Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1408 1380. It’s the Right Time

The truly fatal symptoms are what Berengar described.

The high fever lasted for several days, the hysteria and hallucinations caused by nervous disorders, as well as extensive bleeding in the internal organs and vomiting caused by damage to the internal organs and intestines.
The drastic changes inside the body involve the stability of the entire physiological system. If you can't survive it, the entire physiological system will collapse like a domino and cannot be saved no matter what.

It is often at this time that the high mortality rate of [Green Grass Trial] occurs.

The warlock's [Stability Spell] also mainly provides magical support during this critical period.

But when it comes to this batch of mutated receptors, Berengar feels very surprised, and Triss feels as if she has done nothing!
Up to now, a total of five people have mutated. According to the old demon hunter, her [Stabilization Spell] needs to be maintained for a long time. The key is not the effect of the spell, but the long-term maintenance.

But now, she had only used the [Stabilization Spell] five times in the past week or so for adjustment purposes, which could not be called a "life-saving insurance" at all.

It made her wonder if the warlocks in Kaer Morhen were so bad that they acted as if this spell, which didn't require much effort, was something very precious.

But then I thought, that was a research team that was put together by the great wizard Arzu and his teacher Cosimo Malaspina, who also sought sponsorship from many people.

So Triss understood that the key difference between mutations might still lie in the potion.

[Big Eater Vitality] provides stable support for the human body's physiological system, which is stronger than you can imagine.

And speaking of vomiting, after drinking [Big Stomach Vitality], if you don't immediately vomit after eating, it would be rare for you to vomit anything.

So since Stuart safely passed the most dangerous period in less than a day, all that was left was the pain of his body going through the drastic transformation process.

Berengar breathed a sigh of relief, and Triss was no longer nervous.

Then there were four more mutant receptors, which showed a mutation process similar to that of Stewart. This was a complete relief.

The door opened and Lan and Lincoln walked into the room.

The room smelled bad.

After all, the entire mutation process lasted more than a week while being tied to a restraint bed, eating, drinking, defecating and urinating, and the body was sweating due to the pain and exertion.

Although it has been cleaned many times in time, the stagnant air still smells bad because we dare not let the mutant receptors be exposed to the wind.

After Lan En came in, he looked at the five of them one by one beside the restraint beds.

Check their physical condition to confirm that the mutation is progressing smoothly.

Although their muscles were tense and taut due to the long and intense torture, and the muscles and skin on their faces were almost twisted into a ball, they still gritted their teeth firmly and nodded to Lan En.

One of the horrors of [Trial of Green Grass] is that, apart from the neurotic hysteria and hallucinations at the most dangerous moments, the person with the mutated receptor is actually awake.

They were tortured by the highly toxic drugs until they fell into a coma due to the pain, and then woke up from the pain again, repeating the whole process over and over again.

After checking everyone one by one, Lan En walked to the restraint bed of Stuart, who was the calmest.

His face was still hideous and defective. The mutation of [Trial of Green Grass] transformed his body, which had been disabled for two years, but the large amount of flesh and bone missing from his jaw could not be directly replaced.

But as long as his disability disappeared and his mobility was restored to the same level as the others in the Knights, his heart would be untied. As long as he wanted, he could go to Aretuza at any time and use crystal cultivation technology to repair the broken jaw.

"You seem to be in good condition?"

Like a doctor on rounds, Lan greeted Stuart in a relaxed tone.

As he spoke, he pinched the other person's arm and thigh muscles.

"Well, the muscles have softened and are recovering their elasticity. They are indeed able to move."

If an ordinary person has amazing willpower, or encounters an unexpected event, and if the muscles of one hand are contracted continuously for more than a few hours, he or she can basically forget about using strength in this hand within a month.

If it lasts longer, the muscles in the entire arm may even become necrotic.

After a week of muscles being tense due to pain, he was able to recover to this state in two days. This was the effect of seeing Stuart complete the mutation and Berengar feeding him a mouthful of ordinary [Swallow].

After the mutation was complete, when there was still some residual neuropathic pain in Stuart's body, Lan had to be careful not to break his already stiff limbs when he came over.

At that time, the feel of Stuart's body was not much different from that of a stiff corpse.

The old witcher didn't dare feed too much, for fear that the other party's body would mutate and become unstable, and would not be able to withstand the toxicity of the witcher's potion.

After drinking the potion that even a novice witcher felt like vomiting, Stuart seemed to be eager to taste the delicious taste.

He even began to enjoy the taste of the alchemical potion, just like the water ghost brain ingredient in the "Swallow" potion, which did not bring a sticky and smelly grease smell but symbolized revival and rebirth of vitality.

Just as the meaning of the Swallow potion suggested, he was indeed reborn.

Stuart's pupils, which had turned into amber cat eyes, turned and looked at Lan En who was looking down at him, calmly and steadily.

No longer gloomy, no longer prone to self-destruction.

The pain of the mutation tempered him, and his physical ability to reach the peak again, and even surpass the peak, saved his spirit.

