Chapter 96

Chapter 96

Lu Cian had to admit the food was truly delicious.

Of course, its deliciousness stemmed primarily from the fresh, sweet ingredients. A simple preparation was enough to create a delightful dish. If the chef possessed even a modicum of skill, the food would be even more astonishing.

Lu Cian nodded inwardly—*this* was the caliber expected of a master chef from the mother planet. Zerg cuisine was indeed something to anticipate.

After the meal, Ximeno, learning that Lu Cian had no place to stay, enthusiastically invited him to his home.

Lu Cian declined, "No, that would be too much trouble…"

Ximeno scoffed, "What trouble? My estate is enormous, with several villas—more than we could ever occupy!"

Lu Cian was speechless.

*If you can’t occupy them all, why build so many?*

Given the situation, Lu Cian said, "That sounds wonderful then. Please prepare the villa closest to the main gate for me—it will be convenient for travel."

Ximeno happily replied, "Excellent! I’ll have someone arrange it immediately."

Excitedly, Ximeno tapped a few times on his neural interface and declared, "All set! Let’s go."

Lu Cian thought to himself: *Such efficiency! Are they afraid we’ll bolt or something?*

Leaving *Sea and Sky*, Lu Cian glanced back at the distant beach. They hadn't explored much of it today, and Rainbow Island was likely out of reach.

But it didn’t matter—they could always come back tomorrow.

Lu Cian departed in high spirits.

However, while boarding the aircraft, Ximeno noticed Lu Cian had arrived via public transport and surmised his private aircraft must be broken. He sighed, looking at Lu Cian with profound sympathy.

This little male insect was truly pitiable!

Not yet an adult, traveling alone, with not a single useful female insect by his side—what a tragic state!

Though Nair Inan and his group were large, robust insects, in Ximeno’s eyes, their status as mere female slaves rendered them useless.

To male insects, female slaves were simply household caretakers—lacking wealth and power, dependent on the males for their upkeep.

"Public transport? Absolutely not! Come, ride in mine—my newly acquired limited-edition flier. The interior is quite well-appointed."

Unable to refuse Ximeno, Lu Cian boarded his aircraft.

The moment he stepped inside, he was almost blinded.

He had previously thought the exterior's gold finish suited the "limited edition" label, but he hadn’t expected the interior to be so… *ostentatious*. It was truly… *too flashy*!

"How about it? Isn’t my aircraft splendid?"

Lu Cian offered an awkward yet polite smile. "…It’s certainly impressive."

*What kind of aesthetic do these Zerg have? Isn’t it painful to look at?*

*Could the manufacturers be deliberately selling the ugliest aircraft as limited editions to scam gullible male insects?*

*Or is this just the typical male insect aesthetic?*

Curious, Lu Cian asked, "Are all limited editions this color?"

Ximeno shook his head. "Of course not."

Lu Cian breathed a sigh of relief, assuming Ximeno’s peculiar taste had led him to choose this particular one.

Then Ximeno continued, "There were three other colorful ones, but too many insects were vying for them. I couldn’t get one—only managed to snag this gold one."

He even sighed, looking genuinely regretful.

Lu Cian: "…"

*Fluorescent rainbow colors?*

*Oh, heavens, Lu Cian just wanted to cover his eyes—even uglier!*

"I’ll give you one when we get back. I have so many aircraft I can’t even use them all—they just gather dust."

Lu Cian quickly waved his hands. "No need for that!"

But Ximeno insisted, "Come on, we’re good brothers now—no need to be so formal."

In Ximeno’s view, Lu Cian was merely being modest. He had never encountered a male insect like this before.

Typically, when he offered gifts like aircraft, the other male insects would feign reserve and haughtiness—yet their hands were quick to accept whatever was given. If he ever forgot to give something, they’d accuse him of being stingy.

*Ridiculous! He had plenty of credits, but he wasn’t a fool—did they think he was a free ATM?*

However, this little male insect he met today was different. When he said he didn’t want something, he truly meant it.

*No way!*

The friends Ximeno chose were not like the others.

Whatever other male insects possessed, Lu Cian *must* have it too!

When Lu Cian attempted to refuse again, Ximeno cut him off directly: "If you don’t accept it, you’re not treating me as a friend!"

Well, that was an argument impossible to refute.

Lu Cian sighed. "…Fine."

The group boarded the aircraft.

Lu Cian’s "female slaves" were separated from the male insects, assigned to the servants’ quarters.

Timothy still remembered what had transpired at the restaurant. Now that they were among their own, he couldn’t help but ask, "The royal family actually has such etiquette? Next time, can I be the one to taste-test? I want to try what male insect cuisine tastes like…"

Seeing Timothy practically salivating, Wawen rolled his eyes. "Royal etiquette? You’re dreaming. Anyone could tell from the way the Boss acted that it was just a lie. Only someone as oblivious as you wouldn’t notice."

