Chapter 33: The Law of the Beast

Georgia ordered the meat-and-mushroom gratin, paired with a lemon iced tea made from the recently discovered dragon-fruit lemon found in the forest, accompanied by a small lemon cake made from the same fruit. It was a carnivorous feast perfectly suited for replenishing the energy of the famished.

The total came to 1 gold and 4 silver lei.

Melina took a sip of the lemon iced tea, which was served in a two-liter tankard.

"Mmm..."

The taste was strange—like taking a bite of mint followed by a gulp of frozen cola. There was a hint of bitterness, followed by a numbing, icy sensation that tingled all the way to the brain.

"This really is delicious. Is dragon-fruit lemon always this good?"

"It’s Mr. Mo's new specialty..." Georgia took a sip, her face glowing with pure bliss, before waving at the elven chef busy behind the bar. "Mr. Mo, are you heading to Hamlet later?"

"Indeed, I’m transporting the dragon-fruit lemons over there," Mr. Mo replied. The elven chef’s smile had grown significantly.

After receiving his advance from Sonia, he had immediately gone to Haven to buy a new outfit at a local fairy-culture boutique, successfully driving his recently improved finances back to rock bottom. But such is the nature of elves. The essence of elven culture is to "dine on wind and drink dew"—if the conditions don't exist, they create them, which is to say, they live beyond their means.

He had also entered a "petit bourgeois" phase, speaking with a certain affected restraint:

"Ms. Sonia wishes to enjoy a glass of dragon-fruit lemon iced tea with berry liqueur as an appetizer."

His accent was eerily familiar.

"Ms. Maria hopes for a risotto made with mushrooms, cream, diced yellow carrots, and red and black pepper as a starter. I went to Haven to stock up just yesterday. Oh, and I could never forget the charming Miss Melina..."

He gestured toward Melina. She offered an awkward smile at his theatrics; elves were just like that. When too poor to indulge themselves, they would wear a sour face, much like the elves in traditional fantasy works. When wealthy, they could be summed up in one phrase: "I am the petit bourgeoisie." Even their speech would accelerate, their parallelism would increase, and their sexy little trills would become more spirited.

"...Miss Melina’s order of braised pork with rice—oh-ho-ho, such a cunning and beautiful lady. I’ve never heard of this dish, but the moment I saw the recipe, I knew it would work. Ha, secrets always make a woman more feminine, don't they?"

Ah, I remember now.

This elf’s accent sounds exactly like Old Ma!

Old Ma, oh Old Ma, you’re an elf?

Melina kept a polite smile on her face while listening to him. Georgia, noticing her impatience, stopped Mr. Mo before he could launch into the inevitable cycle of elven conversation: moving from "beautiful ladies" to "the Academy," and finally to "we elves are just so incredible."

"Mo, we were just hoping to hitch a ride. After we finish eating, can we ride with you to Hamlet? I don't want to walk in this hot weather."

Hot weather? Melina hadn't felt anything at first, but then she sensed something amiss and glanced at Georgia. This "legal loli" was dressed as if for winter; afraid of the heat?

A blatant lie.

But the elves couldn't see through it.

Mr. Mo, being a typical elf, naturally lacked the genetic capacity for complex suspicion. He performed a flamboyant bow: "As you wish, at your command, my dear ladies."

"Thank you, Mr. Mo. Now, please go and prepare the dishes we ordered."

Georgia dismissed him casually. They seemed quite close.

Melina sipped her iced tea.

"You’re going to Hamlet, too?"

"Yes, that's right. Well... Ms. Sonia told me to act as the Shadow Mayor of Hamlet to assist with administrative affairs... but I don't quite understand..." Georgia’s large, shimmering, golden eyes gazed over. "Isn't Mayor Leon the mayor of Hamlet?"

Mayor Leon had already been usurped by his own dear niece.

Melina pondered how to break the news tactfully, but then realized: was there any need for tact?

Besides, it was only Senior Sonia who was being misunderstood.

Since the senior had so many lovely juniors, wouldn't it be a fine thing for her to shoulder some responsibilities?

Melina adjusted her train of thought and said earnestly:

"Mayor Leon... has already been sidelined."

"Huh?" Miss Georgia straightened up in surprise, causing the cute Cossack fur hat on her head to bounce slightly.

"Sonia has already seized control of Hamlet..."

"So, does that mean I need to prepare a guillotine?" Georgia’s surprise was quickly replaced by excitement.

"...Hmm?"

"That’s what the storybooks say. You haul the old mayor to the guillotine, and then..."

"..."

What is wrong with the people in this world? The moment they hear about political maneuvering or seizing power, they can't wait to turn it into something bloodier than the Incident at Xuanwu Gate... Melina closed her eyes for two seconds to reflect on whether there was something wrong with her, but of course, it was only a reflection. Melina could never be the problem. The problem could only be the world.

She opened her eyes:

"That would be far too extreme."

"Extreme, is it?" Georgia looked thoughtful.

...

Georgia was very eager to learn, and throughout the meal, she kept asking Melina for advice on how to set up rituals.

