Bear School Astartes

”Is everything taken care of?”

Maria’s leather suitcase was placed at her feet, the stylish and dashing Female Hunter continued to stand with her arms crossed, leaning against the wall.

The hem of her coat, falling with gravity, couldn’t conceal her long hunter boots angled on the ground.

This kind of Blood Nobility aura, Lann felt that in the group of Female Warlocks, which were ’comparatively’ open-minded, she would probably be someone many would want to ’engage in deep conversation’ with.

Hmm... Hope she won’t be scared.

As for Adeline, she perfectly fitted the appearance of someone who had never traveled far, yet was suddenly about to leave her hometown.

Although her face still habitually wore a warm smile, beneath the smile was inevitably a bit of nervousness.

Her hands were also nervously clutching the handle of the leather suitcase together.

”Otherworld... hmm! Otherworld!”

Meanwhile, Adeline was mumbling to herself in a low voice as if cheering herself up.

”Yes, everything’s done. Besides, if there’s any issue, we can use the Resonance Bell to contact.”

The Demon Hunter replied to Maria while walking towards the two.

Around his neck, the silver Roaring Bear Head Pendant was bouncing as if dancing, without any external force.

”There’s just one thing you need to pay attention to.”

Lann had a gentle smile on his face, but Maria’s eyebrows jumped involuntarily under the shadow of her tricorne hat upon hearing this.

”Passing through this door might feel a little... uncomfortable.”

-----------------

”Swoosh!”

The autumn lake water had already begun to hold a deep coldness, and in Vizima Lake’s Da Gun Temple, an towering presence beyond human stood supporting the form of a normal human.

From a rift like shattered glass, they stepped into Vizima Lake.

Utter dizziness and nausea, as if one’s innards mixed with the brain had been thrown into a blender.

This was a cross-world teleportation rift, more violent and more disregarding of ’user experience’ than Warlocks’ portals.

Not to mention that Maria and Adeline had never experienced even the Warlocks’ portals, having no adaptability whatsoever for spatial teleportation as the Yan’an people.

What they were more familiar with should be the dazed dreamlike sensation.

”My heavens... ugh!”

Even Maria, who usually held herself together, let out an ill sound under Lann’s support.

The unfamiliar discomfort in their bodies instinctively made the two break away from Lann’s hands and run off.

They ’swooshed’ through the shallow layer of lake water on Da Gun Temple’s massive stone bricks, supporting themselves with bent knees and open mouths, yet unable to vomit anything.

Lann himself stood with his hands on his hips, watching them with an amused posture ’expecting a good show.’

Right at that moment, behind Lann, the Celestial Sphere Convergence Rift floating midair, like shattered glass, quietly submerged into the water.

Alongside came a fresh scent, as if clean lake water fused with the fragrance of lotus leaves, appearing from behind Lann.

”Ignoring ladies in distress is unbecoming of a Knight, my Champion.”

The Lady of the Lake’s gentle and serene voice came from behind the Demon Hunter.

Lann, seemingly unsurprised, continued standing with his hands on his hips, chuckling without turning his head.

”They’re not the frail ladies needing care, my Lady. We’ve crossed blazing battlefields together.”

Speaking, the Demon Hunter relaxed his hands, turning around.

”It’s a joke among comrades.”

On the throne of waves, the nude Goddess with lake-green skin and dark green hair was as open as ever before Lann.

The Demon Hunter had long grown accustomed to the Goddess’s ways.

He smiled and bowed graciously to the Lady of the Lake, speaking softly, ”Mission accomplished flawlessly, my Lady.”

And the Lady of the Lake opened her lofty embrace to him, with a divine, enchanting smile upon her face, ”Welcome back, my Champion.”

”Goddess? Ugh...” Maria, after a while, finally began to recover from the discomfort of crossing the Celestial Sphere Convergence Rift.

Her cool and bold demeanor lifting her head to look at the Lady of the Lake on the throne of waves, eyes tinged with vigilance.

”We just got rid of one god, and here another god appears?”

For those who had come out of Yam’n’s endless hunting night and had mostly unraveled the hidden secrets, the term ’god’ certainly wasn’t comforting.

Accurately speaking — it was downright terrifying.

”God?” Adeline was slightly slower to recover than Maria, but turned her head at the sight of the Lady of the Lake opening her embrace to Lann, her face blushing and her lips unconsciously forming an O shape.

”Not wearing clothes?! This, this is...”

Lann was compelled to clarify that in the city styled close to the Sun Never Sets Empire’s Victorian Era, Yan’an was ’open’ to a certain extent, but surprisingly less so than the Magical Middle Ages.

