Symphony for the Insect Princess

“Ah…ah? Ah! It hurts!”

It took her a few seconds to realize what had happened. She immediately covered her feet and cried out in pain, tears in her eyes.

But overall... her reaction was surprisingly calm. It wouldn't be surprising for an ordinary person to faint instantly after suffering such an injury, but judging by her reaction, it was almost the same as if she had just bruised her knee.

"Qimila, are you not very sensitive to pain?"

"Who knows? Please help bandage it! Oh, oh, oh!"

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Daily bullying of the group pet...cough cough cough

Chapter 142 Atlas Building

Nelris and Aisia looked at each other.

"Is the toxicity of your skin still out of control?"

"Yes."

"Then let me do it."

"Nier, stop talking and do it! It hurts! And the blood is coming out more and more!"

"I'm afraid this is a bit troublesome... The sword you conjured has a lot of what looks like rust on it. We need to disinfect it first."

"Disinfect? ​​How do I— Eeyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! Bugs, bugs, bugs, bugs, bugs, things that look like maggots are crawling on the wound. It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it's dying. Aa ...

"It's just a psychological effect, it won't hurt."

“Ahhhhhh it hurts, it hurts, it hurts… Hmm? Eh? It doesn’t hurt at all?”

"The secretions of these insects are effective in killing bacteria and relieving pain, and they can also stop bleeding."

"How disgusting! I thought it was a maggot!"

“They are specially made maggots.”

"Maggots, maggots, maggots, maggots, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"

"You're exaggerating! In the past, on the battlefield, when there were no medical mages and a lack of medicine and equipment, maggots were often used to clean wounds... Hey!"

"Wow wow wow wow wow! A strange-looking bug injected a strange white liquid into my body!"

"It's just that the needle ants inject the drug that regenerates the flesh."

"But it's still so annoying—"

"Hey everyone, Okomi is almost here—what are you guys doing? Why aren't you taking me with you?"

When Sedroon pushed the door open, his eyes lit up and he ran over, observing with interest the person who was being bullied by Nelris...ah, the untreated Qimila.

"What, what, is this some new and exciting game? A limb-severing contest? Or some super-bloody bug show? Real people hacking each other with swords?"

"I'm very unhappy, so please don't interfere!"

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……

……

……

Finally, half of Aisia's arm was successfully removed. Sedroon did it enthusiastically himself. He didn't even use a sword, but tore it off with his hands directly, causing Aisia to grimace in pain.

Qimila's injuries have healed, but she seems to have developed a new psychological shadow.

On deck——

"Really? Why didn't Ni'er chop off the other person's arm..."

Is this why you're unhappy?

New bones and flesh regenerated on the broken part of Aisia's arm at a speed visible to the naked eye.

I cleaned her newly cut upper arm, tied a decorative bow at the wrist, placed it in a crystal box, and finally wrapped it with wrapping paper inlaid with gold thread. An exquisite gift box (it looked like) was completed.

"What? Nier, you cut off someone's arm just to give it away?"

"if not?"

"I thought you were going to use it as a tool for self-sex."

"impossible."

In the past seventeen years, I have only masturbated once, and that time was to verify whether my sexual organs were functioning normally.

"We need to establish...a 'proper friendly relationship' with that person. If I had your flesh sample as a gift, it would probably go much more smoothly."

"..."

Aisia's expression immediately became complicated.

It's quite expected.

After all, that was Osimir, the "Sage of All Skills", the most accomplished alchemist today and the pinnacle of all those who delved into alchemy.

At the same time, he was also the one who created the artificial human - the alchemical creature Asia Curtis.

People have always had a bad reputation for Oshimir.

Osimer embodies all the virtues of alchemists: a strong thirst for knowledge, diligent research, a willingness to accept new things, strong creativity and drive. But he also possesses all the flaws: a self-willed attitude, a reckless disregard for research, contempt for worldly morals and laws, cold-bloodedness, and madness.

Many people considered him more of a demon king than a sage, as his extensive human experiments had long been a secret. Furthermore, after the opening of the portal, he and his alchemists were the first to actively engage with people from other worlds and absorb new knowledge. To this day, he maintains close ties with several high-ranking figures from other worlds. Naturally, this concern concerned the leaders of Maya.

Oshimir is such a person.

It's impossible to use common sense to get along with him.

But for the purpose of this trip, I, we must temporarily establish a friendly relationship with him, which is necessary and important.

"Maybe you will feel it is very subtle, but in order to have a good relationship with him, you are the most important."

"I know. You told me a long time ago... I will definitely follow your orders. I'm worried about you, Ni'er..."

"There's nothing to worry about."

"But if the opponent is the Sage of the Stars, even if it's you, Nier...ah, or do you really have another clever plan?"

"No, this time we must end the war quickly, so force is necessary."

Yes, force is necessary.

Only this time I won't beat around the bush, but go straight to the point.

"Star Sage" Riversta Gondel.

Let me meet you.

Your strength, your fragility, your pride, your pain, let me see them all.

----------------

"Yes, Your Majesty, we have gained nothing more."

"...I understand. Please leave."

A hermit bowed and left. Standing on the roof of a large workshop, Riversta sighed and looked at the largest building in the center of the city - the Atlas Tower.

"..."

It's totally, totally, totally, totally unlike a building where Maya would appear.

