914. Ignis, The True Sli Empress
“Squish! Awa! Waw!”
“Uwaaa!”
“Boing! Boing!”
“Gloop! Bwaa!”
A festival of cute noises filled the Stage. An army of slis took over hundreds of seats and bounced in place with infectious energy.
The stray Healers who decided to stay back lted at the sight, whilst Moons glared at them for daring to act obnoxiously on sacred grounds. The cute squeals unfortunately had to co to an end.
Frost clapped once. A cold wave of unbearable pressure silenced them. Faces of ‘O_O’, ‘Q_Q’ and ‘x_x’ appeared. As bad as she felt for being so hard on these adorable things, she didn’t want Ignis’ quite voice to be drowned out.
“Mn. That’s gist of it.” Ignis began as she stood beside the Sli Queen and various forms of Sli Knights; which were no more than Slis that wore pieces of armor and wielded weapons.
Although, those weapons were kept suspended in their bodies. Had they drawn it out, then they would have been slain on the spot by Frost’s Moons.
Ignis continued:
“They want to migrate here.”
“Huh? Migrate? What for?”
“, apparently. They’re infatuated with . The Queen Sli is ready to give her crown away.”
“Mn.” The Sli Queen mimicked Ignis’ mannerisms as if to prove that she was already her servant. “Mn! Mn!”
“Frost. I’m going to be a Sli Empress.”
“More like a Sli Goddess. What it’s with you and Slis… no, forget that. Haaaaah. This has beco problematic.”
She didn’t mind the Slis moving under Ignis’ command. Frankly speaking, Ignis could do whatever she wanted. The problem Frost had however was the fact that the Kingdom of Slimia was poised to house a Hyperlink Site.
Each Hyperlink Site was as important as the last. Frost didn’t want to install a Hyperlink Crystal in a Kingdom that may disappear in the following months, or hell, weeks even. Ignis didn’t even know these Slis, and she was already receiving the right to succeed the throne because… she was a sli once? She the resident Sli whisperer?
Do we even know why the Slis love Ignis so much?
“Perhaps for the sa reason that Healers adore you all the sa. They view Ignis as one of their own, and the strongest one at that. Slis are simple creatures.”
As hilarious as it was, Frost didn’t want to have one less Hyperlink Site in Emvita. The only person who could avert this crisis was Ignis herself.
“Ignis. Please tell the Queen Sli that you don’t intend to rule over them.”
However, Ignis had other ideas. She tilted her head and said:
“I never said that.”
“Eh? Are you considering ruling over the Kingdom of Slimia?”
“Why not indirectly? It can be a proxy of the Nexus. Mn. And I get slis. Yay.” Ignis celebrated in the most monotone voice imaginable, but she followed it up with a sincere smile.
A pair of tiny hands took Frost’s.
“Can’t I?” Ignis used a forbidden technique that Frost had yet to see utilized in this world.
The puppy eye technique. She paired it with a slight frown that destroyed Frost’s heart.
Aww. Ugh… This is unfair. She knows I can’t say no to her.
“If the Kingdom of Slimia exists, then do what you want. Calling them a proxy though… where did you learn that?”
“Nav.” Ignis quickly answered. “Slis are useful. We use them a lot in the Nexus for deliveries. Bulk items and letters don’t have to be moved by secured arms like Moons or Receptionists all the ti.”
She was correct. Slis were currently seeing a major integration into the Upper and Middle Sanctums. Ti Reverberation for instance utilized Slis to deliver cargo. Justica Arms saw so use with them too. Bullets that needed to be physically moved required a specialized box to hold the Crystal Bullets. If they rolled around, then there was a chance they’d beco damaged.
But if you put them in a sli then the risk was mitigated.
Basically, they were both the courier, and the delivery box packaged into one, adorable creature. Who can hate the face of a sli? Frost felt like she’d be a happier person if she her delivery person on Earth was a happy, cuddly sli.
“Awa!” The Sli Queen raised her hand.
“She says she can handle organs just as fine. In fact, she claims to have experience. Mn. I want to test that myself.” Ignis smiled. “But organs are for . Frost. Can I experint with them?”
“… as in dissect them?”
The Sli Queen’s face turned to a ‘Q^Q’, as a bunch of her sli army quivered in terror.
“E-Er, sorry. I guess not.”
“Not like that Frost. I want to see if they have a use inside of the Nex galopolis.” Ignis corrected her. “The City of Clubs uses a pneumatic pipe system to deliver mail. But no other City uses a proper courier service. Everyone just goes to the Guild or pays an Adventurer to deliver their goods. It’s work that operates on goodwill. It’ll be good for the Guilds too.”
