While the two mothers went to the kitchen to prepare a nice meal for their husband, Kana happily joined to help as well as Camila and Felicia too, Aster wanted to lend a hand, because he enjoyed flirting with Sarina when she was cooking, but the two mothers were having an invisible battle right now, so he was sent away to the dining room with the others, to wait for the food.
Aster found the situation rather amusing, but he was happy to see Lilia and Sarina being so "enthusiastic", they could compete and get closer this way, and that was good considering Lilia had very few friends previously, this reinforced his family so how could he not love it.
He then sat at the middle of the table and all the girls occupied their seats on the same side, when they are at home, Eris and the others don't care about sitting in front of Aster, but outside they take his side, because they belong to the same group.
That being said it was a bit strange that there was a whole side occupied by a lot of beauties, and at the other one, there was only Alexandra, luckily for her she was also waiting for other people to arrive, so the situation won't be that much out of balance… maybe.
Alexandra also got to see a bit of the dynamics of Aster's family, Alice sat directly next to Aster and clang to his arm, the seat at the left was left alone because that was for either Lilia and Sarina, and then there was Aria, since she was the one that received all the attention during the mission, it was time for the others to get some.
As for the others, they just took a seat either at Aster's right or left, while they chatted with each other, to Aster's delight he could enjoy the pretty smiling faces of all the girls, while they got along with each other.
Aria and even Tiana were challenging Alice and Vivian to a spar to test out the techniques they recently created, to the pleasure of the violent dragon girl who missed her spar partners, Eris and Mylene and Agnes were talking about the enemies they encountered as well as the materials they got from the Silicon Forest, which included Nim into the conversation.
Alexandra observed the situation and she was surprised, maybe the group in front of her wasn't normal by all means, but they certainly seemed to enjoy each other's company.
"I'll go bring mom… also my uncles as well as miss Valentina's disciple are joining us", said Alexandra as she left the dining room.
Aster turned to see Agnes, who shrugged in response.
"Cousin didn't say anything, but she must be quite busy forcing William's lazy ass to do his job taking advantage of the fact that they left the sect, which is also why that little girl was left to return with us".
As the Executor, William had many situations in which he had to mediate between forces in dispute at Galatia, but he always escaped to not do his job, so Valentina used this opportunity to put him to work, and since that included going to many dangerous places, Nerissa couldn't go with them.
Aster didn't really mind that she tagged along, as she was quite helpful during their time at the Silicon Forest, so there was no problem if she wanted to return with them, not to mention Alice was eager to fight with the one who was considered the strongest female disciple of the Black Sword faction, who according to Aria wasn't any worse than them.
The doors of the kitchen opened to reveal a series of large plates that were floating out of it, followed by Sarina who had a bright smile on her pretty face, and a pouting Lilia, it was obvious who won the "food war".
Aster saw the huge number of dishes those two prepared and he chuckled, luckily there were a few body cultivators here, because it was quite a lot of food, at the same time Alexandra returned with her mother, who looked like a completely different person.
Her sick pale skin had recovered a decent pink tone, her hair which had lost a lot of its luster looked quite healthy changing from that sickly gray to a much darker tone, and her eyes were brimming with life instead of the dull light that lingered in them yesterday.
But the biggest difference is that she was walking with her own two feet instead of using the wheelchair, she didn't even need Alexandra to support her, which took both the mother and the daughter by surprise.
She didn't expect that her atrophied muscles had regained some strength overnight, and after she took the bone hardening pill that protected her bones, she felt like a completely healthy person, naturally it was momentaneous, but even then, she won't fully lose her capacity to move loke before.
Not to mention her organs were properly processing the pill, so her lifespan wasn't being shortened by using them, in all sense she was much better compared to yesterday.
"Many thanks to the benefactor for his benevolence", the moment Tamara saw Aster she bowed down towards him, it's been so many years since she didn't feel like a dying person, even her appetite had returned and she no longer needed to eat exclusively nutritional pills, as her body was capable of turning food into the energy she needs.
Aster nodded at her, while he patted Kana's head, the little girl had jumped onto her lap the very moment Lilia and the others returned from the kitchen.
"No problem, sit and eat with us, the treatment will begin after a little rest", he said.
Tamara smiled and then she and her daughter sat, they were originally going to wait for the Fritz's clan head as well as the elder Jack, the old man who shared a drink with Aster when they arrived at the Fritz Stellar System, who turned out to be Alexandra's godfather and also Tomas's best friend.