It was like a cutting-edge work of art, cylindrical in shape, with a shiny glass curtain wall and a bunch of strange little spires on top. Overall, from what Riversta knew, the architectural style of the mechanical world, Masiaro, was very similar to this.

That is Oshimir's residence and also his research institute.

Riversta couldn't help but grit his teeth.

Oshimir showed no concern for Maya's overall interests. He was driven solely by a desire for knowledge, engaging with high-ranking figures from other worlds, particularly those of Masialo. Maya and Masialo were generally allied. To combat the increasingly intense competition on the border battlefield, Maya's great sage, the "Rainbow Witch," signed a pact with Masialo's ruler, the "Steel King," to form the Magic Steel Alliance. The alliance also included the Supreme Beings of several smaller worlds whose power ranked lower.

The Demon Steel Alliance is quite powerful, but Maya's mortal enemy, the Xuanyuan Continent, has also formed an alliance called the Xuanmen with the Savage World of Mu, so the situation remains bleak. Although Mashiaro is an ally, he cannot be fully trusted. It's no surprise that many people regard Oshimire as a collusion with other worlds.

But that kind of thing is fine.

Riversta came here just to seek the truth.

The truth behind Stella's death.

There was little to rely on. The only clues were the remains of the incubator and the androids left at the scene, which were clearly Oshimier's work. Regardless of whether Oshimier was responsible, Riversta could only follow this single clue to the bastard's lair—the alchemy city of Okomi.

In fact, Riversta wished the murderer was Osimer, so that he could rightfully avenge both old and new grudges. The anger of losing his son and daughter-in-law, the despair of losing his only granddaughter, everything had to be paid back in full.

——What? I wish it were that simple.

"……Ugh."

The old man sighed deeply again.

He suddenly wished he wasn't some lofty sage, but merely a wild magician who followed his heart. As a sage, and the administrator of the gate to the Starry Sky Ruins, he must always prioritize Maya's interests. Although he and Oshimir were sworn enemies, Oshimir was still a sage and the leader of the alchemists, a vital force for Maya. His death would be a loss for all of Maya.

What's more... even if Oshimir is really the murderer, once the two of them start fighting, because of the "Shackles of Mercy", there will definitely be other sages or war emperors to stop them. After all, the battle between sages is comparable to a natural disaster. If a real fight breaks out, it will not be a matter of destroying one or two big cities.

So in the end, he couldn't do anything to Oshimir at all.

Realizing this, Riversta's face became even uglier.

"……Um?"

He suddenly frowned and looked down at the building.

The streets, filled with a sense of technology from another world, are bustling with people, including alchemists, ordinary residents, tourists, and large numbers of businessmen and scholars.

Among them, the magically enhanced vision captured a group of people, who seemed to be all women. Leading them was a girl with silver-gray hair, but her face could not be seen clearly due to the angle.

At first glance, they look like a group of young ladies visiting for sightseeing.

Even from such a distance, I couldn't sense any powerful magical fluctuations.

But...for some reason, Riversta felt inexplicably concerned.

Probably due to the intuition gained over the years.

"Am I being overly suspicious? No, I should be more cautious..."

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If there is one word to describe Oshimier's workshop, it is "huge".

The Atlas Tower, while already impressive from the outside, boasts an interior that's even larger than its exterior. This isn't due to any spatial magic, but rather the sheer maximization of space through precise calculations and layout, supplemented by a myriad of mechanisms.

It has nothing to do with magic, but in the eyes of alchemists, it is much more advanced than using magic.

By operating a few simple switches and wrenches, the entire building can be transformed like a Rubik's Cube. The rooms inside can be moved and reorganized freely. There are thousands of secret rooms and secret passages of all sizes. It is such an exaggerated building.

Because of its bizarre internal structure, no one could pinpoint Osimer's workshop's exact location within the building. It could be on the top floor, underground, constantly moving, or simply a combination of several other rooms. Unless Osimer deliberately chose to, no visitor could find it.

Of course, this does not include his direct subordinates - or more precisely, his "assistants" and "apprentices".

Inside the building, in the central workshop——

A man who could only be described as grotesque stood in front of the test bench, listening to an assistant's report.

This is a weirdo.

At least that's definitely the case from the outside.

Weird, twisted, yet with a unique artistic feel.

Just like his countless works.

Chapter 143 Welcome to the Alchemy City

He wore a metal mask... or perhaps it wasn't a mask, but his real face. Both eyes were protruding cameras, there was no nose, his cheeks were sunken, and where his mouth should have been was an external speaker, emitting a rustling background noise. Beneath his greasy white coat was a torso with four arms attached, making it impossible to tell which were the original hands and which were the robotic ones.

"...So, Riversta hasn't given up yet?"

"Yes, Lord Oshimir, those hermits are still operating secretly in Okomiri."

"Like cockroaches... No, woodlice would be a better description, right? But considering their shabby appearance, woodlice are closer... Ah, where were you just now?"

"The hermits are still operating secretly in Okomire." Assistant No. 6 said lightly. He had long been accustomed to Oshimir's always jumping thoughts.

"It's really annoying. He came to my house for no apparent reason. What does Kasolu's mess have to do with me? What good will it do me to kill his worthless granddaughter? But..."

Oshimir looked at the object on the test bench.