Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1818, page 1790: The surgery is completely completed.
Actually, there should be eight more procedures left, but the final surgical procedure, the implantation of the [Black Shell], is mainly to ensure that the Space Marine's body is tightly integrated with the power armor that is their standard equipment.

Enables seamless information transmission between the human nervous system and the power armor's data systems. Improves the overall responsiveness of the power armor and allows for intelligent monitoring, medical care, and life support.

However, on the other hand, Lann doesn't have any high-tech gadgets like power armor.

Although he has traveled through many strange worlds, even though the surgical procedure is not yet fully completed, his combat power is already on a completely different level from that of a normal original Space Marine.

In the foreseeable future, he will experience even more strange worlds. Perhaps he will even find a replacement for some kind of power armor.

Putting everything else aside, his current Smaug armor, made from the plates of the last winged dragon in the world of Arda, is far more durable than any mass-produced power armor made of ceramic.

The key issue is that the design of Space Marine power armor is complementary to the Space Marine's own modification surgery.

The most typical example is the "black shell" surgery.

The Space Marines' biological information was converted into signals that could be seamlessly received and communicated with by the power armor via the Black Shell. Lann simply did not believe that this signal conversion was not specially tested.

Although the sons of emperors mostly have research talents in the field of biochemistry, their basic scientific literacy is by no means lacking.

After studying the creation and surgical procedures of the [Black Shell], Lan En realized that this enhanced organ could collect bodily information and translate it into a machine language.

However, this translation was undoubtedly custom-made, serving only the power armor system provided by that human empire.

Even if Lan En does acquire a high-tech suit of armor during his future travels, the armor from another world would undoubtedly not be compatible with the signals that the [Black Shell] can translate.

Whether or not it has a black shell is irrelevant.

In addition, the "black shell" procedure is the last step in the surgical process, and whether or not it is done will not affect the order of the preceding procedures and will not cause any blockages.

Therefore, Lan En decided not to take this step.

Excluding the implantation of the [Black Shell], Lan En's remaining surgical procedures include: [Susan Meninges], [Pigment Control Ball], [Pebble Kidney], [Taste Monitoring Nerve], [Sweat Gland Improvement Organ], [Corrosion Gland], and... [Gene Storage Gland].

These enhanced organs each have their own function, but their main purpose is to make the Space Marine's body more comprehensive in terms of 'functionality' and more resilient in terms of 'survival ability'.

The simple improvement in combat power was already completed after all three special modifications were done on the original Space Marines.

For example, the Susan Meninges can put a Space Marine into a state of suspended animation while they are suffering from a near-fatal injury. In this state, the Space Marine's fatal wound will not worsen and will almost stop.

If subsequent treatment is possible, then it will require chemical therapy from Space Marine apothecaries and the injured person's own self-suggestion to regain consciousness and resume bodily functions. Otherwise, it wouldn't be surprising if the person remained in a state of suspended animation for hundreds of years.

The remaining strengthening organs also serve this type of function.

The implants weren't very large, and their operation wouldn't put much strain on the body's adaptation process. That's why Lan En thought he could rely on his exceptionally strong body to implant them all at once and complete the adaptation process in a short time.

The only exception is the last item... [Gene storage gland].

This enhancement organ does not improve the basic combat ability of the Space Marines, nor does it provide additional functionality to the body, nor does it provide any robust survivability.

On the contrary, Space Marines even have to take special care to protect this organ in their bodies.

At first glance, this procedure seems cumbersome and redundant in the Space Marine surgical procedures designed by the Emperors of the Human Empire, which are simple, efficient, cost-effective, and balance universality and success rate.

But contrary to the initial conclusion, this surgery is arguably the most important part of the entire Space Marine modification process.

Because it concerns the expansion and survival of the Space Marine community!

The gene storage glands consist of two parts, one located in the neck and the other deep within the chest cavity. They will grow within the Space Marines, absorbing hormones and genetic material produced by other enhancement organs.

Five years later, the glands located in the neck will mature and can be surgically removed.

Ten years later, the glands located deep in the chest cavity will also mature. Depending on the level of medical expertise, some of these mature glands can be removed immediately after maturation using sophisticated techniques and advanced medical technology.

However, in most cases, only after a Space Marine has died would the apothecaries use a rough and quick method to directly extract the body from the chest cavity of the dead warrior.

The reason why these two mature glands are so important is that the 'fruit' they produce after maturity is—the [gene seed]!
The Gene Seed is the foundation of Space Marine modification surgery; without it, nothing else matters.

A Space Marine can produce two gene seeds in their lifetime, which is how Space Marines expand their population.

Lan En's attitude was similar to that of the [Black Shell], feeling that the surgery might not be of much use to him and that it was the last one in the order of surgeries.

