Chapter 88

Chapter 88

Holden bristled at the loaded words. "I merely offered a suggestion, and you all agreed. Now that something’s gone wrong, you’re pinning it on me?"

Zakaqi quickly interceded. "It’s not that serious. His Lordship is probably just momentarily upset. If we send some star coins, his anger should subside. Besides, we didn’t come away empty-handed; we at least learned his preferences. He values peace and quiet, so we should try not to disturb him again."

Gaining favor with a lord was no easy feat; one misstep could lead to ruin. They were mere foremen on a mining planet, utterly insignificant compared to the nobility—not even worth a single finger.

At the mention of sending star coins, Duntin winced. Then, recalling something, he spoke, "I heard even Chalien didn’t fare well with the lord. He prides himself as one of the home planet’s top chefs, yet the lord tore his cooking apart and made him pay a hefty sum in star coins."

"Chalien is a fallen noble from the home planet, and even he took such a huge tumble. We shouldn’t have gotten involved in this mess!"

Zakaqi sighed. "There’s no use dwelling on it. Let’s just take this as a lesson. We’re clearly not cut out for pleasing male insects. For now, let’s go apologize properly."

Duntin pursed his lips, muttering, "I wonder how that fellow Nuo Sen managed to earn His Lordship’s favor…"

Holden frowned at the remark, walking as he spoke. "Nuo Sen was the first one the lord met upon arriving here. Perhaps the lord doesn’t actually favor him, but merely needed a guide."

Zakaqi nodded, agreeing with Holden. He, too, found it hard to believe there was anything about Nuo Sen that could genuinely attract a male lord.

"Speaking of which, when Nuo Sen first met the lord, he immediately presented him with a star card!"

Perhaps that was why the lord treated Nuo Sen differently.

Holden raised an eyebrow. "Nuo Sen certainly knows how to play his cards."

Hearing that Nuo Sen had also shelled out a large sum, Duntin’s heart ached a little less. "So that’s it. We should have just given the lord a star card right from the start."

After all, the star coins would be given eventually. Offering them sooner might have earned them the lord’s appreciation.

When Holden and the others went to apologize, they didn’t see Lord Lu Cian himself. Instead, a female slave by his side accepted their offering.

As they left, Duntin still fumed. "Just a female slave, yet acting so high and mighty, even giving us attitude!"

Zakaqi cast a weary glance at Duntin. "This is still their territory. Why are you shouting? What if they overhear you?"

Duntin scoffed. "What’s there to fear? A mere female slave wouldn’t dare tattle to the lord, would he?"

Holden interjected, "Zakaqi is right; it’s better to be cautious. Although that female’s status is a slave, inferior to us, he might be deeply favored by the lord. Didn’t you notice he had no injuries and didn’t even kneel while serving the lord?"

"A female cherished by the lord, even if he’s a slave, holds more sway than us. If he truly says something to the lord, you might find yourself in serious trouble!"

Pillow talk, in any world, was not to be underestimated.

Duntin’s face paled at the realization, finally showing fear. "I-I didn’t say anything much… Surely he wouldn’t be that petty?"

Holden shrugged. "I’m not that female slave, so how would I know?"

He admitted he was secretly hoping to see Duntin suffer a little; his sharp tongue often invited trouble.

Duntin hesitated, looking back anxiously, wondering if he’d have to pay off that female slave with star coins too.

The thought nearly brought tears to his eyes.

Zakaqi patted Duntin’s shoulder, reassuring him. "It’s not that exaggerated. I observed that female; he was consistently aloof, not deliberately cold towards us. Such an individual likely doesn’t dwell on many things. You don’t need to be afraid."

Duntin nodded, feeling a little relieved.

He had only commented on the female slave’s arrogance, not insulted him, nor had he slandered the male lord. There were also surveillance cameras outside. Even if the slave exaggerated anything, once the facts were laid bare, he wouldn’t be in any trouble.

---

Having finally sent the troublesome insects away, Lu Cian felt that after this minor drama, no one would dare try to curry favor with him again.

He truly couldn’t stand the sight of a group of burly male insects vying to become his concubines!

Even if he were to marry a female in the future, it would at least have to be someone like Brother Nan…

Wait!

Lu Cian shivered. Had something strange just crept into his mind?

He dared not think further. He felt utterly audacious!

A few more days passed. Lu Cian had assumed this routine would last at least a month or two, but soon, he received a message from Wawen.

Though Wawen often had an irritating way of speaking, he was competent and excellent at gathering information.

They had found Joseph. The lead came from an inhibitor.

Inhibitors were hard currency in the Empire, categorized into low and high grades, always in short supply. High-grade inhibitors were a luxury even among nobles.

