A large life-like hologram displayed war units comprising of different levels, paths, combat records, and mindsets.
Varian picked a decision and pushed a unit of fire awakeners with the support of mind awakeners.
Evander rubbed the beard he recently decided to maintain and countered by sending two squads of space awakeners.
In the huge battlefield, these two units that were suddenly added to the war made a stark difference and pushed the war in a different direction.
It was in Evander's favor. Even though his son-in-law was much stronger than him, Evander excelled as a general.
Looking at Varian's focused and slightly frustrated gaze at the battlefield, Evander let out a hearty chuckle.
Three more moves later, the war ended with Varian's defeat.
This was his eleventh defeat in a row and thirtieth defeat so far. Of course, he had zero wins.
With a wave of his hand, Varian threw away the holograms and snapped his fingers.
The space around them distorted and the two now sat on the beaches of Mars. The families were enjoying the hot summer and the chilling water while the kids ran on the sand with loud laughter.
Varian took in the sight of the majestic sun on the horizon and said, "Master."
Evander looked around, wondering why no one recognized him or Varian.
"Don't worry about it, we'll appear as normal tourists to others. They won't recognize us."
"Oh. That's great." Evander sighed in relief.
"I encountered some trouble recently." Varian sat cross-legged on the sand, his hands on his knees.
Evander wanted to listen to Varian's words but a grandfather chasing behind his grandchildren caught his eye.
That man seemed to be in his seventies or eighties. And he must've had quite a few children, seeing that he had seven grandchildren!
Evander pursed his lips and felt a void in his heart. Looking at his rough palms, he wondered how long it had been since he last lifted a child.
It had been many, many years since the day he first held Sarah's brother when he was born.
These rough hands couldn't raise the kids properly. One of them died an unfortunate death while the other lived through a troubled childhood.
This debt of love and responsibility should be repaid to the next generation.
"Your hair is funny, grandpa!"
"Hoho, my hair can dance, kiddo!"
"Really? Really?"
"Really! And the pikaman statues, I collected the latest edition!"
"Yay! Grandpa is the best!"
The little children threw their hands up in the air in joy and chattered with the old man.
There was a warm smile on his wrinkled face. As the children went off to play, two men and a woman, likely his children, approached him and said.
"You spoil them too much! They'll cry for Pikaman next edition! It's a waste of money!"
The old man waved his hand dismissively. "If I won't spoil them, who will I spoil? The little ones will suffer a lot growing up. At least their childhood should be happy."
The encounter of this family caught Evander's attention. Tearing his gaze away from them with difficulty, he glanced at Varian with dissatisfaction.
"…What? Sarah said you liked beaches." Varian asked with an innocent expression.
Evander took a breath and looked at his son-in-law with a dissatisfied expression. "Are you in good health?"
"What do you mean?" Varian was puzzled.
Evander rubbed the back of his neck, "…You know, some things should happen naturally. But sometimes, we soldiers get injured and have trouble. I've seen colleagues like that. Don't be embarrassed about it. The medicine is pretty advanced."
"Excuse me, what are you talking about, Master?" Varian raised an eyebrow. "Stop beating around the bush."
"…Why are my daughters still not pregnant?" Evander gave Varian a suspicious glance.
Varian opened his mouth in shock and then rolled his eyes. "Come on! We're all in good health. Heck, I can get the whole Nymph race pregnant by tomorrow. Don't underestimate me...I just don't want children now. Neither do they."
"But why?!"
"Because we're young! I'm only 19! Sarah is a bit older but she's still only 20."
"What about Sia? Isn't she like 500 years?"
"…Are you really gonna use that logic now?" Varian crossed his arms.
Evander shook his head. "Just give me the grandchildren, I'll raise them. If you think it's too much work, I'll take care of everything."
Varian tilted his head. "Old man, is this a fixation people get at your age or what?"
"You brat, you won't understand. There's nothing like raising children. You'll understand when you hold your child." Evander admonished.
"Isn't the legal age for childbearing 21? Are you asking for me to break the law? It was 23 and I reduced it to 21. Even now, 20 is illegal."
"Are you the Emperor for show? Change the law or create special clauses." Evander scoffed.
Varian looked at Evander with respect.
"What? I never broke the law for personal gain in my career. But this is different." Evander defended his integrity.
Varian shrugged. "Let's put aside the topic of children for now. Like I said earlier, I'm having some trouble in my personal life. I think your experience will help."
"Oh? What is it? If it's coaxing your wife, I know a lot." Evander showed a rare mischievous smile. "Sarah's mother used to get very feisty but then my charm worked like magic, hahahaha!"
Looking at his father-in-law brag with so much confidence, Varian got a bit more confident. He was really looking for the right person.
"Yeah, it's about coaxing," Varian admitted.
"Oh? Is it Sarah or Sia?"
"Err," Varian coughed a bit and said. "It's the third one that recently woke up. She's called Isadora. She's been betrayed by people close to her and doesn't trust anyone now. Worse, she developed this belief that time will break love inevitably. So, sh—"
"Wait a minute," Evander raised his hand and looked at Varian with an incredulous expression. "My sweet son-in-law, are you really asking your father-in-law for pick-up tips to seduce another woman?"
"It's not seduction. I just want her to let her guard down."
"And?"
"Dual cultivate with me!"
"Lusty Perverted Cheating Shameless Traitorous Fucker!" Evander took out a stick. "I'll kill you on behalf of my daughters!"
"Wait! There's a misunderstanding!"
