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

Carlos, seeing that he had finally succeeded in provoking Lin Luo, revealed a smug look on his face.

He raised his head and said in a boastful tone, "I truly do not know what will happen to Ailand's spiritual sea, but haven't you noticed, sir?"

He paused deliberately, basking in what he perceived as the attention he was receiving. "I've now risen from C-rank to B-rank! And in the near future, I will definitely upgrade again, becoming a true A-rank male!"

He became more and more excited as he spoke, as if he could already see that day:

"By then, you won't be able to use your privileged status to suppress me anymore!"

After uttering these harsh words, Carlos, as if afraid of hearing any rebuttal, turned and left quickly with a confident expression.

Lin Luo watched his departing figure, and this time she was genuinely surprised.

He only knew that female insects could upgrade after mating, but he had never heard of male insects being able to upgrade as well. He subconsciously looked at Theodore beside him, his eyes filled with obvious doubt.

Theodore shrugged and spread his hands, indicating, "Don't look at me, I've never heard of such a thing either."

Voske, however, paused for a moment, then spoke thoughtfully:

"Male insects upgrading...there have been precedents in history, but they are extremely rare."

"In the past century, only His Majesty the Insect Emperor has been clearly recorded as having successfully advanced from A-rank to S-rank, which shocked the entire empire at the time."

He paused, his brow furrowing slightly, looking in the direction Carlos had disappeared, his tone tinged with confusion.

"Every lord who has ever been able to upgrade in history has been an exceptionally talented individual who has made a tremendous impact or contribution in some area."

"But Lord Carlos... this... is a bit strange."

"Who cares if it's strange or not," Theodore walked into the private room, leaned back lazily in his comfortable chair, and waved his hand dismissively.

"Upgrades aren't like nutrient solutions, which are readily available everywhere. We can deal with him when he actually reaches A-level and comes to show off."

Lin Luo and Voske agreed with this, so they temporarily put aside their doubts and stopped worrying about it.

However, the fragment of Ailand's spirit attached to Lin Luo felt uneasy due to Carlos's unusual upgrade.

In the depths of his hazy memory, some long-forgotten fragments seemed to flash by...

That was a warning that circulated secretly within a very small circle of high-ranking military officials a long time ago:

In the shadow of the Empire, a forbidden potion once circulated quietly, said to be able to forcibly elevate the mental power level of the Zerg, but at an extremely high cost, with side effects that were horrifying to the Zerg... Could it be that Carlos...

Just then, the lights in the auction hall slowly dimmed, leaving only a single spotlight focused on the display stand.

An auctioneer dressed in an elegant gown and with a composed demeanor slowly walked onto the stage.

"Distinguished guests, welcome to this Starry Auction." The auctioneer's voice carried clearly through the loudspeaker to every corner. "May you all find your desired items."

The auction has officially begun.

Lin Luo composed himself and turned his attention to the display stand.

The items displayed on the exhibition stand were mostly extremely precious works of art and rare antiques.

There was an "Eternal Teardrop" gem originating from a vanished ocean galaxy, a miniature model of a classic mecha crafted by master craftsmen over several years, and a "Starry Blue Diamond" necklace that was said to slightly amplify mental perception, which sparked fierce bidding among the insects.

Lin Luo did not participate in the bidding for these artworks.

His gaze would occasionally sweep over the magnificent auction items, but his thoughts would involuntarily drift home, to the sleeping female insect.

These external luxuries were far less captivating to him than the slightest sign of Aland's lucidity.

As the auction progressed into its second half, a highly anticipated item was finally brought to the display stand—a pale blue potion sealed within a condensation device.

"Next up is lot number 37, the 'Breath of the Deep' potion."

The auctioneer spoke in a mysterious tone: "According to our experts' preliminary analysis, this potion may have unique calming and harmonizing properties for stabilizing certain special energy fields, especially... those related to the spiritual realm."

He didn't say it outright, but all the insects present understood—this was probably a rare thing that was beneficial to the spiritual sea.

