Morning, the next day, Inala accompanied Asaeya and Gannala as they rode a carriage to Karuta Hill. Their goal was the Mammoth Ancestor's tusk that was placed in the valley adjacent to Karuta Hill as a scenic attraction.
"Hehe!" Asaeya's face beamed in smiles as she coiled herself around Inala's left arm, snuggling up to him, "Things are fun."
"Ha…haha," Inala smiled awkwardly in exhaustion. His eyes sported dark circles, for he hadn't had a wink of sleep during the entire night. Honestly, his legs felt weak, trembling faintly all along. He stared at Asaeya and felt intimidated, 'Monster!'
Asaeya had been gunning for it for eleven years after all. And hence, she was unstoppable once they copulated, wringing him dry until he was exhausted of all Prana. Only then did she stop, unwillingly.
"Hehe," She chuckled and increased the strength in her hold over him, staring at Inala to whisper as her eyes darted to the side, "Why don't we…stop here for a while."
"Not now, we have work to do," Inala said in a hurry.
"We won't lose anything by delaying for a few hours." Asaeya nudged up to him, gently rubbing shoulders, "Say…won't you? Come on…just a little."
"Urgh, why am I even here?" Gannala grumbled while seated opposite the two in the carriage. She hadn't touched Inala, unwilling to read the memories of the night before.
Honestly, mating wasn't even a concept that flustered her. An Empyrean Tusk could treat all its Mammoth Clansmen as Bone Slips. Meaning, it knew everything that was happening, from the Mammoth Clansmen mating to even taking a crap.
And as the Supreme Tusk's successor, the amount of data she had regarding just that was…monumental. But despite that, she held herself back and didn't access Inala's latest memories to avoid observing what her father did with Asaeya.
It wasn't as if she had to maintain her innocence. No, as an Empyrean Tusk, Gannala knew everything. But, she didn't read Inala's memories out of fear.
What if she accessed his memories and instead of feeling embarrassed, treated it as nothing more than a mating session between two of her Mammoth Clansmen? That was what she was afraid of the most.
All Empyrean Tusks were born as Mammoth Clansmen. As they grow older, their perception of the world shifts from a personal point of view to an omniscient point of view. They generally would begin to experience this once they take on their Empyrean Tusk form.
It was because they viewed the world from such an omniscient perspective that they were worshipped as Deities not only by Mammoth Clansmen but by many other races too. The only ones capable of this other than Empyrean Tusks were the Empyrean Snappers, the Boar King, and the Mystic Empyrean Tentacles.
As a result, Gannala was afraid. As her strength continued to increase, the omniscient perspective was becoming part of her even while she was in her human form. After all, she had already transformed into an Empyrean Tusk a few times after getting the Tertiary Nature of Cultivator.
As her Empyrean Tusk form was still tiny enough, she wasn't worried about others detecting her. Moreover, she only did it at the bottom of the Northern Lakes far away from any signs of civilisation, using the porous walls covering the lakes to block her appearance from detection.
But after her first transformation into an Empyrean Tusk, the omniscient perspective began to invade her being. If she, after looking through Inala's mating scene, was calm instead of being flustered like a girl at her mental age, it meant that her mental development had progressed tremendously.
She had already begun to look at Inala as a Mammoth Clansman part of her settlement instead of her beloved father. She could still have her bias towards him, but not unlike now where she could even kill other Mammoth Clansmen on his behalf.
Once the omniscient perspective fully kicks in, she'll consider all Mammoth Clansmen as part of her. She won't be able to favour Inala while harming others. Moreover, when Clansmen with the Fragment Disease start to appear in her Settlement, she'd instinctively value them more than Inala.
Gannala didn't want to become like that so soon, which was why she was afraid.
Staring at her, Inala could guess her worries, since Gannala's progression as a Deity was steadily increasing, "Are you afraid?"
"Yes," Gannala nodded, "I am very much afraid, afraid that you'll stop meaning as much to me as you do now."
"That's nature," Inala said, "Children eventually grow out of the protective shell created by their parents and face the world on their own."
"But I don't like it!" Gannala screamed shrilly, "Can't I just be like this?"
"If you want that, you can." Inala said, "And I'll help you with everything at my disposal."
He extended his index finger and pointed at her forehead, "Keep the Inhibition Needle safe. Once I get the Major Treasure of Attribute, I'll be able to develop it into a Minor Treasure. With that, you can remain a Free Human."
"It's only possible for a single body, but…" Inala patted her head as Gannala jumped into his embrace and began to cry, "Alright, alright, don't feel sad. Just tell me what you want without worrying, alright?"
"I'm a capable dad."
"Mmhm," Gannala nodded, "I'll consume a bunch of Influence Easing Elixirs to suppress my instincts. I won't become a Deity for another decade."
"That's the spirit," Inala said and activated his Empyrean Slip Prime Skill to better understand her worries by accessing her mind. But suddenly, he stopped and shot a glare at Asaeya, "What the fuck is that?"
"What?" Asaeya looked around in confusion, unable to understand what he was talking about.
Grabbing her wrist in anger, Inala growled, "Akashic Rupture? That's your Tertiary Nature? Didn't we discuss and plan for another Tertiary Nature before? Sacrificing yourself to inflict pain on the Boar King! Are you mad?"
"I'm not going to use it unless necessary…" Asaeya stopped talking, unable to speak anymore, feeling an absolute chill as a voracious presence exploded out of Inala. Even Gannala was unable to move, feeling as if her mind had frozen in fear.
Subjected to a presence that was akin to a sea of bugs scuttling about, capable of devouring everything they come in contact with in an instant, a primal sense of fear budded in her being, preventing her from even making a response.
It was only for an instant, but felt like an eternity for the two. Having only unleashed it to the confines of the carriage, Inala retracted it and glared at Asaeya, "Never! I mean, never use that shit! Okay?"
"Y-Yes," Asaeya nodded meekly.
"Your only task is to sit at home and have fun, alright?" Inala glared at her and patted her head, "Don't worry about things like facing the Boar King."
"You too," Inala stared at Gannala, "Don't put your life at risk, no matter the situation."
"But, what if your life's at risk?" Gannala argued, "Do you mean to tell me to sit back and watch?"
"Yes," Inala said coldly, "If I die, Blola will revive me. It's as simple as it gets. If I fail, I'll start from scratch."
"But you two only have one life. So, it's more precious." Inala said and clapped his hands, masking his anger as he laughed cheerfully, "Your safety is my priority, alright?"
"Don't worry about others or anything else and just have fun cultivating." He chuckled, "We'll go visit scenic locations to sightsee."