"Heh." After feeling Stuart's muscles and seeing his eyes, Lan En chuckled, "Okay, he can indeed get out of bed."

Lincoln immediately stepped forward, took out the key and unlocked the handcuffs and leg irons on the restraint bed. Stuart struggled to get up and sit up, under the worried gazes of Berengar and Triss, and under Lincoln's expectant eyes.

The first thing he did was not to stand on the ground, but to raise his left hand and place it in front of his eyes.

With a "puff" sound, the air exploded in a very small range, and a spark flashed across Stuart's fingertips.

[Igni Seal]. Although it is not enough to even light a candle.

But a person who has had no connection with chaos magic since birth can now have sparks bursting from his fingers.

There is no doubt that this is proof that his body has begun to spontaneously generate chaotic magic!

Lincoln, who was untying the chains nearby, was stunned when he saw the tiny spark. The other four Ember Knights on the restraint beds in the room also turned their heads with bulging veins on their necks and looked at Stuart who raised his hand.

"We succeeded." Stuart said in a dry and unclear voice.

"We succeeded!" Lincoln happily hugged Stuart who was sitting up, and shouted loudly to the Embers Knights who had not yet completed their mutation.

Stuart was being held by Lincoln, but his eyes were on Lan.

"You have a good talent." The young demon hunter also looked at his fingers that had just released sparks with interest. "You can send out sparks like this right after the mutation. I couldn't do it at the beginning."

"Because in my dreams and in my mind before," Stuart said calmly, "I have imagined this countless times."

The Embers learned from Berengar the formulas and methods of potions, sword oils, alchemical bombs, and of course the knowledge of sigils.

It's just that their previous bodies had no chaos magic at all, so they were limited to "knowing".

Stuart stood on the ground. Although he was so weak that he was staggering, he still felt his current body with joy.

The muscle weakness is only temporary. His body frame no longer has serious uneven shoulders due to disability. He no longer walks unsteadily due to bone dislocation, and he no longer feels breathless and weak after moving for a while.
His body, reshaped by the mutation, finally freed him from the aftereffects of the torture he had suffered two years ago.

"If you can improve just by thinking, then it would be too easy to make a living in the market." Lan En smiled indifferently. "I'm not flattering you. You are indeed very talented, Stuart. Maybe I should find someone from the Griffin School to give you some lessons?"

"We can talk about remedial lessons later. But now, sir," Stuart, who had just stood up, looked up at Lan and said solemnly, "Please give me orders. The affairs of Novigrad and Aedirn cannot be delayed. Every day that passes increases the risk of losing control."

"Where should I go? Who should I contact? What is my work style? And so on."

"Stop, stop," Lan interrupted him. "Stop being such a workaholic, Stuart."

"The situation is indeed urgent, but if you go there without even recovering your body and combat power, what can I expect from you? How long has it been since you last fought a direct battle with someone after you became disabled? Also, you have to go to Aretusa first to repair your face, otherwise it will be too conspicuous."

She smiled at him encouragingly, not shying away from the word 'disability'.

Lan En pulled out a hooded cloak from the alchemical leather bag and threw it directly to Stuart, covering him with a surgical gown.

"This is."

Stuart, who had been dealing with clerical and logistical work most of the time due to his disability, already knew the trademark after simply touching the fabric and glancing at it, which was not found on ordinary cloaks.

This is a magic cloak that has been selling very well in the market recently. It is also the work of their own master.

It seems that if they go out to work in the future, this will become their standard work uniform.

Seeing Stuart lowering his head and clutching his magic cloak absentmindedly, Lan En knew that he had not yet come to terms with the fact that he could return to the battlefield.

Lan En then checked the status of the remaining four people and walked out.

He should actually celebrate with Stuart at this time, but there is no other way. The situation is urgent now and many things have to be put aside.
As he was thinking about this, Lan, who was walking in the corridor of the castle tower, ran into Geralt, who had dry leaves in his hair.

The White Wolf had a stern expression on his face; more than a week of intermittent exploration had already brought him back to the working state of a demon hunter.

He had told Lan earlier that a lot of people had secretly settled in the hill, five camps, with nearly five hundred people.

Each camp was secretly building siege engines.

But Lan En still asked him not to take any action, but just observe, and he didn't even plan to send people to clear out the siege equipment that had not yet been built.

And now, seeing Geralt hurriedly coming back to find him, Lan's eyes narrowed slightly, and he had a rough idea in his mind.

"It's just these few days! Three more days at most!"

Sure enough, Geralt spoke hurriedly before he even reached Lan.

"I saw the progress of their project. Everything is almost ready. They just need to assemble the equipment and set it up! But there is no road leading to the High Hill Castle from their camp. I guess they have to transport the scattered parts to the vicinity of the castle first and then assemble them."

“That’s how I could appear on the road unnoticed and come here!”

The white wolf was in a hurry, and his expressionless and cold face almost showed any emotion.

But as Lan En received the news, he just turned his head and greeted the mutation hall.

"Lincoln, come to my room. Looks like it's about time."

(End of this chapter)