Ascension of the elder

Chapter 147: More meat for the grinder

"Humana ha wah?!"

"Wow granny I didn't know you could speak another language. What did you just say?"

Kyle teased Winona because of her reaction to his statement. She was aware of how troubling it was for cultivators to have children and with the difficulty increasing as the cultivator became more powerful.

This cure would aid them in both increasing their numbers and also drawing in support from other cultivators. Bob didn't think too far ahead as his wife was the brains in their relationship.

"Well should we have a chat with mother she can give you more details."

"Wait Maria, has she taken this cure as well?"

Winona asked with her eyes sparkling, if Maria is pregnant it means she would finally be able to see hear grandchildren as babies. Kyle was the youngest of her grandchildren but he seemed more grown up than even Clyde and Neil.

With a new arrival Winona could let her grandmotherly instincts run wild, this would also work in Kyle's favour because who knew what would happen to him if Winona didn't have anyone else to vent her adoration on.

"Let's go right now I want to see your mother and how she's doing."

"Okay my girls are with her right now, they should be in the atrium."

So Kyle led the way with his grandfather making occasional comments while his grandmother looked like she was on a mission and barely restraining herself from breaking into a sprint. Kyle even suspected the only reason she didn't leave them behind was that she didn't know the way.

They reached the atrium and saw Maria being surrounded by Kyle's girls. Clara and Miranda were chatting with Maria like good daughters in law. Elena was simply staring at Maria's midriff without saying anything or even blinking.

It was a little strained as it seemed Elena had come in, sat down and just stared. Shauna was beside Maria and was sending occasional glances towards Elena maybe hoping she would stop staring but to no avail.

"Hi Mum I don't know if you ever met grandpa Bob and granny Winona but they've come to see you."

Kyle gave a simple introduction as he didn't know if Maria knew his parents well enough to speak casually with them and it had never come up in conversation before. Maria looked away from Miranda and Clara.

Seeing Kyle with her in laws she stood to greet them.

"Hello father, mother it is a pleasure to see you again. It has been too long."

Maria gave a noncommittal and rather formal greeting to the pair. She had met both Bob and Winona when she was younger. Bob was present at her wedding but was summoned before Kyle was born. She never interacted much with Winona when she was younger and she had been summoned before she married Landon.

"Hi Maria we just heard you had some luck getting jiggy with our boy *smack* ouchy."

Kyle snorted at this, it seemed bob and Dylan would be well matched when they met. Winona was looking at Maria seemingly trying to gain some insight from her inspection. Deciding she saw something she liked in Maria, Winona greeted her warmly.

"Hello Maria you can call me Winona or mother, whichever you are most comfortable with. Thank you for looking after my boy, I know he takes after his father to much sometime."

Maria let slip a sigh of relief before a bright smile spread on her face. She would finally have a mother again. Even though her father was still alive he was also in the capital while her mother had died years ago.

"Thank you mother, it is hard sometimes but I love him and Kyle dearly. I take it from what Bob said Kyle has told you our good news?"

Maria was slightly put out that she couldn't tell her extended family about her incoming bundle of joy but couldn't really fault Kyle as she knew he wouldn't spill the beans with no reason.

When he was younger Kyle spent all his time cultivating. He knew about the requirements placed upon him as the head of house, with the poison blocking his progress he had become withdrawn if not downright emo.

Once he had broken through he had become much brighter and happier. Neither her nor Landon could bring themselves to interfere with the new Kyle and agreed only to guide him and step in if things went too far.

Luckily for them this was unnecessary as Kyle grew more powerful, he had surrounded himself with good and caring people. These people had become a second family to Kyle and they had welcomed his parents with open arms.

"Well he implied that you've had good news, can you tell me about the cure at all?"

Winona knew that many female cultivators had to halt or delay their progress in order to have a family. If this was no longer an issue the female cultivators would be able to progress at the same rate as their male counterparts.

"Sorry mother I don't fully understand the process. Kyle was the inventor and truly is the only one who fully knows the ins and outs as to what is required."

Winona was surprised by this as the empire and various sages and doctors within it, had looked for a cure or at least a reason for years and had found nothing. She turned her gaze to Kyle and saw him chatting with his girls without a care.

Kyle felt Winona's gaze on him and turned his head towards her with a questioning gaze.

"Yes? What do you want to know?"

Kyle asked with a half grin on his face. Winona on seeing this had a feeling Kyle would tell her about his cure if she asked but only because he didn't think it could be replicated. Her curiosity got the better of her however and she took the bait.

"So Kyle how did you cure the fertility problems?"

Winona felt a little strange asking Kyle about this because regardless of how intelligent he seemed to be, to her eyes he was still a child. Bob didn't think like this and instead believed Kyle should be treated as an adult after he battled with them.

Kyle put his thoughts in order for a moment before responding to Winona in the simplest way possible. This left out a lot of nuance and understanding of biology but he wasn't prepared to get tied down into a lecture about procreation with his grandmother.

"In its simplest form the reason for the bad fertility of cultivators is the mana in our bodies react to unknown forms in our bodies as parasites. Children are viewed by this mana as a parasite while it is connected. I use arrays to create a barrier protecting the nascent form of the baby growing in the womb."

Kyle's explanation was as simple as can be, but in truth if it was really this simple others would have already discovered this "cure" before. Winona knew he was holding information back but also understood that they had just met.

"Well that's all good, didn't Landon say he should be back some time soon. Can we get some food?"

Bob put a hand over his stomach indicating his hunger and desire to eat some meat. Winona could only shake her head, this didn't earn Bob a slap this time as he didn't swear and Winona was also hungry herself.

"Let's head down you can eat here for tonight, dad usually eats in the main hall for dinner but he may join us tonight."

Kyle led the way to the kitchens, Bob and Winona were surprised seeing all of Kyle's people sitting together, with no division between his combat personnel and the production and serving personnel. This was the advantage of having everyone train together; it created a sense of camaraderie.

Kyle began talking to his grandparents while Maria went to find something to snack on, while Clara and Miranda went to help their mothers and Elena went to mess with her younger brother.

"So now you're back what are you planning to do with yourselves?"

"Hum don't know about the missus but I want to check out your training along with Clyde and Neil. If I see you guys slacking you'll be in trouble."

Bob showed his fanatical face to Kyle when he said this, little did he know that he was talking to the little training demon.

"I also saw your people using magic so I want to check out your mage cultivations."

Winona also said her piece, the others nearby had wry grins on their faces as they heard the grandparents before Kyle decided to hook them.

"Well you can view our training but if you haven't used our cultivation techniques you wouldn't be able to use the same way forms we do. Do you want to take the secrecy seals so you can learn the technique?"

As they were about to answer a voice was heard.

"Yo Kyle who's that more meat on the slab?"