It’s understandable, as figures like Female Warlocks—independent and strong women—according to Lann’s homeland’s timeline, only started to become prevalent and influential in society from the 1960s and 70s onward.

And the establishment of independent and strong female figures is positively correlated with the degree of openness in gender relations.

The social status and influence of Female Warlocks is undoubtedly emblematic in this Magical Middle Ages.

”No, the Lady of the Lake and the upper echelon of Yan’an are conceptually different, even though both are called gods.”

Lann explained to Maria, who was frowning deeply.

Meanwhile, his power surged within him, gradually emitting a gentle lake light from his body.

The Lady of the Lake watched this scene with satisfaction, her fingertips responding similarly, emitting the same light as Lann’s body.

The nature of the power was revealed at this moment, as a conceptual deity of five positive concepts, the Lady of the Lake’s power was a completely different track from that of Yan’an’s upper echelon.

Mariᴀ, having tangiбly experienced the power of the upper echelon, could especially feel this difference.

It was as if the gentle lake light soothed her frown.

Maria, although still a bit aloof, finally bowed courteously to the Lady of the Lake.

Edd seemed a bit dazed, but upon seeing Maria do this, quickly followed suit.

The lady on the wave throne first nodded back simply as a reply, then turned her curious gaze to Lann.

”The blessing I bestowed upon you now seems to have been fully absorbed and mastered as your own power.”

She leaned forward from her wave throne, her deep green hair brushing past Lann’s face, sniffing with keen interest, carrying the fresh scent of lake water.

Edd was undoubtedly caught in a brain freeze by such unrestrained actions, wearing a conflicted look unsure whether to leave or not.

Maria’s handsome, cold demeanor managed to hold steady.

She sensed a difference between the deity before her and the Ancient Gods, but hadn’t expected this kind of difference.

...Could they find a room to get together?!

Even covering themselves with a cloth would do!

”It seems our previous preparations indeed helped you... Slay a deity of that world, the so-called upper echelon?”

The Lady of the Lake voiced her inquiry affirmatively.

Lann didn’t speak, merely smiling confidently and indifferently.

Before heading to the Yarnan World this time, he immediately made many preparations with the Lady of the Lake.

After all, the ornament on the doll’s head had acted anomalously on the day before his departure, which almost signified—him heading to Yan’an again.

This was also the reason for the brief memory seal—Yan’an’s upper echelon often displayed power in chaotic Dream Realms and deep consciousness.

Without a memory seal at the divine level, Lann wasn’t certain if his latent strength and own mind would be seen through by the upper echelon’s lofty vision.

So, in that short preparation period, Lann elaborated on his findings and conjectures, along with Yan’an’s situation, to the Lady of the Lake.

The Celestial Sphere Convergence Rift can block the transmission of most powers, even divine powers, serving as a barrier between worlds.

Thus, the Lady of the Lake could provide minimal real-time assistance during Lann’s adventure.

But since it was roughly guessed that a face-off with those detestable upper echelon was imminent, how could the Lady of the Lake not support her champion?

Whether out of desire for advantage or some other reason, the Lady of the Lake cradled Lann in her arms for about half an hour before enveloping him in that gentle lake light.

And it seemed that the lake light stimulated a strand of warm sunlight to emerge from Lann’s body.

It was only then that Lann vaguely understood how he could freely use the unique magical system of the Flame World, [Miracle], without even a catalyst.

This item seemed to be the [Power of Sunlight] from the sect led by Wuxin King Gwyn within the Fire Divine Race?

The level of this power was exceedingly high, undoubtedly one of the supreme forces in the Flame World.

That was why it lingered within Lann’s body unnoticed by his [Spiritual Vision].

Only now, enveloped by the Lady of the Lake’s gentle lake light, did this power emerge as if stimulated.

[Power of Sunlight] wasn’t the kiss mark left on Lann’s face by Gwen Aveya.

Regarding that kiss mark, Lann had known there was this imprint on his face as a form of proof by the time he met the Nameless King.

But the [Power of Sunlight]... this thing was not nearly on the same level as mere proof!

That was the core power stemming from the lineage of the Fire Gods Sect Leader, or in that world of fire and souls it should be termed: the core power sourced from the soul!

In the world of fire and souls, souls could be shaped into weapons to be launched as [Magic].

Even under unique techniques and tools, they could straightforwardly transform into items and weapons.

In such a world, the significance of parting a soul for another seemed no less close than a bloodline connection.