Chapter 35: “The Name... Let's Call Her Qiu'er.”

A bonfire crackled atop the cliff, its flames illuminating the stark white bones scattered around it. Firelight and shadows danced across the skeletons as though staging an unknown shadow play.

Sizzle~

The fat from the venison melted in the flames and dripped onto the wood with a shrill hiss. The mingled fragrance of spices and deer meat made both man and beast drool.

"I've never understood why meat smells so good after being roasted over a fire!"

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's gaze never left that roasted deer leg. Her throat trembled involuntarily; after a whole day of travel, the scent alone made it all worthwhile.

Lin En said proudly, "You should learn this grilling technique from me. I've practiced it for who knows how many years."

He had been broke while attending school in his previous life, so he had earned money by learning barbecue work at a grill restaurant. His skills had long since been honed. It was just that this world lacked the wide variety of little technological seasonings from his old world, so the flavor was somewhat diminished.

As for whether it was healthy, that was nonsense to Soul Masters and Soul Beasts. He had never heard of a Soul Master getting an upset stomach from eating something.

The fire's temperature had been controlled perfectly, and the venison soon cooked through. Lin En handed the golden-brown roasted deer leg to the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion did not stand on ceremony. She plopped down on the ground, sat upright, wrapped her two front paws around the deer leg, and began gnawing on it.

Lin En also opened his mouth wide and chewed the roasted meat with gusto. The scalding venison made every pore in his body open up.

Out in the outside world, this bite of venison would probably be worth a hundred Gold Soul Coins. The Rainbow Deer's reputation was no exaggeration; it really was worth that much.

After the venison was bitten open, pure life force flowed from his esophagus into every limb and bone. The last time he had felt this way was when he ate the Twin Cyclops' brain matter.

However, the Twin Cyclops' brain matter focused more on the spirit and physical body, while the Rainbow Deer King leaned more toward life and origin. In terms of value alone, the Rainbow Deer King was probably even more valuable than the Twin Cyclops.

Spirit and physical strength represented a Soul Master's present, while life and origin represented the future.

He truly wondered what effects the Life-Attribute Spirit Fruit and Fountain of Life mentioned by the Three-Eyed Golden Lion had. They were probably even more potent than the Rainbow Deer King.

If possible, Lin En actually wanted to choose an Emerald Swan as his third Soul Ring. It perfectly matched all of his needs.

But unfortunately, Emerald Swans were not so easily hunted. That race possessed little combat power itself, but large numbers of Soul Beasts usually protected them, including many ten-thousand-year-level ones.

To hunt an Emerald Swan, one had to catch it when it was alone. At present, only a handful of human Soul Masters were known to have obtained Emerald Swan Soul Rings.

According to what Uncle Yu had once said, they had basically all picked them up during beast tides. Only then would humans and Soul Beasts slaughter each other with bloodshot eyes, regardless of the cost.

In peaceful times, hunting an Emerald Swan through normal means was practically impossible.

Lin En had no particularly good solution either. Even with the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's help, there was nothing he could do. Bi Ji stood behind that race, after all.

Bi Ji was very kind, and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion did not want to anger the Soul Beast world's social butterfly. If Bi Ji got angry, the consequences would be even worse than if Di Tian got angry.

After a hearty feast, the Auspicious Beast lay down beside Lin En. This Golden British Shorthair had eaten her fill and was a little carb-drunk, actually letting Lin En lie on her belly.

The sun at the horizon turned fiery red and gradually sank beyond the edge of the earth. Lin En felt somewhat dazed. Since gaining his freedom, he had watched many sunsets.

He did not know why, but he liked dusk very much. Looking at the crimson sky gave him an inexplicable sense of ease.

Perhaps it was because only at dusk did the sky resemble fire and blood. In the Dragon Clan's memories, the dragons of the Bronze and Fire King's lineage all liked this color.

A slightly cool breeze brushed over man and beast. In the distance, the Blue Silver Grass Forest played a light, ethereal melody, as if welcoming the cycle of a new season.

The wind best represented the seasons. When Lin En arrived, it had been spring. Now, autumn had come.

That was quite good news. At the very least, Lin En no longer had to worry about those damned mosquitoes!

The mosquitoes of the Star Dou Great Forest were far wilder than those from his previous life. A large swarm could genuinely suck a Red Fire Ox dry into beef jerky.

