Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1271 1243. The Name of the Doll

Lan En also sat down not far from the flannel ball and began to pack the things he needed.

He put some alchemical raw materials in the space expansion pack, but more of them were potions, bombs, and sword oils that had already been made and replenished.

Check out various small but handy gadgets, such as knives and ropes, as well as simple armor repair tools.

In addition, the dry food and drinking water that had to be replaced before each entry into the Celestial Confluence Rift were also put in place.

Taking into account Qilin's recent changes in taste, Lan En also prepared a lot of special rations for Qilin to eat after the implantation of the [Bone Strengthening Organ] in the space expansion bag on its back.

The sound of the waves continued, and Flannel Ball and Lan En were both busy with their work.

No one spoke, the work at hand was not difficult, and the atmosphere was very comfortable.

In the New World, hunters and their cat followers probably get along in a similar way.

Soon, the Qilin running back also appeared on the sea outside the cave.

Without any hesitation, he put his hooves, which were soaked in sea water, on the ground and greeted the fluff ball and Lan En with a "hiss" sound.

The unicorn horns on its head had fully grown a few days ago.

But I don’t know if it’s because the experience of horn breaking is too common among the Qilin population?
Or was it because he ate the rations that Lan En specially prepared for his bone development as snacks?
Anyway, after Qilin grew the horns on its head this time, some changes occurred in its body.

The unicorn horns themselves haven't changed much, but the horns on the shoulder blades of the front legs and the bends of the hind legs have changed a lot.

Lan En felt a hard texture beneath the skin.

At first, he thought that Qilin had bone hyperplasia after eating too much of his special rations?

But when you think about Gu Long's physical fitness and life state, things that can make these things naturally sick are enough to cause a massacre in the ordinary natural world, right?

Later, Lan En had a discussion with Qilin, then used the blade of Arondite to gently cut open the scales on Qilin's shoulder blade and take a look.

In the end, a conclusion was reached that confused both the demon hunter and the ancient dragon.

Those hardened areas under the skin are indeed not bone hyperplasia. Instead, they have a texture similar to that of a Qilin's horn, and are blue-purple crystals like high-energy crystals.

These crystals seem to be accumulating and growing continuously, and perhaps they will eventually push out from under the Qilin's tough scales.

Lan En was quite surprised, but Qilin himself felt nothing after the initial surprise.

According to its meaning: "Huff~Huff."

"I eat and drink as usual, I don't feel anything at all! If I don't feel anything, it doesn't matter! I have been doing this for the past ten years, it's absolutely right!"

The results of the empirical analysis based on Gu Long's physical feelings do seem to be correct.

But Lan still tends to think rationally.

Judging from the evolutionary performance of the [Fiery Claw] Barbarian Jaw Dragon, Lan En felt that it was because Qilin had broken off the horns on his head several times, and his ability to control lightning had become ineffective.

This caused its body to evolve into a 'backup measure'.

In other words, 'even if the horns on the head are gone, there are still other organs in the body that can maintain the ability to control lightning.'

I just don't know whether this control power is separated from the original strength of Qilin Cangjiao, or is it an additional enhancement?

Considering the outrageous behavior of the creatures in the New World, Lan En basically assumed it to be the second one.

This is also why the witcher always smacks his lips in a sarcastic manner when looking at Qilin recently.

If he wants to become more powerful, he has to learn technology, engage in scientific research and innovation, and perform surgery on himself.

This guy's horns were broken off a few times and grew back without much effort, and then he upgraded?!

"Tsk, tsk, tsk."

Hearing the sound again, Qilin, who was chewing a piece of kelp in his mouth slowly and regularly like a capybara, tilted his head.

The ruby-like eyes on the cat's face looked at Lan who was smacking his lips.

Then he turned his head as if nothing had happened.

Okay, this kid is floating.

I'll let you try playing against Golden Lion alone later.

Because the tide of chaos magic was approaching, the three of them knew that the journey across the world was about to begin again.

So now everyone has entered a state of recuperating and gathering their strength.

Lan En sat on the bed in the secret cave, while [Turbid Stream·Destruction] was propped up on the ground, with the blue-purple flame of the Flame Queen Dragon burning silently on the sword.

Just a small flame on the sword raised the temperature in this semi-open cave by the sea by four or five degrees.

Lan En leaned the hilt of the greatsword against his shoulder, and a flickering flame burned in the palm of his left hand.

[Fire of Spell]

As Lan En felt the flames being sucked into the greatsword, his [Fire of Spell] was able to reflect his understanding of the flames to the outside world.

The [Spellfire] in the witcher's hand was twisting and leaping, and its appearance first changed from a small flame burning in mid-air to a piece spread on the palm of his hand.

