Chapter 738: Sights of the Hive
The soft morning light of the three close suns filtered through the amber windows of the royal guest quarters. Li Yu woke up feeling completely refreshed. He had spent the entire night processing the incredible things he had seen in the central hive. It was a new day and Emperor Xerxis had promised him a grand tour of the entire empire.
Li Yu stepped out of his luxurious room and walked down the wide corridor. He found his three elite guides waiting for him exactly where they had left him the night before.
The mantis commander Zikaris, stood tall and perfectly straight. His bladed arms rested calmly at his sides and his fine green scales shimmered in the morning light. The scarab brute Gromak leaned heavily against a stone pillar looking like an immovable mountain of dark plated armor. The dragonfly woman Faera, hovered slightly above the floor, her iridescent wings humming with a quiet intense spiritual energy.
"Good morning young master." Zikaris greeted him while offering a precise bow. "The Emperor has ordered us to show you some of the sights of the Hive Empire today. We have prepared an itinerary that covers a few places."
"That sounds wonderful Zikaris." Li Yu smiled and was looking forward to getting out of the capital.
However, as they walked out of the central spire and onto the massive docking platform, Li Yu realized this was not going to be a normal casual sightseeing trip.
This was absolutely not his usual way of traveling. Li Yu was a lone wanderer who was used to walking down quiet dirt paths by himself. He was accustomed to blending in and observing the world from the shadows.
But Emperor Xerxis refused to let his esteemed guest wander around unsupervised or unprotected. Xerxis had insisted on providing a royal entourage. In addition to the supreme Law Integration and Law Seed powerhouses, Xerxis had assigned an entire battalion of royal guards to escort them. There were literally thousands of heavily armored insect demon soldiers marching in perfect formation across the docking platform.
"Is this massive army truly necessary?" Li Yu asked as he looked at the endless sea of spears and dark chitin armor.
"The Emperor was absolutely clear in this." Gromak rumbled. "Your safety is the single most important priority right now. We are taking absolutely zero chances. These guards will secure every single city block before you even step foot on it."
Li Yu let out a soft sigh but nodded. Xerxis was clearly still terrified of the hidden experts lurking in the void and wanted to ensure that every single one of Li Yu's needs was met with flawless perfection. It wasn’t how he normally did things but it was fine to see things from this side as well.
Garrick did not join them on the docking platform. The Great Sage remained back in the grand capital and was entirely occupied by the endless supply of beautiful women and strong wine that Xerxis continued to shower upon him. Li Yu did not mind the giant brawler's absence at all. He was normally quiet and didn’t say much anyways. Clearly travel did not interest him.
They boarded a luxurious sky warship and departed the capital. Their first major stop was a massive trading hub known as the Amber Canals.
It was a sprawling city built directly over a series of wide, rushing rivers. But the rivers were not filled with water. They flowed with a thick, glowing blue sap that illuminated the entire city from below. The architecture here was vastly different from the rigid military cities. The buildings were elegantly constructed from woven spider silk pulled taut over frames of polished white bone and smooth dark stone.
The warship docked at the edge of the city and the royal guards immediately poured out, securing the main thoroughfares.
Li Yu walked down the ramp and was flanked closely by Zikaris, Gromak, and Faera. He walked across an arched bridge and was looking down at the massive barges floating on the blue sap. The air was filled with the loud sounds of merchants shouting, the buzzing of wings and the rich heavy scent of exotic spices.
His elite guides led him to the finest dining pavilion in the entire trading city. It was a beautiful open air structure that hung directly over the glowing river. The royal guards had already cleared the entire restaurant ensuring Li Yu could eat in peace. It wasn’t how he liked to do it but there was no choice now.
The chefs brought out a stunning array of local delicacies. Having learned his lesson from the bubbling green swamp jelly, Li Yu was much more adventurous but still somewhat cautious. He tried a dish of roasted nectar blossoms that tasted like incredibly sweet honey mixed with savory spices. He ate giant spiced aphids that possessed a satisfying crunch and drank clear refreshing dew harvested from the highest mountain peaks of the empire.
Everything was incredibly delicious and provided a gentle nourishing warmth to his internal Qi. It would seem that at least in these fine places and in the palace, eating for Qi was a highly valued thing. Every single piece of food had Qi in it.
As they walked out of the dining pavilion and into the central bazaar. Li Yu finally got a chance to see the diversity of the realm. The Hive Empire was predominantly filled with bee and insect demon hybrids but this massive trade city was a true melting pot of cultures.