Every night when he slept, Lin En had to activate his Golden Eyes and use dragon might to scare away those disgusting creatures. Otherwise, he had to imitate the Soul Beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest by living in caves and placing Mosquito-Eating Demon Grass at the entrance.

This kind of plant was the most popular plant in the Star Dou Great Forest during summer. Whether weak or powerful, Soul Beasts would collect some.

Powerful Soul Beasts could ignore mosquitoes, but their young could not.

"Oh, right. I've never asked you before. Humans all have names, right? What's yours?"

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion lazily stretched her paws, and her fluffy belly bounced slightly, as if reminding Lin En.

Lin En thought for a moment and said, "Li Wenya."

Miss Golden British Shorthair stared at Lin En with the vertical eye on her forehead, puffing out her cheeks in displeasure.

"You lied to me."

"We're friends. You can't lie to me!"

Lin En said helplessly, "Your eyes really are a bug. The power of fate is completely unreasonable."

"My name is Lin En."

The crimson vertical pupil on her forehead gave no warning. Only then did the Three-Eyed Golden Lion nod in satisfaction.

"That's more like it."

"Lin... En..."

"Why are you called that? Did your family choose it?"

"Unlike me, I don't even have a family. From the moment I was born, I only knew the racial name Three-Eyed Golden Lion."

Miss Golden British Shorthair was somewhat depressed. Her depression had never been any less than Lin En's. The title of Imperial Auspicious Beast was indeed resounding; throughout the entire forest, no being dared defy her commands.

Even the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts and ferocious beasts of the Mixed Zone and Core Zone had to treat her with respect when they saw her.

Perhaps only Di Tian and Bi Ji occasionally treated her like a little girl.

What had accompanied the Imperial Auspicious Beast for half her life was loneliness. There was no second Three-Eyed Golden Lion anywhere on the continent. Her innate nobility and intelligence created a natural barrier between her and those Soul Beasts.

Humans were too dangerous as well. They were cunning and harbored deep hatred toward Soul Beasts. Yet Lin En, this anomaly, made Miss Golden British Shorthair feel for the first time that she had met a companion.

"A name..."

Lin En looked at the dazzling river of stars in the Star Dou Great Forest's night sky, and remembrance flashed through his eyes.

"That was a long time ago."

"I didn't have parents either. I chose this name myself."

"Heh. Thinking about it now, it was a little ridiculous. I don't even know why I chose that name back then."

He had chosen this name in his first life. Why he had chosen it, he had long since forgotten. Maybe it had been because of a joke, or perhaps because of something else.

He had been too young then. Many things had not been so complicated. A bottle of Nutritional Express and a White Rabbit candy could solve ninety-nine percent of problems.

Once something had been used for long enough, it would always carry a sense of nostalgia. That was how the name Lin En had continued until now.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion tilted her head. "Can you have a name even without family?"

Lin En patted her belly and smiled. "Why not?"

"Is there some necessary connection between a name and family? A name is the first gift in this world that belongs to you. No matter who gives it to you, even if you give it to yourself, it still has a special meaning."

"That meaning doesn't need to be profound. Its purpose is really just to give you a label in society."

"Look at me. I don't even know why I chose this name."

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion suddenly rolled over, pinning Lin En beneath her. Her face was full of excitement as she said:

"Then give me a name."

"You're my friend. A name given by a friend must have meaning, right?"

Lin En said, "I... I can't breathe!"

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion sheepishly straightened up and said apologetically, "Sorry, companion."

Lin En shrugged. Uncle Lin En had long since completed his physical modification. Even without oxygen, the energy cells within his body could sustain him.

Those cells supplied energy for his new brain's calculations. The Vector Manipulation domain required computing power on the level of a supercomputer.

Using that energy to power his body was like pairing a nuclear battery with a light bulb.

Lin En thought for a moment and said, "How about Qiu'er? It's autumn now. As for your surname, you can think of one yourself."

"Qiu'er..." The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's eyes lit up. "I like that name!"

"Then from now on, I'll be called Qiu'er! Companion!"

Late at night, man and beast lay sleeping in a cave. Qiu'er, who had just gained a name, could not fall asleep. With all three eyes, she silently watched Lin En lying on his side, her scarlet vertical pupil glowing faintly.

A murmured voice echoed through the cave.

"You gave me a name, so from now on, you'll be my most important companion. We have to be friends for life."