Zerg: I ​​was picked up by the cold and beautiful Major General at the start of the game.

Royal Gardens, at the first light of dawn

Prince Keith passed through the archway and encountered Marshal Arnold coming out from inside.

Their eyes met, and they both nodded slightly as a greeting before passing each other without saying anything more.

Case didn't stop walking, but after a few steps, he stopped, turned around and looked at Arnold's tall figure gradually disappearing into the morning light. His golden eyes were filled with turbulent emotions, dark and unpredictable.

He composed himself, strode into the depths of the garden, and bowed respectfully to the Insect King, who was admiring a strange flower with his back to him: "Father."

"Case, what do you want?" The Insect King did not turn around; his voice came steadily.

The second prince straightened up, his tone respectful:

"Father, you must already know about the news that Major General Ailand's spiritual sea has reversed and begun to recover."

"I know about this." The Insect King slowly turned around, his gaze falling on the Second Prince. "What do you want to say?"

"Father, as far as I know, there has never been a precedent in history where a female insect whose spiritual sea has been completely destroyed has been able to recover."

Case frowned slightly, looking worried.

"Ailand's 'improvement' this time is too abnormal. I suspect... there may be some hidden story that we don't know about."

"Oh?" The Insect King raised an eyebrow, seemingly intrigued. "What secret?"

Case took a half step forward, his tone becoming increasingly sincere:

"Your Majesty, I suspect... that Lin Luo may be concealing the true extent of his mental strength!"

"Hiding?" the Insect King repeated, his eyes deep. "What did he hide?"

"...Your Majesty, I suspect that Lord Lin Luo may be concealing his true level of spiritual power!"

Case finally voiced his core conjecture, carefully observing the Insect King's expression.

"Perhaps?" The Insect King's tone was calm, yet it exuded an invisible pressure.

Case's heart tightened, and he quickly lowered his eyelids:

"Yes, Father, based on current knowledge, even an A-grade male insect could not possibly repair its mental sea, which had collapsed to such an extent, to its current state."

"Therefore, I boldly speculate that Lord Lin Luo's mental strength may not be A-level, but rather a higher S-level!"

"S-rank?" The Insect King's golden pupils contracted slightly. He stared at the Second Prince and suddenly asked, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger.

"Case, do you think that with my S-rank mental power, I can restore a completely shattered mental sea to its original state?"

The second prince's body tensed almost imperceptibly, a hint of fear appearing on his face, and he quickly bowed:

"Your Majesty, I dare not make any presumptuous speculations! This... is merely a guess based on the current unusual circumstances, and there is no concrete evidence."

"A guess?" The Insect King remained silent for a moment, its fingertips gently brushing across the flowers and leaves beside it, before finally speaking softly.

"Alright, in that case, let's investigate and find out Lin Luo's background."

"Yes! Your subject obeys!" The Second Prince Keith bowed deeply, concealing the glint of shrewdness that flashed in his eyes.

He didn't linger any longer, respectfully stepped back a few paces, then turned and quickly left the garden.

The Insect King stood still, his fingertips unconsciously twirling the petals, his deep eyes revealing unfathomable thoughts.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Due to review issues, the other half of this chapter has been moved to the next chapter, but this will not affect the continuity.

Now, not only can't I write anything below the neck, but anything above the neck is also severely restricted by the review process. I've revised it many times and almost completely deleted it. I'm so angry...