Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1817, Page 1789: Easing the Conflict
The Witcher familiarly ruffled the hair of the young man who opened the door and walked into Belengar's office, bringing with him a chorus of clanging and banging noises from the workshop outside.

As Lan En walked inside, he muttered to himself, "Kids grow up so fast."

White's face was flushed, and he scratched his head, which Lan En had just pressed down on, and grinned foolishly.

The little boy who was once cautious, precocious, and hardworking in the small fishing village of Oridon because his father died and his family lost their livelihood has now grown into a young man.

His life in the Goth-Wylen artisan district provided him with good nutrition, and the healthy muscle definition could be seen on his bare arms beneath his short-sleeved shirt.

Even for apprentices, blacksmithing is a job that requires physical strength.

However, whether it's a genetic issue or not, his head is still disproportionately large, just like when he was a child.

They looked pitiful when they were young, but became somewhat comical when they grew up.

"Don't praise him, Lan En! This kid's getting too cocky! He'd rather go to the tavern and tip the singers to act like a grown-up than actually eat a couple more chicken legs to grow taller!"

Like an old wolf, Berengar first growled at Lann, then turned to stare at White, who wisely shrank back and slipped away. Before leaving, White secretly gave Lann a "V" sign.

"I'll say it again! Go check if workshop number 11 is free!"

White's greeting came through the crack in the door, which wasn't quite closed yet: "Understood, Master!"

Seeing White looking healthy and active, Lan En was in a good mood.

"Don't be so fierce." He shrugged at the old witcher. "Back then, we were the ones who teamed up to rescue those kids. I heard you recently took White as your apprentice?"

Strictly speaking, it was Lann who single-handedly rescued White and his group of children from the cannibal camp on the coast of Velen.

However, when Lann arrived in Vizima to eradicate the root of human trafficking, Belengal also contributed, so it's not wrong to say that they 'joined forces'.

However, White had been working as an apprentice in the workshop district for several years, but Berengar only recently took him under his wing as an apprentice.

“Oh, then you’re behind the times.” The old witcher’s face turned expressionless at this point. “I not only took White as my apprentice, but also that odd dwarf Fergus who has absolutely no talent for blacksmithing.”

“That’s strange.” Lann raised an eyebrow. “Fergus? I thought he was Tull Butcher’s apprentice? And he even graduated and opened a shop with Yuna. How did he become your apprentice? His status in the industry will be on par with White from now on.”

It would have been better if he hadn't said anything, because once he started talking about it, Berengal's expression remained cold and hard, but his words were merciless.

"Because of fucking racial conflict and stability, you know?"

"We were finally getting some peace and quiet! But then the fighting started, and the Scoia'tael gang did something utterly inhuman!"

"What can I do? For the sake of internal stability in this small area of ​​the workshop district, I can only make a show of it. I'll take in human apprentices, and also non-human apprentices, so that both sides can at least feel a little at ease."

"With this battle raging, how many living non-human races can you still see on the roads? Let alone non-human blacksmiths? Use whatever you have!"

“Anyway, Fergus isn’t a blacksmith, he’s just a shop owner at most, and he doesn’t really care about his professional standing. I gave him discounts for opening his shop, advertised for him, and also spoke to Tul Butcher, so that he could be officially an apprentice with me.”

Berengal's superior status in the workshop district was certainly a good thing, but it also made him act cautiously.

At least before this, he had never formally and publicly accepted anyone as an apprentice.

The old Witcher understood very well that the benefits of this position were often accompanied by risks.

So in the past, he would at most take care of White, but he never thought of making him his apprentice.

Unfortunately, things are becoming increasingly extreme and dangerous, and now he can only try to prevent the atmosphere between different races in his workshop area from becoming too tense.

"At least for now, you've done a pretty good job." Lann didn't hold back in praising Belengal, after all, the man was really doing the work.

Berengal shook his head at Lann's selfless praise: "If you can end this shitty war quickly, you'll have done everyone a huge favor! So, what do you want from me?"

“It’s not that I’m looking for you.” Lann walked behind Cassandra’s chair and pulled her up with both hands. “Put Alexios’s equipment on my tab, but I’m taking Cassandra with me first.”