Ignis’ explanation was beyond the capabilities of a child of her age. She understood the logistics of the Nex galopolis. Furthermore, she had access to modern knowledge and solutions to these problems. As a result, Ignis planned to capitalize on an untapped market.
But it wasn’t for the sake of turning a profit. Instead, she genuinely wanted to improve the quality of life in the Nexus and the Nex galopolis.
Frost impulsively hugged her.
“… Ignis, have you been looking to this on your own?”
“A lot. Are you worried? Please don’t be. I like problem solving. I want to be reliable. Mn. I don’t plan to take the Kingdom of Slimia away from the Nexus. So don’t worry about it.”
Ignis as the unofficial ruler of the Kingdom of Slimia ca with so benefits. The first was that they had complete control over their territories and their politics – not that there was much to worry about when it ca to slis.
Nav was right. They were simple, but not dumb. Frost sensed that the reason why they adored Ignis so much was because she knew how to put them to good use. In the bigger picture, that level of delegation and organization was an important quality of a ruler.
“Having a courier business associated with the Nexus and the Ateliers. I can see it now. Ignis. Do you know what that’d make you?”
“No?”
“An Atelier.” Frost answered. “You’ll be an Atelier if you manage to pull it off.”
“Ah! I can be an honorary Atelier. A Body of the Head like Ti Reverberation. I don’t think I want to be a Beholder. At least not yet. I’m content with what I have. But I do sotis wish I was strong enough to fight the Impuritas alongside you.”
Why is she so cute~!
Frost scritched her ears lovingly, causing Ignis’ face to lt with bliss.
“Honorary Atelier. I can do that. Depending on the tech we receive and what I’m able to create, it’ll definitely cent you as a valid Atelier. I’m honestly more shocked at how willing the Slis are to jump aboard.”
“Jump!” The Queen Sli shouted.
“It’s a good deal for them to beco subjects of the Nexus. Slis aren’t dumb. But it’s hard to make big decisions on their own. Mn. That’s maybe where I can step in. I also heard one of the Kingdoms has a preservation Gift. Blessed are the only people who can preserve goods. We can make it widespread.”
A courier service that can preserve the state of goods as they were received would be revolutionary. The Blessed were the only people with access to this. Letting the Nex galopolis enjoy this service would undoubtedly lead to a higher quality of life, as well as a greater reception of the Head.
“Higher security as well. The Slis in our ho are augnted with my cells. They’re very powerful.” Ignis added.
“It’ll be a good idea to conduct small scale operations first and see how it goes. If you’re satisfied with the result, then we’ll scale it up.”
“Yay.” Ignis hugged Frost back.
“Waw!” The Sli Queen joined in as well, wrapping her arms around her waist.
Her arms had a cool, gelid texture that perated through her coat. She’d be perfect to bring to a beach on a hot sumr day. What surprised Frost was that the Sli Queen was no longer afraid of Frost.
Ignis gives the confidence to do anything huh. Does that an my gaze doesn’t work on her anymore?
Frost used 1% of her Scrutiny on the Queen Sli. Imdiately, her body froze as she slumped forward, eventually reaching Frost’s boots as if to beg for her life.
“S-Sorry! Here, take my hand.”
“Waaaa. ‘Q_Q’.”
“Frost. Don’t bully the Sli Queen.” Ignis frowned. “She only hugged you because she realized you’re kinder than you look. It’s ok, Sli Queen. Frost didn’t an it. Mn. She’s scared of you now. How are you going to make it up to her?”
The only one way to fix a worried heart was to comfort it.
“It’s ok. Hey, I’m sorry for scaring you. Let help you up. Better?”
So, Frost reached down and gently brought the Sli Queen back to her feet. Her bare hands brought the Sli unparalleled bliss, imdiately redying her fear of the Amalgam into sothing closer to…
“Squish?”
“Eh?” Ignis was startled for a mont.
“What? What did she say? Is everything all good now?”
“Don’t tell Jury this, but she’s asking if you’re accepting concubines. Don’t say yes. I don’t want to lose my slis to you.”
“I sincerely hope that’s not the only reason why you want to decline.” Frost’s tone darkened.
If there was one thing Frost learned about the slis, it was that they were very straight forward with their feelings.
Unfortunately for this sli girl, her feelings earned her a one-way ticket to receiving 100% of Frost’s Scrutiny.
It was deserved this ti.
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