Bear School Astartes

”This account is calculated so transparently, Veltrest.”

Demavi spoke with a hint of sarcasm.

”But isn’t this a way?” Veltrest insisted, ”A way to restore Sintra to its position between the north and the south without getting our hands stained with an innocent little girl’s blood.”

”You don’t understand him, but once we actually start executing this plan, there will be plenty of time to make contact.”

”Slow steps lead to a slow journey.” Vizimir raised his glass, speaking with intent, ”The kind of friend you make first is crucially influential on a person.”

”And is he really suitable to be a king? I heard he often disappears for long periods without a trace or information. No one can find him, not even his female warlock lovers.”

”Not to mention being a king, even if a city’s mayor disappears for ten days or half a month, the city couldn’t handle it.”

”Rumor has it that he wanted to go to the Giant Dragon Mountains to hunt monsters and ended up dying there.” Henselt stretched his head, pretending to be unaware, ”So, is this another rumor? Has he returned?”

”Always disappearing for long periods and suddenly reappearing, fighting like a hero from a mythical tale... Ha, do you think this guy isn’t really the person rumored to have made a pact with the devil?”

”Every time he disappears, is he fulfilling a promise? Only after finishing his work can he return or something?”

Henselt chuckled as if joking, but none of the others present showed any trace of laughter on their faces.

Demavi and Vizimir lowered their heads, looking at their beer glasses, as if the pale yellow beer foam sketched a graceful beauty.

Miv fiddled with her fingers.

’A group of insidious individuals privately unable to sit still any longer, ready to act.’

Henselt laughed outwardly, but his inner laughter had grown colder.

Actually, they had been well aware two years before the war ended: no one could sit still.

Under that battlefield-dominating combat power, none of them could remain idle.

Initially, it was the Niflgaard people who had divine-like command ability, trouncing the Northern Alliance Army, followed by a Knight Order led by a single person turning the tables on the Niflgaard people.

Those at the lowest combat power ranks in the Northern Army couldn’t help but feel anxious and a sense of crisis.

Today, domestic circumstances have forced them to exert pressure outward. And two years of recovery and progress have given them more confidence to take action.

Hence today’s secret meeting.

”Well, that I don’t know.” Veltrest calmly said, ”Just like I don’t know, if we don’t hand over that girl to the Hunting Marquis, how we can get him back on the battlefield.”

”Previously, we spoke here as if simply attacking Sintra would inevitably lure him into following.”/p>

”I did say our attack on Sintra would draw him in, that much was true.” Veltrest nodded, ”But what I said just now hinged on the premise that after we truly seize Sintra, it wouldn’t become something in our hands.”

”Otherwise, do you really think he’s just a reckless thug? Tell a reckless thug to replicate the command he did at Sodden Mountain and see!”

”Forget replicating, find someone who can even recall his command chain and you’ve got yourself a talent!”

Veltrest looked at Henselt who awkwardly smiled.

”We conquer Sintra; we’re helping him reclaim his land, aren’t we?” Vizimir intervened to ease the tension, ”He’s presently the noble in exile from Sintra, with rightful legitimacy but lacks territory.”

”Our actions can make him legitimate.”

”But does he care about legitimacy?” Veltrest immediately retorted, ”In Temeria, I granted him a plot as the Knight Order’s base. It’s small, but at least it’s territory.”

”But do you know how many times he’s visited in two years? How many times he’s even looked at it?”

”I’ve never seen a noble so indifferent to his own territory. Moreover...”

Veltrest said coldly.

”If he fought for territory and fame, his actions during the war two years ago might have been quite different.”

”Can Enshir’s offer surpass what the dead Calanthe and her mere Palace Steward Hacksaw could give?”

Under Veltrest’s oversight, the kings fell silent once more.

After a long time, Queen Miv’s voice rose again.

”...Regardless, the look in those soldiers’ eyes on the Sodden Mountain battlefield, I cannot forget. Even in dreams for these two years.”

”We’re resisting the Niflgaard Empire, but I wouldn’t want resisting the Niflgaard to erect a... new empire.”

The idea was almost absurd.

The birth of an empire requires consideration of not only population but also geography, circumstances, talent, system, resources, cultural customs... all combined to create the opportunity for empire formation.

Without these elements, the ceiling is ultimately fixed.

Given Sintra’s current hard conditions and its location wedged between the north and the south, revival seems impossible.

As the kings had said, ’Returning to the past, to the vigor of the Sintra Lioness’, represented Sintra’s greatest expectation and best future.

It’s uncertain if it could regain independence as a kingdom.

Are dreamers ignoring basic laws and logic?

