Once Leyvi, Caterina, and Luna boarded the airship, everyone had a similar reaction to Leyvi's when they first saw how big Caterina's belly had grown.
But the moment they learned it was twin girls, the entire family burst into celebration.
"Leylin, you're going to be a big brother soon," Hana said softly to the baby in her arms. "Grow up strong so you can take care of your little sisters."
Leylin, who was not even a month old yet, naturally did not understand anything. He simply stared at his mother with innocent, wide eyes.
At the side, Nala gently rubbed her still-rounded belly. "My daughter, will you come out soon?" she coaxed tenderly. "You'll have one older brother and two big sisters. That should be enough, right? Please come out already. If Mama can't cultivate, she'll get old very fast."
Caterina looked at Nala's belly with visible amazement.
Ever since she came to the Leyan Family mansion for the first time, Nala had already been pregnant. Now, seven years later, she was still carrying the child. In her long life, Caterina had never heard of anyone being pregnant for such an extended period.
It was either some kind of complication with the pregnancy, or the baby she was carrying would turn out to be extremely special. From the soul fluctuations she could sense, it seemed to be the latter.
The way the unborn child's soul fluctuations responded to everything happening around her indicated that she could already perceive her surroundings. That was definitely not something a normal unborn baby could do.
With Caterina now safely aboard, the Leyan Family continued their journey toward the Central Region, following the route they had planned earlier.
From Holy Cat City, they traveled northward with a slight eastward tilt. Without any problems, they should reach their next destination, Dua City, within five days of travel.
It would be just a quick stop to drop Tal off, as he was joining the Bureau of Investigation to begin his training as the future successor.
---
Five days later, Dua City finally came into view as the airship began to slow down.
Except for a few scattered attacks by crazed demonic beasts that tried to assault the vessel along the way, the journey had been relatively smooth. All the crazed beasts were not killed but captured instead.
It was Anda who had suggested capturing them alive so they could be studied later.
Getting attacked by crazed demonic beasts had become such a common occurrence across the Cloud Continent that it was now significantly impacting the economy.
The prices of many goods and services had been rising steadily due to the much higher cost of security needed to protect trade routes, resource sites, transportation services, and more.
Unless the problem with the Red Eye Craze was resolved, the prices of many essential things would likely continue to stay high.
This situation had affected so many cultivators throughout the continent that it was becoming harder and harder for them to obtain the resources they needed for their cultivation.
On the other hand, battle-oriented cultivators were thriving in this chaotic environment. They were in high demand and paid handsomely to protect various locations or to hunt down the crazed demonic beasts that were causing havoc everywhere.
Not long after, the Leyan Family airship landed gently just outside Dua City's main gate. Leyvi stepped out first.
With his spiritual sense, he scanned a small portion of the city. So far, every cultivator city he had visited had its own distinct aesthetic, and Dua City was no exception.
Here, most buildings and infrastructure were designed in pairs. Twin houses, twin mansions, twin towers, and so on. It gave the entire city a unique, harmonious, and somewhat symmetrical feel.
Then, Tal also came out with Stripey after saying goodbye to the others inside the airship.
To Leyvi's surprise, Tal looked quite drained. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
Tasya must have drained him as much as possible before their long separation.
Even with all the tips and guidance Leyvi had given him, it seemed Tal was still far from being a match for her. Poor Tal.
"Do you want me to accompany you?" Leyvi asked.
"No need, Master. I'm already quite familiar with the city," Tal replied.
"Hmm… if that's the case, your master wishes you all the best," Leyvi said, nodding as he patted Tal's shoulder. "Go make a name for yourself. Let everyone know who Tal is."
"Master, I won't disappoint you," Tal replied seriously.
Leyvi smiled. "If you need help, just tell me. Don't be stubborn about it. You understand?"
All members of the Leyan Family had already received the modified array communication devices. No matter where they were, they could contact one another instantly. If an emergency arose, help could arrive without delay.
"Yes, Master. I won't forget."
"Stripey, if he hesitates, you tell me." Leyvi turned toward the small monkey.
"Umm! Yes, Boss." Stripey nodded immediately.
Even though he was no longer Leyvi's spirit beast, he still addressed him as Boss out of habit.
