Nexus Awakened (An Isekai LitRPG Gender Bender Story)

911. The Virtuous Kingdoms

All nine of the representatives were brought into the room to sit before the Amalgam. An unbearably thick air of tension choked them the moment they stepped foot into the room.

Blood drained from their faces, but it soon returned as the Amalgam motioned them to sit.

“Take a seat. You don’t have to be so afraid. Consider ourselves equal here.”

This talk of being equals only further twisted the knife of fear into their hearts. They were expecting to enter a throne room where they’d have to prostrate before the Amalgam or kneel to kiss her ring like a Lord out of respect.

Instead, exactly ten cups made from exotic pottery were laid at the table by Cuboza. Sitting beside it was a tray of the finest confectionary and various golden kettles.

“Is it my eyes that make you so afraid?” Frost asked, asking them to take a seat once more. “Please. Let’s not keep ourselves waiting. Believe me, if I wanted to hurt you then I wouldn’t go through the trouble of isolating you.”

Bringing comfort to them was an important step to solidifying their relationship. If she appeared like an unreasonable tyrant, then resentment may grow. Even if she was a benevolent ruler, her haughtiness and pride may cause problems along the way, however unlikely it was given her strength.

As a result, Frost needed to cement that she was sitting at the same level as them. If anything, they were overwhelmed by being in the proximity of what was without question a deity.

I’d rather not lean too hard on that. But I might not be able to help it.

“I’ve heard from my Blessed about how much you’ve taken care of them. Think of my invitation as a way of me to thank you.”

Finally, upon hearing this, the blood returned to their faces. Aside from Gerina, Perla and the Slime Queen who were already comfortable in her presence, the others relaxed. Their breathing returned as Frost gave them an assuring smile; a type that said: “Are you feeling better now?”

“I was just caught up in your glory. Thank you for the invitation.” Gerina softly smiled before taking her seat. “I was recommended to remain in Grandis since we’re still in the middle of the reconstruction project. There have been nuisances along our borders. Without the Blessed, we’d be overrun by Lizardmen and Amphibian Beastkin.”

Her eyes roamed onto Frost’s waist, knowing well that the reason why they were so overwhelmed was because of the Adorned Tale.

Indeed. Her presence was amplified by 5 times over what it already was. If her original presence could cause animals to vacate a forest, then an entire nation would immediately sense her arrival the moment she set foot into their territory.

“That’s why I’m grateful that you were able to make it. My Moons and Blessed have been quite busy there, it would seem. I’m glad they’re doing well.”

The purpose of their conversation was to showcase the benefits of allying with the Nexus. Having access to Blessed and even Moon was a power that could not be overstated. Merely having a Moon guaranteed a nation’s security. No one was foolish enough to contest against a Moon.@@novelbin@@

But this was not why the Kingdoms were here. It was merely a way to entice them, like an insect to irresistibly sweet nectar.

Perla was next to take her seat. “Amalgam. We meet again. You’re as much of an enigma as I remember when you were the Black Dove.”

“Ahaha. You haven’t changed much either. I didn’t expect you to be a princess, especially from a nation that deals with Justica Arms.”

“I couldn’t believe that was Beholder Galia beside you. I suppose those tales of the Beholders never showing their faces are untrue. In say that, I did get to meet Beholder Carpalis as thanks for helping those people get out of the Derma Layer.”

Her confident, cold demeanor mellowed into one of reminiscence. A hearty smile appeared on her face. She tried to hide it with a metal fist as if it was unruly of her to show her emotions, but Frost gave her a smile of her own that said: “No one can see you here. I know the real you already.”

“You’re still the same Amalgam I fought alongside. I’ll gladly lay my sword down for you. Thank you for your invitation. And I apologize for holding us back.”

“It’s fine. Ber must have had a lot to say to you.”

“She was elated to see me again. I didn’t recognize her at first. She said she’d get in trouble if she pulled me aside, so she offered me an invitation to join in the Nexus after this. If that is fine by you, of course.”

“You’re a Blessed. The Nexus is automatically your home.”

“I appreciate that.”

* * *

The Queen Slime sat themselves down next thanks to Ignis. Following them were the rest of the representatives.

Ignis served as the Queen Slime’s translator. People were skeptical of Ignis’ ability, but that was quickly thwarted just minutes ago when an army of slimes stormed into the Stage after her like she had replaced their Queen.

“Awa! Hmhm! [>w<].”

“Mn. The Queen of the Kingdom of Slimia says she’s pleased to be in your presence.”

The contrast of an energetic Queen Slime who made expressive faces to Ignis’ deadpan voice an expression amused Frost. Ignis couldn’t evoke the emotion behind the Queen Slime, but that was more than made up for by the Queen’s faces.

