Nina took a moment to ask and learned that beast crystals could also be converted into system currency. Some items from the beast world could likewise be exchanged or sold, meaning that in the future, she could earn money here as well.
Sigh—truly the fate of a workhorse.
To save time, the guards spent every moment flying except when they slept or ate. Nina followed them day after day, eating nothing but roasted meat until she was nearly sick of it. If she hadn't protested so strongly, they would have even made her eat it raw.
She didn't dare use her system storage either. The guards were with her almost twenty-four hours a day, and beastfolk had sharp senses—she wasn't willing to take the risk.
After traveling like this for a full month, during a rest break, Nina was gnawing on roasted meat when a wave of nausea suddenly rose in her throat. At first, she thought it was simply because she'd eaten too much greasy meat. She secretly bought a box of fruit, but to her surprise, even that made her feel sick.
All at once, Nina recalled the earth-shattering piece of news the system had told her a month ago. Her mind went blank, like a bolt of thunder striking from a clear sky.
No way… could it really be?
In the beast world, pregnancy lasted three months. This was indeed around the time symptoms would appear, though there wouldn't be any obvious bump yet.
Still, Nina tried to comfort herself—it had to be overthinking. It was probably just the roasted meat being too greasy.
But another ten days passed, and her belly began to show slightly.
Thankfully, the clothes Nina had bought were thick and loose-fitting, so the guards didn't notice anything unusual.
Now she truly believed it—she was pregnant. It really felt like misfortune never came alone.
She was barely able to protect herself as it was, and now she also had to protect a child.
She hadn't even dated once in her modern life, yet the moment she arrived here, she lost her virginity—and hit the jackpot by getting pregnant right away. The pace was absurdly fast, like life had been switched to a hundred-times speed.
With the earlier mental preparation, Nina accepted it surprisingly quickly this time.
Even though now was far from a good time to be pregnant, since the child was already there, she would give birth and raise her baby well, letting them grow up healthy and happy.
She just didn't know how much longer it would take to reach Savage City. She didn't want the guards to find out. If they did, news would surely spread back to Spirit Stone City, and who knew what unpredictable changes might follow.
All she wished for was to raise her child safely.
In the quiet of the night, Nina gently touched her belly. A strange, wondrous feeling welled up inside her—within her, a tiny life was taking shape, bound to her by blood, impossible to sever.
At this moment, Nina still didn't know that there was more than one little life growing inside her.
***
Flying Dragon City, main hall of the Lord's Palace.
"Your Majesty, the Dragon Scale Stone has lit up. Our dragon clan has a newly formed dragon hatchling."
"I know."
On the throne sat an extraordinarily noble male, one hand pressed lightly to his chest.
Just now, he had sensed a resonance of bloodlines. It had to be that female from that night.
Aviel Syndar's eyes darkened slightly. He intended to see for himself exactly which audacious female had dared to use such despicable means to steal his purity—and then conceive his bloodline.
He rose and strode toward the hall exit.
"Your Majesty, where are you going?"
"To find my dragon offspring."
A dragon's roar shook the heavens. Aviel transformed into a massive golden dragon and soared into the sky.
***
Somewhere in a forest of the Savage Lands.
Two exceptionally handsome males clutched their chests at the same time.
Bloodline power!
They stared at each other in shock.
"You felt it too?" Finch Clawdill asked.
"Yes." Kith nodded.
"That female is pregnant—and carrying the bloodlines of both of us at the same time? How is that even possible?" Finch said in utter disbelief.
"But I can clearly sense it," Kith replied. "And the connection is incredibly strong."
"Should we go look for her now?" Finch asked, hesitation evident on his face.
"We do need to go," Kith replied calmly. "I won't allow the bloodline of my White Tiger clan to be left wandering outside. But not yet."
"What do you mean?"
"That cub won't be born anytime soon. First, we chase the Spirit Pearl. After that, we'll go find that female. Since she was able to use an aphrodisiac stone, she clearly doesn't lack males around her. Waiting a little longer won't matter."
"Mm."
The two males exchanged a glance, then simultaneously swept off in the same direction.
***
In the underground dungeon of Savage City.
An enormous black serpent was tightly bound by countless chains.
Suddenly, the serpent's tightly shut eyes snapped open.
Impossible. That female… she was actually pregnant with his offspring?
The black serpent thrashed violently, its massive tail whipping as it struggled. The chains rattled and clanged as his body twisted.
He had to get out. He had to go find them.
***
Deep beneath the ocean, in a crystal palace.
A breathtakingly beautiful merman reclining against a crystal throne abruptly sat upright.
What had he just sensed? Bloodline power.
Could it be that female from that night? She had actually conceived the child of the Merman Emperor?
Very well—then it would be a case of keeping the child and discarding the mother.
A vile female who used filthy things like aphrodisiac stones was utterly unworthy of being his child's mother.
In the beast world, some ancient races possessed bloodline resonance, though many others did not.
…
***
Several more days passed, and Nina's belly grew larger and larger. It was becoming impossible to hide, yet Savage City was still nowhere in sight.
Anxiety crept in. Nina carefully concealed her stomach and did her best to avoid letting the guards touch her while flying.
Once again, rain poured down from the sky, making flight impossible. They had no choice but to find a cave to rest in temporarily.
The guards led Nina into a spacious cave. After confirming there were no territorial markings from beastfolk and no scent of wild beasts, they decided to rest there.
The cave was fairly clean. They spread a piece of beast hide for Nina to sit on. One guard went hunting, while the other went nearby to gather firewood and start a fire.
Male beastfolk were taught from a young age to care for females, so along the journey they had treated Nina reasonably well. Aside from enduring exposure to the elements—sleeping in trees or caves—she hadn't suffered much otherwise.
As they watched the torrential rain outside, the guards grew restless.
"It's been raining for three days straight. The heavy rain season is about to start. At this pace, we'll probably have to rush back to Spirit Stone City in the middle of it."
"Yeah, I hate long-distance flying during the rain season. It rains every day, water everywhere. If only we could make it back before the downpours really begin."
"But it'll probably take nearly another half month to reach Savage City! There's no way we'll make it in time."
The guards grilled meat as they complained. Their gazes toward Nina carried a hint of resentment, and the more they looked at her, the more something felt off.
"Don't you think she's gotten heavier?" one guard said suspiciously, staring at Nina's belly. "And her stomach looks bigger too."
The other followed his gaze. "It does seem that way… could she be—"
Under their scrutiny, Nina's body stiffened, her heart leaping into her throat.
Had she been discovered?