Mating is the most important event in life.

"Why is it this again? Didn't I say to wait?"

Xiong Zhuangzhuang felt irritated the moment the topic of having children came up. Given the lifespan of the bear clan, she was still a young bear, let alone when calculated by the lifespan of a holy beast.

"Wait? When other magical beasts were your age, they had already birthed several litters of cubs. Do you have any sense of responsibility as the clan leader?"

The panda elder tapped the cane in his hand, looking entirely like a senior disciplining a junior. For magical beasts, mating and propagating the clan were the most important things.

"You said it yourself, those are ordinary magical beasts. I am a holy beast, it's very hard to find a mating partner."

For Xiong Zhuangzhuang, the concept of propagating the clan meant little. For someone young, fighting with others, eating, and drinking all day were the truly important matters—when would she ever have the time to take care of her own cubs?

"I am! Right now! Not! Reasoning! With you!"

The panda elder threw his cane aside with extreme agitation, bent over, and with a bear hug around Xiong Zhuangzhuang's thick thigh, tossed her around like a sandbag, smashing several huge craters into the ground.

"You could beat me to death and I still wouldn't have a way. The highest level in the entire bear clan is only rank eight, how are they supposed to mate with me? It has to be at least rank nine, right?"

The defense of the Earth Bear was truly top-tier. Even though the ground was completely ruined, Xiong Zhuangzhuang brushed it off as if nothing had happened, aside from a little dust on her body.

"That's precisely why you need to rely on yourself to bear cubs! If this goes on, when you die, the bear clan will decline! Think about the current plight of the fox clan—such a large clan, yet at the Gathering of Ten Thousand Beasts, they can only play second fiddle and do odd jobs. Do you want that too?"

"You just cursed me to die, didn't you? If anyone dies first, it'll be you, you old timer!"

"I've lived for several thousand years! I even delivered your bear mother when she was born. Everyone who ever cursed me to die ended up dying before me, and then I threw cockroaches all over their graves!"

"Fine, fine, I'll go out and mate tomorrow."

Xiong Zhuangzhuang was annoyed to the point of a headache, so she had no choice but to compromise with the panda elder.

"With whom?"

As the wise panda who had managed the internal affairs of the bear clan for a thousand years, he certainly didn't believe Xiong Zhuangzhuang would obediently follow orders. Hearing her words, he asked with a skeptical expression.

"The Earth-Shaking Divine Bull isn't bad, the Vajra Sword Lion is pretty good too, and the Sun-Seared Moose would work as well."

The bear girl started counting on her fingers, quickly naming several power-type magical beasts of her caliber. But any fool could tell she was just brushing him off; even if they actually mated, nothing would come of it.

"The ones you mentioned are all females! How the hell are you going to mate with them?!"

"This won't do and that won't do either, exactly what do you want from me?!"

"How troublesome! It's all your fault for foolishly growing to such a huge size that normal bears can't even climb up! And the ones who can transform into human forms are all holy beasts... Hmm?"

The panda elder was shaking with rage when he suddenly caught sight of Ruby leisurely grilling meat, and a bold idea inexplicably formed in his mind.

"What are you doing? We don't take stud services here."

Moyona immediately blocked Ruby's path, ignoring Ruby's loud cry of "Hey!". She was extremely sharp when it came to Ruby's precarious situation.

"Stingy human, borrowing once won't kill you."

The panda elder smacked his lips. It was just a passing thought anyway; after all, ever since the God of Light created the world, no human had ever mated with a magical beast.

"No means no, get lost!"

"No then no, why so fierce?"

The panda elder knew a thing or two about the two humans Xiong Zhuangzhuang had taken in. Ruby didn't have much power, but he could cure many of the bear clan's ailments. As for Moyona—there was no need to mention her; seeing how she made those holy beasts wish they were dead every single day made it clear she was not someone to be trifled with. He could only temporarily abandon his bold idea and return to his cave to brood in silence.

"I knew a day like this would come. Listen to me, Ruby, any kind of stud service is strictly forbidden. If you still have any human dignity left, stay away from these beasts."

After the panda left, Moyona grabbed Ruby's shoulders and earnestly advised him. After so many days here, she understood the situation within the Magical Beast Forest far better than Ruby did. Practically every clan had unmarried female beasts of mature age waiting around. Even if she could forgive Ruby for physical infidelity... once the precedent was set, Ruby would never know peace again.

"Let me ask you, are there really that few non-humans around me?"

Ruby tapped Moyona on the forehead and asked. The Mage God girl only then remembered that he had long since been targeted by the covetous venom dragon and mermaid, and those two fellows were also primary targets for strict surveillance. Thinking about it that way, her heart felt utterly exhausted—what relation was she to him anyway?! Why did she have to worry about him so much, acting like an overbearing mother?

"The old timer finally left. Constantly nagging me to mate, seriously. But hey, I never knew you were the type who could actually mate."

"The elder has lived for a very long time, hasn't he?"

Ruby didn't continue discussing the topic of mating with Xiong Zhuangzhuang, instead shifting the conversation to that panda.

"Yeah, he's probably the longest-living creature around here. To be honest, I suspect he's actually a forest tree turtle in disguise. What kind of bear can live that long?"

"If I'm not mistaken, he should be the bearer of an innate talent. I once read in a book about a talent called [Treasure], which only appears in ultra-rare species, and its only known effect is extending one's lifespan. Everything else about it is unknown."

"Really? Is the old guy that amazing?"

"Clan Leader, the Fox Clan Elder has arrived."

Big Xiong suddenly appeared, interrupting their idle chatter, and a commotion drifted over from the entrance of the bear clan's territory.

"What are foxes doing here? I don't like them."

Xiong Zhuangzhuang seemed to hold a deep aversion to foxes. Compared to the straightforward and honest bear clan, foxes could be described as extremely cunning and fell completely outside her circle of acquaintances.

"They said they're here to welcome their clan leader home..."

"Are those foxes out of their minds? Isn't this place exclusively for bears?"

Before Xiong Zhuangzhuang could speak, Moyona burst out laughing. The vixens of the Magical Beast Forest were truly foolish indeed. Besides, she hadn't even seen a fox from the Magical Beast Forest yet.

*Stare——*

As soon as those words left her mouth, Ruby, the bear girl, and Big Xiong all fell silent. Aqua also poked her head out of the lake to join the fun, staring in unison at the Mage God girl. Moyona lowered her head and glanced at the fox-themed outfit laid out beside her, feeling a sudden urge to curse out loud.

***

PS: Seeking favorites, recommendations, and monthly tickets (two bonus chapters remaining).

Ruby: I once read a book called *The Son-in-Law of the Demon World*. At this rate, this book could be renamed *The Son-in-Law of the Magical Beasts*.

Demon Overlord: Don't you dare!