Galaxy Domination Guide-Chapter 488 - 476 Stay Overnight

They were over a hundred kilometers away from the Great Snow Mountain, and the landscape and climate were completely different. Bai Zhongqi and his group took a southern route, but if one were to head east, they would encounter the vast grasslands. These grasslands were populated by Dragon Wolves, a type of False Dragon, which were formidable adversaries for humans, so human territories generally steered clear of these areas.

South of the Great Snow Mountain was a region of less steep hills and river valleys. The rivers originating from the Great Snow Mountain flowed through here, splitting some of the ridges, leaving plains along the river with potential for agriculture; human territories started to emerge in these areas as well.

Sitting on her horse, Ling, with a touch of melancholy, said to Bai Zhongqi, "Although I'm the first Swarm Empress with my own consciousness, I am still governed by some instincts of the Swarm. I'm extremely hungry now, and for evolution, the Swarm needs to continuously feed and acquire DNA. These days while we've been traveling, I haven't had a place to establish my Insect Nest and cultivate some Chlorophyll Beasts. Chancellor, you need to compensate me."

Her expression was flirtatious, blatantly attempting to seduce Bai Zhongqi. Although Bai had recently developed a closer relationship with her, it hadn't progressed to a level involving reproductive intimacy, which always left Ling pouting. Even though her body was no longer that of a Bionic Human, when she constructed her current body, she had still modeled it on humans, capable of experiencing unspeakable pleasures.

While Bai Zhongqi joked and bantered, he also thought that some of what Ling said made sense. The Swarm was terrifying because of its instincts to devour and destroy everything. As Ling had her own consciousness, she was not easily governed, so now her emotions were more akin to feelings of hunger or dissatisfaction on another level.

Indeed, the Swarm Empress could experience pleasure similar to humans during the reproductive process of the Enslaved Beasts.

Bai Zhongqi wanted to expand his power, fight against the dragon groups, and learn more about this world. It was pointless to simply create small Thief Dragon Beasts no bigger than chickens. The Insect Nest wasn't easily moved around before it could reproduce battleship-level Enslaved Beasts; mostly, it remained stationary. The Enslaved Beasts needed to consume all life in a place before the Insect Nest could move to a new location.

Now, as Ling followed Bai Zhongqi on their journey, aside from occasionally sending out Enslaved Beasts to hunt, she could hardly use efficient Enslaved Beasts like Chlorophyll Beasts and Photovoltaic Beasts to replenish her nutrients and energy.

"It seems we really do need a territory of our own," Bai Zhongqi said to Ling.

At that moment, Zang Murenqing who was leading the way rode back and reported, "Teacher, there's a small village ahead. It should be under the control of the Lord of Mount Ranji nearby."

Bai Zhongqi nodded slightly. These past days, he had learned more about the structure here: the names of the territories were based essentially on mountain names, even if the area was a plain. They referred to castles metaphorically as mountains. The lords of Yimoduoya resembled medieval European or Japanese lords. They built small-scale castles housing only their private armies and servants, while other residents generally set up towns or villages outside the castle.

If two lords went to war, towns and villages outside the castle often suffered from the disturbances caused by the opposing lord's private army, and sometimes they were even destroyed. However, the lords wouldn't consider using extensive manpower and resources to build large cities that could accommodate tens of thousands of people.

"Let's stay in the village ahead. We've been sleeping outdoors for several days," Bai Zhongqi declared, somewhat unaccustomed to this lifestyle. Even before becoming Chancellor, his life had been one of comfort; eking out days of hunting, eating roasted meat, and cooking dry food in soup to soften it enough to eat wasn't too unbearable, but it was certainly not easy.

The party of four rode to this small village situated at the foot of a mountain by the river, where wisps of cooking smoke spiraled up, a quiet place presenting almost a utopian feel.

As they approached the village, Zang Murenqing dismounted from his horse—a mark of decency for a traveler. If one seeks assistance from a village along the journey, entering it on horseback would be prudent, both to avoid injuring anyone and to show respect.

The village was rather large, likely housing hundreds of families. The hillside was covered in terraced fields, and the riverbank was likewise full of fertile fields. Although access was somewhat inconvenient, the village seemed quite prosperous.

Seeing someone on horseback passing by, an elderly woman carrying a bamboo basket waved and called, "Young man, are you tired from traveling and looking for a place to rest?"

Zang Murenqing performed a bow and replied, "Esteemed elder, my brothers and I are traveling with our teacher and indeed, we seek a place to rest and have a warm meal."

The elderly woman, with a kind face, said, "Our small village is tucked away in the mountains, rarely visited by passersby. A traveler from afar is a guest, and I have a spare room in my home, if you don't mind staying there."

Zang Murenqing quickly expressed his thanks, "In that case, we would be troubling you."

Bai Zhongqi also led his horse over. The villagers seemed very simple and sincere, which felt warm. At the head of the village, some young children and teenagers, who had not seen outsiders often, looked on with curiosity and a bit of shyness, peeking around the corner at Bai Zhongqi and his group.

Ling walked out gracefully, causing the old woman to exclaim, "What a lovely young lady, so tenderly delicate that she captures the heart."

Ling, at her core had the indifference of her original artificial intelligence nature, and after becoming the Swarm Empress, she carried an air of contempt for the world. Yet, when complemented, a smile blossomed on Ling's face, who repeatedly said, "Madam, you flatter me."

She had already learned a lot of the local language following Bai Zhongqi, and her learning ability was extraordinary."

The old woman praised Bai Zhongqi, "This young gentleman is indeed fortunate to have such an exceptional young lady."

Bai Zhongqi could only chuckle and respond, "You flatter us."

The old woman took out a tuberous root that looked like a sweet potato from her bamboo basket and handed it to Ling, saying, "Try this sweet mallow I grew myself—the biggest and tastiest in the village."

This sweet mallow was a very common staple crop locally, not a fruit. The crops brought to Earth by the people of Iridium Star resembled it somewhat. The sweet mallow was high in water and starch content, and locals used to sun-dry it before grinding it into flour, which also retained a lot of sugar. Fresh sweet mallow tasted somewhat like a potato but sweeter.

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With the warm hospitality of the old woman, the group stayed at her home for the night. Zang Murenqing also offered the fur left from hunting as a gift to the old woman, who, along with her son, firmly declined.

"You've shared your meat with us, and we have already benefitted from your kindness. This fur is quite valuable, and accepting it would make people laugh at us for taking advantage," the old woman was very firm in her reasoning.

Bai Zhongqi felt deeply touched. The old woman might not know much about grand principles or possess excessive wealth, but she was kind-hearted. Compared to those highly educated and wealthy Great Lords who sacrificed their people for mere survival, she was much stronger in character.