The inhibitors found on N-370 included both grades, with the low-grade ones even surpassing the quality of those produced by the Royal Research Institute.

At first, Wawen assumed N-370 had powerful backing to dare smuggle such high-quality inhibitors.

But after making discreet inquiries, he realized the situation was far more complex.

These inhibitors weren’t smuggled from above—they were locally produced on N-370!

With this discovery, Wawen immediately linked it to their target: Joseph.

Wawen possessed another skill—he was a master of disguise.

N-370 lacked advanced identification systems, allowing Wawen to blend seamlessly among the miners.

Once he found the lead, gathering information about Joseph became much easier.

Within days, Wawen had pinpointed Joseph’s approximate location.

There was likely a laboratory there, though its exact whereabouts remained unknown.

Wawen hadn’t expected a mining planet to house a laboratory.

Moreover, how had such a talented researcher gone unreported to the Imperial authorities?

Then again, Wawen quickly dismissed the thought. No matter how skilled Joseph was, he was still a convicted female insect—one among countless intelligent females. Why would the nobles care about such a lowly insect?

Which worked to their advantage.

The new star sector was in desperate need of everything—especially researchers. Bringing this insect back would significantly bolster their faction.

The thought set Wawen’s pulse racing with eagerness to act.

He needed to find a way to locate the lab’s coordinates soon. If they couldn’t secure Joseph’s cooperation through normal means, they’d have to resort to force.

It didn’t take long before Wawen found his opportunity.

Joseph’s laboratory regularly supplies batches of products to Nuo Sen. Among these, the inhibitors are particularly precious and require a specialized insect escort.

These insects had performed this task many times with great caution, but after so many trips, they still left traces. The other foremen on the planet were aware of this.

However, they chose not to get involved, unwilling to take the risk.

They were content just taking their cut from Nuo Sen—a profitable, risk-free venture.

The trade of inhibitors left a trail, and any observant insect could uncover it.

Wawen did, and he also located the laboratory.

The lab was quite well hidden, built inside a mine shaft.

This mine shaft wasn’t abandoned; it still contained some mineral resources, so occasional insect traffic wouldn’t arouse much suspicion.

Once Wawen found the location, he immediately relayed the message to Nair Inan.

Nair Inan then informed Lu Cian.

Lu Cian said, "In this situation, it’s better for me to step forward. I can say my female insect discovered inhibitors on this planet, and I’d like to meet the researcher who formulated them."

Nair Inan nodded. "That reason works, but it’s not rigorous enough. We could say we received outside intelligence that inhibitors were leaking from N-370, leading us to suspect the presence of a capable researcher there. That’s why we came to investigate the situation."

Lu Cian’s previous excuse about touring to see raw amethyst was indeed a bit flimsy. Fortunately, the Nuo Sen they encountered wasn’t particularly sharp and didn’t question their story.

"That’s a better reason." Lu Cian then looked at Nair Inan with admiration. "It’s a good thing I have Brother Nan by my side. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to smooth over these overlooked details."

Nair Inan shook his head. "Not at all. You’ve done very well. It’s a minor matter; with a bit more thought, you would have figured it out too."

Lu Cian smiled but said nothing. Brother Nan was truly overestimating him; he often overlooked such subtle details.

He often amused himself with the thought that a true man, one destined for great things, doesn’t bother with trivialities.

Looking back, that phase was quite embarrassing. Lu Cian rubbed his nose, feeling a little sheepish.

---

The laboratory was indeed Nuo Sen’s operation.

Sometimes the higher-ups’ demands for goods were quite normal; if requested on schedule, they could deliver and even pocket some for themselves.

But occasionally, the demands became excessive—a shipment that should have been fulfilled once in a normal timeframe would be requested three to five times in a row.

The foremen had to dip into their own pockets.

But there were limits to how much they could spend. If the costs piled up, even Nuo Sen couldn’t bear it, so they had to find ways to earn more star coins.

Nuo Sen wasn’t entirely sure what other businesses the other foremen had, but many of his own ventures bore Joseph’s influence—especially the inhibitors.

The inhibitors produced here were even more effective than those developed on the home planet.

When Lu Cian heard this from Wawen, he found it unbelievable. He wondered if the Insect Emperor had recruited a bunch of incompetent researchers while pushing out the talented ones.

As it turned out, Lu Cian was overthinking it.

Nair Inan said meaningfully, "How could the Insect Emperor possibly allow his subjects to purchase highly effective inhibitors?"

This statement carried a double meaning: the Royal Research Institute certainly didn’t recruit incompetents, but good products were never cheap for ordinary insects.