The Meeting

Humins was only slightly surprised by the Zerg Empress, not overly astonished. The agreement was important in some ways, but ultimately just a formality; its purpose was to extract more information from the Zerg.

Moreover, with such a large organization as the Zerg, there must be a supreme ruler or institution to control and coordinate it. However, what was unexpected was that the supreme ruler of the Zerg was a female.

This reminded him of his initial speculations about the Zerg model, such as matriarchy and social biological evolution. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle.

"Elder Humins, what amusing thing have you thought of?" someone suddenly asked beside Humins. The voice was somewhat old, but strong and powerful, and it was spoken in the clear and distinct Epoch Clan language.

"Thinking of some happy things from the past, Your Excellency Morgan." Humins saw that old Morgan was about to continue, but he didn't want to dwell on the topic, so he changed the subject. "The development of technology always has two sides. It's been a long time since this old man has traveled this far in person. I wonder when I'll be able to meet the Noble Queen?"

Epoch Clan was of noble status, and upon arriving in the Swarm territory, regardless of his purpose, he was expected to be greeted by someone of sufficient rank. The Swarm sent Old Morgan.

After a brief introduction, Humins, though unaware of the exact position of the Advisor Minister in the Zerg, assumed the old man held the title of Empress Mentor, and given that he had led a delegation to greet him, he must be a high-ranking and powerful figure.

But that old guy was so unfair. After reaching the entrance of the Underground Palace, the Epoch Clan's flying vehicles couldn't enter, so both sides had been walking for a long time. Morgan, on the other hand, wasn't even out of breath, as if he could walk another ten kilometers, but he was really starting to feel the strain.

"I'm sorry, Elder Humins, we didn't consider this carefully." Morgan was taken aback. This wasn't a show of force, but a genuine oversight. After all, he hadn't left the Swarm Network for a long time, and the Zerg body he was using now, while looking somewhat aged, was still relatively new, fully functional, and performed exceptionally well, easily climbing several floors in one go. They had truly overlooked the feelings of someone who was actually middle-aged or elderly.

Morgan clapped his hands, and soon the surrounding plants shrank, several large holes appeared in the wall, and several flat-bodied insects, resembling carts, crawled out. Their ancestors had participated in the war against the Earth-Yellow Ant in the primitive era of Swarm, and now Rowan had made them large and powerful, turning them into a kind of carrying insect.

However, it looked quite adorable when it was small, but when magnified hundreds of times, it appeared somewhat ferocious, and the Epoch Clan guards were so frightened that they quickly went into a state of alert.

Humins, true to his elder status, remained calm and composed. He knew that if things got heated, the Swarm might turn on him, but their relationship was currently relatively amicable, and there was no reason for Swarm to target him. He waved his hand to stop his subordinates' humiliating actions, and then, led by Morgan, climbed onto the insect's back.

The insect's back was smooth and warm like jade, making it very comfortable to sit on. Humins couldn't help but say to Morgan, "The biotechnology of the nobility is truly amazing. There are many things the Epoch Clan can learn from it."

"Not at all!" Morgan couldn't help but feel smug, but he still kept it polite.

However, due to cultural differences, Humins didn't understand the politeness. He thought about it seriously and said, "For example, the insects that carry us, and the Octopus Monster that the nobles used to guide our spaceship, are all good Biological Weapon."

Morgan paused for a moment, then realized that Humins had misunderstood. Instead of correcting him, he replied, "You flatter me. But these children, which you may see as Biological Weapon, are, in our eyes, one of us."

After saying that, Morgan patted the big bug under his seat, and the bug responded by chirping a few times.

The probing between civilizations always involves gathering information about each other through various channels and by observing subtle clues. For example, Rowan likes to analyze things from the smallest details.

Humins quickly seized upon what Morgan had "inadvertently" revealed in his words.

A child? One of us? Humins looked down at the monstrous worm beneath him, then turned to look at the humanoid Morgan beside him, unable to connect the two at all.

However, the universe is vast and boundless, and civilizations and races are as numerous as fish crossing a river, in all shapes and sizes. We cannot limit our thinking with known experience. Could it be that they are really the same thing? Was this a casual remark by Morgan, or was this wicked old man deliberately creating a diversion? Humins fell into thought, while Morgan, who caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of his eye, curled his lips into a smile.

The passage was long, but the Giant Flat Bug moved quickly, and before long, the group arrived at a huge cave. Inside stood countless intelligent Zerg, several times the number that had been revealed to the outside world so far.

At the head of the cave sat a female Zerg. Although she was not dressed in gorgeous clothes, her overwhelming majesty made her shine like a spotlight in the night sky.

So, this is the Zerg Queen.

Sure enough, after a polite introduction, Humins learned the name of the Zerg Empress before him.

The Swarm have always presented themselves as a highly efficient race. Therefore, after the initial pleasantries, they quickly moved on to the formal meeting agenda without further ado.

"Your Majesty Sarah, on behalf of the many members of the Star Sea Alliance, welcomes your joining us."

Since many details had already been agreed upon, the meeting was just a formality, and the agreement was quickly and formally signed. Humins, on behalf of the Epoch Clan and the Star Sea Alliance, welcomed the Zerg's entry.

Afterwards, the Zerg hosted a welcome banquet for the Epoch Clan members, and even performed some of the Swarm's unique "shows," such as Zerg fighting...

Humins watched the enormous beetles wrestling in the center of the cave, pondering their actual combat strength and applicable environments. Then, seemingly casually, he asked Sarah, "Your Majesty, I have a question. Could you please answer it for me?"

Sarah thought to herself, "They've arrived," but maintained her dignified and aloof demeanor. "Please speak!"

"Your Majesty, where exactly do the Zerg come from?" Humins carefully chose his words, his expression turning serious as he stared intently at Sarah and asked the question.

Sure enough, the first question was this pointed. Fortunately, the Overlord was astute and prepared. Sarah first mentally flattered her beloved Overlord. The Overlord was definitely watching, so regardless of whether he could hear her thoughts, she'd flatter him first.