Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Vahn awoke to find himself nestled against Hephaestus' chest and spent several long minutes enjoying the heat of her embrace. She had the highest body temperature of all the other girls and Vahn often found himself falling asleep in her arms whenever they finished making love. It was like being stuck in an incubator for the soul and Vahn could feel warmth flowing through his heart while the cool air of the manor was kept at bay by their combined body temperatures. Hugging her tightly in return, Vahn stirred Hephaestus awake by nuzzling further into her cleavage until she eventually said, "Mouu...Vahn, you shouldn't be so eager so early in the morning..." As if she didn't consider her own words, Hephaestus lifted up Vahn's face and began kissing him, causing the temperature in the room to increase by several degrees before they finally separated their lips.For a few minutes thereafter, Vahn and Hephaestus snuggled up and discussed what Vahn would be up to for the three days of the Denatus. Other than continuing his research, Vahn didn't really have any other plans though that would likely change depending on the decisions of others. He had been using up a bit of his time to maintain communications with his own private network and it was likely they would do a small get-together since most people didn't enter the Dungeon when their gods were away at the Denatus. There was always a chance that a major event could transpire that would require a Familia to mobilize its forces on a moment's notice.While he was explaining his thoughts, Hephaestus just laid in silence while fiddling with Vahn's somewhat thick dark-brown hair. Vahn himself was currently laying closer to her belly than he was toward her head and it made Hephaestus feel a bit absentminded watching him affectionally stroke her pregnant stomach. They had already discussed naming their daughters Ina and Vana, just as they had been named in the Divination, so Vahn would often 'speak' to them in an encouraging manner. According to him, children were receptive to positive and negative emotions even in the womb so he often spent his relaxation time 'coaxing' his future children while pampering their mothers.It was still a bit early to consider the direction of their daughters' future, but Hephaestus couldn't help but think about it on occasion since she just crested the halfway point of a normal pregnancy. After ruminating over it quietly for a while, she ended up interrupting Vahn's train of thought by asking, "Vahn, do you think our daughters' will be blacksmiths just like me? I remember you saying they obtain the Divinities of their parents...so that means they should obtain something from you, right?" Though he became silent for a short while, Vahn continued to stroke Hephaestus' belly in a circle before saying, "I think there is a good chance your Divinities may be split between them because of the influence of the 'eternal flame'...I don't think they'll obtain anything from me, other than a mutation in their soul that gives them greater potential..."Hephaestus had Divinities related to Fire, Forging, and Craftsmanship, making her not only the greatest Blacksmith amongst the gods, but also one of the greatest Artificers and Architects. She didn't have a Divinity related to Architecture like Hestia, but Hephaestus could design entire buildings with complex mechanisms, hidden passageways, and other incredible features. Vahn suspected that one of their daughters would inherit her Divinity related to Fire while the other would likely obtain Forging or Craftsmanship. Though it was subtle, at least for the time being, Vahn could already see a small glowing flame in the heart of one of their daughters and believed his intuition was correct.After explaining his postulation to Hephaestus, she had a thoughtful expression on her face for a while before saying, "I think our daughter with the 'eternal flame' should be Ina, since I want her to be pure and passionate like a flame...Vana already means 'creation' in the ancient language, so that is probably why we named our daughter as Vana within the Divination...hmmm..." Vahn nodded his head gently and said, "I believe they will both be incredible girls, just like their mother..." Hephaestus laughed softly for several seconds before she added, "Their father is also quite incredible...ufufufu~."---A few hours later, after enjoying a long breakfast where they discussed the Denatus once again, Vahn saw off Hephaestus, Hestia, Loki, and Anubis at the front courtyard, having Fafnir escort them to Babel Tower so they could arrive with a bit of flair. His conversation during the morning with Hephaestus had triggered Vahn to have a very pleasant and thoughtful mood so he began thinking about the future instead of immediately going back to his research. Since they would be taking the next few days off while waiting for the Denatus to come to an end, Vahn had a good opportunity to just relax with the girls for a bit. He had used up his previous weekend by completely immersing himself in his work so it wasn't a bad idea to take a short break.Deciding it would be fun to spend a bit of time with the mothers of his future children, Vahn made his way through the East Wing and passed by his own workshop on the way to meet up with Tsubaki. She was almost at the point where she would be taking a break from blacksmithing so she didn't endanger their child so Vahn could usually find her drawing up drafts and preparing materials for future projects instead of actually forging. As expected, he found her sitting at a long wooden table that was covered in various diagrams but, instead of drawing up new designs, she was actually just reading through one of the communication logbooks before noticing his presence.Snapping the book shut, Tsubaki smiled and asked, "What brings you to my workshop so early in the morning, Vahn?" Without any hesitation, Vahn had already been walking over to Tsubaki's side to help her stand up as he explained, "I was in the mood to spend time with all the pregnant women and thought visiting you first would be a good idea..." Tsubaki began to laugh in a teasing manner, but she couldn't hide the mellow pinks and the warm yellows in her aura that showed she was pleased by his words. After he led her over to the sofa and helped her sit down, Tsubaki asked, "Are you going to talk to our daughter again~?" Vahn nodded with a soft expression on his face as he stroked her belly and said, "Our little Sakuya..."Tsubaki took a deep breath when she heard Vahn call their daughter by name before 'giving up' her act and just leaning against his shoulder. It wasn't the first time he had referred to their daughter as Sakuya and it always