Aldrich brushed off the sharp sarcasm in her words, “This is my way of caring for my partner.”
“You seem to be not very good at caring for a partner.”
Aldrich had never been taught how to love. His father, Elwin, and his two previous companions did not end well, and no one ever mentioned the word “love” to him. He was the guy who took his brother’s companion, not capable of love, a trait of the Barret family.
“We all have to live life according to our own beliefs.”
Urania neither agreed nor disagreed, “Within the premise of not harming others.”
“I won’t hurt her.”
“But you’re already treating her like private property. We don’t use such words to describe partners. Power and wealth can be yours; people can’t. She’s not a slave.”
Aldrich furrowed his brow, “Are you trying to give me a philosophy lesson today?”
“I’m just offering advice for your precarious relationship.”
Urania, with her seemingly childlike face, proclaiming herself an elder, felt visually and aurally absurd. Aldrich felt uncomfortable being lectured by that youthful face.
“Our relationship isn’t precarious.”
Urania’s eyebrows were almost flying off her pretty face; every feature questioned him.
“She said she wants to stay by my side, and I trust her determination.”
“I don’t doubt her determination. I doubt your ability to love. How can a partner who doesn’t know how to love keep their beloved one forever?”
“…,” Aldrich didn’t want to hear these words. “I’m going back.”
Watching his retreating figure, Urania thought, not heeding the advice of the elderly would lead to a big loss.
Before sunset, Maggie finally managed to struggle through the brick-like book, feeling dizzy and fatigued. She craved something sweet to replenish her brain.
She walked out of the room and saw Urania lighting a bonfire outside. On top of it, there was something roasting, and Urania was sitting cross-legged, waiting for the food on the rack to cook.
“What’s this?” Maggie walked over and mimicked Urania’s posture, sitting down.
“Wild boar.” Urania occasionally turned the meat over with her hands. She had purposely gone to an area with wild boars and stored them in the cellar. She didn’t have advanced equipment like a refrigerator; everything here was not much different from a thousand years ago.
Maggie took a deep breath, and the roasted wild boar emitted a strong aroma of pork fat under the intense flame.
“Did you apply any spices?”
“Just honey.”
Maggie felt the urge to grab the pork and start gnawing. The exhaustion from studying now seemed less important; she just wanted to enjoy a hearty meal and replenish her body and mind after the study session.
“Besides meat, is there anything else you’d like to eat?”
“Toasted bread, escargot, and desserts, various desserts.”
Urania’s eyelid twitched, “I was just asking symbolically; I didn’t ask you to order.”
Maggie’s attention was entirely on the oily wild boar; she had no idea what Urania was talking about. “When will it be ready?”
Urania turned the rack silently, “Soon.”
Urania’s skills were indeed impressive, especially when dealing with wild animals and plants. She knew where spices grew, how to cleanly peel off intact hides, and methods to preserve meat for an extended period.
Maggie ate with focused attention. Since coming here, every meal had been meticulously selected by Aldrich. Overly refined cuisine made her feel a peculiar discomfort. However, cooking with the most primitive methods seemed to awaken her appetite.
Urania didn’t eat much; her enjoyment now came from observing others eat. “You look famished,” she remarked.
“Studying usually makes me extremely hungry. I need to replenish energy. Besides, my kids are hungry too.”
Urania chuckled silently behind the flames, “You seem to lack enthusiasm for studying.”
Maggie recalled her past learning experiences. She truly had no talent in this area, especially compared to Alisa. People often expressed disbelief upon learning that Alisa was her sister. Alisa was considered exceptional among prodigies, so why was her sister so inept at studying?
“I don’t know why, but I’m not suited for sitting in a classroom, listening to teachers. I don’t have the patience for it. I liked high school lab classes; they only required you to grasp the basic theory, and the rest depended on the results you could produce with your own hands.”
“In that case, it’s clear why you can occasionally unleash power but fail to deeply understand its nature.”
Maggie’s cheeks were puffed from the meat; she felt a bit resentful. “But I excel in practical applications.”
Urania handed her a cup of water to rinse her mouth. “If you want to be an ordinary member of the werewolf society, you can stick to practical applications. Or, if you only want to be a recognized Luna, either practice or theory will suffice. But you bear the responsibility of the Moon Goddess.”
The immortality of the gods for thousands of years was prepared for continuous learning.
“Are you going to back down?”
Maggie clenched her fists. “I won’t back down! Once I’ve decided to do something, I won’t retreat in the face of difficulties.”
Urania was quite satisfied with her current mental state. She seemed less likely to be easily overwhelmed by challenges.
“That’s good. You should be full now. Let’s discuss what you’ve learned from that book these past two days.”
Maggie’s small face drooped again.
“What system does werewolf society basically inherit?”
“Feudal monarchy.”
“Specific manifestations?”
“Clear hierarchy. The lowest-ranking werewolves are bought and sold as slaves. The highest holders of power are called Alphas. Werewolves usually operate in clan units, with surnames determining social status. Higher-status surnames gain more power and wealth. Lower-status surnames can only engage in low-return production or become slaves. Typically, members of lower-status surnames cannot mate with those of higher-status surnames. The offspring cannot inherit family power and wealth.”
“Not bad. How has the werewolf society evolved after werewolves’ evolution?”
“Constitutional monarchy.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, this system mainly borrows from the new system humans adopted as they entered capitalist society. It ensures that power is not excessively abused, and the management form shifts from human-based to legal-based.”
Urania thought to herself that even though Maggie claimed not to be good at learning theoretical knowledge, it seemed like rote memorization could help her remember quite a bit.