Smoke swirled through the study.

A figure leaned lazily against a plush chair before the desk. The Duke’s fingers rolled a short pipe, his gaze fixed on the large, floating screen. When he saw the young woman step forward, stand on her tiptoes, and kiss the half-humanoid spider monster, his golden, slitted pupils narrowed dangerously.

’It’s been a while.’

The young woman was dressed in the white robes of a foreign Holy Temple, her two rabbit ears quivering in the wind. Clear tear tracks stained her snow-white skin, and her nose and eyes were completely red from crying.

Ever since she disappeared from the Divine City, the Duke’s men had searched every last corner for her.

And it turned out she had gone deep into Paradise.

Disguised as a little turtle.

And had a rendezvous with another male.

From the audience’s perspective, they looked to be inseparably in love.

Upon hearing the little rabbit’s invitation to form a bond, the Duke’s brow darkened. He slowly tightened his grip on the long, slender silver pipe, and a low chuckle rumbled in his throat. "Heh..."

The servant at the door turned deathly pale, constantly wiping the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

’The Duke’s laughter is bone-chilling...’

"Has the Delegation arrived?"

The servant hurriedly replied, "Th-they’ve arrived. We just received a call this morning. They are in the Divine City. They will rendezvous with Lord Locke and Ms. Zhi Zhi as soon as possible."

The study fell eerily silent.

The servant kept his head down, his heart pounding in his chest. After a long moment, he thought he heard a soft sigh.

-

「On the South Shore of Pro Ocean, a massive vessel was docked at the port of Volcano Island.」

The ship was alive with song and dance.

An enormous floating screen had been set up on the top deck. From the start of the Hunt Season Finals to its conclusion, a crowd of passengers had gathered here, placing passionate bets and eagerly following the competition.

But more than the bloody cruelty of the hunt, people were interested in gossiping about the rumored affairs between the top powerhouses of the two great empires and the young Rabbit Clan female.

A bard holding a harp had even written a song about it.

Everyone was talking about it with great relish.

A robed acolyte respectfully brought over a bottle of brandy.

"My lord."

He glanced at the floating screen, where the pure and adorable young Rabbit Clan female was making her proposal to the scar-covered Spider Beastman.

It was, admittedly, a very romantic scene.

He then looked back at his lord. The man, wearing sunglasses with his legs crossed, held a glass of iced brandy and watched the screen with rapt attention. "She’s pregnant," he announced.

"...Huh?"

The heretic looked stunned. He couldn’t process it for a moment. "Whose?"

Shen He shot him a look as if he were an idiot. "Whose else could it be? The Paradise Leader’s, of course."

Everyone else had probably missed those silent seconds of exchanged glances.

The man smiled. "She won’t be returning to the Valoran Empire for now. The place the Spider is sending her to won’t be far from Moonrise. Bring me the map."

The heretic quickly pulled a map from his robes and handed it over.

’A territory that doesn’t belong to any Empire... relatively free, chaotic, and lawless.’ The tip of the red pen landed on a certain spot, and the man casually drew a circle.

"Have our people search this area thoroughly."

’The Deep Sea Empire surely won’t be the only ones looking for her.’

’The Moon Rising Empire only gave up on the marriage alliance on the surface, bowing to public pressure. But who knows if they’re making moves in the shadows.’

’The Valoran Empire will definitely be looking for her; their Delegation has probably already arrived in Moonrise territory.’

’As for the other factions—’

’Who wouldn’t want to get their hands on an S-Class young female so deeply entangled with two of the great Empires?’

Suddenly, the man raised an eyebrow.

’Wrong. Not two great Empires, but three.’

’I wonder if my brother—that lovesick, utterly foolish whelp who’s so obsessed with his passions—is watching this live broadcast.’

The heretic seemed to have something he wanted to say.

He hesitated for a long while.

Looking at the beautiful women singing and dancing on the deck, he leaned in. "Lord Shen He, there’s something I wish to say, but I’m not sure if I should..."

"Speak."

"Valoran’s War Weapon and Moonrise’s Lord of Paradise... they both have heirs now. My lord, you must act quickly as well. The Strength of the Shark Clan is immense; your heir would surely inherit it perfectly."

The heretic grew more excited as he spoke, as if he wished Lord Shen He would get married and consummate it in a single day, then be holding a whole litter of shark pups three months later.

He glanced at the dazzling beauties on deck. "My lord, I’ve made some inquiries. There is an S-Class female from our Deep Sea Empire’s Dolphin Clan on this vessel. Her looks and disposition are superb, she’s the right age, and she’s unmarried. Perhaps I could arrange an introduction?"

For any male, continuing the bloodline is the highest priority.

Passing down one’s bloodline and Strength is of the utmost importance.

Not to mention, the prosperity of the clan and the grand ambitions of the Empire all require powerful warriors to support them.

One cannot afford to fall behind in this respect.

As one of the Empire’s top powerhouses, the Shark Clan’s Strength is no weaker than that of the wolf or the spider. In the sea, they are even stronger.

But Lord Shen He had never shown any interest in procreation...

He had rejected countless marriage alliances.

He even once declared that he would never consider starting a family until the Deep Sea Empire became the world’s sole hegemon.

"You seem to have too much time on your hands lately."

The man clenched a cigar between his teeth, shooting the heretic a sidelong glance that wasn’t quite a smile. "Go to the training grounds. Run six hundred laps."

"..." The heretic’s face went white.

He bowed his head. "Yes, my lord."

-

「Cang Mountain.」

In a hidden Underground City, the Little Prince’s chambers were brightly lit.

In a cradle, a small, snow-white eaglet clutched a pale blue water orb, its wings folded around it.

It gazed at a photo of a beautiful female floating in mid-air, tilting its head and nudging the edge of the cradle.

’...Why don’t I look like Mama?’

’Mama has two white ears, but I don’t.’

The little eaglet touched the edge of the water orb with its hooked beak. At the sound of footsteps, it looked up.

"The master is about to return, Little Prince. We should put the photo away now."

The Steward gently stroked its head.

The little eaglet looked as if it was about to cry.

It whimpered pitifully—

’Why doesn’t Mama want me?’

’Why doesn’t Mama come find me?’

’Why doesn’t Father bring Mama home?’

The middle-aged Steward was silent for a moment before putting the photo away. The little white eaglet let out a furious shriek, but it gradually fell silent as it heard familiar footsteps approaching.

’Father is back.’

’Whenever this happened, the Steward would take Mama’s picture away.’

’He said that Father’s head was severely injured the last time they were surrounded by hundreds of thousands of heavy cavalry in the Valoran Empire, and that he can’t remember anything about Mama anymore...’

...

「Paradise. The Void Domain.」

Louis borrowed the power of the Paradise Temple. He chanted a Spell, and a gentle, pale Light enveloped the bodies of the young woman and the lone wolf.

Gradually, they vanished from everyone’s view.

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