nodded submissively. “The Zerg mental sea is linked in a one-way chain from bottom to top; Your Majesty’s mental sea can link to all Zerg. You already used basic mental soothing the day we welcomed you back to the home planet.”

“To be able to soothe so many Zerg simultaneously during your infancy without any training…” He couldn’t help but slip in a compliment. “Your strength and benevolence are remembered by all Zerg. I have nothing to teach you regarding that. What we are mainly practicing today is individual soothing for high-level Zerg.”

He leaned down, approaching the King. “The more powerful a high-level Zerg is, the more turbulent their mental sea becomes. They need regular individual treatment from the King.”

The young man’s long fingers gently covered her eyes, plunging Su Lili’s vision into darkness. Faint light filtered through the gaps in his fingers; she could vaguely see the corners of his smiling lips, and his gentle voice was in her ear.

“My King, please close your eyes and sink your consciousness into your mental sea.”

In the pitch-black mental sea, dense spots of light flickered like stars in the sky. One was particularly different.

The emerald light spot was full of black cracks and gaps, with countless small tentacles growing around it. It was currently circling her, doing everything possible to get her attention. She used a mental tentacle to poke the emerald light spot gently. Soothing, gentle mental power was transmitted through the contact.

Suddenly, Lucius’s breathing became ragged in her ear. His voice trembled slightly. “My King… that is your humble servant.”

Unlike the young man’s panicked expression and dodging gaze in the hall, the emerald light spot in the mental sea seemed to enjoy it immensely. Its small tentacles quivered, following her mental tentacle as it moved around. It looked like it desperately wanted more “skinship.”

Su Lili couldn’t help herself; her mental tentacles reached out and thoroughly “patted” the light spot back and forth. Wherever her mental power touched, the cracks and gaps on the light spot recovered slightly. Unlike the previous feeling that it could shatter at any moment, it now looked much more solid.

The tiny light spot was patted until it was dazed, spinning in place, its surrounding tentacles curling up in happiness.

The effect of a direct, face-to-face mental soothing from the Queen was vastly different from a wide-area soothing; the result was startling. Lucius felt like his whole body was soaked in warm water. The usually violent mental power in his mental sea now felt like a fierce dog seeing its master—unbelievably obedient. His long-standing ailments were also significantly relieved.

Transmitted along with the King’s mental power was that intoxicating sweet scent that had appeared when the King fainted last time. This wisp of fragrance was extremely light and thin—so much so that even its owner hadn’t noticed it—quietly tucked within the mental power and entering his mental sea.

A high-level Zerg’s mental sea is very private; they wouldn’t open it to anyone but the Queen. Therefore, any change within it would be infinitely magnified. Not to mention, he was already extremely sensitive to this scent.

Fireworks exploded in his mind. A numbing sensation spread from his brain down his spine to his entire body. Lucius’s face and body were flushed crimson. A moist, hazy mist floated in his gentle emerald eyes. His lips trembled, his voice stolen away.

The palm covering her eyes vibrated slightly at high speed, its temperature alarmingly high. Only the young man’s increasingly ragged and trembling breaths could be heard in the air.

“What’s wrong, Lucius?” Su Lili keenly noticed his change. She opened her eyes, looking through the gaps in his fingers. In the narrow space, she could only see the young man’s tensed jawline and his bright red neck.

The girl’s soft, thick eyelashes brushed against his palm, making his whole body itch. As she spoke, the ragged breathing in the air vanished, and the room became startlingly quiet.

After a long while, she finally heard his reply. His voice was clearly hoarse and deep; it was obvious the young man was trying his best to hide it but was unable to. “It is nothing, My King.”

No one would believe it was “nothing” with such an obvious change. Such an overt attempt at a cover-up only invited further investigation.

“Let me see.” Su Lili’s slender, soft fingers grasped the young man’s long palm, using some strength to try and pull the obstruction away from her face.

In the well-lit Temple Hall, the two sat facing each other. The gentle, white light from the domed glass hit the girl in the center, making her look holy, beautiful, and inviolable.

The young man beside her sat closer to the window. The colorful light hit him, giving his white, sacred priest robe a splash of brilliant color. The hem of the Temple priest robe was a loose, flared design, but it now showed a distinct upheaval.

He used almost all his strength to control his over-intense reaction. When the King’s soft, delicate fingers covered his, it gave Lucius a momentary illusion of being held by her. Before he could savor the feeling, an unprecedented terror overwhelmed him.

No, he couldn’t. Such a disgraceful, ugly appearance must never be seen by the King.

The young man’s tensed fingers refused to lower; instead, they covered the upper half of her face even more tightly. “Please do not look, Your Majesty.”

He had uncharacteristically disobeyed the King’s will. Would the King despise him for it? Lucius had never hated his ugly, disobedient body more than he did now. He knew perfectly well that he had exhausted his willpower; under the Zerg instinct, if the King insisted he let go, he would no longer be able to refuse.

At that point, would the King think he was a disobedient, incompetent bug who couldn’t control himself? The High Priest, hailed as the “Brain of the Zerg,” had lost his ability to think. The refined and gentle young man looked terrified, as if struck by lightning.

Clear water droplets quickly gathered in his affectionate emerald eyes, sliding down the corners of his eyes and cheeks one by one. In his panic, he made one last effort, his voice choking as he pleaded.

“Please… do not look.”

Su Lili also froze in place. In fact, since she had questioned him, Lucius’s character card in the system panel had been flashing wildly. Unlike before, this time not only his Favorability but even his steady Loyalty score were fluctuating.

She didn’t dare move. Su Lili lowered her hands and answered carefully: “I won’t look.”

Thank goodness. The King had granted his unreasonable request.

With a hoarse voice and a thick nasal tone, the young man slowly let out an “Mhm.” The King was so understanding, but how could someone like him have the face to continue facing her?

He knelt on the ground, a heavy heat pressing against the cold marble floor. Lucius pressed his cheek against the back of the King’s warm hand, a lingering farewell.

“Apologies, Your Majesty. Your servant takes his leave. Afternoon training will be guided by another Zerg.”

The young man’s cheek was alarmingly hot, making the cold water droplets on it particularly obvious. Are those tears? Su Lili’s hand shook, her fingers curling inward. She turned her head away and shut her eyes tightly. “Go then. I won’t open my eyes.”

“My thanks to you, Your Majesty.”

The young man’s straight nose brushed against the back of her hand. Su Lili only opened her eyes once the sound of hurried footsteps vanished outside the door. Lucius had left. On the smooth, milky-white marble floor, only two distinct wet spots remained.

Did he cry that much? Su Lili frowned.