SZAR Chapter 111

Qu Xia was brought into the capital residence. A servant led him to the indoor hot spring and brought him brand-new clothes. After washing himself clean, Qu Xia changed into the elaborate clothing of a male zerg, then followed the servant into the banquet hall.

The governor of Pamir sat to the side, looking somewhat restrained. He kept glancing at Qu Xia. After changing clothes, the male zerg appeared noble and composed, with an elegant temperament. The governor couldn’t help asking,

“Your Excellency, how did you end up in the hands of star pirates?”

Qu Xia lowered his eyes, revealing a sorrowful look like that of a small deer.

“I don’t know either. Since I was born, I’ve been on the star pirates’ territory.”

His persona was that of a wild male zerg who had never been recorded by the Empire, no birth certificate and no identity information. He had to firmly insist that he had been born among the star pirates from the start in order to slip past the investigation.

The governor asked, “Then how did you manage to return?”

He didn’t doubt that Qu Xia was lying. The male zerg looked weak and helpless, his eyes evasive and timid. He didn’t look like someone capable of telling lies.

Qu Xia spoke softly, “I don’t know either. I only heard the overwhelming sound of gunfire outside. Later I was stuffed into a spacecraft, and before I knew what was going on, it had already landed here.”

These words were full of loopholes, with no details at all. But Qu Xia wasn’t worried. The average intelligence of male zergs was about like this anyway, expecting them to remember every detail clearly would actually be the strange thing.

Sure enough, the governor nodded and showed a sympathetic expression. He looked kindly at the young male zerg who was eating.

“Your Excellency, we’ll need to test your rank and then register an identity for you. Oh, right, do you know how the zerg race’s ranking system works?”

The benefits male zerg received were strongly tied to their rank. The governor didn’t expect the little male zerg they had picked up to have a particularly high rank. But in an outer star system like Pamir, as long as his rank reached D, he could live quite well.

Qu Xia softly asked Erwen, “What rank should I show?”

Erwen hesitated for a moment. “B or above would be better.”

If his rank reached B, the Empire would send a special envoy to take him back. And if he reached A, he would directly gain the qualification to come into contact with the Empire’s center of power.

Erwen didn’t actually know Qu Xia’s rank. After Qu Xia’s second awakening, he had left without saying goodbye. The next time they met, it had been amid a sea of raging flames. After that, one event piled on top of another, and since Qu Xia’s appearance hadn’t changed much after the second awakening, Erwen never had the chance to ask.

A B-rank was neither low nor particularly high. Erwen wasn’t sure whether Qu Xia had it or not.

Qu Xia nodded calmly when he heard that.

B-rank? Easy.

Under the governor’s guidance, he walked to the testing machine and lay down inside the testing pod. Controlling the output of his mental power, he watched as the progress bar slowly rose.

As it climbed higher and higher, the governor gradually straightened his posture. His eyes widened, staring at the progress bar without blinking.

This was the first time the governor had ever seen such a strange progress bar.

The release of mental power was usually like opening a floodgate, at the start the surge was the fiercest, then it gradually weakened. Reflected on the progress bar, it would shoot up at first and then run out of force.

But Qu Xia’s progress bar moved in a steady, straight line. It passed C smoothly… then crossed B just as steadily… and finally slowed down and stopped slightly above A.

The governor stared at him blankly.

Qu Xia deliberately put on a frightened expression, looking completely innocent. “W-What’s wrong?”

“…Good heavens.”

The governor muttered to himself, then immediately rushed out the door.

If the result had been C, he would have arranged a residence for the little male zerg on Pamir Star and busied himself finding two female attendants for him to marry. But an A-rank was something Pamir simply could not keep.

A noble of that rank had to be reported to the Capital Star.

Qu Xia climbed out of the testing pod. Outside the door, the governor was speaking excitedly, his saliva flying as he talked, his tone intense and his face glowing with energy. Meanwhile, Qu Xia hugged Erwen and whispered softly, “We’re going back to the Capital Star.”