Whether you do it or not won't make any difference.

But then he thought of the Knights of the Ember, the knights who were loyal to him.

He taught the Ashina style to the knights who had followed him since Sintra, and even "invited" instructors from Yharnam. He also planned to impart all his knowledge of aura techniques from the New World Expedition and the martial arts of the Warring States period in fantasy Japan. Since he wasn't hiding his many skills, if they did reach a certain level of advancement, then the enhancement of Space Marines might be a viable path.

The only problem is the number; he can only produce two gene seeds in the future. The current Ember Knights have sixty members, and he and Lincoln had previously discussed and decided on a plan to expand the number of members.

It's a hassle to decide who to give it to and who not to give it to when it comes back.

However, Lan En was optimistic about this. There's always a way out. You can't just give up before you even reach the fork in the road, can you?

As before, Lan En asked Tisaya and Margarita to power the crystal cultivation laboratory and accelerate the cultivation of the necessary enhanced organs.

Then Cassandra held the Anka Cross in one hand and aimed the other at Lann.

The golden light of the Isu artifact made Anka's cross look like topaz, and golden lines like circuit board markings appeared on Cassandra's arm skin, her eyes gleaming with golden light.

The surgery began quickly.
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Two days have passed in the blink of an eye. Thanks to the fact that the enhanced organs implanted in the subsequent surgeries were not very large, Lan En still has symptoms such as low fever and persistent spasmodic pain due to the foreign objects added to his body.

However, according to the Witcher's own assessment, he has now completely completed the surgical procedure for a Space Marine, or rather, a Proto-Space Marine.

My physical condition is stabilizing.

During this process, Lan En also tried to prescribe himself a few doses of medicine based on his recent research on the concept of 'controlling Yin and Yang and harmonizing the Five Elements'. The effect was just as good as his inspiration suggested.

Now, even Abe no Seimei, the Japanese Onmyoji, would consider him a true traditional Chinese medicine doctor.

His Five Elements Aura, along with the two guardian spirits residing within it—the Central Qilin and the Northern Black Tortoise—gives him an exceptionally high talent and advantage in this area.

Or rather, this is the effect that guardian spirits have on most people: enabling the person possessed by the guardian spirit to excel in a certain aspect.

They can hone their martial arts to an inhuman level, wielding the "Ninety-Nine Weapons." Or they can use the "Guardian Spirit Summoning Talisman" of Yin-Yang magic to summon and empower the power of their guardian spirits.

This is all completely supernatural technology.

So far, Lan En has only seen himself as the only person who can use the [Ninety-Nine Weapons].

However, as Lan En has been studying the spirit stones he brought back with Abe no Seimei recently, he has also made some progress.

Using spirit stones to assist martial artists and filling guardian spirits with the power of spirit stones might significantly lower the barrier to using the [Ninety-Nine Weapons].

Lan En was already 80-90% confident in this theory. However, he hadn't yet tested how much the threshold could be lowered or whether it varied from person to person.

Although the velvet ball and the Qilin served as good control groups, the main reason was that Lan En brought back a limited number of spirit stones, which needed to be used primarily for that important research project. There were simply no surplus stones available for experiments.

Whenever he thought of this, Lan En couldn't help but grind his back teeth.

Saito Yoshitatsu seems quite composed, but she's actually ruthless. Saito Dosan spent most of his life collecting spirit stones, but after she used them for her rebellion, all that was left was a single box.

Lan En could only think of looking back and taking another trip to the magical Sengoku period of Japan to see if he could get more spirit stones.

But thinking about it again... my desire to collect spirit stones for my own use really does seem like the heretical practices of those warlords from Japan's Sengoku period.

Lan En chuckled nonchalantly and continued to ride leisurely forward on the Qilin's back.

Along the roads of Velen, lush grass and vibrant wildflowers continue to conceal puddles and marshes, and danger lurks beneath the surface of the scenery.

This time, the plush ball didn't sit in front of Lan En. Instead, it sat on the Qilin's buttocks, bouncing up and down with the ancient dragon's steps. It was clear that the kitten was having a great time.

Another reason was mainly because Margarita was sitting in Lann's lap.

Beside the Qilin, Euphneus, the "Wraith Horse" whose body was composed of black smoke, was also easily keeping up with the Qilin's not-so-fast pace.

One black and one white, both clearly supernatural horses, kept the already fearful villagers and farmers at a distance.

At the same time, rumors and legends about knights spread throughout the desolate swamps and villages.

Of course, Alexios, riding a plain horse and following behind with a disgruntled expression, wouldn't appear in any legend. Just as his sister, and her lover, ignored his complaints.

After the Space Marines underwent surgery, only one day remained before the post-war peace talks.

Lann is heading to Highhold.

(End of this chapter)