Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Philo headed upstairs.

Without tending to his wounds or acknowledging the other insects, the young Silver-Haired Male Insect turned and retreated alone to his room.

As his figure disappeared, the insects in the Toras estate lowered their heads, unable to resist fixating on the trail of blood left behind on the stairs.

There was no visible difference—the blood of a male insect was just as crimson and striking as that of a female.

Yet, there *was* a difference.

Fingers trembling, eyes burning, the Attendant who should have borne the lash collapsed weakly to his knees.

Though the wounds on his own back were far more gruesome, though the blood pooling at his feet was darker and thicker, the sight of the male insect’s glaringly bright red droplets seemed to shatter him more than any punishment he had ever endured.

*Your Highness... how could you?*

"Call… call Zhousha."

Arm stiff, Yi Jia Fa stood in the hall, his expression more grim than ever before.

His gaze swept over the whip stained with Philo’s blood before his fingers loosened, letting it clatter to the floor. Lips pressed tight, his voice trembled as he spoke.

"Immediately. Bring Zhousha back *now*!"

He didn’t specify why, but at this moment, it seemed unnecessary.

Amid the chaos, the old steward bowed deeply and murmured a deferential, "As you command."

---

Military Command, Third Legion’s Capital Star Base, Legion Commander’s Office.

Not long after Philo and Gore had left that morning, Zhousha had been unexpectedly recalled to the military headquarters for an urgent meeting. The debriefing had but recently adjourned.

The impromptu meeting had extended beyond projected parameters, and the Military Female had already planned to return to the Toras estate as soon as possible. But before he could step out of his office, he unexpectedly received a call from the old steward.

The communication connected, and the female on the other end carefully recounted everything that had transpired in the mansion during his absence.

—How Yi Jia Fa had woken early and come downstairs.

—How the Attendants had been lightly disciplined.

—And how… Philo had been accidentally struck and injured.

At the last detail, the typically stern Military Female’s frown deepened.

Soon, a general-rank officer’s aircraft silently descended onto the Toras estate’s designated landing zone.

The hatch opened, and alongside Zhousha disembarked Dr. Gu De, the doctor he had personally retrieved from the Male Insect Management Committee.

Bowing deeply, the old steward, who had been waiting, stood in the now immaculately cleaned hall and proffered a contrite bow.

But without further words, Zhousha led Dr. Gu De straight to Philo’s room on the second floor.

---

Drip—

Though both Zhousha and the old steward held emergency override authority to the young male insect’s room, none of the insects outside dared to intrude. They simply maintained their silent vigil, waiting for a response from within.

Time passed slowly. Just as they assumed the wait would be long, the door unexpectedly opened on its own.

Lifting his gaze to the silver-haired male insect’s back, the leading female hesitated but a moment before crossing the threshold with measured steps.

"Philo."

The low, time-roughened voice of the female reached the male insect’s ears, his hair still damp.

His eyes carefully traced over the wet strands and the lacerated auricle, finally settling where the male insect’s gaze was fixed. Zhousha’s tone remained gentle as ever.

"What are you looking at?"

*Looking at?*

Philo didn’t turn. Even though he had opened the door for them, the freshly bathed male insect—despite the severe swelling on his ear and cheek, the wounds still oozing blood from the corrosive barbs—

"Stellar charts."

His eyes remained anchored to the indigo holographic display before him. The room was dim, bathed solely in a few hovering luminaires. His amethyst eyes studied the star systems recorded in the military network’s database, adrift in contemplation.

But what else could a stellar chart show, besides planets?

"Should you wish to visit another world, you can go anytime. You need but command it."

The female didn’t question his sudden interest. He only offered a mild suggestion.

Yet—

No answer. The male insect had retreated behind his eyes again.

Since arriving in this era, since being taken from the barren planet, Philo had understood just how vast and deep the insect race’s stellar exploration had become.

Even so, even knowing they could traverse the stars at will, he had never once opened the publicly accessible stellar archives.

*Stellar charts*—a comprehensive record of all known celestial bodies within the insect alliance’s reach.

This holographic atlas documented every observable star system, planet, nebula, and interstellar phenomenon. An immense database that would take lifetimes to parse manually. Fortunately, the insect race had organized it meticulously—enter the proper query, and the system would filter the results.

The day he found this map on the network, Philo had been transported with excitement. Without hesitation, he saved it to his personal datapad.

But he never opened it.

Even as his heart raced at the sheer scale of the data, even as his eyes glimpsed azure spheres that tugged at memory—he couldn’t bring himself to search for the celestial coordinates that haunted him.

*Premature revelation would serve no purpose.*

Yet today, he had at last relented.

"If you haven’t decided where to go, there’s no rush. Modern vessels traverse the void with ease—no celestial body lies beyond your grasp."

When the male insect remained silent, the female ventured after a measured silence.