Erwen gave a quiet “mm,” then smiled. “Congratulations, Qu Xia.”

An A-rank, no matter whether the coup succeeded or failed, this male zerg would no longer be bullied.

Qu Xia pressed his lips together and thought to himself, Actually, it could have been a little higher.

But that would have attracted too much attention.

……………..

Every high-ranking male zerg was a treasure of the zerg race. The next morning, a report appeared on the StarNet titled 《The Lost Jewel of the Wastelands.》

The media wrote about it at great length, saying that Pamir Star had discovered a lost male insect, noble in rank and extraordinary in appearance. The photo printed with the report was a candid shot of him walking through a garden. Qu Xia wore elaborate clothing, the hood covering half his face. Beneath flowering trees, he turned his head slightly, looking like a noble little prince.

Male zergs were rare and precious. As soon as the news was published, it drew huge attention. The main discussion online revolved around why the young lord had been left on a barren planet. Meanwhile, a small group of female insects who qualified to become attendants to an A-rank male quietly sent Qu Xia invitations for dates.

There were so few A-rank male insects that they could be counted on one hand.  Most already had female monarchs. This male insect who had appeared out of nowhere was like a hot delicacy everyone wanted a bite of.

But very soon, they all fell silent again.

While Qu Xia was on the way back to the capital star, another candid photo was taken of him. This time, there was an extra egg in his arms.

The egg was smooth and beautiful, and the male zerg held it in his arms as if it were a priceless treasure. Anyone could see he loved it dearly.

StarNet was soon filled with furious comments.

【 Which damn bastard seduced the little male insect?! There’s already an egg! 】

【 Emmmm… so His Excellency has been in the star pirates’ den all this time? Could it be that one of the star pirates gave birth to his offspring? 】

【 That’s a female zerg egg, right? But the little lord treasures it so much. He must really love the female father of the egg. 】

In response to the return of an A-rank lord and the buzz online, the Empire arranged a special interview. During the interview, Qu Xia appeared clueless about almost everything. For many details about the star pirates, he only barely managed to answer correctly with Erwen’s reminders. Yet that wasn’t what drew attention, the host clearly cared more about Qu Xia’s marital status.

The host handed Qu Xia the microphone.

“Your Excellency, I believe you’ve received many marriage invitations recently. May I ask if you have plans to marry?”

The moment the question was asked, the egg in Qu Xia’s arms practically stood on end.

Qu Xia let out a low sound of dismay. He was utterly overwhelmed. To conceal his identity, he had shut down and put away his old light-brain. Pamir’s governor had given him a new one, registered under a new identity. In just two days, the inbox of the new account had nearly exploded, flooded with date and match invitations everywhere.

Those female zergs, having heard the news somehow, said that the new little lord was a very gentle male zerg. Combined with his extremely high rank and handsome face, he instantly became a hot prospect for marriage.

So, under the host’s earnest gaze, Qu Xia emptied his mind. His eyes fell on the window frame, as if recalling something, a faint smile at the corner of his lips.

“I don’t think I have any thoughts of marriage in the near future.”

Looking out at the distance, he recited plainly,

“While among the star pirates, I met a very good female zerg. He shone like the hibiscus flowers of Pamir. We pledged ourselves to each other for life, and he gave me a healthy and adorable egg.”

Qu Xia slowly lifted Erwen, gazing at the eggshell with gentle affection.

Erwen: “……”

The host made a small sound of admiration.

“Your Excellency, you truly are a devoted lord.” He glanced at the barrage of messages flooding the interview and then asked, “We’re all very curious. What kind of female zerg captured your heart, or rather, what kind of female zerg do you like?”

The egg in Qu Xia’s arms jutted up again, almost falling out.

Qu Xia hadn’t prepared for this question at all. He instinctively said,

“I like silver-gray long hair, females who sigh helplessly in front of me but are tolerant of me… who don’t really get angry.”

The egg jutted up once more, nearly tumbling from his arms.

Qu Xia grabbed it back quickly.

The host wiped his sweat.

