Just like before, where Godzilla is, life follows.
The already lush forest became even more vibrant under Godzilla's influence, and several strange new things appeared.
"Go on." With a gentle shake of her arm, the chubby bird flapped its wings and soared into the sky.
When it reached a certain height, several vines extended from a nearby tree, weaving into a cozy bird nest.
----------------------
"You wouldn't see this kind of sight in Luofu." Watching the little chubby bird fall asleep as soon as it entered the nest, Tingyun smiled softly.
At that moment, Serval, having finished her daily work, walked over and sat beside her. Hearing Tingyun's words, she asked curiously, "I heard Yanqing say there's a really big tree on the Xianzhou. How big is it?"
"Oh? Yanqing must be referring to the Ambrosial Arbor. That thing was once a treasure of Luofu. As for how big... 'Reaching the heavens, its branches hang with stars.'"
"Uh, what does that mean?" Serval scratched her head.
Talking to the people from the Xianzhou was fine, but their way of speaking was so unfamiliar that even if they were cursing, you couldn't tell.
"It basically means it reaches the sky, and its branches are long enough to hang stars from. Something like that."
Before Serval could express her amazement, Tingyun sighed: "Sadly, the Ambrosial Arbor suffered a calamity long ago. It's hard to say if it can be restored."
Neither of them were the quiet type, and after spending much time together, they could easily chat about all sorts of interesting things.
"Oh, right."
Suddenly, Tingyun paused and continued, "What are your plans for the future? Once the IPC and Jarilo reach a development agreement, Jarilo will surely become a renowned tourist destination in the universe. What direction do you plan to develop toward then?"
Hearing Tingyun's question, Serval was briefly stunned and thought for a moment: "We'll probably develop both sides. After all, Jarilo already experienced the pitfalls of one-sided development."
History has shown that unless you achieve absolute dominance in one area to the point where everyone fears your power, one-sided development just makes you a sitting duck.
At least from what she knew, Bronya was currently in charge of civilian affairs in Belobog, and although Cocolia had stepped down, she still assisted Bronya, while another handled military affairs.
Given the shared interest in military development recently, she already saw the path of Jarilo's future.
"By the way, when are you guys planning to return?"
"Eh? Has Miss Serval already grown tired of spending time with me and is eagerly waiting for me to leave your sight?"
"Uh."
Serval's mouth twitched slightly, unsure how to respond.
"I actually quite enjoy spending time with you. It's just that you guys still have responsibilities on the Xianzhou, right? Let's not even talk about Yanqing—he looks like he's been sent out for training or something."
Serval deliberately skipped over talking about Yanqing.
"But Miss Yukong is one of the Six Charioteers of Luofu. No matter how relaxed the atmosphere in Luofu is, they wouldn't let such a high-ranking individual just wander around, right?"
When high-level figures travel, they're usually accompanied by large numbers of guards to ensure their safety and prevent intelligence leaks.
Someone like Yukong, wandering outside for so long without any intention of returning, was not something Serval saw often.
Even Cocolia back then wasn't this free.
"Ah, Lady Yukong is also busy, you know. And Luofu's atmosphere is genuinely great. A little lady like me could wander around Luofu until the early morning without feeling scared at all."
Serval merely responded with a sarcastic chuckle.
She hadn't been to Luofu, but figures like Yukong would be protected like national treasures in any power. There was no way they wouldn't have some sort of security.
She figured besides that little entourage, the rest of the elite fleet must be hiding in the distance too.
"Roar~."
At that moment, a low growl filled with curiosity and threat echoed out, startling a flock of birds into flight.
"Big guy, what's wrong?"
Serval asked with a puzzled look, lowering her head.
...
There has never been a shortage of people in distress in the universe.
"Hey, Argenti, are we really gonna be okay? I swear the ship's outer wall is about to melt!"
Velite clung to the sofa tightly, his face stiff—in fact, his entire body was stiff!
Even the ship's exterior shell couldn't withstand the melting—if even a bit got on me, I probably wouldn't last a minute!
