Not long after leaving, in the faint fluorescence, Luo Qi saw the bed that should have been prepared for Liya.
But there was no one on the bed. He didn't know if Liya had left on her own, or if the Mother Tree had taken her.
Luo Qi swallowed and walked quickly towards the Mother Tree.
The surrounding vines gently coiled around one of Luo Qi's hands, guiding him deeper.
The passage was not long. After following the vines for about two minutes, Luo Qi heard Liya's pained screams from within.
Luo Qi hurried over and saw Liya lying beneath the Mother Tree. Intertwined vines formed a soft bed, and she was still holding onto one of them.
The fluorescence from the blue gem suspended in mid-air fell upon Liya, making it seem as if the Mother Tree was trying to alleviate her pain.
However, Liya's condition looked quite bad. Her face was devoid of any color from the pain, pale and covered in sweat.
Her abdomen visibly undulated, but the cub showed no signs of being born.
This should have been a somewhat frightening sight. Luo Qi had never seen a human pregnant woman, but he felt that it certainly wouldn't be like Liya, whose belly visibly moved with the cub's actions.
In her daze, Liya seemed to see Luo Qi. She pursed her lips and gave a pale smile, "How could His Highness have come over?"
Luo Qi stopped in place, hesitant to step forward. However, vines behind him suddenly pushed him forward step by step.
He looked up at the gem in the air, "Are you asking me to help Aunt Liya?"
Naturally, there was no answer. The vines behind him simply tapped Luo Qi's shoulder, pushing him with even greater force.
Luo Qi felt a little more at ease and walked towards Liya, kneeling beside her and taking her hand, "Aunt Liya."
Liya no longer had strength in her hands, but she still smiled gently, "Did Luo Luo get scared?"
Luo Qi shook his head, "Aunt Liya is working very hard."
Liya stroked her belly. Carrying a cub made her movements less agile and her body less flexible. Now, she even had to endure such pain.
But as she looked at her belly, thinking of a child who might be born with her bloodline, her heart was filled with tenderness.
Her voice was a little weak, but Luo Qi heard her clearly, "Just as His Majesty looked forward to Luo Luo's birth, I also look forward to this one (him/her)."
Luo Qi didn't know what to say. He wanted to ask what Cesi was like when he was waiting for his own birth, and he also wanted to ask if all parents looked forward to their children like this.
But no matter what, he could only see how much pain Liya was in.
Luo Qi frowned and tightened his grip on Liya's hand, asking softly, "Aunt Liya, is there anything I can do to help you?"
After thinking for a moment, he looked up at the blue gem above, "Mother Tree, how can I help Aunt Liya?"
Liya seemed to be in more pain, her consciousness starting to blur. Her abdomen was greatly distended, and the cub inside was likely eager to come out, moving constantly.
Luo Qi was a little anxious, as this situation looked very dangerous!
He forced himself to calm down, his mind racing to figure out how to resolve the current situation.
Unsurprisingly, he found no solution. Even with two lifetimes of experience, he wouldn't know how to deliver a baby!
Suddenly, a vine touched his shoulder, and the next moment, his wings involuntarily sprang out.
Ever since he had almost caused trouble with his wings two years ago, Luo Qi had been strictly warned not to reveal his wings unless necessary.
This made the usually lazy, occasionally passionate chubby cub almost forget that he had wings.
But now, he didn't know what the Mother Tree had done, but Luo Qi had no ability or consciousness to resist. His wings emerged without any warning.
Then, Luo Qi's entire body began to change. His hands and feet slowly disappeared, and his vision began to shift.
His field of vision widened, and his sight became clearer. The colors around him became richer. He lowered his head to look at the hand he had been holding Liya's with.
It had now become a thin and long... foot.
He seemed to have transformed into a butterfly.
Luo Qi swallowed. All insectoids had their true forms. Just like Andrew's true form looked like a small lobster, and Alger looked like a dragonfly, there was nothing to be afraid of.
But why had he suddenly transformed into his insectoid true form? What use was this to Liya now?
He was pushed by the vines behind him, spread his wings, and landed on Liya's belly. As his wings flapped, scales fluttered down.
The Mother Tree's branches coiled around, enveloping both Liya and Luo Qi.
The light in Luo Qi's vision dimmed. He felt as if he had returned to the time when he was first enveloped by the Mother Tree upon arriving in this world.
He asked softly, "Aunt Liya, are you alright?"
But there was no response from around him. When he was enveloped, he remembered his wings landing on Liya's belly, but now, he could only feel the touch of the surrounding vines, whether it was his wings or his body.
After an unknown amount of time, an irresistible drowsiness washed over Luo Qi's mind. It felt as if he were in a cradle, warm and comfortable.
Luo Qi finally couldn't resist and slowly closed his eyes.
Cesi and the others waiting outside had been watching the Mother Tree. But after several hours, not even a single branch had moved.
In just half a day, Bosia's stubble had grown a layer, and his fear and anxiety were almost drowning him.
Finally, as the last ray of sunlight sank below the horizon, the Mother Tree's branches withdrew, and the passage to the Mother Tree's core was revealed again.
Bosia shook his head, almost thinking it was his hallucination. He pinched himself hard, let out a yelp, and stood up.
Cesi also stood up abruptly and quickly walked into the passage.
His heart was pounding without him realizing it. His tension manifested in his body before his reason could even react.
The taut string finally relaxed when he reached the Mother Tree and saw the rosy-cheeked little cub sleeping soundly on a small patch of vines.
On the other side, Liya stood up from the ground, cradling a small bundle wrapped in her outer garment.
She walked step by step towards Cesi and Bosia. She was still very weak, but a gentle smile graced her face.
"King, the insect race has a new cub."
The small bundle stirred, and a small, tender hand emerged. Cesi picked up the Luo Qi on the ground. As he turned, his gaze met the pair of bright black eyes of the cub in Liya's arms.