Bear School Astartes

When Lann left the Magic World, it was the end of spring and the beginning of summer in this world.

But when he returned again, it was already midwinter.

He had spent a considerable amount of time in Ancient Greece, which possesses remnants of ancient civilizations, while this world had moved past the entire summer, autumn, and half of winter.

Of course, the northern sky lacked the dazzling and intense sunlight of the Mediterranean, and combined with winter, the layers of clouds pressed low, oppressive and cold.

This resulted in Lann just stepping from the celestial intersecting rift, white mist representing heat emanating from his body and lips, which was then carried away by the cold wind over Vizima Lake, stretching long and drifting away.

The drastic temperature change, although not enough to make Lann shiver, was sufficient to raise goosebumps on his skin.

”Tch...” The Demon Hunter wiped his face while his feet splashed over the marble floor covered by a layer of lake water.

”Lucky for me; anyone else would probably fall sick.”

Lann muttered to himself, and soon, a fresh and gentle voice joined in his muttering.

”For this reason, it is you who will make the pact with me.”

Even in this gloomy winter, the Lake Lady carried a fresh scent on her body, as if crushed fresh lotus and lotus leaves.

”Welcome back, my champion.”

On the throne held aloft by the waves, the Lake Lady smiled and extended her right hand to Lann.

And the Demon Hunter smoothly turned and bowed, lifting the lady’s extended hand, then offering a gentle kiss upon her knuckles.

This was a ritual popular in times long past.

Lann learned of this during leisurely chats with Tishaya.

”You seem content yet still have concerns...”

Upon completing the ritual, the Lake Lady brushed aside her deep green hair that blocked her face, leaning forward with interest to inquire of Lann.

”It seems you have gained much from this journey.”

Lann, as always, instinctively averted his eyes, feeling bashful before the Lake Lady.

Nevertheless, since they were already discussing it, Lann fetched the Anka Cross and the rune-inscribed stone from his Alchemy Pouch.

As soon as it left the pouch, which contained the antimagic gold bomb, the stone began to emit biting cold.

In theory, the outside environment was already quite cold, yet the chill emitted by this stone felt almost ’abruptly’ cold.

So much so that the lake water engulfing Lann’s feet began to freeze with a crunching sound.

Lann was evidently surprised that this object could even freeze the ever-flowing lake water, his eyes widened slightly.

However, sitting on the wave-born throne, the Lake Lady remained very calm.

Her lake-green fingers gently lifted, lazily pointing in mid-air, causing the cold emanating from the stone to vanish without a trace.

”Ah, [White Frost].”

Lann heard the Lake Lady chuckle lightly, as if the object amused her.

”How did you come by this, Lann?”

Subsequently, Lann briefly recounted the affair with Hapalos, to which the Lake Lady nodded without much surprise.

Her lake-green fingers again pointed to the Anka Cross.

”Though unrelated to ours, I sense ’life’ energy within it... Do you intend to use it for your surgery?”

”Indeed, I thought of that. It’s a technological artifact, intelligent and convenient.”

Lann spoke candidly, for the Lake Lady had personally watched him perform surgery before.

”Sadly, it is restricted for use; only certain people from the world I’ve visited have the right to use it.”

Saying this, Lann looked at the Lake Lady expectantly.

”I can’t help you bypass this restriction; I mentioned earlier it’s unrelated to our methods. If approached my way, I’m unsure if its capabilities would be affected. Its internal structure appears very intricate.”

The Lake Lady spoke with helplessness but then briskly turned her words with a smile.

”But the blessing is—you found this stone.”

”Stone?”

Lann asked, puzzled, as compared to the highly technical and powerful Anka Cross, he didn’t particularly value this stone from the Magic World.

After all, it was merely cold air; extracting Chaos Magic Power from Tishaya or Margaret, having them make special editions of [North Wind], wouldn’t seem too bad.

But as the Lake Lady implied, this thing was not simple?

”This isn’t a magical device meant merely to emit cold; Lann, its true function is as part of a transmission beacon.”

The waves lifted the stone to float, yet now the cold from the stone had no effect on these seemingly delicate waves.

”The cold isn’t its inherent power; that’s simply the temperature difference from the location it connects to.”

”Your antimagic gold bomb has no effect on the [White Frost]; the phenomenon doesn’t rely on Chaos Magic Power. You suppressed the stone with antimagic gold because the transmission magic on it was nullified.”

Hold on... transmission magic?

Lann keenly grasped something, his beautiful eyes widened slightly.

”Yes, Lann.” The Lady seemed to understand what Lann was thinking; she pushed the stone back towards Lann’s hand.

”This stone wasn’t taken by the celestial intersecting rift. Before you went to that world, it was already there...”

”On it is a magical beacon capable of cross-world interaction, a creation of Ancient Elves.”

”Cross-world magic? Elves possess such technology?”

Lann expressed surprise at this for, in this world, the plight of elves was rather grim.

It was akin to saying, an ’interstellar race faced discrimination, captivity, slaughter on Earth’ absurdly.

”Their technology was lost, discontinued. They themselves have split.”

The Lake Lady explained simplistically, as if such technological regression was commonplace in her eyes, seen many times.

”Should you analyze the magic on this stone, you might gain some choices in the celestial intersecting rift’s linkage. Of course...”

As she spoke, the Lady flashed a slightly awkward smile.

”Regarding how to analyze magic, it’s not my domain; I only use it.”

Lann was intrigued by the Lady’s words but quickly accepted them.

God isn’t an omnipotent wish machine, a point he long understood.

”No worries, Lady.” Lann stored away the Anka Cross and the Ancient Elf’s stone, smiling at the Lady.

”These insights are enough to excite me.”