Knowing that she should not let Liu Shu let loose so easily in front of Xakira and the others, Aionthra gently reminded Liu Shu. "Mother, you are getting distracted."
Liu Shu, who was speaking about her eldest Alraune, Dewna, paused and blinked. Then, she cleared her throat and returned to her normal self. "Ahem. Sorry for that. I get distracted when I speak about my children."
Queen Xakira answered elegantly, dispelling the awkwardness. "Don't worry, I am the same. While my children are a bit more feisty, I do understand that being the mother of many, your children become a source of joy and pride."
Queen Xakira, as the strongest female hornet, naturally had endless suitors. With a mindset leaning toward reproduction, there were not that many conventional ties between couples. Therefore, the number of men who basically threw themselves at her was numerous, leading to a good pool of fathers for Xakira to have children with.
With a short reproductive cycle thanks to the independent larvae and pupae states of an insectoid, Xakira alone could have even more children than Liu Shu. Still, she was not nearly close to the Level of someone like Ignatia. At most, Xakira would have around 50 to 100 children a year, while on average, the numbers fluctuate more between 20 and 40.
Liu Shu smiled, nodding to herself. 'Mhm! Xakira is quite good! I hope the talks go well.'
While she had some personal liking toward her, she would show no favoritism if Xakira didn't show signs of being cooperative. 'Well, with the attitude she has shown until now, there should not be much to worry about.'
Soon, the group arrived at the meeting room. Once they entered, Xakira saw around 10 people waiting for her. They were Ignatia, Flor, Xalis, Zerrek, Rhex, the four Sylvans, and Aurelius.
Aurelius's presence was requested by Ignatia herself. After all, this man's business practices when it came to diplomacy and creating contracts that balanced the needs of two parties were so exceptional that even Liu Shu sang praises for him.
Of the five top-tier merchants, only she and Selene were the ones that Liu Shu generally approved of. Of the other three, one was killed, while the other two were reluctantly spared to not cause too much chaos.
As years had passed since then, Liu Shu's choice had turned out to be the correct one. Cassian and Virelya were adapting to the Golden Sap Empire, and their practices became more "honest" over time.
They had some warnings here and there as old habits resurfaced, but nothing worth punishing. Moreover, since they corrected it the moment it was flagged, no one pointed fingers or found them underhanded.
Queen Xakira looked at everyone present with her compound eyes without the need to move her head. Her gaze lingered on Xalis and Ignatia for a little while. She, not afraid or wanting to make herself look like a weak party, took the lead.
"I am Queen Xakira, leader of a Star System power made of over 20 solar systems. I come here today as a representative of my species to ally ourselves with the Golden Sap Empire."
Ignaita took the lead on the other side, speaking with a faint smile and a similarly authoritative presence. "I am Ignatia Tianlan, mother of the Heavenly Willow and Queen of all ants within the Golden Sap Empire. I am glad that you, as a superior power, have come to discuss an alliance with us."
Queen Xakira nodded and sat down. 'Mother?' She searched her memories, and soon, she recalled one of the many letters that Xalis sent her. 'Right, the World Tree seems to have two humanoid mothers, one was a fairy, while the other was the Humanoid Ant Queen.'
She looked at the calm red-haired and red-eyed fairy sipping tea, and quickly guessed her identity. 'Hm? Her species… Flower Fairy!? Why was there no information about her? Does Xalis not know that she is a Flower Fairy? Or did that girl forget the significance of the legendary Flower Fairy?'
She didn't show anything outwardly, and her thoughts moved extremely quickly. So, without making the conversation awkward, Xakira nodded at Ignatia and turned her head toward Xalis. "Girl, did you really turn tail?"
Xalis looked at her own mother without fear. She smiled faintly and spoke. "Mother, as we are now, my strength might be enough to dethrone you. So, I wouldn't act so arrogantly even when I am your daughter."
Xakira's eyes flashed with surprise. Xalis was one of her few children who didn't really care about the throne. She was someone free and unfettered, acting as she pleased. That's why she was roaming the galaxy with her group of pirates. Sometimes, Xalis would be the savior, and other times, she would become a thief.
While Xalis did not slaughter innocents for fun, she was, in the end, a mercenary. Being paid enough, Xalis's pirate group did not shrink back from almost any job offer.
"Those are… bold words."
Xalis shook her head. "Mother, believe me, you might have witnessed Lady Heavenly Willow's strength. However, that's far from being the most outrageous characteristic. I won't say much, but I will advise you to forget that this place is a Solar System power. Treat it as a place with the potential to reach a Nebula Ranked Empire."
