SGT CH4

Prince Mu Si gave his orders, but the butler hesitated, looking as if he had something to say.

“What is it?” Mu Si asked.

The butler subtly advised, “General Ax has a history of harming Your Highness. Is it too risky to have him dine with you?”

Mu Si replied carelessly, “He’s wearing two inhibitors, can barely walk steadily. What threat could he possibly be?”

If Ax had any sense, he wouldn’t dare lay a hand on him in plain sight of the butler and attendants in the dining room. The best time to act would be when they were alone, like last night.

The butler could only advise; the decision rested with the Prince. With his persuasion fruitless, the butler bowed and withdrew to make preparations.

Then, Mu Si sensed with his mental power that the number of guards outside the dining room had tripled. The captain of the Imperial Guard, who was supposed to be resting on rotation, rushed back. After saluting Mu Si, he found a spot beside the long table and stood there, unmoving.

Mu Si: “…”

Alright, fine.

He could understand the nervousness of the butler and the Imperial Guard. The last time he was injured, his male and female parents were both worried and angry. Although they didn’t punish his Imperial Guard directly, bypassing Mu Si, the necessary reprimands and reforms were inevitable. His female parent, who served as the Imperial Marshal, even transferred an elite unit from the Fourth Legion to him, under the guise of rotation, to protect his safety.

But those elites didn’t even make it past the Prince’s Mansion gates before Mu Si sent them to the garrison on Planet White Night.

Every Zerg should do what they’re meant to do.

A Prince should uphold the dignity and authority of the royal family and fulfill corresponding political and military missions.

Military female Zerg should go to the army to defend their home and country.

Ax, however, was an exception. Ax shouldn’t even think about going anywhere; he could only stay by Mu Si’s side, to be tormented and devastated.

A steady sound of footsteps announced Ax’s arrival at the dining room entrance. He was dressed in a simple yet elegant white shirt and black trousers. This outfit, paired with his raven-black hair and skin, which was pale from lack of sunlight, created a stark, clean, and eye-catching contrast of black and white. Even though Ax’s current status was awkward, the butler would not intentionally prepare poor clothing for him. The shirt was finely tailored and the fabric was of high quality. The fitted black trousers accentuated Ax’s long legs, making his figure particularly striking.

Mu Si’s gaze fell on Ax’s long legs, but his focus was on something else. He was actually walking quite steadily. Don’t inhibitors make Zerg feel weak and unsteady on their feet? He had tormented him all night last night… Had he recovered so quickly?

A strange sense of frustration washed over him, which only fueled his determination. It seemed he could still increase the intensity.

Mu Si smiled and beckoned Ax over.

Ax stepped forward, his gaze lingering for a moment on the Imperial Guard captain standing by the long table. Seeing the captain’s exceptionally solemn demeanor, and how he tensed even more when their eyes met, Ax understood his purpose there. Ax didn’t want to make things difficult for others, so he slowed his pace and stopped several meters from the Prince. He placed one hand on his chest and performed the courtesy reserved for a noble male Zerg. “Greetings, Your Royal Highness.”

Mu Si wasn’t fond of this serious and tense atmosphere. He nodded perfunctorily, gesturing for Ax to sit opposite him.

Ax’s gaze fell upon the seat opposite the Prince, hesitating for a moment. Even though he was born into the lower class, he knew that in aristocratic households where status was highly regarded, the seats at either end of the long table belonged only to the male master and the empress consort.

He almost forgot, he was indeed the Prince’s empress consort. After the Prince had his wings stripped, in order to legitimately dispose of him, he used his authority to forcibly match him as his empress consort. A nominal empress consort, with no status whatsoever. A trace of sadness flickered in Ax’s eyes.

Mu Si saw him standing still and spoke, “What? Do you want to sit next to me? Hmm… that’s not impossible.”

Before the words even left his lips, Ax quickly walked to the opposite side of the long table and sat down. Clearly, that seat, farther away from him, was more acceptable to the female Zerg than sitting next to him. Mu Si was a little disappointed. If Ax sat next to him, he could have stepped on his foot under the table. That would have been quite interesting. In the spacious, brightly lit dining room, with attendants and imperial guards nearby, Ax’s body under the table would have been played with by his feet. 