Li Yu watched as a group of heavily armored beings marched through the market square.
They possessed the deep crimson and black carapaces of giant ants. Their armor was not forged in a traditional sense but seemed to be naturally grown and flawlessly polished. They carried massive tower shields that radiated an unbreakable defensive aura. They moved with rigid discipline, never stepping out of line and scanning the crowds with intense focus.
"Who are they?" Li Yu asked while pointing subtly toward the ant soldiers.
Faera stepped forward. "They belong to The Aegis Legion, young master.” Turns out it was an Empire where Ant like creatures dominated.
“They are incredibly well known across the entire realm for their supreme defense and their unmatched organic armor crafting. They are usually ranked around third or fourth in the overall power standings of the realm."
"They have a supreme Queen as their leader," Gromak added. "Their defensive formations are incredibly frustrating to break through in a large-scale war. Taking their territory requires a massive sacrifice of blood and resources."
A sudden blur of motion caught Li Yu's eye.
Several beings zipped past the heavy ant soldiers and were moving with a blinding speed that left faint afterimages in the air. They possessed sleek, aerodynamic bodies, large compound eyes and transparent wings that vibrated at an impossible terrifying frequency. They stopped at a merchant stall and began rapidly trading stacks of glowing intricate spiritual papers.
"And those incredibly fast ones?" Li Yu inquired, impressed by their natural movement techniques.
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"The Aether Swarm." Zikaris answered Li Yu. Zikaris explained that The Aether Swarm was the Fly Empire. Dominated by fly-like beings. "They directly rival The Aegis Legion for the third and fourth ranks. They are known for their blinding speed and their masterful talisman crafting. Their ruler is a King who possesses natural speed that can rival the teleportation of advanced spatial laws."
As Li Yu continued to observe the bustling bazaar, he noticed another distinct group working near the docks.
They were pale, almost completely white beings who possessed blind, completely smooth faces and the lower bodies of termites. What was incredibly unsettling about them was their movement. Dozens of them were unloading a massive cargo barge and they moved in perfect unison. They did not speak a single word to each other. They did not use hand signals or subtle nods. They simply moved like a single giant organism, perfectly coordinating lifting heavy crates without a single mistake or hesitation.
While unloading a heavy crate one of the pale workers accidentally sliced his arm deeply on a jagged piece of dark stone. Before the worker even registered the pain the wound rapidly closed, bubbling and healing perfectly within a fraction of a second. The worker did not even break his stride.
"That is The Hollow Dominion" Faera explained with a hint of deep caution in her melodic voice. She went on to explain they were the Termite Empire. "They are usually ranked fifth among the great empires but they are currently growing much stronger and expanding rapidly. They possess a terrifying hivemind network that links their thoughts together. That combined with their massive, endless population and their rapid regeneration ability makes them a very dangerous rising force. They also follow a King."
Li Yu nodded while absorbing all the information being shared.
"It is very interesting to see them all trading here so peacefully." Li Yu noted watching an Aether Swarm merchant barter loudly with an Aegis Legion guard. "I thought your empire was strictly geared for constant war."
"We are warriors at our absolute core." Zikaris agreed respectfully. "But we only hold an absolute permanent death grudge against The Eclipse Court. The Moth Empire is our only true mortal enemy. With the other great empires, we maintain our borders, we fight occasional skirmishes for resources and we trade freely. There is no kill on sight order for them unlike The Eclipse Court."
They spent the rest of the day exploring the Amber Canals and taking in the culture and the beautiful sights before returning to the sky warship to rest. Li Yu stuck out like a sore thumb the entire day but with such a massive force around him at all times, no one dared to bother him. The next day the royal entourage traveled to a completely different sector of the empire.
They flew aboard the luxurious sky ship until they reached a region that was dedicated entirely to immense scale agriculture and massive artisan forging. The landscape was dominated by towering organic structures that looked like giant smoking chimneys and endless sprawling fields of glowing spirit plants.
Millions upon millions of workers moved across the fields and operated the massive foundries. The sheer density of life here was completely staggering for Li Yu to see.
Li Yu stood on the viewing deck of the sky ship and was looking down at the massive operations. His mind processed the staggering numbers of the population. He thought back to his private tour of the central hive with Emperor Xerxis and the colossal birthing chamber filled with giant queens.
Li Yu turned to his three elite guides.