Xakira's calm face tensed as she frowned deeply at Xalis. "Child, do you understand what you are saying? Nebula Ranked Empires are insurmountable existences with
Xalis naturally understood that, but she didn't continue, just shaking her head and becoming silent once more.
Ignatia jumped into the conversation at this time, smoothing things over. "While what Xalis said might be an exaggeration, I do believe that Lady Heavenly Willow's existence can uplift us to become a fierce competitor."
Queen Xakira looked at the Humanoid Ant Queen in thought. "Is that something the reason for an existence such as yourself and that fairy by your side decided to become her underlings?"
Flor blinked, slightly confused. 'Why was I targeted by this Queen so suddenly?'
Ignatia answered calmly. "No, that's not the reason. The first time I saw Liu Shu was when she had not even reached Level 10. At that time, Liu Shu was just a nobody. The reason Flor and I support her is, simply, because she is our child. That's beside the point, though. We won't be biased just because of that."
A small white lie. Ignatia would, of course, always be extremely biased toward her cuddly big girl. Whoever dared to offend her baby would be met by her billions of ants.
Queen Xakira's advisors frowned. They had been listening silently, but they were unable to follow the Ant Queen's thoughts. For them, and almost any other Insectoid, Humanoid Ant Queens were arrogant, selfish, brutal, and with an insatiable desire to conquer and swallow everything with their endless armies of ants.
While Queen Xakira could tell that Ignatia was a very young Humanoid Ant Queen, she would never underestimate her. With a single wave of Ignatia's hand, millions of ants would throw themselves at whoever she pointed at, killing them through sheer number advantage.
Even a Level 200 individual would need to tread with caution when facing a
"Alright, from your and Xalis's words, I can tell that your confidence in the Heavenly Willow is deep-seated and factual. You are not speaking empty words. However, I want at least to have some proof. Because I know, the moment you ally yourself with a True World Tree, unless you can outpace their growth, you will eventually be swallowed into their domain. It is a matter of course."
Ignatia was not surprised by Xakira's words. So, she looked over at Harmonixia. The tall Sylvan stood up, walking over as her wide and plump hips swayed elegantly.
With just a few steps, Harmonixia arrived at Xakira's side and placed a few pieces of paper in front of her. "Please, take a look, Your Majesty."
Then, she returned to her own seat.
Xakira looked down and began reading. At first, she was confused. However, as she read down, her fingers tightened around the edges, faintly crumpling the papers.
"...Is what is written here the truth?"
Ignatia smiled. "Liu Shu."
Knowing what she wanted, Liu Shu focused on Xakira and gave her all five buffs from her
In an instant, five messages appeared in Xakira's eyes.
[Congratulations! You've received
[Congratulations! You've received
[Congratulations! You've received
[Congratulations! You've received
[Congratulations! You've received
The advisors around Xakira suddenly felt her aura transform, becoming several times more profound. It felt as if Xakira had used some sort of ultimate move to increase her strength.
Before, the advisors felt that Xakira was strong. Now, they felt a sense of pure oppression from her presence alone.
Xakira froze for a moment as she read in detail through the blessings that, just a moment ago, felt fake and exaggerated on the paper she had read. Now that they coursed within her, she couldn't help but look at Xalis with a wry smile. "No wonder you told me those words previously. These five blessings are indeed enough capital for the Golden Sap Empire to develop like an unstoppable machine."
Xalis didn't say anything, instead thinking. 'If that surprises you, when you receive Lady Heavenly Willow's personal blessings, Mother might need a good cup of
Xalis stood up and went to the side to prepare tea.
Queen Xakira asked, curious. "How many people can receive these blessings? Depending on the number, you can indeed create a large number of powerful elites that can oppress those at their same
Ignatia leaned back faintly and smiled. "They are domain-wide blessings."
Xakira would've blinked if she had eyelids. "Come again?"
Ignatia chuckled. "These five blessings are domain-wide. Wherever Liu Shu's roots reach, these blessings will be available to a certain extent."
Hearing the last sentence, Xakira's agitated mood calmed down. "So, there are indeed conditions."
Ignatia nodded, revealing a little bit more. "These blessings will reach out everywhere as long as Liu Shu plants a
Queen Xakira pondered, curious. "How long do these seeds need to grow? 100 years? Even if it is double that, it would still be incredible."
Ignatia chuckled. "One week without preparation. Instantly with preparation."
After all, as long as the
"..."
Queen Xakira saw Xalis approach with a cup of tea, and she reached out, taking a sip to relax a little. Sadly for her, the effect triggered.
[You've drunk [Congratulations! You've been affected by an "..." Xakira wanted to express too many things, and none of them would have appropriate language.