made Tsubaki feel a little melancholic, even though there was a great deal of warmth that spread from her heart. After spending several minutes in silence, Tsubaki placed her hand overtop Vahn's and muttered, "When our daughter is born...there is a place I want you to visit with me, okay?" Vahn squinted his eyes slightly because he understood that Tsubaki likely wanted to visit the graves of her mother and former lover. Thinking it would be a good form of 'closure' for her, Vahn nodded his head and said, "I understand..." in what he hoped would be a comforting tone...After a little more than an hour, Tsubaki ended up 'kicking' Vahn out of her workshop because she was beginning to get a little sleepy just snuggling up with him for so long. She knew he 'cheated' a bit by using his [Hands of Nirvana] with his domain and it always made her feel very comfortable. However, this also made her feel a little embarrassed at times because she would remember that Vahn is just a fifteen-year-old boy. She almost felt like a cradle robber at times and couldn't tolerate very long periods of silence alone with him since she would often think about matters that should just be left to rest. Just imagining the look her mother and Jonas would give her made Tsubaki feel a little anxious...Continuing onward, Vahn made his way toward the laundry room of the first floor since he could sense his next 'target' was there. Entering into the rather humid room, Vahn looked around and saw Milan, Maemi, Emiru, and, his current target, Aki, all busily working away to clean the mountain of clothes left behind by the other residents of the Manor. Vahn had made laundry a lot easier by giving them a specialized detergent obtained from the shop, but it still took a bit of effort since there were more than twenty people living within the Manor, the majority of which were Adventurers that often got very dirty. Feeling a bit guilty, Vahn changed up his plans a bit and walked over to help out since his 'cleaning magic' was very helpful for getting out most stains. He once tried to use his water elemental control to create a vortex to expedite the process a bit, but he was 'lectured' after the fact because such methods would damage the fabrics, especially for undergarments.As every girl present was either a Cat Person, or the derivative of Cat People, Snow Leopards, they had all noticed his presence the moment he entered even though the smell of detergent was quite pungent. Maemi and Emiru became on 'alert' with small frowning faces as they said, "Master, you shouldn't be in here..." in concert with each other. For reasons he would never understand, Maemi and Emiru took 'pride' in doing things like chores and cleaning and, since they recognized him as their 'Master', they didn't like to see him cleaning unless it was a mess he had made. Vahn gave them a wry smile and explained, "I wanted to steal away Aki for a bit, so I'll help out for a short while to make up for her absence..."A strange phenomenon happened that made Vahn want to smile since he watched as all four girls' tails flickered at the same time. Before Maemi and Emiru could 'refute' his words, Milan laughed and said, "Just let Vahn do as he pleases...are you two going to tell your Master what he can and can't do~?" The twins' heads 'snapped' towards Milan with wide-eyed expressions as they said, "We would never do such a thing!" Vahn thought their reactions were adorable, but he also almost commented that they often told him 'not' to do certain things. As for Aki, her tail was curled up in an S-shape as she asked in a polite tone, "Did you need me for something specific, Vahn, or did you just want to spend time together~?"Once again, with the exclusion of Aki herself, the tails of each girl flickered and Vahn felt like he had wandered into a strange dimension where everything was intent on making his heart explode with how adorable they were behaving. Without glossing over his words, Vahn nodded his head and explained, "I just felt like spending time with you for a little while..." This time, Aki's tail flicked several times as a smile bloomed on her face and she said, "Give me a hand with this load of laundry and then we'll go off~nyufufu." Vahn had already started walking over under the watchful eyes of Maemi and Emiru, who he sent a small wink to that made the two girls blush slightly.Maemi and Emiru had been looking forward to the day they were 'scheduled' to sleep in the same room as Vahn, which was only three days away at this point. Though it wasn't a 'guarantee', there was a fair chance they would have the opportunity to 'give' their virginities to him and it had been on their mind a lot lately. Seeing him wink reminded them of the coming day so they turned away and began scrubbing away at the laundry to calm down. They had been a little bit envious of the fact that Aki was going to get to spend time with Vahn, but that had long faded as pink thoughts began to fill their minds.Vahn noticed the change in the twins' auras and was a bit at a loss before standing near Aki and grabbing the first bit of laundry nearby. A glint passed through his eyes as he noticed the garment he had grabbed was a small pair of simple panties. Aki looked over before 'snatching' them away and saying, "You can leave the undergarments to me, Vahn..." Vahn mechanically nodded his head and started paying attention to what he was doing so as not to embarrass himself further. However, he couldn't stop his mind from wandering as he imagined who the owner of the garments was. With their size, it was either Lili, Shizune, or, as often seemed to be the case these days, Tina...During their recent stints into the Dungeon, Vahn had updated Tina's Status Board and found a new change that he hadn't quite expected to see. His memories of the original manga came to mind as images of Bell always 'accidentally' stumbling into areas where he could view girls naked. He also seemed to be able to get away with bumping into them at times and had even managed to get Ryuu's affection by grabbing her hand when she and Syr were returning from shopping. Some people might never 'wander' into an area where girls were bathing even once, yet Bell had managed to walk in on girls several times, including those that had very developed senses...all because of his inordinately high 'luck'...-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------[[STATUS]]Name: Tina YuelRace: Cat PersonLV. 