"I have a question," Li Yu said while leaning against the polished railing of the deck. "Emperor Xerxis told me personally that he is the direct father of millions. He said that a good one eighth of his entire empire are his direct sons and daughters."
The three guides nodded in unison and confirmed the biological fact. This wasn’t a secret to anyone.
"But as I look around these massive cities and these endless fields," Li Yu continued gesturing toward the incredible crowds of workers below. "I don’t see any of them that look like Xerxis or the queen. I see mantises, scarabs and various other mixtures going about their daily lives. How come I do not see his direct royal sons and daughters among the general population? Where are the millions of them?"
"You do not see them among the general population because they do not mix with the general population." Zikaris explained. "Those millions of direct royal sons and daughters are all located in entirely separate and restricted areas."
"Those areas are meant strictly for their rigorous training and their raising," Faera added. "They are completely segregated from the normal citizens of the empire. They have their own dedicated private armies, their own specialized workers and their own massive hidden fortresses scattered across the realm."
Li Yu's eyes widened slightly as the terrifying truth of the empire's structure began to dawn on him.
"They are essentially the private army and the private artisan workers of Emperor Xerxis." Gromak stated proudly while puffing out his thick plated chest. "They share his direct and supreme bloodline. They do not answer to the local lords or the regional generals. They are a massive and perfectly loyal force that answers only to Xerxis."
Li Yu looked back out over the sprawling empire and felt a sudden cold chill run down his spine.
He finally saw the absolute staggering scale of Xerxis's power. Xerxis was not just a political ruler who held a throne because he was the strongest fighter or the smartest tactician. His species uniqueness allowed the one in charge to be extremely powerful in a way that completely defied human comprehension.
A human emperor had to rely on the loyalty of his generals, the happiness of his citizens and the stability of his economy to maintain his armies. If a human emperor showed weakness his generals could rebel, his troops could desert and his armies could shatter entirely.
But Emperor Xerxis literally bred his own absolute loyalty.
He possessed a private standing army of millions upon millions of elite warriors who shared his direct blood. They were biologically hardwired to serve and protect their father at all costs. It was an army that could never be bribed, turned or routed by political shifting. It was a terrifying concept that cemented Xerxis's absolute grip on the Hive Empire.
If the general population ever decided to rebel against him, Xerxis could simply unleash his millions of direct offspring to crush the rebellion in a single bloody afternoon without ever needing to consult a single general.
"That is an incredible advantage." Li Yu noted softly while keeping his true terrifying realization hidden behind a polite calm smile.
"It is the absolute foundation of our Empire’s supreme strength." Zikaris agreed proudly. “You will probably meet a few of them. There are usually some at the palace and other places.”
Over the next few days the grand tour continued without a single flaw.
They visited a breathtaking canyon where the wind blowing through jagged crystal formations created illusions. Some used the place to train their minds and soul.
They traveled to a dense underground forest filled with towering glowing mushrooms that provided immense spiritual energy to anyone who simply breathed the heavy air around them. Li Yu learned that there was a private army hidden somewhere in there.
Everywhere they went, the local lords and commanders bent over backwards to accommodate Li Yu. The orders of the Emperor had clearly reached every single corner of the empire. Li Yu was treated to the finest local cuisines, given the most luxurious accommodations and presented with endless, elaborate displays of cultural dances and military parades.
Li Yu accepted the hospitality with a smile. ‘It’s actually kind of nice to travel and see the world this way. The path is paved for me and I can enjoy the finest things. There is definitely a different kind of charm to travel this way.’ Li Yu thought.
He ate the sweet nectar cakes, observed the complex armor forging techniques of the local artisans and enjoyed the stunning alien landscapes safely surrounded by his massive army of guards.
It was an incredibly educational experience for him. Everything was so different from what he had seen before in his life that the experience was eye opening. He learned more about the specific power dynamics of the insect realm, the distinct strengths of the top five empires and the brutal reality of politics here.
He also learned exactly how terrifying a ruler could be when they commanded both political loyalty and the absolute biological loyalty of their entire domain.
As they finally concluded their extensive tour and boarded the sky warship to return to the grand capital, Li Yu felt refreshed. The peaceful few days of exploring and eating good food had completely washed away the exhaustion of his chaotic journey through the void.
He was ready to return to the capital to check on his bodyguard and see exactly what the Hive Emperor had planned next for him. He also began to put together some plans of his own as well.