This hit a soft spot for Melina; everyone has a side of themselves that loves to teach, and she was no exception.

"You wish to pursue magic?"

"Yes. I’ve discovered that in these godforsaken places, relying solely on the study of law and medicine is useless." A look of frustration clouded Georgia’s palm-sized face. "Without enough materials, enough samples, or an alchemist, I, as a physician, have no way to craft 'colonized armor' for the locals."

Colonized armor was a degraded form of weaponry. To use a single term: "Occult Exoskeletons." Their primary purpose was to strengthen the body and connect to the local network to provide translation and data services. This function was mainly for recording the local ecology, allowing collectors and civilians equipped with the armor to provide data on ecological changes.

Only medical students could complete them.

Medicine in this world was essentially a weakened form of magic and alchemy. In a world where a single potion could dissolve all kidney stones, cure measles covering the entire body, or eliminate foot fungus, medicine had to find a new path—a new track, which was the manufacture of colonized armor.

"So, you want to study magic—specifically, the Beast Doctrine?"

"Yes."

The Beast Doctrine was a symbol of wildness and reproduction, representing the primal state of nature as well as the most significant characteristic of natural power: healing. No matter how terrible the wounds—even the cracks left by the Dragon’s Curse, the most fearsome thing spat out by the world’s most terrifying dragon—they had formed their own unique ecosystem. Although it remained a no-man's-land, many creatures had already begun stealing things from within to sell... such as clockwork cats.

Magic from the Beast Doctrine was the most common way to strengthen an ordinary person to the level of a collector.

"I thought so."

"Allowing mortals to possess strength approaching that of a collector—this kind of magic not only brings more labor for expansion, but also attracts many mercenaries, provided the price is right."

The population of this world was a mystery; no nation kept specific statistics, nor were there things like ID cards. But one thing was certain: the ratio of wild explorers to Academy explorers was about ten thousand to one, and the ratio of ordinary people to explorers was nearly fifty to one. The population was terrifyingly large. Therefore, if one possessed the technology to turn people into collectors, one could indeed attract countless people here.

In the north of the Weeping Peninsula, the Exum Archipelago and the two sanatoriums located there were famous for exactly this, and they had forged a very wealthy trade route.

The Lighthouse and the Great Mountain Sanatorium were famous for creating melee-type explorers and ranged-type explorers, respectively.

"Exactly," Georgia admitted her ambition. "The Weeping Peninsula is my home, and I dearly wish for it to develop. Therefore, learning the magical rituals of the Beast Doctrine is essential."

"I understand."

Melina nodded, placing her hands on her knees and straightening her back, sitting like a prize cat. A feline smile, which could be described as indifferent rather than cold, appeared on her face:

"But why should I teach you? The transmission of knowledge has always carried a very expensive tuition."

Although she was eager to share her knowledge, rules were rules.

Because of these rules, humanity had managed to survive in a world where human territory accounted for only one percent of the land.

There were too many stars in the sky, and too many that looked alike. If a vast amount of knowledge from the various doctrines were spread carelessly, who knew what terrible things might be birthed? The famous Red Dragon of the Demon lineage had come into being because an unlucky soul botched the Merit Ritual of the Artisan Doctrine, forcing a limited connection between the Abyss and this world.

Though it might sound strange, the hierarchy of this world seemed to be slightly higher than that of the Abyss. It wasn't that the demons of the Abyss had invaded; it was that this world had forcibly annexed a portion of the Abyss and rapidly derived an Abyssal ecosystem. The fabric of Melina’s parasol was made of "Resentment Silk" from an Abyssal ecosystem; it was beautiful and possessed natural, high-level durability.

Even so, the resulting Abyssal Red Dragon had caused a massive crisis for humanity.

Ever since then, the teaching of all doctrinal knowledge had to be handled with extreme caution:

[Make them pay a price to acquire it.]

That was the doctrine.

"I will pay the tuition," Georgia said, gritting her teeth. "If you are willing to accept... well, if you are willing to accept some rare materials."

"Rare! How rare?" Melina’s interest was piqued; she narrowed her left eye.

"Some artifacts from other realms, imbued with rare magical factors. It takes a great deal of effort to refine them. I am not a Banshee like you; refining them is quite a hassle..."

Melina reminded her: "You are making a deal with me. Admitting that right out of the gate is going to make me want to drive the price down, you know?"

Georgia replied with refreshing honesty:

"I speak the truth as it is. Actually, I’m quite cunning too, but I can see you aren't the type to take advantage and drive the price down."

The cute little mayor offered a serious yet playful smile, straightening her back in high spirits:

"You wear the mask that suits the person you’re talking to; that’s the inconvenience of the big city. But here in the countryside, heh, one can show their true face without restraint."

"Is that your true face, Senior Georgia?"

"Mm-hmm. Loud, not at all ladylike, a bit mercenary, someone who is helpless about her work but loves her home dearly."

"I see. I’m starting to like you, Senior."

Melina said, feeling a little shy.

"I think you’re quite cute too, Junior," Georgia said heartily, even patting her chest.

Young Georgia didn't yet know that there are some women to whom you should never say such pleasantries.