“So, what happens if the evolution fails?” Luo Jia asked.
Cecil parted his thin lips and said nonchalantly, “You will die.”
Luo Jia instantly felt that Cecil wasn’t quite as handsome as before. He asked cautiously, “Then how can I succeed in evolving?”
Cecil was satisfied with his question. “Very good. You weren’t paralyzed by the fear of death. Naturally, there is a way. Only through ‘Cocooning and Rebirth’ can you successfully evolve.”
Is it too late for me to back out now? Luo Jia’s face fell, but he asked, “If I’m unfortunate enough to die, what are the consequences?”
Cecil replied, “We will hold a grand funeral for you, observe three days of silence, and wait for the arrival of the next Mother.”
Luo Jia:
For some reason, he felt Cecil was becoming increasingly biting.
Noticing Luo Jia’s expression, Cecil realized he had been a bit too blunt. He coughed twice, regaining his holy demeanor. “Since we have mentioned the cocoon, Lord Luo Jia, are you truly prepared to become a real member of the Zerg?”
Luo Jia asked, “I have one more question.”
Cecil raised his chin slightly, signaling him to proceed. “Speak.”
“Why do you need a Broodmother so badly?”
Cecil was somewhat surprised; this was common knowledge among all interstellar races. However, considering Luo Jia was young and had grown up on a trash planet with little exposure, he began to explain: “It is because of the Hive Mind Zerg Net.”
“Zerg can easily lose their sanity and regress into creatures governed purely by instinct. Only the Mother’s Hive Mind can link our collective consciousness and help us maintain our reason.”
Luo Jia asked, “How… do the Zerg reproduce?”
Cecil smiled. “In short, it is not as you imagine. It does not require you to personally… spawn.” He emphasized the word ‘personally.’
Luo Jia: “…” Heh, this guy still remembers what I said last time? He realized that beneath Cecil’s noble and holy exterior lay a very sharp, poisonous tongue.
“Do not keep interrupting; listen to me carefully,” Cecil continued. “Speaking of reproduction, our Zerg method relies on the water in the Life Pool and the Life Tree nourished by that water. You will see this for yourself after your cocooning.”
Luo Jia had been feeling very sleepy lately. Even though Cecil was beautiful and his voice pleasant, he couldn’t help but yawn.
Cecil set down the book. “You look exhausted. Did you not sleep well last night?”
Luo Jia shook his head. “I slept well, but I’m just so sleepy.”
Cecil nodded. Because Luo Jia never complained or cried, Cecil had forgotten that he was just a young Mother who had just completed a long, grueling journey.
Luo Jia said sheepishly, “Keep talking, I definitely won’t doze off.”
“I am glad you enjoy my lectures,” Cecil said. “However, I am not a terribly strict teacher. Today’s lesson ends here. It is now ‘Larva Snack Time’.”
As soon as Cecil finished speaking, Zerg attendants arrived carrying freshly gathered nectar, fresh fruits, and various small pastries. Luo Jia caught the sweet scent of the nectar; his mouth watered, and he felt a sudden urge to dance.
Cecil sighed. Truly a larva. He was curious: what kind of Zerg would this Mother become after breaking out of her cocoon?
“Eat. These are all good for you,” Cecil said.
Luo Jia pinched a golden, transparent square pastry and handed it to Cecil. “You have some too.”
Cecil wanted to say he wasn’t a child and didn’t need such things… but seeing Luo Jia’s expectant eyes, he didn’t refuse.
Very sweet. That was Cecil’s impression.
Luo Jia felt bad hogging all the food while Cecil watched; sharing brought joy. However, Cecil didn’t look like someone who enjoyed sweets, so the rest belonged to him! Hehe.
Suddenly, an attendant rushed over. Cecil saw him from a distance, and his relaxed mood vanished. He said to Luo Jia, “Rest here. I have matters to attend to.”
Luo Jia saw Cecil was leaving, which meant the lesson really was over. He nodded quickly. “Go ahead! Don’t mind me!”
His impatient attitude almost made Cecil laugh in annoyance. Out of spite, Cecil picked up the very last pastry from Luo Jia’s plate, ate it, and said, “It’s delicious. Thank you for the treat, Lord Luo Jia.”
Luo Jia was dumbstruck. “Wait… you cheated…”
“Mm-hmm,” Cecil hummed with satisfaction and left.
Luo Jia: “What kind of person is he?! Hmph!”
Listening to Luo Jia’s grumbling from a distance, Cecil found it quite amusing, and the fatigue of the past few days seemed to lighten. However, when the attendant finally reached him, Cecil’s heart grew heavy.
The attendant was pale and trembling. “Lord Priest… the Mother is gone.”
“What?” Cecil’s brow furrowed. “When did he disappear?”
The antennae on the attendant’s head were twitching uncontrollably. “Just now, about fifteen minutes ago. The Mother said he wanted water. When I returned from pouring it, he was gone!”
Cecil said calmly, “Do not make a scene here. Take me to where the Mother was last seen.”
“Yes!”
Cecil moved quickly, soon vanishing from the garden.
Luo Jia, sipping his nectar, wasn’t entirely sure what had happened, but he had caught the sudden change in Cecil’s expression before his hurried departure. It seemed like something very important.
After finishing his snacks and nectar, Luo Jia picked up the book Cecil had left behind and started reading it himself.
“After breaking the cocoon, the Broodmother will become a true Zerg… possessing Zerg traits… and may even transform into a full Zerg form…”
Luo Jia felt a belated sense of dread. He stared blankly at the book. If he became a Broodmother… could he ever return to the human world? If he became a Mother… would he be unable to fall in love?
Luo Jia liked men. But he had never been in a relationship… Still, he wasn’t even on Earth anymore; becoming a Zerg probably wasn’t the worst thing in the world.
He figured since things had already come to this, being a Broodmother was inevitable. Thinking too much was useless. If you can’t resist life, lie down and enjoy it. He wondered if the Sled Three Idiots had made it home.
Suddenly, Luo Jia heard a rustling sound from the flower bed. Is something in there? Curiously, he stood up from his small table and walked toward the flowers.
The plants were swaying and leaning despite there being no wind. Luo Jia thought about his combat ability and figured that, at the very least, he could scream for help. He reached out and parted the flowers.
There, he saw a beautiful youth dressed in a white, Greek-style robe hiding among the roses. His eyes were misty with tears as he shook his head at Luo Jia.
“Ugh. please don’t.