Bear School Astartes

And opposite this powerful and peculiar broken sword, a painting hung in the corridor.

The pigments on it seemed to have become mottled and faded over time.

But there was one figure that remained deeply black and sinister.

The painting depicted the most intense moment of an epic battle.

Humans and elves, clad in helmets and armor, shouted hoarsely, giving their all under the dark clouds to face a towering figure.

This figure was clad in menacing black armor, raising a single-handed page hammer.

Just at the moment of seeing this painting, a mournful battle cry seemed to echo in the mind, like an auditory hallucination.

Accompanied by the clashing of metal and the sound of raging battle flames...

However, these sounds, which should have been harsh and unsettling, were not noticed by Lann at the moment.

Because, for some reason, Lann saw that the black figure, on the hand that held up the single-handed page hammer, had a ring on its index finger.

The ring was quite ordinary, just a plain, unadorned, smoothly rounded gold ring.

Yet it drew all of Lann’s attention.

This gold... this treasure...

”Hmm?”

Lann shivered instinctively, the discomfort in his muscles making him twist his neck and shake his head.

The Demon Hunter pressed speculatively on the back of his neck that suddenly ached.

Since fortifying his muscles, such symptoms had been far from his body, especially with every tendon now sheathed in Valerian steel wire.

”Mentos, retrieve my physiological data from the last ten minutes.”

”In progress, sir... Please have a look.”

The biochemical brain projected the requested data onto the retina and provided a self-analysis.

”The [Genetic Seed] and [Holy Chant Gland] experienced a hormonal secretion fluctuation two minutes ago, which I assume caused the sudden tension in the nerves of your neck. The hormone levels have now stabilized.”

”Hormonal fluctuation?” Lann asked in puzzlement, ”What’s the cause?”

”Perhaps you are overly fatigued.”

Mentos replied with a generic excuse, and Lann pursed his lips helplessly.

”But I’ve been eating well and sleeping well in Rivendell, Mentos.”

”It might be because you are too relaxed; the essence of an Interstellar Warrior is as a war machine, sir.”

”... You managed to have it both ways,” Lann said, chiding his biochemical brain.

Fortunately, remnants of something like the aftermath of a fierce war were not common in the beautiful atmosphere of Rivendell.

More prevalent was fresh air, gentle breezes, serene ponds reflecting the sky, and yellowing leaves and forests.

And just as Lann continued his leisurely and pleasant stroll through this magical elf city...

”Hey! Lann!”

”Woohoo!”

”Yippee!”

The Demon Hunter walked past a pool.

This sizable pool caught the tributary waterfall cascading from the cliffs beyond Rivendell.

And a dozen or so naked dwarves were gleefully frolicking and playing in this large pool.

It seemed fitting to describe it as exuberant and unrestrained, but considering they were all sporting lush, bushy beards and solid muscles but generally weren’t taller than Lann’s leg, it made the Demon Hunter stifle a laugh.

Amidst the gushing waterfall’s sound, the dwarves cheerfully and warmly greeted the passing Demon Hunter, without any reservation.

And Lann noticed that the Qilin was playing with them, often playfully discharging small bolts of electricity.

The dwarves of the Ardan World appeared exceptionally thick-skinned, as the Qilin’s mild electric jolts seemed to them like a slightly risky game.

They all gathered in the pool, running from the electricity and returning after it was over.

They laughed as they fished out companions who were not quick enough to run and were temporarily numbed by the electricity, left floating in the pool.

In the elegant elf city, the dwarves seemed out of place... but Lann found it quite amusing.

The Demon Hunter waved at them, responding to their greetings.

Meanwhile, Elrond and his steward Lindir were also walking over from the other side of the path.

The two traditional elves slightly parted their lips, observing their meticulously built pool being used by dwarves as an open-air bathhouse.

Immediately, Lann, who had been walking forward, naturally turned on his heel and lowered his head, quickly heading back in the direction he came from.

-----------------

This was the second week Lann and the dwarves had been in Rivendell.

The spirited dwarves, who had regained the weight lost from the arduous long journey, as usual, dismantled an elven wooden table and its matching chairs.

Then roasted tomatoes, rapeseed, and sausages over the fire.

Lann also wanted some meaty food, so he joined the dwarves’ feast with a few wild chickens he hunted as a gesture of goodwill.

”It’s a pity the elves only have boring wine; if only they had some refreshing and cool ale!”

As Bofur brushed the wild chickens Lann brought with rapeseed leaves dipped in oil, he complained about the elves’ taste.

”Right!” Bombo, who was spherical before arriving at Rivendell and now even rounder, also chimed in.

He placed the plate of elven buns on his belly, as steady as if it were on a table.