Qu Xia’s answer was too vague. Every female zerg would naturally tolerate a male lord and wouldn’t really get angry in front of him, so this wasn’t much of a selection standard. But the host, afraid of provoking Qu Xia’s impatience, didn’t press further. He chuckled and let the topic drop.

He reminded him, “But Your Excellency, I still have to mention, male zergs of the Empire have a duty to marry. You are currently unmarried. After the six-month protection period, you must have a female monarch.” He smiled. “And during those six months, you’ll also need to make time for dates.”

Qu Xia nodded. “I know.”

The host’s words carried deeper meaning. He wasn’t deliberately trying to make Qu Xia uncomfortable. Rather, the Male Zerg Protection Association had ordered him to subtly hint to the young male insect.

Behind the scenes at the association, they had noticed that Qu Xia had blocked all marriage and date invitations. They were worried. Would this little lord act willfully and refuse to fulfill his duties?

However, the very next day after returning to the capital star, Qu Xia submitted a date invitation. Scrolling through the first page of the matching interface, he accurately selected Sylph.

Sylph had been a childhood friend of Erwen and was also the scion of a powerful noble family. In this current bid for the throne, Sylph needed Erwen’s assistance.

But for a little male zerg who had just returned, reaching out to Sylph directly would be far too conspicuous. After thinking it over, Qu Xia decided it was better to use the matching system as an excuse.

Sylph held a high position, was beautiful, and wealthy. For a young male insect, choosing him for a date was entirely reasonable.

Qu Xia nodded in satisfaction and pressed the [ Date ]  button.

………………

In the laboratory, Sylph was busy beyond measure.

His brows were furrowed into a deep “川” shape, the skin under his eyes darkened from lack of sleep. Since the admiral’s incident, this tactful and stunningly beautiful figure hadn’t slept properly for a long time.

Sylph’s Tylando family and Erwen’s Aettris family complemented each other, one literary and one martial, and both had been close confidants of the late Emperor Glore. Now with Erwen in trouble, Sylph worried for his old friend and also felt a chilling sense of danger. The prince was like a Damocles sword hanging overhead, making Sylph shiver.

On top of this were the aftermath tasks of the expedition. Various problems intertwined, leaving Sylph mentally and physically exhausted, not even in the mood to follow the news.

He had heard about the male zerg from the desolate star through his students but hadn’t been interested. He buried himself in experiments, until he received a message.

The email sent directly by the Male Zerg Protection Association was like a death summons. The sharp alert tone rang out, and Sylph’s forehead twitched as he reluctantly opened it.

It was a date request from that male insect.

Sylph hadn’t received a message like this in a long time. As an S-rank female zerg, only A-rank or above males could compel him to accept a date. Only above S-rank could force a match. Normally, A-rank male insects had no shortage of followers and would not pay much attention to a female insect who had passed the proper marriage age.

But now, this message was unmistakably in front of him, naming him specifically, with the time set for tonight. Sylph took a deep breath, almost biting down on his white teeth.

Damn it! Couldn’t it have come earlier or later? Why now of all times?

Still, unwilling or not, he had to attend. Sylph forced himself to tidy his appearance, changed into appropriate clothing, cursed “damn it” several times to vent, and then drove to the hotel.

At the door of the private room, he drew a deep breath and slowly knocked.

Sylph put on a polite, perfunctory smile, took the male insect’s wrist, raised it to his lips, and placed a light kiss.

He forced a smile and spoke in an exaggerated, operatic tone:

“Oh, to be chosen from among thousands of female zergs, to become Your Excellency’s first date… I am truly honored…”

Before he could finish saying “honored,” it was as if someone had grabbed his throat, he choked abruptly.

Sylph had now clearly seen the male zerg’s face.

Qu Xia’s hand was still held in his, the back of his hand less than twenty centimeters from Sylph’s lips. The male zerg’s face was a mix of embarrassment and shock, eyes wide with fear.

“Pro-professor…” Qu Xia trembled. “It’s me…”