Gaffer considered calling his uncle through the homing sigil interface, having the question his little white asked in mind. His son.
His uncle was a senior Elder member of the Scales Tribe Council. His uncle answered the call almost immediately.
The first thing Gaffer asked about was his son.
"He is fine," the uncle said calmly. "He is stable now. At least… he has been calm and under control."
Gaffer frowned.
Just calm and under control? Not playing or running around or eating big?!
After Linda had left, his son had become restless and inconsolable. The crying would not stop. In the end, Gaffer had no choice but to take the young Imoogi to the Council of Elders.
There was another reason as well. The pearl.
The pearl Gaffer had been fighting to secure was finally approved for his son.
Traditionally, the pearl was only taken when an Imoogi reached a thousand years of age. That was when they would leave the Imoogi Circle and fully awaken as a dragon. That was how it had always been.
But the Council of Elders proposed something different.
Seeing how inconsolable and uncontrollable the silver slim beast was in, they suggested that if the pearl was taken earlier, the child might be calm again. Although taking it too early before turning 1000 years old might mean he would never transfer to dragon again.
Or maybe… Instead, he could mature naturally into a dragon whenever since the pearl is already consumed by him—like a pupa transforming into a butterfly. Just not needing to wait to be a thousand years old.
The big deal was… it had never been tried before. It had never been tested.
But the council believed the pearl should not be taken lightly as it is a powerful thing.
When the elders tried it, Gaffer was unaware. At the time, all of his attention had been on Linda and not on his son. He believed his son was in safe hands.
The Scales Tribe Council would never harm the young prince. The Imoogi child was their trump card, their checkmate piece.
As the king's only heir, if anything happened to the child, succession would shift away from the Imoogi and Dragon lineage entirely—to another powerful beast race. Maybe snakes would become kings then.
That was not something they could allow.
The uncle's voice broke his thoughts.
"I heard she has arrived," the old man said. "Your beastwife."
Gaffer smirked. "So, the news has already gotten to you all at the council.. well, she has only just arrived."
"She has been here for days," the uncle corrected. "Several days."
Gaffer remained silent.
He could not explain that for most of those days, Linda had been unconscious.
The uncle sighed. "Gaffer, my son. The Council of Elders has decided something."
Gaffer's expression shifted. Weren't these old beastmen ever satisfied?
The uncle continued seriously, "They have decided that your beastwife, alongside the remaining females, the duopaws, the triopaws, and the true females, will compete for the position of Beast Female LadyLord."
Gaffer's mood shifted instantly.
"What, why?" he asked coldly. "Isn't it too early to bring that up?"
The position of Beast Female LadyLord was not a trivial one.
She was the core female of the entire beast world. The mother figure, the Mother Nature itself.
Kings ruled tribes, but the Beast Female LadyLord ruled life in the beast world.
All offspring were assigned through her. Any beastman seeking a child went through her. She either selected a suitable female to breed for him or took on the role herself.
Gaffer hated the idea of sharing a breeder.
It was just sometime ago his former lover—May Scalden—had been chosen for that position. He had accepted it then. He had even supported it. He was willing to share her because he wanted her to be in power. He shared her body and her influence with other beast men because he wanted to give her everything.
He wanted to give her the whole world as a mere palace would just be limiting her. She was a powerful beast woman who wanted more power.
But now?
No!
His little white was not like that.
She was not weak, but she was gentle and docile. She was not prepared for such a fate.
And he would not allow her to be offered to others.
His uncle's voice hardened, "You just have to bring her here to us. Then leave the rest to us."
"I will not," Gaffer said immediately.
"You will," the uncle cut in. "You have no choice."
Power, after all, remained with the council.
"And even if she does not become the Beast Female LadyLord," the uncle continued, "she will still be subjected to the same fate. The chosen one will assign her to beastmen. Hundreds. Thousands. Who can say?"
Gaffer's fists clenched.
"But if she becomes the Beast Female LadyLord, the decision will be hers."
The uncle paused.
"Who knows? Perhaps your affection will restrain her from wanting to breed with other beastmen. Though," he added pointedly, "your affection failed to restrain May Scalden."
The connection severed as his uncle suddenly ended the call.
Gaffer stood still.
His horns were already out after that kiss from Linda. He was already close to transforming to his beast form. But this sudden news… it rushed his transformation, making black, sharp scales pop out of his human skin.
The air around him darkened as the energy in the room turned black.
Gaffer was furious.
Meanwhile, at that point, Linda was with Scliff. Everything she had asked for through that drawing had been delivered—every single item. Even the beast cow. The nuts. Everything.
Still in her human form, Linda followed him and his subordinates. She wanted to see for herself.
When they arrived, she realized Gaffer had ordered everything to be placed in the dead garden, not the fresh one. The dead garden had already been cleared, its soil cored and exposed. It was much larger than the fresh garden, with a wider landscape and more space.
Linda immediately understood the logic.
She planned to grow everything in the dead garden.
The fresh garden, on the other hand, was already alive. The weeds there were not useless weeds at all; they were edible plants. Vegetables and plants useful for growth and nutrition was there.
She did not want them destroyed.
It was only when she stepped fully into the fresh garden that she truly saw the range of plants that was there.
There was also Pineapples, watermelons, pumpkins.
Linda froze.
She could not believe her luck.
Things she had not even asked for were already here. Real food. Food she could cook and fruits she could blend into real juice.
She could eat properly in this beast world after all.
She began counting everything, gesturing rapidly in front of Scliff, listing what she had found and what could be used.
Scliff only stared at her, utterly speechless. To him, all of it was poison.
He covered his nose slightly and stepped back, his expression strained. Those plants themselves were definitely toxic.
Linda did not care what he thought.
But as she reviewed everything again, she realized something was missing.
She frowned and gestured sharply.
'Pepper.'
She mimed different types—small, long, round—then emphasized the red one. She even gestured cheese afterward.
Scliff's eyes widened in horror.
"Madam," he said stiffly, "that is the most dangerous poison of all. Do you plan to kill the master and his son?"
He narrowed his eyes. "I knew you had ulterior motives."
Linda rolled her eyes so hard it hurt.
She slapped her palm lightly against her forehead in frustration. As she turned her face to the other side, she suddenly froze.
She saw something red far off, at the edge of the fresh garden.
Her eyes widened. She leaned forward, squinting.
'Pepper. Chili pepper!' Linda's face lit up.
She could not speak, but she nearly vibrated with excitement. She gestured wildly, clapping her hands, pointing again and again. Then, without thinking, she ran up to Scliff and hugged him tightly.
Scliff stiffened in shock.
Linda pulled back, flashed him a bright thumbs-up, then turned and rushed away.
She had to tell Gaffer.
She had to tell him that everything thanks to him had been brought. She would then tell him that everything could be planted and grown as well—everything except the cow.
The beast cow would need to be kept elsewhere. It was still in its beast form.
She ran toward Gaffer's chambers.