Chapter 127: The Hive World

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"Nest World (Difficulty: Hard) (Open World Instance) (Soul Entry)
Introduction: All things originate from Nests, and Nests nourish all things. In ancient times, someone discovered the method to harness and control Nests. Since then, humanity has become the master of the world. Human history is the history of controlling the Nests of all things..."
"Clearance Objectives:
1. Obtain the Artifact—The Emerald Crown (0/1)
2. Control three Sovereignty-level Nests (0/3)
3. Establish a continental-scale nation (0/1)
4. ??? (Hidden objective, unlocks upon meeting certain conditions)"
"Time Limit: 3650 days"
"Mission Reward: ???"
"Your Highness Terner, Your Highness Terner..."
In a daze, Li Ju felt someone shaking his body.
"Your Highness Terner, the family council is about to begin. The Count has ordered you to proceed to the council chamber immediately."
Li Ju opened his eyes to see a maid, about thirteen or fourteen years old with a few freckles on her face, looking at him with an anxious expression.
"I understand, Aetris. Go prepare my clothes; I will get up at once," Li Ju said to the maid.
"Very well, Your Highness Terner, but please hurry. If you are late for the family council, you will surely face the Count's criticism."
The maid, Aetris, folded her hands in front of her waist and looked at Li Ju lying on the bed. Though her face was full of helplessness, she left to prepare his attire.

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After Aetris left, Li Ju threw off his exquisite, silky quilt, sat up in bed, and crossed his legs.
Before his eyes was a luxuriously decorated room. The walls were covered with various intricately carved jade ornaments, the furniture was crafted from a type of dark wood that emitted a faint, pleasant fragrance, and a chandelier made of crystal and glazed glass hung from the ceiling.
"Nest World..."
Li Ju sat on the bed, closing his eyes to organize the memories of the original host. Thanks to his powerful mental essence, he quickly finished absorbing the memories.
According to the original host's memories, Nests are the source of life in this world. All living beings, including humans, were initially born from various kinds of Nests. Some even speculate that the entire world was born from a Nest capable of gestating worlds.
After different Nests gave birth to different creatures, these new life forms began to evolve in different directions. Some races eventually moved away from the Nests, no longer born through them but through sexual reproduction between individuals. Such is the case with the human race in this world; these beings are known as Free Lives.
Compared to Free Lives, many more races maintained the tradition of being gestated by Nests. They cannot reproduce through mating and must continue to propagate life through naturally occurring Nests. These beings are known as Nest Lives.
Initially, these Nests did not interfere with one another, but in ancient times, a human accidentally discovered a method to control the Nests of other creatures. From then on, humanity began the history of controlling Nests and dominating the world.
The creatures born from different Nests vary in strength. Over time, people summarized their findings and compiled the "Nest Codex," categorizing recorded creatures into one hundred levels—zero being the lowest and one hundred the highest. This classification is based on power levels, or more precisely, life levels.
The "Nest Codex" stipulates that Nests from level 0 to 9 are Knight-level, 10 to 19 are Baronet-level, and so on: Baron-level (20-29), Viscount-level (30-39), Count-level (40-49), Marquess-level (50-59), Duke-level (60-69), Sovereignty-level (70-79), Emperor-level (80-89), and finally, Myth-level (99-100).
The reason for these specific designations is that the strength of Nest Lives undergoes a massive leap every ten levels—a jump far more significant than the progression within those ten levels. To highlight this drastic change in power, different rank titles were established.
Consequently, to align with the "Nest Codex," the nobility in this world do not distinguish their ranks by titles granted by superiors, but purely by the level of the Nests they control.
Controlling a Baron-level Nest makes one a Baron; controlling a Duke-level Nest makes one a Duke. Even a farmer, if they accidentally obtain and control a Baron-level Nest, can immediately style themselves as a Baron.
Li Ju's identity in this Nest instance is Terner Iron-Gold, the eldest son of Count Iron-Gold of the Purple Sea Snake Kingdom on the Hela Continent.
"Your Highness Terner, why are you still in bed? The family council starts in an hour. Hurry up and get dressed!"

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Aetris pushed the door open, carrying a formal suit. Seeing Li Ju still sitting on the bed, she wrinkled her nose, walked over, and pushed him off the bed.
"Your Highness Terner, please go wash up. There is not much time left!" Aetris said anxiously.
"Alright, alright, stop pushing me. I'm going right now."
Feeling the force from the little maid's hands on his back, Li Ju mimicked the original host's habit of rubbing his nose and said helplessly, as if surrendering.
According to the host's memories, his personal maid, Aetris, shared a deep bond with him. Although they were master and servant by name, the host treated her like a younger sister, not as a lowly servant.
After washing up and being dressed by the maid, Li Ju headed toward the council chamber according to his memories.
As soon as he stepped out of his residence, he saw a massive estate featuring over a dozen grand castles and several villas. This was the residence of the Iron-Gold family, where the family members lived. Li Ju's residence was one of these villas.
Stepping out of the villa gates, Li Ju mounted a steed already prepared by the servants and rode toward the tallest castle at the center of the estate.
The Iron-Gold estate was vast, equivalent to the entire territory of a knight's fief in this world. Such a sprawling estate was a testament to Count Iron-Gold's power as a high-ranking noble of the Purple Sea Snake Kingdom.
Li Ju rode to the council castle, adjusted his attire in front of the gate, pushed it open, and stepped inside.
Following his memories, he navigated through the castle until he found a door. Pushing it open, he entered an extremely spacious hall capable of holding a hundred people. As he entered, everyone in the crowded room turned their heads to look at him.