Gathering Wives with a System Chapter 421: Avery’s Surprise, Apex Species’ Overlord

The water jet soaring skyward quivered faintly.

For a fleeting instant, it shed its form completely and started transforming. The pillar broadened, writhed, and curved inward, as though an entity within was shaping itself. Isaac squinted his eyes, concentrating intently.

The shape emerged as—

A piercing agony lanced directly into his mind.

It struck abruptly and fiercely, akin to a spike piercing his consciousness. His sight hazed over. His form halted in the air, and briefly, he sensed something immense and aberrant, an existence alien to this realm's confines.

He blinked.

The torment faded away.

The massive water stream had vanished. Standing in its stead was a stunning lady with azure tresses cascading gracefully down her back and serene, corresponding eyes. In one hand, she grasped a refined parasol, while with the other, she raised her dress's hem and performed a graceful bow.

"Greetings, Isaac. I apologize for revealing my true form earlier. Having just woken up, I was disoriented."

Isaac composed himself and breathed out steadily. Alice drifted down next to him, her face watchful yet poised.

"It’s fine," Isaac answered while lowering toward the earth. "So, did you finish fusing with the land?"

"I did. Now I can help you take care of your land..."

Avery’s words faded off.

She blinked.

Her stare intensified. First toward Isaac. Then toward Alice. The serene grin dissolved, giving way to clear astonishment.

"Please pardon me for a moment," she whispered softly.

A barely noticeable surge emanated from her figure. It spread swiftly, though without breeze or noise. Isaac merely detected a subtle undulation grazing his flesh before it flowed over the farm and further.

Avery gradually rotated her head.

Her eyes expanded a touch.

The modest area of blessed land she had commenced merging with weeks prior had disappeared. Instead extended a vast territory: one thousand hectares of enhanced, superior blessed land that throbbed lightly with vitality and mana.

The earth remained firm. The water channels flowed neatly. The mana flow was thick and fluid.

It dwarfed the farm she recalled from before.

Elevating that tiny blessed land to such heights surely demanded considerable effort.

She glanced back at Isaac. Then at the far-off outline of the Fortified City, which had evidently grown and broadened. Then she probed further.

The Sun Dragon at his side.

The Silver Drake, and the Devil within the dwelling.

And—

Her awareness touched the house.

"...What?" she whispered.

A subtle essence slumbered within. Timeless. Weighty. Majestic.

"The Netherborne Empress’ bloodline?"

Her eyebrows knitted as she concentrated on Isaac once more.

"Have I been asleep for several years? I... see. Something must have gone wrong while I was fusing with the land. That would explain why it took me years to wake up instead of two or three weeks."

No alarm colored her tone. For an entity who had endured millennia, a handful of lost years amounted to merely a brief rest.

"Several years?" Isaac uttered, perplexed. "No. You woke up before even three weeks were up."

Avery fixed her gaze on him.

Silence lingered among them.

Because if merely weeks had elapsed...

"Your combat power is at the peak of Elite rank of an Apex species," she stated deliberately. "The blessed land’s size has increased to one thousand hectares. The Sun Dragon next to you is quite powerful. Not to mention the Silver Drake, the Devil, and... that Netherborne Empress’ bloodline inside the house. How does she have so many powerful summons when she is only Adept rank?"

She regarded him with a profound scowl.

"You are saying you gathered such powerful allies, grew this much, and advanced your territory in under three weeks?"

"Yes."

Isaac offered a wry grin.

"A lot happened while you were fusing with the land. Why don’t we go inside and talk?"

Avery examined him for another moment before agreeing with a nod.

They stepped into the living room as a group. The inside had transformed too. It appeared neater, more robust, fortified with faint protective barriers. Alice silently withdrew and headed to the kitchen.

She employed unique herbs acquired from Priscilla, the dragon maid, to brew tea. The fragrance that soon permeated the space was invigorating.

Isaac settled across from Avery.

"So," he started, reclining a bit, "after you started fusing with the land..."

He recounted it all.

Regarding the monster waves.

Regarding the expansion.

Regarding the ogres and the perilous clashes.

Regarding gaining fresh companions.

Regarding Emily.

Regarding the perils and the prospects that arrived relentlessly one after another.

He refrained from embellishing. He avoided sensationalizing. He merely narrated straightforwardly, detailing occurrences as they unfolded.

