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| The Beloved Little Mother Insect (LITTLE MOTHER) |
As the new day arrived, Hui and Ega continued their journey with their Little Mother Insect.
Traveling from the northern to the eastern region of the Irradiated Wasteland meant crossing endless yellow sands, and the hordes of Beasts drawn by the faint fragrance emanating from Pearl were endless.
To ensure Pearl’s safety, no matter how many Beasts pursued and surrounded them, one of them, Hui or Ega, always remained by Pearl’s side to protect him, while the other charged into battle while swinging his pincer limbs.
Violence, slaughter, and the blood of Beasts—these were what the two Narga People had encountered most frequently in recent days.
Fortunately, their efforts had not been in vain.
The little Artificial Human sheltered beneath the wings of the giant monster remained safe, with only his robes stained by blood and his soft white long hair braided by Ega using his Tail Hook. He looked almost exactly the same as the day they first met.
On the fifth day of advancing toward the eastern district, as Ega coiled the Little Mother Insect with his Tail Hook and Hui disposed of a newly arrived swarm of Beast scorpions, Pearl, who had been anxiously waiting, sniffed the air. "Is... is it over?"
He caught the scent of blood.
Ega tilted his head, his Compound Eyes fully reflecting the image of the little Artificial Human.
The moment he was drawn in by the other's voice, he instinctively wanted to extend his snake-like sharp tongue to taste Pearl's scent.
But Hui, who had just shaken off the blood, was faster.
Hui blocked Ega's intent with his forelimbs, his buzzing carrying a hint of warning.
Then, he said to Pearl—
"It's over."
【You needn't to worry.】
While Ega instinctively drew closer to the Little Mother Insect, Hui provided the necessary sense of security through careful observation and assessment.
Pearl breathed a sigh of relief, but soon bit his lip, seemingly troubled by something yet unsure how to bring it up.
Hui, ever attentive and perceptive, lowered his head and gazed at Pearl's anxious, vacant expression.
【Is something troubling you?】
Pearl pressed his lips together. "...D-Don't you need soothing?"
These past few days, he seemed no longer needed—this feeling unsettled Pearl, making him fear he had become useless.
Hui paused briefly in surprise.
After a moment of silence, his razor-sharp pincer leg carefully lifted and gently brushed through the ends of Pearl's hair.
【...I do need it.】
His mouthparts opened and closed, producing complex murmurs incomprehensible to humans yet directly understood by Pearl's mind.
【My apologies, I had forgotten.】
【I do require your soothing.】
【Now, would you be willing to engage in psionic power soothing with me?】
In that instant, Pearl's hazy light blue eyes relaxed into a soft smile.
Thank goodness—he was still useful.
...
Psionic power soothing—
This was a term known to all Narga People, though it only appeared during the era when the Mother Insect existed.
What Pearl understood as "soothing" was essentially the same as psionic power soothing, but for the Narga People, soothing went deeper. It required the "Mother" to establish a psionic link with their Offspring to achieve a more profound level of comfort and purification.
In Narga history, psionic power soothing had another name: elementary psionic bonding. This signified that the relationship between the Mother Insect and their Offspring could reach a new level of intimacy—transcending that of ruler and subject, yet far from that of partners.
"...Wh-What should I do?"
Pearl asked.
He was completely inexperienced as he knew very little about the Narga or psionic power. Though possessing great treasure within, he naively laid everything bare before Hui. Had he encountered someone malicious...
Hui's compound eyes shifted slightly as he used his pincer leg to take the Little Mother Insect from Ega.
Had he encountered someone malicious, he might have been chained, caged, and drained of his psionic power inch by inch, left whimpering and gasping like a small animal, and collapsing tearlessly into someone's embrace.
Hui thought, fortunately, he had met him instead.
He wasn't that bad, but perhaps... not entirely good either.
【Relax, Pearl—just relax.】
【I will guide you.】
Currently, only Hui—with his awakened consciousness—could establish a psionic link with the Little Mother Insect to ease his anxieties. As for Ega... a beast driven primarily by instinct, Hui truly feared he might startle Pearl.
Hearing Hui's gentle voice, Pearl suppressed his tension and closed his eyes.
He obediently relaxed, so much so that in the familiar darkness, he glimpsed strands of deep blue.
Pearl instinctively knew that was Hui's psionic power.
【Pearl, approach it.】
【Then try to touch it.】
As Pearl attempted psionic power soothing, Ega stood guard nearby with his dark compound eyes shimmering with boundless longing and envy.
After various planetary races entered the interstellar era, the existence of psionic power became tangible, yet it remained profoundly mysterious. Textbook materials could compile it into written content, but most of it required individuals to perceive through personal experience.
This was an energy that couldn't be understood through words alone—it demanded countless attempts and rigorous training.
Yet Pearl—an Artificial Human deemed defective by the auction house—effortlessly grasped that sensation as he seized the strands of deep blue psionic power within the void of darkness.
The moment the connection formed, he was dragged into turbulent depths.
