Bear School Astartes

"That old hag!"

Lady Margarita muttered under her breath, her lips twitching.

But truth be told, she still waited until the portal was completely shut before she dared to mutter a little.

"Alright, Rita." Triss said, stretching her stiff shoulders, "Tishaya was joking, but we’ve still got lots to do."

During her student days at Airetusa, Triss wasn’t particularly close to Tishaya; their relationship was merely that of a principal and student.

It paled in comparison to the layered relationship of student and friend shared among Tishaya, Margarita, and Yennefer.

So now she wasn’t provoked by Tishaya.

However, as her relationship with Lann became closer, Triss’s interactions and relationship with Margarita and Tishaya inevitably began to increase and deepen.

The interpersonal relationships that hadn’t progressed during her student days started to advance now that she had stepped into the busy, complex world of the warlock’s life.

"Alright then, a joke." Margarita coldly snorted, "Hmph, a joke."

But after pouting, the female warlock still joined Triss, both of them opening their own portals one after the other and stepping inside.

This left only the Ember Knights behind, guarding against any potential arrivals amidst the abandoned yet beautiful elf ruins.

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

The roar of pressure from the portal erupted over Vizima Lake abruptly.

The wind carved a curvature into the waves, and suddenly, a majestic horse descended from mid-air.

The horse was extraordinarily tall, elegant, and miraculous.

Its hooves radiated web-like patterns of lightning on the lake’s surface. Despite the commotion, its robust body stood firmly atop the waves!

The Qilin felt dizzy and disoriented, knowing the sensation would soon ease and vanish due to its robust constitution, yet it loathed it regardless.

Fortunately, walking on water was an instinctual behavior for the Qilin, enabling it to perform even in a haze.

Soon after, a small cat and a tall warrior descended from the sky.

The little cat, slightly dazed, clung onto the Qilin’s flowing, large rune cloth, nearly falling into the water.

But though it soaked one leg, it scrambled onto the Qilin’s back, shaking its head and activating "Cat Shake Water."

The snug little cat armor jangled in the process.

Seated on the Qilin’s back, Lann picked up a piece of rune cloth, wiping the wet leg of Rong Buqiu and receiving a grateful nod from the cat.

Finally, the last person emerged from the portal in mid-air.

A female warlock.

Despite her reputable status as a caster, flight wasn’t simple for anyone, requiring special magic items for short, low-altitude hovering, much like the magical carpets found in the South.

True bodily flight... it is said that Geoffrey Monk accomplished this feat under the command of the Djinn.

The Demon Hunter deftly caught the descending Tishaya, his current physique making the act seem effortless.

"I told you, no risk, right?"

The scent of lotuses and lily pads wafted from the lake surface; the wind stirred by the portal carried fresh, moist air, and under the morning sun, the low-floating morning mist on the lake was slowly dissipating.

The silver-thread-like hair of the female warlock drooped onto her face, reflecting light.

"This... does seem to pose no risk."

The always calm and rational female warlock appeared slightly thrilled by this teleportation, shifting her gaze away from Lann’s face as she swallowed and steadied herself.

"Please allow me to sit properly; this posture is quite awkward."

The Demon Hunter complied without hesitation.

Tishaya’s portal used the beacons that Triss had established near Vizima.

Since Veltrest’s last private conversation with Lann, the prior advisement to "act cautiously" in this area abruptly dissipated.

Thus, the Royal Advisor was able to establish numerous teleportation beacons anew.

"A bit off, but close enough."

Lann quickly scanned his surroundings, easily identifying the lake he had visited many times.

The Qilin huffed but eventually obediently turned and ran toward the distance.

Black Seagull Island.

The intended teleportation destination was here, though deviated by about two hundred meters, still acceptable for utilizing a beacon not their own.

Moreover, he previously told Tishaya not to fret over precision; for the Qilin, this place is a smooth terrain.

Upon reaching the island, Lann assisted Tishaya down, while Rong Buqiu leapt off independently.

The small island still maintained its natural, vibrant luxury within its limited area, providing a genuine sense of ease and comfort.

"This is..."

Supported off the steed by Tishaya, she instinctively smoothed her clothing and hair, ensuring they remained symmetrical and orderly.

At the same time, the eyes of the female warlock cautiously observed the small island.