1POW: H128-&gt;F319END: H157-&gt;F380DEX: H135-&gt;F323AGI: H140-&gt;F340MAG: I11-&gt;I70Skill: [Eclipse: Innate(sealed)], [Shield Bash:I-&gt;H], [Counter:I](new)Magic: -Development Skill: [Abnormal Resistance:(sealed)], [Luck:(sealed)](new)[Shield Bash]Rank: HUse: Attacks with shields have a chance to stun enemies based. (Active Trigger)[Counter]Rank: IUse: Enhances the efficacy of attacks immediately after receiving a blow. (Active Trigger)----------------------------------------------------------------------------------It was a little difficult to comprehend, but Vahn suspected that everything that had been happening around Tina lately was related to her sealed [Luck] Development Ability. Currently, there were absolutely no records for such a Development Ability, even amongst the extensive documents kept by the Guild for nearly a thousand years. The biggest reason for this, as speculated by Vahn and Sis, was because it could only be obtained between Levels 1 and 2, and only if the person had several fortunate encounters that defied common reasoning. Though it seemed to be more of a 'misfortune' than anything, Tina often found herself in situations where she would have accidents, almost all related to Vahn.Though it was a bit of an extreme example, it could have started from the very first time they met and he walked into the Hearth's Embrace Inn. Tina had been one of the first people he ever truly encountered while being the absolute first Beast Human he met and interacted with. He had been a little 'weird' at the time, but she was still able to make an impression on him with her adorable behavior. After that, there were several instances where they were able to become somewhat closer, many of which were the result of happenstance...Considerably more extreme was the matter related to the kidnapping since, even though she had suffered severe trauma, Tina herself had come out relatively unscathed and was even able to 'break free' from her fate as a simple Inn Matron's Daughter. Vahn became the hero she needed during her crisis, one which would have claimed the lives of almost anyone else, and was able to get closer to the girls at the Hostess of Fertility while even obtaining a True Dragon as her 'little brother' and guardian. After that, several other small incidents took place until she eventually found herself living with the Hearth Manor itself, getting even closer to Vahn because of other 'random' happenings, such as when he was testing his [Thria*Mimos] and transformed into a Cat Person.The absolutely 'most extreme' example was the fact that Vahn was able to experience the Divination, effectively changing Tina's fate once again and enabling her to step onto a path where she was almost guaranteed to end up with him. In the Divination, things had obviously not worked out well for her and now things had changed completely, enabling her to get stronger while also being protected by pretty much everyone else in the residence, Vahn included. After that, several smaller incidents had been taking place that had been very 'taxing' for the young cat girl. She got Vahn to pamper her a bit when they started venturing into the Dungeon...there was the incident where he got absentminded during his massage...the fact she had won coveted prizes during the hide and seek game...and how she had 'accidentally' plopped down on his tail in the bath...More recently, there had even been instances where she 'slipped', only to have Vahn catch her before she actually fell down. During one such instance, she had tried to catch herself at the last moment only to catch him off guard when she turned her body, resulting in Vahn grabbing her minuscule breasts that had just started to bud. Each time something like this would happen, Tina would blush deeply or end up running away, further emphasizing to Vahn that she was somewhat like Bell, as the young protagonist often behaved very strangely to avoid embarrassing situations. Now, there was another 'incident' Vahn could relate to Tina's 'luck' since, even though there were dozens of different garments he could have grabbed, he just 'happened' to grab a pair of her panties...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Pet the belly...','Tina is the MC','Vahn can even see molecules, but he can't avoid grabbing a pair of pantsu...')https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

After spending a bit of time washing laundry, Vahn and Aki ended up leaving behind the room, but not before Vahn aired it out with his domain so it would be easier on the other girls' noses. As for Aki, she held onto his arm with a pleasant and gentle smile on her face as he led her toward a study where they could get some fresh air and relax. Though her physical appearance hadn't changed that much, Aki's disposition had undergone great changes since she first arrived at the Hearth Manor. She wasn't actively going into the Dungeon anymore so, instead of the Adventurer attire she used to wear, Aki now wore a simple black dress with a white smock loosely hanging around her shoulders. The maternity band he had given her couldn't be seen, but Vahn knew she was wearing it under her clothes along with a pair of dark grey, almost black, spats-like shorts.Since she didn't leave much recently, Aki always walked around in white socks while keeping a pair of comfortable boots at both the front and back entrance of the Manor. She also didn't put that much effort into keeping her medium-length hair neat and proper, instead, allowing it to curve slightly at the ends as it slowly increased in length. Overall, she looked far more motherly than the mature young beauty she had been previously...less like a secretary and more like an expectant mother that was enjoying life. This change had been even more apparent after her 'parting' with Raul and, though he wasn't aware of it himself, her decision to love Vahn better after hearing him 'confess' his troubles during the hypnosis.Once they reached their destination, Vahn picked at single-person chair instead of a larger sofa because he wanted Aki to sit in his lap so he could hold her from behind. She understood his intentions and laughed in a gentle manner, saying, "You must be in a good mood today~nya?" Vahn was always far more affectionate when he was happy because he wanted to 'share' his happiness with others. They had all been receiving 'lessons' for the last three weeks about what to pay attention to when they were around Vahn, as it took the effort of almost everyone to make sure he didn't push himself too hard. Her role was one of the more important ones since it was very apparent that 'mothers' had a very special meaning to Vahn. They all 'pampered' him more than the other girls and 'spoiled' him a bit by allowing him to be clingy at times.When Aki gingerly sat down on his lap, Vahn noticed that her butt had become a little softer while the rest of her body had put on a bit of weight as a result of her pregnancy. Even her breasts, which were somewhat modest previously, had started to swell up a bit and she often complained