The purple, royal slime was roughly 2 and half meters tall. She was like a giant, humanoid blob of ballistic gel. It didn’t droop or drip, although it did look like it.

“Squish! Squish squish!”

“She’s surprised that no one has tried to kill them yet. It’s rare for people to see her as an equal since she is classified as a monster.”

“Awa!”

“But she’s learned to accept it for what it is.” Ignis patted the head of the Slime Queen, to which she responded by throwing up a goopy love heart above her head.

Cute. How can people hate them? Then again, I think I’ve killed a slime before. But they weren’t sentient slimes from what I remember. Nav. What makes a slime sentient?

According to Nav, this depended on who ruled over them. This was why Slime Revolutions could only occur when a considerably powerful Slime arrived to rally them. A collective consciousness was another theory. Then, there was the thought of slimes being able to learn to become sentient.

No one knew the truth. Nor was it even worth investigating. Scholars from various magical Academies were less concerned about how monsters felt as opposed to how dangerous they were, what materials one could gather from them, or how one needed to approach them.

I shouldn’t get sentient slimes mixed up with ordinary slimes. This Queen Slime and her Kingdom saved 200 of my Blessed. That alone makes me want to hug her. I want to be in Ignis’ position.”

“Could you be gel-ous of her?”

I definitely am.

“200 Blessed were rescued thanks to you. You had no reason to help them. Why was it that you saved them?” Frost inquired.

“Squish!”

“Blessed tend to be very mindful around Slimes. The Kingdom of Slimia still has a working Guild that only Blessed have taken jobs from. She’s grateful to them.”

Frost gave her a gentle smile. A fuzzy, black tail emerged from behind her back. She reached towards the Queen Slime and gently tapped her head as she ignored the looks of shock from the others, including Perla and Gerina.

They were not aware that Frost had a tail.

“I have a soft spot for people with big hearts. Whether you’re a monster or come from a humanoid species; from the richest Empire or the poorest; the iconic or the forgotten – what matters to me are your virtues and your commitment. You have all proven the first.”

Frost motioned for Cuboza to begin pouring coffee into her cup. She then plopped seven sugar cubes into her coffee to make it palatable. Another surprise to them was that she had a sweet tooth.

“Now, allow me to ask you about your commitment. I’m quite protective of my Healers. I’m struggling to justify sending them away to foreign territories. Most of you don’t have the military and political strength to protect them.”

They were offered a cup of a variety of hot drinks by Cuboza. Fear filled their eyes as they immediately recognized what kind of creature this Moon was. Simply drinking from a cup prepared by her was far too risky.

“A coffee too.” Gerina politely asked.

“Tea for me. One sugar, if you don’t mind.” Perla said next. “You’re really pretty. Are all Aquatids translucent?”

“Umu. Only the strongest.” Cuboza smiled, surprised that someone even spoke to her. “I can see it now. Why the Claw of the Head was excited to see you.”

“I was just as surprised to hear that she remembered me.” Perla sheepishly smiled as she rubbed the back of her head.

The Moon prepared their drinks and gently glided the cups in front of them. Both bravely took a sip as the others watched with bated breath.

“If it’s strength or our political power, then it should not be a worry for the Chlam Empire. Our relationship with Justica Arms already serves as a deterrent against other countries.” Perla stated. “We’ll be able to host the Healers. In the first place, we only wanted them to heal our people from Silicon Rot.”

“Frontier is safe enough to house Blessed. Further north will be problematic. We need at least five Healers across the northside. We’re still uncovering abandoned slave markets thanks to the efforts of the Tear Retrievers.” Gerina added, taking another sip from her drink.

Then, she glanced at the others who had yet to say a word.

“Don’t be so reserved. The Amalgam’s not as terrifying as you think.”

“A commitment… I’m not sure if we can afford it.” One of the rulers said. It was a young boy who did not seem to be old enough to rule a nation, and yet, he was its rightful King. “We’re already on our heels with how unreliable the harvests have been. Our standing has been used as a leverage against us, so we’re barely breaking even on exports.”

He was only 15 years old, and he carried the entire weight of countless thousands on his shoulder. He was not alone either. Everyone here had their own problems too – problems that couldn’t be solved by simply throwing money at it.

Plagues, barbarians, monsters, geographical location, cultivation, the cost of their Gift – any combination of these can cripple a country. They were desperate for help, but not once did they fall to their knees to beg and grovel for it.

All they wanted was a Healer.

But even that was something they were unsure if they could receive.

Has my overwhelming familiarity with Gerina and Perla backfired? Right… I might have alienated them because of it. Shit. That wasn’t my intention.

“Being a mediator is hard work. I’d know, since all knowledge comes back to me.” Nav empathized with Frost.