The children were silent until they arrived home. Because of the sudden attack, they all followed the maids' instructions and were obedient, knowing that it wasn't a time when they could be selfish. Their eyes looked around with wariness, always alert and clutching the people carrying them tightly.
During the journey, the maids repelled several attacks, but none of the maids allowed the children to be injured. Sometimes, they would use their bodies as shields to continue forward.
The journey didn't last long because Yasenia and the others appeared before them, easily repelling the attackers. Once Kali and the rest appeared; the maids carrying the children quickly moved and passed them over to their mothers. Estrella's maid spoke with a professional tone, disregarding her injured body. "Madams, the children are unharmed, but I hope you will look at them in depth in case we missed something. We have yet to identify the identity of the attackers. Some of our sisters are fighting behind us and require assistance."
Yasenia nodded. "Great job. Don't worry about your sisters; I've already sent Doriel and Alaia. They should be back soon with them." Then, she smiled and said. "Great job protecting the Little Misses. All of you go to the infirmary and prepare to receive rewards. Flora is waiting for all of you there with it."
Yasenia saw them bow and asked. "How did my babies react? Were they obedient?"
The head maids answered one by one.
"Little Miss Estrella behaved perfectly."
"Little Miss Skye behaved perfectly."
"Little Miss Aurelia behaved perfectly."
"Little Miss Dawn behaved perfectly."
"Little Miss Dianna behaved perfectly."
"Little Miss Katarina behaved perfectly."
The children listened, but they didn't interrupt, knowing that their Mommy wouldn't be unfair to them. The dragoness smiled and went toward them. "My babies did excellent. Don't worry, Mommy will save everyone, okay?"
The little girls nodded, and Yasenia approached, giving each of them a hug and a kiss. "You all did really well. Don't worry, okay?"
Yasenia's and their respective mother's body warmth and softness were like a relaxing medicine, filling their bodies and soothing them.
Kaleina and Flame didn't save themselves, as Yasenia squeezed them in her soft and motherly embrace with so much love that they felt like they'd drown in it. Kaleina and Flame, even though they knew it might be a test, were still shaken by the event. Not because they were afraid of blood but because it reminded them of how weak they truly were. In an actual threatening situation, they were still the "juniors" to be protected.
Doriel appeared a few seconds later and spoke. "The situation has been controlled. There are zero fatalities. Although, there are a few heavily injured juniors who will die if they don't receive treatment soon."
Yasenia nodded. "Send them to Flora. Kali, go with Valeria there. Dianna can stay with me in the meantime." Dianna quickly flapped her wings and jumped onto Yasenia, making Kali laugh.
After everyone left, each mother took their own child away to have a talk and be with them.
Once they left, Tatyana looked at Estrella with a deep gaze and asked. "What's in your mind, Little Light?"
Estrella muttered. "Mama, I am weak."
Tatyana's eyes flashed, and for an instant, she saw Yasenia's image appear in her arms. It felt like it had happened yesterday and simultaneously, one lifetime ago.
She easily remembered that she went outside to get the last part of Yasenia's cultivation technique, and then Rita attacked her mansion in the Moon Empire, almost breaching through.
The damage at that time was significant because she had taken a good part of the forces with her, not to reveal her real strength. She wanted to fight a second-rated sect, after all.
When she arrived and saw the massacre that happened, she almost lost control, but eventually, she found Yasenia in the back garden, looking at the battlefield with a complicated expression.
At that time, her Little treasure said this.
"Mom, cultivators are strong."
"Mom, I'm too weak right now."
"I want to become stronger."
Tatyana reflected only momentarily and answered Estrella word by word, as she had back then. She made Estrella look into her eyes and smiled gently and lovingly. "Don't worry, Little Light. Your mom is the pillar that will protect you even if the sky falls. You just need to grow little by little, step by step, and leave the complicated matters to me. Remember, I will always be by your side until you are strong enough to protect yourself."
Estrella listened and blinked slowly, feeling a soothing current cover her uncomfortable heart. "Thank you, Mama."
Tatyana laughed and kissed her cheek.
The other girls similarly spoke and gave advice to the children, each focusing on different aspects but managing to relax and make them feel motivated and eager to keep getting stronger.
Yasenia wouldn't have done this if the children were human children. The human child's psychology is frailer than that of other races. However, her children had dragon blood, making them much more resistant to mental trauma.
Dragons need to be strong, or they will be hunted. That's the universal rule followed almost everywhere because of the value carried in their bodies in the form of scales, horns, teeth, hearts, and even blood.
A dragon was a treasure trove with legs.
After this event, all the children lost some of their innocence while understanding how important it was to become stronger. They focused more on cultivation and other practices, like blacksmithing, alchemy, etc.
Most of the children took after their parents, learning the same specialty. Estrella was the only outlier of them.
Sitting on a chair and reading a book, Tatyana looked at her daughter and blinked. "Talismans?"
Estrella nodded. "I want to learn about Spiritual Talismans."
Tatyana hummed and closed her book, waving her hand and summoning a talisman-related book. "Let me check something first, Little Light."
Estrella nodded obediently and sat on one of the chairs, her chin resting on her hand while her tail swished behind her. Tatyana pondered. "Estrella, there is a small problem with you wanting to learn talisman crafting."