A dwelling of a god.

At this moment, Tishaya’s heart held only a faint excitement, the excitement of a scholar and researcher.

This feeling had rarely occurred since she achieved fame; the last time was when Lann extracted the vigorous growth potential from the dragon bones from another world through alchemy, breaking the longstanding limits of the crystal cultivation project.

She is one of the oldest living human warlocks.

In her era, when warlocks first appeared and began attempting to control chaos magic power, the strong could move mountains like gods and demons just to enjoy the view.

She was the first to summarize experiences and explore, research, and finally produced her own academic report on supernatural forces beyond warlocks and chaos magic power.

Which are what we call gods and faith.

And now, she who once buried her head in old paper piles, to read a passage of legend and myth, was facing her research object right on this small island.

Truly present.

Yet as a seasoned female warlock and powerful caster who has seen great storms and worldly diversity, Tishaya’s prudence as a researcher made her cautious, her scholarly curiosity only slightly stirred her mood.

"The lady speaks well," Lann said, understanding Tishaya’s mood as a researcher and he introduced her. "I’ve read your previous research reports too, very gentle style, slightly deconstructionist, but no big issue."

"I’m no longer a little girl starting to learn, Lann," Tishaya replied coldly with a glance and then adjusted the lace on her sleeve. "I know calmness and restraint."

The demon hunter chuckled.

Then, just a dozen meters outside Black Seagull Island on the lake, another rumbling sound of unstable air pressure echoed.

Immediately, a person laden with large bags ’plopped’ into the lakewater.

And Lann, as if he had been waiting, walked over toward where the person fell.

"I... glug glug... I hate portals!"

Barely steadying himself after being pulled out from the shallow water by Lann, Belengar, who had fallen through the portal, managed to stand.

Vizima Lake was large, and even beside the small Black Seagull Island, waves formed.

In a sudden fall, if no one helped, it’s really possible to get pushed around by the waves unable to stand.

"What’s going on?"

Having coughed up water, the old demon hunter wiped his face hard and asked.

"Lady Margarita dragged me out of the Workshop District in a rush early morning, ordered me to bring things, then shoved me into the portal! Rough treatment for old bones!"

Lann supported the thoroughly soaked Belengar from the island’s shallow water onto the island, their steps splashing ’whirl, whirl’ with water.

Wet clothes were not considered adverse conditions for a demon hunter, even if Belengar had retired for a long time.

He quickly regained his stance, shaking off Lann’s support.

"I heard, Belengar. Five days a week at Silver Swan Tavern seeking callgirls, a demon hunter like that shouldn’t say he’s old bones."

The young demon hunter teased.

Belengar was not embarrassed; he was an old hand at this.

However, from Lann’s relaxed tone, though urgent, it didn’t seem like there was any crisis.

So the old demon hunter relaxed further.

"You know what demon hunters are like yourself, stop pretending,"

Belengar spat out the water again instinctively and replied disparagingly.

"So where have you brought me? Is this still Velen?"

"This isn’t Velen, but it’s familiar," Lann smiled as he and Belengar fully exited the water, "This is Vizima Lake where you once fought."

Lann swung the large package Belengar brought over his shoulder, it made a sound of hard shells clashing inside.

Recalling past dockworker days, Belengar grimaced.

"Hello, Lady Tishaya," the old demon hunter greeted the female warlock, ignoring Lann, "And you, Qilin and Rong Buqiu."

After greeting everyone except Lann, Belengar asked Tishaya, "So what are we doing now? Lady Margarita seemed peeved when she pulled me away."

"Given our experiences and current situation, it’s quite complex to explain," Tishaya, now impeccably dressed and coiffed, replied to the old demon hunter.

"But we might have to make a trip to the sphere convergence, Belengar."

"Sphere convergence?!" Belengar was initially stunned.

Since quitting the demon hunter business, he rarely saw monsters, let alone this dangerous term.

He was stunned first, then slightly nervous.

"Oh my, what’s happened?"

"As I said, it’s complex. But, Belengar..."

Lann spoke lightly, as if heading to a sunny and relaxing resort.

"You’ve been displeased with Muddy Stream·Destruction, now’s your chance to face the blacksmith head-on."

As the words fell, the old demon hunter’s cat-like eyes suddenly sharpened!