Avery attended without interjecting.

Only her eyes shifted.

The further she listened, the more contemplative she grew.

When he concluded, Alice came back with tea and set a cup before Avery prior to seating herself next to Isaac.

Avery raised the cup, breathed in the scent, and sipped delicately.

"You’ve... been through a lot of colorful weeks," she remarked finally. "Even in an apocalypse, I have not seen many who face so many dangerous situations and opportunities in such a short span."

Her mouth formed a subtle smile.

"Truthfully, I was worried that when I woke up, something might have happened to you. There is no shortage of powerful monsters roaming these lands. I am relieved to see that you not only survived, but expanded and strengthened your territory."

They kept conversing.

They covered monster paths, territory firmness, the manner in which the land had adjusted to its growth. Avery described how her merger had fortified the soil and water conduits, how she could now detect disruptions throughout the whole City.

After some time, she placed her cup aside and regarded him with greater gravity.

"From now on, you do not need to worry about the City’s defenses. With me here, there is almost nothing that can harm it."

Isaac inclined his head gradually.

He had long recognized Avery's might.

But previously, his awareness had been constrained. Now that he had advanced and hit the summit of Adept rank as an Apex species, his perceptions were much keener.

And still—

He remained unable to fathom the extent of her strength.

He had confronted ogres surpassing Level 55+.

Those Overlord rank beings exuded crushing aura.

Now he comprehended.

Those ogres wouldn't endure one strike from Avery.

No.

They would probably be obliterated by a mere notion.

The gap in power among Overlords was vast.

Up to this point, Isaac had only met Overlords from inferior species. Observing Avery closely revealed to him the dreadfulness of an Overlord from an Apex species.

With her presence, the City stood secure.

The burden he had borne unknowingly lightened.

For days, he had shouldered the fate of thousands of souls. Each choice he made bore repercussions. Every confrontation risked ruin. A single defeat could spell the end for all.

He had concealed it.

Yet the strain had persisted unrelentingly.

Now, for the initial time since the apocalypse's onset, he sensed relief in breathing.

Alice observed Isaac’s expression relaxing.

Avery clasped her hands in her lap.

"Now, you two should sleep. We can continue our discussion tomorrow," she stated evenly,

"You don’t want to sleep?" Isaac inquired.

"I’ve slept for weeks. So for now, I will stay awake and check on the crops. Some of them are quite interesting."

A subtle smile graced her lips, and her voice altered marginally.

"As for later, maybe you would let me sleep with you? It seems those who follow you get tremendous fortuitous encounters. I would be happy to have a share of the pie as well."

Alice’s eyes narrowed sharply.

A subtle, menacing energy escaped her unintentionally. The air warmed.

Avery chuckled lightly upon sensing it.

Before Alice could respond, the water at Avery’s feet evaporated into vapor and she vanished.

Isaac grinned wryly. He extended a hand and gently tapped Alice’s nose.

"She was just teasing you since she knows you’re a dragon."

"I know," Alice responded.

Her face did not soften, however. The dragon essence in her was instinctively possessive, and Avery’s jesting remark had registered. Isaac perceived her caution now, not outright fury, but vigilance.

He deemed the response strangely entertaining.

They ascended upstairs as one.

Alice voiced before arriving at her door.

"Sleep with me. You slept with Celia and Emily already for several hours."

Isaac blinked. "But—"

"Today is a free day since Professor isn’t here. And you already slept half the night with Celia and Emily. So it should be fine if you sleep with me now."

She uttered firmly at the outset, but by the conclusion, a hint of defiance emerged. Alice seldom requested outright, particularly not in others' presence. Now alone in the corridor, she felt no shame in expressing her desire.

Isaac regarded her briefly.

"You’re sleeping with Selene," he pointed out.

Alice’s gaze stiffened.

She had truly overlooked it.

"...Goodnight," she uttered after a short delay.

She released his arm and proceeded to her chamber with a composed demeanor, though Isaac detected the mild irritation underneath.

He lingered a moment before silently retreating to his own quarters.

The night elapsed tranquilly.

In the morning, Isaac followed his customary routine. He gathered the harvest, practiced mildly, and reviewed his status prior to descending.

The aroma of meal welcomed him prior to entering the kitchen.

Selene tended the stove with assured motions. Celia lingered close, observing keenly and from time to time posing inquiries.