[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-armed-witch":3,"chapter-armed-witch-armed-witch-chapter-12":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Armed Witch",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2353552,4604,"Chapter 12: Familiar and True Name","armed-witch-chapter-12",12,"\u003Cp>“Grandpa Alder, are you sure this is my sister’s staff?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After staring for a while at the black kitten still sound asleep in the old man’s palm, its pink nose dotted with a cute bubble of snot, the impatient Alice could no longer hold back her question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, while this world had many strangely shaped staves, a staff shaped like a cat was simply absurd—how could one possibly cast spells with it? Would she have to swing it around by the tail every time?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just imagining her sister waving a cat around in her hand every time she cast a spell made Alice shudder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That image was too bizarre; she dared not dwell on it further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Dorothy herself wasn’t bothered at all—she curiously reached out and took the black kitten from the old man’s hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment she touched it, an inexplicable sense of familiarity surged in her heart, softening her movements; she gently stroked the kitten’s fur with her fingertip, a faint smile tugging at her lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a beautiful little cat, its jet-black fur marked with golden tiger stripes, especially the tiny “king” character on its forehead—no trace of menace, only a chubby, endearing look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps her playful teasing had woken it, the kitten’s snot bubble popped with a soft *pop*, and it opened its golden vertical pupils.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aowuu~~ Meow”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first it glanced warily around, fluffing its fur and letting out a growl that defied description—“super fierce”—but soon it noticed Dorothy holding it, and instantly relaxed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wobbled to its feet on Dorothy’s palm, then rubbed its head against her palm, finally hugging tightly the finger that had been teasing it; due to its tiny size, the slender finger seemed like a divine pillar to it—far too thick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dorothy was amused by the little creature’s actions; she was about to pull her finger away to tease it further, but before she could move, she saw the kitten open its mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Crack...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sound like something shattering echoed—the bitten Dorothy felt nothing, but the biting kitten was already teary-eyed from pain, yet stubbornly refused to let go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dorothy: “...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This little thing seems rather dim-witted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She turned to look at the old shopkeeper, wanting to ask what was going on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t wait for her to speak—he spoke first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is a Spirit Link Staff. After its recent body replacement, this little one’s spiritual awareness has greatly increased and has successfully manifested a Spirit-form. It recognized you, Miss Dorothy, as its master—it seeks a drop of your blood to forge a bond with you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man smiled, yet glanced with surprise at the seemingly pale and delicate finger before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You truly are a powerful witch—though this little one looks young and weak, its body is as tough as the Soul-Nourishing Wood used for the staff’s core, a wood far stronger than ordinary steel alloys, yet your finger didn’t even break the skin. Just give it a drop of blood.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dorothy felt a bit embarrassed; she focused her mind, and a layer of invisible scales vanished from her skin’s surface, then a drop of blood, radiating intense heat, was forced from her body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The kitten didn’t mind the heat at all—it happily loosened its now-limp jaws, scampered over, and licked the blood drop with its pink little tongue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, beneath the kitten, a brilliant five-pointed magical array unfolded; instantly, Dorothy felt a new connection between herself and the little creature, clearly sensing its joy, admiration, attachment, and a hint of pouting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Isn’t this a Familiar Bond?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As an academic top student of the Full-Time Path, Dorothy easily recognized the fleeting, dazzling array—she looked at the old shopkeeper with curiosity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. A Spirit Link Staff is a true living being—it cannot be bound by the old certification rites meant for inanimate objects. They are more like familiars; the Familiar Bond suits them better.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man explained patiently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Dorothy understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Familiars were a crucial component of a witch’s combat strength; outstanding witches always kept a group of familiars with varied abilities—they were the most loyal and useful companions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But good familiars were hard to find, rare and unpredictable, and the first familiar held special meaning for witches—they poured more emotion into it, since first experiences always left the deepest impressions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Dorothy, who was quite picky in this regard, had never yet bonded with a familiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Haiyuedao, as a backwater town of the eighteenth tier, was still quite provincial—the local familiar shops only sold the most common and lowest-grade familiars, with no rare breeds, so she had planned to wait until she enrolled in the Witch Academy to check their store.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now she didn’t need to worry—this little creature in her hand was both her staff and her first familiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now, please give it a name, Miss Dorothy. Then, by calling its name, you will truly see your new staff.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shopkeeper urged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This left Dorothy hesitating—she was never good at naming things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In her past life, she’d kept cats and dogs, but always named them casually—white ones were “Whitey,” black ones were “Blacky.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this little one, as her first familiar, couldn’t be named so carelessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this fantasy magic world, names carried immense power; naming someone—especially your familiar—was a solemn act.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every being’s first name in this world is called its True Name; the named one shares a portion of the namer’s power, yet is also bound by it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The True Name is both blessing and bondage; thus, guarding one’s True Name from outsiders was basic common knowledge in this world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the True Name was so vital, it must be chosen with care—it usually contained the namer’s blessing, and sometimes even subtly shaped the named one’s fate; if Dorothy carelessly gave this little creature the True Name “Blacky,” she might ruin this precious Spirit Link Staff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tsk. Can’t call it Blacky... then what should I call it? Let me think—did I ever come across any nice cat names in my past life? Preferably one with some special blessing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dorothy lowered her head in thought; after a long while, she suddenly lifted her head in delight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had thought of a name—there was probably no name better suited as a True Name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she had no intention of saying it aloud—after all, True Names were meant to be kept secret, known only to the namer and the named.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, the bond was already sealed; Dorothy closed her eyes and, through the Familiar Bond, whispered the True Name to the little creature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By my name, Dorothy*******, I bestow upon you the True Name Sekhmet Mut Waset Bastet—now, reveal your power to me, Bastet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the mental link, no sooner had Dorothy finished speaking than a piercing cat cry rang out—gradually deepening, becoming regal, soon transforming into a roar like a tiger’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Meow~ Roar~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Dorothy opened her eyes again, she held in her hand a beautifully ornate long staff.\u003C\u002Fp>",1159,"2026-06-21T03:49:44.850Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","864a80b82d8181d752d9bd7d3506748431d9ca3b12b6f7859ad47bbfd791ec64","armed-witch-chapter-13","armed-witch-chapter-11",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Farmed-witch-cover.jpg"]