Alright. Chapter 7. Let's go onto that meeting with Albedo that same night, and a bit of the nightlife of Mondstant.

"So, what are the 5 of you gathered here for?"

Barbara, Amber, Eula, Jean, and I stood in front of his cave. All of the girls were cold, but we were overdue for a visit, so all of them came along, and followed me to Dragonspine, where Albedo currently stood.

Albedo didn't even look over back at us, busy with whatever he was doing, but he still knew who had come to the

"Don't play dumb, Albedo." I spoke, my patience lost. "You already know the answer to that."

"I haven't the faintest idea." He said, sarcastically. "It's not as if rumors of the acting grandmaster holding hands with the hero of Mondstant haven't been floating around." He held a magnification lens to his eye, focusing on something in front of him, before continuing. "Or that Barbara was found being held by you, carrying her away from her rabid fans." He lowered the lens, and uncharacteristically chuckled.

"Or even the public display of affection for Eula and Amber." He quickly looked over, before focusing on the thing in front of him.

'I just celebrated them for being heroes of Mondstant…'

I narrowed my eyes.

"Alright, what do you know?"

"I only know that you're all in a relationship with each other." He continued to look the other way to organize his cave behind him, and continue on with his own experiment.

Eula didn't mind the cold, but Amber, Barbara, Jean, and I definitely felt a relief with the better temperature inside the cave.

"I don't know to what extent it was, or what you've all done. That is…" He turned around, only to see all the girls lifting their shirts up, revealing the tattoos on their stomachs. He raised his eyebrow, simply.

"They're all pregnant. Just after one night sleeping with them."

Instead of looking confused, he looked like things clicked for him, and he lost focus on the things behind him in order to focus on the girls in front of him.

"So, how many ejaculations did it take for many of them to have this… tattoo show up?" He walked closer to the girls, and I merely spoke.

"Just once." The girls all nodded, as Albedo left his experiment behind him.

"Do you mind if I touch your stomach, Outrider Amber?" He asked Amber first, to which she had no problem, as he rubbed her stomach slightly, with him observing her tattoo.

"They've been pregnant for a few days, correct?"

"Amber, she became pregnant the day before yesterday, Eula, yesterday, and Barbara and Jean today."

He looked slightly shocked, for just a single second, only to curtail his expression, as he sniffed her slightly, leading to me being confused, and almost defensive of Amber.

"I can tell… she's been in the confines of the hilichurls, hasn't she?" He pointed to amber.

Jean hid her gasp, Barbara looked unsurprised elsewhere, and Eula just looked confused.

"How? How did you know?" Fear gripped my heart in it's hands.

"Generally, the body odor, and their reproductive semen, of monsters are very distinguishable. And considering you said she got pregnant 2 days ago, it's within the time period for the semen of the monster to be picked up, albeit subtly."

I looked down.

"Yeah. She was hurt… raped, by those animals, and I slaughtered all of the hilichurls who did that to her. I made sure she wouldn't give birth to a child, so I… slept with her." I felt disgusted, still, saying that.

Eula seemed to comfort me, holding my shoulder. I turned around, my face looking up at hers, and she nodded, non verbally saying,

'It's not your fault.'

"... Wait, you said they raped her, Amber… and you slept with her, and she still got pregnant with your child?" Albedo seemed extremely surprised with that.

Barbara spoke up, now looking at him. "Uh, yes, Amber told me to check on whose child it was during the examination, and I said it was Aether's. It had his sperm inside her newly fertilized egg. It was as if he was the only man she had slept with."

Albedo breathed out, thoughtfully. "If you were any other man, you wouldn't be able to compete with the potency of a monster."

"Wait, what?"

"You might not know this, but unfortunately, the case for monsters raping women, while lower than in the past, is still non zero. There's been cases where a woman had been kidnapped, and when they're rescued, they're not the same."

My fist tightened at the thought.

'They're monsters…'

"There was this one case, where an older woman, 45, was kidnapped by monsters, despite her fertility being low, and she was found months later to have given birth to hundreds of monster hybrid children. It didn't even take her a full 9 months, she was made into a slave for the hilichurls."

I felt like seeing red, at that moment. Everything felt like it was burning, with me learning that.

"The good news is, that was many decades ago. But the unfortunate reality is that many monsters are incredibly potent with their semen, so your semen is enough to, even when amber is completely filled by the hilichurls, impregnate someone."

I breathed out, heavily shaking. I wasn't sure who I felt angry at.

"Hey, it's alright."

Amber looked in front of me, blocking the view of Albedo.

