Now that Silvari had her new companion all settled back in its crib, Lassim asked, "[Do you want to stick around for anything else and explore the town?]"
Silvari vehemently shook her head, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "[No, big brother, I want to rush back to the palace and have the healers make my Floppy all better. Then I’ll give him all the treats he can possibly manage!]"
"Floppy?" Lassim asked back to her in the common tongue as that was definitely not a spider language word she just used, raising an eyebrow at the bizarre name she just uttered.
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"[Yes, his name is Floppy! His ears are just so cute and droopy. I heard another one of your kind use that word once when they played with me. They were describing the appendage of an insect that I tried to serve them as food. They explained it to me and it seems appropriate for him! I mean, just look at his big ears!
Aren’t they what you call, Floppy?" she replied, her voice full of conviction.
Lassim chuckled, imagining a giant, super-enhanced Lion Bat with Silvari riding on its back, yelling, "Charge, Floppy!" as they soared into the sky. The thought was amusing, and he couldn’t help but smile.
"[Alright, I see your point. Let’s get Floppy back to the palace so he can be healed quicker,]" Lassim agreed.
They exited the town without issues and began making their way back to the palace.
Under Silvari’s urging, Lassim picked up the pace with [Tempest Steps], going even faster than on their way there. She was adamant about getting back as soon as possible.
After about an hour and a half, much faster than the trip there, they arrived back at the palace in the underground burrow of the Funnel.
Silvari immediately started calling out demands. She shouted in the spider language a collection of unique and unrelated words in the spider language that he couldn’t quite understand.
Yet, he did pick out two specific words that were put together back to back that meant, "Family—injured"
The entire palace immediately went on lockdown. The golden threads along the borders surged with intense power as the patrolling humanoid, armored spider-Guards and a large team of Widows rushed towards them, their weapons and talons and claws drawn, eyes filled with suspicion and aggression.
They almost threatened Lassim, thinking he had injured Silvari.
"[It’s not me you idiots]" Silvari barked out, insulted by the guards and Widows for pointing their talons and blades at Lassim. "[Do I look injured you web-for-brains imbeciles? My big brother didn’t hurt me! It’s my new family, Floppy. He was already injured when we got him!]"
The guards and Widows sighed in relief and rolled their eyes at the princess’s dramatic attitude.
Based on the severity of the code words she used for an emergency, they had expected a grave injury to either her or to the queen.
Instead, they saw a small Lion Bat cub, its paw in a cast, sound asleep and making cute yipping noises while it dreamt in a fluffy and comfortable looking crib with cute ribbons on it that made it more appealing to the young girl;a clear effort by the salesman at the beast market to earn repeat business possibly in the future.
One of the senior Widows, understanding the misunderstanding, glanced at the others, clearly thinking they needed to remind Silvari about the proper use of emergency codes. They would have a talk with her tutors before the end of day to remind her of the protocol for their usage in the future.
As the medics arrived in a panic, they were met with the odd scene where the only one that was taking the situation seriously or matching their expectation was the young princess frantically pushing them towards the medical bay while they observed some guards returning to their posts and the team of Widows were already walking away, rolling their eyes.
"[Quickly! To the emergency bay! Heal Floppy!]" Silvari demanded, her voice a mix of urgency and command.
Lassim was about to follow along, but one of the senior Widows that hadn’t left yet held out her hand across his chest, stopping him. He watched as Silvari disappeared inside with the medics while her gesture held him back.
He turned to her as the Widow handed him a brooch, more infinitely more ornate and opulent than the one he had received for eliminating the Parasitic Monkey King. This one seemed to resonate with the mana in the surrounding air… or possibly the webbing? Both? He wasn’t quite sure.
She began in the common tongue, "This is a reward for your service in accompanying the future Spider Queen. It will serve you well, granting you free stays at any inn within the Threads and numerous other businesses that wish to befriend someone with the status to hold such an item. Do not abuse the goodwill, but do enjoy the perks.
Additionally, the Queen has acknowledged the service you’ve done by giving her daughter a new friend in yourself and helping her to gain a companion. She recognizes her daughter’s issues but the Queen is quite busy and cannot meet her constant demands for attention. Rest assured, we will care for Floppy well as we already have plans on raising him as her future guardian and mount.
I dare say you may be shocked when next you meet," the Widow explained. "Now, show me your communication disc."
Lassim nodded and handed over his disc. The Widow input a terrifying spider-fang-looking rune into its contacts list before handing it back.
"In the future, you may be requested to return to play with the princess again. We’d welcome this, as it seems you’re truly kind and a good potential ’big brother’ she could use. Role models are hard to find for someone of her status, so the Spider Queen would like you to consider her domain as your ally and friend. Within reason, you may make a single request in the future, should you require it.
