Taming the Beast World with a Frying Pan

Chapter 319: The Flower of Fertility

Ren happily swallowed the last crisp, sweet bite of the red apple and tossed the core into a nearby garbage pile. Her curiosity piqued as she zeroed in on the woven baskets lining the stone walls.

She eagerly stepped up to the first basket, peering inside at a pile of vibrant, spiky yellow fruits.

"What in the world are these?" Ren mumbled to herself, pulling her magical logbook from her inventory.

As Ren picked up one of the spiky fruits, the logbook instantly updated, displaying a detailed sketch and a neat row of text.

Sun-Burst Melon. Flavor profile: intensely sweet, reminiscent of a ripe mango mixed with a hint of toasted vanilla. Perfect for jams or glazing roasted meats.

"Oh, jackpot," Ren whispered. Without a second thought, she opened her System inventory and put many of the Sun-Burst Melons into her magical storage space.

Syris stood a few paces back, his arms crossed over his chest, watching her enthusiastically raid his castle’s pantry like a raccoon.

Ren moved down the line of baskets. She was having the best time of her life. She snapped off a piece of a dark, leafy green vegetable, popping it into her mouth. Her eyes widened. It tasted exactly like garlic butter! She dumped the entire basket into her inventory. Next, she found a pile of rough, brown tubers that the logbook identified as possessing the exact starch content of a russet potato. Into the inventory they went.

She tasted, smelled, and identified dozens of bizarre ingredients, her mind already racing with a hundred different meal plans. She could make a wild berry tart, a savory herb-crusted roast, a thick stew—the possibilities were endless!

Eventually, having effectively pillaged a significant portion of the morning harvest, Ren dusted off her hands.

"Alright," Ren announced, giving Syris a bright smile. "I am satisfied."

"Then we return to the nest," Syris declared smoothly, stepping forward to wrap an arm around her waist.

As they walked slowly back through the cool, dimly lit corridors, Ren’s mind wandered away from recipes and back to the massive, looming problem hanging over her head. Her infertility. The System offered zero solutions, but it wasn’t the only source of information. Syris had lived in the Beast World for a long time, right? He must know something.

Instead of depending entirely on the system, she should start looking for answers from persons from this world.

Ren took a deep breath, trying to casually frame her question in her head. "Syris?"

"Yes?" he hummed.

"I was just wondering... what do females usually do if they are having a hard time getting pregnant?"

Syris paused his stride for a fraction of a second, but he kept walking. He let out a low, thoughtful hum. Surprisingly, he didn’t ask her why she was asking.

In the Beast World, infertility was an extremely sensitive topic. A female’s entire worth in their harsh society was largely based on her ability to produce strong offspring to ensure the survival of the tribes. An infertile female was considered useless. If a female discovered she was barren, she rarely spoke about it or sought help. More often than not, the devastating shame drove them to take their own lives, knowing that no strong male would ever take a barren female as a mate. They would simply be cast out to die alone in the wilderness.

Syris, assuming that his mate was feeling insecure because her belly had not yet swelled with his offspring after their frequent mating sessions, treated the question with a rare, delicate tact.

"I have heard of many methods that females seek out to increase their fertility," Syris explained, his tone even and devoid of judgment. "But you must understand, they are mostly foolish tales and wild rumors spread by desperate minds."

"Rumors like what?" Ren pressed, her green eyes looking up at him intently.

"The most popular tale," Syris continued, guiding her around a stone pillar, "speaks of a specific species of flower. It is said that this bloom only grows in the volcanic mountains in the high north. And it only appears at the start of the flower moon."

Ren’s heart leaped in her chest. A magical flower! That sounded exactly like the kind of high-fantasy quest item she needed!

"What does the flower do?" she asked, trying to keep the frantic excitement out of her voice.

"The legends claim the flower possesses magic," Syris answered, his tone clearly indicating his disbelief in the subject. "When a female consumes it, her womb becomes very willing. It is said she will easily become pregnant for the duration of the moon cycle. And, the pregnancy is much shorter, and the young are born much larger and stronger than the average cub."

Ren processed the information rapidly. "Does the effect of the flower only last for that one moon cycle?"

"Yes," Syris confirmed with a slight nod. "So the stories say. Once the moon cycle ends, the magic fades and the female returns to her natural, infertile state."

A temporary fix. It wasn’t a permanent cure, but it was better than nothing! If she could get her hands on that flower, she could complete her main quest and secure her future.

"That sounds amazing," Ren breathed.

Syris let out a dark, dismissive scoff. "It sounds like a trap for the weak. It is extremely dangerous to travel to the high north, Ren. The climate is harsh, and the mountains are treacherous. When the flower moon approaches, there will be many desperate, frantic females and males wanting to trade the flower swarming those peaks, willing to kill anyone who stands in their way to claim the bloom."

He looked down at her, his eyes serious. "I have never seen this flower with my own eyes. I do not believe it is real. It is a tale created to give false hope to the lost."

Ren chewed on her bottom lip. "Well, do you know anyone from the high north who might know if it’s real?"

Syris’s gaze narrowed slightly. "You could ask the bird about it. He must be from the high north. The northern mountains are the territory of the Golden Eagle King."

Ren’s eyes widened. Altair! Of course! If the flower grew there, he would know if the legend was true or just a myth. This was all perfectly falling into place! But then, would he actually tell her or pretend he doesn’t know what she is talking about?

"But it would be a complete waste of time," Syris added firmly, cutting through her rising hopes. "Even if the bird knows the tale, it changes nothing. It is a myth."

Even with his harsh dismissal, Ren still wanted to go. She needed to go. The System’s quests were not optional if she wanted to survive and thrive in this crazy world.

Ren stopped walking, gently pulling on Syris’s arm to make him face her in the dim corridor. "Syris... how much time is left until the start of the flower moon?"

Syris stared at her, his jaw slowly clenching.

"You cannot seriously be considering going," Syris stated. He gripped her shoulders, his thumbs pressing into her soft skin. "Ren, listen to me. You do not need to have babies. I am your mate. I will protect you, provide for you, and keep you safe until the end of my days. I do not care if you cannot get pregnant. I have no desire for screaming, needy young. You are enough for me."

It was a surprisingly romantic declaration. The old Ren might have swooned, but Ren firmly shook her head, planting her hands on his chest. "I care, Syris."

In her head, she added, ’And Kael cares.’ The white tiger wanted cubs, and she had a quest to fulfill.

"I want to get pregnant," Ren told him, staring fiercely into his amethyst eyes. "I want to have cute, little babies running around. It is important to me."

Syris stared down at her determined, stubborn face for a long minute. The silence stretched between them, thick with tension.

"Come with me," Syris commanded shortly.

Instead of continuing toward the nest, Syris changed course completely. He turned down a narrow, dark corridor and began leading her down another long, winding staircase that seemed to delve into the very bedrock beneath the castle.

As they descended, the temperature plummeted drastically. Within moments, the air grew so cold that it felt like it was actually biting at Ren’s skin, penetrating right through the magical warmth of her dress.

Ren shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. "Syris, where are we going? It’s freezing down here."

Syris didn’t answer. He kept walking, unbothered by the sudden, drastic drop in temperature.

Ren stepped out into a cavernous room encased in solid black ice. At the far end of the freezing chamber stood a towering, imposing set of stone doors.

Ren stop dead in her tracks, her breath catching in her throat.

The floor between them and the doors was completely covered in a writhing, hissing, terrifying sea of thousands upon thousands of venomous snakes.