Chapter 2691 - 1162: Surprise (3)

Chapter 2691: Chapter 1162: Surprise (3)

Their flight speed was fast, and the destination was not far away, giving Gaven no opportunity to ask more questions, as the Half-Moon Colt descended towards the ground.

The place they landed was a modest monastery, looking quite aged, but bearing the symbol of Lady Strategy, with a small yet incredibly elite group of soldiers guarding the area.

Surrounding them were densely packed paddy fields, warm as spring, filled with lush, green rice growing abundantly.

There was no need to ask; this was certainly the place blessed by Ms. Zalanda through the sub-divine artifact, the Book of Strategy, with favorable weather and harmony, maximizing yield. Not three harvests per year, but four, with an incredibly terrifying yield per acre.

A plot of land spanning only over a dozen square kilometers could produce enough grain to support a city of hundreds of thousands.

This was also the greatest assurance for Zalanda; with this foundation, she could be more bold and aggressive in her measures, attracting more immigrants here.

This place naturally became a sanctuary for Lady Strategy, heavily guarded.

Guided by Luna the Halfling Steed, Gaven moved smoothly through the monastery, yet his keen senses picked up the whispers around him.

"It’s the First Lord Knight; our First Lord Knight has arrived!"

"He is the First Lord Knight? His radiance is truly dazzling; no wonder Ms. Zalanda is so devoted to him, willing to give birth to a child against all odds."

"He is the father of the children? So irresponsible; Ms. Zalanda is about to give birth, and he just showed up! What a scoundrel!"

"Don’t speak rashly; I heard the First Lord Knight was carrying out Lady Strategy’s secret task, and wasn’t even on the Material Plane initially. He didn’t even know Ms. Zalanda was pregnant until now!"

"He was executing Lady Strategy’s task, so it’s understandable. Alas... Lady Strategy’s God Kingdom remains sealed with no word coming out, and we still don’t know how those Souls of Slaughter are being handled."

"No news is the best news. We must trust the Lady; she certainly has a way to completely absorb those powers and make them her own!"

Pregnancy? Childbirth?

These two words made Gaven’s head buzz, his steps a bit unsteady.

Zalanda is pregnant? About to give birth? He’s going to be a father?

This was completely unplanned for him and an extremely unfamiliar experience; even after multiple rebirths, he never had the chance to be a father.

No wonder the Legendary Arcanist Philancy showed such an odd expression earlier; she didn’t flip her lid or have a row with him, which was quite generous of her.

But to be fair, the women he had intimate relationships with were all extremely smart; they were aware of each other’s existence.

In their eyes, love was merely a spice, not the focus of their lives, which centered around career and faith; they lacked the energy for jealousy and rivalry.

Compared to emotions, they were likelier to clash over interests.

Gaven always balanced this part very well; they all had their own territories and development directions, with far more opportunities for cooperation than competition.

While Gaven’s mind jumbled with various thoughts, he followed Luna into a master bedroom, where Zalanda lay in loose home wear, half-reclined on the bed, her belly exaggeratedly round like a ball. She smiled at Gaven, saying, "You’re back!"

Her beautiful face, without makeup, seemed to emit a subtle maternal glow, as she braced herself to stand.

At this moment, Gaven’s previously chaotic heart suddenly calmed; wasn’t this what he had been dreaming of?

Gaven’s figure flickered, appearing directly beside Zalanda, grabbing her hand and saying, "Don’t move. I’m sorry I came back late!"

"Not too late, just in time. At least you can see them being born." Zalanda said calmly.

"Why didn’t you tell me earlier? Otherwise, I’d have found a way to come back!" Gaven complained.

His time disconnected from the Material Plane in the Bottomless Abyss was less than two months, yet he hadn’t received a single word about it.

"Not many know of this; I was using illusion techniques to disguise. I’m the one who had them keep it under wraps," Zalanda smiled, "Telling you would only add to your pressure and affect your judgment, with no beneficial outcome; you can’t do this task for me!"

"Let’s get married!" Gaven blurted out.

"No!" Zalanda unhesitatingly refused, "I’m not having them to tie you down; neither of us are people who’d want such constraints. There’s no need to lock ourselves in; things are just fine as they are."

"But..."

"There’s no ’but.’" Zalanda clearly had no intention of delving into this topic with Gaven, "Now tell me, what’s going on in the Marching Mountains? Don’t tell me it’s another of your trouble-making incidents!"

This dispassionate view on emotional bonds left Gaven slightly adrift; it was too open-minded.

However, truth be told, the moral concept that bound Gaven was not from Felen but from the Planting Family.

Much of what he brooded over was commonplace in Felen Continent, with no one taking issue.

Making someone pregnant and needing to take responsibility was one of these cases.

Having children out of wedlock wasn’t shameful in Felen; among the Gods, it was common, let alone among mortals. Even if Zalanda was a City Lord, it wouldn’t affect her in any way, actually pleasing the lieges.

For it symbolized the continuation of bloodlines, representing inheritance, and was crucial for a territory’s long-term stability.

"It truly wasn’t my doing, just coincidentally came upon it; it was the Grand Pasha Pisacar of Karinshan who stirred trouble..." Gaven detailed what had unfolded in the Marching Mountains.