For a time, the sounds of bidding rose and fell.

Many of the insectoid guests in the private rooms joined in, since anything that could have a positive impact on the mental sea was always a form of hard currency for the insectoid race.

Carlos's box also joined the bidding, his voice coming through the loudspeaker, seemingly determined to win.

Lin Luo looked at the tube of dark blue potion and thought of the lifeless mental sea of ​​Ailand. Even if there was only a one in ten thousand chance, he wanted to try.

He calmly raised his paddle again and again, and the price quickly climbed to an alarming figure.

Theodore, watching the heated argument below, especially Carlos's relentless attitude, suddenly leaned close to Lin Luo's ear:

"Lin Luo, look how enthusiastically Carlos is shouting. But I heard he's so poor lately that he has to marry female servants to maintain his status. Where did he get so much money?"

"I think he's probably just bluffing, deliberately raising the price to rip you off. How about... we play a trick on him? Stop now and let him swallow this exorbitantly priced potion himself; that would be quite a spectacle!"

His eyes gleamed, and he looked on with amusement, as if he didn't want things to get out of hand.

Voske, who was standing nearby, frowned in disapproval but did not speak up to stop him.

Lin Luo's eyes flickered slightly, as if he was somewhat interested.

When Carlos bid an even higher price, Lin Luo's finger paused on the bidding device for a moment, but he did not immediately follow suit.

The entire auction hall fell silent for a moment.

On the display stand, the auctioneer's voice rang out: "The current price is... thirty-seven million star coins, for the first time."

Lin Luo did not follow up.

Carlos held his breath.

"Thirty-seven million star coins, for the second time."

Lin Luo remained silent.

Carlos's heart nearly leaped out of his chest, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

Why did Lin Luo stop filming?!

Doesn't he really like Aland? Is he really unwilling to pay this price?

Oh no! He simply can't afford it! More importantly, he's going to botch the mission assigned by the mysterious insect!

"third……"

"Forty million." Lin Luo's clear voice rang out, breaking the suffocating silence.

"Phew..." Carlos slumped back in his seat, letting out a huge sigh of relief, feeling as if he had been pulled back from the edge of a cliff.

This time, he really didn't dare to make a sound, watching helplessly as Lin Luo won the bid for the potion at the final price.

As the auctioneer brought down the gavel, Lin Luo stroked the sealed box containing the medicine that had just been delivered, his gaze calm:

"I know he's deliberately driving up the price, but the price isn't important, what's important is..." He paused, his voice lowering.

"I will not give up easily if there is even the slightest possibility that it can help Eland. Even if it is only of the smallest effect, it is worth a try."

Theodore, seeing the unmistakable seriousness and determination in his eyes, dropped his joking expression and gently patted his shoulder: "Understood."

At Lin Luo's neck, Ailand's spirit flickered slightly.

------

The study was dimly lit, with only the flickering firelight from the fireplace reflecting off Case's face.

"Your Highness, Major General Ailand has been in a coma for nearly three months. Any general-level officer who is unable to perform his duties for more than ninety days due to serious injuries needs to undergo a formal mental health assessment by a team of experts organized by the Imperial Medical Department to determine whether he is still suitable to retain his current military position..."

Case's lips curled into a cold smile, as if he had been waiting for this moment.

"Three months...that's long enough." His voice was languid. "The Empire doesn't keep useless people around, and the military isn't a charity. Since the time's up, we shouldn't skip any of the necessary procedures."

He leaned forward slightly, the firelight reflecting the calculation in his eyes:

"Go and make the arrangements. Let those old pedants in the medical department do their job 'fairly and rigorously.' Make sure to give our Marshal Arnold, and that... deeply affectionate Lord Linluo, a clear and unambiguous 'explanation.'"

"Yes, Your Highness! I will do it immediately." The confidant bowed deeply and quickly withdrew.

Case leaned back in his chair, his fingertips tapping more lightly and rhythmically...