Ten minutes later, a large swarm of zerglings entered the lord's mansion.
The last hundred or so elite warriors were slaughtered after a brief, desperate struggle.
Shortly after, in a large hall on the second floor, the insects encountered their target—Duke Lu Ye.
The middle-aged man looked as if he had aged decades in an instant.
He watched helplessly as the swarm breached his residence and laid waste to the ancestral estate passed down through generations.
Seeing the zerglings flood into the hall, he slumped back into his chair in despair, his strength completely drained.
At that moment, however, the zerglings seemed to receive a unified command and split to either side, clearing a path.
Then, a pure, snow-white young girl walked in leisurely.
The Duke frowned slightly.
This scene was entirely beyond his expectations.
“Who are you?”
The girl did not answer.
What shocked the Duke was that the previously invincible swarm had become incredibly docile. Facing the dainty girl, they showed an extraordinary level of obedience.
It was as if they had submitted completely to her will.
“Are you... a Mythic King?”
It was unbelievable, perhaps even inconceivable.
But besides a Mythic King who could command magic beasts and take human form, who else could achieve such a feat?
That was an existence starting at Tier 10—a true Saint Tier.
In the kingdom, a Tier 9 powerhouse would be treated with the utmost respect by the King, even allowed to stand in his presence without kneeling.
One could say this was a status achieved through sheer strength.
Conversely, an even stronger Mythic King was more like a legend.
Bards always sang: Magic beasts that take human form are bound within the forests by a powerful force...
In truth, most people knew it wasn't a matter of being bound, but rather that the environment deep within the forests was so advantageous for magic beasts that powerful Mythic Kings occupied them, while the weaker ones were driven to the borders.
If they wished, any powerful king could emerge from the forest depths; it was simply unnecessary for them.
And the girl before him looked relaxed. After entering, she even showed interest in a nearby flower bed, reaching out to stroke a blossom. She was unbelievably cute, like the daughter of his dreams.
Could the inner nature of such a girl truly be... a Mythic King who struck terror into the hearts of all?
At this moment, the girl placed one hand behind her back and gently touched a petal with the other, a flash of surprise in her eyes.
“High-energy crystals?”
Was she seeing this right?
A single flower could actually produce one unit of high-energy crystals.
She hadn't seen this kind of plant before; it looked quite precious.
If it could be mass-produced, would that mean a stable source of energy?
She decided to take this white flower back to analyze its gene fragments.
Withdrawing from the fragrance, Xia Jin turned to glance at the dazed Duke.
It wasn't that she was intentionally ignoring him, but... this guy really wasn't worth her attention anymore.
Things didn't have to reach this point, but when faced with her invitation—or rather, Amelo's invitation—this Duke had been the first to refuse.
She didn't know if he was truly loyal to the kingdom or if he had his own little schemes.
Most annoyingly, his comment about her being a “Mythic King” made Xia Jin feel insulted.
Mere magic beasts, thinking they could be compared to the Zerg?
“I’m not, Duke. I’m not one of those low-level magic beasts,” she said with a smile.
This man would never guess that the black-haired girl standing before him was actually the Princess who had changed her appearance.
“Do you... want me to submit?” the Duke asked solemnly.
“No, I think you might lack value. I already have many human lords under me, and they are all very obedient. But you are different; I can't guarantee you'd be willing to stand on the Princess's side.”
“Princess... Xia Jin?”
The Duke took a deep breath, then seemed to find some release, letting out a bitter laugh.
“I see. So it was true. How extraordinary. That exiled girl actually gained the support of an existence like you?”
The Duke couldn't sense the strength of Xia Jin's projection.
But the girl’s dismissive tone toward Mythic Kings made him certain she was no ordinary Mythic King.
In a way, having such a being personally visit his mansion was an honor.
Not to mention, such a girl left him somewhat dazed.
He hadn't expected a member of another race to be so cute in human form.
If he had met her when he was young, his heart would have surely been moved. No... it was moved even now.
When it came to aesthetics, one couldn't lie to oneself.
Beautiful was beautiful, regardless of whether there was a grudge or any other reason to dislike them. At the very least, a beautiful appearance was inherently attractive to any normal male.
Unfortunately, she had not come with good intentions.
“Enough talk, Duke. Have a safe journey.”
Seeing the Duke’s look of readiness, Xia Jin waved her hand.
A Tier 4 zergling lunged forward.
The Duke, whose strength was not inferior to the zergling's, did not resist.
He seemed to have long known that resistance was futile, so he allowed the zergling's scythe-like claws to slit his throat.
The artery severed, blood gushing like a fountain.
Such a death was very swift, measured in seconds.
The oxygen-deprived brain would soon lose consciousness; it was practically painless.
After dealing with the target, Xia Jin exhaled softly.
“I didn't expect having a high beauty score would have this benefit.”
It had happened several times now—the people she killed didn't even seem angry.
Truly wonderful.
Rate on N.U.