But they contacted Tamara to tell her they will be arriving a bit late, since they had to deal with some stuff regarding the Silicon Forest, probably Sean Fritz was whining about Alexandra not showing him any face and also quitting the Steel Tower sect on the spot, as she followed an "outsider" in the form of Aster in public, which threw dirt directly at his face.
So, they went ahead and dug in, needless to say but the pair of mother and daughter were amazed at how good was Sarina's cooking, which made the motherly woman proudly smile, as she was sitting right next to Aster on the previously empty spot.
Naturally wasn't going to be separated from her darling, so the one that ended up losing was Alice, who was now sitting next to Lilia, because she took the right seat next to Aster.
"That's not fair mom", mumbled Alice while she munched her food, which made Aria and the others softly laugh, while Lilia cut little pieces of food and gave them to Aster, those were the dishes she prepared, though she lost to Sarina, her food wasn't bad at all.
It's just that Sarina had talent for cooking, while Lilia's talent lied fully on battles, be it on the battlefield or in the dormitory.
Aster didn't refuse and accepted the food his mother prepared, of course Sarina did the same too and even the little girl cut some of the little pieces of fruit she was eating and gave a couple to Aster personally.
Once everyone had their fill, they were free to do as they pleased while they waited for the people who was missing, with the exception of Lilia, Eris and surprisingly Vivian who will be actively participating.
Even then, all the girls curiously followed Aster towards the training area of Alexandra's mansion, because they wanted to see how Aster treated someone, Vivian was especially interested because Aster told her, that her poison will be used to cure someone.
And that is what led us to the current scene, inside of a huge room that was practically empty by Aster's petition, Aster waved his hand and a large piece of bright yellow crystal appeared out of nowhere.
As he was about to give Tamara some instructions, the gate of the room opened and Nerissa followed by the old man Jack and a middle-aged man with short beard entered the room.
The middle-aged man saw Tamara's current appearance and his jaw dropped, not only that he then noticed she was standing with her own feet and he was at a loss.
The old man Jack on the other hand laughed and then gave Aster a thankful gaze.
"It's so good to see you healthy, sister-in-law", said the old man as he drank from his gourd, for Tamara's well-being.
Only then the middle-aged man returned to reality, he approached Tamara with a warm smile and then carefully inspected her current state, but he stopped midway, his face reddened and then he coughed a couple of times as he looked sidewards.
"Sis you… recovered more than what it meets the eye", said the middle-aged man, Tamara smiled and then hit her brother's shoulder, showing the liveliness she had back then when she, Tomas, Ulises and Jack ventured together.
The middle-aged man who was the friend mentioned by Tomas, Ulises Fritz, who by either fate, luck or hard work ended up becoming the clan head of the Fritz, instead of his younger and more talented brother, Sean, turned to see Aster and bowed down to him.
"Miss Valentina had explained me everything, many thanks to the Lord of the Twin Sword Valley, for having helped my sister and my niece, if there is anything I can do to help please just say the word", said Ulises.
As one would expect from Tomas's friend, the Fritz's clan head was a pretty straightforward person, not caring about status and whatever and bowing his head to the benefactor of his sister and niece, unlike Sean Fritz.
"We can leave formalities and other things for later, right now, I want to start with the treatment, you two can stay but I'll have you making an oath of silence, also you can't interrupt me no matter what you see", said Aster.
Jack and Ulises nodded, they who were part of the high echelon of the Fritz Stellar System, had looked for a way to cure Tamara through countless planets and galaxies, and ultimately reached the same conclusion.
The pill or elixir Tamara needed couldn't be found in a middle ranked Stellar System, if it was something that could be bought with money, Ulises would have emptied the savings of the Fritz if that's what it took to cure Tamara.
Unfortunately, anything that is strong enough to affect a Heavenly Realm aspect, isn't something that can be bought with spirit crystals only, connections, favors, Immortal grade materials, or strength, one or many of those requirements are needed.
And Ulises did have some connections, enough to find that he needed the help of a Heavenly Realm yang dual cultivator to cure his sister, the only problem is that they would just be inviting a wolf to their home by doing so, because he knew his sister's body constitution would be coveted by any male dual cultivator.
The other option was a middle Immortal grade elixir called "Bone Forging Magma", but that was out of consideration, to make an Immortal grade either pill or elixir, not only a main ingredient of the same grade is required, but many complemental materials and the help of a Heavenly Realm alchemist is needed.