Yet for some reason, when Miv quietly raised this concern, none of the kings could instinctively dismiss it as mere rambling.

They each subtly and naturally averted their eyes, tacitly understanding.

”Find him first, anyway, don’t let that Reins, the mysterious dangerous figure, find him first.”

After a moment of silence, Henselt spoke in a muffled voice.

”I support the plan to attack Sintra.” Demavi immediately continued the conversation as if nothing had happened.

”But don’t expect Yaden to deploy many troops. The internal affairs of my country... I can’t promise to eliminate the Squirrel Faction within the borders in six months.”

”The Squirrel Faction within Yaden is too tricky, and it’s becoming increasingly troublesome.”

”What help can a Yaden with an unstable rear provide?” Vizimir frowned, ”This is too passive, Demavi. Otherwise, let’s help you first...”

”Please, Vizimir, don’t continue saying that.” The King of Yaden cut off the conversation, displeased.

”This is Yaden’s internal affair; don’t even think about interfering!”

”Let me be blunt, I indeed need to guard against Niflgaard, but there’s no need for us to pretend to be harmonious among ourselves, right?”

”I might contribute less, but I can also take fewer benefits after we capture Sintra. But during this period, you’d better focus only on Sintra, alright?”

Demavi placed his beer mug on the table, showing his bottom line.

But is this really the bottom line? Or is he posturing?

No one knew.

’He hasn’t been blinded by greed.’

Vizimir’s expression remained unchanged, but he thought a little regretfully in his heart.

”Of course.” As the oldest and most respected King, Vizimir was the first to express his stance, ”That is Yaden’s internal affair, unless you speak, any intervention should be regarded as an attack and invasion, correct?”

Demavi silently nodded and began drinking beer again.

The Ponta River Valley started raining; raindrops kept beating against the window frames, and the wind howled between the towers of Haji Fortress.

The Kings fell into silence.

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

”Yes.” Lann nodded in the Crystal Cultivation Laboratory at Airetusa Academy, holding a data report recently handed to him by Philixia.

”Yes, that’s it. I provided the data requirements; as long as it’s done according to this, the final product won’t be incorrect.”

He repeated his affirmation, and this certainty made Philixia in front of him unable to help but cheer a little.

In the past, she would mechanically receive the data transmitted by Lann, then act as a mere experimental executor.

But this time, she personally participated in some of the design process.

Transforming Lann’s requirements for cultivating organs into parameters needed in experiments.

This means she is getting closer to mastering the current crystal cultivation technology.

At this point, at least she can independently ’create’ a set of normal human organs without any problem.

The organ requirements that Lann gave her were, as usual, completely incomprehensible in terms of their deep functions; she could only vaguely imagine what the cultivated product would look like based on her current knowledge.

It was a small organ resembling a liver, linked externally to a complex vascular system.

And the parchment recording the initial data, along with Philixia’s computational draft paper, were destroyed under Lann’s supervision.

Only after all complete information disappeared under these amber cat eyes did he look away.

[Lariman Organ], the next phase of the Interstellar Warrior modification surgery.

Once this organ is implanted in the body and begins participating in physiological activities, it will secrete a unique type of cell, ’Blood Plate.’”

Similar in function to regular human blood’s ’platelet,’ but its efficiency is on a completely different level.

It can even complete scab formation and wound closure on huge injuries at limb-loss grade with visible speed.

Preventing blood loss and environmental contamination.

It is an enhancement in the Interstellar Warrior modification surgery sequence that significantly boosts battlefield survivability.

But seeing Lann now, daring to pass part of the organ’s data to Philixia for learning and enhancement suggests it doesn’t quite matter to him.

Because frankly speaking: even before formally starting the Interstellar Warrior modification surgery stage, he dared to perform open-chest surgery on himself.

And he succeeded!

His body’s recovery ability, just now, is already more impressive than most completed Interstellar Warriors.

The potent Magic Potion of the Demon Hunter, the exceptionally abundant and full [Belisarius Furnace] in his body, plus the layer of biomechanical cable made of Extinct Dragon Thorn and Valyrian Steel mixed and refined under his skin.

Previously, under Smaug’s breath, the skin of one of his arms was burnt away, and the dragon was still in its death throes and hadn’t died yet.

His hand had grown back.

So regarding the quick closure of wounds, scab formation, and scar tissue abilities of the [Lariman Organ], he wasn’t too concerned.

If it weren’t for the requirements of the surgical process sequence, he would have even wanted to skip this step.

But on the other hand, because the surgical process sequence demands it, he can use this organ as a buffer to plan for the next enhancement organ issue.

The next step after the [Lariman Organ]... is the [Nerve Cluster].