Thus, how vital were Sanzai's prior preparations; had he initiated communication through the spirit first, the suspicious, irritable, simple-minded Cyclops, already suffering intense agony, would have been on high alert, inevitably triggering a chain reaction resulting in a massive boulder being hurled their way.

"Bad, very bad. Pain, tight, can't breathe."

Sanzai spoke in a calm, gentle voice:

"I can help you. May I come closer to examine you? Look, I am so frail right now, no more of a threat than a Slime Worm. Even if you and your child remain still, I could never harm you."

The Mountain Cyclops fought through the pain to regard Sanzai, deciding the fellow spoke the truth; he was undeniably as weak as could be, crushable beneath a single finger. It offered no objection, continuing its ragged breaths.

Sanzai forced himself through the Mountain Cyclops' stench to approach. Though he had only obtained the Ukiyo-e woodblock prints from Fang Senyan a mere few hours ago, he had formulated a comprehensive strategy for winning over Legendary Creatures long, long ago—much like an otaku, knowing the odds of ever interacting with a celebrity like Lin Chi-ling are slim, still indulges in a fantasy during self-gratification.

So, the first thing Sanzai did was something familiar, something rehearsed countless times in his mind: alleviate the Legendary Creature’s suffering. This was not difficult; it required no great effort from Sanzai, only sufficient Universal Points, as he had every kind of medicinal preparation imaginable.

Thus, when Sanzai smeared an ointment onto the Cyclops’ clearly swollen neck, the giant soon emitted a contented groan. Unfortunately, this ointment only blocked the pain; it offered no effective relief for the Cyclops offspring lodged in its throat.

It was then Sanzai realized the Mountain Cyclops offspring did not appear to be born as mammals; rather, it resembled an egg with rock-like texture, coloring, and shell. This egg was neither oblong nor perfectly round but a faceted, angular spheroid, appearing incredibly solid, almost possessing a metallic sheen. No wonder delivery through the throat proved so arduous.

Perhaps due to the excessive agitation the Mountain Cyclops mother experienced the last time, Sanzai noted upon close inspection that this time the fetus was not merely 50% of the standard size, as Old Charlie had suggested, but more than double the normal size. Such a massive offspring was impossible to deliver naturally.

At this juncture, Sanzai had tentatively earned the trust of the female Mountain Cyclops through the pain relief measures. However, this trust was built upon the convergence of staggering Charm points, expensive Universal Point pharmaceuticals, and Sanzai's own rigorous contemplation—all three elements were indispensable.

Sanzai decided to lay his cards on the table with the Mountain Cyclops, explaining her predicament frankly:

"My kinswoman, your current condition is critical. If nothing changes, both you and your child will perish. I have one method to save you both. If you feel anything is amiss, you may kill me at any moment..."

The Mountain Cyclops mother, having already endured one delivery, felt a deep despair. At this moment, the plan Sanzai proposed was too complex for her simple mind to grasp. The basic logic that registered in her head was: weak and harmless, no pain, has a solution, speaks the language of my kind, trustworthy...

Then, with the Mountain Cyclops mother's willing cooperation, Sanzai administered localized anesthesia. Next, Sanzai produced Fang Senyan’s +13 West [a weapon], and began to make incisions on the Mountain Cyclops' neck. Of course, this was not a horizontal cut across the throat, but a vertical slice made downward, carefully avoiding major blood vessels and the trachea.

The female Mountain Cyclops’ neck was already distended and swollen from the pressure, its diameter nearly matching its head, the outer skin stretched tight and showing signs of edema. As Sanzai slowly sliced through, blood and accumulated fluids flowed out, and surprisingly, the usually volatile Mountain Cyclops mother seemed to feel a cathartic release.

Crucially, the Mountain Cyclops’ pain reflex is notoriously dull. There is a jest describing them: "That brute is so stupid, it doesn't even realize it’s dead." Thus, this level of discomfort was negligible to her.

Once the incision reached sufficient length, the incredibly large, rock-like egg eagerly tumbled out of the birth canal, ejecting a flood of mucus and blood. Even though this gash on the neck would count as a severe injury even for a powerful Eighth-Tier Legendary Creature, the fiercely proud mother immediately let out a muffled cry of joy and carefully cradled her child.

Immediately afterward, she used an innate ability to dig a pit and buried the unusually large, rock-like egg. Then, she began to pray sincerely, asking the Earth Mother to bestow strength upon her offspring. As she did all this, the blood flowing from the wound on her neck accelerated, yet she remained oblivious, appearing deeply devout.