about how tender they had become at times. Reaching his hands around her waist, Vahn placed both palms on her belly as she relaxed her body against his. He was tempted to nibble on her ear, as it was right in front of his mouth, but instead just kissed the back of her head and muttered, "I love you, Aki..." Both of her ears flickered before she turned her head up at him with a gentle smile and said, "I know, Vahn...that is why I love you so much as well...nyufufu~."They didn't really have much to talk about so Vahn just spent the remaining time until lunch simply cradling Aki's body in his arms. Though she had originally sat on his lap, Aki eventually pulled her legs up into the chair and laid back using Vahn's arm as a support as she curled up into a more comfortable position. This allowed them to see each other better and always made Vahn feel happy because he liked having the adorable Cat Girls curl up in his lap since it felt like he could spoil and pamper them more easily. He even fed her a few of the foods she was 'craving' since he could purchase pretty much anything she could think of through the system shop...Around lunchtime, Aki knew it was about time to bring things to an end so she sat up in Vahn's lap, this time facing toward him, and hugged around his neck before kissing him deeply for a few minutes. Vahn placed his hands around her lower back and playfully thumbed the ribbon around her tail without doing anything too intense to 'trigger' her. He had also been doing his best to try and act affectionally without trying to rile up the girls just because he wanted to see how they reacted. Vahn knew it made things 'difficult' for them if he played around too much and there was no way he could 'tease' one of the pregnant girls without feeling very guilty about it.After their embrace came to an end, Vahn helped Aki stand since he was always worried that big movements would potentially harm their child. This didn't seem to be a big concern for many women in the record, but Vahn had read too many books about the potential dangers and was a bit paranoid about it. He didn't want to be the reason for a mishap and often 'scanned' the bellies of the girls with his eyes to make sure there weren't any problems. Thus far, everything had been going well and the only real concerns he had were related to the 'Vanir' that had yet to be born.Vahn didn't only check up on his women but had also met with Freya and Holda to make sure their pregnancies were progressing without issue. He was able to see that their pregnancies were actually 'relatively' normal compared to those of Hephaestus and Loki, meaning they would give birth after nine months without any great variations. Freya seemed to have calmed down a lot after getting pregnant, but her presence still unnerved him a bit since he always got a 'dangerous' feeling from her. As for Holda, Vahn got along with her and Chris very well, even extending an offer to Chris to visit his Clubhouse when he was free...Though the observation of other goddesses, Vahn knew the Vanir were truly unique existences and there was no way of knowing exactly how they would develop with time. He even speculated that, by putting an inhibitor on them when they were young, the Vanir may age at a relatively normal rate, or even slower than normal. Since he didn't plan on 'experimenting' on his children, Vahn would likely never find out but he was still considering potential 'solutions' for existences such as Lenneth. It would also allow him to get some insight into how Divinity could be 'developed' over time since he already knew from the Divination that it was possible for their pseudo-divinities to mature into actual Divinities if they put in the effort to grow...Since he hadn't actually been that hungry, Vahn went to find the next girl he wanted to spend time with, assuming they could always eat together if the opportunity presented itself. Given the 'trend' set by his next 'target', Vahn assumed she would actually be very hungry and he could probably catch her on her way to raid the pantry. As expected, which brought a big grin to his face, Vahn found a sleepy-looking Arnya walking through the Manor with a sickly expression on her face. On her days off, Arnya usually slept in because she still got a bad case of morning sickness compared to all the other girls. Vahn knew it was a result of her diet and the increased hormonal levels in her body, but Arnya was adamant about eating very specific foods, claiming that it would make their child healthier when it was born.Sensing his presence, Arnya's eyes widened before her expression turned from sickly into a more 'normal' appearance with a sheepish grin. Vahn smiled and said, "It's too late, I've already seen you, Arnya." In response, Arnya showed a somewhat bashful expression and allowed Vahn to pick her up and carry her off. This wasn't the first time he had intercepted her so she already knew better than to try and make an 'excuse'.Much like Aki, Arnya had also changed how she saw Vahn after watching his 'confession' nearly a month ago. She always believed he was a very powerful and mentally strong boy, but it turned out to be that he was actually struggling quite a bit just to make all of them happy. Since she was in one of the 'important' positions around Vahn, Arnya decided to let her guard down around him and allowed him to take care of her while she did her best to ensure he was also happy...Vahn had Arnya lay down using his lap as a pillow and pulled out a tray of grilled fish, a milk-like beverage that was high in protein, and several apricots, each food items he knew Arnya would want to eat. She tried to ensure a good balance of vitamins but focused on foods that were high in Protein and Calcium. He picked up one of the strips of grilled fish with a handkerchief and handed it to Arnya so she could eat it herself while he peeled the apricots and removed their seeds. Arnya had a light blush on her face and accepted the fish, saying, "Thank you, Vahnyaaa~." Vahn smiled and stroked Arnya's soft brown hair while gently poking at the thin white hairs inside her ears. He knew she was 'appealing' to his sensibilities by 'acting' cutely, but he wasn't going to stop her since it really did have an impact on his heart and mind.After petting her for a short while, Vahn handed her another fish before starting to peel the apricots for her consumption. While he was skillfully removing the skin, Vahn looked down at Arnya's belly and remarked, "Even though it's been more than three months, you hardly look pregnant compared to the other girls..." Many of the girls were only a few weeks apart in their pregnancies, but Arnya only had a small bump in her stomach and Vahn could almost see the lines of her