The next morning, Pai Mansion—ravaged by nightlong battles—lay in ruins. The ancient structure, once comparable to Palais Saint-Rosel, now stood as a teetering wreck. The Ison City Merchant Guild, save for a few core executives loyal to Manny, had been all but dismantled in the upheaval.
Manny, her toxins spread too widely, was urgently moved to Palais Saint-Rosel by Anna for treatment from the best royal physicians, with the wounded Rick accompanying her.
Outside the quiet intensive care unit, Rick sat silently, sleepless. Thick bandages wrapped his upper body, but he ignored the horrific wounds. His mind focused on another matter: the autonomous hatching of the egg within him.
Driven by survival instincts, his Soldier-Class Scythe Worm egg had hatched when facing Fane's Heavenly-Class Ice Silkworm. The unprepared fusion had plunged Rick into mental chaos, leading to his clash with Manny's four bodyguards—he'd nearly killed them.
Though Rick had regained control, anxiety about the insect gnawed at him. He knew his reawakening came only because the evolved Scythe Worm had exhausted itself in the four-on-one battle, allowing his consciousness to reclaim dominance. But for how long? Rick had no answer.
He felt the little demon within growing stronger, now merely dormant in his body. When it woke, everything might change.
"Will I become a monster?" Rick looked at the ornate tattoo spreading to his shoulder in the corridor mirror, a bitter smile crossing his face.
He felt more miserable than when awaiting death. Inner fear made him tremble on the bench—hard to believe he was now a powerful Insect Master.
Biting his pale lower lip, Rick sat alone in the dim corridor.
Shust and Gria had left earlier. Gria, enraged like a wounded lion by last night's attempt on Manny, had commissioned Shust and Balzac—using Guild funds—to eliminate all hostile forces in Ison City. It was a naked, irrational revenge, but Shust accepted gladly for the hefty reward. He would be busy, and Ison City would soon face a horrific wave of assassinations.
Just then, light footsteps approached from the corridor's end, stopping beside Rick.
"Manny still hasn't woken?" Anna's apologetic voice sounded. "Doctors are flushing toxins from her organs. She's not out of danger, but I believe she'll pull through."
Rick looked up, startled to see Anna in a black business suit.
"The old man left without a word, so I took over affairs. Sorry—I'm unfamiliar with this. The city guard should have responded faster last night, so this wouldn't have—"
"Not your fault. What's meant to happen will," Rick sighed, patting the seat beside him. "Where'd the old man go?"
"No idea. I'm having him tracked." Anna's face clouded. "He's impulsive, but never does anything meaningless. His sudden departure must relate to something huge."
"Yeah... Let's hope it isn't worse."
On the operating table, Manny dreamed strangely. Before losing consciousness, she'd heard chaos: Rick's angry accusations, Lika's gasps. Curious, but exhaustion dragged her into darkness.
In sleep, she seemed to return to a familiar place: a grand mansion, a young beauty sitting in the courtyard, basking in sunlight, holding a sleeping child with rosy cheeks.
"Grow up quickly, little Manny—you'll be a lovely beauty," the strange yet familiar woman cooed, kissing the child's cheek, radiating maternal warmth.
"Mom..." Manny recognized the woman, her eyes reddening. She shouted, but the woman—helped by a handsome young man—walked inside, deaf to her calls.
"Don't go, Mom!" Manny ran toward the woman who looked 70% like her, only to pass through her like a phantom—visible, untouchable.
"Am I... dead?" Manny stared blankly at her young mother.
The woman turned, as if sensing her gaze.
"Mom!" Manny rushed forward, but the woman waved her back.
"Go back, my Manny. This isn't your place..." She looked at her husband. "My dearest has joined me. You must return... so much awaits you."
"No..."
The beautiful scene dissolved into chaos. The young man seemed to shout before vanishing. As darkness fell, only the gentle voice lingered: "Live well, happily, my child."
Manny opened her eyes. Blinding sunlight poured in as two pale yellow insects alighted on the window, chirping. She touched her damp cheek.
"Mom..."
The dream remained vivid: her mother's kind face, gentle voice.
"I'll live strongly, never losing hope till the end..." Smiling, she reached for the insects, but they fluttered away, wobbling into the distance.
Crash!
