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”M… Meira,” the elf said and bowed awkwardly, looking shell-shocked. Jake was pleasantly surprised at the Hive Queen taking the lead as Meira got stuck on a minor detail he had not seen coming.

”You are calling Lord Thayne by his name?” she asked, her voice a mix between puzzlement and… second-hand offense?

”That is what was asked of me, and I simply follow the wishes of my sire. Ah, where are my manners? I am Vesperia, True Royal of the Vespernat Lineage. It is a pleasure to meet you, Meira. Are you also a resident here?” Vesperia asked courteously.

”I am,” Meira said with a nod, her eyes holding some level of hostility.

Vesperia clearly noticed this and looked toward Jake before shifting back to Meira and smiling while shaking her head. She looked at Meira, staring into her eyes for a moment before Meira’s face turned red as a tomato. ”I… I gotta go!”

Jake did not have time to say anything as Meira rushed out of the living room, straight towards her own residency. He stared after her before shifting his attention to Vesperia. Without him needing to say a word, she had ”fixed” the awkwardness and made Meira leave… but…

”What did you say to her?”

She had clearly told Meira something telepathically; he was sure of it.

”I simply dispelled her fears. The girl is clearly interested in having you as her mate, and I informed her that I am no obstacle to her desires,” Vesperia explained in a matter-of-fact tone.

Yeah, that should do it, Jake thought, considering her embarrassment as she left. It did feel awkward that it was so obvious even to others.

”Ah, but do not take offense that I don’t consider you a potential partner. As my sire, it simply wouldn’t be proper, and the result would likely be less than ideal as I have already inherited many of your Records, and our offspring could display negative traits akin to the children of incestuous relationships between humans,” she once more explained, her voice calm, as if she was talking about a totally normal subject.

However, her words were honestly a huge relief, as Jake just feared he had made a potentially literal honeytrap in the form of the Wasp Queen. She also honestly seemed like a scary-as-hell opponent if she decided he would be an ideal partner. He could only shudder at the thought.

”Good to know,” Jake said with relief. ”If it is worth anything, then I also find it preferable for that not to be a thing. Better stay friends.”

Vesperia nodded before thinking for a bit. ”Don’t misunderstand. I am sure other Hive Queens would find you a more than a suitable partner; it is just that you are my sire. Having experienced your Records first-hand, I would happily recommend you to other Queens if you are interested?”

”Please don’t,” Jake shut her down.

”Very well,” the Hive Queen did not argue or even ask for an explanation.

Jake and Vesperia stayed in the living room a bit longer and finished their tea. The atmosphere was surprisingly not awkward despite the topics, Vesperia being incredibly good at keeping the conversation rolling. The Hive Queen asked some questions about the Order and the world as a whole, showing she had a lot of odd gaps in knowledge here and there. Jake also got a lot of questions in for the Queen, most of them just him showing interest in what exactly she was capable of.

He learned that even if the Bee Container was destroyed, it truly wasn’t a problem. Vesperia could not have used it anyway, though she did need a new home if she wanted to start a hive somewhere. Until then, he learned she had some kind of internal world capable of housing her own spawns, eggs included.

When it came to eggs, she could apparently produce a bloody shitload dependent on the quality. She had an entire system that Jake could only compare to the city management system Miranda had told him about. Along with that, she had a special resource outside of stamina, health points, and mana that dictated how many spawns she could have at once.

It sounded almost like a population system from a real-time strategy game before the system. The more powerful the spawn, the more upkeep it took, and the weaker barely took any. This entire system was something all Hive Queens had, but the True Royals apparently had an even more elaborate and expanded system than others, and the better your variant, the better your Hive Queen System.

He also came to learn how fucking scary Hive Queens could be. One of the issues someone like Jake had was that he, in the end, was just one guy. Until he learned how to clone himself, he could only be in one place at once, and even then, having avatars was limiting.

Hive Queens did not have that problem. Vesperia alone could create thousands of weak C-grades, even at her current level, with some more powerful variants among them. These spawns were treated more like summons than actual children, and losing them only meant a bit of wasted energy and Vesperia having to spend time respawning them.

None of these spawns could gain levels on their own, had limited intelligence, and were, as Jake had estimated with the Isoptera Warriors, not real living creatures. They did not have Truesouls like Jake or the Hive Queen. They did have souls, but it was more just imitations of Truesouls that allowed them to live and still grant a limited amount of experience.