But then—

"Earth."

At last raising his gaze for the first time since Zhousha entered, the male insect finally met his gaze. The lacerations stood in cruel relief on his face. Yet, as if apparently insensate to the wounds, his lips twisted into a ghost of a smile.

"I want to go to Earth."

*Earth?*

His gaze dropped, Zhousha's aged eyes traced the harsh whip marks as his voice grew somber.

"I haven't heard of this planet. Why do you suddenly want to go there? Judging by the name, is it a planet with a large landmass?"

"No, it's a planet with the largest proportion of oceans."

Unfazed by the unfamiliarity in the female insect's words, the male, who already knew the answer, turned to stare at the cosmos spread before him, his voice softening.

"It’s a little small, but..."

"This planet is beautiful."

Small? A wasteland planet? But barren planets are never given independent names—at most, they're labeled with coordinates. And yet—

Studying Philo, the female frowned.

"Your memories..."

"Still nothing."

"Then this planet—"

"Just a dream."

Standing up, the male turned off the holographic display of the star map and looked at his other father, his lips curving into a faint smile.

"In a dream, I think I saw a planet like this."

With that, the male seemed to finally notice the anxious gazes of the other insects behind him. Changing the subject, he turned to the familiar Dr. Gu De, his face breaking into the same polite smile as always.

"Sorry to trouble you again, Dr. Gu De."

"...Your Highness is too kind."

Lowering his eyes, the Male Insect specialist quietly bowed his head, taking in the male's expression and the whip marks.

Though the earlier conversation had been baffling, at least the injured male still seemed in good spirits, showing no signs of anger or refusal to undergo treatment.

As before, the male lay back in the now-familiar medical pod. Closing his eyes, he let the recovery fluid envelop him, his expression calm.

One of the onlookers sighed softly as the treatment finally began.

By now, it was well past the usual lunchtime at the Toras estate. But instead of heading downstairs, after thanking Dr. Gu De, Zhousha stepped out of the medical pod room and knocked on Yi Jia Fa's door.

Meanwhile, the elderly butler, who had long instructed the kitchen to prepare lunch, stood silently behind Zhousha.

The door opened quickly—and just as swiftly closed.

Standing in place, the wounded butler watched as the attendant wheeled the food trolley into the male's room before finally bowing and descending the stairs.

Yet—

Glancing down at the freshly cleaned steps, the old butler couldn't suppress a slight tremble in his lashes.

Those wounds... The young master must be in so much pain.

Today, none of the Toras family's main members came downstairs for lunch.

Philo had entered the medical pod, where the nutrient fluid contained essential glucose and amino acids required by insectoids, so he didn’t need to eat.

As for Yi Jia Fa, he had retreated to his room after Philo went upstairs and hadn't emerged since. Even his lunch had to be delivered by Zhousha upon returning from the military HQ.

Zhousha himself, after calming Yi Jia Fa and checking on Philo in the pod, didn’t eat and returned to his own quarters.

Unlike the publicly available star maps, the military system accessible to generals contained much more detailed cosmic observation charts.

Here, recently found star systems, resource-rich planets under temporary confidentiality, and military training zones not yet disclosed—all such information could be queried.

In fact, ever since learning where Philo had been found on that barren planet, the female had checked all entry and exit records of nearby celestial bodies. Yet, so far, no records of the male existed anywhere else.

It was as if the child had been abandoned on that barren planet from infancy, raised in complete isolation. But given his unique language and certain life skills, this seemed improbable.

And then today’s planet...

Lowering his gaze, the female activated the search function, entering the planet's name and its land-to-ocean ratio. Then—

"No results found for the search criteria. Here are some close matches for reference."

"Landstar: Located in the Runiaf Supercluster—Carlos Cluster—Deep Sky Group—Suffolk System—Insect Arm—Giant Hunter System. This planet has the highest ocean ratio but is also the most metal-rich terrestrial body in its system."

"Gray River: Located in the Ifraga Supercluster..."

"Sphere Giant: Located in the Fumankalu Supercluster..."

No exact matches. Even the planets vaguely fitting the description were light-years apart from the barren world where Philo had been found.

The female frowned, scanning the results before closing his eyes, giving up the search. But—

If he hadn’t lost him back then...

His fist tightened, the female—who had rejected the Male Insect Management Committee's standby assignment to rush to the front lines—wasn’t sure if he regretted that choice.

Had Philo not been lost, perhaps he wouldn't be so mature now. Maybe he'd be like any ordinary male—more volatile, less cooperative, more selfish. But... he might’ve adapted better. Might’ve been happier.

He relaxed his fist, a sigh filling the quiet room.

Today, the Toras mansion was destined to remain thick with tension.

Inside the medical pod, the male didn't stay as long this time. After just over an hour, he opened the pod and stood.