"Please don't worry, Mr. Velite. In a situation like this, just loudly shout 'Idrila's beauty is unparalleled in the world,' and her pure brilliance will shine upon you and lead you out of danger."
"Besides, the greatness of the 'One and Only' ship goes without saying. It has shielded me from many storms, and now it's blossoming in its moment of beauty."
A voice with a relaxed tone answered Velite's question.
It was a handsome knight clad in ornately decorated armor, forming a sharp contrast with Velite—in that he showed no panic and even had the mind to ponder how things had come to this.
"I want to know what's going on too! First we were chased by a bunch of bugs, then fell into a cave, finally got rescued when I ran into you, and now we're stuck in some unknown ghost place, and the ship is about to melt. I'm fed up! Is this what I get for taking a nap?!"
...
"A really big guy is coming."
Thoughts surged, and Godzilla's eyes darkened slightly.
No matter what it is, to dare step into Godzilla's territory and challenge him—did it really think he was some easy prey?
"Hey, I gotta say, you guys are pretty chill, but 'Belobog; The city of Preservation' is a giant mess now."
"Herta!?"
"Lady Herta!?"
The petite Lady Herta calmly looked up at the two above her, including Godzilla—though Godzilla was so massive, she didn't need to look directly at him; he filled every corner of her vision.
"Lady Herta, did you just say Belobog is in chaos? What exactly happened?"
"What else could it be? A big bug came by to back up its little buddies." She shrugged indifferently and looked toward Tingyun, then asked,
"Ever heard of the 'Sting'?"
Tingyun nodded: "Yes, it's part of the swarm. It releases phosphor powder that causes hallucinations. I'm not a specialist in this, just read a brief description in a book."
Serval also remembered the bugs. Belobog had already faced two swarm invasions, both taken care of by Godzilla.
"Then have you ever heard of the 'Giant Sting'?"
"Giant Sting?!" The two looked at each other, stunned.
Herta gave a slight nod, speaking with resignation: "I was just about to head back, but as soon as I stepped out, I saw everyone in Belobog acting all dumb and dazed. Some were even talking to trash cans—quite a few, actually. Oh, and your big Guardian girl mistook a poster on the wall for her mom. I recorded it—I'll send you a copy later."
"Please do! Ahem, I mean, what exactly happened to Belobog?"
Serval cleared her throat twice, trying to hide her excitement.
"It's nothing much—just that a Giant Sting arrived late because it was slow. Then, maybe due to indigestion, it vomited out a lot of phosphor powder, which drifted over Belobog, and now the whole city is trapped in hallucinations."
"!!! That's 'nothing much'?!" The two of them raised their voices several notches.
"What about Lord Yukong and the others?"
"They got caught too."
"Why are you okay?"
"…"
Herta looked at Serval like she was an idiot and raised her elbow—completely mechanical.
"Ahem, right, just going through the motions. Wait! Why are we fine?" Serval looked left and right, confirming she wasn't hallucinating, her senses sharpened.
Or was what she was experiencing right now itself a hallucination?
"Because of this big guy." Herta snorted, expressing her grudge that Godzilla wouldn't let her study him.
"This guy's temperature is high, and he has a special field. As soon as the phosphor powder gets close, it's gone."
Despite his rough exterior, Godzilla was very clean—his body's radiation was regularly active. Earlier, a wave of internal radiation had wiped out the floating phosphor powder in the air, which is why the two of them weren't affected.
"How about it, big guy? That thing's in the cosmic… uhh, lower-waist research sector's new experimental outpost…"
The vertical pupils stood up, a chilling aura seeping out.
Herta winked at Godzilla, who had opened his eyes the moment she arrived.
"Huff!" A blast of hot breath sprayed out, and Godzilla flicked his tail dismissively.
Just a little bug? You little shorty, what are you thinking?
Still, Herta had helped Godzilla identify this time's enemy.
A Giant Sting drifting in from space, starting trouble from the very beginning!
Could it be that when Tayzzyronth fell, it dragged all of the swarm's brains down with it?
Oh right—they never had any brains to begin with…