And he didn't have the qualifications to invite someone like that, let alone find the materials needed for the elixir which would take at the very least a couple of hundreds of years, which Tamara didn't have.
There was actually a third option which was finding a natural treasure that perfectly fitted Tamara's needs, but the chances were so low it was a mere dream, ironically they did, the immature Diamond Bone Orchid would have solved the problem, but Sean Fritz stole it and gave it to the Castle Armored sect, so even when Ulises went to confront his brother, he was told to go and retrieve it from them, which was impossible, with his cultivation he wouldn't even be able to reach the mansion of the Patriarch of the Castle Armored sect, before dying a horrible death.
Seeing those two swearing to not reveal anything, Aster nodded and then proceeded.
"Okay, first thing remove everything but your underwear and then lay down on that crystal bed", said Aster to Tamara, which almost made Ulises choke with his own saliva.
"Ahem, I think I'll wait outside", said Ulises".
"Me too… otherwise I won't be able to look at brother Tomas when I meet him on the afterlife", added Jack.
Apparently those two didn't know that Tomas was alive, due to everything that was happening, Alexandra forgot to tell them, while Tamara did try but they hanged as they were busy dealing with Sean Fritz.
But that made Aster wonder why those two wanted to leave, it's not like Tamara was going to be fully nude, and he didn't detect any ill intentions on them towards her, not to mention Ulises is her brother, sure he is no one to judge considering Alice is his lover, but that's not the relationship Ulises and Tamara have.
Only then something seemed to click in Ulises mind, and he frowned as he gazed at Aster before he turned to see Tamara.
"Sis, did you…", Aster bitterly smiled, he recognized that reaction from Ulises, but he didn't have to say anything, Tamara smacked her fist on Ulises head, making the Fritz clan head grab his head in response.
"What the hell are you trying to say you brat, just like Tomas, our benefactor isn't affected by my body constitution… I even actively tested it yesterday, this is just for medical purposes, you can stay if you want to, but if is see you showing even the slightest reaction, I'll kick your ass after I recover".
Despite those words and Ulises reaction, of course Tamara's hit didn't hurt him at all, she isn't even a cultivator right now, but Ulises did it out of reflect.
Contrary to what one would believe, Tamara was actually the oldest of the three siblings, women with yin type constitution will age really slowly if they even, their beautiful appearances will only wither away when they were about to die or due to an external aspect.
That's why even at her previously dying state Tamara didn't lose her beauty, though she indeed looked emaciated, that's something that happened recently as her organs were reaching their limit.
Apparently, her body constitution also lost its charm as her yin was really scarce, but now that she recovered, it was enough to provoke reactions on these two that didn't have that kind of feelings for her.
And as if Aster being immune to Tamara's charm wasn't enough, her next words made those two nearly forget how to breath.
"Also don't curse my husband, Jack, Tomas became our benefactor's subordinate after he saved him from rotting away as the Atria family planned and he will arrive here in in less than two days".
"What!!!", both Jack and Ulises exclaimed, they turned to see Aster in awe, they both knew Tamara's character, she won't believe in anything she can't confirm personally, so if she said that, she must be 100% that Tomas is alive.
"So, are you staying or leaving, I still have other things to do after the treatment you know?", said Aster which returned those two to reality.
"We'll be staying outside, please cure my sister, I, Ulises Fritz I'm not good with words, but no matter what happens in the future you'll have my sword", said Ulises as he rushed out of the room, because Tamara had started to remove her clothes.
Jack was the same, he offered Aster a toast and then left without turning around, and that left only Aster along with the girls, besides the pair of mother and daughter.
Tamara finished taking everything off but her underwear and then laid down on the bright yellow crystal plaque, with a calm expression on her face, while Aster nodded at Eris and Lilia.
The space waved above Aster and then a bright yellow chain link appeared out of thin air, but unlike normal, the portal created when Aster takes out something from the mind space, didn't disappear before anyone could even see it, but became visible, thanks to Lilia who wished so.
'It seems the mother's heart is taken for good, no problem, there is another Silk Consort girl that comes to the mind, and the daughter's heart has yet to be conquered as well, good luck, darling~', thought Lilia as she kept the portal to the mind space open, so that the yang chain link could draw out energy from one of the newest acquisitions of Aster's family, three rare yang stars.
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