Li Ang felt that perhaps it was because she once counted the days daily, wishing for her parents to return, and it would take a long time to cross a year, so she had a personal understanding of the scale of time.
"When I was young, I didn't believe in this history, thought it was just our clan making things up, later..."
"Um..." Zoe hesitated to speak.
"What's the matter?" Elaphia responded to her.
Since returning from Theocracy, her attitude towards the kitten, and not just the kitten, but also the canary, white wolf, and pink Xiaoniu on the ship, had become much more gentle.
"Is it true that when you Douding were young, you were really short?"
Zoe's expression wasn't very precise, but both Elaphia and Li Ang understood what she meant.
The body proportions of humans, Beast-Earkin, Horned Race, and elves are similar, but the Douding Family is different from everyone. According to the situation of the other four races, there would be a significant size difference from child to adult, so Zoe was thinking, wouldn't it mean the Douding Family is born really tiny?
Because the Blondie Douding mentioned childhood, Zoe thought of this question.
"I'm also curious, I can't really recall seeing Haven Race children." Li Ang said.
It's not that he's ignorant, but rather that while the Haven Race in Nebis is not uncommon, they are also not frequently seen.
Moreover, compared to other races, they value tradition the most, with different branches having their own customs, all very numerous, so regardless of whether individual Havens are xenophobic, their tribe as a whole interacts little with outsiders.
Furthermore, they are known for producing casters and artisans, adding to their mystery. Douding who are a bit older love to speak cryptically, and not many people can form deep friendships with them.
Other than Elaphia, the Havens Li Ang knows are either mysterious or have a reclusive demeanor. Even Falo is full of secrets, with no chance to ask about this family.
What's more absurd is that when he checked in the Thousand Towers City Grand Library, even the scholars there struggled to gather enough cultural samples of the Haven Race. Their lifespan, racial talents, and growth periods are all vaguely addressed.
"Haven children reach adult size much quicker than you, and although our ages don't seem drastically different, when very old, only our hair turns white, and our faces don't wrinkle.
"Babies are not very small either, the size difference between us when they're adults is about three times. Haven mothers cannot walk on the ground in the last two months, relying on various devices for mobility. The time it takes for the child to grow also varies slightly between branches..."
"That's tough." Zoe said.
Li Ang observed Elaphia's torso for a few seconds, imagining what it would be like if there was a child.
Just those few seconds of gaze were noticed by Aifei, who squinted, with blade's edge faintly showing between the lashes.
"Are you thinking of something quite disrespectful?"
"No, it's just some involuntary imagination."
Elaphia seemed to have thought of something, as if the delicate, puppet-like face of the human girl blushed crimson.
"P-pervert! You are certainly a pervert! If you are thinking about me when I was young, then you are even more of a pervert!"
"I'm completely innocent."
"Don't you dare look at other Haven girls like that, as for me, I'll overlook it." Aifei said, blushing, her petite fists over her mouth as she gently coughed to cover it.
Li Ang quickly diverted the topic: "You said, you thought the clan's history was made up when you were young, what happened then?"
Elaphia composed herself and said, "Later, when I left the clan lands, I met other Haven tribes outside and discovered that everyone has, to some extent, creation myths, or similar legends. Combined with various analyses, I began to feel that the clan's history might be true.
"You may have already noticed, the Haven Race tends to be artisans and are accustomed to casting, the magic they release is also related to creating items and equipment. These actually derive from ancient heritages passed down through various branches.
"After analyzing some secret techniques of different Haven branches, I feel that during the time when there was civilization, most of the Haven Race should have lived together, unlike you humans. We inherit the branch of the Blade Master, which perhaps retains more inter-clan knowledge."
Li Ang nodded and seeing Zoe's confused face, explained a bit.
Humans on Earth evolved to roam the world and establish civilization in the end phases. In Nebis, although the Sky Islands separate each other, evidence left proves that humans here developed somewhat similarly. Scholars still debate how humans spread across the Sky Islands, but their shared origin is unquestioned.
And what Elaphia means is that the Haven Race established civilization first, then scattered across the world as they are now.
"You mentioned different growth speeds among your races, why is that?"
"It's influenced by the power in our blood, which affects everything. Most Havens have unique talents and abilities; take Farlonio for instance, although she's mysterious, her ability to appear and disappear must come from her family's secret techniques.
"As for me, I just develop slower because the weapon blood in my body requires a lot of energy during growth."
"I see."
Li Ang was curious, thinking within the same race, differences in growth among different branches are normal due to natural environmental impacts on evolution. However, what's happening with the Douding Family seems like an artificially imposed influence.