We may not grant it, but in her own words, ’The threads of fate have chosen you, young Lassim Rohese Vanthar. The Spider Queen shall tentatively join the fabric you weave with them, should your judgment be worthy."
The Widow then left with a final word, "We shall take care of the princess from henceforth. You may go."
Lassim, feeling a bit sad that he couldn’t say goodbye properly, had a strange gut feeling that made him make a quick decision.
He reached into his magic pouch and took out a special set of herbs and a chunk of boar meat he had kept in stasis from the divine realm of Khaalseru.
The spider, sensing a strange fluctuation of mana turned back to face him.
Seeing her turn to him, he gave it a second thought and he replaced the small 3kg chunk and pulled out an entire boar he had yet to butcher.
"Please, share this with the Queen, my new little sister, and the cub. Be extremely careful with the amount consumed. Start with incredibly small bites and immediately circulate any cultivation technique you may have. Also, give it to the Queen first. She’ll probably understand it immediately if she’s as powerful as I reckon she is.
Consider it a ’farewell for now’ gift for being friendly with my two families in the future," Lassim explained with a wink.
The Widow nodded, sensing the incredibly dense energy in the boar and herbs. She seemed to teleport and disappear instantly out of existence, leaving Lassim unable to track her.
With her gone, Lassim felt the headache he’d had since arriving receding. The little spider girl was cute, and she did feel like a potential little sister. She was adorable, if a little bratty, but he promised himself to visit her again and see her progress when he had the chance. But for now, it was time to continue heading south.
This little intermission definitely cost him a bit of time, but he was certain his movement technique could speed things up again.
He walked himself with a relaxed pace to not disturb the web as he headed towards the exit of the Funnel.
~~~~~~~~~~
Deep inside the palace, the Spider Queen sat in her web throne chamber. Lassim, if he were here,would instantly see the familiarity between her and her daughter.
She was a larger, more mature version of Silvari, nearly a third the size of the gods Lassim had met but similarly powerful. The small golden tiara horn on Silvari’s head was instead a giant arcing crown that extended upwards towards the heavens; incredibly impressive.
The golden threads in the chamber that was her throne glowed with intense mana radiation that Lassim would instantly recognize as similar to his own divine mana. Yet, he would also be able to tell that it was slightly weaker in potency, as if missing a few crucial aspects to it that would lead to the next level.
A few seconds after Lassim left, the Widow carrying the boar and herb gifts arrived at the edge of the Queen’s golden web throne, kneeling with the gifts outstretched in front of her.
With her head bowed, she reiterated exactly what Lassim had shared, but the Queen’s eyes never left the objects. From the moment they appeared in front of her, figurative fireworks and explosions were occurring in her mind as she immediately recognized the energy contained within objects and their incredible significance to her.
Lost in thought, she hadn’t registered what the Widow said at all. "[Repeat yourself,]" she commanded.
The Widow repeated, "[The young child of man has given these two objects as gifts to you, Silvari and her new lion bat cub to consume. He explicitly warned that it should be carefully consumed in small bites for some reason. Additionally, he also demanded, "Give it to the Queen first. She’ll probably understand it immediately if she’s as powerful as I reckon she is.
Consider it a ’farewell for now’ gift for being friendly with my two families in the future." to which we’d have done anyway to check for poisons, your majesty.]"
The Queen’s power controlled the golden webbing, cocooning the objects and preserving them. She transferred them to her own magical space container to put them in stasis.
Silently, she stared up, her gaze attempting to pierce the heavens above as she thought to herself, ’This Lassim is even more remarkable than expected. The threads of fate don’t do him justice. Do they have any idea what kind of monster he has already become…? Only 14… This is ridiculous…What scenario would demand such action?...’
She then lowered her gaze and radiated intense pressure as she ordered the Widow, "[Send our human assistant envoys and a team of Widows to the Vanthar and Rohese estates in the Aurora Kingdom. Sign whatever treaty we can manage with them, something equal to them if possible. Don’t let them argue to sign anything that benefits or favors us.
If the envoy attempts to favor the Threads in any way, you shall slice off his head and consume him on the spot, the same goes for his mate and hatchlings as well. Do your best to inform him of this order when you escort him.]"
She continued, "[Also, have our information clutch pay special attention to Lassim in the future. Set a date to request him to visit the princess once he’s completed his training in the Lightning Sect. Possibly 3 or 4 years from now. Make sure they station more slings in the southern continent to keep tabs on his situation and progress. That will be all.]"
The Widow bowed deeply and disappeared, leaving the Queen alone in her thoughts, contemplating the heavenly gift she just received. With it, she may just be able to break the boundary she’d long struggled against. She may potentially find a way to break her mortal shackles.
"What a remarkable gift… The debt I shall owe him from this simple gift…" She uttered under her breath in the common tongue.