When the ship touched the ground, Cain held his mother's hand as they walked onto solid ground for the first time in weeks. He felt tired even when he slept just fine on the ship but the new surroundings woke him up.
He pointed out fascinating structures and unknown races to his mother, asking what they were. She smiled and answered efficiently as her rambunctious child excitedly looked at everything. While she wasn't very glad to be back, she wouldn't ruin her son's mood over this.
The giant Skyland was completely encompassed by buildings and architectural wonders, like a giant ball of metal and wooden structures. It was much nicer than back in Nula but that was a given since it was only a frontier town.
This was one of the central pillars of trade throughout the world, with hundreds to thousands of Skyships flying around the skies, skyscraper-like buildings poking through clouds, and massive buildings and parks were built into the sides of the skyland and underneath it as well!
No ounce of land was left unpaved, and even the core of the island wasn't left untouched. By monitoring and modifying the core of the island, they could help keep the island afloat, even when they continue to build more onto the island.
Mana generators also helped power the core and the city around Cain. It was a wonderful sight but he was more fascinated by the different species he saw.
"Mama! It's a Lynxwoman!" "Mama, it's a Holstaur man!" Mama? Is that a male or female Lamia? I can't tell."
Cain asked many questions and his mother answered sweetly. She started carrying him a while ago as he got too curious about the new people around him, directly going up to them to ask about what they were.
Those people might have been frustrated with the kid, but when they saw a beautiful woman with pure white hair and the insignia of the Lailan Council apologizing, they realized it wasn't a big deal. In fact, many apologized to her for no reason, causing her to correct them and that it was her fault.
It was hard for many people to accept this kind of thing since being in front of someone important like Vala was a scary thing. She could end their lives and get away scot-free so they were terrified as much as they were awed.
It took a while, but eventually, the group of Council members made it to their destination, a church-like building that had the same insignia as the Council robes. Cain was still mostly focused on the different kinds of people he met, fascinated by their quirks and statures, while Vala took her son into a luxurious room for the rest of the night.
"Cain, darling," She called her son and laid next to him in bed.
The young child cuddled up into his mother's bosom while she stroked his hair.
"Tomorrow going to be a big day for you."
"How come? Will mama be with me or will you disappear again?" He pouted and she giggled a little.
A sorrowful gaze returned but she was smiling happily.
"Unfortunately mama won't be with you in the afternoon and evening, she has work to do as well. But I promise that we will see each other tomorrow night so we can snuggle again."
Cain didn't respond, sad that his mom won't be with him.
"Do you know what I'm doing tomorrow mama?" He looked up between her big breasts at her face.
"Yes, you remember how grandpa told you about helping people?"
Cain nodded with enthusiasm, excited about tomorrow now.
"Will I be impenetrabling people tomorrow?" Cain asked, happy he could use his new vocabulary word.
Vala sighed to herself, knowing her father really messed up. She promised the next time they spoke, she would give him a harder punishment.
"No sweetie, that's something only adults can do. You'll learn about it more as you grow up."
Cain looked down but she continued.
"However you will still be able to help people. You may not be able to do it right away, since it is important to learn about the different species around us, but you will surely be able to help them soon enough."
Cain still nodded and smiled. It may not be the same as imprescindibling people, but helping others made him happy. He felt that people's smiles and gratitude were contagious, making him want to continue helping others.
Another side effect of his unknown genes...
The night passed too quickly for Vala, who knew this would probably be one of the last days before she would have to say goodbye. She didn't get any sleep, just admiring her baby boy to burn his image in her mind.
She wasn't sure what kind of man he would become, but she hoped that he could forgive her for her absence when he grows up.
Morning soon came and the two of them went to another grand hall to eat. They got the place to themselves, with only a few maids to tend to them who were shooed away by the High Priestess.
After that, Vala took her son back to the nave of the Council's Church-like building where a dozen or so men and women were standing.
Curious, Cain looked to his mother who was holding his hand and she explained a few things. She told him to listen to the people who talked to him, and that she would be there the whole time. She assured him it wasn't scary, which only served to make the child more nervous, but he still did it anyway.
Over the next hour or so, another High Priest, Bastion, oversaw the 'baptism' of Cain as he officially became a member of the Lailan Council. He was only a child, so he was only a member in name and it was mostly a symbolic event that most Council members did for their children until those children grew up and could decide on their own if they wanted to join.
As the son of a High Priestess, however, Cain already had many benefits that most regular members wouldn't be able to enjoy. It was at this point that Cain had the feeling his mother was someone important, like a superhero or something.
"Mama? Are you important here?" He asked curiously as Vala spent a few more minutes talking to her son while sitting in the front aisle while things were getting cleaned up.
She smiled and chuckled a bit as she patted her son's head.
"Mama is something called a High Priestess here. While I don't consider myself anyone special, I do help a lot of people every day so maybe when you grow old enough, you can be a Priest here too if you feel like it."
Vala wasn't going to push something like this on him, not when he was basically responsible for the survival of hundreds to thousands of species all over the world at the tender age of 5. The other members of the High Council, and the ones above them in the Grand Council, all pushed a lot of pressure onto her child.
As a mother, it made her want to curse them out for being idiotic, while the Priestess in her wanted to curse them for being selfish. Maybe she was being selfish too, but she had a right as a mother.
After a few more minutes, Cain said goodbye to her mother. He was told that he would be taking a tour of the Academy of Monster Genetics, a place dedicated to the study and development of biology and medicines for Beastmen species.
There were also courses on Human Genetics, but that was mostly taught at its sister academy across the city. Most people who attended this Academy were humans mostly and Beastmen who wanted to learn more about how the bodies of humanoids with animal genetics mixed into their DNA functioned.
Cain was none the wiser of this information as he took the hand of a pretty young woman who led him through the halls. She told him the basics of the academy that he would understand, while also pointing out the 'fun' areas.
When he asked his own questions she was thoroughly surprised. He asked questions on specific functions of body parts of beastmen, or why species like Lamia were difficult to tell the difference between genders.
She smiled at how cute yet smart the High Priestess' son was and answered them enough so that he could understand them without overwhelming him.
While Cain wasn't having much fun, it was bearable at least. On his mother's side, however, she was not having much fun at all.
"The High Council of Carvfall has requested your presence, also Grand Priest Machtahn will be in attendance." a priest who accompanied Vala spoke fearfully, making the woman stop.
He jumped in fright, afraid she might hit the messenger, but she just nodded and continued on her way. The sweet smile she showed around her son was long gone, and she was now more of an Ice Queen, glaring ahead of her like the hallway wasn't worthy of being stepped on.
'Let's see what bullshit you'll give me this time 'Grand Priest.' Vala thought to herself as she made her way into a series of tightly guarded hallways that lead to a grand courtroom where 6 out of 7 members of this council meeting were already present.