The Heavenly Martial Empress Returns Chapter 343: Calming The Masses

-----

“So it’s really over…”

“Icebloom, will you stay here to protect us? There’s a lot to rebuild now that the Eternal Winter is over!”

“Indeed…! We can finally begin our real lives now, no longer as slaves, but as free people!”

“Icebloom… She was always the nicest of the Winter Generals. I saw her many times bringing food for the poor with her brother Coldpincers!”

“Actually, Icebloom was a she? Look at her appearance—she’s a beautiful female!”

“Indeed, I had no idea!”

“Wow, she’s sure a beauty…”

“She didn’t look like that before. What happened?”

“The Divinity must have transformed her?” 

There were many comments, from people amazed and grateful for what had happened and what they did, to those intrigued by Icebloom’s new appearance after learning that the nicest Winter General was never a “he” but a “she”!

Icebloom could no longer hide her gender. Her ascension into a divine form made her body much more “feminine” by Red Ant People standards, with wider hips, wings, and a larger abdomen, marking her as extremely attractive and a “queen”—a rare type of female capable of rapidly bearing many children and being much stronger than the average Ant Insectoid. 

“Icebloom, please become our queen!”

“We need you!”

“You’ve ascended into a divinity anyway, so it should be you!”

“Will your brother become the king, then?”

“I heard they weren’t really blood-related, so it’s fine, right?”

“Please become our queen!”

“What about Bing Xue? She also has a fragment of the divinity!”

“Make her a queen too!”

“Two queens?! But that’s… ah well, it doesn’t really matter at this point!”

“We need to repopulate; our species is nearing extinction after the Eternal Winter killed millions through each generation…”

“A queen like you is necessary!” 

Icebloom panicked, becoming embarrassed as she heard the people’s pleas to become their queen, which also implied mating with a “king” and laying hundreds of eggs…

That wasn’t in her plans at all. She was a free-spirited, tomboyish woman who liked battling, adventuring, and helping others—not ruling or bearing children endlessly. 

“Wait a second, please don’t say that! I don’t want to become your queen. I apologize, but that’s not my calling…” Icebloom sighed. “I… Well, there’s also another queen you’re forgetting—the original Queen of the Red Ants.” 

“The original queen?”

“Wasn’t she frozen for eternity by the Ice Queen?”

“Wait, but now that she’s gone…”

“Is she somewhere?”

“Is she alive?!” 

“That’s what we’re trying to find,” Bing Xue explained. “But I believe we’ve found some clues. The ancient castle, which is now underground, has been located recently. We’ll go there right now, so we ask all of you to have patience.” 

The people quickly started talking among themselves. Some nodded, while others only panicked more. But Bing Xue and Icebloom had nothing else to say. They stepped off the stage and walked back to their group amidst the crowd, which surrounded Icebloom and Coldpincers, asking them many questions. 

“I guess that’s done with, right?” Ruby wondered. “Whew, today was sure a long day, and it’s already night… Should we take the day off?” 

“We’re going to look for the original queen first,” Bing Xue said. “If you’re tired, you can stay inside my Inner Realm, or, well, there’s a pretty luxurious noble district that the Frost Ants used if you want to.” 

“I guess I’ll stay here. It wouldn’t be fun if we don’t get to experience new places and cultures while we travel through worlds,” Mursha smiled, nodding. “Kalana, want to come with Mama?” 

“Sure!” Kalana nodded, grabbing her mother’s hand. 

“What about Rainbow Eyes?” Merkite asked. 

“The boy’s resting right now inside my Inner Realm with Fiery Hair. She fell asleep after she was relieved he was alright and is now cuddling with our boy,” Bing Xue said. “No worries, the demonic energy is being suppressed, and I’m working on something to help him regulate it… Belze might be of great help there as well, and Athena… and Orion, and Kalana too.” 

“Us?” Athena, Orion, and Kalana asked at the same time, cutely synchronized. 

“Yes, you’ve got great powers within you,” nodded Bing Xue. “I was thinking of creating a ritual to help your brother regulate his powers… and it might even help you grow stronger as well. Are you up for it?” 

“Sure!” Kalana nodded. “Anything for my brother…! I’m still a little worried about him…” 

“No problem, Mama,” Athena nodded. “I would never reject a request from you, after all! Especially when it’s about helping our little brother.” 

“Yeah, he’s my bro, so if I can help with anything, I’ll do it,” Orion nodded as well. 

“Aw, aren’t you three the cutest ever?” Bing Xue looked happy to see her children so willing to help, hugging all three of them with her long arms and kissing their foreheads. “Alright, you sure you don’t want to come?” 

“Nah,” Orion shrugged. “I’m tired and hungry… I’ll go with Mom and the aunties to eat something!” 

“I want to eat something too, but I’m quite curious… but well, I’ll go with my siblings instead,” Athena said. 

“Alright then…” Bing Xue nodded. “Bloodclaw is resting right now too. Merneith and Peperina have already gone off to the city to do some tourism on their own… I guess I’ll be leaving with Icebloom and Coldpincers for now. See you in an hour!” 

“Yeah, see ya!” Merkite said, waving her hand. “Come back soon, dear.” 

“Don’t get too distracted, okay?” Urbosa asked. 

“I hope the previous queen is fine!” Hekita said. 

“Okay, okay, I won’t get distracted…” Bing Xue nodded. “What do you think I am? I’m not a kid, you know…” 

As Bing Xue sighed and crossed her arms, she saw the two Winter Generals walking toward her, ready to depart. 

“We’re ready to go now. Sorry for being late,” Icebloom said. “It was a little hard to calm down the crowd. They’re still quite unsettled about everything.” 

“There’s no need to apologize. You did well by calming the masses,” Bing Xue nodded gracefully. “I’m glad you were able to explain things to everyone. It would have been annoying and taxing to explain to everyone that you were good without creating further confusion.” 

-----