"You protected me. Thank you." She smiled, simply, which made me lean down on her forehead.

"I'm sorry… I should have-"

She put her finger on my lips, quieting me.

"Like Albedo said, you managed to make me not get pregnant with a monster's child. Thank you for that. Thank you for taking care of me."

I wished to kiss her then and there. But I merely settled for tapping my forehead against hers, and hugging her, before listening to Albedo.

"You impregnated her with one shot inside her womb, yes?"

I thought back, seeing if I had done so. It was vague, but… I remembered a slight tattoo forming on her stomach as I came inside her for the first time.

"Yes."

Albedo put his hand under his chin.

"And Amber, you said you were ovulating?"

"Well, I was ovulating then, yeah…" Amber scratched the back of her neck, perhaps remembering what she had said that day.

"Were all of you ovulating on the day you decided to sleep with Aether?"

Eula, Jean, and Barbara shook their heads, which made Albedo look curiously.

"I wasn't ovulating the day of it, but I still got pregnant with Aether's child." Eula raised her hand.

"Same with me, as well. I was on a safe day then." Jean spoke, a small blush on her cheeks.

"Yeah, I wasn't ovulating that day either." Barbara spoke, matter-of-factly.

"So, it seems like something might be in your body, Aether. Perhaps your vision manipulation is interacting with their fertility, with their visions connected to their bodies. It would explain how you're able to impregnate all of them so quickly, even when their cycles aren't on line with when you're sleeping with them."

"Is that even possible?"

"Quite frankly, I don't know." Albedo sounded a bit confused. "You're an exception, as I said. Few are able to manipulate visions without having that vision in the first place. Let alone make any female vision bearer, who knows, maybe even non vision bearers, able to become fertile." He chuckled, uncharacteristically of him, sounding genuinely stumped.

"Though, I've got some information in regards to what sleeping with them does to both them and me."

"I'm all ears." Albedo looked straight at me, his equipment far behind him.

"One, did you see the massive attack on Mondstant earlier today?"

"I heard of it happening, didn't see it with my own eyes."

"Well, Amber and Eula were first on the scene, this was the day after Eula got pregnant. They took down almost a dozen ruin guards. And I know why."

"You do?" Amber and Eula said, almost simultaneously. Albedo looked straight at me still.

I sighed, before speaking up.

"From what Paimon has seen, examining Amber, Eula, and I, she's seen that we have, from that point, gotten 4 times stronger. Our attack, defense, and many other of our attributes have increased by 4 fold. And, with Barbara and Jean, it's now… 16 times. For all of us."

Then, Albedo took some ground back, his understanding solidifying.

"2 to the power of the number of women you've been intimately connected to. Such a simple equation, but it has a dramatic effect on you and everyone you've been intimate with…"

He held his hand to his chin, his thought process solidifying.

"So, your control of visions doesn't just make women more fertile when you release inside them, it also establishes a connection between many of the women you've been intimately connected to, through you. So you're able to become significantly stronger thanks to the women you've slept with, and vice versa."

"And… one more thing I've got a question about."

"Hmm? Is it about Jean's bust size being greater than normal?"

I raised my eyebrow, as did Jean. "Yeah, it is. I accidentally stumbled on making her… lactate. Don't ask."

Albedo shook his head.

"So, currently, you only control Anemo, Geo, and Electro, correct?"

I nodded.

"Have you thought of some things with other girls, or done such things with other girls to control their bodies?"

"Thought… yes." I looked away, blushing slightly, and I could feel like dying inside admitting that, but I breathed out, and focused. "But, no, I've not had the same control over their bodies, at least directly."

"So, the increased control over their visions, specifically, leads to their bodies also being controlled by them. Interesting…"

He seemed to have one thought left.

"There is one piece of advice I'd give to you, before you leave soon, and rest. You need to delay Jean's pregnancy."

My eyebrows raised, and I felt my fist tightening.

"What? Why?"

"If you can do that, she'll still be able to work, without having to worry about her baby's health in battle."

"No. I am not doing that to Jean."

"She is the acting grand master of Mondstant, she still has many duties to fulfill, even if she doesn't give birth to your children."

He spoke rationally, before going outside the cave, and looking around him.

"There's many things that will occur in the future. For all we know, that attack that you experienced a while ago was just the beginning."

He looked back at me.

"What is Mondstant supposed to do, 3 months from now, when they all have their first trimester end, and their second trimester begins? Amber and Eula are the Outrider and Knight of Favonius. Barbara is a healer, and boosts the morale of the country as the self proclaimed idol of Mondstant. How are they supposed to protect this land alone, even with their increased strength, while they're dealing with the normal cravings of a pregnant woman, or having to spend more time than normal taking care of themselves?"

