Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1986 1958. Perfume Taboos
“This is nothing,” Baglem waved his hand casually, seemingly unconcerned. “This was once the power of the Night-Colored Eyes Queen. Although it was defeated once by Lady Marikas and stripped of its [Death] power, the black flames are still powerful enough.”

"Everyone would want to witness such power if they could. In the Round Table Hall, when I first received this sword from Queen Marika, many of our people had been looking at it for days. But I must remind you of one thing, Lann."

"what?"

"Don't be drawn in by this black flame and become obsessed with it." Baglem planted the strange greatsword on the ground, his tone carrying a hint of warning. "The black flame is a heavy fire, and its powerful force can also attract people's minds."

“Studying it, watching the excitement, or using it occasionally are all fine. But there’s one thing: never let this mere black flame, which has even had its ‘death’ stripped away and sealed, shake your faith in gold.”

Bagleym's tone was solemn and full of meaning, as if he had actually met the kind of person he was describing.

Logically speaking, the Queen of Night-Colored Eyes was already a deity who had completely lost the war for the throne.

To have faith in a defeated and destroyed god or her laws is, by all accounts, a foolish act of 'jumping on a sinking ship.'

However, this is the result obtained from the perspective of rational interests.

But the black flame is a supernatural power, a power that once belonged to a god.

Moreover, this is not only about supernatural powers, but also about faith.

The very nature of these two factors can easily shatter the so-called 'rational interest' mindset.

"I see."

Lan En immediately agreed with the same serious expression.

Worried that contact with the Black Flame will shake my faith in the Golden Law? LOL, I don't believe in the Golden Law at all!
A few days after making the appointment with Barclaym, whenever Barclaym wanted to stretch his muscles and use the War Ash with the [Hunting Gods Greatsword], Lan En would watch from the sidelines.

The Witcher then left the Faded One's room.

To be honest, he was just passing by when he was drawn in by the sounds of the perfumers treating and detoxifying.

Their fragrant powder, sparkling and intensely scented, was quite eye-catching when they swirled it around.

Unexpectedly, this led to an agreement with Baglem, in which, in addition to the [Spirit Fire] obtained last night, I would also be able to observe the [Black Flame].

Today was quite fruitful.

After leaving Baglem's room, Lann planned to go find the hybrid blacksmith Xiugu in the Round Table Hall.

This time, I went to Sunshade City on a mission, and when I returned, I came back with Marlenia's Sacred Tree Legion.

These are all forces with considerable foundation and accumulated experience.

Although Lan En didn't put in much effort, he still obtained some forging stones from the borderlands, which are used to forge and upgrade weapons.

However, they all looked scattered and not very high-end, so I didn't know how useful they would be. That's why I wanted to go to Xiu Gu and ask him to take a look.

After all, besides the Lake Maiden's Sword and the [Turbid Stream - Annihilation], the only other equipment he had was...

The projectile grappling hook on the left arm armor, the dagger [Fang of the Demon Wolf], and the two cat swords with plush balls... a bunch of things that are actually quite ordinary.

In other words, the base materials of various monsters were quite good when they were being made.

But they don't seem to have been upgraded like two swords.

The Moonlight Greatsword has become much stronger through fusion, but it's unknown whether it can be further enhanced through other methods.

After all, how could there be so many worlds where there are weapons with power similar to the Moonlight Greatsword for it to fuse with?

We still need to find a proper and reliable way to strengthen our team.

The border region is still in the age of gods walking the earth, and the prosperous scene of the Golden Dynasty has only lasted for less than a few months!

The forging techniques and weapon enhancement systems here have a high ceiling and a complete, unbroken technical approach.

Therefore, in Lan En's view, this place can provide very good equipment enhancement functions, and of course, he should make full use of it when he has the opportunity.

However, when Lan En went to find Xiu Gu, who was always forging iron at the stairwell, he saw the two perfumers who had just come out of Baglem's room halfway there.

At this moment, the two men appeared to be trying to take something from the servants in the round table hall.

The conversation was strained, and the perfumers, generally of noble birth, didn't behave well. It was the servants in the round-table hall who, on the other hand, looked somewhat impatient.

And because of the angle, the servants in the round table hall were the first to see Lan En looking in their direction.

The man's already somewhat impatient expression immediately froze completely; it wasn't exactly cold and hard, but it was definitely a completely businesslike demeanor.

The servant first made a small, nervous movement, adjusting the headband that held his hair up, then turned and quickly left.

The turn was so swift that the thick wooden board on his chest, a symbol of restraint and faith, flew through the air.

The two perfumers then realized something was wrong with each other's expressions and immediately turned around, only to see the witcher watching them. When they saw Lann walking towards them, their movements were even more stiff than the servant who had just walked away.

