A Chemist's Interstellar Saga

Chapter 147: The Birdmen
Chapter 147: The Birdmen

After Arix left, Scion turned his gaze to the entrance of the hall. ”Come in.”

From the entrance, Krylak emerged, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. ”I didn’t want to interrupt when I saw you were with the little one,” he said.

Scion looked at Krylak calmly. ”I wasn’t lying.”

”You didn’t lie, but you misled her. If Arix finds out the truth later, she’ll be really upset,” Krylak said, sympathy in his voice.

Scion remained silent, but Krylak, who knew him well, could see the hidden sadness in him.

Krylak sighed, as if comforting both Scion and himself. ”Maybe it’s better this way. If she finds out later, she’ll be sad later.”

”Yes,” Scion responded softly.

The next day, Sunak swung by to pick up Arix and Drexel for the blessing ceremony. When he got there, he found the siblings looking utterly wiped out, like they hadn’t slept a wink.

He gave them a once-over, clearly frustrated, and said, ”What did you two get up to last night? Digging dog doors again? Those dark circles are unreal!”

Arix and Drexel shared a knowing glance, both instantly aware of what the other had been up to the previous night.

No one could blame them for being too excited to sleep when they had their own Supergiant-Class mecha.

Despite their antics, they still had respect for their elders. Both Arix and Drexel apologized, looking sheepish, ”Sorry, Sunak, we messed up.”

Sunak sighed and said, ”Alright, let’s get going.”

”Okay,” they replied, falling in line.

The blessing ceremony was a big deal in the Empire.

On this day, Sylvana’s presence was everywhere—from portraits and dolls to people dressed up as Sylvana. Especially the young ones from the Tiger clan, who already looked a lot like Sylvana, would dress themselves, making them almost indistinguishable from the deity.

These dressed-up Tiger clan kids would get all sorts of delighted reactions, and their parents loved the attention.

Naturally, some races looked more like Sylvana than others.

Outside the carriage, a bunch of ”lizard” people were cosplaying as Sylvana, which made Arix cover her eyes with her paws, unable to handle the sight.

The young Dragon clan members were cute in an ugly sort of way, but the adults were flat-out terrifying! Their expanded wings were one thing, but their long thick body made them look like giant, fuzzy caterpillars.

Arix shivered and quietly shut the carriage curtains.

After about ten minutes, the be carriage pulled up at the destination. The ceremony was held on Moon Goddess Mountain, the tallest peak in the Imperial Nexus.

At the summit, there was a huge statue of Sylvana surrounded by a spacious sacrificial platform.

Around this main platform were seven smaller platforms for the royal family, nobles, the Tiger clan, the Dragon clan, the elves, the mermen, and the birdmen—each representing the Empire’s major powers.

The commoners could only stand below these platforms. The area was already packed, with parents holding their kids and others just there to witness the event.

After stepping out of the carriage, Sunak led Arix and Drexel to the Tiger clan’s platform, where they waited quietly for the ceremony to begin.

The distance between the smaller platforms was quite large, so even though Arix was curious about the other races, she couldn’t see them clearly.

However, the elves and birdmen on either side were fascinating enough to catch her interest.

The elves, with their golden hair and blue eyes, were truly a sight to behold.

Both the handsome young men and the beautiful young women seemed to have been blessed by the heavens in terms of looks. Arix admired them for a while before shifting her attention to the birdmen.

The birdmen were well-known for their love of food. Even now, they were casually grilling insect legs on their platform. This was the first time Arix realized that insectoids could be eaten. Seeing them enjoy the food so much made her curious about the taste.

One of the birdmen, who had red hair streaked with silver, noticed her gaze and waved cheerfully, as if inviting her to join them and try the food. Arix swallowed and asked, ”Sunak, can I go over to the birdmen’s platform?”

Sunak glanced at the red-haired birdman and nodded. ”That’s Liaka. We’re on good terms. You can go over and visit for a bit, but make sure to come back.”

”Okay, thank you, Sunak. Drexel, do you want to come?” Arix asked her brother, who was sitting next to Sunak.

”No way!” Drexel replied, eyeing the man eating insect legs with disgust. He didn’t even want to be near it.

Seeing Drexel’s reluctance, Arix didn’t insist and flew over to the birdmen’s platform by herself.

The birdmen were friendly and greeted her warmly when they saw a young Tiger clan member approaching.

Arix politely addressed them. When she reached Liaka, she sweetly said, ”Nice meeting you, sir.”

Liaka might have looked a bit wild, but he had a gentle demeanor. He smiled kindly and said, ”I remember you’re the new pureblood of the Tiger clan, Airx, right?”

Arix nodded, ”Yes Thank you for inviting me over.”

Liaka nodded with a smile. ”Good girl. Would you like to try some food? It’s freshly grilled.”

He handed her a plate with grilled insect legs.

”Thank you,” Arix said politely. She eyed the insect legs on the plate.

If she didn’t know they were insectoid legs, she might have thought they were grilled king crab legs. But these were much thicker; while a king crab leg was about the thickness of a finger, this insectoid leg was as thick as an arm.

Arix was cautious about trying insectoid meat for the first time. She sniffed it tentatively and was greeted with a fragrant barbecue smell.

Once she was sure the scent was good, she took a small bite and chewed slowly.

The meat was tender and delicious, with a texture similar to king crab legs. The grilling had given it a smoky flavor that made it even more enjoyable.

”Delicious!” Arix exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she looked up at Liaka.

”Finish this, and I’ll grill some more for you,” Liaka said gently, his eyes shining with genuine kindness.

Seeing the young Tiger clan member enjoying the food so much, the birdmen around them showed even more goodwill.

Many of them, proud of their cooking skills, brought out various insectoid delicacies for Arix to try.

Finding someone from another clan who enjoyed insectoid food was a rare delight for the birdmen, and they were thrilled to share their culinary creations.

Arix’s enthusiasm and open-mindedness won her many new friends among the birdmen. They were pleased to see someone appreciate their food without hesitation.

As the celebration was about to begin and Arix needed to return, many birdmen expressed their reluctance to see her go.

”Arix, come back and see us if you want to eat more next time!” one of the birdmen said warmly.

”Okay, thank you, everyone,” Arix waved her paw in farewell and then flew back to the Tiger clan’s platform.