Then the color gradually changed, beginning to transition from red to blue-purple.

In the end, the flame on Lan En's palm was basically the same as the fire that the Flame Queen Dragon had sprinkled on the arena.

"【Flame Queen Dragon's Fire】, completed."

Mentos completed the progress bar on Lan's retina, which meant that the witcher did master the ability to change the spellfire into this nature.

Lan En had started researching it since he had driven away the Flame Queen Dragon. It was only now completed.

With a clenched hand, the blue-purple flame, which was essentially [Fire of Spell], was extinguished immediately in accordance with the user's will.

At the same time, Lan En also grasped the hilt of the sword against his shoulder, and the flame on the sword [Turbid Flow·Destruction] suddenly became weaker and weaker.

Now that I have learned it, the little flame left in the greatsword can also be put into [Residual Fire].

It was already dark and candles were lit in the secret cave.

Qilin was lying on the ground, playing some game with a ball of fluff.

The sound of waves outside is still there, making people feel calm and distant.

After Lan En poured all the blue-purple flames into the [Remnant Fire], he was about to stand up with the big sword in his hand.

But the light changed as he put away the flame.

The amber cat's eyes suddenly narrowed slightly as the light changed.

"Click~"

The sound of armor colliding due to the sudden pause in movement was as abrupt as Lan En's eyes.

Before, because of Margarita's bad taste, Lan's display cabinet was not far away from the bed in the secret cave.

Inside are the trophies and souvenirs from his adventures in various worlds.

Among them are books of sword, fist and kicking moves, some small pieces of scale armor of the Barbarian Jaw Rex, and a lifelike puppet.

A doll obtained from Yharnam, the city obsessed with the blood of the ancient gods.

The doll sat quietly behind the glass of the display case, exactly the same as when Lan En brought it back.

Exquisite appearance.

The exquisiteness of the appearance comes not only from the beautiful face of the person who served as the prototype, but also from the morbid and obsessive love that the doll maker poured into it to create it in such detail.

The tall figure is wrapped in a complicated outfit similar to that of the Victorian era.

The skirt is nested layer by layer, and the lace edges alone have at least four or five layers.

At this time, it just sits quietly with its palms on its knees, giving off a feeling of tranquility and elegance.

Apart from the specially made spherical universal joints on the fingers as knuckles, no one can tell with the naked eye whether it is a puppet or a real person.

Lan En has even gotten into the habit of adjusting the doll's headdress and hair when he comes back to sort out his belongings and replenish his supplies after each cross-world trip.

It made him feel like he was playing with a life-size figure.

but now
In the sudden change of light, Lan En caught a glimpse of a change that he had never seen before.

Mentos instantly retrieved the most recent memory of the scene and confirmed that it was indeed a change that had not occurred before and had only recently occurred.

Lan En continued the movement that had been stopped abruptly. He stood up from the edge of the bed with the help of [Muddy Flow·Destruction], and leaned the huge sword against the rock wall of the cave.

".Maria?"

The demon hunter whispered a name hesitantly.

He stood in front of the glass display case where the doll was, and the reflection in the glass showed the serious eyes on the beautiful face.

He was looking at the hair accessories on the puppet's head.

On the silver piece of the hair accessory, the name was inconspicuously carved in gorgeous cursive script.

Its luxurious and intricate font features match everything about the doll, as if they had been there since ancient times.

But Lan En knew, and the biochemical intelligent computer also knew: this was not something that had existed a long time ago.

The doll has its eyes lowered in the display case, as if tempting people to follow their gaze and look into its eyes.

"Margarita or Tishaya." Lan's finger tapped the glass door. "Will they come here to play with dolls like little girls?"

"Given your understanding of them, this is of course impossible." Mentos analyzed quickly, "Perhaps Ms. Triss would have the childishness of a girl? But there is no doubt that I don't think Ms. Triss would touch anything here without your consent."

"So the name just came up on its own?"

Lan En opened the glass door and wanted to reach in to take off the hair accessory for a closer look, but when his fingers were about to touch the pale hair of the doll.

The witcher seemed to have thought of something, and his hand hesitated.

He did not touch the doll or the hair accessory. Instead, he carefully bent down and put his face close to it.

He looked at the hair accessory and the doll slowly and carefully.

"Some spell made the name visible? Why? Why now?"

"Is this name related to the prototype of the puppet?"

A series of questions burst out in the demon hunter's heart.

But at the same time, Mentos actually knew that a conjecture had been lingering in the subject's mind.

These questions don't need to be answered.

It's not even just a 'guess', there is already a 'plan' in its task list.

(End of this chapter)