Given Ax’s temperament, he would never have shown any reaction, surely enduring in silence, trying desperately to hide it, pretending nothing was happening. Even if all the Zerg present were well aware of the indecent play.

Having missed an opportunity to bully Ax, Mu Si was not very happy. So, he opened the virtual menu and removed the pregnant female Zerg nutritious meal originally intended for the female Zerg. Then, he made some deletions and changes to the menu, personally customizing an exclusive nutritious meal for the female Zerg. 

Having done all this, Mu Si happily curved his lips upward, and while waiting for the dishes to be served, he happily savored the exquisite and delicious food on his own plate.

Ax, sitting opposite him, looked up at him a few times. The Prince ate slowly, in small bites, his movements noble and elegant, very aesthetically pleasing. 

Even with a sly smile on his lips and a hint of malice and teasing in his eyes, it did not detract from his noble beauty; instead, it made him seem more lively. A high-value Zerg was just that unreasonable.

Ax lowered his gaze. He knew he was probably going to be teased by the Prince again. Yet, for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to be angry. Perhaps it was because anger was something that required a great deal of emotion and energy.

 His situation was difficult, and he also had to consider the Zerg egg in his abdomen, so he could only focus his energy on protecting the egg and pleasing the Prince to obtain pheromones. He really had no strength left to be angry about this. He only hoped the Prince wouldn’t make him too miserable later. At least, not in front of so many Zerg…

A waiter approached with a dining cart and placed a plate of red and green mush and a glass of blue liquid in front of Ax.

“Eat quickly, this is a pregnant female Zerg meal I specially customized for you. You must finish it all.” Mu Si propped his chin on his hand, anticipating Ax’s change of expression.

[???]

[What is this? Is it edible?]

[Are Zerg foods always this strange? No, wait, what the Prince has looks perfectly normal and even exquisite.]

[So the streamer is doing this on purpose, right?]

[Are you trying to poison your wife with dark cuisine?]

[The mission is to have the empress consort eat pregnant female Zerg nutritious meals, not this weird mush. The system won’t pass you.]

Mu Si saw the comments and hummed contentedly, kindly explaining to them, and at the same time, clarifying to Ax: “This contains all the nutrients required for a pregnant female Zerg, and it’s the most scientific ratio. It’s labeled as a pregnant female Zerg nutritious meal.” Even a nutrition expert would have to say this was a pregnant female Zerg nutritious meal.

[??!]

[It can be like this?]

[Is this exploiting a loophole? Will the system let him pass?]

[Based on my understanding of that idiotic system, it really might pass him…]

[I’m not a Zerg, but the streamer is truly a dog.]

Mu Si didn’t quite understand the last bullet comment, probably thinking it was a compliment to his cleverness. Although he had only done the mission for one night, Mu Si had already figured out the judgment pattern of this scumbag system. Just as these otherworldly viewers said, the system’s mission judgment was actually very rigid. As long as the key elements mentioned in the mission were met, it would be judged as completed.

Mu Si anticipated Ax’s reaction. His reaction was… no reaction. Ax scooped up the colorful mush with a spoon, put it in his mouth, and swallowed it without changing his expression. Spoon after spoon. He ate quickly, and the bowl of mush was soon empty. After eating the last bite, Ax picked up the glass of blue liquid beside him and drank it all in one gulp.

Mu Si was stunned, asking dumbfounded, “You, how did you eat that?”

One must know that the contents of that bowl were simply various ingredients crushed and mixed together, without any seasoning. As for the liquid in the cup, it was various trace elements and vitamins required by the Zerg body mixed with water. As for the taste… it was probably no different from drinking medicine.

It wasn’t until he saw Mu Si’s astonished expression that Ax realized this was the trick the Prince had prepared for him. He was at a loss for how to react. Perhaps he should have acted more distressed to satisfy the Prince’s intentions? However, it was truly difficult for him to feign distress over a clean and nutritious meal, and a glass of water that was only a little bitter but met the body’s needs.

