Chapter 60: Unifying Vostonia

Ninglu watched as squads of Third Regiment Warriors carried items before him.

He swept a glance over them, spotting lung spiders among the goods, as well as the auxiliary material for the Sequence 9 "Monster"—the ice crystal butterfly...

Bukayo pointed to these things and said earnestly.

"My Lord, you have no interest in gold or such things, but you seem very interested in special animals and rare items, just like when you had me search for the largest lung spider—the black widow."

"I have specifically collected some to offer to you."

"Some I encountered in the Lower Hive, others I found in the vaults of the false kings. I do not know which ones you might favor, so I have kept all that are rare for you to choose personally."

Upon hearing this, Ninglu could not help but marvel at Bukayo's cleverness; only he had thought to cater to his preferences by collecting these things.

【This is a good opportunity to establish a persona!

It will become increasingly difficult for me to obtain Potion Materials in person in the future; if I have a reputation for liking rare "things," it will be much more convenient to act.

Moreover, as the saying goes, 'when a superior has a preference, subordinates naturally cater to it.' As more subordinates and more genetic offspring offer to me, the variety and quantity of Potion Materials I receive will naturally increase.】

Thinking of this, Ninglu decided to clearly express his pleasure.

He strode over to a crystal cage, reached out with his large hand, grabbed it, examined the butterfly inside whose body resembled ice crystals, and laughed as he said.

"Good! Good! Good! I am very satisfied!"

Seeing Ninglu so happy, Bukayo secretly decided to collect more exotic objects in the future to offer to the deity he served.

The leaders of the other regiments also learned of Ninglu's unique personal preference over the following several standard months.

They followed suit one after another, and the variety and quantity of Potion Materials in Ninglu's possession saw a massive increase.

Lung spiders, in particular, which could be found in every Lower Hive, were hunted collectively by all the regiments.

Ninglu continued to renovate the second layer of the Real Space of the "Kingdom of Disorder." Relying on his superhuman memory, he replicated environments like sewage pits and pipelines, completing the initial renovation of a one-square-kilometer area.

Subsequently, he threw in Thousand-Foot Snakes and lung spider hatchlings, along with other non-Potion Material creatures to serve as their food.

Ninglu was also not stingy, concocting Potions to cultivate those subordinates who passed the assessment into Beyonders.

Yaxin, recommended by Howard, became an "Arbiter."

Buuka and Juerjuer, recommended by Thierry, became "Warriors" just like him.

After becoming Beyonders, their abilities were all enhanced.

Maria and two other "Assassins" infiltrated various Hive Cities to assassinate commanders and create chaos.

Ninglu took turns leading the regiments to conquer the Hive Cities, finally conquering all thirty-three Hive Cities before the arrival of the Vostonian winter.

Vostonia was originally a cold Planet, consisting of a long winter and a short spring.

But with colonization, and especially the rapid industrialization following the arrival of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the world's climate gradually warmed.

After thousands of years of change, the combined duration of spring, summer, and autumn had already exceeded that of winter.

For the past hundred years, the average climate cycle of Vostonia has been 104 work cycles for spring, 85 work cycles for summer, 139 work cycles for autumn, and 217 work cycles for winter.

On the first work cycle of the arrival of winter, the ceremony for Ninglu to officially become the King of Vostonia was held in the magnificent hall of Teziwoke Hive City.

The Primarch sat on his throne, with thirty-three golden crowns of varying sizes and styles strung upon thirty-three long black spears behind him.

They were all crowns once worn by the kings of the various Hive Cities; twenty-three of their owners had been slain by Ninglu's own hand.

Yelena Kurnikova, the first Prime Minister of Vostonia, who had abandoned the traditional red ceremonial dress of Vostonia and wore the black dress preferred by the King, presided over the ceremony.

She looked to the right at the noble representatives from the thirty-three Hive Cities, her peripheral vision sweeping over the representatives of the Adeptus Mechanicus—Sage Kaminski and the Tech-Priest representatives from the various Altars.

Finally, her gaze returned to the front; she knew that the representatives of the regiments, such as Howard, were Ninglu's true confidants.

Yelena spoke slowly, her voice solemn and carrying unquestionable majesty.

"Respected noble gentlemen, ladies, and honored guests of the Adeptus Mechanicus. We gather here to witness a historic moment for Vostonia—the birth of a brand-new era."

"For thousands of years, the false kings usurped power for their own gain, treating the Hive Cities as private property; Vostonia stagnated, and countless hive citizens suffered unspeakably."

"The invasion of Xenos cut off our food supply, and the riots of heretics left the Hive Cities in peril. Vostonia was once on the verge of destruction."

Her tone shifted abruptly, and a scorching flame ignited in her voice.

"In this darkest of hours, King Ninglu descended from the heavens!"

"He slew the false kings, drove out the Xenos, extinguished the heretics, and unified the divided Vostonia."

"He reshaped order and brought hope; he is the savior of Vostonia! He is the King of Vostonia!"

Yelena turned to the side, facing Ninglu and the nobles on the right, her voice resounding through the hall.

"Everyone, please offer your loyalty to the new King."

Having said this, she turned to face Ninglu directly, knelt on one knee according to the most ancient rituals of Vostonia, placed her right hand over her heart, and spoke in a firm and devout voice.

"I, Yelena Kurnikova, offer my loyalty to King Ninglu! Whatever my King commands, I shall obey; whatever my King desires, I shall fulfill! This oath, until death, shall never change!"

The nobles and Howard and the others also knelt on one knee accordingly.

"We offer our loyalty to King Ninglu! Whatever our King commands, we shall obey; whatever our King desires, we shall fulfill! This oath, until death, shall never change!"

Their voices converged like a tidal wave, echoing in every corner of the hall.

The sound gradually subsided like a receding tide, and the hall fell into a brief silence.

"I accept your allegiance!"

Ninglu's voice exploded like thunder, carrying unquestionable majesty and power.

His words were like a Hammer, striking the heart of every person present.

His gaze was like a torch, sweeping over the people who were slowly rising, then looking toward the representatives of the Adeptus Mechanicus.

Kaminski withdrew from the memory in his mind of Ninglu picking up the crown himself, and he stepped forward slowly.

His voice, modulated by a mechanical vocal processor, carried a cold solemnity.

"King Ninglu."

Kaminski's voice was as precise and powerful as the meshing of gears.

"May the wisdom of the Omnissiah guide your path, and may the glory of the Omnissiah protect your reign. Your will shall drive the operation of Vostonia like sacred gears; your authority shall be as eternal as the undying machine."

He lowered his head slightly, the red light in his mechanical ocular implant flickering.

The members of the Adeptus Mechanicus behind him echoed in unison, their voices uniform and precise, like the resonance of intricate machinery:

"May the Machine God protect you! May the radiance of the Omnissiah shine upon Vostonia forever!"

As the ceremony proceeded, all twenty-nine remaining living Sages of Vostonia, excluding Kaminski, gathered at Altar One in Miha Yiluofusike-chaodu.

(End of chapter)