The sun set in the west.
The entire Nora Mountain Range were dyed in a layer of red rosy clouds. In the small courtyard by the lake, two young girls sat hand-in-hand, chatting.
Through this conversation, Ice Moon gained a clear understanding of Thea's tragic past. This beautiful girl had suffered discrimination among the Fire Lizardfolk, who considered her ugly.
Furthermore, after her mother passed away, she was to be sacrificed as food to a two-headed Ogre lord... The sudden appearance of Morag became Thea's hope. Her husband, Morag, had saved not only her life but also her heart... In this world, besides her mother, Siless, there was someone else who liked Thea and praised her eyes for being as pure as flames!
"Everything will get better from now on. Husband is a very kind and gentle demon!" Ice Moon stroked Thea's head.
Although they were clearly the same age, Ice Moon acted like Thea's older sister.
A long time passed.
The sun slept, and the moon hung high in the sky.
Inside the wood and stone house.
There was a very large bed.
As the saying goes: Two yellow orioles chirp in the green willows, a row of white egrets rise into the blue sky... The next morning.
Chen Zhen stood alone by the lake, watching the mist rise gently as he reminisced about last night's battle.
Demons are still too strong... [Obtained Fire Elemental Resistance Lv. 1]
[Obtained Fire Element Affinity Lv. 1]
[Obtained memories of a Rank 9 Flame Curse Mage Advanced Training Manual.]
[Demon Bloodline Evolution +10% (Currently 20%)]
Yes.
After a night of battle, Chen Zhen had grown much stronger. He could feel his Demon Bloodline strengthening; his wings and physique had grown, and his demon horns were becoming thicker.
If this continued, he would probably have to forge a new set of iron armor!
Ordinary clothes were easy to solve, of course. Ice Moon knew some needlework and kept saying she would use some fabric to make him a set of fine clothes. He was looking forward to it.
'Flame Curse Mage, a Rank 9 magic class?'
Chen Zhen examined the newly added memories. He hadn't expected the class rewarded this time to be one Rank higher than Icebound Swordsman, and it was a precious magic class at that.
Was it because of the difference in Bloodline Rank?
Chen Zhen had some suspicions; tracing Thea's Fire Lizardfolk Bloodline back, there might be traces of the Dragon Clan.
He could also Cultivate as a Flame Curse Mage. It just so happened he didn't have a magic class yet; his spellcasting abilities until now had come from his own Demon Bloodline.
The Flame Curse Mage followed a system specializing in the Fire Evocation School. To begin, one needed to condense a Scorching Focus Rune using mana. Once condensed, one would formally step into the Domain of a Rank 1 Flame Curse Mage and Cultivate related magical abilities.
Mana required meditation techniques to Cultivate. Becoming a Rank 1 mage wasn't as simple as it sounded; it was much harder than becoming a warrior.
Mages required talent.
Of course, even warrior classes had corresponding meditation techniques to better shape their physical strength and Mental Energy. Mental Energy was the source of mana.
Once Thea had rested well, he would teach her the cultivation method for the Flame Curse Mage, and he could Cultivate it alongside her.
Spring went and winter came.
Eleven months later, a few demons lived quietly by the secluded Clear Moon Lake in the Nora Mountain Range, detached from the world.
Since then, Cinder had been trying to try his luck outside, hoping to get praise and appreciation from Chen Zhen—Morag. But he gained nothing, though he had been working for Chen Zhen during that time.
"Husband, husband! I've condensed the Scorching Focus Rune!"
Thea, with her protruding belly, happily approached Chen Zhen, who was fishing by the lake. She raised her finger slightly, and an exquisite rune floated in the air.
"Thea, you're amazing!"
Chen Zhen rubbed Thea's head. He had actually succeeded in condensing it eight months ago and had mastered all the Spell abilities of a Rank 1 Flame Curse Mage.
Under his devoted nurturing, Ice Moon had advanced to a Rank 2 Icebound Swordsman three months ago. However, she hadn't been training recently because the children were about to be born.
"Go back inside; don't catch a cold."
He said softly.
Just then, the fishing rod twitched.
"I've got a bite!"
Chen Zhen grinned and gave the rod a sharp tug, swinging a large fish onto the shore. Judging by its appearance, it weighed at least thirty or forty pounds—enough for tonight's dinner.
"Husband, husband..."
At that moment, Ice Moon's urgent calls came from inside the house.
"Is this...?"
Chen Zhen realized what was happening and rushed into the house to personally deliver his wife's baby.
No one nearby knew how to do this, and Verelia wasn't omnipotent, so he had specifically learned the skill of midwifery himself.
Although he was a bit rusty, the process went smoothly.
"Oh, it's a wolf boy!"
Chen Zhen examined him happily. The boy's demon traits weren't very obvious; instead, he leaned more toward Ice Moon's Ice Wolf Bloodline, at least in appearance.
A pair of small demon horns, a pair of small demon wings, and a red-and-black wolf tail. His other features were basically human.
He could feel the power of demon blood within his son.
He knew why. Demon blood had a characteristic of being able to corrupt and assimilate most Bloodlines, but this was more in terms of power than appearance.
For example, that fellow Guldor—aside from his skin changing color and his eyes gaining some green light effects, he was no different from a regular Orc.
"Waa! Waa!"
When the wolf boy saw his grinning father, he suddenly burst into loud wails.
"Uh?"
Chen Zhen found it amusing and laughed even harder, which only made the wolf boy cry louder.
"..."
Seeing this, Ice Moon seemed to guess something. It seemed the child didn't find her husband as cute as she and Thea did.
"Look at my memory!"
Before Ice Moon could speak, Chen Zhen snapped his fingers. The entire demon instantly transformed into a man with black hair and purple eyes—mysterious, elegant, and filled with an indescribable charm.
After becoming a Rank 1 Flame Curse Mage, it had become much easier for him to study the Transformation and Disguise Spells Verelia had given him.
But most of the time, he still preferred his demon form; it was as comfortable as sleeping naked!
Uh... that wasn't a very pleasant metaphor.
Chen Zhen thought for a moment.
The wolf boy stopped crying.
But then Thea started shouting again. It seemed the wolf boy's crying had disturbed the child in Thea's belly. Seeing this, Chen Zhen hurried to deliver the next baby.
This time he had learned his lesson and held his child in his human form.
"It's a daughter!"
He looked at Thea.
Thea smiled slightly.
The daughter possessed all the key demon traits—demon horns, demon wings, and a demon tail. On her body, there were only some thin Fire Lizardfolk scales on both sides of her arms.
"Morag Bing Chenfeng."
"Morag Xi Chenya."
He gave his children these names. Although they were strange—using his demon name and his original surname, while also incorporating the names of Ice Moon and Thea.
But he was the one who chose them, so he liked them, and Ice Moon and Thea liked them too.
A double blessing!
While Ice Moon and Thea were holding their children, the Chen Zhen standing before them suddenly burst into flames. The fire seemed to burn from within his body.
It scorched his skin and his black formal attire.
But it didn't set anything on fire.
A peerlessly powerful aura radiated from Chen Zhen's body.