Hearing himself being called 'Father', Luo Shu's face twitched. He turned his head to see Lacus's face, holding back a laugh.
Seeing this, Luo Shu couldn't help but retort, "What are you laughing at? You're her mother, too!"
"Betty only has one mother!" Beatrice, who was already embarrassed, glared fiercely at Luo Shu and complained, "If it weren't for Mother's request, do you think I would call you that?"
"You're only a father by association because of Mother's request, so you can't just add another mother for Betty!"
However, as Beatrice protested, the nearby Echidna said with a chuckle, "That's fine. If Miss Lacus could become little Betty's mother, I would be very happy!"
"?!" At these words, Beatrice was completely stunned, as if she had never expected to be betrayed by her own mother.
However, before she could react, she found that her feet seemed to have left the ground.
And most crucially, she was being held by Lacus.
Lacus, who had picked up Beatrice without permission, smiled dotingly and teased her, "To be called 'Mother' by such a cute child? It feels like a very pleasant thing."
"You wretched human, put Betty down!"
Looking at Beatrice, who was only shouting but not resisting at all, even letting Lacus stroke her head, and then at the happily smiling Lacus, Luo Shu couldn't help but rub his chin.
'Come to think of it, doesn't Lacus's list of hobbies include teasing children? So Beatrice's appearance has hit Lacus's sweet spot?'
Realising this, Luo Shu didn't object to gaining a daughter out of the blue.
'Anyway, there's no blood relation. If Lacus likes her, we can just raise her for fun~'
At this moment, faced with Beatrice's verbal resistance, Lacus just smiled and said, "But a child Betty's age is almost at the point where even her mother can't carry her, right?"
"In these last moments, can't Betty let her mother hold her?"
Hearing this, Beatrice immediately hesitated and couldn't help but sneak a peek at Echidna.
Although Beatrice knew the phantom couldn't embrace her, that it was just a holographic image, she still imagined what it would be like to be held by Echidna.
With that thought, Beatrice became less resistant to Lacus's embrace.
'Right, I'll just treat it as a little test for Mother's embrace. After all, a big girl like her must be very tiring for Mother to carry. I need to test how to be held to lessen Mother's burden.'
Seeing Beatrice's expression as she gave herself a pep talk, Luo Shu almost burst out laughing.
'Doesn't this little brat realise the problem here? With Beatrice's petite frame, who here wouldn't be able to carry her?'
However, considering Beatrice's small stature of 1.4 metres, Lacus, who was only 25 centimetres taller than her in high heels, did look a little visually dissonant holding her.
If it were Luo Shu, the height would be more suitable, but the current Luo Shu obviously wouldn't spoil Lacus's fun.
Just then, Lacus, having persuaded Beatrice, held the big girl and asked in a low voice, "Shall Mummy take Betty to find Betty's mother now?"
"Can you show Mummy the way?"
The difference between the terms 'Mummy' and 'Mother' led Beatrice to subconsciously accept the form of address, and she said, with a look of disdain, "Isn't there only one path here?"
"Just follow the corridor all the way in. The room at the very end is Mother's laboratory! There's no need for Betty to show the way."
"The very end of the corridor?"
Lacus looked up at the passage formed by the two giant bookshelves in front of her, then turned her head to look at Luo Shu.
Seeing this, Luo Shu nodded slightly and said, "Let's go. It's time to find the main person."
With that, Luo Shu strode forward, following the passage formed by the bookshelves towards the inner part.
Twelve minutes later, Luo Shu gazed at the ancient wooden door before him, one side carved with an angel, the other with a demon. Without a word, he reached out and slowly pushed the door open.
...
Inside the laboratory.
Gazing at the rows of three-metre-tall nutrient pods filled with green liquid, Luo Shu couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. As he led the group into the laboratory, a slightly surprised female voice rang out:
"Eh? Luo Shu actually came in person?"
Following the voice, Luo Shu saw an emerald-green nutrient pod.
Inside the jar, Luo Shu saw Echidna, dressed in a simple white garment, hanging upside down.
Looking at the inverted figure before him, Luo Shu fell silent for a moment before he couldn't help but ask, "What sort of game are you playing?"
Just then, Echidna, suspended in the nutrient fluid, vibrated the air with her psychic power, her voice emerging, "As you can see, I am making adjustments to my own body..."
Hearing this, Lacus frowned slightly and promptly enquired, "Is it because of Emilia's ritual?"
"Yes," Echidna said, her eyes narrowing as she spoke, her tone full of amusement.
Because of Emilia's ritual, Echidna had lost her Class's power. The Class system she was originally meant to follow had been completely stripped away by the ritual.
However, although the Class was gone, the fundamental physical enhancements it had provided still remained.
Even without the abilities of her Class, Echidna could defeat some Hero Rank individuals on physical prowess alone.
But retaining such physical qualities was not without its consequences.
The most troublesome effect was that she was unable to embark on a new Class path.
After explaining her situation, Echidna said with a chuckle, "After returning to the library, I did a little research on the basic functions of the Divine Pantheon and looked into some common knowledge. I discovered that this phenomenon is not without a solution."
Hearing this, Luo Shu couldn't help but laugh. "You call that a little research?"
"I'd say you started your research the moment you got back to the library, without a moment's rest."
"A little research can't explain why you haven't sent a single message these past two days."
Faced with Luo Shu's accusation, Echidna simply smiled. "It is indeed as you say. I became curious as to whether a sealed Demigod could bypass the ritual's effects, so I have been immersed in research this whole time."
"However, as you can see, I have produced some results."
Hearing this, Luo Shu fell silent.
He turned his head to look at the rows of nutrient pods before him. Gazing at the things inside, so tiny they could almost be measured in millimetres, he couldn't help but say grimly, "By results, do you mean these ova soaking in the solution?"
"Are you referring to these materials extracted from my body?"
Maintaining her false smile, Echidna said to Luo Shu, "Please rest assured. Due to the lack of certain important materials, they have not yet reached the standard for activation."
Luo Shu fell silent once more, then asked grimly, "What important materials are you talking about?"
At his words, the corners of Echidna's mouth turned up bit by bit, and she said in a light tone, "Your sperm!"