It took another long and hard year until Sovereign Aria got pregnant, with all the bonuses to fertility for both spouses, but when she did, it was another reason for celebration in the Pef Empire.

It was also a reason for Pef to hold an intercontinental tournament for ranks of Sky and above, inviting the Patriarchy, the druids and the fire disciples to send their talents.

In a month, the capital became a fair of trade and hasty urban construction, clearing most of the shabby slums and converting them into pleasant one story houses, with a small garden in the back. There were also a hundred new skyscrapers and a General's temple to amaze the visitors, along the new port and naval base, the ten defense forts around the city plus a hundred airships to serve as tourist attraction.

The markets were in fervor, with thousands of smiths selling their metal or bones artifacts, or even glass or porcelain wares.

Fruits, vegetables or meat from all the explored continents were being sold and cooked by markets, restaurants or street vendors.

Dozens of new books, from medicinal plants to animal husbandry and architecture were displayed proudly on shelves, all printed by mobile letter printers.

The newest invention, the icebox, was making furors on the market, as a zinc lined desk with a third of its volume filled with ice could store perishable foods for long weeks, while the more numerous water mages found a comfortable practice in making and selling ice.

The Lord Druid arrived first, as his daughter Blossom wanted to introduce his grand daughter, and he arrived in style, with two more Sovereigns and 6 hawks and eagles war mounts filled with druids of the 3rd, 4th and a few 5th circle.

It was possibly disbelief on his face, when the druid circled the perimeter of Lacrimosa City and observed the degree of new construction and civilization on the remote and so called useless Saint continent. True, the qi was poor here, but this Pef Empire of his son-in-law had more Sovereigns than his own continent, not to mention a Monarch!

Plus some Tyrants and Emperors and a hundred Sky ranks. It was the expected strength of a world superpower, not a tiny and new empire.

The druids were hosted at a nearby fort, so that their mounts wouldn't accidentally snack on people, and given quarters in the Guardian barracks.

A feast was being prepared for them as they landed, Pef and Blossom directing and helping a dozen Guardians cooks while Aria sat to the side with two children in her arms, one of them her newborn boy and the other his grand daughter.

"Lord Druid, come sit. Have some tea and relax, and meet my kids, Rose and Hero. My firstborn, Gene, has to stay in his room, as he's a regular kid, prone to disease and fits of crying. These two are immortals though, so they can take it." Pef explained in an easy going manner, gesturing at a seat next to Aria.

"Erm. Indeed. Do you have to cook yourself, Lord Pef? You seem to have enough cooks..." the Druid leader wondered while focusing his attention on his beloved grand daughter. She didn't have green highlights though, looking plain and chubby, with only a patch of black hair and curious eyes.

"Well, I don't have to cook, and I mostly don't. Just applying quality control, to enhance the taste for this spider meat." The young Sovereign said with a wide grin.

"We'll be ready in twenty minutes, father. You may play with Rose til then." Blossom said in a commanding tone, gesturing with a sharp finger at her father.

Perhaps the old druid wasn't used at being ordered around, but his daughter was now also a Sovereign, and he did come to see her and the baby.

"As you say, most beautiful daughter. Marriage suits you well, I must admit." he murmured in some surprise, as Blossom had blossomed into a world-class beauty in the few years they haven't seen each other, while her young husband had put the Green pills to good use, and got two druid girls pregnant in only few years.

About an hour later, the dinner was served in a large mess hall, and the babies and their former druid mothers presented to the visiting druids.

One can only imagine the surprise some younger druids felt when they saw the full emerald green hair of Sovereign Aria, or at the green fluff growing on her baby's head. It was a sign of divine blessing, and one not of their druid circle.

After the amazed druids got to be delighted with a specialty of Saint continent cuisine, with a side of corn and cheese, plus fruits and vegetables, they were given permits to wander the city, as well as gifts of local silver and copper currency, so they could actually buy stuff and not just stare at the wares.

