Chapter 124: Chapter 119: Crowning the Queen
Mist Spring Valley in the Gray Sea Marsh—the name Velin had given this aether-rich region.
In the deepest underground level of the Origin Association’s Research Institute Number Two.
Velin stood alone in the center of the spacious basement. At his feet, Sarah lay quietly.
Nearly half a month of playing host had utterly drained Velin’s patience.
Now, he could finally return to his true domain—exploring the mysteries of Extraordinary life.
Sarah sensed his mood and gently rubbed her antennae against his pant leg.
The small gesture did much to lift Velin’s frustrated mood.
He crouched down, gently stroking the masterpiece he had raised with his own hands.
This was the creation into which he had poured the most heart and soul, the one with the greatest potential in all the world.
[Inspect]
After a period of combat experience and being fed a large quantity of Magic Materials, Sarah had reached her mature form, and her potential evolutionary paths were now visible.
Velin’s gaze quickly swept past the conventional paths: "Thornshell Guard," "Yaktyen Vanguard," "Earthweaver," and "Cavern Farmer."
’Useful, but their potential is too low. It would be like fitting a peerless sword with a hoe handle—an utter waste of a masterpiece.’
His gaze finally landed on an option that was dim but held a fatal allure.
[Evolutionary Path: Humus Queen]
[Main Material: One Demon Crystal from a Level 4 Magical Beast. Supplementary Materials: ...]
[Warning: This path requires continuous guidance with Spiritual Power. If evolution fails, the subject will completely disintegrate, and there is an 80% probability that the guide will suffer permanent damage to their Spiritual Power.]
Velin’s heart skipped a beat when he saw these words.
’An 80% failure rate and permanent spiritual damage...’ Velin wasn’t sure what that truly entailed, but it certainly wouldn’t be pleasant.
He might become a cripple unable to even focus his mind, or even regress into an idiot who couldn’t figure out one plus one.
But as he read further, his hesitation vanished in an instant.
[Abilities: Regal Aura, High Intelligence, Parthenogenesis, Barbed Carapace, Polymorphic Swarm]
’Polymorphic Swarm!’
Velin’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.
’This is the cornerstone of eusociality in insects like ants and bees!’
’With this, Sarah could produce functionally specialized offspring.’
’Even intelligent descendants!’
Velin’s breathing grew slightly ragged. He could almost see it.
Several insectoid commanders leading an endless tide of bugs on a future battlefield, while behind the lines, docile giant insects pulled plows, providing a steady stream of resources for his territory.
’Fortune favors the bold. No researcher could refuse a breakthrough of this magnitude!’
Velin crouched down and gently stroked Sarah’s carapace, his voice firm.
"This time, I will be the one to personally crown you."
...
The ritual began.
A huge glass tank, two meters in diameter, was filled with faintly glowing Water of Life.
Velin opened a bottle of Magic Potion and slowly poured the viscous, tar-black liquid into the tank.
BLUB, BLUB.
The potion did not immediately dissolve in the water. Instead, it twisted and writhed as if it had a life of its own, dyeing all of the Water of Life a deep, ink-green. A sharp, putrid stench began to spread.
Sarah leaped in without hesitation.
HSSSS—
White smoke billowed where the potion touched her carapace, but it wasn’t destroying her—it was reshaping her. Mysterious golden, rune-like patterns slowly appeared on her shell.
For the final step, Velin brought out the fist-sized Demon Crystal of an alpha Gray Swamp Giant Crocodile from a temperature-controlled lead box.
The Demon Crystal was a murky, earthy yellow, but threads of lightning-like energy flowed within it.
He placed the Demon Crystal into Sarah’s open mouth.
As the Demon Crystal entered her body, Sarah’s entire frame shuddered violently.
Velin’s eyes were shut tight. His immense Spiritual Power radiated out in countless threads, piercing Sarah’s body and weaving a guiding net that pulled the power of the Magic Potion and the Demon Crystal toward her life core.
Everything was going smoothly. The energy fusion was stable.
However, just when Velin thought victory was within his grasp, the process began to spiral out of control.
As the energy from the Demon Crystal spread, it grew heavier and heavier. Velin only realized something was wrong when his spiritual guidance net suddenly sagged.
’This energy actually contains a remnant of the Level 4 Magical Beast’s will!’
Like a lurking predator, it had waited until it was close to her life core before attempting to devour Sarah!
Her carapace began to tremble violently, and she let out a piercing shriek.
"Hold on! Absorb it! Master it!"
Velin transmitted the command to her through their spiritual connection.
But Sarah’s life force was fading rapidly. Under the assault of the crocodile’s remnant will, her own consciousness was like a candle in the wind, in danger of being extinguished at any moment.
The shadow of failure loomed over them.
"No!"
Velin’s eyes hardened. He could not accept this outcome.
’This is my creation, my life’s work, my stepping stone to the truth.’
He took a sharp step forward, pressed his palm onto Sarah’s cracked head, and made a mad decision.
’Spring Messenger!’
He was no longer content to be a neutral guide. He poured his Spiritual Power and bloodline power into Sarah without reservation, joining her to confront the rampaging remnant will directly!
"You will not touch my creation!"
Velin’s face was ashen. Every surge of Spiritual Power felt like someone was stirring his brain with a red-hot iron poker.
His vision began to blur, and a sharp ringing like an alarm filled his ears.
The ability "Mental Torrent" was running at full tilt, barely keeping his consciousness from scattering, but his Spiritual Power was still being consumed at an astonishing rate.
An unknown amount of time passed, stretching on for what felt like a century. Just as Velin reached his limit, feeling himself about to fall into an endless darkness, he suddenly felt a faint yet tenacious will surge back from the life core.
The dim flame of Sarah’s consciousness had actually begun to devour the golden energy in turn.
The storm finally subsided.
Silence returned to the laboratory, broken only by Velin’s ragged gasps. He staggered backward from the Spiritual Power overdraft, barely managing to stay on his feet by bracing himself against the wall.
Inside the glass tank, a continuous CRACKLING and POPPING could be heard. Sarah was rapidly changing form. The creature that had once lain prone on the ground now slowly rose to its feet.
Her body became more slender and elegant. Rune-like golden patterns grew across her ink-green carapace, shimmering with a radiant light.
Most astonishingly, her head was no longer purely insectoid. It now had a softer, more humanoid silhouette, and her massive compound eyes were as deep as the night sky. One could even read clear emotions within them.
’Success!’
’No, this was beyond success.’
Just then, the newborn queen slowly raised her forelimbs with an elegant motion.
A clear and complete stream of thought flowed into Velin’s mind, soothing his headache.
This time, it needed no medium; it was a resonance that reached directly into his soul.
"Father, your will is the will of the swarm. Thank you for my coronation!"
Suppressing his excitement, Velin immediately opened the system interface.
[Inspect]
[Sarah (Leader)]
[Level: Level 4 Magical Beast]
[Bloodline: Heart of the Swarm (Golden Tier) 45%, Bader Insect (Black Iron Tier) 23%, Mixed Bloodline 32%]
[Abilities: Regal Aura, High Intelligence, Parthenogenesis, Barbed Carapace, Polymorphic Swarm, Mind Link]
[Overall Evaluation: A miracle of evolution. She can no longer be defined by the narrow term "Magical Beast" and is now classified as an intelligent species. Though not yet powerful, her potential for growth is immense.]
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