Reborn As A Beastman With A System

"Logan caressed Isabel gently, his voice soft yet filled with a hint of awe. "Do you realize, Isabel, your mother remains a formidable fifth-order water magician!"

Isabel's delicate features stiffened, disbelief etching her face.

Is that the truth?

Had Logan really said that?

Caught in a whirlwind of emotions, Isabel's eyes welled up once more, betraying her long-held resentment towards her mother.

Meanwhile, Logan scrutinized the detailed records of Astari, a snakeman at the zenith of fifth-order magic. Despite her mastery over numerous water spells, the system hesitated to classify her as sixth-order.

Without external intervention, Astari's magical journey was likely at its end.

"Your mother, I suspect, was the prodigy of your clan in her youth," Logan chuckled, his voice echoing in the dimly lit room.

Isabel sobbed quietly, her tears confirming her acceptance of Covenus' reasoning.

Logan, who had been silent, nodded thoughtfully. He understood that among the snake people, a matriarchal society, leadership was not inherited but earned through merit.

When a leader aged, a vibrant, skilled young woman was chosen as the new chief, while the former leader took on the role of an elder, safeguarding the continuity of governance.

"Interestingly, your magical talents extend beyond water to wood," Logan added, capturing Isabel's attention once more.

Isabel gasped, her eyes wide. "You knew?"

"How could I not? Yet, I wonder why your wood magic lingers at the mere first level?" Logan probed gently.

Isabel, a dual-elementalist in water and wood, had oddly underdeveloped wood abilities. It suggested a deliberate neglect.

"Because I wanted to hide it from my mother. I despised her desire to make me her successor, so I rejected the wood element and slowed my progress as a water magician," Isabel confessed, her voice choked with emotion.

Logan sighed, a look of compassionate reproof on his face. "My dear, in denying your talent, you harm only yourself. Your mother's love for you is boundless; perhaps her own inability to advance as a magician after birthing a dual-talented daughter like you weighed heavily on her."

Isabel's tears flowed unrestrained, her body trembling with each sob. Logan, respecting her need to confront her pain, remained silent. The path to healing lay through the tears and the shattering of long-held grudges.

With a thoughtful glance at Isabel, Logan stood and made his way downstream, where the flower-picking beastmen roamed, leaving Isabel to her poignant revelations.

The wasteland stretched endlessly, blanketed solely by grass, save for the verdant oasis by the river where a riot of flowers, plants, and trees flourished. Beyond this splash of life, one had to venture into the forest skirting the formidable Black Wind Mountains to encounter any significant vegetation.

The endeavor of collecting flowers was driven by a purpose, perfume making. Over the past days, he had concocted a sample perfume at home using a particularly fragrant bloom gathered from this riverside. The exploration wasn't just for pleasure; it was a quest to identify potential floral candidates for his perfumes.

Just yesterday, he had given Cobos a hefty bag of flower seeds purchased from the system mall, an eclectic mix including iris, sandalwood, lavender, rose, jasmine, osmanthus, gardenia, peony, lilac, freesia, and lily of the valley.

Though many would take time to mature and bloom, the immediate plan was to harvest the wild, aromatic flowers growing in abundance by the river, kickstarting his perfume production and generating some initial revenue.

Suddenly, a loud splash disrupted the serene riverside ambiance.

Logan, startled, scanned the water. Had Isabel jumped in? His eyes widened as he spotted her, but then he relaxed. Isabel, a snakewoman, wasn't likely to drown, such a notion was absurd!

Approaching the river, Logan marveled at its breadth. Although it was but a minor tributary of the Danube, this river spanned nearly 30 meters across. The true Danube, a colossal river running 40,000 miles and up to 10,000 meters wide in places, was the lifeblood of the continent. All rivers here were considered extensions of the Danube, veins pulsating with the continent's life force.

Names were trivial in the grand scheme, what mattered was the connection to this mighty waterway.

"Isabel, what are you up to?" Logan called out, noticing her playful antics in the water.

Snake people, much like the merfolk, one of the royal lineages of the sea, were adept in the water, though one had a snake tail and the other a fish tail.

At his shout, Isabel submerged briefly, then resurfaced right before Logan, her face breaking into a grin. "Chief, this is for you!"

A massive dark shadow surged from beneath the water in Isabel's hands and launched towards Logan.

He caught it deftly, a fish, its scales glossy black and belly a stark white, about thirty centimeters long and weighing roughly forty kilograms. Though still twitching, the fish's eyes shone with a finality, its life fading. Logan held it, contemplating the unexpected gift, the river quietly witnessing the exchange.

"Chief, behold the black beggar, one of the tastiest delights these waters have to offer," Isabel declared, her eyes gleaming with pride as she held up the fish.

"I've been subsisting on black and white bread back at the tribe for the last fortnight, and frankly, I'm tired of it," she confessed, her tail swishing playfully in the water's cool embrace.

Logan, intrigued, queried as he set the fish aside, "Do your people have a penchant for fish?"

Reflecting briefly, it made sense, snake people, dwelling along rivers and seas, were likely adept at fishing.

Isabel's confirmation came with a burst of pride. "Absolutely, we're born fishers. It's almost impossible to imagine a meal without fish. We even outshine the lizard and turtle folk when it comes to fishing."

"Unless those pesky little fish folk get involved!" she added with a chuckle, diving back into the river. Within seconds, she resurfaced, flinging another dark shadow onto the riverbank, a black beggar, slightly larger than the first.

"The river is teeming with them, all plump and numerous!"

Logan marveled at the two black beggars before him. Snake people, natural-born fishers? That was indeed perfect!

He had long harbored plans to introduce a reliable meat source for his tribe. With the river so rich in large, abundant fish, it seemed foolish not to capitalize on such resources. And now, with many snake people in his tribe, each a fishing maestro, it seemed all too easy.

Snap...!

Yet another black beggar soared from the water, courtesy of Isabel. Her claims were no boast; in less than ten minutes, she had netted three fish collectively weighing over 100 kilograms.

It dawned on Logan that Isabel was indeed his good fortune personified. Without her, the thought of fishing might never have crossed his mind.

While Isabel continued to revel in the water, Logan entertained the idea of grilling the fish. His anticipation was quickly doused by the realization he had forgotten to bring fire, forcing him to abandon the plan reluctantly.