Timothy blinked, finally understanding. *So the Boss spun that tale for Nair Inan’s sake?*

Timothy grumbled, a hint of jealousy in his voice, "Why is the Boss only so good to Inan? Is my tinkering skill not good enough?"

Of course, by "skill," he meant his mechanical engineering expertise—but what if someone overheard?

Timothy scrambled the comms. Even if the room was monitored, nothing could be recorded. But just in case some female insect had exceptional hearing… it was better to be cautious.

Wawen chuckled. "It’s useless telling *me* that. Go say it to the Boss’s face."

Timothy shrugged: "I wouldn't dare, but I’ll definitely volunteer for the taste-testing next time."

Wawen twitched his lips—he’d never met such an insect before; this one’s audacity far surpassed his own: "You used to be a rich guy, haven’t you paid top dollar for fancy restaurant meals before? Is this really necessary?"

Timothy immediately retorted: "What do you know? It’s completely different! Those chefs are all arrogant, looking down their noses at everyone. Once they find out their employer is a female insect, how could they possibly give their best effort?"

Wawen hadn’t considered that before and changed the subject: "The food on the ship isn’t bad either. You always clean your plate—isn’t that enough to satisfy you?"

Mentioning the ship’s food only made Timothy angrier.

Sure, the food was delicious, comparable to the expensive meals he’d had before. But compared to what Nair Inan ate, it was like heaven and earth.

Nair Inan got unique, exquisitely plated dishes, and even the simplest meat pie he had tasted better than theirs.

Timothy was burning with jealousy—*why him?*

Just because Nair Inan was the Shelley Clan Heir, their leader?

Well, Mr. Lu was a male insect!

Oh, right—he forgot. The gourmet food was made by Mr. Lu himself.

Timothy grew even more bitter. That lucky female insect had a male mate, while he was still single.

Other females’ male mates could cook and sweetly call them "brother," while he hadn’t even touched a male’s hand.

Channeling his frustration into appetite, Timothy fought with Wawen and Damon over the food Lu Cian had asked Damon to bring back from the restaurant.

Since Damon had gone to pack it secretly, the restaurant almost turned him down. It was only after a waiter recognized him that they relented.

But without a male present, the restaurant only allowed them to pack some ordinary dishes—nothing like the specialty dishes served to males.

Even so, Timothy still found it delicious.

Meanwhile, he grew even angrier realizing that the expensive food he’d bought before couldn’t compare. He angrily stuffed another large bite of fish beast meat into his mouth.

Wawen complained: "Timothy, you’re such a lightweight, how can you eat so much?"

Timothy snorted in defiance: "Make me!"

Then he continued fighting the others for food.

Damon wasn’t as exaggerated. Once, after being invited by Riley to share his extra meal, he had tasted Lu Cian’s cooking firsthand and developed some resistance to gourmet food.

These dishes were indeed unique, but they’d soon build up a stock of great seasonings. With Mr. Lu’s improvements, the mess hall food would reach a whole new level…

Damon looked forward to that. After a few more bites of meat, he found the flavor just average and slowly sipped his fish beast soup instead.

…

Lu Cian never expected he’d make a male friend in the insect world.

The aircraft landed—Ximeno’s estate had arrived.

The estate was massive.

Ximeno waved at Lu Cian: "Good brother, you sold all your goods to me, doing me such an honor. Any of these villas—take your pick!"

"Brother Ximeno, you flatter me."

As requested earlier, Lu Cian chose the villa closest to the estate’s entrance.

Ximeno was less than thrilled—it was the smallest villa, not befitting a male's standing.

"This is the smallest one I have. Why not pick another?"

Lu Cian shook his head: "No need, this one will do just fine."

Unable to change his mind, Ximeno relented: "Fine. But if you ever reconsider, come find me anytime."

Lu Cian and his group entered the villa, turned on the signal blocker, and after Timothy and the others swept for bugs, they finally relaxed.

"Alright, everyone’s had a long day. Go pick a room and get some rest."

Lu Cian also entered a room—the largest master bedroom in the villa.

A while later, Nair Inan knocked and walked in.

Seeing him, Lu Cian said immediately: "Perfect timing. I was just about to look for you."

"I plan to visit the exchange tomorrow. Some Harper Clan members have been brought to Apban. Let’s see what we can find."

The Harper Clan was a group of artistic, poetic female insects with delicate beauty, some even active in the entertainment industry.

But the Harper Clan was naturally proud, unwilling to debase themselves or compete for favor. Their reproduction mostly relied on obtaining gametes from the Gamete Institute to fertilize eggs.

Scarcity drove up their value, making Harper Clan females especially sought-after by males.