The morning the next day, a slightly hesitant Geugeu arrived at the entrance to the house where Inala and Wittral lived, his expression sporting a wry, almost helpless smile, one trying his best to conceal pity.
He knocked on the door, waiting for a few seconds before Inala opened, having just taken a shower, draping a loose bathrobe.
"Madam Taltal, you've arrived early today…" Inala stopped speaking, for a moment staring at the figure of Geugeu in shock before slamming the door reflexively.
Geugeu didn't seem to mind that and instead felt his mood improve a bit, muttering as he shook his head, "The innocence of youth."
A minute later, Inala opened the door, dressed in an indigo-coloured robe, having even gone to the extent of applying indigo mascara, mimicking the style of the Cooter Clan. Everything was the same except for the luscious hair growing on his head.
"Please come in, Chief." Inala bowed while standing at the side of the door to beckon his entry.
"You have learnt our Clan's customs well," Geugeu commented, slightly pleased as he entered the living room and took a seat.
"Madam Taltal has been teaching me a lot of things," Inala said and immediately began to brew some tea.
"Where's he?" Geugeu asked while waiting for the tea, for a moment surprised by the aroma, 'Her brewing skills are top-notch.'
"Wittral's still asleep." Inala said and walked towards a nearby room, intending to wake up the individual in question, "Give me a moment."
"It's fine, let him sleep. I can wait." Geugeu waved his hand casually, "It's not as if an old man like me has any work to do."
He felt guilty about what he had intended to ask of Wittral next. Hence, he decided to put it off for the time being and instead sipped tea while pondering. His eyes widened at the refreshing taste once he had a sip, commenting in response, "You are better than I had expected. Alas,"
He shook his head in regret, "Had you been born a Cooter Clansman, you would have obtained abilities that could put your skills to better use."
"I…can't do anything about that." Inala smiled wryly.
"How's life at the Cooter Clan?" Geugeu changed topics, his tone a tad more serious than before.
"It's fun," Inala smirked, stating genuinely, "My life isn't threatened, I'm not forced to fight, I can learn things and enjoy the sights daily. This is heaven when compared to my life from before."
"Is that so?" Geugeu nodded and stared at one of the medicine rooms, "How's the progress in your research?"
'Isn't Taltal reporting to you daily about that?' Inala thought but didn't show it on his face, instead speaking casually with a tinge of excitement, "We had two breakthroughs yesterday. Progress has been positive for now. I can't predict when we'll succeed, but it'll definitely happen in the future."
"Is Wittral treating you well?" Geugeu asked, placing full focus on Inala, unbeknownst to the latter.
"Yes," Inala nodded, aware of what Geugeu wanted to confirm here as he expressed subtle hints of shyness in response to the question, blushing slightly, "He's treating me well."
"That's good to hear." Geugeu nodded, 'As Taltal has confirmed, the two have feelings for each other. Well, Free Human women are better in this field, so it was just a matter of time. Anyway, whether the woman is a Free Human or a Cooter Clansman, their kid will definitely be part of our Cooter Clan. So, it isn't an issue.'
"You're here, Chief." Wittral woke up at the sounds of the conversation and walked into the living room, rubbing his groggy eyes to become sober. "Is something the matter?"
"Well…" Geugeu hesitated a bit before firming himself, sighing as he spoke, "It's…from your parents."
"Are they coming here?" Wittral asked in excitement. His parents weren't at the Dralh Sea. They lived on a water body far away. It took a month of travel even at their fastest, consuming a lot of resources in the process.
The Cooter Clan branch there was contacted when Wittral was kidnapped by the Boar King. They mobilised in response immediately but stopped their trip to the Dralh Sea when Wittral returned safe and sound.
And now, a message had arrived from that branch, from Wittral's parents. It had been a while since he last saw them and hence was excited.
"No, they aren't coming here." Geugeu sighed, "Instead, they passed on this message to me."
"What did they say?" Wittral asked, his eyes bright, curious, and anticipatory towards their message.
"Your mother is…" Geugeu felt as if a boulder was stuck in his throat, feeling difficulty in voicing the rest of the message. Upon seeing Wittral's bright expression, he felt pangs of pain in his chest, regretting this task that had been imposed upon him, mentally cursing Wittral's parents. In the end, he resolved himself and said, "Pregnant."
"What?" Wittral reacted in confusion, feeling as if his ears were playing tricks on him.
"Your mother is pregnant." Geugeu said, groaning in response, "I can't believe their stupidity when I received their message, but…"
"Are they…serious?" Wittral asked in a daze, in disbelief. The news of his mother being pregnant was earth-shattering to him for one reason, she had the Buoyant Disease. The case was the same for his father too.
Their union would birth an Empyrean Snapper. Since they had done that twenty-four years ago, Wittral was born. They succeeded because both were at the 10-Life Stage.
But just the first labour alone had taken a toll on both of them, for their essence was sucked out to create Wittral. The fact that his mother had become pregnant once again meant that even if she doesn't die this time, she'll become crippled for life.
"Why? Just why have they done this?" Wittral shouted in anger, "They haven't even recovered from the toll of birthing me. Their bodies are already fragile in the first place. Why are they taking such needless risks?"
"What the heck has our Clan been doing there? Why didn't they stop my parents from such foolishness?"
"It seems…they were all on board with it." Geugeu stared at Wittral, exhaling in disappointment, "The moment they heard the news of you losing your power, they despaired. This reckless plan was what they resorted to in such a state."
"Is me being crippled…that terrifying?" Wittral felt strength escape from his being as he slumped on the floor, powerless, staring at Geugeu blankly, "Why are you telling me this, Chief?"
Geugeu grunted, irritated by the situation he had been placed in, raising his voice to state, "They have demanded the three Minor Treasures that have been granted to you."
"Since you're powerless now, they're a waste in your possession. So, they'll be transferred to your sibling who will be born in a few months." Geugeu said in a flurry, trying his best to ignore Wittral emotionally scarred by his words, "Your parents intend to do everything in their power to birth another perfect Empyrean Snapper like you, irrespective of the resources consumed in the process. And once they succeed, they'll try to enter the Transcendence Stage, fail, and become Minor Treasures."
Wittral's parents would have exhausted their entirety by the time his sibling was born. Therefore, despite them being at the 10-Life Stage, it would be impossible to succeed in becoming a Transcendent. Therefore, they would instead focus on becoming a Minor Treasure.
The Cooter Clan branch there had already decided to impart the two Minor Treasures resultant from them to the newborn Empyrean Snapper. Wittral had three Minor Treasures and still ended up losing his powers.
So, they were paranoid and wanted to bestow five Minor Treasures to the newborn—after including Wittral's three Minor Treasures.
"I have already been written off as worthless, huh?" Wittral muttered, his voice devoid of life.