He gave all fair questions that I didn't have an answer for.

"Jean is the only woman you can control the body of in any meaningful way. You can delay her pregnancy for many months, in order to let Amber and Eula have enough time to have their children, while leaving Jean to be the one to protect Mondstant."

"Aether… he's right. That would help many people. You can delay my pregnancy, that's not a problem, especially if it means that I can protect Mondstant."

Jean spoke behind me, with none of the girls speaking back against Albedo or Jean.

"But… I don't want you to overwork yourself again. I don't want you to overburden yourself again…"

I sighed, clutching my head in frustration.

"Well, there are other ways. You have a few other women get pregnant, and delay their pregnancies."

I turned over to Albedo, angry.

"So, the only solution to protect Mondstant from what's coming is to impregnate many more women, with or without their consent, then delay their pregnancy?"

"Who says you have to force yourself on them? You do have more women you love, right?"

I blushed, gritting my teeth.

"I don't know if they've got the same feelings for me."

"Then why don't you ask?"

"Even if I did, why would they accept having a child with me, only for me to delay their pregnancy?"

"Because if it's for Mondstant, then why would Noelle or Lisa struggle with that decision?"

"But…"

I sighed, frustrated.

"There's a second way as well. You, within two months, must go across all of Teyvat, and obtain the ability to control the visions. You could possibly even delay their pregnancy before their first trimester ends."

The latter option was preferable, but at the same time, not within the ballpark.

'I can still barely get to Sumeru now, how would I get to the rest of the nations on time?'

"They're not mutually exclusive, to be fair. You can choose one of the options, then change course when you've controlled more visions."

I cleared my head. I needed to focus.

"Okay. Jean, are you sure you're alright with having your pregnancy delayed?"

I looked back at her, behind me, to which she nodded.

"Would all of you be alright with that, if I find a way to delay your pregnancies when I gain control of Hydro, Cryo, and Pyro?"

Barbara, Eula, and Amber nodded with not a trace of hesitation.

"Okay. Jean, right now, I command you to pause your pregnancy till I say to resume the process. Our child will remain in his or her current state till I say otherwise."

I verbally spoke it to make sure it would be in effect, and while Jean couldn't tell, her stomach was glowing through her uniform with the command.

"So, if you'll excuse me, I would like to carry on with my own experiment." Albedo passed us to go back into his cave, and ignored us standing outside.

"It's really cold here…" Barbara was the first to break into chills, with Jean and Amber being second and third respectively.

"Yeah, let's go back home."

I felt both heavier and lighter as we teleported back to Mondstant. We had answers.

But those weren't all the answers I wanted.

As all five of us walked in the darkness of the Mondstantian night, we saw the lanterns lighting up the darkness that would have enshrouded the city, with the occasional breeze and sloshing of water to break the comfortable silence as we walked across the bridge to Mondstant. The windmills continued to spin, as we approached the city, and the tiredness from our eyes almost disappeared focusing on the nightlife around us. The giant gate is what all of us focused on, as we entered the city. Lawrence and Swan were the first to greet us.

"Welcome back, Grandmaster Jean, Outrider Amber, Knight Eula, Deaconess Barbara, and Honorary Knight Aether!" They all made that familiar pose in front of them, with them crossing their hand over their heart, moving their feet together, and moving their arm downwards, towards the ground.

"No need for the formalities…" I merely sweat dropped, but Jean spoke up.

"Has there been any more attacks?"

"None since that attack earlier today, Grandmaster." They spoke, soldierly.

"Good. Keep on the lookout, however, and report any and all problems to those who are available, including me."

"Yes, Grandmaster Jean!"

"In the meantime, make sure you two are getting enough rest. Mondstant needs its heroes to be ready, so make sure sleep is on your schedule, and you continue to swap out for other knights for lookout."

The advice from Jean looked to be foreign to them, but they merely nodded, understanding where she was coming from. We walked past them, merely admiring the nightlife in Mondstant, as the chattering and talk of the night was not gone on Mondstant.

"Hey, Amber, Eula, Barbara, Jean. You want to go on a late night date?" The girls all looked at me, inquisitively, as I merely looked forward.

"I remember, Amber, Eula, with you two wanting a date with me. And I was wondering, if you guys all wanted to go on a date now?"

My stomach grumbled, making me embarrassed as I now looked at the four of them, but the girls around me all chuckled.

"Well, I'm all in!" Amber enthusiastically spoke.

"Me too!" Barbara was second to jump up to the idea, much to the surprise of the people around.