"I didn't notice until I saw your backs. When did you perfumers start carrying shields and crossbows?"

To their surprise, Lan En didn't ask them what they were doing with the servant. Instead, he chatted casually about their own affairs.

At this point, although they were still nervous, the two perfumers, whose faces were covered by veils and headscarves, with only their eyes showing a slit, still revealed a bitter expression.

Perfumers are a purely medical profession, and there's practically no one in the entire industry who can rival them.

However, behind these two perfumers, besides the brass daggers at their waists that signify their status as members of the Golden Royal Family and can also be used to cut herbs, each of them carried a small shield slightly larger than a human head and a crossbow.

This is clearly combat equipment.

"The battle is fierce, my lord." The perfumer was very polite to the faded one, after all, the difference in their status was obvious, and besides, they had just been unaware of what the two of them were doing. "According to the Blessed King's orders, the perfumer is now not only required to stay in the rear as a healer, but also to participate more deeply in the battlefield."

Not only do they have to stay in the rear, but they also have to go to the front lines. They're battlefield medics, you know.

The Witcher's eyes revealed understanding.

Although battlefield medics are doctors, they still need some means of self-defense and skills. Shields and crossbows are the equipment that the Blessed King provided to the perfumers.

"This is..."

Lan En didn't know how to comfort them.

Objectively speaking, if the king truly wanted to protect Rodel, he would naturally prioritize utilizing the perfumers—a group with perfumery skills and medical knowledge.

Going to the front lines was expected.

However, when it comes to each individual perfumer, it's uncertain how much pressure these people of noble birth, who have never had any combat experience or training, can withstand.

The two perfumers were filled with bitterness because of this.

"So what were you two just now...?" Lan En pointed in the direction the servant had walked away, casting a questioning look at the two of them.

First, use conversation to stir their emotions, relax their resistance, and create a desire to explain. Only then can you ask questions.

“Ahem, please don’t misunderstand, sir!” A perfumer quickly cleared his throat and stepped forward to explain, “We don’t intend to take anything from the Round Table Hall, we just want to… exchange! Yes! Exchange!”

In the corridor of the Round Table Hall, an oil painting depicting the vast land of Nymgford illuminated by golden trees appears dim and old under the flickering candlelight.

"exchange?"

“Yes! Exchange!” The perfumer nodded hurriedly. “We’re going to the front lines, so we need to prepare some things for ourselves, sir. But while supplies are still plentiful in Rodel, some medicinal herbs are rare now, as no one usually pays attention to stockpiling them.”

"We'd like to find those medicinal herbs in the Round Table Hall. Those herbs can be made into useful incense, which would at least be a form of insurance for ourselves. In exchange, we can process and store the medicinal herbs in the Round Table Hall, turning them into incense that you can use!"

Then, the two perfumers rattled off the names of several fragrances. They worked very hard, hoping to secure their safety on the battlefield.

But after hearing the scented herbs they mentioned, the Witcher raised an eyebrow: "Aren't these things... forbidden to you?"

As required by the profession of perfumer, high-purity and highly stimulating aromatic substances are directly ingested into the body to stimulate nerves, muscles, blood and other systems.

This is an absolute professional taboo.

Playing with fire is a taboo that the people of the Golden Tree find extremely objectionable.

But now, both the "Sparkling Fragrance" that can release flammable powder and the "Invigorating Fragrance" that can greatly invigorate the body and nerves have appeared on the lists provided by perfumers.

“We’re all going to the battlefield, sir.” The perfumer’s voice was filled with an unyielding bitterness. “The profession of perfumer has never harmed anyone. That ‘Omen Hunter’ Rollo, who focused on hunting Omen Children, although he was a perfumer, later quit and focused on his own goal.”

"And now that we proper perfumers have no choice but to go to the battlefield, these rules are still... well, forget it."

Seeing that the two of them were almost in tears, Lan En thought about the list they had made and finally nodded.

After all, aside from special cases like Baglem poisoning, there's generally little need for medicinal herbs in the Round Table Hall; everyone has a Red Dewdrop Chalice Bottle.

It's just that because they are directly under the Double Finger and their level is too high, the Golden Dynasty will prepare and store supplies for them regardless of whether they need them or not.

The two perfumers were thrilled.

Seeing their expressions, Lan asked another question: "Do you know how Torisha is doing now?"

Lan En is now a little worried about the perfumer who immediately offered him help after arriving in this world, which is why he wants to inquire about her.

But to everyone's surprise, the two perfumers' expressions changed noticeably after the name was mentioned.

They seemed even more embarrassed than when Lan En had seen them talking privately with the servants at the round table, and their expressions carried a hint of... confusion and sighs.

(End of this chapter)