Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1844, Section 1816: Reunion and Rebirth
"No! There's no need to worry about it so much, Craig! It's not worth it!"

Just then, a man dressed in a blue academic robe with red trim, but without any plaster hood, quickly stepped in to ease the tension, standing next to the donkey cart merchant.

"Fifty percent of the goods are just used to offset taxes! You do business for fun, not to make a lot of money, so just give it to them."

Seeing that the other side had indeed softened their stance on the matter, the soldiers of the Cuckoo Knights temporarily halted their sword-drawing movements.

If the man hadn't explicitly said it, he probably would have drawn his sword and slashed at the donkey cart merchant.

After this person interrupted, the donkey cart merchant finally recovered from his earlier shock.

Although the souls of the people of the Golden Tree are immortal, he has never returned to the tree. He has truly never died.

Having lived in the peaceful and stable Golden Dynasty for so long, this was the first time he had personally felt the murderous intent directed at him, the feeling that he was about to be killed.

That's why I was suddenly startled.

But the fright only lasted for a short while. The golden law of immortality and stable reincarnation remains the greatest and most profound blessing for the people of the Golden Tree.

I'm not going to die anyway, so why should I be afraid of you?

So, in the short time it took to interrupt the conversation, the donkey cart merchant recovered.

At least they won't be stunned into a blank mind by murderous intent.

He took two steps back, pushed by his friends from the Reyarlucaria Academy, and was about to speak when he heard another voice from behind him.

"Looks like I'm really destined to have your big discounts, buddy."

Lan En rode closer on horseback. After the Qilin came to a stop, he put his forearms on the saddle with great interest, leaned forward, and asked with a smile.

"What happened? Your business ran into trouble on your very first day in Lienia?"

"Oh dear, Brother Lan En?" The donkey cart merchant was so flustered that he didn't notice the difference between the Witcher's pupils and those of the Golden Blessed. He smiled bitterly, "Forget about your big discounts, I don't even have enough stock to give people what I prepared in advance!"

"So what?" Lan En spread his hands on the saddle. "I was just asking you what happened."

The Witcher wore a charming smile as he glanced at the Cuckoo Knights guarding the town gates.

After taking that look, the soldier, who had been getting impatient, suddenly stiffened his arm holding the hilt of the greatsword on his back, and could no longer pull the blade out even a fraction.

Unlike merchants who are slow to grasp crucial information on the battlefield, soldiers reacted immediately.

This is a faded one, a hero in the War of Giants!

And as heroes who remain after their glory fades, they are beyond the reach of the enemy.

To be precise, any guy who could make a name for himself in the border region would not fare well even if all the guards of the town went up against him.

As people of the Golden Tree, they are not afraid of death, but there is no need for them to fight a Faded Hero for no reason.

“I say,” the donkey cart merchant said again to the cuckoo soldier, “is it really impossible to pay taxes in gold?”

“Gold is useless. If you want it, I can even pay you with gold.” Soldier Du Juan had lowered her hand from behind her back, but her words remained indifferent. “There are very few people like you who are willing to engage in trade. We need supplies more.”

"That's fine, Craig," the student next to him said again, "Just give it to them."

“Oh, I’m doing this all for you, Brother Tops!” The donkey cart merchant sighed and shook his head. “If he takes half of the goods, it won’t be enough for what you ordered.”

"I'm not asking you for a refund!"

Tops was only thinking about quickly persuading his friend not to be stubborn, because Lienia, embroiled in civil war, was not the peaceful and tranquil Altan Plateau.

But Craig immediately retorted.

"I'm not expecting to make money off you!"

Craig looked at Tops as if he were looking at a silly rune bear.

The students in the college suddenly covered their foreheads, feeling a terrible headache.

He knew, of course, that Craig was only doing business out of interest, and whether he made money or not was more of a matter of mood. In the Golden Dynasty, there was no real issue of livelihood.

"Forget it, forget it!" Tops tried to persuade again. "Let it be! If my order isn't complete, it isn't complete!"

Since the main people affected by the conflict have accepted it voluntarily, the others don't really have any grounds to argue with each other.

So the Cuckoo Knights unloaded a large portion of the goods that had been bulging in the donkey cart and covered by tarpaulins. The remaining goods in the cart were already below the edge of the cart, so there was no need to cover them with tarpaulins anymore.

Seemingly because they were interrupted during the argument, Lane and Craig were mistaken for a group with Tops and were allowed to enter the town in front of the academy.

Tops was indeed a student of Real Lucaria, although he was completely bald and still had a short beard around his chin.

But in Real Lucalia, as long as you haven't finished your studies, you're still a student.

This is also why he didn't have a plaster cast on his head.

