Morok yelled at the two crying women with an angry voice. "I’m trying to celebrate my friend here and you’re spoiling our happy mood with your sob story! "We all have a human girlfriend here and if I have to listen one more time about the gap in our lifespans, this party will turn into a gods-damn funeral!" Experience more on freewebnovel Dryna and Zelima became pale as ghosts and their tears dried up the moment they realized all the Tavern’s patrons were staring at them. They had started discussing the Wyvern academy like everyone else, so they had never isolated themselves from the rest of the conversation. "I’m so sorry." Zelima bowed left and right in apology, wishing Mogar would strike her down with a bolt of lightning. "I didn’t mean to disrupt your evening." ’Thank the gods he stopped me before I got to the babies part.’ She thought. ’Why didn’t someone intervene sooner?’ Because the discussion was heart-wrenching and the matter delicate. No one wanted to butt in while two people in love were having a moment, no matter how awkward listening to them was. No one but Morok, of course. "Don’t mention it, cook lady. Just don’t spit in my food once I place the order and we’re even." He said, making most of the patrons snort with laughter while Lith hid his face in his hands. "I’m sorry for you two. You look like a wonderful couple." "Thank you." Dryna whined, wishing that dying of embarrassment was more than a figure of speech. "You are welcome." Morok nodded. "By the way, if you want the easy way to longevity, cook lady, become an undead. Maybe a vampire. They look cool and in your line of work, you should have gotten used to dealing with blood." "That’s a wonderful idea." It wasn’t but Zelima was in a rush to get away from the crowd. "I’m sorry, they are calling me from the kitchen. Have a nice meal." "Children." Morok said with a sigh while waving the couple goodbye. "Always making drama." "Do you realize that aside from me everyone at this table is close in age with those two, do you?" Protector said. "I meant emotional maturity." Morok tutted. "I’ve made plenty of scenes in taverns all over the Kingdom, but at least I made people cry of laughter, not sadness. That stuff was heavy. My beer almost tastes bad now." He gulped down the whole mug. "Almost." He burped with relish. "I agree on the last part." Lith sighed. "I mean, human Awakened live a thousand years at most whereas as a Divine Beast I might leave way longer and so will you guys. If Kami…" He couldn’t finish the phrase and sought the comfort of the blonde ale in his beer mug. "I guess I’m the only one who doesn’t have to worry about that." Nalrond shrugged. "I should live as long as Friya since she’s going to become Faluel’s Harbinger. That brings up a whole lot of different problems, though." "I don’t know how long I will live, but I have to admit the thought of outliving Selia is scary." Protector stared at the full moon, his mind haunted by countless memories. "I don’t want to lose another mate." "What do you mean, another?" Nalrond asked. "You dog!" Morok punched Protector’s shoulder. "I mean wolf. Whatever you are. Are you telling us you have a harem hidden somewhere? That would explain why you’re always short of money and out of town!" "I’m a Skoll and no, I don’t have a harem you insufferable Moron!" "Morok." The Tyrant corrected Protector. "Moron." "Fine! Back to the harem, though, and don’t skip anything of the spicy stuff." Morok said. "I don’t have a harem." Protector sighed. "For your information, I didn’t spend my life as a monk before Awakening and wolves mate for life." "Then you should have stopped after the first one. Unless you want me to believe that Selia got pregnant by proximity." Morok scoffed. "Not once in a lifetime, you Moron, for life." Protector snarled. "It means one mate at a time. My previous ’wives’ died of age, wounds and illness. I was the first magical beast of the Trawn Woods to become an Emperor Beast. "I outlived most of my pack. Now that I’m married with Selia, I don’t entertain any other woman. I’m always short of money because human babies need a lot of stuff that cubs don’t and I’m always out of town to earn that damn money!" "Then your mistake was not picking a loaded woman. Like us. Right, bro?" Morok offered Nalrond his fist and the Agni glared at him. "I didn’t court Friya for her money and having lost someone myself I don’t find this conversation one bit funny." He grunted. "Being reminded of my dead fiancée while celebrating my engagement to Friya spoils my mood even more than those two lovebirds." "Fine. Let’s talk about something else." Morok shrugged and turned to Lith. "Garrik sends his love, Lith. He would appreciate it if you came to visit us more often. He misses you." "Tell him I miss him too." Lith sighed. "I’ve been so busy recently that I barely had the time to leave my lab. How is Garrik doing?" "Mostly bored." Morok waited for the food to be served and the drinks refilled before activating the table’s Hush array. "He loves going to school with Aran and Leria in the Desert and hates missing all the events that don’t take place over a mana geyser. "I wanted to take him with us tonight, but there was no way to reach this place unnoticed, even with your tower." All oases formed above a mana geyser but the Desert had no Warp Gate Network. There was no way to bring Garrik to the Travelling Tavern without exposing the existence of Menadion’s tower to the young Tyrant and everyone else. "How is his life force developing?" Nalrond had a similar problem in the past and could relate with Garrik’s sense of isolation. "Great. That technique Lith created for us is allowing him to improve by leaps and bounds." Morok’s voice held gratefulness and envy in equal measure. "Not opening the seventh eye seems to be the right move for a Tyrant. "Garrik’s Fomor life force is still fallen, but it’s getting more stable as he practices the breathing technique. He should be able to leave the mana geyser by sixteen, and when he’s twenty, he might not need to choose between his life forces. "And it’s all thanks to you. Thank you, Lith." "It’s nothing." Lith nodded. "What about you?" "As you can imagine, I’m making progress at a snail pace." Morok swallowed his sorrow medium rare with a side of spiced potatoes. "I’ve already opened my seventh eye and got rid of my human nature years ago. "My Tyrant life force is stable and altering it requires lots of time and effort. My only consolation is that I can pass everything I’m learning on to my twins. If they start using the breathing technique from a young age, they’ll surpass their old man in no time." "Have you already decided about the names?" Nalrond asked. "Have you checked the gender of the babies or do you want it to be a surprise?" Protector asked.