Immediately following the call, the iconic fire-red hair of Ylair appeared on the screen.
Upon seeing Ylair, Samuel raised an eyebrow slightly, appearing somewhat surprised.
“Good day, Colonel Ylair,” he responded calmly, then added as if providing an afterthought, “Your mental state seems quite good, Colonel.”
It was more than just good. Back on the main planet, Samuel had never seen Ylair in such a stable mental condition. He looked like a completely different person. Despite having the same face as before, his cheeks were visibly ruddy with a healthy glow, a bright smile touched the corners of his eyes, and his entire being radiated a vigorous energy.
“Hehe,” Ylair cleared his throat, his voice filled with joy. “This is all thanks to Lord Winslow.”
Samuel’s finger tapping on the desk paused. He subtly leaned forward as he listened to Ylair continue.
“A few days ago, while I was out on a mission, I was ambushed by a hidden interstellar beast. My mental sea was contaminated and began to collapse. I completely lost my sanity. Fortunately, Lord Winslow was there.” Ylair exhaled a sigh of relief, looking down for a moment. “I thought I was going to die on the border planet, but Lord Winslow performed mental grooming on me.”
Ylair looked up again with excitement, his black eyes sparkling as he looked at Marshal Samuel through the screen. His tone was fervent and full of admiration, mixed with a hint of disbelief. “Marshal, do you know? Lord Winslow’s mental purification level is one hundred percent!”
Thud.
A folder by Samuel’s hand was accidentally knocked to the floor.
“What is it? Is something wrong, Marshal?” Ylair’s excitement was interrupted by the sound of the falling folder, and he asked with confusion.
“It is nothing,” Samuel shook his head gently. “The folder was placed too close to the edge. The wind must have blown it down.”
“Oh, I see. Did you call me for something important, Marshal?” Ylair seemed to just remember the reason for the call. He assumed the Marshal had called for military matters or to issue new orders.
“I called to ask about the current situation on the border planet,” Samuel replied. Seeing that Ylair no longer mentioned the Male, Samuel lowered his eyelids to conceal a dark glint in his eyes. “Once I finish the official business on the main planet, I will head to the border. Until then, thank you for your hard work.”
“It is no trouble at all!” The excitement and admiration in Ylair’s eyes were uncontrollable. “I pledge my life to the Marshal! I pledge my life to the Federation!”
Samuel nodded slowly, and the video communication was quickly disconnected.
Samuel remained in the same position for a long time after the call ended. Eventually, the Marshal leaned down and picked up the document he had knocked over in his surprise.
Given Ylair’s current state, he was likely no longer fit to monitor that Male on his behalf. Samuel decided he needed to accelerate his work on the main planet so he could personally go to the border and meet that Male. His gaze grew deeper.
One hundred percent mental purification.
A storm brewed in Samuel’s eyes. Regardless of where this person came from or what his purpose was, since he had arrived among the Zerg, he would stay with the Zerg forever.
“Achoo!”
Winslow sniffed, his eyes welling with tiny tears from the sneeze. Then, his right eye twitched twice. He curled his index finger and rubbed the tip of his nose, paying it no mind.
His thoughts were still on the mental grooming work. According to Chris’s schedule, he could start working in his mental grooming room tomorrow. It felt novel to him. This was his first job, and he wondered if anyone would actually show up.
Under Chris’s supervision, a spacious, bright, and beautiful mental grooming room was quickly completed.
“This is it, My Lord. This is your mental grooming room,” Chris said respectfully as he stepped forward to open the door for Winslow.
This room was entirely out of character for the style of the military district. Curtains made of an unknown gauze fluttered in the breeze. Standing by the window, one could see the best scenery the border planet had to offer, though it was still quite desolate.
The outer room featured a desk and chairs made of ebony for resting. The chairs were fitted with soft interstellar cotton cushions that looked incredibly comfortable.
Winslow stepped inside and pushed open a small inner door to find a bedroom for resting. It was almost identical to his current bedroom, but it included a large wardrobe. He looked at the mysterious-looking wardrobe with curiosity.
Chris explained, “The wardrobe contains clothes suitable for you. They are the latest styles purchased and sent from the main planet. Please see if you like these styles. If not, I will replace them for you.”
Sure enough, when Winslow opened the cabinet, expensive-looking clothes were neatly arranged inside. He reached out to touch them; the fabric was extremely delicate and soft, even if the styles were unfamiliar to him. To make it easier for him to choose, Chris had bought almost every color scheme. It was truly thoughtful.
Winslow shook his head, “These clothes are more than enough. Thank you.”
It was more than just enough; he could likely wear them for an entire year. Winslow thought about how he was already deep in debt before even starting work. These clothes clearly cost a fortune, and he wondered how long he would have to work to pay off the debt.
Chris did not know what Winslow was thinking. If he knew that Winslow intended to use his grooming work to pay him back, he would likely be shocked and hurriedly insist that it was unnecessary.
He then took Winslow to another room, which was the actual mental grooming room.
Upon opening the door, Winslow carefully observed the layout. It was a simple, pure white style. There was a very sturdy-looking chair intended to restrain military insects and a soft, comfortable interstellar cotton chair clearly prepared for him. For security reasons, the room was also equipped with a shock device, chains, and a mental control instrument.
It looks like a punishment room, Winslow thought. He felt a slight chill and shivered imperceptibly.
After Winslow finished his inspection, Chris spoke at a steady pace, “Lord Winslow, for the sake of your safety and health, you only need to perform mental grooming for two star-hours a day.”
Winslow was stunned. What? Only two star-hours?
He had just been preparing to put his full effort into the work. How many could he possibly groom in only two star-hours?
Chris was doing this intentionally. He had to ensure the safety of the Male. Given Winslow’s speed, he could complete a grooming session in half a star-hour. Two star-hours meant four sessions at most, though Chris privately felt that four was already too many.
Winslow frowned slightly, “Only two star-hours a day? That means I will have a lot of free time.” He had wanted to use this work to measure the upper limits of his mental power.
“Lord Winslow, you may allocate the remaining time as you wish. You can have a military insect accompany you for a walk or do things you enjoy.”
“But there are many in the military district who need mental grooming,” Winslow insisted.
Chris remained firm on the two-hour rule, “The mental seas of the military insects can never be fully groomed. We are already extremely honored that you are providing grooming for some of them.”
“Very well,” Winslow said, giving up the argument. He thought that if he worked faster, he could finish grooming all those with pollution problems. Over time, he could still measure his mental limits.
With that thought, Winslow prepared to begin his first day of mental grooming work.