Extraordinary Pedigree.

Chapter 980 Internal Forces of the Peaceful Nation

The Queen's response was clear-headed and pragmatic. Power is never built on a whim, especially when facing a being who has shattered countless planes and left his mark on all the worlds as a tyrant. Clarity knew very well that if he were to test or be arrogant at this moment, even if it was just a mistake in words, it could lead to the destruction of the entire Jawbone City.

Xia Xiu simply nodded slightly.

He showed no satisfaction, nor any excessive mockery; he simply maintained his usual demeanor.

Clarity wasn't in a hurry to reveal his hand, and he wisely didn't force himself to. He was a wise man who knew when to yield, and he preferred to deal with people who understood the situation.

The silver cane struck the ground with a "thud," like a starting signal, announcing the beginning of a brand new dialogue.

“Very well,” Xia Xiu smiled calmly, “then we can talk slowly.”

At that moment, a slight electrical fluctuation sounded in the void.

Amund's figure, like a ghost constructed from data, slowly appeared beside Xia Xiu.

Only Xia Xiu can see this data ghost.

“Tsk,” Armand snorted, looking around the throne room with his hands in his trench coat pockets. “Another bunch of guys sitting high on their thrones with two more antennae on their heads than others, thinking they can control their own destiny.”

"But this queen ant... is quite sensible, she didn't let you do anything."

As a veteran angel of heaven, Amond's affinity for other races is undoubtedly negative.

After all, the number of alien races that died at the hands of this old guy was at least several hundred, if not a thousand—note that this is based on races and civilizations, not individuals.

Xia Xiu ignored Amond's electronically-tinged teasing in his ear.

“Clariti, you probably already guessed part of why I’m here. So, I think we can try to cooperate. I need to understand the current situation in the peaceful country first before we can talk about cooperation.”

His tone wasn't aggressive, but it possessed an undeniable aura of authority.

The enormous queen responded by bowing slightly. Her compound eyes trembled slightly, and her antennae quivered gently in the air—a cautious and subtle emotional response, neither fear nor indifference, but rather respect for an existence that could not be ignored.

She didn't answer immediately, but instead used a moment to activate her thought process.

Then, Queen Clarity's deep voice resonated with mental energy, her tone as steady and rhythmic as a low hum of a bee:

"Since you have asked so frankly, I may speak frankly. I can briefly outline the internal structure and major powers of the peaceful nation."

Her voice seemed to be choreographed from a collective consciousness system, with a highly compressed style of information density, yet it did not lose its elegance and order.

"If you seek deeper understanding, you must first learn of Mount Clangerdin—one of the oldest centers of power on the surface of the Kingdom of Peace. That cone-shaped sacred mountain, over 9144 meters high, is perpetually shrouded in mist and thunder. According to legend, it was forged by the dwarf hero Clangerdin Silverbeard himself, and is the most complete masterpiece among the temples of the artisans."

With a gentle twitch of her limbs, a mountain-shaped structure appeared on the light screen.

Its interior is intricate and complex, a kingdom and a nest of forges—hearths, springs, corridors, temples… all carved by the dwarves themselves. The Kranlotinian royal family rules within, honing their skills day and night. Outsiders, if treated with sincerity, can also obtain the finest weaponry and warriors.

Immediately afterwards, her compound eyes slightly lifted, and she paused in her speech:
"And if we were to discuss the most authoritative natural controller in the entire peaceful kingdom, it would undoubtedly be the Storm King."

The Four Symbols Court, composed of three kings and one queen, holds the power over thunder, wind, clouds, and rain. Although they are not gods, they control the natural control mechanism that connects different planes and also possess the appearance of being crowned.

Their castles soared into the clouds, their shapes influenced by the climates they controlled—the Wind King's towers rotated perpetually; lightning crackled constantly in the Thunder King's domain; white mist often hovered around the Cloud Queen's palace; and the Rain King resided beneath layers of clouds, his raindrops ever-present.

She spoke slightly slower and continued explaining:

"These people don't like disturbances, but if climate laws are broken, they will unite and take action."

When she mentioned the last name, Queen Clarity paused for half a second—at that moment, subtle electrical ripples of nerve energy emanated from her body, clearly indicating that this was not something she could casually recount.