abs if she flexed her body. When she heard his words, Arnya's blush deepened a bit and she nibbled on the fish in her hands before saying, "I think it's because of my metabolism and the foods I eat...there shouldn't be any problems with the baby though...nyan~."There could be very big differences between women during their pregnancies and Vahn had the 'unique' opportunity to see several women pregnant all at the same time. He knew Arnya was correct since he had often checked up on their child to make sure it was developing properly. Right now, there was an incredibly small cat person curled up in the fetal position within her tummy that always made Vahn feel a strange urge to cry whenever he laid eyes on it. He tried not to peek directly too often, but Vahn couldn't help himself when he was feeling worried. Because of this, he knew that Arnya's first child would also be a girl and she seemed to be full of vitality even though she hadn't developed that much just yet. When he had revealed this to Arnya in the past, she had come up with the name Alice, which Vahn agreed with almost immediately...Once he finished peeling the apricot, Vahn cut it in half and removed the large seed before taking half of it and holding it in front of Arnya's lips. She stared at it for a brief moment before going, "Nyaaahn~" and chomping down on it, getting a bit of saliva on his fingers in the process. Vahn smiled and waited for her to finish eating the first half before giving her the second piece and watching as she bashfully chewed it under his gaze. He knew she got a little embarrassed at moments like this, but it was moments like this that made Vahn feel much closer to Arnya. Though she never really verbalized it directly, Arnya felt much the same way and preferred her private time with Vahn a lot more than the 'events' they had in the past.After more than an hour, Arnya had almost become beet red because Vahn had helped lift her body slightly before 'feeding' her the milky protein supplement. She felt very flustered drinking the thick and creamy liquid and it didn't help at all seeing the gentle and smiling expression Vahn had on his face as he slowly tilted the cold glass bottle. It was infinitely more intimate and awkward to help someone drink than it was to simply feed them because there was no easy way to put an end to the moment. There was always a chance he would pull away too early, causing a bit of a mishap, or she would be unable to drink it fast enough and end up spilling the liquid around her lips.When Arnya finished drinking the entire bottle in one go, Vahn smiled and set the bottle off to the side before bending down and licking up the excess creme that was at the side of her mouth and upper lip. He knew not to push her too far, but Arnya's bashful appearance was very satisfying and Vahn knew she was just embarrassed and not really 'excited'. With his ability to read auras, and his understanding of their bodies, Vahn knew when to reign himself in. It was harder when he was in a group, but during times like this, it was a lot easier to control himself, especially with the pregnant girls.Arnya released a heavy sigh through her nose and said, "Okay, I'm full nyeow..." and lifted her head while Vahn supported her shoulders. She had already completely recovered from her morning sickness with Vahn's help and the meal made her want to move her body around a bit. Vahn helped to massage her shoulders and loosen up her joints by stretching before she left to go track down Syr. He watched her go with a thoughtful expression and was both happy and sad that she was such a strong and independent woman. She let him spoil her, but Vahn knew that Arnya wasn't really the type that needed to be pampered to be happy.Most of her time was spent watching over Maemi and Emiru train or preparing all kinds of items for the birth of her own child. Knowing it was a girl actually motivated Arnya a great deal because she genuinely wanted to revive her spearmanship school using her children as the first students. She wouldn't force them into it but, much like she had been given free rein when she was younger, but Arnya planned to push them if they wanted to become stronger. Having a daughter meant that she would be able to 'inspire' any other daughters she had while giving any sons 'motivation' to exceed their elder sister. Vahn could already imagine a tiny version of Arnya dancing around in the back yard with a spear and it made him feel very warm inside since he imagined she would also be quite rambunctious...With Hephaestus and Loki at the Denatus, the last girl on Vahn's 'visitation' list ended up being Ryuu. Though it hadn't been a guarantee, his fateful rendezvous with Ryuu had indeed resulted in her getting pregnant and it was a pretty significant event for Riveria, Lefiya, Sierra, Pram, and even Eina. Previously, Vahn's conjecture had been speculation, even though it was supported by a lot of evidence, so having an 'example' to show how the infertility issue could be resolved was very important. This meant that they had indeed discovered the root of the problem and it would be much easier to find solutions, even if Vahn himself didn't continue to take action. However, there was still a few points of contention that needed to be addressed and Riveria knew that her 'involvement' would be necessary to ascertain the truth of the matter.As she spent the majority of her time there, Vahn found Ryuu in the garden with Terra and Riveria as they all sat around and enjoyed their own light lunch. Ryuu had also changed how she dressed, even though she hadn't shown any physical signs of her pregnancy just yet, and was now wearing a loose white sundress that made Vahn's mind stall for a moment when he first saw her. She seemed even more vibrant and beautiful than the stoic elf from the past because she had a more youthful appearance now and could almost always be found with a smile on her face. Pregnancy for an Elf had always been a very big issue in the past so they had a culture that cherished the new life greatly, meaning that Ryuu had mellowed out a bit and was far more kind to everyone around her.Terra had noticed his arrival before the others but had kept quiet, simply watching his arrival and allowing Riveria and Ryuu to take the initiative. Even though she couldn't be certain, Terra knew that her Master hadn't come here for her and she had been trying to act less selfishly so as not to offend the other girls. Even more than Riveria and Ryuu, Terra had a great appreciation for life and she had been around Ryuu ever since the Elven woman got pregnant. This allowed her to view the changes in Ryuu's disposition over time and also enabled her to understand and empathize with others a little better. Previously, she