”And now they’re even out of wine!”

”Wasn’t that because you drank it all?” Lann gave Bombo a side glance, ”And I remember you drank the most.”

Bombo tilted his head and thought for a moment: ”Oh, well. You’re quite right, Lann.”

”But I think he’s not talking about being right; he wants you to eat less, Bombo.”

Bofur laughed loudly.

”Oh...” Bombo’s red beard wobbled, ”I can’t do that!”

The lively dwarves were busy creating more joy, but on the upper stairs of Rivendell, Elrond and Gandalf were still anxiously discussing.

Although Elrond had acknowledged the legitimacy and reasonability of Sorlin Oak Shield’s Reconquest Expedition Team.

He still thought that it’s better to avoid trouble when waking and angering that dragon is not as simple as it seems.

Thus, during these two weeks, Gandalf and Elrond had entangled many times in words.

”I’ve said all I could, Elrond, I really don’t understand where all your worries come from! If we have to take care of every worry before doing anything, then we might as well do nothing! My goodness!”

Gandalf grumbled like an ordinary old man with his head down.

”We are opposing the darkness! Fighting for all that is good and beautiful! This is no child’s play!”

”Precisely because our responsibility is great,” Elrond spoke rationally and calmly, ”we shouldn’t rashly decide on big matters. You and I both know that the situation on the Middle-earth Continent is not for just the two of us to decide, is it?”

Their distance from the dwarves in a straight line wasn’t far, nor did they intentionally lower their voices.

So, in fact, the dwarves could hear them.

But most dwarves prefer to enjoy the carefree present, so they didn’t mind, or treated it as wind at their ears.

However, as Lann picked up the mountain chicken wing handed over by Bofur, he glanced to the side and saw Sorlin was seriously watching the conversation between the wizard and the elf.

Even if he was the most traditional dwarf, once he became a leader, he had to think about more than his subordinates.

Suddenly, there came a clear summons from above directed by the Old Wizard.

”Come on, Lann. Over here, we need you, and we ought to have a good talk again.”

The Demon Hunter, holding a mountain chicken wing, walked to the side, looked up, and saw Gandalf shouting down from the stairway on the upper level of the building.

The Demon Hunter didn’t speak, just waved up, indicating he understood.

A mountain chicken wing was clamped in his mouth, and the ’crunch-crunch’ echoed between his lips and teeth.

His jaw, teeth, and jaw muscles were all enhanced, so this bit of food could be completely ground by his mouth.

Lann walked up the spiraling stairs of Rivendell, quickly joining the wizard and elf and continuing to walk up behind them.

Gandalf saw Lann follow and gave him a reluctant smile, then continued to argue with Elrond.

”I don’t think Sorlin believes he needs to account to anyone for reclaiming his country. Because it’s justified!”

”And to be honest...” Gandalf, the old man couldn’t help it, continued in a huff.

”In this regard, I’m the same; I don’t need to follow others’ opinions either!”

Elrond seemed too tired to argue with Gandalf any longer.

He walked ahead, the first to stand on the highest step.

He extended his hand to the stairs above, inviting Gandalf and Lann up, with a smile like watching a show.

”Fine, you both don’t think you need to listen to anyone in this matter. And I’ll say too...”

”It’s not me you need to listen to.”

Gandalf dumbfoundedly followed Elrond’s inviting gesture up, while Lann raised his eyebrows curiously.

But as they ascended, his expression matched Gandalf’s.

Because on this exquisite platform, a bright moon hung from the arch toward the cliff, and beneath that arch stood an elf.

An...holy and incredibly beautiful elf.

She was over 1.9 meters tall, an exceptionally rare height among elves.

Her back faced the group just stepping onto the platform, and her long hair was deep golden with specks of silver light, more magnificent than the moon and sun!

And when she turned around with a smile...it was a face so beautiful it was almost magical.

Those eyes were entirely different from Elrond’s.

Typically, elven eyes glimmer with starlight, but this one before them shone with a light more exalted than the sun and moon!

”Lady Galadriel!”

Gandalf spoke the name almost in a sighing tone.

And Lann, for the first time stunned by someone’s beauty, was suddenly awakened under that name.

To be honest, you can’t blame him, even Mentos was slow to function just now.

The young Demon Hunter looked at the stunning elf with a mysterious smile in the distance, then at Elrond behind him watching the scene unfold.

”Hello, Mistlandir.”

Galadriel’s voice was ethereal and long, as if descending from the clouds.

Then, the smiling Elf Queen moved her gaze from her old friend to look at the person she had never met.

Her eyes, akin to the light of the sun and moon, scanned Lann up and down.

”Hello, Yadanisil.”