The only true children a Hive Queen could ever have were more Hive Queens. There were very few exceptions to this, and the Vespernat Hive Queens was not one such exception. Jake did also come to learn that Vesperia did not need a mate to birth another Hive Queen, but it was merely an option. As if the mate was an optional ingredient to potentially empower it.

Hive Queens had far more skills related to breeding than nearly any other race in the multiverse – if not every other race. A male companion could assist in the breeding process, effectively donating Records that the Queen could then use to create more powerful offspring, potentially even more powerful variants. This was how a hive could grow above its current rank outside of the existing highest-ranked Queen managing to evolve to a better variant herself.

For Vesperia, the issue was that the companion had to possess equal or superior Records, or it would end up just resulting in worse offspring. This was because the Records of a ”lesser creature” – Vesperia’s words, not Jake’s – would only end up polluting the Records of the newly born Queen. So, her bar for any potential was set high as fuck from the get-go.

This was an issue for all True Royals, and why Vesperia had been genuine when she offered to introduce Jake to other Hive Queen True Royals. She emphasized how much he would benefit a hive, and when Jake mentioned the Isoptera Hive Queen, she only nodded, viewing it as a reasonable course of action to try and have him stay there. If a naive one. The companion had to be willing, after all, or things wouldn’t work with how the system operated. Forceful breeding was not a thing – though coercion and bribery were very much tactics deployed.

”Not that I believe coercion or bribery would work on you, and the issue is that most individuals who are worthy companions for True Royals are all talented and strong-willed individuals with powerful backings, making underhanded tactics ill-advised,” Vesperia explained. ”Though the Endless Empire does not lack suitable mates in general. Males there who are good breeding partners are highly valued and nurtured.”

Jake smirked. ”Would I be wrong to assume the powerful Hive Queens over there got harems?”

”Harem? A concept I am not quite familiar with,” Vesperia tilted her head.

”Eh, it means when a man or woman has an entourage of partners around them, often all of them of the romantic kind,” Jake tried to explain, not entirely sure of the definition himself.

”Not quite. There is little romance, though some Queens do take a preferred mate for life, but this is far from the norm. Diversity in Records is highly valued, and one male can assist several Hive Queens without any issues, but each Hive Queen will also want many different males. Efficiency is often the primary motive, not emotions. The good of the hive is the most important factor. Always,” Vesperia clarified.

”Sounds like the Endless Empire is a place to avoid,” Jake muttered, primarily to himself.

Vesperia simply nodded, not trying to convince him of anything. Kind of refreshing.

”Say, I have been wondering. Most Hive Queens I have met so far haven’t exactly been good at combat but spawn powerful guardians. How does it work for you? In my experience, wasps aren’t exactly peaceful creatures, but Queens also aren’t fighters,” Jake asked.

”Most Hive Queens need to fully specialize. That is the only way they can still fulfill their purpose without ending up subpar, as they simply lack the Records to be more than be the mothers of their hives. While I am capable of spawning powerful guardians, please do not think that a True Royal is defenseless,” Vesperia said, her voice not quite angry but still severe.

”Your aura is powerful, yes, but you do not strike me as particularly dangerous right now,” Jake said, seeing no need to hide thoughts. His danger sense and ability to evaluate others was something he was quite proud of, and he was certain the current Hive Queen was not a danger to him. But he also felt like she was hiding something.

Vesperia didn’t seem that offended as she shook her head.

”An understandable concern, and not entirely inaccurate initial assessment, but ultimately incorrect. The part you got right is that I am indeed not much of a fighter as I am right now. This form is made for reproduction and to fulfill my duties as a Queen and not for combat. I am capable of displaying potent nature magic, and I do have certain specialties you may find interesting, including skills you desired from a Pollendust Bee Queen. One of the things my Lineage specializes in is not only gathering resources for the hive but cultivating it ourselves. But for the hive to not lose these carefully cultivated resources, you naturally need to be able to protect yourself. As a True Royal, I am meant to be the impetus of my entire Lineage, both mother and defender,” she said with a smile. ”I believe it will be easier with a practical demonstration.”

Jake saw her smile and nodded, wanting to see what she had to show him.

”Follow me outside if you would,” Vesperia said as she stood up. ”Let me show you why the Vespernat name is not for naught.”

Jake raised an eyebrow and smiled. Wouldn’t be a wasp if she couldn’t ruin someone’s day.

