Qilin's New Ability, Dance Under the Moon

Stroking the Qilin's forehead and feeling the warmth of those short horns, Lucien said with emotion:

"You're all grown up now. I can't hold you in my arms like before anymore."

Liuguang understood his master's meaning and tilted his head.

Great swathes of Auspicious Cloud instantly wrapped around the Qilin's body, spinning as they shrank.

In the blink of an eye, a miniature Qilin stood in the air, treading on Auspicious Cloud.

Liuguang's appearance had not changed, but his size had shrunk back to what it had been in childhood.

Then he bounded into Lucien's arms and rubbed his head against his chest.

"You can change your size freely? Is this a new ability after entering the growth stage?"

"Yes, Master."

Lucien was pleasantly surprised. It had actually gained such a convenient ability.

Rubbing the little Qilin's mane, Lucien found that it felt especially nice, almost like the Maine Coon he had kept in his previous life.

"Liuguang, what other abilities do you have now?"

Liuguang jumped out of Lucien's embrace and returned to his normal size again.

"The main one is Purifying Fire. These flames are, um, very hot, and they can also burn away most common curses or deadly poisons."

"Oh, and if I don't put out the Purifying Fire myself, it can burn for a very, very long time..."

Hearing Liuguang's description, Lucien nodded.

The fact that it was very hot had already been proven. Ordinary earth, stone, and trees were almost instantly burned to ash.

In terms of sheer power, it had already surpassed many wizards' fire spells.

And it could even target most curses and deadly poisons. Was that one of the reasons it was called "Purifying Fire"? Purifying the filth and evil of the world.

If he did not put it out himself, it could burn for a very long time?

How long was very, very long? Sigh, Liuguang had still been born too recently. His mind and understanding were only equivalent to a child of a few years old, so his grasp of concepts like time was still very vague.

Should he teach the little Qilin some knowledge? He probably could not learn wizard magic, but some basic common sense was still very necessary, right?

As he thought, Lucien sized Liuguang up.

He was a divine beast, after all. He had to be naturally intelligent. Learning a bit of knowledge should be easy, shouldn't it?

For some inexplicable reason, a chill ran through the little Qilin's entire body. He released a thin layer of flame to coil around himself, but it still could not drive away that sudden chill.

Seeing Liuguang's reaction, Lucien's heart skipped a beat.

Wow, that was a big reaction.

Could it be because the Qilin could sense goodwill and malice?

I only wanted to teach a child a little knowledge. How could that count as malice?

"Liuguang, what abilities do you have besides Purifying Fire?"

"Master, there's also Auspicious Cloud. It doesn't just let me walk through the air and fly now. It can also block sight and weaken perception."

The Auspicious Cloud beneath the little Qilin's feet spread rapidly, wrapping around Lucien in a semicircle.

Lucien carefully sensed the changes.

Mm, blocking sight was a given. Once he was surrounded by Auspicious Cloud, the sounds outside became much quieter, and scents gradually faded as well.

Aside from those basic senses, he also had to try magic power. That was the method of perception wizards relied on most.

It was a very simple test. Lucien casually shot out a spell and let it pass through the Auspicious Cloud.

The spell, which he had originally been clearly connected to, became extremely blurry to Lucien's senses once it sank into the Auspicious Cloud.

Now this was good. It could actually weaken a wizard's perception of magic power too.

If they fought in an environment filled with Auspicious Cloud, a wizard's perceptive abilities would be suppressed by a great deal.

"Also, Master, my scales and skin have immunity against some magic. As for very powerful and dangerous magic, they should also weaken it to a certain extent."

"Do you want to try it, Master?"

Liuguang shook his head eagerly, as if he wanted to play with Lucien.

"All right, come on."

Lucien raised his wand and immediately cast Petrificus Totalus.

However, when the spell struck Liuguang's body, it was like a clay ox vanishing into the sea. Liuguang still moved freely.

Lucien raised an eyebrow, and one dazzling spell after another surged from the tip of his wand.

After a few minutes of testing, Lucien basically confirmed that the little Qilin was immune to most basic magic. Only advanced magic infused with more magic power and greater lethality could leave any marks on those scales, and even then, they were only marks.

Mm, no wonder the system said a divine-beast Qilin just entering the growth stage was equivalent to an outstanding Auror.

And its innate Apparition, its strange Purifying Fire, and the Qilin itself far surpassed human wizards.

Now he could finally relax. If the little Qilin wandered around the Forbidden Forest to stretch its legs, it could keep itself safe.

After all, with malice sensing and Apparition, even if it could not win, it could still run.

Normally, he would just follow the locations Hagrid had given him, have Liuguang locate the ranges where magical creatures were active in advance, and take him over to observe and record them.

Lucien looked up at the sky. It had already grown dim.

Tonight seemed to be a full moon. Mm, perfect timing to go look for that kind of magical creature.

The bright moon hung high, spilling silver light.

In a clearing, there were only a few slightly dense thickets around.

"Patter, patter—"

Several pale-gray, strange creatures with two round eyes bulging on top of their heads ran into the center of the clearing.

They had four long, thin legs and broad, flat feet.

Looking up at the bright full moon, the little things suddenly began to hop.

Bathed in moonlight, they performed a complex and peculiar dance on their two hind legs.

As they danced rhythmically, the scent of orchids gradually spread through the air.

The creatures sniffed, seeming to like the smell very much, and danced even more merrily.

They did not notice that beside a thicket not far away, a pair of illusory dark-green eyes was secretly watching them.

An equally illusory quill wrote silently on the paper:

Mooncalf.

Smooth skin, body mainly pale gray...

Comes out of its burrow on nights of the full moon.

Likes to dance in the moonlight. Its dance is peculiar, but has a very enchanting feel.

(Purpose of dancing currently unknown, pending observation)

Wearing a Refreshing Mask, Lucien glanced at the Sleeping Incense burning quietly by his feet, then looked at the Mooncalves dancing with even more energy.

Somewhat uncertain, he wrote on the paper: likes the scent of orchids

And added a "?" after it.

Long before the Mooncalves arrived here, Lucien had cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself and applied Invisibility Essential Oil.

He had hidden his presence from sight, smell, and hearing.

This was the first magical creature he had begun observing and recording, and he still needed to record their physical traits and data in more detail.

Mm, if he waited a little longer, the Sleeping Incense should take effect.

Recording information on a magical creature required great detail, from appearance to habits, special racial abilities, the effects of materials produced...

In a while, before sunrise, he still had to collect their droppings.

This was a natural fertilizer that could make plants grow extremely quickly and thrive.

He wondered how it compared to the fertilizer Potion he refined himself.

On a weekend night, while the other young wizards were still asleep, a certain first-year student was already in the Forbidden Forest, admiring the Mooncalves' enchanting dance.