books44 Chapter 261 New Order
Chapter 261 New Order
The two elders, who were engaged in fierce combat below, completely ignored the arrival of the mother ship and continued to wield their most handy weapons, exchanging barbs at each other's backsides.
“Hey old man,” the Fourth Elder said, raising his eyebrows, “do you have rickets? How come you’re as weak as a soft-legged shrimp?”
"Pah! You traitorous old bastard! I'm just letting you off easy. Take this slap from my scepter!"
The Third Elder's white beard swayed as he turned and slammed his scepter heavily onto the ground.
The golden scepter collided with the hard ground, and the glittering gem ornaments on it shattered into pieces like exploding equipment.
Even the scepter that the Third Elder treasured most, which he kept hidden in his room every day and polished with the softest silk, had its top knocked askew.
Golden fragments and beautiful gems rustled and fell all over the ground, and a ruby the size of a pigeon egg rolled and tumbled to the edge of the red carpet and to Shen Qingqing's feet.
Shen Qingqing: ...
Bending down to pick up the gem, the rare ruby, a symbol of wealth and status, was too big for Shen Qingqing to hold; it wasn't even a sphere.
To preserve the gemstone's original natural beauty, the Third Elder specifically instructed the gem craftsmen to simply carve it to make it appear rounder, maximizing the alluring aura of wealth emanating from this valuable ruby.
Fortunately, the Third Elder did not have the craftsmen carve the ruby into a sphere, otherwise it would have rolled far closer to Shen Qingqing's feet.
"Third Elder, your... gem ball has fallen." Actually, she originally wanted to say "your ball has fallen," but then she felt it was impolite and hurriedly changed her words.
"..." The Third Elder walked up to Shen Qingqing without changing his expression, bowed, and saluted. His white beard swayed slightly with the movement. His expression was normal, as if the gold and silver gem fragments scattered on the ground were not his.
"Then I thank you, Mother Insect."
He reached out and took the large ruby, intending to place it on the scepter.
Perhaps due to the excessive force with which the scepter was swung, the gold setting supporting the gem at the top of the scepter loosened, and the gem could not be placed in place no matter what.
Helpless, he could only sigh softly and, with a sorrowful expression, tuck the gemstone into his pocket.
The Fourth Elder, who was standing to the side, smiled so much that his eyes narrowed into slits. He quickly stepped forward and said to Shen Qingqing, "The departure of the Insect Queen from the Temple this time has worried us old folks quite a bit. Is there something about the Temple that you're not satisfied with, or is it that Andor didn't come up with a reasonable plan for you, which is why you left the Temple?"
Shen Qingqing was sweating profusely upon hearing this, and quickly waved her hand to comfort her, "No, I am very satisfied with the temple. The temple that Andor was in charge of building is a miracle in the history of Zerg architecture. In general, it is thanks to your guidance, Fourth Elder. It is also an honor for Andor to work under your name."
"Then the Queen Insect must be bored." The Fourth Elder winked at Andor behind Shen Qingqing, whose eyes flickered but who stubbornly refused to speak.
Sure enough, this kid's future happiness still depends on this old man.
Seeing his adopted son so uncooperative, the Fourth Elder sighed inwardly and then encouraged himself.
"However, now that the Queen Insect has returned, please come with me into the temple."
He paused for a moment, then suddenly turned back and asked, "Queen Insect... Andor, he didn't cause you any trouble, did he?"
"No, no, Andorra has always been very good, efficient, and there have been no problems at all," Shen Qingqing replied with a smile.
The golden orchestral instruments shone with a splendor that seemed out of place in the sunlight, drawing countless gazes to the petite figure surrounded by the insectoid race, unable to look away.
The female in the center of the swarm remained as dazzling, as fair, as radiant as ever. Every smile and gesture exuded a unique charm, making them unable to suppress their deepest desires. They all raised their arms and shouted:
"Lord Insect Mother!"
"Great Queen Insect, you are the most dazzling star!"
"You are the favored child of the Insect God!"
"You were born to rule the Zerg!!"
Countless ribbons and sequins fell on the magnificent red carpet, cannons roared and songs were sung, and the tails of aircraft flying low overhead spewed out colorful smoke, painting a priceless picture in the sky.
"We praise the Mother Insect!"
Shen Qingqing stood in front of the temple, on a high platform with ninety-nine steps. Countless cameras captured her every move and transmitted it to the terminal link in real time for the entire interstellar space to see.
That is the treasure of the Zerg, the hope of the Zerg.
Wearing white gloves and an off-the-shoulder, belted imperial dress, the Queen of Insec made her first public appearance in interstellar space.
Tiny, equally sized white diamonds are densely distributed on the hem of the skirt, creating a gradient from white to light pink from bottom to top. This is something the Zerg have been searching for since before the Zerg Queen was even born.
For thousands of years, no matter how difficult their lives were, even when their race was on the verge of extinction, they never stopped searching for jewels and diamonds in the vast sea of stars to adorn the queen's skirt.
It is their honor to be adorned with the treasures on the skirts of the insect mother.
A light blue sash was tied around her waist, also adorned with silver-white patterns. The pattern featured the sun and moon symbols, the most revered symbols of the insectoid race, representing eternal hope. The sash was meticulously arranged around her slender waist and at the hem of her skirt, exuding nobility and glory in every stitch.
Shen Qingqing, dressed elegantly and stylishly, stood calmly on the high platform, facing the many insectoids looking up at her, and waved slightly with her hand outstretched.
He said softly, "Hello, children of the Zerg."
She didn't use the word "subjects" because, in her view, every Zerg child is equal and deserves more Zerg personality and dignity.
Amid cheers, Shen Qingqing lowered her arms and placed them in front of her chest. Upon seeing this, Andor presented the documents to her.
Under the watchful eyes of the world, before the gaze of all life on Earth, beneath the sun—a symbol of glory and brilliance—she spoke softly, announcing the end of an era:
"From this day forward, the Empire shall cease to exist!"
"From this moment forward, I will promulgate the latest regulations concerning the Zerg Federation, and declare that the Zerg Empire is officially renamed the Zerg Federation. All Zerg will be treated equally, enjoying equal status and dignity. At the same time, the hereditary system of nobility will be abolished and replaced with a system of nobility based on military merit. Anyone who has achieved a certain amount of military merit in foreign wars can be registered with the Bureau of Investigation and granted a nobility, but will not enjoy fiefdoms or personal armies..."
"Secondly, besides military merit, one can also seek employment and pursue further studies by obtaining a degree from the Zerg Federation's Higher Education Academy. The Federation accepts all Zerg with genuine talent and, starting today, will begin recruiting talented individuals from ordinary Zerg..."
A series of new decrees were issued, catching the elders and knights below the platform completely off guard. They were all stunned and stood there at a loss.