Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1846, Chapter 1818: Flame Martial Arts Cultivator
In the Golden Age, there were people who lived leisurely lives, seemingly without any worries, and there were also those who stood not far away, so indifferent to life that they could draw their swords and kill at any moment.

Yet they were able to live together in the same place without fear or suspicion.

This situation almost made Lan En feel a sense of absurdity.

In the town in front of the college, Lane stayed with Tops and Craig for a few days.

The Witcher realized that if he continued with his usual style and efficiency, he would appear to be a workaholic in the eyes of onlookers at this border of the Golden Law era.

This may also be a common difference between those who have faded and the people who are now living in the Golden Tree community.

Even before the Faded Ones were stripped of their blessings, they were still fighting relentlessly in the war of giants. How could they be as peaceful and stable as they are now?
After losing the blessing, one can no longer have the opportunity to be reborn stably in the Golden Tree, so one must cherish and use this one and only life even more.

However, Lan En was not idle these past few days. He moved around in the light and dark, and after a few moves, he figured out the structure of the town in front of the academy.

Whether or not you use it, it's never a bad thing to remember the structure of the landing point in advance.

Incidentally, I also obtained a map from a fishing enthusiast that described the monsters and fish populations on Lake Lienia.

This fills in the gap in the map provided by the Cuckoo Knight, which only included the land portion.

During these few days, Lann also learned about the so-called 'imitation magic' from Tops.

According to Tops, although he was already a well-known "waste" in the academy, the fact that he was even admitted to the academy already showed that he was extraordinary.

There are plenty of people out there who aren't as talented as him.

His main source of pain now is his talent—enough to pass but at the bottom of the mage community. Being caught between those with no talent and those with talent is the most agonizing thing.

'Imitation magic' is the use of tools and materials to achieve effects similar to simple, low-level magic.

This approach is similar to the talismans used by Onmyoji, and it's a common way for warriors like the Cuckoo Knights, who have close ties with the magician community, to enrich their combat options.

Good morning, buddy!

Even during the day in Lienia, the lake was still shrouded in thick fog. Lann stood at a small dock in the town in front of the academy, raising his hand to greet people.

"Good morning," a man with rolled-up trousers, a fishing rod slung over his shoulder, and a bucket in his hand replied.

He carried his bucket as he disembarked from a small fishing boat and walked toward the dock. His face showed both exhaustion from a sleepless night and excitement.

"How was the night fishing?" Lan En stood on the dock steps, arms crossed, looking down at him with a smile.

Incidentally, Lan En also got the lake map from this guy.

"I've been fishing all night! I can't stay awake if things don't go well!" The splashing water in the bucket confirmed his words. "But do you really want to borrow a boat to go check the other side?"

Despite being exhausted from a night of fishing, the fishing enthusiast still hesitated before glancing at Lan En.

"It's not safe on the other side. And, looking at you, tall and strong, do you really know how to row a boat?"

"Don't warriors all want to go to places that aren't peaceful?" Lann helped him lift the bucket up and put it down, then stepped towards the small boat moored below the dock. "As for rowing? It's alright. I've rowed in lakes within the swamp before, and Lake Lienia shouldn't have any major currents, right?"

Lann learned his boat handling skills from Bernie, a hunter from the fishing village of Oridon on the lake, when he first started working in Velen.

"That makes sense." The fisherman nodded, agreeing that going to the battlefield to watch the excitement wasn't a big deal; at worst, his soul would just have to wait in line for the Tree of Return to be reincarnated. "Well then, have fun watching the show. I need to go back to sleep now."

Watching the fisherman leave, Lan En's smile gradually faded. He sat on the deck of the fishing boat, picked up the oar beside his feet, and pushed the boat away from the dock.

Leaving behind the town in front of the academy, which was gradually becoming lively in the morning, only the sound of boats bobbing on the water remained in the mist.

People often have difficulty discerning directions in fog, even on water, not on land.

The exceptional sense of direction provided by Lyman's Ear also made Lann sensitive to even the slightest changes in the bow angle, while Mentos projected the map onto the corner of his main retina.

The lake in Lienia is ancient and has been imbued with magical energy for countless ages.

Occasionally, huge outlines can be seen through the mist. These outlines may be creatures from the lake, or they may be motionless and inanimate.

Like the traces of unknown buildings that have collapsed and fallen on land.

A huge, dilapidated building emerges from the water, but even that small glimpse is enough to convey the passage of time.

Lake Lienia's waters were already compressed into a spindle shape by the land on both sides, and Lann had started from the town in front of the academy in the middle of the lake. Soon, he reached the western shore of the lake.

With a muffled 'clang,' the wooden hull of the fishing boat collided and rubbed against a large piece of pyroxene protruding from the lakeside.

Lan En trudged through the muddy lakeside, hooked the small boat's rope onto a pyramidal prism, and stepped ashore.

Like the east bank, the lakeside is paved with stone slabs and low walls, and is illuminated with pyroxene lights at intervals.

However, based on its geographical location, this road should have been built by the Caria royal family.

Along the middle section of the lake, the terrain is low, and the water nourishes the growth of many trees and plants. Crystallized wood buds and Roja fruits are common, and walking along it feels almost like being in a crowded forest.