The energy was dense in the massive chamber as the S-grade Warrior Queen meditated, fulfilling her duty as Watcher. Occasionally – a few times a day – the Great Lineage Wall would stir, and one of the millions of bricks would light up. Each time it happened, she would note it down for her millennial report. It used to only be every millennium anyway, but with the integration, it had been moved up as the Lineage Wall was far more active than usual.

The Great Lineage Wall had been brought there by her ancestors and maintained by the most powerful gods of the Endless Empire ever since. It was a special item granted by the system and had a singular function: inform of whenever a new Queen of one of the stored Lineages was born outside of the territory of the Endless Empire. The further up the wall, the higher the level of the Lineage. Most bricks that lit up were in the lower parts, with rare ones in the middle. To see one light up in the upper parts was considered very rare, and it only happened about once every month. At the very top of the wall were the battlements. Each battlement was a giant block, and there were only about five hundred of these.

Sitting on top of the Great Lineage Wall were the hundred towers. At least there used to be a hundred. Now, only sixty-one of the towers remained, the rest only having their base remaining. The last time a tower crumbled had been in the eighty-sixth era when the Automata Legion had invaded one of the Great Plains and managed to slay the last remaining True Royal of the Lineage. For that is what the towers represented: the True Royals of the ectognamorph race.

Suddenly, the Warrior Queen was awakened as a loud humming resounded through the massive chamber. With surprise and glee, she saw one of the battlements light up with power, displaying a rune. A Queen had been born among the quasi-Royal Paracidclaws, something the Warrior Queen quickly noted down on her report. It was a wonderful occasion, and-

Her thoughts were stopped as the entire chamber rumbled, making the Warrior Queen ready herself. Power surged out of her, searching her surroundings as she feared someone had managed to invade the Empire’s heartlands, but she quickly realized the cause.

The Great Lineage Wall was shaking. The Warrior Queen had been assigned Watcher for nearly a hundred thousand years now and had never seen anything like this. She quickly took out a token, but she didn’t have time to inject any energy as a presence washed over her, making her fall to her knees. Then, several more presences appeared, none of them even sparring her a thought.

Royal… gods…

Eight gods had appeared in the chamber, all staring at the wall.

None of them spoke as they simply looked at it. The Warrior Queen spied confusion and frowns on their faces, making her fear something was horribly wrong. Something was happening. Something even the mightiest True Royals did not understand.

Then, the entire wall stirred.

Every single tower flashed with energy for a fraction of a moment as something the Warrior Queen thought impossible happened. A crumbled tower began vibrating, the stones remaining all cracking as the base turned to rubble… only for it to look as if time began rewinding. Bricks appeared from nothingness, the entire thing building itself in seconds as suddenly a new tower had risen from the rubble.

The new tower lit up with an intense light as the Royal Gods all had a shift of mood. Smiles appeared on their lips in unison.

“Rejoice, as a True Royal has reemerged in the multiverse. The system itself has smiled upon us,” the central god spoke. The Warrior Queen also felt confused as she stared up at the tower in awe. New True Royals could not be born… not unless the system itself blessed an ectognamorph with something allowing it to evolve or be born as one.

”Which Lineage is she from?”

”It was before my time… one of the older ones.”

”Mine too; I do not recognize it.”

”It is the Vespernat Lineage; they died out during the first era. Where is this True Royal?”

The question was asked of one of the Hive Queens with an eye on her forehead.

”I cannot see; she is obscured… hidden. By something or someone powerful,” the three-eyed Hive Queen answered.

”Is she related to the new universe?”

”She is… and yet she is not,” the three-eyed Queen answered, shaking her head. ”But I feel the True Royal is not there right now. She is hidden not by the system but by a powerful entity. Potentially a Primordial or one of the major factions, though I see little reason for most to hide her away, much less know she would be born. Something is different from all other reappearances of True Royals we have seen before.”

”I see. We shall proceed with caution, then,” the central Queen said as she turned her attention to the kneeling S-grade Warrior Queen.

”Heed my words, young one. Henceforth you are relieved of your duty as Watcher and is to join my sister in locating the True Royal,” the central Queen said, referring to the three-eyed Queen.

”As is your will,” the Warrior Queen said, honored. ”What does her majesty wish for me to do upon locating the True Royal?”

The leader of the Royal Council smiled as she stared at the newly reassembled tower.

”Bring our new sister home.”