endless path, infinite cosmos

chapter 147

Vahn arrived at the rendezvous point and still had more than two-and-a-half hours until they were supposed to meet. Sitting on the edge of the fountain where they were supposed to meet, Vahn was enjoying the cool morning air on his skin while slowly absorbing the rays of the sun which had just begun to crest over the houses and walls surrounding the City. Sunrise had only been around an hour ago, and there was a gentle mist in the air that made the atmosphere feel calm and quiet.

While he was waiting, Vahn was reading various books in his mind regarding elves, half-elves, and even human relations. He was surprised because he came across a passage that discussed a bit about hereditary traits and genealogy. According to the book, the various different races could only breed with each other, with the exception of humans and Amazons. For some reason, it seemed like humans could breed with every race, and there were even rare cases where gods and spirits had mated with a human and produced offspring.

The thing that made Vahn feel a little strange was, there was a high chance that a half-breed would never have children because of some kind of genetic deviation. They were only able to breed with humans, and the fertility rate was almost low enough to be negligible. After finding this information, Vahn imagined Tsubaki who was already 36 years old but refused courtships while she focused on training and blacksmithing.

He felt bad for her because she was such a kind and caring person yet hadn't had the opportunity to have children of her own. Her situation also made him think of Eina, who was a half-elf, a human mixed with the species that had the lowest fertility rate of all other races except spirits and gods. She was 16-17 at this time, but there was a good chance she wouldn't have children for several years, and that is if she made an effort to do so.

Vahn was annoyed after learning this new information and having a few realizations of his own. He looked through the system and purchased a variety of manuals and documentation on fixing genetic defects, increasing fertility, and anything else he thought might prove beneficial. The thought of people trying to have children, yet unable to do so, was something that Vahn that was very unnerving to Vahn. After learning that his [Enkidu] may allow him to impregnate goddesses, Vahn had been thinking about children a lot.

Around a half hour before the meeting time, Eina entered the small plaza with the fountain and saw Vahn sitting in a state of deep contemplation. She was a bit happy that he had shown up early, as she was a bit worried that she would have to wait for a while. This was Eina's first date, and she wanted everything to go perfectly for the time being. There were various things she wanted to discuss with Vahn, but for now, she just wanted to experience acting like a couple for a few hours.

WIth Vahn's enhanced perception, even with his eyes closed, he was able to sense the approach of another person. He noticed the silhouette was a gentle sky-blue with a tinge of yellow, and when he opened his eyes, he saw that it was Eina with a happy smile on her face. Vahn realized that the shapes he saw with his enhanced perception, were actually the auras of the people around him. He was happy at the realization, as well as the fact that Eina had arrived early, so he smiled widely.

Eina was wearing a navy blue skirt that reached past her knees with a white stripe embroidered with flowers around the hem. Her blouse was a light green with a frayed collar and she was wearing a beige cardigan over the top. She leaned forward slightly with her arms behind her back as she tilted her head and asked Vahn with a smile, "Were you waiting long?"

Vahn stood up from the fountain before walking a bit closer and responding, "I was a bit excited, so I showed up early." Hearing his own words, Vahn chucked a bit before saying, "I notice you're also a bit early, Eina." Vahn put a little more emphasis on her name than normal which caused Eina to blush slightly as she explained, "T-this is my first date. I thought it would be impolite to keep you waiting, but it seems my efforts were for naught."