Suddenly, the sound of something shattering echoed by the door.
"The young lady is awake! Come quick, the young lady is awake!" A maid's frantic cry reverberated through the bedchamber.
Manny watched as countless people flooded in, their faces contorted with every emotion. In this moment, she felt overwhelming happiness.
Gria, his left shoulder still swathed in bandages, rushed to the bedside first. Tears in his eyes, he pressed a Guild letter into her hand, choking: "Thank God you're safe, Miss, but the Guild Master has—"
"Father..."
Manny started, recognizing her father's familiar handwriting. A sudden realization struck her, even before reading the letter—she knew her father was gone. Yet despite the grief, a faint smile lingered on her face.
"Miss, you..." Gria eyed her confusedly.
Meeting his questioning gaze, Manny forced a smile, wiping away tears. "Thank you for your concern, Uncle Gria. But... I've already seen Father. I said goodbye... I think with Mother by his side, they'll be happy in heaven."
"Heaven... Yes... Surely heaven..."
A month passed—an eternity for those living in this era. The entire world convulsed in upheaval, countless shocking events erupting simultaneously, shaking human civilization to its core.
Manny's assassination attempt was but a ripple in the month's tempest. Concurrent with the attack came the fall of Solomon, the legendary Merchant Guild Master. Within an hour of Solomon's death, Vice President Diago declared himself the new Guild Master, ignoring Manny as rightful heir.
This marked the beginning of a turbulent era for the Guild, which had ruled world economics for a century. The rivalry between Diago's supporters and Manny's followers shattered the commercial empire overnight—and this was only the start.
With unclear succession, countless city lords who had wavered under the Guild's rule seized the opportunity, declaring they would no longer abide by century-old treaties. They claimed local trade routes, stripping the Guild of its global dominance.
Simultaneously, city lords from the Twelve Alliances joined forces with the Assassin's Guild, launching sudden attacks on Insect Hunter Guilds in their territories. They seized hunting grounds and expelled the Guilds entirely.
The world order shifted. The era of tripartite rule—Guild economic dominance, city lords governing citizens, Insect Hunter Guilds controlling military affairs—ended. City lords who consolidated all power faced no constraints, and "nations"—a long-forgotten term—reemerged. The age of warring states, where warlords fought for territory, began.
Before the impending new conflict between humans and the Swarm, this vast human civil war drained the last hope from those who remained sober.
The outside turmoil also reached the relatively peaceful Three Cities of the Forest Domain. In the Forest Domain, Ison City and Terry County shared a heritage. Lord Arthur and Chairman Nanzé, both leaders of the Defenders Alliance, swiftly reached a consensus. Using force, they compelled Zarok, the former Terry County lord, to abdicate, annexing Terry County into Ison City's territory.
This signaled the end of peace in the Three Cities. Arthur, a descendant of the Tanzan royal family, aimed to reunify this vast land that rightfully belonged to the great Tanzan lineage.
Newspapers across the region simultaneously published this earth-shattering news. Observant readers realized the awkward position of Kester City, the largest commercial hub among the Three Cities.
Kester had always remained neutral, but Arthur had shown a strong stance to unify the Three Cities. Lord Ferdinand of Kester faced a choice:
Acknowledge Arthur's rule, relinquish autonomy, and incorporate Kester into Ison's territory, willingly joining Arthur's upcoming Tanzan Cabinet.Shelter the exiled former Terry County lord Zarok, insist on independence, and wage war against Arthur.
Now, citizens of the Three Cities debated fiercely, and newspapers speculated endlessly. After a century of peace, the people awaited the new era with excitement and apprehension.
Palais Saint-Rosel, Lord Arthur's private study.
Once Arthur's domain for governance, the ornate nanmu wood chair now held Anna, the acting administrator, dressed formally and looking impatient.
Her desk overflowed with newspapers and reports from across the realm. While Anna could barely handle Ison's daily affairs with Mistress Katrina's help, she struggled with tasks requiring strategic insight. A month ago, she'd been a sand lizard hunter in Benning Town—only slightly better off than Rick when he was a Kester City outcast.
Perhaps sensing Anna's frustration, Manny—recently recovered from her toxins—and Rick came to assist. Manny swiftly reviewed the dizzying newspapers, while Rick, bored, scanned the reports hoping to find Arthur's whereabouts—only Arthur, in his view, could solve the fatal problem in his body.