As her prayers echoed, the soil before her gradually swelled and solidified, forming an ancient, simple, yet profoundly primordial altar. The rare, massive rock egg was enshrined upon it.

It seemed the legend that the larger the offspring of a Mountain Cyclops, the more favor it received from the Earth Mother was not false. A tangible layer of cyan light began to spiral around the rock egg; viewed from a distance, this light resembled a pair of benevolent, gentle hands.

This was already a rare miracle among the Mountain Cyclops.

Typically, when a Mountain Cyclops infant is born, it is merely buried, followed by two loud rumbles, after which the offspring claws its way out of the earth. The formation of an altar signified the Earth Mother's attention, but the appearance of solid, hand-like shapes stroking the egg was a blessing rarely seen in a thousand years—a true divine grace.

This meant that while the mother’s potential had capped at Eighth-Tier Legendary, her child might potentially reach the threshold of a Tenth-Tier Demigod.

Of course, legends reserved the ultimate boon—a personal blessing from the Earth Mother herself—for figures like the Cyclops King Polyphemus; its appearance here was utterly unrealistic.

As the cyan hands materialized by the Earth Mother vanished, the rock egg on the altar began to crack. Finally, what appeared before everyone was a small, two-headed Cyclops with pitch-black skin and innate war markings. It was not yet time for it to open its eyes. Following instinct, it grunted as it devoured the eggshell, then promptly fell into a deep sleep.

The Mountain Cyclops mother was moved to tears, large, ping-pong ball-sized drops rolling down her face. She quickly wrapped her child in a piece of hide that reeked terribly, then took out cured meat she had prepared, began chewing it, and created sustenance for her infant.

However, the wound on her neck and the exhaustion of childbirth finally caught up to her. Sanzai, having gained her trust, began to treat the neck injury, then produced a batch of incredibly sweet and cool ** for her to drink... In the end, the Mountain Cyclops mother was felled by the combined assault of alcohol, anesthetic, and the strain of parturition, quickly beginning to snore thunderously.

Fang Senyan and his group finally sighed and gathered around. By the time they arrived, Sanzai had smoothly completed the bonding ritual with the two-headed infant. After all, the little thing showed no resistance, and its rank was only First-Tier Legendary.

Fang Senyan pinched his nose as he took the two-headed infant, scrutinizing it closely. Zi had already retreated, unable to bear the smell. Fang Senyan couldn't help but frown:

"I thought only male Mountain Cyclops prided themselves on body odor? Why is the female so incredibly foul?"

Sanzai answered seriously:

"If my guess is correct, the stench emanates from the enveloping skin of the female Mountain Cyclops and this piece of hide she used to wrap the infant. The origin of these leathers is the skin of a powerful male Mountain Cyclops."

"The male of this family likely died for some reason, but the female felt deep affection for him and wished him to remain with her and the child. So, she flayed his skin and consumed his flesh, symbolizing that his essence and soul still lived with her. This male must have been quite powerful in life, as it was only after the female consumed him that she managed to reach the Eighth Tier."

"No wonder I misidentified the gender initially due to the odor," Fang Senyan realized with sudden enlightenment.

Zi listened, completely dumbfounded. Such a brutal custom was unheard of. However, Fang Senyan expressed understanding, citing the example of the male praying mantis being consumed by the female after mating if she lacks sufficient nutrition, a practice common even among Earth's tribes, thus showing little surprise.

The eight-minute countdown was fast approaching. To comfort the pitiful female Mountain Cyclops, Sanzai wrote down a message suggesting the Earth Mother had taken the small two-headed giant away, which he hoped would ease her grief.

But had she not met Sanzai, this mother and child would have certainly died together. Now, both mother and child lived, and there remained a chance for them to meet again—they were fortunate.

As the eight minutes concluded, the female Mountain Cyclops continued to sleep soundly in her exhaustion. The white light receded, sweeping everything back to its prior state. Only the two-headed infant held in Sanzai’s arms testified to their success.

With Sanzai's critical matter resolved, Fang Senyan finally breathed a long sigh of relief. His mind, which hadn't paused for a moment, immediately turned to the next impending world. He went to ask Zi why the notification hadn't arrived yet, only for Zi to look back strangely:

"What do you mean? Wasn't it notified long ago?"