had seen the other pregnant women but hadn't been around to observe the changes with her own eyes. Given that she didn't really interact with them, unless they came to the garden, this meant that Terra previously lacked that empathy and simply treated it as 'natural' instead of recognizing the 'significance' behind the pregnancies...Since they were both high leveled Adventurers, Ryuu and Riveria had quickly noticed the change in Terra's demeanor and expression. Turning their heads, they saw Vahn's arrival, causing Ryuu's smile to become softer as her eyes squinted affectionately. As for Riveria, she had a slightly more complex expression in her eyes but still managed an almost indiscernible smile at the edges of her somewhat pale pink lips. Vahn raised his hand in greeting and said, "Good afternoon...I wanted to spend a bit of time with Ryuu, but I don't mind joining you for tea if you were already having a discussion..." Though his words could be misconstrued as a bit presumptuous, none of the girls seemed to mind them at all as Riveria said, "We weren't talking about anything important..."Terra released a peal of elegant laughter as her wings rustled slightly and she said, "My, my, and I was led to believe that-." Before Terra could finish her words, Riveria shot her a sidewards glance with a 'warning' look in her eyes that was easily understood by the intelligent True Dragon. She had just wanted to tease Riveria a little so Terra just playfully put her hands over her lips and laughed instead of finishing her words. As for Ryuu, she placed her cup of tea on the table and stood up from her chair as she asked, "Did you have something specific in mind, Vahn?" Vahn smiled to match Ryuu's before nodding his head and saying, "Just the usual..." which caused Ryuu's sky-blue eyes to glimmer slightly.Ever since she got pregnant, Vahn had been making sure Ryuu's pregnancy progressed smoothly and had been helping 'nourish' her body. Though the most effective way would have been to have sex, Vahn couldn't help but feel it was strange to nourish his developing child through such a method and had instead opted for simply infusing his energy into her stomach with [Yddrasil's Blessing] and [Hands of Nirvana]. It was almost like the skill [Yggdrasil's Blessing] had been tailor-made for such purposes as he could easily produce the type of energy needed by Ryuu's body even without relying on his [Hands of Nirvana] that much. Since the 'Tree of Life' had an ancestor named 'Yggdrasil', Vahn felt like it may have been 'fate' for him to have obtained such a 'useful' skill the moment he entered the record...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Aki's Motherly Evolution','Arnya's Playfulness','Nourishment')https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Starting the following day, other than the mornings which he spent training Tina and Shizune in the Dungeon, Vahn threw himself fully into his research. His blood was something that followed him between every record so there was no harm in researching it to unlock the many secrets Vahn suspected it contained. Even Sis didn't know what the (sealed) part in his race meant and Vahn was beginning to believe it was related to the fact his body was comprised of source energy now. He could freely change his first race, which is how he appeared to others, but the secondary (sealed) never changed.His first experiment was the one he believed had the highest chance of success so Vahn forged a variety of amulets, medallions, and even a few items like chokers, tiaras, and a belt buckle. They each had 'slots' where he could seat gemstones later so Vahn began coring out a variety of different precious stones. As they were the most readily available, and the most cost-effective for OP conversion, Vahn acquired a diamond, ruby, emerald, sapphire, amethyst, peridot, and topaz. As for the rarer materials, Vahn picked out a high-grade monster core, a Fire Wyvern's magic core, and a very rare gem called a Vouivre's Tear. He knew it was an item that only dropped from the rare female dragonoids called Vouivre, one of which Vahn expected he would have a relationship with in the future given that one of his daughter's had similar features.Holding up the beautiful red gemstone, Vahn could feel powerful energy emanating from it and, when he activated his [Eyes of Truth], it was very obviously not a normal gem. It had hair-thin lines permeating throughout the interior and Vahn very quickly realized he wouldn't be able to core it out for his purposes. It would be an incredible waste to destroy the complex internal structure so he safely kept it in his inventory for the time being. If possible, he would like to make it into a pendant in the future, or perhaps used it as a charm for when he meets a Xenos.The Fire Wyvern's magic core was very similar, having a complex internal structure, but Vahn felt less awed by it considering he had looted a few during his short stint on the 58th Floor. If necessary, he could always obtain several more when he next delves into the Deep Floors. It probably wouldn't be any time soon, as he needed to make preparations for the Supply Depot on the 39th Floor, but it wouldn't be that far away either. However, Vahn decided to set it aside for now since he wanted to experiment with lower quality materials first. Right now, he was just inspecting them to test their viability before starting the process.High-Grade monster cores had a large number of impurities contained within them and, even though the energy they could contain was very high, the actual durability of the gem left something to be desired. It was a little strange that the vital point of many powerful monsters was a simple monster core that could easily be damaged by a low-grade dagger if struck directly. Vahn was, however, able to glean a few insights from the monster core's internal structure since the way it was interlayered was similar to how Hephaestus forged some of her metals. He was far from the point where he could shape the basic structure of metal with his energy, but having a few points of reference would always be helpful.The normal gems were a bit of a disappointment because Vahn realized the only difference between them were a few impurities that were intermixed with the molecular structure. Diamonds were very hard, but they seemed to 'bleed' energy instead of containing it properly. As for rubies, they had a strange affinity with fire that Vahn couldn't quite understand, but they also failed to properly store energy. It was a similar case for all the other gemstones, with the only exception being that they had slightly different affinities. Sapphires were a good catalyst for water and ice while emeralds had a slight affinity with