Chapter 5: A Life-Saving Favor, A Flood of Gratitude Returned in Kind

"The cub? What cub?"

Cub... what the hell kind of cub? I'm still single!

Hermione almost cursed out loud, but considering the young woman before her was, in essence, a brutal demon wolf in disguise, she wisely controlled her emotions. After a deep breath, she furrowed her brow and asked, "Cub? What cub?"

"You don't know?" The Mother of the Sky looked surprised. Her slender, jade-like arms supported her beautiful face, and her gaze held a hint of inquiry as she looked at Hermione. "'Misfortune' has already declared to the outside world that you are her captive, that you are the vessel she intends to use to purge her excess Beyonder characteristics..."

"Oh, right. As a human, do you even understand how to purge excess Beyonder characteristics through reproduction?"

Even in the later eras when the potion system was established, Beyonders would often consume multiple potions of the same pathway for various reasons, leading to a spiritual burden so heavy that they struggled to advance to higher sequences.

Procreating, however, could pass those excess characteristics on to the offspring.

Children born this way were born Beyonders!

At the same time, it purified the parent, eliminating the excess characteristics within their own body.

In the current Second Epoch, an era before even the Blasphemy Slate had come into existence, extraordinary races and the few human Beyonders relied entirely on instinct and luck to advance by consuming materials containing Beyonder characteristics.

Taking humans as an example, Hermione had witnessed firsthand her companions—those who studied the extraordinary—lose control and mutate after consuming unsuitable materials, only to be disposed of by their peers.

Worse still, some would erupt with immense power that even their fellow Beyonders couldn't handle after mutating into monsters.

These out-of-control fallen ones would wander the vast wilderness after mindlessly slaughtering their companions and destroying their secret research bases.

On the path of exploring the extraordinary, Hermione had seen too many tragedies, and the fact that she had survived until now was merely due to being one of the few lucky ones.

Hermione had once been unaware that reproduction could pass on excess characteristics, but Zhou Mingxiang, who had seen that mysterious video of unknown origin, possessed this knowledge.

Now, having fused their souls, Hermione even knew that in the world of Lord of the Mysteries, reproduction was not the only way to precipitate Beyonder characteristics!

Returning from the dead, or certain purification abilities of the "Sun" pathway, could also achieve this!

However... what is this about "Misfortune" wanting me to bear her cub?!

Does "Misfortune" have a need to purge Beyonder characteristics? Is that the fundamental reason she took me in?

Hermione's thoughts flew, her brain nearly crashing.

For these high-sequence subordinate gods, let alone impregnating females of other races, even impregnating males was within their capabilities.

Extraordinary beings who had reached the realm beyond demigods no longer had a true sense of gender; their physiological structures were difficult to explain by conventional logic.

"Does Lady 'Misfortune' really say that?" Hermione looked suspiciously at the young woman who was observing her with interest.

"Yes. My brother and I heard it with our own ears." The Mother of the Sky bared her teeth in a lupine fashion. "And it was 'Misfortune' herself who came to warn my gluttonous brother..."

The Mother of the Sky leaned back in her slight frame and spread her hands. "You've lived here for these days; you should have noticed that there are very few here willing to communicate. And if you exclude those who fear my father and deliberately hide outside... there are even fewer who can hold a normal conversation."

"Those demon wolves with thin bloodlines or inferior abilities, even if they can speak, cannot restrain their mad instincts, making them impossible to communicate with."

Demon wolves and demons were indeed the two most brutal and difficult races to communicate with among all extraordinary species. If she hadn't been rescued by Lady "Misfortune," Hermione would never have imagined that there were individuals among the demon wolves capable of rational interaction.

The Mother of the Sky before her was the same; she could maintain her sanity for long periods and converse with her, rather than being driven by her lupine instincts to hunt everything and contaminate everything.

The Mother of the Sky scrutinized Hermione and said without restraint:

"I am quite willing to reproduce with 'Misfortune'... The 'Misfortune' of the past was as silent and elusive as a shadow, just as dull as the rest of them. But while the current 'Misfortune' is still elusive, her emotions are much more vivid. It seems she has gained better control over her lupine instincts."

The Mother of the Sky paused, adding with regret, "Unfortunately, she refused. Yet, your appearance has actually piqued 'Misfortune's' interest. Could it be that 'Misfortune' has a preference for humans?"

The brutal and mad demon wolves were not picky about their rations, nor were they picky about their reproductive partners. This was a trait inherited from the "King of Demon Wolves," Flegrea.

This God of Destruction seemed to want to suppress his mad instincts, constantly reproducing with various races—including giants, elves, and blood kin from the human-allied faction, as well as non-human races like dragons, aliens, and phoenixes.

But the effect was minimal.

However, among some of the "King of Demon Wolves'" offspring, a few were able to maintain sanity. The "Mother of the Sky" and her brother were among that small minority.

"Then do you think that in my current form, I might pique 'Misfortune's' interest?" The demon wolf, currently playing the role of a human, smiled ambiguously, looking at Hermione with great anticipation.

How should I know...

Hermione swore inwardly while her face blossomed into a bright smile. "Then... why don't you stay and try? By my calculations, Lady 'Misfortune' will be back soon."

A life-saving grace should be repaid with a fountain of gratitude, but I never intended to repay it with my own body!

Although... Lady "Misfortune" had an explosive aura, her human form was breathtakingly beautiful, and her monster form possessed a unique, seductive beauty...

But at the thought of bearing a cub, Hermione shuddered in horror. She had to find a way to dispel Lady "Misfortune's" notion as soon as possible!

Let someone who likes bearing her cubs do it, like the "Mother of the Sky" right here!

Look at that title—how fitting!

The "Mother of the Sky," upon hearing this, seemed quite moved. "Then tell me, why would 'Misfortune' list you as a potential mate? She is so picky in this regard; she has never shown such interest in all these years. List some of your attractive qualities for me to analyze."

Me? Attractive qualities?

Aside from her human identity—the point that had clearly piqued "Misfortune's" interest—Hermione really had no ideas.

After a moment of contemplation, Hermione sighed softly. "Could it be my peerless beauty?"

The "Mother of the Sky" chuckled. She examined Hermione—the black hair and eyes similar to her own, the hair cascading like a waterfall, the eyes bright as stars.

The "Mother of the Sky" pinched her own handsome chin and said after a survey, "Your appearance... from the perspective of the human-allied races, you are indeed beautiful. However, you're a little bit behind me. From that angle, I have more confidence in being able to seduce 'Misfortune' into a desire for reproduction."

Hermione felt helpless. She had only been pretending to be narcissistic; the one before her was truly narcissistic.

Indeed, one should not try to compete with the mental state of a demon wolf whose nature is madness...

But this kind of aimless chatter could always, at critical moments, dissipate the instinctual, subtle hunting malice of the "Mother of the Sky" and distract her.

Just as they were chatting until they were nearly at their wit's end, Hermione finally made it to the moment "Misfortune" was due to return home!