Though the corrosive lash had drawn blood and slowed healing, the injuries weren't serious enough to cause lasting harm.

Brushing his scars left by the solvent, Philo gave a soft smile to the apologetic Dr. Gu De, untroubled by the lingering marks.

Honestly, he was already impressed by the pod's rapid healing. Scars didn’t matter.

With another polite thanks to the doctor, the male noticed the old medic's hesitation but got no reply.

With a deep bow, the gray-haired female quietly departed.

Instead of going downstairs, the newly treated male returned straight to his room, marks still fresh. Perhaps the trip had worn him out—unlike his usual obsessive studying, this afternoon, he rested.

Opening his communicator, Philo first checked his unread communications. Then, without replying to Gore's call, the male insect selected the contact of another male insect he had just contacted that morning.

With a faint smile, listening to Dudafei's gentle explanation of the incident and its outcome at the Male Insect Management Committee earlier that day, Philo politely expressed his gratitude to the elder male insect and the two younger ones who had helped, mentioning that he would thank them in person when the opportunity arose before ending the call.

After the call, recalling the name of a somewhat familiar young male insect that Dudafei had specifically mentioned, Philo scrolled through his communicator’s contact request logs and remembered that this was the male insect Yijiafa had asked him to contact.

Though he had agreed at the time, he had later forgotten amid his busy schedule. Thinking of this, Philo glanced at his communicator again and, without hesitation this time, quickly approved the request.

Setting the communicator aside, having dealt with the day’s matters, the male insect ignored the various requests and messages from unfamiliar insectoids. Donning his gaming helmet, he lay directly into the game simulation pod.

Perhaps because his psychic energy was replenished after the medical pod session, Philo spent much longer gaming than usual today. However, Liwei, who had originally arranged to meet with him, was unexpectedly absent. But it didn’t matter—Philo actually wanted some time alone.

Meanwhile, as the male insect played, at the Qimengtu estate, Siluan, who had just settled onto the sofa, suddenly shattered the porcelain cup in his hand.

“Has that old fool Yijiafa gone blind with age? Can’t even hit the right insect?”

Frowning, listening to the report from Dudafei’s chief aide at the Male Insect Management Committee about Gude’s medical visit, the dark-haired male insect’s wrist trembled slightly, accidentally dropping the cup to the floor.

“Mind your manners. You should address him as Uncle Yijiafa.”

With a stern expression, Dudafei, who had also not anticipated such an incident at the Tulas family today, was about to inquire further when his thoughts were interrupted by Siluan’s words.

“Bring a new cup. Be careful not to cut yourself.”

Speaker Norman, also holding a porcelain cup, made no comment on the young male insect’s rudeness, simply instructing the Attendant to clean up and replace the broken set.

But—

Unconcerned about the cup, Siluan lifted his gaze to the committee’s female insectoid standing before him and demanded coldly,

“I told you that Philo, picked up from some frontier world, has no sense of the world—making such a fuss over a few Attendants getting beaten. Serves him right to be hit by mistake. So? Did his face get ruined? Is he hideous now?”

...

This was getting out of hand.

Patting his male offspring’s arm, even though they were at home, Dudafei couldn’t help but chide softly, “Siluan, mind your tone.”

Mind his tone?

Crossing his arms and leaning back into the sofa, the dark-haired male insect clearly paid no heed to his father’s reprimand, instead continuing to stare at the female insectoid, waiting for an answer.

Bowing slightly, Skaha, Dudafei’s chief aide and current head of the Male Insect Management Committee’s medical division, replied quietly,

“According to Gude’s medical records, His Highness Philo’s left ear and cheek were the most severely injured. Additionally, as the whip used by His Highness Yijiafa was laced with barbs coated in a special corrosive solvent, and male insects heal slower than females, it is estimated that the scars on His Highness Philo’s face will take three days to fade. As for his other injuries, they have mostly healed after treatment.”

Philo’s injuries were not severe, so the report was brief.

Yet, even so—

*Clink.*

The porcelain lid tapped against the cup. Shang Ling, who had quietly finished his drink at some point, set down his cup.

Lifting his gaze, the female insectoid looked at Dudafei and Norman seated across from him and said softly, “Father, Mother, my schedule tomorrow isn’t too busy. Perhaps I could spare some time to—”

“To what? Suck up? Shang Ling Qimengtu, are you that desperate?”

Before the female insectoid could finish, the male insect, who had grown increasingly impatient upon hearing about Philo’s injuries, sneered and cut him off.

Without waiting for Dudafei to lecture him with the usual platitudes, he stood up and said coldly,

“This is tedious. I’m going to my room. Father, instead of lecturing me, why don’t you go scold that incompetent old fool Yijiafa who can’t even hold a whip properly?”

With a derisive smirk, the male insect, having spat out a string of words that made his father frown, strode upstairs to his room in a foul mood.