Berengar, of course, didn't care. He got up and beckoned Alexios to go to the workshop. Meanwhile, Lann took Cassandra back to Aretusa.

On their way back to the academy from the workshop district, Cassandra chatted with Lann for a few minutes.

“Alexios was just complaining to me about the stench in this city.”

The falconer laughed heartily. "Of course, just like when I first came here, he sees far more new things and novelties in this city than in Athens."

"But what's strange is: why is there so much new and innovative stuff, yet the city is so small, and its architecture and sanitation are nothing to brag about?"

By the Common Era, Athens was already a large city capable of supporting nearly 200,000 people. In contrast, during the magical Middle Ages, humanity was fragmented and scattered among numerous states.

Even the busiest city, Novigrad, has a combined resident and transient population of only around 100,000. It's truly incomparable.

Not to mention the architectural techniques of the ancient Greek world, which were already considered marvels.

The amount of marble used to pave just one street in Athens would be enough to crush the entire city of Goswehr.

What else could Lan En say?

"It's magic!" Mr. Lan, who always denounced ignorance and slander, said so decisively, "Magic changed the social structure."

In reality, the differences between cities in the ancient Greek world and the magical medieval world were due, on the one hand, to the differences in Isu technology and magic, and on the other hand, to the differences in the development of different eras.

But if he were to explain these things to a Spartan-born ancient Greek mercenary, Lann felt he might need to devise a lesson plan first.

So let's stick to the simple and easy-to-understand explanation.

Anyway, Cassandra and Alexios weren't really concerned about the issue; they were just curious because they were newcomers.

The two entered the academy. The magnificent buildings and decorations in Aretusa were as beautiful as ever, but the corridors and classrooms were much quieter than before.

The coup on Xenide Island ultimately dealt a huge blow to the sorcerer community. There is still much work to be done to rebuild their prestige and reputation in society and bring their student body back to its peak.

In fact, since the coup on Xenide Island, Aretusa Academy has been operating at a complete loss, to the point that it is now using the cash flow from the Valyrian steel industry to cover its daily deficits.

Prestige, reputation, and status are always incredibly difficult to build, but they crumble in an instant.

Cassandra looked up with great interest at the murals of mages and monsters on the towering dome of the corridor, as well as the glittering crystal chandeliers.

"What do you want from me?" Cassandra finally remembered to ask. "It's not going to be... wow."

She was about to say, "Is it going to be one of those things again, like stuffing a lot of organs into the body?" when Lan En reached out and hooked the Anka Cross that was hanging around her neck like a necklace with his finger.

The uniquely made Anka cross still retains the lingering warmth of Cassandra's chest.

Normally, given the falconer's personality, he would definitely throw in some dirty jokes and flirtations. If Lan En responded, the two of them could probably just break down any door and get in...

But right now, Cassandra only feels a headache.

She recalled the swollen feeling in her brain when she used the Anka Cross to help Lan En before, the feeling of knowledge forcefully entering her mind.

"Zeus!" Cassandra cried out in anguish, "Is your trial not over yet?"

“This should be almost over,” Lann added, reassuring the weary Cassandra. “Of course, I’m referring to the part of Anka’s Cross that can help me.”

When Cassandra last visited, Lann took advantage of the convenience of the Anka Cross to advance his surgical procedure significantly in one go.

Now, he intends to complete the Space Marine surgery procedure that he began several years ago.

Originally, this was also his plan: to complete the surgical procedure completely during this rest period in the magical medieval world.

It was unexpected that it coincided with the post-war peace talks, but it wasn't a big deal; it was just a matter of time.

Having already done it together once, Cassandra, despite still looking miserable, was mentally prepared and things went smoothly.

Upon arriving at the crystal cultivation laboratory, the surgical procedures compiled by Mentos were used to enter Cassandra's mind through a modified version of the [Axis Sign].

During the last surgery, Lann's surgical progress advanced to the [Ear of Lyman] in one go.

There are seven procedures remaining in the surgical process.

(End of this chapter)