EROS [Zerg]

Eros stood outside Feng Qiya's mansion, feeling his hair stand on end from the watchful eyes of the insects guarding the mansion.

When Brandt and Lian Zhen came into his view, Eros almost jumped up excitedly and waved his claws at them:

"Teacher, I'm here!"

Brandt saw the female insect waving at him from outside the gate, turned to Lian Zhen and introduced her: "He is my student, Eros."

"A remarkably excellent little female insect."

"Excellent?" Lian Zhen was surprised that the little blonde female insect standing outside the door could receive Brandt's praise. He followed Brandt and took a few steps forward. Suddenly, he felt that the female insect standing outside the iron gate looked somewhat familiar.

"Evanson?" Lian Zhen frowned. "How could he look so much like him?"

Brandt's gaze fell on Lian Zhen: "Kewey mentioned him to me."

"Perhaps only he knows what happened."

“Kuwai…” Lian Zhen said thoughtfully, “Speaking of General Kuwai, I’m reminded that your student doesn’t just resemble Evanson.”

"Who else?" Brandt asked, somewhat surprised.

“Santons,” Lian Zhen said, uttering a name unfamiliar to Brandt.

"He wasn't a famous female insect. He used to be Kowe's assistant. I met him a few times. He was a few years ahead of me in school. It's a pity he died too young."

Brandt had never heard of any female insect named Santons, and presumably it wasn't an important insect.

Eros noticed from afar that another insect had followed Brandt out.

As Brandt approached, Eros looked curiously at Lian Zhen beside him:

"Teacher, who is he?"

Brandt introduced, "Lian Zhen will be my assistant from now on."

“Lian Zhen…?!” Eros felt the name was somewhat familiar, and looked up at the tall female insect in front of him: “Aren’t you the female ruler of the Feng Qiya family?”

Lian Zhen smiled slightly, "Not anymore, little female insect."

"How could this be...?" Eros was puzzled, but he didn't dwell on it and instead asked the two female insects in front of him where they were going.

Brandt said he needed to go back to the academy to finish the unfinished drawings and also to arrange accommodation for Lian Zhen.

Eros piloted the aircraft, carrying two insects, away from Feng Qiya's residence.

What's here?

Halfway through the journey, Eros heard Lian Zhen's voice from the seat behind him. He turned his head and saw Lian Zhen holding the mechanical leg that he had repaired for Alai in her claws.

“It’s mine,” Eros quickly explained. “It’s something I fixed for a friend.”

Lian Zhen glanced at the mechanical prosthetic limb encased in transparent fiberglass, then looked at Eros with surprise: "Your friend uses a prosthetic limb?"

"It's still from 'Stars of the Past'. Your friend used to live a pretty good life. Only the upper class would choose this brand for its expensive and easily damaged prosthetics, just for the sake of comfort."

"Advice your friend to switch to a different brand of prosthesis; it's much better value for money than this one."

Eros was taken aback. He hadn't expected Lian Zhen to be so knowledgeable about civilian machinery, and he became somewhat curious.

"Senior, do you have expertise in civilian machinery?"

Lian Zhen raised an eyebrow, glanced at Brandt beside her, and only spoke after seeing that the other party did not express any reaction: "What, interested? Civilian machinery can earn just as many star coins as military machinery."

Eros gave a dry laugh: "...Senior seems to know how to make money."

“Of course, you can’t do without money.” Lian Zhen shrugged lightly. “But money isn’t something you can use forever.”

"What truly has value is money itself, that is, the labor value behind money."

"Brandt thinks highly of you. You've won an award at such a young age in the Imperial Zerg Star Military Machinery Competition, so I'd like to ask you if you'd be interested in collaborating with me?"

Eros understood what Lian Zhen meant: "Senior, don't joke with me. The military's insects are not allowed to cooperate with the business world in private. Although I am still an intern, I am registered in the military's directory."

Brandt, sitting in the back seat of the aircraft, heard Eros's question and asked, "Which legion do you want to stay in after graduation?"

Eros spoke frankly: "The Sixth Star System Legion."

"I really like it there."

"The Sixth Star System? It's far from the main star and extremely barren." Lian Zhen didn't understand. He and Brandt had both passed numerous exams to get into the First Star System from remote star systems, and he knew the huge gap between the two.

“I like it there.” Eros told Lian Zhen and Brandt about what he had seen and heard in the Sixth Star System: “If you can be free, even worse conditions are not unbearable.”

“Alright.” Lian Zhen pursed her lips in satisfaction, and only after subtly confirming that Eros posed no threat to her did she sincerely invite him: “However, since you just called me a senior, I would also like to invite you to visit my laboratory. As an excellent military mechanic, not being able to see cutting-edge technology would be a devastating blow to one’s career.”

"You have your own laboratory?" Eros was very surprised, because he had heard that the male insects of the Fengqia family did not allow their female insects to go out to work. After the female insects got married, all their property would automatically be transferred to the male insects' names, so married female insects would not have any property under their names.

“Of course.” Lian Zhen nodded. “The things inside are very interesting and also have economic value. I think you will like them.”

"Then thank you, senior." Eros was a little flattered. He remembered that this was the first time he had met this female ruler of the Feng Qiya family, and her enthusiasm made him feel a little overwhelmed.

Lian Zhen shook her paw and glanced smugly at the sub-female beside her: "No big deal, wait for Brandt to take you with him."

Brandt listened silently with a slight smile until Eros landed the aircraft at the academy's airfield, at which point he asked Eros, "How long will you stay after you come back?"

Eros didn't know when he would return to the Sixth Star System: "I don't know yet, but it shouldn't be too long."

Brandt nodded: "Now that you're back, go and meet up with your friends. You can keep this aircraft for now, no need to rush to return it to me."

Eros was only pleasantly surprised, but Brandt thought more deeply. Although the Eastland family ostensibly adopted Eros, they actually only wanted to use the adoption of Eros as a pretext to obtain the rescued male insect offspring.

His Majesty the Insect King agreed so readily, probably because he wanted to elevate the status of the Eastland family to counterbalance the Kavenor family.

Brandt felt sorry for Eros, who had been used as a tool in the middle. The information gleaned from Kove's words allowed Brandt to vaguely deduce Eros's background. Looking at the little female insect before him, unaware of her impending doom, Brandt sighed inwardly, his pity for Eros growing stronger. He then gave her some instructions:

"Getting involved in the circle of nobles won't do you any good. During this time, you should contact your old friends more often. If you can go back to the Sixth Star System, do so as soon as possible. If you can join the army directly, you can put your studies aside."