StarCraft: Everyone wants the Queen

Chapter 17 Please pay my respects to the Insect Queen on my behalf.

The treehouse was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The three insects huddled together, their eyes fixed on the high priest as he scribbled and drew on the paper.

Although he couldn't understand what was written, Fourteen, adhering to the principle that not understanding something means it's high-class, silently gave it a thumbs up in his heart.

As expected of the high priest, his writing and drawing are unlike those of ordinary insects.

Vina is one of the few insectoids here who has learned to read. She criticizes Fourteen for his seemingly serious demeanor, but in reality, he doesn't understand anything.

I don't know why Fourteenth is keeping such a serious face. He can't even read, yet he's putting on such a solemn act.

really weird.

Shen Qingqing, who had inherited the memories of the Zerg without any instruction, had an expression that was hard to describe.

What exactly is written here?

It wouldn't be accurate to call it a dragon-flying and phoenix-dancing style; it's more like a crooked and twisted mess.

Perhaps it was because he was short and the air quality he was breathing was poor, or perhaps it was because the three heads on top of him were sucking away all the fresh air from above, but for some reason, the high priest felt a bit hot in his head.

"You lot, get out of the way! You're squeezing me to death!"

Sure enough, after chasing away the three insects, even the air smelled sweet.

As the sun was about to set, finally...

"It's done!"

"What? You finished it so quickly? I thought it would take ten days or half a month," Vina said, rubbing her eyes. "Let me see how it is."

"Do you even understand this, little girl?" Fourteen snatched the paper from above, his disdainful gaze like that of a mature adult looking at a child. "These are better left to the adults to see."

After looking at it, he returned it to her, saying, "Never mind, I'm magnanimous. I won't fight you for it this time. Take it and look at it."

???

Why are you being so kind this time?

Although she was puzzled, she didn't think much of it. Vina woke up Shen Qingqing, who was sleeping in a crooked position, and flattened the folded drawing paper.

"Come on, Qingqing, let's take a look at what these herbs look like! This is the first time I've ever seen the High Priest draw illustrations!"

“Never mind, Qingqing,” Vina suddenly closed the paper. She seemed to understand why Fourteen had suddenly become so kind. “We can just ask the High Priest what these herbs look like. This paper… we don’t need to look at it.”

Driven by curiosity, Shen Qingqing secretly glanced at the drawing paper when Vina wasn't looking.

Then they fell silent.

Silence, silence is Cambridge tonight.

After a while, no insects came to praise him, which puzzled the high priest.

"What's going on? Nobody's going to praise me?"

. . .

Shen Qingqing broke the silence, gently reminding him, "Uh, the High Priest's painting style seems a bit wild."

"Really? Is it wild?" He scratched his head sheepishly. "But this is documentary footage, that's what it looks like."

On the drawing paper, there are several oddly shaped herbs that appear as two-dimensional planes, which do not conform to this three-dimensional space.

At first glance, nothing seems wrong, but upon closer inspection...

Are you sure this thing is grass, and not some other imagined thing?

How can there be herbs in the world that look like an emoji?

The key is still its comical appearance.

That's so illogical.

Judging from this, are there still other herbal emoticons for "smirking", "innocent", and "speechless"?

As Shen Qingqing looked down, she was surprised to find that there really was one.

The herbs they need to find next are [Funny], [Smirk], and [Cuckold].

“Don’t look at me like that, this is what they look like,” the high priest said, spreading his hands. “There used to be a lot of them here, but since the foreign tribes took over, they have strictly controlled the local medicinal herbs, and now you can only buy them on the black market.”

It's unimaginable how funny it would be to be walking in a rainforest and suddenly have a bunch of memes pop up in front of you.

"You're lucky today. The sun is about to set, and that's when the black market will open. I'll give you a few crystal cores first. Although they won't permanently restore your ability to walk, they'll at least keep you walking for a few hours."

Three pale blue, crystal-clear crystals appeared in her hand. Shen Qingqing was flattered and quickly refused, saying, "How can I accept this? These crystal cores look very precious. I've already gone to so much trouble for you, how can I accept this?"

“It’s alright,” the high priest waved his hand, urging her to eat quickly. “After you leave here, if, if you are fortunate enough to see the cenotaph of the First Insect Mother, please pass on a message for me.”

"Just say... I'm sorry."

It was his fault for failing to save the insect queen.

What could be more heartbreaking than witnessing the life of the insect queen slip away before your eyes and being powerless to stop it?

For the Zerg, nothing could be more heartbreaking than this.

Their hope, the god they followed, the darling of the Zerg, has fallen.

"Also, please give her my regards. If the Zerg have a new Zerg Queen, although it's unlikely, please pass on a message for me."

"Just say that the fourth star system will return to your embrace, and if you so desire, the entire universe will grovel at your feet."

Suddenly she was speechless. Even in the distant fourth star system, had she not given up her vow to fight for the Queen of Insects?

I'm sorry, she can't do the rest.

She was not a qualified insect queen, and perhaps her fate was sealed from the beginning.

She has no pheromones.

Yes, a female insect without pheromones.

The pheromones she used to emit were just the scent left inside the eggshell, but now her true identity is revealed—a fake insect queen!

Sarnster must have discovered this long ago, which is why he abandoned her.

Without pheromones, the queen insect cannot control the insect race, nor can she alleviate the insects' frenzy, Michelle told her personally in a corner of the Rose Palace.

"I can't smell any pheromones on you."

"The scent on you is almost gone; the scent inside the eggshell won't last much longer."

He leaned against the pink rose wall with a smile, "If you want to become the Queen of Insects, I can help you too."

Shen Qingqing wasn't stupid; she naturally knew that everything came at a price. "No, I don't want to."

Michelle raised an eyebrow and asked curiously, "Isn't becoming the Queen of the Zerg good? Endless wealth and glory, unparalleled status and position, countless Zerg servants—have you really never been tempted at all?"

"I was attracted to her," Shen Qingqing said honestly, "but it wasn't mine, so I didn't want it."

For a moment, he wanted to kill her.

When the temptation failed, he changed tactics again and threatened, "The scent of your pheromones can only last for two days at most. If it rains, it will only last for less than a day. If you are discovered then, do you think the enraged bugs will skin you alive?"

"I've said it before, I don't want what isn't mine," Shen Qingqing said, meeting his gaze and speaking each word clearly, her eyes showing no fear.

"Ha, I really overestimated you."

In the end, he didn't confront her directly, but as they set off, he gave her a "good luck" look from where Saenster couldn't see.

Shen Qingqing smiled and said, "Okay, I'll pass on your message after I see her."