the elements of wind and thunder. Topaz was a strong catalyst for natural energy and earth elemental energy with amethyst and peridot having affinities with darkness and light respectively.With his other options sorted through, Vahn showed a complex expression before removing one of the Treasure Magic Stones from his inventory. It was the same as the ones affixed to Riveria's staff and they were one of the most highly sought after gems for creating magical staves. Vahn inspected the transparent blue crystal with his [Eyes of Truth] and noticed that they actually had naturally occurring magic circles invisibly layered within the interior. This was a major discovery because Vahn hadn't even considered trying to create a formation within a crystal previously. His eyes glowed brightly, and not just because he still had his [Eyes of Truth] active.After copying the strange magic circles into a journal, Vahn then compared it to other Treasure Magic Stones, noting that they were very similar in structure with only a few slight variations. Vahn could 'read' what the magic circles were supposed to do and easily understood why they were such prized items by mages. The basic structure greatly enhanced the power of magic spells while the rest of the formation essentially helped 'translate' chants into the proper structure for creating a magic circle. This meant that any staff or wand using a Treasure Magic Stone also enhanced the caster's ability to control their magic while reducing the chance of failure.Vahn had eventually shared this discovery with Riveria who had been very interested because it had never been truly understood why Treasure Magic Stones were such valuable gems. It was very strange that they grew on trees that could only be found within the Dungeon and, even goddesses like Hephaestus with her 'godly eyes' couldn't see the invisible magic formations contained within. Even without being able to peer through the secret, Hephaestus was still able to determine how the gem worked simply based on instinct, however, so it had never been a pertinent issue the few times she created staves.Deciding it would be a waste to use the Treasure Magic Stones, Vahn ended up back with the original 'useless' gems like diamonds. Now that he had the idea of creating formations within the gemstones, Vahn theorized he could convert the useless gems into very powerful magical catalysts by altering their internal structure with his 'Oblivion' skill. It was a bit of a tangent that wouldn't allow him to make progress on the Blood Gems, but Vahn simply had to test his theory before moving on. It took a bit of painstaking effort, to the point he spent nearly an entire weekend in his workshop, but he managed to finish creating an incredibly small formation out of pure Orichalcum within a large diamond. He was 'forced' to rest by the girls after it was finished, but Vahn was able to confirm that the diamond could now contain a fair amount of mana even without him using his blood.With this new discovery, Vahn had Fenrir and Terra help him out a bit by allowing him to inspect their pendants closely with his [Eyes of Truth]. The [Nezha Lady's Togi] took the form of an amulet with a seal carved into it, but Vahn was able to see it had a far more complex internal structure than he had imagined. As for the large ruby-like gemstone on Terra's pendant, it had a magic circle unlike anything Vahn had ever seen and, instead of interlayered circles and runes, it was very rigid and angular instead. From this observation, Vahn realized there were numerous intricacies related to the internal structure of gemstones that he had never taken into consideration previously. One of these intricacies, which Vahn considered was very important, was the fact that there was a formation of pure source energy within Fenris's and Terra's pendants but, when he checked Lili's, it was the same color as her pure-earth elemental energy...This realization allowed Vahn to understand that soulbound items, at least those that could be stored away in gemstones, needed a supporting structure in the gemstone itself. Though the equipment was linked with the soul, it wasn't stored within it like Vahn's [Enkidu]. The latter was a Tier 5 piece of equipment, so Vahn suspected he would find instances that contradicted his current findings depending on the records he visited. For everything Tier 4 and lower, however, Vahn was confident he had started on the path towards making his own gems that could be soulbound to store equipment in the future...Vahn had continued this research for more than two weeks and was no closer to finding a gemstone that could properly store his blood since it couldn't contain his source energy for long periods of time. He had even tried purchasing another [Nezha Lady's Togi] from the shop to 'steal' the gem from the pendant but, the moment he managed to free it, the entire thing crumbled into dust as the internal structure immediately collapsed. During moments like that, Vahn would take a break and found comfort in helping Naaza with her [Mixing] research while watching over Preasia's studies.Other than Preasia, who stayed behind in the Manor and sometimes lingered around his workshop, Naaza, Lili, and Chloe often ventured into the Dungeon in the mornings and would stay inside until the early afternoon. This meant Vahn only spent a few hours inside the Atelier each day and had split the rest of his time between interacting with the other girls in the Manor and focusing on his own research. As for Naaza's, Vahn had been surprised with how much progress she had made since they first met and it was very obvious she worked hard. He still couldn't mix anything on his own, as his source energy was simply too powerful for the materials to contain, but he was able to help modify Naaza's notes to eliminate some of the problems he found.Naaza was often very impressed by his insight, but Vahn knew that it was primarily a result of having a near-perfect memory with The Path while Sis was the one that made many of the actual insights. She could cross-reference the information in his mind and Vahn had even given her the right to purchase items she thought were beneficial as long as it didn't cost too much OP. As a result, Sis had slowly been compiling a vast amount of knowledge and information related to the Danmachi record within his mind and had eliminated many of the 'problems' simply by comparing notes. Vahn couldn't really talk about Sis, as she was an integral part of The Path and his secrets, so he apologized to her whenever Naaza praised his work.Though it wasn't a large amount in the grand scheme of things, Naaza had been able to push her efficacy rate to around 19% for Low-Grade Elixers and managed to reach as much as 30% for High-Grade Potions. She even mustered up a bit of courage to try and make a Low-Grade Mana Potion, but was unable to have a single success unless Vahn was there to assist her. It made her feel a bit of pressure since she truly believed Vahn was the more capable person when it came to [Mixing], but Naaza never complained. Whenever she did well, Vahn would always praise her and, though it was very embarrassing, she enjoyed his words and the petting that typically followed them...