Watching Siluan’s retreating figure, Dudafei was annoyed by his offspring’s sharp tongue, but seeing his obvious displeasure, he couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

Logically, having made Philo owe him a favor today and now hearing that the other had been struck, Siluan should have been pleased. Yet, for some reason, the young master seemed even angrier.

Truly, his temperament was becoming more unpredictable by the day.

Shaking his head, Dudafei turned his attention away from his temperamental son and looked at Shang Ling. Though Siluan’s words had been harsh, he also didn’t think it wise for Shang Ling to visit Philo tomorrow.

“Given what happened today, the atmosphere at the Tulas household will likely remain tense for the next few days. If you go tomorrow, while you might comfort Philo, you risk offending Yijiafa. Instead, why not wait until your scheduled language tutoring session with Philo? That would be a more appropriate time.”

After speaking, Dudafei glanced at Norman, who, as always, nodded in agreement.

“There’s no need to rush. Focus on wrapping up your current duties so you can free up time before the councilor elections later this year. Around then, the Alliance Government has a legislative outreach program planned for the elite academies. You can take charge of that before the elections.”

“Incidentally, next month is the enrollment period for new students at the elite academies. By then, the young master of the Tulas family will also be attending one of them and participating in this program. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to interact with him privately.”

Before Shang Ling could respond, Dudafei, overhearing this, couldn’t help but ask,

“Do you know which elite academy Philo plans to attend?”

The capital planet had no shortage of elite academies, and while some were better than others, a few top-tier ones were nearly indistinguishable in prestige.

Patting the male insect’s hand, Norman chuckled.

“We’ll know once he enrolls. The outreach program is scheduled after the admissions period anyway.”

Ah, that made sense—a very prudent arrangement.

Nodding, Dudafei had to admit Norman’s plan was sound. And even setting aside the future, currently, the female insectoid closest to Philo was—

Wait.

“Do you… know about Gore from the Aogutale Family? I heard today that he’s been visiting the Tulas household frequently.”

Gore?

Nodding, Shang Ling wasn’t surprised by the name.

“I’ve encountered him at the Tulas residence a few times. Apparently, General Zhousha often asks him to tutor Philo on cosmology. Perhaps due to his time wandering on that frontier world, Philo seems particularly interested in the subject.”

Cosmology… Few male insects showed interest in that. And it certainly didn’t require a Lieutenant General to personally teach it. Likely, Zhousha had other considerations.

But even so—

“However, Lieutenant General Gore will return to the border planets after his tour of duty ends, so he won’t have much time left with Philo. Speaking of today, Father, did Gude mention why the Tulas family’s Attendants were punished?”

Why the Attendants were punished?

Still mulling over Gore, Dudafei paused at Shang Ling’s question. Turning to his chief aide, he realized the latter also hadn’t anticipated anyone caring about this detail.

“Apologies, Gude’s records don’t seem to include that information. But—presumably, it was just some trivial matter. His Highness Yijiafa has always been strict with household discipline.”

Seemingly remorseful for this rare oversight, the female insectoid bowed and added, “I’ll review the records as soon as I return and ascertain the reason without delay.”

"No need to look into this specifically. Shang Ling, you should focus on finishing your government affairs early. Your father and I both are looking forward to your good news."

Unconcerned with such trivial details, like most males, even Du Dafei was not accustomed to directing his attention to these most ordinary and common Attendants.

Looking at his female offspring, the male simply smiled and voiced his expectations.

Nodding, the Young Female insect did not press further. Meeting his father's gaze, the female only responded gently with an "Okay."

Though Shang Ling did not visit the Tulas family the next day, in the early morning, the blue-haired female insect appeared outside the Tulas mansion as usual.

Unaware of the events that had transpired inside the Tulas mansion the previous day, the female insect entered the house quietly, holding a thank-you gift prepared for Philo.

However, whether real or imagined, the Attendants, who had always been warm and attentive to the visiting blue-haired female insect, seemed unusually polite and somewhat reserved today.

Glancing over the silent face of the old butler in front of him, the female insect paused briefly but did not initiate conversation rashly, merely following the butler quietly up to the second floor.

At the door of the study on the second floor, the old butler turned and gave Gore a gentle nod before retreating silently, unlike before when he would exchange a few lighthearted words when no one else was around.

His brow furrowed, the blue-haired female insect entered the study.

Unlike the slightly strange atmosphere outside the room, inside the study, everything seemed much the same as usual.

The same room, the same decorations, the same floating screen, and...

Looking up, the male insect, who had been gazing absently at the potted plant beside him, withdrew his gaze upon hearing footsteps.

His eyes turned to Gore standing at the study door. As if oblivious to the other's almost immediate darkening expression upon meeting his gaze, Philo smiled lightly and waved.

"Good morning, Gore."

Author's Note:

The universe is vast.