People began to realize that the pregnancy wasn't simple. No normal pregnancy will take that much time. Two more options were added to it the pool of suspicion. Either the kids were special or Ghoto's not the father. The amount of interest in the pregnancy increased by every day the delivery was delayed.
"Just what is going on with her?" One of the many Ghoto's cousins asked his friends.
They are currently drinking in a bar within the outer city. The entire city consists of two circles, the inner city, and the outer city.
Unlike the inner city which is completely built with trees as the foundation and pillars. The outer city is built on the ground and forms a ring around the inner city. One can see the inner city elevated above the surroundings.
The inner circle is where the upper class of the city lives. Just outside the inner city is the outer city, it is the economic layer of the city, home to the normal members of the family and its occasional visitors.
The entire city spans an area of about 2000 km square, it belongs to the Ghastorix family. It is the ancestral city of the Ghastorix family, their main and largest one. This city is special because it contains origin energy, so even though it is constructed within a plane, transcendents can still train in it, up to the level of Sovereign. It is like a small world unto itself, constructed by the founding father of the Ghastorix family.
This particular cousin is closer to the direct bloodline but his bloodline purity isn't much either, it isn't enough to make him outstanding or help him reach the titan level of power. And most of all, his bloodline isn't enough to help him to surpass Ghoto.
"He just likes to be showy. It has always been like this even when we were kids." He complained again. His friends beside him also chimed in.
"Yeah, he is just too proud," one of them said.
"So you have all noticed. It isn't only me." he felt vindicated
"Of course young master."
"We've all seen him, always showing off." They nodded and agreed.
"First it was his result in the tower of heaven. Now he is being all showy with his pregnancy." They drank and complained, all the while feeling jealous.
The cousin knew he was inferior to Ghoto now, and he knew he was inferior back then when the youths of the family were lining up to participate in the trial of heaven, that's why he didn't go. He had chickened out back then because he was scared for his life. He gave the excuse that he was still young and he would go to the next one.
But things don't just happen because you wish for it, a transcendent has a maximum lifespan of 1 origin cycle. It might seem long but he knew that it was not. The only chance for him to gain a modicum of authority in the family is to participate in the trial of heaven and survive.
At the rate at which things were going the only way to achieve that is to become a lord and have his lifespan extended or he would die before the next trial of heaven. But that is hopeless, his remaining lifespan is just too short for him to become a lord considering his talent.
He doesn't regret his decision one bit, he wasn't so delusional as to risk his life when he had money and luxury. He had decided to rely on his rich father to buy the spark of authority of a lord of law.
There is another option, that is to try and become a god but he isn't that put down to consider it. So he had given up and had decided to just enjoy his life, but then Ghoto went on to marry a beautiful talented wife.
Even though she is from a lower family without a royal bloodline or any achievement, he still couldn't do better than Ghoto because no one will want him to get near their talented daughters and no talented woman will want to marry him.
Then Ghoto's wife got pregnant, while he still didn't have the right to bear children at all. In a family like the Ghastorixs especially that of a strength-oriented race with high fertility, some rules must be adhered to to maintain the purity and strength of the bloodline.
In the Ghastorix family and many prestigious families within the race, the requirement for childbearing is to survive at least a trial of heaven. That is just something he cannot achieve.
This jealousy isn't just because Ghoto's wife got pregnant. He could impregnate a lady too, his children just won't be recognized by the family, and they won't be able to enjoy the various resources of the family. What he is mainly jealous of is the authority Ghoto gained from his achievement within the tower.
But he can't do anything about it, he didn't dare slight Ghoto, the people that have survived the trial of heaven cannot be underestimated. The trial of heaven is gruesome the lower the tier a person partakes in.
There could be just ten thousand participants in the sovereign trial, a maximum of thirty thousand, but in the titan trial, the participants can reach three million. Further below is the king trial which could have about 500 million participants, and even further below that is the transcendent trial with participants that can reach 100 billion in number.
Just imagine the competition and the fighting. It will be like a meat grinder, endless and gruesome. So for someone to survive any trial is a great achievement.
The issue with Ghoto's wife's pregnancy is no longer news, people have been curious about the state of the pregnancy but Ghoto's wife had refused examination. They couldn't do anything to her considering that her husband is someone with a certain amount of authority and prospects within the family.
Even without her husband, Mihila is not someone to be trifled with. They may have disdain for her but they still have to be wary of her strength, she is far stronger than her husband. Mihila is a king of law that has survived the trial of heaven for her level of strength, she did this without the assistance of a bloodline too. So they hadn't been able to forcefully examine her pregnancy or order her around.
"Good for nothing bitch. She joined our family because of our bloodline." the cousin cursed, but his followers only gave slight nods this time.
They didn't dare to say anything bad about Mihila. They could enter the ancestral city only because of their connection with this cousin, even then they can only live within the outer city.
The only reason the cousin could live in the inner city is his father who has been recognized in the family. His father is a rich business tycoon that the family looked well upon. The cousin could talk smack about Mihila because his father is also a king of law, but they couldn't because Mihila is just as strong as the cousin's father. He could mouth off because of the protection of his father, but who will protect them? So they kept quiet and only gave encouraging nods.
The cousin didn't seem to notice the silence, he continued talking and waving his hands. While he was talking he received a message from his communicator. He knew this because of the slight tingle in his divine sense, which only happens when his communicator tries to notify him. He stopped to check the message, then he became excited.
"Truly, there is justice in this world," he exclaimed.
The surrounding people were curious about the contents of the message and why he was happy but they didn't want to be rude. They might seem like drinking buddies but they are his followers, his lackeys. They were not friends with him. Thankfully they didn't even need to ask because the cousin was all too happy to share.
"A family summons has been sent out," he said excitedly "Ghoto and his wife has been summoned by the council of elders. A grand elder is even coming."
"What?" The people that heard him were surprised.
"As the matter reached such a level?" they asked. A grand elder is a sovereign.
The cousin was happy with the news. "We will finally know what is up with that darn pregnancy." He said before running off.
He might not be allowed entry into the ancestral hall but he would stick around to get information as soon as the meeting ends. He was truly curious about the pregnancy, he had a feeling that the results of the meeting would be good news so he had to go.
He suspects that Ghoto had been able to acquire life essence and had strengthened his bloodline or his wife had cheated on him, which would explain the long duration of the pregnancy. Ghoto had denied the first option so he was looking forward to the second one.
"You will be caught red-handed." he sneered as he rushed forward.
It would be a small victory to him to see Ghoto humiliated. It would be a large blemish on Ghoto's reputation, it might be nothing compared to Ghoto's prospects but he could only take a small victory.