The Academy of Real Lucaria is divided into five classrooms. Students in each classroom are awarded a unique plaster hood as proof of their achievement in their respective research areas.

"A 50% entrance tax," Lan En said as he walked with the two into the town in front of the academy. "Tsk, is it really that high?"

On the contrary, Craig, who had just seemed quite troubled, said nonchalantly, "It's alright. If I hadn't already accepted Tops' order, I would have just given it to them. Why are the guards so fierce? They're really scary."

As he spoke, Craig patted the thick wooden board hanging on his chest like a shackle around his neck, and wiped his forehead, which was covered in sweat and stuck to his blond hair.

Because the people of the Golden Tree live a very comfortable life, and even doing business is just for fun, they are actually quite receptive to heavy taxes and exploitation.

After all, toys and luxury goods are always more expensive than normal items, which is common sense, right? Fishing rods, cameras, and miniature figurines, for example.

No one would think it's wrong.

"Ordering?" Lann turned his gaze to Tops. "Why are you ordering so much? What, like Craig, want to try being a secondhand dealer and see if it's fun?"

Tops' face stiffened; it was clear he was a somewhat shy person.

Lan En immediately apologized: "Oh, I'm sorry. Was it about something private that's inconvenient to ask? Then just pretend I didn't ask."

“No… there’s nothing inconvenient about privacy.” Tops smiled, his expression stiff and bitter. “It’s just an embarrassing fact.”

"I... am a useless rock. In other words, someone without magical talent. No matter how much I train my brain, it won't work quickly, and I can hardly remember complex spells, let alone apply them fluently."

Tops took a deep breath, trying to make his voice sound indifferent.

"But now, perhaps this worthless rock has a chance to turn its life around!"

"I placed an order with Craig because I wanted to find an opportunity to produce more goods and see if I could get a chance to be 'reborn'!"

"Don't underestimate me just because I'm a piece of junk. I'm still someone who studied at the Palace of Learning, Realucaria! I can still master the craft of the Radiant Stone Craftsmen! The Cuckoo Knights need these 'imitation magics'. I want to make more and try to pull some strings with them to see if I can get a 'rebirth' spot."

“Reborn?” Craig looked surprised. Although he had known Tops for many years longer than Lann, this was probably the first time he had heard of this. “You mean the Returning Tree?”

"No, not the Returning Tree." Tops quickly shook his head. "After returning to the tree, the golden tree will sculpt the departed souls, but the probability is too small. Even though I'm just a piece of trash now, I'm still qualified to take classes in Realucalia, right?"

"There are plenty of people who aren't even as good as me. Trying to gamble on probability? That's too risky."

"Rebirth, I heard from people in the academy, is the process of accurately controlling one's talents and abilities! It's still in the experimental stage, but I've heard that quite a few outstanding senior students have already become obsessed with it!"

"Accurately control one's talents and abilities?" Lan En stepped aside to avoid a townsman carrying a box of scattered gemstones, frowning as he said, "Tops, although we've only just met, what you're saying seems... a bit too far-fetched to me."

Topus's statement about 'rebirth' reminded Lann of Gwyneth Avia in the world of fire.

When she was still using the alias "Mother of Rebirth" Rosalia, rebirth was the miracle she widely proclaimed as a blessing.

When Leonard, who was then known as "Rosalia's Ring Finger," first approached Lann and tried to recruit him into the faith, he used the promise of "rebirth as a complete and better version of himself" as a lure.

But later Lan En learned that the so-called rebirth would involve a period of time as a maggot before transforming into a winged knight.

This is more like a fixed reinforcement path than 'self-customized'.

“I also think it’s unreliable.” Craig shook his head repeatedly. “To regenerate yourself before returning to the tree? Are you really not afraid of causing trouble during your return process? This is complete recklessness!”

"The masters in the academy have studied it for a long time, there's no mistake, it's just a matter of details." Tops waved his hand, seemingly unconcerned. "I heard that this technology was developed based on the Amber Egg, a secret treasure in the possession of the [Full Moon Queen] Renara of the Kalia royal family!"

"But there's no use in you and me worrying about it. After all, I don't even have enough materials right now, and even if I did, it's not certain whether I could get through to the Cuckoo Knights."

"Come on, we're here. This is the house I rented in the town in front of the academy. You can see the academy's chapel district across the lake. If you two don't have anywhere to stay in Lienia, you can stay here."

Judging from Topps's expression, he didn't seem happy about renting a place in the town in front of the college. His attitude was quite different from that of a typical student renting off-campus.

Lann concluded that, perhaps in Realucalia, students who were allowed to live in the academy were the true sign of excellence.

(End of this chapter)