After leaving the Goldeagle Tribe, Evangeline returned to Blackwater Swamp with Caden Albright and Loras.

The moment he saw Evangeline, Thorne pulled her into a tight embrace.

The man’s cool palms trembled slightly, and the lingering fear was etched between his brows.

Evangeline’s gaze swept over to Rask, who was standing in the corner. When their eyes met, he shrank back guiltily.

Apparently, Rask, who could never keep a secret, had already spilled every last detail about the Venom Pit under Thorne’s questioning. Not only Thorne, but even the usually composed Lachlan and Danton now wore incredibly solemn expressions.

Lachlan slowly stepped forward, his grayish-brown eyes glancing at the cloth pouch on Evangeline’s hip.

He pursed his thin lips, his clear and ethereal voice tinged with a rare hesitation. "Eva, it’s dangerous to keep the Snow Ferret with you."

Thorne snapped back to his senses and looked down. The little white thing in the pouch stirred as if it had understood Lachlan’s words.

His brow furrowed, and a cold glint flashed through his dark green eyes.

’If the Venom Pit is as perilous as Rask claims, then how could this Snow Ferret, which can move about freely inside, possibly be an ordinary Wild Beast? Having no Star Pattern doesn’t mean it isn’t dangerous. Isn’t The Everwake a perfect example of that?’

’With the Cold Season approaching, keeping such a dangerous liability around is hardly a wise decision.’

Sensing the sudden icy aura emanating from Thorne, Evangeline patted the pouch on her hip and said, "Let’s go back inside before we talk about this."

The Snow Ferret had been with her for so long. Other than absorbing the Spiritual Energy that naturally radiated from her each day, it had shown no malice.

Besides, back in the Venom Pit, it hadn’t even tried to stop her from setting up the formation, which was enough to show that there was still kindness in its heart.

What concerned her more was that if it could truly enter and exit the Venom Pit without restriction, then perhaps... it had chosen to enter the Venom Pit and imprison itself there in order to prevent the poisonous fog from corroding the Beastman Continent and causing a catastrophe.

Spiritual Energy could suppress the poison in its body. Keeping it by her side could actually keep the potential threat within it in check.

After all, the little guy was a "ticking time bomb."

Thorne’s eyes darkened as he looked at Evangeline disapprovingly. Her stance was already very clear.

Seeing this, Lachlan raised his gaze and exchanged a look with Caden Albright, who gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head.

Evangeline tilted her head, her gaze passing over the others to land on a figure standing in the back, a figure that seemed to stand apart from the world.

Danton’s azure hair cascaded down his back. The breeze lifted a few strands, making him look like a cool, clear spring. The moment his eyes met Evangeline’s, a gentle concern flowed from his pale blue pupils that spoke more than a thousand words.

Without a word, all his worry and protectiveness were laid bare in that silent gaze.

A faint smile graced Evangeline’s lips as she walked slowly to stand before Danton.

She took his cool hand and gently placed it on her rounded abdomen. "I’m a little late getting back. The little one has been restless every day, kicking up a real fuss. He must have missed his father."

The cub in her belly seemed to sense his father’s presence and gave a light kick inside his mother’s womb.

Danton’s long fingers trembled slightly as he felt the faint movement against his palm.

His lowered eyelashes cast a pale shadow beneath his eyes. He stared at Evangeline’s swollen belly, a shattered light dancing in his gaze.

"Let’s go." Evangeline reached out, took Danton’s arm, and started toward the bamboo house built by the water.

After recent renovations, the bamboo house looked brand new.

Wind chimes made of strung-together seashells hung from the eaves, chiming crisply in the breeze. The bamboo walls were inlaid with artfully arranged starfish and colorful shells, exuding the unique style of the Tideborn from every corner.

As they drew closer, she could even seem to smell the damp, salty scent of the sea.

As Evangeline walked under the bamboo house’s veranda, her eyes suddenly fixed on a newly created pool behind it.

She stared in a daze at the expanse of fine white sand that had been laid out. On the man-made beach, two Beastman cubs were playing, their innocent laughter drifting on the gentle wind.

Caden Albright watched the little maiden playing in the sand, a gentle ripple spreading through his amber eyes as he called out, "Faye."

Faye Albright, who was busy filling a bamboo tube with sand, immediately looked up at the familiar voice. The small braids in her silver hair swayed with the movement. When she saw Evangeline and Caden Albright, the little girl’s eyes instantly lit up!

She threw down the bamboo tube and turned to run toward her parents. "Mama! Papa!"

After nearly two months apart, the little one had shot up a bit taller.

Her silver hair now reached her shoulders, tied in delicate little braids adorned with a few small, pretty, colorful shells. She ran up to Evangeline and tilted up her lovely little face, her eyes brimming with joy.

"Mama, Bunny missed you so much," the little girl said, opening her arms and hugging Evangeline’s leg tightly.

Evangeline bent down and gathered the little girl into her arms, her fingers toying with one of her little braids.

She curved her lips into a smile and asked softly, "Did Papa Danton do your hair for you?"

Faye Albright tilted her head in thought, the small shells in her silver hair sparkling. She chirped, "Papa Danton and Papa Lachlan braid Bunny’s hair beautifully every day!" 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

As she spoke, she suddenly wrinkled her little nose. "It’s just that Papa Thorne is the clumsiest. He always makes Bunny’s hair look like a messy bird’s nest. It’s so ugly."

Standing to the side, Thorne raised an eyebrow at her words, his dark green eyes narrowing dangerously. "You little ingrate. So fickle. Have you already forgotten who held you and combed your hair when you were little?"

Faye Albright just blinked, giggled, and pretended she hadn’t heard a thing.

By now, Danton had walked over to the edge of the sand and picked up the cherubic cub.

The little one was still clutching a shell in his hand. With wide, shimmering, rainbow-colored eyes, he was carried over to Evangeline by Danton.

Thorne stood with his arms crossed, his gaze fixed on the cub in Danton’s arms. He muttered under his breath, "The resemblance is uncanny."

Cradled in Danton’s arms, Genesis stared at Evangeline without blinking. Suddenly, a brilliant smile bloomed on the little one’s face. He reached his chubby little hands toward Evangeline, his rainbow eyes full of expectation, and said in a soft, milky voice, "Ma... Mama..."

The shell slipped from between his fingers, refracting a colorful halo in the sunlight, but it couldn’t compare to the light in his eyes.

The cubs of the Beastman Continent grew at an astonishing rate. In just two short months, little Genesis had already shed his newborn fragility.

His soft, dark hair was silky, not at all like the sparse hair of a newborn. The rainbow-colored butterfly marking on his cheek was already very clear, shimmering with light as he moved. Just as Thorne had said, Genesis’s features were the spitting image of his father’s.

He could now freely retract the wings on his back. However, the moment he saw Evangeline, his beautiful twelve butterfly wings couldn’t help but spread open, unfurling in a brilliant, colorful glow in Danton’s arms.

The little one squirmed impatiently, struggling and flapping his butterfly wings at a high frequency as he tried to lunge toward Evangeline.

Fine dust drifted from the edges of his wings like tiny stars in the light, far less dangerous than his father’s.