After Stripey's Steal Talent leveled up, he gained the ability to open a pocket dimension similar to a spatial ring to store his belongings.
Naturally, the first thing he did after obtaining the ability was to stockpile as many bananas as possible.
Especially his favorite Golden Bananas.
Leyvi had also given Stripey a modified array communication device so he could make contact in case of an emergency.
He knew how stubborn men could be when facing difficulties.
Many would rather shoulder everything themselves than ask for help.
That was precisely why he had said those words to Stripey.
If Tal ever became too stubborn for his own good, Stripey would inform him.
Tal smiled helplessly.
Now it would be difficult to hide anything from his master.
Although Stripey was his spirit beast now, the small monkey still listened to everything Leyvi said.
"Alright, go now. Also, don't forget to visit when you have free time," Leyvi said, gesturing with his hand.
Tal took one last look at the airship, then turned around and walked toward the city gate. Stripey followed closely behind him before jumping onto his shoulder.
Through his spiritual sense, Leyvi could see that Tasya was staring at the screen inside the airship. She looked a bit lonely. After all, this would be the first time they had been apart for such a long period.
Thankfully, the modified array communication device had come at the perfect time. Now they could at least communicate with each other frequently. It would not feel too lonely.
After Tal went through the gate procedures and entered the city, Leyvi boarded the Universe Airship once again.
He was not particularly worried about Tal. Around him, Tal always seemed like a weak, obedient, and somewhat naive young man. But in reality, he was actually very strong among those in the same realm.
He had mastered his Clay Golem Army Martial Skill to an astonishing level and had even modified it to better suit his own fighting style.
Now, he could create and command all sixteen chess pieces.
Each piece possessed considerable combat power, and the higher the rank of the piece, the stronger it became.
Beyond that, Leyvi had already prepared numerous life-saving, offensive, and defensive artifacts for him.
Combined with Tal's intelligence and cautious nature, he should be more than capable of utilizing them effectively.
If there was one thing Leyvi worried about, it was not Tal's strength.
It was whether Tal would remember to rely on others when he needed help.
With that final thought, Leyvi withdrew his gaze from Dua City.
Soon afterward, the Universe Airship rose into the sky once more and continued its journey toward the Central Region.
---
Day 15 of Month 4, Year 2 of the Archipela Calendar.
It was two weeks after Tal and Stripey's departure.
"Waaaaa!" "Uaaaaa!"
While flying through the Central Region, Caterina finally gave birth to Leyvi's two daughters. The gap between his son Leylin and the twin girls was only a month and a half, making them very close in age.
The delivery this time was not as relaxed as Hana's, since Caterina did not have the Soft talent. Not to mention, it was twins, which generally made the process more difficult.
One might think that giving birth as a high-level cultivator should be easy because of their stronger bodies. But that was not the case at all.
Female cultivators had to deliberately weaken their bodies as much as possible so they would not accidentally harm the fragile baby while pushing them out. At that point, they were nearly as vulnerable as mortals, feeling the full pain of childbirth.
"My daughters… my daughters… I finally have children," Caterina cried happily as she held the twins in both arms on the bed. "How long have I dreamed of this moment?"
"Leyvi… thank you…" she looked at him, her eyes filled with deep gratitude and love.
Anda watched the scene with great satisfaction. Her gamble back then had turned out to be extremely successful. She could smell an overwhelming scent of devotion coming from Caterina.
From now on, her husband had such a powerful expert completely devoted to him.
It would be nice if there were more powerful ladies like Caterina, Anda thought. Give them a child and let them become devoted to Leyvi.
Unaware of Anda's rather ridiculous thoughts, Leyvi asked Caterina gently, "Have you thought of names for our daughters?"
"I want you to name them," Caterina shook her head with a soft smile. "They wouldn't be here if it weren't for you."
Leyvi nodded with a warm smile.
"Then, the older sister shall be named Leyana Leyan, and the younger sister shall be Leyina Leyan!" he declared without hesitation. He had clearly thought about it beforehand.
Hearing this, the ladies in the room immediately stared at Leyvi. They all had the same thought running through their minds.
Is he going to name all his children with "Ley" in their names?