Blossom stayed behind to catch up with her father and friends from the druid circle, while Pef and Aria flew back home, to feed the kids and tuck them to sleep.

Then Pef retired to his sauna, and got to be delighted by his fire fairy and her sparkling beauty.

"So, anything bad going on?" he asked after ogling her heavenly body for some 10 minutes, before getting his voice back and his thoughts in the upper brain working again.

"A bit more petty thefts, as expected. Your oracles are rounding them up and increasing the workforce for the mines. No more murders in the past month, so that's good." Yuan said in a soft voice, while breathing deeply to tease him with her jingly airbags.

Pef sighed and closed his eyes, letting the steam pour in and relax his body and soul.

Centuries or maybe millennia of bad habits and unlawful behavior were slowly getting culled and extirpated from society, but it would take a generation or two before the things began working properly. Education and making the laws simple to learn and follow.

It wasn't hard on paper, it took him a week to sort this problem out at only 17. But people had a resistance and inertia in their behavior, and that wouldn't change in a few years.

Luckily, high cultivation ranks of his family and Guardians meant that organized resistance or banditry was no longer possible, only the slow and ineffective traditional mores and ethics impeding faster growth. Paired teachers perhaps, couples would be ideal.

That should break up traditional gender roles, and allow smart women to contribute with innovative ideas and works.

"I'm getting close, my lady. One year, maybe two. Will you visit me then?" he asked in a gentle voice, as his Monarch wife hugged him with careful arms.

Yuan kissed him softly, leaving a bit of jasmine taste on his tongue. "We'll see. Those kids of yours, look very adorable. I may drain you dry for my own."

"Then I shall die happy, fulfilling two dreams in one act. Although, if you want a dozen kids, my lovely fairy, you should pace yourself and exploit your god given husband in small portions." He replied wryly, while measuring her statuesque shape with his magic glove.

'We have enough for a new set of dresses?' he asked a bit worried.

'Her body hasn't changed since you last measured it, Aspirant. Also, you have a spectator...' the glove said with a smirk.

Pef glanced to the side, just as he felt the cold aura appear in the hot sauna.

"Lady Winter, you should tell me to close my eyes when you appear naked." he said while ogling the Ice Saint with surprised eyes.

The woman was kinda plain, and her chest and thighs bore nasty scars, normally hidden under her robe. The wide belt had hidden a deep gouge in her side, like something had taken a bite and it never healed properly.

"As I expected, you're not disgusted or frightened. More like a doctor, observing and looking at my wounds for a cure." Cellia said in a calm voice, and not upset at being observed, with his young and a bit lusty eyes. He didn't just notice her scars, his gaze wandered all over, despite a ravishing beauty in his lap.

"I've suffered much worse, Cellia. And so did Yuan. The body heals easy, but souls may never heal." Pef said in a compassionate tone and traced the former wounds on his Monarch's wife back.

The Saint smiled a bit awkwardly. "Yeah, I saw you at Etna, my new friend. You looked kinda melted." she admitted with a shy glance at his body.

"Go and patrol the Empire a bit, my fairy. My frosty friend needs a favor, I think." the Sovereign whispered and poked his wife's airbags in futile gesture.

"Lady Winter, til next time." the Monarch said with a small bow and sped away.

The inside of the sauna froze in a flash, obscuring any qi senses, as the Saint came closer and trailed an absolute zero cold finger from Pef's nose to his groin, making him shiver, for some reason.

"Brain Devouring Plague. It's what the Saint worm uses to reproduce, infecting all nearby animals and converting them into more worms. But it's not a soul disease. Monarchs can resist, with some luck or Black pills. And the next spore explosion is close." she said in a grave and glacial tone, her eyes dead serious.

'Really?' Pef asked inward in some panic. Humans were animals too.

'Fire and ice can stop the infected beasts. But human losses would be cataclysmic anyway. Penicillin won't help, and Black pills are very rare.' the glove added as more incentive.

