The next morning, many people in the dining hall were discussing last night’s attack.

Word was that quite a few females had been clamoring to dock, and the staff of the Female Protection Association had been busy mediating all night.

However, most of them weren’t too concerned. They believed the High-level males on the cruise ship would protect them.

After all, most of the Interstellar’s High-level females were on this ship. If they died, a huge number of those High-level males would die as well.

The Beastmen’s power would be severely diminished, and perhaps the Alien Beasts and the long-since pacified Insect Race would stage a comeback.

This was why the females felt safe, and also why the ship was a target.

Because they were simply too important.

"Sister-in-law, over here!"

As soon as she entered the dining hall, Jiang Qin saw Long Yue waving at her.

There were six males with her; four were her own partners, while the other two were new acquaintances.

The moment Jiang Qin got close, Long Yue pulled her down into a chair and shooed her partners over to the next table.

"Third Brother, you and your brothers-in-law can eat over there. I’m going to chat with my sister-in-law for a bit."

Long Hao ignored her and looked to Jiang Qin, only agreeing after she smiled and nodded.

This infuriated Long Yue. "Seriously, Long Hao, what’s your problem? Are you actually afraid I’m going to eat my sister-in-law or something?"

In response, Long Hao just rolled his eyes at her and scoffed.

’As if she wasn’t the one dying to whisk his female master away to sleep in her bed.’

But while he often bickered with Long Yue in private, he knew how to behave in public, so he only let out a cold laugh.

Long Yue pouted unhappily and pulled Jiang Qin to sit down at a table two spots away from them.

"My third brother is so overbearing. You’re the only one who can stand him, sister-in-law."

"Mhm, I love that defiant way he has about him."

Long Yue was both baffled and utterly shocked. "Sister-in-law, you have really unique taste."

’Then again,’ she thought, ’if her taste wasn’t unique, she probably wouldn’t be my third brother’s wife.’

’After all, with a guy like her third brother, besides his face, strength, and status, it was hard to find any other good points.’

"Long Yue, did the shaking wake you up last night?"

"I wasn’t even asleep yet. I was fooling around with my new partner. Don’t even get me started... the rocking and swaying added a whole other kind of flavor to it."

Jiang Qin was at a loss for words.

She often felt like she didn’t belong, not being nearly as risqué as those around her.

"Don’t be scared, sister-in-law. With so many of us females here, they won’t dare let anything happen to us.

So just eat, drink, and have fun to your heart’s content."

"Okay. Are you still going to the auction this afternoon?"

Long Yue replied, "Of course! My new partner said he’s going to bid on some gifts for me.

Are you going, sister-in-law?"

"No, I’m just going back to my room to rest after we eat."

"Alright, then."

Long Yue didn’t try to persuade her to go out and have fun, since it was already the last day. Although she complained about Long Hao all the time, she wasn’t serious about it.

The fewer partners Jiang Qin had, the happier her third brother would be.

So, on this last day, it was better not to go out, lest Jiang Qin meet a new flame on the cruise.

***

No one took the attack from the night before seriously.

The auction went on as planned at two in the afternoon.

Jiang Qin didn’t go to the auction, nor did she go up on deck for some air. She’d been feeling dizzy since the night before and simply had no energy.

Worried, Yun Xie and her other partners stayed by her side, none of them going out either.

Because they hadn’t gone out, they didn’t know that after lunch, many females had stayed in their rooms to rest, with only a small number going to the auction.

And the males, as always, went wherever the females were.

Those with partners stayed with their unwell mates, while those without were either at the auction or in other entertainment venues looking for opportunities.

No one noticed that on the deck of the cruise ship, a sudden betrayal was unfolding.

There were three patrol teams in total. Half of their members were dead, and the other half were the ones who had killed them.

"Toss their bodies into the Sea."

A patrol team member, not quite dead yet, stared at his captain in disbelief. "Wh...y...?"

The man in the blue and white Combat Suit crouched down and gave him a wicked smile. "Because... I’m not him."

With that, he snapped the team member’s neck. Someone then came over and tossed the body into the Sea.

In a stretch of ocean that should have been free of Alien Beasts, strange tentacles suddenly emerged from the water.

The bodies in the Sea vanished quickly, and even the large pools of blood disappeared. Meanwhile, the ship’s course was quietly altered.

......

There was a meeting for the females on the cruise ship that night, so the auction ended before five in the afternoon.

When Shi Lichuan woke Jiang Qin, it was already 5:30 p.m., and the meeting was at six.

No one, including Jiang Qin herself, thought much of her lethargy and dizziness.

After all, she had experienced this occasionally ever since becoming pregnant.

It was said that the more talented the child she was carrying, the more severe these symptoms would be.

However, it wasn’t impossible to alleviate. All she had to do was consume one vial of Special Level nutrient liquid each day.

But there was a limit. She could only have one vial per day at most; any more would be useless and could even be harmful.

So Jiang Qin only had one vial per day, but she still couldn’t avoid a certain level of discomfort.

Based on their speculation and the data from the prenatal check-ups Si Xu performed for her, the child most likely had a very high talent level—an S-level cub at the very least.

Of course, there could always be surprises.

But Jiang Qin didn’t care about any of that; she only cared if the child was healthy.

"Qinqin, what do you think of this long dress?"

"Mhm."

"The vice president of the Female Protection Association and the two resident Star Officials stationed in the Central Cities of both nations’ Main Stars will be at the meeting later.

The head Star Officials in charge of every planet, several honorary Star Officials, and some City Star Officials will also be there.

You’ll all have a two-hour meeting first, and then the banquet will begin.

It will probably go until two in the morning, which is exactly when the cruise ship is scheduled to dock.

At that point, we can either stay on the cruise ship to rest or get off. Qi Yi has already booked a large suite for us."

Jiang Qin nodded drowsily.

Her dizziness felt even more unbearable today, and she wondered if it was because the little one had grown again.

In any case, she felt awful.

Seeing her condition, Shi Lichuan said with some concern, "When we get back, let’s go find Medical Master Si Xu to examine you again.

How are these symptoms getting worse?"

"There’s no need. He said before that as the due date gets closer, the little one requires a bit more energy, so I might feel some discomfort.

This is probably normal."

"It’s still better to get it checked."

While they were talking, Jiang Qin’s hair and makeup were finished.

Although it was a meeting, formal wear wasn’t required for the females. It was more like a high-society gala, with everyone dressed in increasingly expensive outfits.

It was all to highlight the different class hierarchies among them.