“Don’t you think it’s disgusting and hard to eat?” Mu Si couldn’t understand where the problem was. It couldn’t be that Ax’s taste buds were different from a normal Zerg’s, could it?

Ax was silent for a moment, then asked, “Your Highness, have you ever drunk nutrient solution?”

“Of course I have.” He had drunk nutrient solutions of various flavors: milk fruit, red berry, mixed fruit… His favorite was milk fruit, sweet and fragrant.

Seeing the Prince’s expression, Ax knew what kind of nutrient solution he was thinking of. “Not those exquisitely packaged, richly flavored high-end drinks, but the more common, cheap nutrient solutions with no flavor options.”

Mu Si remembered something, and a disgusted expression appeared on his face. “Oh, that was disgusting.” It tasted particularly nauseating, making a Zerg feel like life wasn’t worth living, wishing they could lose their sense of taste.

Ax was slightly startled. He didn’t think the noble Imperial Prince would have had contact with such low-end nutrient solutions; the other party might just be casually agreeing. However, the Prince’s expression just now made him suddenly recall a small male Zerg from his memories.

The little short-haired golden male Zerg only took one sip of the nutrient solution he brought back, and his face wrinkled in disgust. His excellent upbringing prevented him from spitting out the food in his mouth. So, his beautiful little face wrinkled even more unpleasantly. After a while, the little male Zerg recovered. His large eyes became watery, and even his injured, blind left eye was teary. The little male Zerg returned the nutrient solution in his hand, pouted, and said aggrievedly, “This tastes so bad.”

At the time, Ax only thought the little male Zerg wanted to save the precious nutrient solution for him. Now, seeing the Prince’s identical expression of disgust, he realized that the little male Zerg might have truly found the taste of the nutrient solution unbearable. After all, the little male Zerg clearly wasn’t from the same world as him. Even though he was dirty when Ax found him, with one eye injured and blind, looking very disheveled, his movements and habits showed that he was a young Zerg born into a good family and raised with meticulous care.

The female Zerg’s imagination was truly lacking, but looking at such a beautiful and noble little male Zerg, Ax couldn’t help but guess: “He must be a noble Imperial Prince.” Stories always wrote it that way. A noble male Zerg Prince encounters danger and is rescued by a brave and powerful female Zerg knight. Later, he realized that a noble Prince had countless imperial guards by his side and would never be put in danger. And he was not a powerful knight; he couldn’t save any Zerg…

“Ax? Ax? Hey! What are you thinking about?”

Ax snapped back from his gloomy memories, seeing the Prince waving his hand in front of his eyes, looking at him with slight confusion. “Sorry, Your Highness, I was momentarily lost in thought.”

Ax reined in his emotions, feeling a little nervous. Given the Prince’s malicious nature, he would surely seize this opportunity to make trouble. Surprisingly, the Prince did not create difficulties because of his absentmindedness this time. He simply nodded faintly and continued the previous topic.

“I understand what you mean,” Mu Si said. “Nutrient solution is as disgusting as this mush. You’re used to drinking it, so you can drink something this disgusting without batting an eye.”

“No…” Ax honestly replied, “The nutritious meal you prepared tastes better than all the nutrient solutions I’ve ever drunk.”

“Eh, eh, eh?” The pampered Prince obviously couldn’t understand.

Cheap nutrient solution has no seasoning, but that doesn’t mean it has no taste. On the contrary, its taste is very rich. It directly mixes various substances required by the Zerg body, such as vitamins and trace elements, with energy-boosting meat and plants. One sip of nutrient solution can have dozens of different flavors. If a Zerg had sensitive taste buds, they could instantly be driven mad.

The Prince separated the energy-boosting ingredients from the vitamins and trace elements with their various tastes. This left the nutritious meal with only the pure taste of the ingredients themselves. By accident, it actually liberated the taste buds.

Mu Si didn’t understand. Mu Si couldn’t comprehend. Mu Si suddenly realized. It must be that Ax’s taste buds were different from a normal Zerg’s! He should have thought of it earlier. Only that could explain it.

Mu Si felt a sense of powerlessness, like punching cotton. He clearly wanted to torment Ax, but the female Zerg was immune to this kind of torment. It was so infuriating!