Estrella looked at Tatyana with her beautiful heterochromatic eyes. "Which complication?"
Tatyana made the book float, and it landed on Estrella's lap. She smiled. "Well, read about it. My darling is not an illiterate person, right?"
Estrella rolled her eyes, but she obediently. "Okay." She looked at the book and read. 'Let's see… Talisman Crafting is a complicated art that requires a good understanding of energy and feng shui. Talismans work by using the World around them to create unexpected effects.'
Estrella frowned. 'Energy and Feng Shui… Ugh.' She was an attributeless person, so that was not exactly her forte. Still, she wanted to try. So, she looked at Tatyana and said. "I want to do it."
Tatyana shrugged. "Sure. Go for it. I have some basic knowledge on talismans, so I can help you."
Estrella looked at Tatyana, speechless. "What CAN'T you do, Mama?"
Tatyana got thoughtful and blinked. Then, she smiled and answered. "Looking ugly~. That's impossible for your Mama~."
Estrella rolled her eyes again, but she accepted Tatyana's help. "Okay. Then, teach me!"
Tatyana nodded and waved her hand. "Sure! Here. Memorize these."
A stack of books as tall as herself landed in front of her, making Estrella's lips twitch. "A-All of these?"
Tatyana blinked. "Hm? It's not that much, right? These books don't even cover how to start building talismans."
Chocking with her own saliva, Estrella asked. "W-What are they about!?"
"Well…" Tatyana pointed from the bottomost one. "Basics of Energy manipulation. Basics of Energy Manipulation Two. Basics of Energy Manipulation Three. Basics of Feng Shui. Typical Natural Formations. Typical geographical spots. Feng Shui for Beginners. Feng Shui for Beginners Two. Finally, Talisman Basic Material Catalog."
Estrella's mouth fell open. "W-Why do I need to learn all of these?"
Tatyana rolled her eyes. "Dear, do you think that learning something can be done directly? You need to first make a foundation on knowledge about the basics that cover the subject you want to learn. For example, if you want to learn how to use the sword, you will need to learn how to use your body first, right? Learn a few martial arts, no?"
Estrella couldn't really refute her mother. To be specific, she only knew three people who could actually refute her Mama: her Mommy, Aunty Valeria, and Aunty Mirrory.
Yasenia entered at this moment and saw Estrella standing in front of several books, looking as if she was about to die. The dragoness chuckled. "What's wrong, baby? Do you want to learn…" Yasenia scanned the books for a second and asked. "Talismans?"
Estrella was baffled. "How'd you know?"
The dragoness laughed and approached, giving Estrella a hug and kiss. "Well, Mommy also learned these things."
Estrella's eyes brightened. "Did Mommy also want to be a Spiritual Talisman Master?"
Yasenia shook her head. "No, I just was forced to learn the basics of all professions when I was little because of how broad my constitution was."
Estrella blinked and realized. "Right, what's Mommy's and Mama's constitutions?"
Yasenia smiled and answered. "Well, mine is called [Celestial Yin and Yang Body]."
Tatyana answered as well. "Mine is [Death Devouring Seer Embodiment]."
The young girl was confused. "Where did my abyssal thing come from?"
Tatyana pointed at herself. "That would be my bloodline, baby. I have the [Abyssal Devourer] bloodline, after all."
"Bloodline…" Estrella muttered. "I can't know which bloodline I have. We learned the other day that the bloodline is revealed in the fourth level of the Body Modification realm of the Spiritual Path."
Yasenia patted her head. "Don't worry. We can actually know whenever. The only reason we are not revealing it yet is because allowing each person to know by themselves is better."
Estrella pouted. "But I can't learn it by myself."
The dragoness smirked. "If my baby can transform into her beast form, then she will be able to. Dragon bloodlines have not only power but also knowledge in them. A dragon, theoretically, could grow to adulthood without problems even without parents as long as their ancestors have that knowledge."
The dragoness shrugged. "Naturally, us, Dragon Mamas, are too pampering and protective of you little ones, so who knows if that's the truth or not."
Estrella giggled and hugged Yasenia. "I love you, Mommy."
The dragoness placed her arms over her shoulders and laughed. "I love you too, Baby."
Tatyana asked. "Right. Why did you come here?"
Yasenia looked at Tatyana and commented. "I want to go out into space and explore for a while. I think it is time for you to teach me about interplanetary and interstellar travel."
Tatyana's eyes widened. "Why so sudden?"
Yasenia sighed and looked at the ceiling. "My [Celestial Intent] is stuck at the seventh level. I feel that unless I go out, I won't be able to reach the ninth level. I want to feel the cosmos in my own skin."
Tatyana looked at Yasenia and pondered. "Hm… Let me think about it."
This answer surprised Yasenia. "Huh? Is outer space that dangerous?"
Tatyana nodded. "It's completely lawless, love. There are no cultivation limits and no energy control. It is a place that the Heavens control in a very loose manner. Roaming space means you're entering a space where a Transcendent Level cultivator can appear at any moment and… Well… Who knows?"
Yasenia understood Tatyana's fears and readily agreed. "Okay. I'll wait for your decision."