"...And of course, there's Saint Cuthbert."

That is the true arbiter in a peaceful country.

"This being wielding the punishment stick is not a conceptual deity; He possesses complete agency and the power to intervene."

Her tone slowed, as if to make sure Xia Xiu could hear every word:

"His synagogue stands in the center of a paradise, a thousand-meter-high palace, at the very center of which is the Throne of Truth, where His every war and victory against Hell is recorded. He is revered not only for His power, but also for His clear understanding. He hears, judges, pronounces judgments, and commands many extremely devout to carry out His commands."

She lowered her head gently:

"If Your Excellency intends to undertake profound operations in the Kingdom of Peace, you must avoid Saint Cuthbert's domain, or... face His gaze directly."

After listening to the Queen's introduction, Xia Xiu stroked his chin with his fingers, his golden eyes calm. He didn't speak immediately, but instead quickly integrated and analyzed the complex information in his mind.

The Storm Kings... four demigods who control the climate system of the entire paradise. They are not gods, but they have the power of demigods. In addition, they sit in the high-altitude castles around the Pearl of Day and Night, so they obviously have complete dimensional authority.

This type of character already possesses the typical characteristics of a crowned being—a first threshold, and a computational efficiency similar to that of the queen ant in front of them, both around 10 trillion per second.

And that Saint Cuthbert holding the punishment stick… Xia Xiu narrowed his eyes slightly.

A deity of medium divine power is not weak even in the Golden Court. More importantly, he has the blessing of a divine kingdom and is a native being of the secluded paradise—a typical plane lord.

In other words, He is not some alien deity who projected His divine status here, but a divine will entity that truly possesses the protection of the entire plane.

As long as He sits on the throne of truth, if Xia Xiu were to confront Him, He would inevitably be subjected to intensified suppression by the entire dimensional structure, as difficult as going against the current in the Etheric Ocean.

This is a bit tricky.

Although he is also a mechanic-driven and numerically-driven monster with many cheat codes, Saint Cuthbert, as a plane master, possesses a huge plane home field advantage and the power of the rules, so in a head-on confrontation, the opponent is not afraid.

As he analyzed, he continued to press, "So, what about the second and third layers?"

Queen Clarity leaned forward slightly, the tips of her tentacles shimmering faintly, and answered in a tone as steady as if reciting a royal decree:

The second layer is—Buchenus.

She paused and continued:
"It's a land that seems no different from the first layer—lush valleys, naturally formed orchards, tranquil lakes… but its essence is far more complex. It is being summoned and awakened by some deeper force of order, attempting to resist the mechanical realm's continued encroachment on this paradise and to restore the third layer—Melausus." Xia Xiu frowned slightly.

"The largest power there is called the Harmony Society, a militant organization from the Prime Material Plane. They claim to bring order and goodwill, establishing 're-education camps' to correct the mortals of the chaotic alignment. However, it is rumored that their methods are too radical, to the point that Busenus's essence is gradually sliding from 'goodness' towards 'the order of the Machine Realm.' If this transformation continues, Busenus will suffer the same fate as Melousus."

"What happened to Melousus?" Xia Xiu asked.

The third floor... no longer exists.

Queen Clarity's tone carried a rare hint of sadness.

"It was completely swallowed up by the Mechanical Realm thousands of years ago. It's said to have been caused by the colonization by the even older and more thorough ancient Fermi Ants, whose order and spirit were utterly inhumane, ruthless, efficient, and logic-driven. Now, we can't even confirm which region of the Mechanical Realm the former Melousus was located in; we can only speculate that the largest ancient ant colony city was the core of the former Melousus."

“Understood.” Xia Xiu nodded, expressing his appreciation for Queen Clarity’s cooperation and frankness.

Although the other party maintained a cautious and restrained attitude throughout, it was precisely this balance and rationality that laid the foundation for the survival of Jawbone City within the realm of order.

Next, let's get down to business.

He turned his head and his gaze fell on Amund, who appeared like a phantom to the side. The old man was casually sketching some kind of spell in the air with his fingertips, seemingly deconstructing the law system of the local gods of the peaceful kingdom.

"I need to ask you about something else," Xia Xiu thought to himself.

