Vun-Sheiâs face stiffened.
"Me..?" she asked, pointing at herself as though she found it difficult to believe he had just asked her such a question.
Although it wasnât direct, she understood the implied meaning.
Even Yruel, who had been awaiting Orionâs response, was taken aback.
"Yes," Orion nodded.
"Are you also going to offer yourself along with her? Or do you have a partner?" he asked, this time being more direct.
Since Vun-Shei had lived for 260,000 years, Orion wanted to uncover whether she had a partner. If she did, he suspected that he would be a Prince. Then he would find out if he belonged to the Silver Tide Wolf Faction.
If not, Orion planned to rope him in. Even if she wanted to hide it, she would have no choice but to reveal the truth out of fear of the consequences they might face if it were uncovered later.
But if she didnât have a partner and was willing, then he would gain someone knowledgeable about the Spirit Realm on their side, before deciding what to do with her, since she was unlike Yruel and Karli, who had willingly accepted to be used as bargaining chips.
Contrary to Vun-Sheiâs expectations, Orion had gone as far as clarifying his words and directly asking whether she had a partner.
Even a fool could understand what he meant by now.
"I... I didnât expect you to be interested in me, Supreme Leader," Vun-Shei said, quickly regaining her composure.
She shook her head. "I had a partner, but he was killed by a King we unknowingly encountered. The King claimed he had taken a liking to me and that I had been chosen to bear his child someday," she explained, lowering her gaze and biting her lip in frustration.
"He said that when the time came, he would come and find me. So, he let me go to handle my personal matters. Thatâs why I wasnât present when my tribe and faction were attacked by enemy forces."
She locked eyes with Orion and smiled wryly. "The time for that so-called meeting is drawing near. I came here hoping that the presence of another King might delay him or stop him altogether. As long as I could do that, Iâd gain some time to escape his grasp."
"Unfortunately, the King only passed by here because a unique Seven-Headed Hydra had caught his attention. I chose to stay and gather information about her because I assumed that our situations felt eerily similar."
"Iâm sorry I didnât tell you this earlier. I considered it a personal matter and didnât see a reason to burden you with it, or endanger your force by forcing a confrontation with a King."
Her wry smile widened. "However, if youâre interested in me, then Iâm also willing to offer myself as a bargaining chip. As long as you can rescue me from this dilemma, and you hold no prejudice against Spirit Beasts, then youâre free to use me as you wish."
She understood all too well the roles Spirit Beasts often played when engaged to gods from the Material Realm. She had witnessed such occurrences firsthand many times.
Most often, they were treated as exotic mistresses meant to fulfil their god-partnerâs debauched desires and fetishes.
And she was prepared to fulfil that role, if it came to that.
Orionâs expression nearly turned to surprise. He hadnât expected such a dramatic story from Vun-Shei.
Given her age, he knew she must have gone through countless extraordinary experiences. But even so, he hadnât imagined one of them would involve a love triangle that ended in the death of her partner, and a forced, planned conception with a King.
Now, he understood why a Princess, who still had hundreds of thousands of years before ascending to become a Queen, would show up here upon hearing about the Kingâs presence.
If Orion viewed Zymeraâs situation from her perspective, then she was right; the parallels were there. Still, she was wrong on a crucial point.
"I can assure you," Orion responded, his tone serious, "the Seven-Headed Hydra and the King who appeared had no relationship with each other. As I showed you all through the projection, he was only lingering nearby and happened to take an interest in what was unfolding. If what you thought were true, I wouldnât have the information you seek about her current location."
The explanation that the King might have fathered Zymeraâs child and taken her away could have facilitated the current plan, but Orion wasnât about to lie just to accommodate it.
Why should he degrade his wives in such a way? And why should he let someone else take credit for his own achievement?
There was no way he would let such a falsehood spread.
A sliver of surprise appeared on Vun-Sheiâs face.
Orionâs surprised expression hadnât escaped her eyes, so she guessed that he was telling the truth.
She couldnât help but ask, "If the King isnât the one responsible for the pregnancy, then who is?"
"I donât know the answer to that," Orion replied calmly. "If youâre able to find the Seven-Headed Hydra, perhaps you should ask her yourself."
He continued, "You still havenât explained why a King would go to such lengths to have a child with you."
With the shift in conversation, Vun-Shei quickly pushed her swirling thoughts to the back of her mind.
"You may already know the requirements spirit beasts must meet to conceive a child as they become stronger," Vun-Shei.
When Orion nodded in understanding, she sighed and continued. "For Kings, itâs different. They can impregnate anyone they choose. However, the stronger the parent, the more inheritance their offspring receive. So they usually seek those who are strong. And those chosen to bear their child arenât limited to just one person."
She paused, then added, "Some Kings, those not aligned with any established force, are known to create entire factions composed solely of their descendants. So there are likely others out there already marked to carry their children. Iâm just one of many."
Once again, Orion found himself surprised by what heâd learned.
He had known that the number of Kings within the Spirit Realm was vast, thanks to their immortal lifespans, the long history of the realm, and its immense size. But he had never expected that each King could impregnate any spirit beast to create entire forces made up of their own lineage.
If beings of such power werenât limited in that way, didnât that mean their numbers were far greater than they had previously expected?
Still, Orion wasnât genuinely concerned with their numbers. What concerned him more was how many of them had ascended to become Transcendent Spirit Beasts.
"Was the Silver Tide Wolf Faction created by a King?" Orion asked, voicing the deduction heâd formed while listening to her.
"Yes," Vun-Shei replied softly. "But our Queen has been missing for a long time. We believe sheâs dead. It was her disappearance that made it so difficult for us to manage the faction. Before we eventually succumbed to the oppositionâs attack."
She exhaled wearily, her expression and voice filled with sorrow.
Vun-Shei wasnât surprised that Orion had arrived at such a conclusion. Based on what she had revealed about their origins, it was only a matter of time.
Orion gave a nod of understanding. He had learned a great deal from his conversation with Vun-Shei.
"Alright. Iâll take you, as well as your niece. You can join her," Orion said, his expression serious.
What better way to draw out the attention of a King than by taking the woman he had already marked as his own?
It was far better than spreading rumours that one of them had fathered his unborn child.
Alongside his plans for Paradise, this was like killing three birds with one stone.
This time, not only Vun-Shei but also Yruel, who stood beside her, were so astounded that they couldnât utter a word for a moment.
It was the first time they had encountered someone who had consistently subverted their worldview since their initial meeting. Never had they faced such a situation before.
Despite knowing her circumstances, the fact that Orion had accepted her meant one thing: he wasnât afraid of a King. He was even willing to seize what belonged to one.
Which god or spirit beast could boldly make such a claim?
They began to wonder: was Orion an insane god who overestimated his own strength, never having experienced the terror of the power a King wielded?
Or was the force backing him strong enough to give him the confidence to confront one?
After all, Orion, along with his companions, had survived an encounter with a King, and they far outmatched everyone present here combined in strength.
Even so, they couldnât decide which assumption to believe.
"Supreme Leader... are you certain about this? I donât think this can be called a bargain anymore if I accept," Vun-Shei said after a brief hesitation.
"You donât need to worry. Whether itâs one King or a thousand Kings, or Queens, if they choose to stand in my way, theyâll be eliminated. None of them is even worthy of holding the highest position within my force, so why should I fear them?" Orion replied, chuckling lightly at her question.