They resembled boiling molten steel—icy yet violently intense—utterly incomparable to the ordinary "soothing" he had known before.
The overwhelming, terrifying pressure that surged toward him came to an abrupt halt just before impact, reined in by the master of the waves and pulled back into the abyss.
Like a drenched fledgling bird, the small Artificial Human tumbled onto the shoreline of the psionic world, as his damp hair tousled by the sea breeze.
The tide rose and icy waters washed over Pearl's ankles, lingering covetously before receding with the dampness. It was his first time "seeing" the raging sea—boundless, beast-like, and far more vivid than any human description could convey.
What an awe-inspiring world...
Then, the psionic link abruptly severed.
The moment the ocean vanished, a faint, hazy glimmer seemed to break through the gloomy sky.
In reality, Pearl was left curled within massive forelimbs and panting softly with his lashes damp with uncontrollable tears.
Ega's Tail Hook swiftly coiled around Pearl's waist, wrapping him within the Scales to offer support.
Pearl trembled lightly, unable to control himself.
His slightly damp hair rested against the Tail Hook, finding a sliver of security.
"Did... did I fail?"
His voice quivered, laced with unease.
【No...】
The cool yet gentle voice grew slightly hoarse.
The rigid giant monster paused as its dense, hard scales shifted across its body to forcibly suppress the nearly emerged grasping appendages stirred by genetic agitation.
He remained gentle and gentlemanly.
【You did very well.】
So well that he nearly succumbed to his darker impulses.
Hui lowered his head, gazing at the tiny Artificial Human.
【Please rest now.】
This response drew a cautious smile from Pearl, but his body, yielding to exhaustion, soon fell into a deep slumber.
Though it lasted only a brief moment, it had left him utterly drained.
Unaware of how much time had passed, Pearl remained oblivious to its flow in his sleep.
When he faintly heard some noise, it felt unfamiliar yet unexpectedly pleasant—reminiscent of the grand nobles who visited the auction house adorned in ornate masks...
No, far more captivating than their voices.
Luxurious, elegant, and even... golden?
Like dazzling sunlight.
Pearl drowsily opened his eyes to the same unchanging darkness. He sensed something enormous approaching and seemingly sniffing him as its gentle breath brushing his abdomen and stirring a wave of heat.
【What a beautiful little one.】
【Exquisite, fragile, oh—you say his name is Pearl?】
【A lovely name, pearl, pearl... as adorable as he is.】
Beautiful?
And where exactly is he adorable?
He's just a defective product, an unsellable loss...
Pearl inwardly refuted—such praise felt too distant from him.
In the environment where Artificial Humans were raised after their creation, compared to complimentary words, what he most frequently heard were various forms of belittlement and scolding.
——Prolonged disparagement is enough to reshape a person's character.
【My beautiful little pearl, why are you frowning?】
【Did you have a nightmare?】
That elegant voice continued, carrying a touch of friendly teasing. He seemed to enjoy and excel at giving compliments, sincerely admiring everything about Pearl. Even though Pearl secretly refuted it in his heart, he couldn't help but feel a faint, sweet happiness.
Amid this cautious delight, Pearl relaxed his brow and turned toward the source of the voice—elegant, gentlemanly, with a pure intimacy, as if it were entirely natural for him to call you "darling"—
【A formal greeting to you, my esteemed little pearl.】
Olovikin was a born social daredevil.
Hui had once told him that this newly born king of the Narga, their revered Mother Insect, did not seem to particularly enjoy being called "Mother." As the Chief of the Golden Royal Guard, Olovikin, who had ingrained noble etiquette into his very bloodline, would naturally not cause the other any displeasure.
Pearl tilted his head, strands of hair at his temples falling onto his shoulders, instantly attracting several heated gazes.
He asked, "Wh-who are you?"
Are you a companion of Hui and Ega? Have you also come to find your... Mother?
The opulent platinum-colored monster gave a slight bow, his lustrous Elytra dragging marks across the desert.
His relatively slender forelimbs were clasped together in front of him—a standard gentleman's gesture.
【Please forgive my rudeness for forgetting to introduce myself.】
【I am Olovikin.】
Olovikin, whose original form was a dazzling, scorching platinum gold, was part of the Royal Guard passed down from the ancient era of the Old Insect Race. Elegance and splendor were instincts etched into their bones.
This was a lineage of natural nobility.
Even the most licentious requests, when spoken by them, would likely be filled with nothing but extravagant elegance and sophistication.
So this was the newly born king...
Fragile, beautiful, as if easily controllable.
He was their... Mother.
While Pearl was still in a daze, the platinum-colored monster gently lifted the little Artificial Human's hand with his forelimb, the tip of his limb pressing inch by inch against the other's palm. Then, Olovikin bent down and softly placed a genuine kiss on the back of his hand.
——Even in the form of a giant beast.
Pearl silently bit his lip and his fingers trembled slightly as they rested on the platinum-colored limbs. A strange chill crept up the nape of his neck.
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