However, after Lan En traveled north for a while, the terrain gradually rose, with only some trees growing by the water, and the further inland he went, the more grassland he became.

The Witcher's demeanor and expression grew increasingly serious and harsh as he walked north along the western shore of Lienia.

This is Lan En adjusting his state to fit the job description of 'auditing and monitoring'. His hand, clad in the Smaug gauntlets, lightly brushed against the remains of a tree by the lake as he passed by, producing a soft rustling sound as his leather palm rubbed against the wood of the trunk.

The tree was split apart like a broken chopstick, caused by a huge horizontal force, which must have been done by a large crab from the lake.

Walking uphill with a wide view, Lann easily found the camp marked by the Cuckoo Knight.

Even though it was already daytime, the makeshift camp surrounded by wooden stakes still had many braziers lit, attracting quite a few fire butterflies.

There were patrols around; they were a group of hunched-over people, each holding a long, thorny staff with a burning head and a menacing handle.

They were only wrapped in tattered, dirty, blood-red robes, and their bodies, exposed beneath the robes, were extremely emaciated.

They were more like the undead Lann had seen in the Flame World than the wealthy people of the Golden Tree.

But upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that they wear crowns of thorns on their heads, and the thorns have directly blinded them. With each movement or turn of their heads, the thorns go in and out of their eye sockets and skin.

Their red robes were stained with blood.

Lan En's already serious expression became even more furrowed.

To have someone who has endured such cruel punishment come out to be assigned tasks... This is quite different from Lan En's initial impression of the Golden Dynasty over this period of time.

"Waaaa! Waaaaaa!"

Lann made no attempt to conceal his presence or voice. As a result, the patrolling blood-robed men immediately spotted him on the grass surrounding the camp.

The three men in blood-red robes immediately screamed, their voices shrill and like the screams of madness... Perhaps considering the torture they had endured, it was indeed a scream.

Their screams, along with the raised burning thorn staffs, quickly drew the officers from the camp.

"who are you?"

The man who emerged from the makeshift camp was tall and strong, his physique no less than Lan En's.

At the same time he appeared, the blood-robed men in other directions around the camp did not stop patrolling, demonstrating their discipline.

His voice was hoarse and deep, like a hot wind. It was impossible to see what kind of armor he was wearing underneath, but he wore a hooded, fiery red robe over it.

Over the robe, a thick breastplate was worn. The front of the breastplate was made to resemble a huge, ugly human face.

A typical fire-wielding martial arts practitioner among the fire watchers.

His beard and hair beneath the hood were fiery red, but his eyes still shone with a golden, blessed light.

"It is unwise to approach here at this time, young man."

The fire-wielding martial arts cultivator brandished his weapon, steadily approaching Lan En.

It was a short-handled spiked club, the head of which resembled an upward-swaying flame. The jagged blades striking the body would surely leave gruesome wounds.

Lan En remained silent, simply resting his left forearm on the hilt of his sword at his waist, and raising his eyelids to meet the gaze of the flame-wielding martial arts cultivator located above the slope.

As fellow martial arts practitioners, the opponent indeed captured the crucial information instantly, just as Lan En had predicted.

"The Faded One...a hero?" The Flame Martial Arts cultivator's tone revealed some surprise. "As a Faded One, why don't you serve Two Fingers in the royal city? That's a bit puzzling, sir. Aren't you going to say something?"

'His surprise was feigned,' the Witcher precisely caught the fleeting change in his expression. 'In other words, he knew I would be investigating him. Who leaked that information?'

“I came to your camp to serve Twofinger,” Lann said coldly and seriously, his steps already planted in front of the fire-wielding martial artist. “Shouldn’t you know better than anyone else what your duty is?”

"First, state your identity to me. Monk."

The other person's golden eyes quickly glanced down at the long sword that Lan En was draping over his arm.

"I am the current [Chief of the Watchers], Aganty."

He nodded slightly to Lan En.

But Lann didn't respond: "That stolen prayer door, was it lost from your hands?"

The witcher's gaze was stern, as if he were scrutinizing a criminal who had neglected his duties.

“I am ashamed of this.” Yaganti lowered his head in remorse, but then raised it again. “But I hear that you are already very clear about this matter, so why did you still come to us so severely to question us in the name of Two Fingers?”

"The Flame Watcher came down from the Lord Elevator in order to retrieve the prayer, and all the procedures were in accordance with proper formalities."

"Up to this point, your actions have indeed been permitted by the royal city," Lan En said coldly. "But what happened next? Why did you bring down the Flame Chariots when you were just a bunch of bandits? Don't you know how many of your men came down?"

"Not to mention, you also unilaterally participated in Lienia's civil war!"

"Participating in the civil war?!" Yaganti's eyes widened, as if he had been greatly insulted. "Is this the Cuckoo Knights' explanation to you? They are the guilty party accusing us first! It's because they obstructed our investigation and threatened our safety that we had no choice but to continuously upgrade our weaponry!"

"We've brought so many people down from the snow-capped mountains, and we even have weapons, all because they dragged us into their civil war first!"

"Very good," Lan En observed the other's changing expressions throughout, "Fire-wielding martial arts cultivators don't have full-face helmets or visors in their armor... They really should have one when they lie."

(End of this chapter)