Chapter 29: The Morning Star... The Light of the Morning Star

They were not insects, but something closer to upright humanoids, though generally much shorter and more slender than humans. They possessed elongated limbs covered in a shell-like or tough chitinous exterior, their color blending into the deep blue fungal carpets, ranging from dark brown to ink green. Their most striking feature was the pair of delicate antennae atop their heads, resembling sophisticated antennas with faint, shimmering lights at the tips.

At this moment, several of these "humanoid beings" below had raised their heads. The lights on their antennae flickered rapidly, as if exchanging information at high speed. Some stopped their work, turning vigilantly toward the catwalk where Suli and her companions stood. Clearly, the intrusion of three uninvited guests—especially the commotion of their frantic running and their strange human scent—had alarmed the masters of this subterranean "city." The flickering frequency of their antennae spiked, spreading like a silent alarm.

Several agile figures immediately leaped from key passages, scaling the steep rock walls with astonishing speed. They were not merely climbing; they seemed to glide across the stone, utilizing every hole and protrusion as a perfect foothold.

"We've been spotted!" Luke’s voice was tense. His "Analyzer" was emitting rapid, low-pitched hums. "There are many of them, and their individual energy fluctuations... are close to ours! But their movement and environmental adaptation are far superior!"

Mo Yu remained silent, gripping his black sword tightly, his gaze sharp as he scanned the figures closing in below. The crow landed silently back on his shoulder, its aura becoming restrained and dangerous. Suli’s heart raced, but she forced herself to stay calm. "Don't fight them! They seem organized. Let’s see how this plays out!"

Before long, a dozen slender figures had flanked them from different directions, completely blocking the catwalk. Their thin arms, encased in exoskeletons, held weapons resembling bone spurs or sharpened stone shards, aiming at the trio and forming a perimeter. Their eyes were wary and curious, but carried a deeper, underlying scrutiny. Within the thick, mixed odors of the air, a hint of... hostility seemed to emerge.

A figure, appearing slightly older and taller than the rest, stepped forward. He spoke a few words in an obscure, unintelligible language, his tone short and low. Another smaller individual, whose antennae glowed more vibrantly, immediately translated into a broken but barely understandable Common Tongue:

"Out... siders... state... identity... purpose... otherwise... purge..."

Luke took a deep breath, attempting to communicate. "We stumbled here by accident! Our ship was damaged in a storm and crashed on this island. We mean no harm! We only want to find materials to repair our vessel and leave!"

The Analyzer assisted by projecting the concept of "repair materials" into simple visual holograms. The translator’s antennae flickered rapidly, conveying Luke’s words to the elder. The light on the elder's antennae pulsed unevenly, as if he were performing complex calculations.

A moment later, the translator spoke again: "...Lies... repair... why... destroy... guard? Interfering... with the 'Pulse'?"

Clearly, they had sensed the disturbance of the Earth Vein Guardian and blamed these three intruders. Mo Yu was about to speak, but Suli gently pressed his arm. She stepped forward, lowering her posture, her voice weary and sincere.

"Respected... residents," she said, choosing her words carefully. "We are indeed here to repair our ship, but we had no intention of disturbing the guardian. That massive creature’s attack forced us to flee underground to save our lives. We are lost souls from a distant land, wishing only to borrow a few materials and leave your home immediately. We can trade for them with what we possess."

As she spoke, she secretly rejoiced that she still had the basic materials she had obtained from a trade on the grassland path in her inventory.

After the translator relayed her words, the elder was silent for a moment. His sharp gaze swept over the trio’s disheveled appearance, lingering on Mo Yu’s black sword and Luke’s Analyzer, before finally landing on Suli’s face with a profound and indescribable emotion. The light on his antennae slowly stabilized.

"Follow... us... wait... for Elder... judgment."

There was no room for choice. Escorted by more of the creatures, the three were led deep into the nest and locked into a makeshift "cell" made of tangled, special vines mixed with solidified transparent mucus. The cell was not small, but the only exit was sealed by tough, thorny vines, with guards patrolling outside. The air was filled with the damp, earthy, fungal scent peculiar to the underground space, mixed with the faint, musk-and-chitin smell of the humanoids.

Time passed in a stifling atmosphere. Luke tried to have the Analyzer scan the surroundings, but the energy field here seemed to cause severe interference. Mo Yu sat with his eyes closed, still as a monk in meditation, but Suli noticed his fingertips remained in a position ready to draw his sword at any moment, and the black crow remained silently hidden in the shadows of his shoulder.

Hunger began to gnaw at her. Luke was whispering to Mo Yu, analyzing the guards' rotation patterns.

Mo Yu, despite his closed eyes, gave a slight twitch of his ear. Taking advantage of the dim light in the cell and the fact that the guards' line of sight was partially obscured by the vines, Suli quietly took a bowl of "Shiyu Cook’s" Pan-Fried Gale Rabbit Fillet out of her inventory. Just in case something happened later, it would be easier to escape if she were fed.

In an instant, an extremely distinct aroma—completely unlike anything else in the underground space—erupted and spread!

It was the charred fragrance of fat being rendered, the complex, mellow scent of sauce simmered with cinnamon and cumin, mixed with the unique, delicate sweetness of rabbit meat... In the enclosed underground space, this aroma was like a giant boulder thrown into a calm lake!

"!!!"

The small translator was the first to catch the scent. He jerked his head up, his tiny black nostrils fluttering frantically, and the antennae atop his head suddenly burst into a brilliant, dazzling white light! His body shook violently, his eyes fixed on the bowl in Suli’s hands, as he made incoherent, gasping sounds, filled with an unbelievable ecstasy and... terror?!

The reaction was so shocking that it instantly alerted all the guards outside the cell! Even those patrolling ran over, nervously shouting questions at the interior of the cell. Suli was startled by the sudden change and instinctively tried to hide the bowl.

But it was too late. The small translator practically lunged at the vines, hands and feet alike, roaring incoherently at the guards:

"Food... the light of... Qiming! The taste... of the Empire! It is her! An envoy? A punishment? A judgment?! Quickly... report to the Elder! Highest... highest level!!!"

His Common Tongue was shattered and broken, but several words exploded in the cramped cell like thunder!

Qiming! Empire! Taste! Envoy!

The cell fell into dead silence. Luke was dumbfounded, completely unable to understand what had happened, feeling only that the name "Qiming Empire" carried an unimaginable weight. Mo Yu had opened his eyes at some point, and for the first time, a clear flash of shock appeared deep within his calm, ripple-less black pupils!