As he raised his silver cane, a vortex of spectral power rippled around him, projecting a holographic pattern into the air.

—It was a symbol composed of minimalist black and white.

In the image, the pentagonal geometric frame resembles a solemn badge, with a monocular box-like structure at its center, like a perspective view of an installation from below: a pointed tower is embedded in an unnaturally flat structure. Against the black background, the icon is as cold and serene as the eye of judgment, yet it carries a certain indescribable sense of spiritual pollution.

A sense of disharmony, originating from a deep layer of spiritual logic, reverberated through the surrounding space.

"I don't know if you recognize this logo," Xia Xiu asked casually.

The air stagnated.

Queen Clarity's reaction was immediate.

Her massive arthropod structure suddenly tightened, all the outer shells covering and encrypting as if in battle. Her head tentacles tilted slightly forward, vibrating out low-frequency warning waves; a vague scarlet glow appeared deep within her amber compound eyes, and even the neuropsychic energy flowing around her suddenly contracted like a shield.

This is an expression of extreme hatred.

Even the extinguished crown ring behind her emitted a halo of light, casting a faint, mechanical, array of flashes across the entire throne area.

Xia Xiu noticed it.

He didn't rush to press for answers, but smiled, his tone gradually becoming more subdued.

"Looks like you recognize this thing."

His gaze was piercing, calm, and ruthless.

"This is one of the real reasons I came here."

He raised his hand and slowly clenched it.

“I am investigating everything related to this sign. If you have any information—whether they are still here or not, or whatever contact you have had with them—please let me know.”

Silence fell once again.

But this time, the silence was enveloped by an extremely oppressive and chilling atmosphere.

Clarity did not respond immediately. She simply stood frozen on the slope in front of the throne, her compound eyes churning like a storm of data, as if recalling something, or perhaps weighing whether her next words would be enough to shake the fragile balance between her and Xia Xiu.

As the emblem of the Fifth Church continued to swirl slowly in the air, an invisible wave emanated from the depths of Queen Clarity's chest, as hard as black iron. It was not speech, but a mental fluctuation that pierced the barriers of language, reaching the very core of consciousness—deep, low-frequency, with a faint metallic echo.
"...Your Excellency, I must ask you: are you enemies or friends with 'them'?"

She was staring at Xia Xiu.

Her compound eyes reflected the minimalist, eerie pattern of the emblem, like two bottomless, multifaceted bodies churning with world-destroying flames. Her carapace faintly emitted heat radiation that only appeared when she was on alert, and her pair of tentacles moved silently, as if detecting any hostility in the air.

But Xia Xiu merely smiled slightly, as if facing an utterly ordinary question. His golden hair shimmered slightly in the blue-gold sunlight streaming through the soaring dome of the throne room, and his silver cane tapped lightly on the ground with a crisp sound.

“It seems you don’t get along with them at all,” he said.

As the words fell, a faint vibration echoed in the air.

"What a coincidence, so am I."

Clarity was stunned. Her compound eyes flickered slightly, and the nail plates on her abdomen slowly tightened, a "hesitation" reaction unique to her race.

She did not answer immediately, but instead re-examined the visitor from outer space before her.

The queen ant's enormous body relaxed slightly, and the mental transmission subtly shifted from cold to warm.

Xia Xiu noticed it, and a smile curved his lips into an almost pleased expression.

He took a step forward, his steps light, yet casting a long and clear shadow on the ground.

"The enemy of my enemy may become my ally."

He stroked the tip of his cane, his eyes calm and serene. "Of course, I won't make promises lightly, nor do I expect you to respond to me easily. But I believe that today's conversation at least proves that we have a foundation for genuine cooperation."

Clarity did not respond immediately; her thick jaw trembled slightly. After a moment's thought, she replied:
"...Sir, if you are truly their enemy, then your visit today is not merely an accident—but a destined meeting."

Wow, this queen ant is not only flexible and adaptable, but also knows how to flatter.

Xia Xiu's opinion of Queen Clarity rose another level. After all, a leader like Clarity, who could be both flexible and assertive, was the kind of leader who could lead her people to survive in this shitty world.

Don't you see the last Queen Gislian, who was defiant against the Golden Tyrant and the Heavenly Kingdom? Now the grass on her grave is already three meters high.