Nortonholt County capital, Hord.
In a dimly lit room in the Count's mansion, Countess Serina Nightthorn was holding a secret meeting.
Dark green curtains blocked prying eyes from outside, while the flames dancing in the fireplace cast flickering shadows over her.
She was around thirty, reclining sideways on a dark velvet sofa.
One arm rested casually along the back of the sofa, supporting her chin, while several strands of her raven-black hair fell across her full breasts.
Her deep-black velvet robe flowed like the night, outlining her voluptuous, graceful figure.
Her icy blue eyes were half-lidded, seemingly resting indifferently on the black-clad man kneeling before her.
Her red lips parted:
"Is it done?"
"Madam, as you requested, I gave that boy a bottle of Dreamweaver Spider extract and told him it would increase his chances of Bloodline Awakening."
"Did he drink it?" Serina's voice was gentle.
"I think..."
She cut him off coldly:
"You think?" The warmth in her voice dropped sharply. "So you didn't see him drink it?"
Jared felt his chest tighten.
He instinctively wanted to look up and explain—but at the end of his gaze were the long, shapely legs faintly visible beneath the shadows of her robe. And further up...
Just imagining the scene was enough to make his blood surge.
"Smack!"
A sharp slap echoed through the study.
Jared grunted and covered his right cheek, which had instantly swollen red. The burning pain made his vision go dark.
He hurriedly explained, "Mistress, please calm down! The Atmesia Family is doomed to perish. That boy doesn't have many years left! None of his forebears lived past twenty-five, and I hear he's in much worse shape than his father and uncles!"
"Smack!"
A second slap landed, cutting off his self-satisfied excuse.
Serina's voice was icy. "Idiot. That's not what I want to hear. If you can't even handle such a small task, what use are you to me? Go to Plint and confirm with your own eyes whether he's alive or dead."
"Yes, Mistress."
Jared didn't dare delay for a moment. He couldn't even straighten up, and practically crawled toward the door on all fours.
At the very moment Jared fled the study in disgrace, deep in the woodlands thousands of miles away,
as the rising temperature gradually devoured the morning mist, He Xi's taut nerves finally began to relax.
The mother bear, as large as a small hill, had merely glanced at them lazily before closing her eyes again, seemingly unconcerned by the two "little bugs" that had entered her territory.
But now, a "miniature" Earth Bear was curiously sizing up the person and dog in front of it.
It looked about as big as an ordinary adult brown bear, but given the Earth Bear's long lifespan, it could only be considered a cub.
It tilted its head, its amber eyes full of curiosity.
Until it passed from infancy into its next stage, it would roam various woodlands with its mother.
It had only just awakened from its last hibernation, and this was also the first time it had ever been so close to a human.
To He Xi, this was practically the best opportunity he could hope for right now!
He gently patted Bruce's tense body and whispered, "Relax. Leave this to me."
Fortunately, he had come prepared.
He steadied himself and rummaged in his shoulder bag for a packet of honey-glazed rye balls wrapped in wax paper.
Their sweet aroma spread through the air.
The little fellow's nose immediately twitched.
It awkwardly rose to its feet, staring fixedly at the packet in He Xi's hand.
He Xi figured that even if it really did try to swat him a few times, he wouldn't be able to get away. Besides, Earth Bears were masters of earth magic.
He gathered his courage and stepped forward.
In Tuen's mind, this sweet-smelling fellow before it was undoubtedly just like the Honey Dew Sprites in its dreams, who brought delicious treats.
It reached out, trying its best to appear friendly, afraid of frightening the human in front of it.
Seeing its reaction, He Xi felt even more relieved.
It seemed that even a young bear blessed with the earth's might couldn't resist the lure of sweets.
Tuen took the wax-paper packet in its enormous paw and eagerly brought it to its mouth.
Amid a satisfied rumbling and snuffling, it held the packet and gobbled down all the honey-glazed rye balls in just a few bites, as if they were crunchy peas.
It even crumpled the wax paper into a ball and chewed it noisily before spitting it out with a "phooey."
[Earth Bear · Tuen's Favorability toward you has increased, Parsing Points +2]
He Xi felt gratified. His attempt had paid off.
That meant he only had to... repeat this process another 259 times to save up enough for one draw.
(╯°□°)╯︵┻━┻
Two hundred and fifty packets of honey-glazed rye balls? He was afraid he'd give the poor thing diabetes!
Though he felt speechless, He Xi quickly calmed down.
Different species granted different amounts of Parsing Points for gaining their Favorability. Earth Bears were high-level magical beasts, so their entries were naturally powerful.
If he could draw one, perhaps it would solve his current predicament.
He needed 520 Parsing Points. Gaining Favorability by feeding things or greeting them wasn't realistic.
Killing one was even more impossible.
Helping the target grow or break through...
As far as he remembered, it took this species over a hundred years to go from infancy to adulthood. By then, he wouldn't even know where he'd be playing in the dirt.
Besides, he had no way to help it grow.
Seeing He Xi's furrowed brow and grave expression, Bruce tried to comfort him, letting out a soft whine as he pressed his furry head against He Xi's leg.
Looking at his companion, He Xi suddenly remembered Bruce's distant dream of becoming a mage.
Even if Bruce learned Nortonholt Common Tongue, getting him to study magic was clearly unrealistic. The requirements for a mage's talent were extremely strict.
But Earth Bears were exceptionally gifted by nature. If one learned Nortonholt Common Tongue, could it then learn spells?
He didn't hesitate any longer.
Thanks to its mother's upbringing, Tuen was a polite Earth Bear.
After finishing its food, Tuen seemed to want to express its gratitude. It awkwardly held out its enormous paw and gently shook He Xi's hand.
He Xi seized the opportunity.
[You have spent 10 Parsing Points to exchange for the entry: Nortonholt Common Tongue] [You have selected the target: Earth Bear · Tuen] [Granting the target the entry—Nortonholt Common Tongue]
Tuen: "Rumble... hum... huh... mm... Delicious. Thank you!"
Tuen: "?"
Thorn's Mother: "?"
Tuen abruptly covered its mouth, its eyes widening into saucers.
Nearby, the mother bear, as large as a small hill, stiffened and opened her eyes in an instant.
He Xi's heart raced. He hurried to explain, "Respected Earth Guardian, please don't misunderstand. I mean no harm. This is just a little language spell."
Before you continue