Pef hugged the naked Saint while trying desperately to think of a solution. Mass evacuation to the Black Magma continent? Layered defenses?

Fire breaks? Ice walls? Those only worked if the worm remained stationary. But as the Yellow Tear canyon proved, it could and would move.

"We need to kill it. Somehow..." he whispered in a frightened voice.

"I got one more Grey pellet, my young friend. Took some work, but you can ascend today." The Saint added in a teasing manner, enjoying the scared kitten holding on to her, like a lifeline. Then again, she was doing the same.

Pef drew back, and flicked her nose in a dismissive gesture. "Give it to Deng. He's coming here next week, and better arrive as a Monarch, full of energy and vitality, instead of a decrepit old man dragging his bones around."

The Ice Saint smiled mysteriously, her head tilted a bit to better take in the outrageous Sovereign. "He's digesting his pellet right now, young Pef. See, I told him to hit me. And he actually nicked my finger!" the woman proclaimed proudly, showing a millimetric scar almost healed on her index fingertip.

"That's great! If he doesn't ascend from that, I can give him an Orange pill when he gets here. Although what he needs most is love, not more energy..." Pef mused while playing with the Saint's silky hair.

"Funny thing, he does have some Sky ranked woman around him. I thought she was a daughter or something, but Deng isn't the type to grope and kiss his daughters. I chopped off his legs for less than that." the Saint said in a mild voice, and nodded to herself.

'Yeah, no wonder he never returned to your sword training, crazy woman!' Pef mused inward, a bit dismayed at how easy people lost limbs on this planet.

"Oracle Shen, I know her. She's too nice to him, for what a bigoted old man he has become. But with her skill, she possibly understands him better.

So, what favor can this young Sovereign offer to her supreme Saintess of ice and snow?" the brave hero asked while looking the Saint straight in the eyes.

"Artus wants to train a successor. Thus, I need a father for a daughter. Kinda short list of friends, and a fire qi wouldn't work. And between you and Deng, with you, I'd burn a hundred times fewer kids, born normal. You my friend, have a two out of three success ratios so far, which is more than amazing. Plus the water spirit and a whatever dual soul aura, which has white in it." Lady Winter explained while trying to sound a bit sultry and enticing.

But she kinda forgot the game in the half of million years since she'd tried it, so it didn't quite work.

Pef sighed audibly and sat back on his bench, ignoring the frozen ice over the wood.

"Did you hear yourself, stupid woman? Let's make a kid, and then abandon her into some ice cave to be refined into another ice princess. Have you heard of maternal love?" He asked a bit sarcastically.

"Say that again! You're a mewling kitten, and should be honored to receive a blessed daughter!" the Ice Saint exclaimed while a front storm formed around her.

"I gave you my ring, you coldhearted witch! I'll make with you a thousand children to love and cherish them. But not to abuse them! Children are precious and sacred. Geez. Go away now. I don't wanna see you for a year!" Pef exclaimed in outrage and flashed his sword qi as he was getting cold, for some reason.

Lady Winter clenched her jaw in a forceful way to stop herself saying worse things, then turned and walked out the door, leaving the sauna frozen in her wake.

'You should have taken the Grey pellet first...' the glove observed a bit amused. Its user chasing away a Saint with only a forked tongue was quite amazing anyway.

'I need more practice. And I would have given the pill to someone else anyway.' he answered while dressing up and walking out from the freezer.

The Ice Saint was waiting outside though, also dressed and a bit calmer. She flicked the pellet at his glove, so fast it was almost invisible. "I can't leave yet...you were supposed to cook for me..." Cellia muttered in a more meek voice.

Pef sighed and walked towards the kitchen. "Unfreeze my sauna, or I can't nourish my soul and eyes. How can I fondle my pretty wives if they freeze to death?" he said in a more subdued tone.

"Moron! Why did I become friends with a disrespectful idiot?" Cellia muttered to herself, but a bit glad their relation was just cold and not broken.

She could deal with cold.