"...I'd like that." Eula spoke, meek fully, and Jean merely nodded.

"Can we order some food? I've not eaten for quite a while…" I spoke, meekly.

Barbara sweat dropped, as did many of the girls, as their hunger also seemed to also come back.

"Um, yeah, let's get something from the Good Hunter!" Amber spoke, and almost all of us agreed.

"How about we have a race to the top? And we try to see who gets there the fastest?" I suggested, which both Amber and Eula seemed interested in.

"I mean, I wouldn't mind participating…" Jean spoke after coughing.

"Vengeance will be mine, Aether." Eula smirked, before getting ready to run.

"3, 2, 1, go!" I spoke, as we all took off to run towards the top.

I took off slightly earlier, leading me to an early lead as I ran up the stairs. I started running backwards through the steps, somehow not tripping, as I teased the girls behind me and continued with the race. With all of our stamina being the same, led to me being first, even if I was a bit winded.

"Dang it! I lost…" Amber spoke, as she was last.

"Don't worry, there's nothing that'll happen with you losing. We're just doing a race." I chuckled breathlessly. Jean and Eula seemed unfazed by the exercise, but I could tell their heart rates had increased with the race, even if they got second and third place respectively, and Barbara got fourth.

"Let's eat!" I spoke, as we went to Sara, who was doing something behind the counter, and noticed the five of us looking at her.

"Oh, just give me a second! I'll just need to clean up the shelves behind me."

She wiped down the shelves, then placed the vases that were on the floor back onto the shelves, before turning around.

"Oh, Grandmaster Jean. It's been quite a while since I've seen you out here during the night. I'm guessing the honorary knight has pulled you out here to get you to relax, hasn't he?"

Jean merely chuckled. "You could say that. We were wanting a meal, since it's been a while since all of us have eaten."

"Oh, how about I make something for all five of you on the house?"

"Wait, you don't have to-" I spoke up, before Sara waved away any concerns I had.

"Take it as a thank you for protecting Mondstant. And for you, Honorary knight, for looking over all of them."

She winked, but I wasn't oblivious enough to not understand what she meant.

"Just sit at the table, I'll get something for the five of y'all."

We merely did what she asked, not even getting menus, as we engaged in chatter about our future, weapons, strength, or Mondstant's fate. Casual conversations, at least for us, on the table. Until, finally, we got our meal.

"Now, here's just one of the many things I've got for y'all. It'll be a feast for the five of you, since you've not eaten for a while."

She gave us five plates of northern smoked chicken, all as an appetizer, effectively, and none of us looked unsatisfied with what was given to us.

"Thank you."

"No problem! Just make sure you eat up!"

As soon as she left, we all dug into our meals, even Eula eating in a less refined manner, and we filled our stomachs with the stamina needed from what we'd all done over the past 3 days. Within minutes, all the food in front of us was gone, and we looked for more food from Sara.

"Now, the next part of your meal will come in a few seconds!" Sara spoke loudly, as she was finishing on what she was making. In a few seconds, as she promised, she came with another plate.

"So, to make sure you're not getting a food coma, I'll make sure that the next meal will be not so heavy on carbs, but for now, here's a Mushroom pizza, it'll serve as long energy."

She laid the plate of the giant pizza in front of us, with all of us marveling at the size, let alone the amount of cheese and mushrooms on it. Again, we all finished the pizza in record time, and the cheese and mushroom pizza merely melted in our mouths and stomachs. We started to feel a lot more satiated, however, with the pizza, where the Northern smoked chicken served as an appetizer.

"Now, here's your desert!"

Sara, almost as soon as we were done, came out with five plates of Lotus Flower Crisps, our desert, presumably.

"Now, if y'all want anything else, just ask, and I'll make it!" She spoke genuinely, as she platted the rest of the meals in front of us.

"Thank you." I said once again, to which she nodded, before going back to her spot behind the counter.

We finished the plates in front of us clean, but now, we were sufficiently full, our bodies satiated with the food we had gotten.

"Hmm…" Amber sighed, as she patted her stomach.

"Now, you guys want to walk around? Maybe burn off some of that food?" Jean, surprisingly, spoke.

"Sure, that works."

All of us, hand in hand, walked in the night, before having someone call my name.

"Um… Aether."

I turned back, to see the pale lavender haired, olive green eyed maid, with a hint of a blush on her face. I looked behind me, as did the rest of the girls.

"Mind if I can speak with you?"

And that's the wrap! Man, this chapter was a long one. But anyways, thanks for reading, and I'd like to rest now that I'm finished.