---Vahn found himself sitting with Fenrir in his lap at the dinner table while Hestia, Hephaestus, Loki, and Anubis were discussing the matters regarding the upcoming Denatus. They would be leaving tomorrow and were currently getting everyone's input regarding the alias ideas they were intended to go with. Vahn had already heard many of the suggestions previously, but this was the first time most of the girls were hearing the names that had been 'decided' for them. Fenrir was completely fine with 'Vanargand', since it was almost the same as her race, Vanargandr. She simply chewed away at the link of [Enkidu] Vahn had let out for her and watched the scene play out at the table with unblinking eyes with a glint of humor contained within.Though it wasn't guaranteed, there was a high chance the aliases would be approved since the support for the Alliance had greatly increased since the previous Denatus. When it became public knowledge how quickly the members within the Hestia Familia had increased in Level, it would also give them a lot of leverage to pick and choose aliases as it was very evident each person had worked hard. Lili's 'Super Supporter' was either going to end up as 'Atlas' or, if that was too contentious within the godly community, 'One Punch Pallum'. It was a bit of a silly name, but it was also somewhat fierce while getting the point across that Lili wasn't to be taken lightly. Vahn had wanted to make a comment that it may be misconstrued as her being 'defeated' in one punch, but Lili seemed to like it and he didn't want to hurt her feelings...Lefiya's current alias was 'Thousand Elf', as a result of her [Elf Ring] ability, but it would likely be changed to reflect her new fighting style and her magical prowess. Loki proposed the idea of calling Lefiya 'Blooming Beauty', since she currently used a staff that looked like a blooming tulip, but Tiona chimed in and said it should be closer to something like 'Elven Bombardment' since Lefiya literally spammed laser-light magic spells. However, Lefiya surprised everyone when she gave her own opinion on the matter and wanted to be called the 'Sage's Apprentice' since she wanted to be officially recognized as Vahn's apprentice. This caused a bit of tension with Lili and Haruhime, but it didn't last long when it was mentioned that they already had aliases selected.Haruhime would likely become a very popular topic over the next few weeks, perhaps even longer, because it was essentially going to be revealed that she went from Level 1 to Level 3 between the time period of two sequential Denatus. Since her 'rare' skill was called 'Inari', they would be pushing to get her that alias but, considering it may be denied when accounting for the existence of the real Inari, it would instead be 'Flower Dancer' or 'Elegant Death' depending on the reception of the godly community. Haruhime currently still used the [Sakura Blossom] as her primary weapon and she had drawn a lot of attention during the few instances she actually displayed her ability to other people...As for the other aliases there were being thrown around, it was decided that Mikoto's would be either 'Flying Heavenly Sword' or 'Godspeed Swordswoman' since her capabilities had greatly increased since the previous Denatus. For both Tsubaki and Ais to compliment her growth, it wasn't an exaggeration to say there was more than enough justification for such titles. Since the type of swordsmanship she used was actually called the 'Flying Heavenly Sword Technique', it would be a good way to spread awareness of the legacy and begin building up her reputation...Maemi and Emiru would be getting their first alias this time around and were adamant about getting 'Gemini' as their shared alias while they didn't care much about their personal aliases. It wasn't that uncommon for small units, especially siblings, to have a shared alias so it would be easy to approve. Even Tiona and Tione were known as the Hiryute Sisters, even though their personal aliases were 'Amazoness' and 'Jormungand' respectively. As for the girls that originated from the Hostess of Fertility, they were going to be 'Cheshire Cat', 'Hidden Spear', and 'Smiling Brawler'. Chloe didn't mind 'Cheshire Cat' at all and actually thought it suited her well while Arnya was simply happy to not have her old alias any longer. As for Lunoire, she didn't really mind too much since she never had an official alias and her bounty hunter nickname had been 'Black Fist', which had been kind of annoying...The last person to be discussed, other than Vahn, who would obviously be called as 'Sage Aldrnari' still, was Terra. One of the points they intended to press was the idea that some 'monsters' should be recognized as sentient creatures of the surface. It was generally believed that monsters didn't possess a soul, which was true in the vast majority of cases, but there were a few obvious exceptions and it wasn't 'right' to treat such entities in the same vein as monsters. Fenrir was well-known to be one of Vahn's tamed monsters, but it had never been announced that she actually had a Falna, something that should have been 'impossible'. Both she and Terra would be advocated for during the Denatus because Vahn truly wanted to change the perception of people in order to enable the Xenos to live amongst the surface-dwellers in the future...As for the alias that had been decided for Terra, they were simply going to push for 'True Dragon' or 'Nature Dragon', as they were the most suitable considering the circumstances. Terra herself didn't seem to care too much, though she did mention a name that showed her relationship with Vahn would be preferable. She didn't vocalize it, but the alias 'Vanargand' that Fenrir would be receiving sounded very 'nice' to her since it was very similar to their Master's name. Being called 'True Dragon' or 'Nature Dragon' didn't seem that bad though, so she didn't harp over the matter too much. How other people referred to her wasn't important at all and she only cared about studying and spending time with her Master.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Tears of Blood...',''Diamonds Are For-Fodder','Name Calling')https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 572: Relaxation, Fate, and...Luck?