Hours passed in stifling silence. Finally, Anna set aside her diluted tea, unable to contain her frustration. "So... any conclusions?"
"Conclusions?" Manny looked up. "What kind of conclusions are you after?"
"Ah?" Anna blinked, scratching her head impulsively and blushing. "I... I have no idea."
"Then let me summarize the current situation and what Ison City will face," Manny set aside the documents, collecting her thoughts. "The world has evolved from a Hundred Cities Federation to an era of warring states where the strong rule. Humans are no longer a unified whole but fragmented into interest groups. Each group, pressured by circumstances, prioritizes immediate gains—even a visionary like His Majesty isn't exempt."
"I... I don't get it..." Anna looked perplexed.
"I think I do," Rick interjected, giving Manny a wry smile. "It's like a group sharing boxed meals. When the distributor vanishes, everyone starts grabbing. In this chaos, only the quick survive. To gain followers, you must seize more meals. Demanding a new distributor without acting will only get you starved first."
"Oh! So the old man went to grab meals!" Anna exclaimed, enlightened.
Manny glanced between Rick and Anna in disbelief. How had Rick come up with such a bizarre metaphor? Strangely, Anna understood it perfectly.
"Don't be surprised—only those who've lived that experience get it," Rick smiled at Manny, gazing into the distance. "What's your prediction for Kester City?"
"His Majesty has integrated Ison and Terry County, clearly asserting dominance. I give Lord Ferdinand of Kester a 40% chance of surrendering."
"Only 40%?" Rick frowned.
"Precisely." Manny sighed. "A city's real combat power comes from three groups: 1. Insect Association hunters, 2. City guards, 3. Noble clans loyal to the lord."
"Nobles? They count as combat power?" Rick's eyes widened in surprise.
"Yes. Consider this: Insect eggs are categorized as battle or utility. Battle eggs are priceless, so citizens mostly use utility eggs for livelihoods, making them the rank and file at best. Nobles, however, have the wealth to buy rare battle eggs, making them far stronger than commoners—even city guards can't compare."
Manny fixed Rick with a meaningful look. "Ison has a complete combat force, but Terry County doesn't. Their hunter teams were decimated—the top Wolf Pack was disbanded. City guards suffered heavy losses in the Tanzan Desert, and remaining Terry nobles have gone into exile. In reality, Terry has little military might to aid Ison."
Rick hadn't connected the dots until now. Both fallen forces were tied to him, leaving his expression exceedingly awkward.
"So Kester might resist and go to war with Ison?"
"If Ferdinand goes all in, he'll shelter exiled Terry nobles, balancing military power with Ison. A war between equals would be inevitable."
The room fell into gloomy silence, each lost in thought. Anna worried for Arthur—though she suspected he might not be her father, he'd given her paternal warmth. Rick felt somber for his hometown, where he'd spent a miserable decade before stepping onto the world stage. Now it faced war, and former outcast peers would suffer.
Just then, the study door knocked. Gria, now back in formal attire, entered, bowing to Anna before standing beside Manny.
"Miss, here's the list of recently rallied Guild forces and supply data. Also, this confidential report requires your review."
Manny scanned the list, set it aside, and studied the report intently. Five minutes later, she closed her eyes in deep thought. The others held their breath, curious about the news.
"Uncle Gria, will you fully support my decision?" Manny took a deep breath, as if making a momentous choice.
"I will," Gria said firmly.
"Even if it means giving up everything Father built?"
Gria hesitated, but seeing Manny's seriousness, he smiled and nodded. "Yes—unconditionally."
"Thank you, Uncle Gria." Manny smiled, handing the report to Anna. "Congratulations, Anna. His Majesty launched a decapitation strike on Lord Ferdinand of Kester early this morning. Though Ferdinand escaped, Arthur has seized Kester's rule."
"Really!" Anna eagerly scanned the report.
"This comes from the Guild's intelligence network—faster than yours, so it's definitive."
"Great!" Rick pumped his fist, unable to hide his excitement.
"Oh, right." He turned to Manny. "What decision were you about to make?"
"A decision to lift the burden from my shoulders. But I think I'll wait for His Majesty to return—he should be back soon..."