Chapter 192: "Familiar Contract" Magic Circle

"Ohoho! This feels quite interesting."

Reading the messages, Lan Qingyou could not help but laugh aloud.

They said that the hand that gave roses always retained a lingering fragrance. Now she finally understood that feeling—it felt pretty good.

'Maybe I should brew a pot to give away for fun whenever I have free time?'

Lan Qingyou mused happily.

The personalities, morals, and alignments of the people receiving the Potions did not matter to her in the slightest.

After all, this was just for fun. Any way of playing was still playing.

Like she had said before, they posed absolutely no threat to her anyway.

Moreover, on a landmass vast enough to hold twenty billion people, it was uncertain whether she would ever cross paths with those three individuals in her entire lifetime.

Lan Qingyou could only say that the Kalim Continent did not tolerate the idle or the naive.

...

Another Mana Turbulence had begun, but the chaotic weather outside had little to do with Lan Qingyou, who was currently burying herself in the knowledge of two worlds.

Snap!

That night, while fierce winds howled outside, an exhausted Lan Qingyou snapped her book shut and closed her eyes.

It had been over a week since she returned from the cave. She had read what needed to be read, learned what needed to be learned, and understood what needed to be understood. All that remained was practical application.

After all, no matter how well she studied or how deeply she comprehended the theory, she would never know her true limits without putting it into practice.

'But what is there for me to experiment on right now?'

Lan Qingyou turned her head toward the howling gale outside her window, her gaze eventually falling upon the two little creatures sleeping soundly in her bed.

'Right.'

'Isn't there a summoning circle?'

'Why not try setting up a magic circle to sign a Familiar contract?'

Even though she was on great terms with these two little guys right now, they were monsters after all. There was no guarantee they wouldn't suddenly unleash their primal instincts someday.

Having a binding contract in place would make things much safer.

Acting on her inspiration, Lan Qingyou brought out pen and paper to begin drafting her design.

The construction of a magic circle was quite similar to that of an Alchemy Array.

For someone like Lan Qingyou, who already possessed extensive experience constructing Alchemy Arrays, this was hardly a difficult task.

Of course, the inherent advantages of being a Witch also played a significant role.

During her studies, she discovered that compared to combat spells and martial techniques, magic circles might be the true calling of the Witch race.

This path offered not only offensive capabilities but defensive and supportive ones as well.

When combined with the strategic use of Potions or magical elixirs, it could absolutely elevate the Witch race to incredible new heights.

To put it bluntly, Lan Qingyou enjoyed standing at the top of the High Tower and looking down on others. As the founder and original pioneer, she naturally wanted the Witch race to stand at the very pinnacle of the world.

From the moment she recognized this potential, Lan Qingyou had never once slacked off.

After drafting the Contract Magic Circle for her Familiar, she pondered over it for a while, tweaking a few minor details. Finally, she took out a stone slab and her Crystal Pen to engrave the actual magic circle.

Pinching the tail of the still-slumbering Little Spoon, she gently placed the creature onto the magic circle, which she had carved using the design principles of a Magic Circuit.

Then, she channeled her mana into it.

"Squeak!"

Jolted awake by the Contract Magic Circle, Little Spoon leaped into the air in fright before scurrying frantically around the confined space of the array.

However, the little creature calmed down after a short while.

It was simply because it realized the situation.

Lan Qingyou was a benevolent provider who gave it food and drink; she certainly would not harm it.

Thus, the startled Little Spoon eventually settled down completely.

As it grew still, the Contract Magic Circle gradually took effect, culminating in the appearance of a small, vertical, diamond-shaped red mark on Little Spoon's forehead.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak!"

Seeing the glow of the magic circle fade after the contract concluded, Little Spoon immediately threw itself into Lan Qingyou's arms and began crying with quiet squeaks.

That was right, it was actually crying.

Tears were even welling up in the corners of its tiny eyes.

It was an incredibly human-like display of emotion.

On Lan Qingyou's end, the moment the contract was finalized, she instantly felt the lingering anxiety and unease radiating from Little Spoon.

She knew this was the result of the contract taking effect.

After all, the most important aspect of a Familiar contract was allowing the contractor to sense the current "thoughts" of the contracted party.

This emotional link was essential for the contractor to better communicate, live, and train alongside their Familiar.

"There, there, don't cry. It didn't even hurt," she cooed softly.

Being able to fully comprehend the little creature's feelings made Lan Qingyou feel a pang of sympathetic sorrow.

This was entirely natural. Saying that she and Little Spoon were now "linked heart-to-heart" was no exaggeration.

She took out a tissue to gently wipe away its tears, softly stroking Little Spoon's fur to soothe its lingering anxiety.

It had truly been terrified.

Imagine sleeping peacefully, only for a sudden magical force to forcefully knock on the doors of your mind.

It was perfectly normal for anyone to be startled by such an intrusion.

Much less a literal rat that was as timid as a "mouse".

"Chirp, chirp!"

Steel Wool, who had been woken up earlier by Little Spoon's squeaking, was initially in a state of utter confusion. It had no idea what kind of game Lan Qingyou and the little rat were "playing".

However, seeing Lan Qingyou treat the little rat with such tender affection instantly sent jealousy rushing to its head.

It launched a flying kick, fully intending to pry Little Spoon away from her embrace.

But Lan Qingyou, with her quick reflexes, not only stopped the attack but also grabbed the jealous furball and plopped it down onto another freshly engraved stone slab.

"Chirp!"

Though it had no idea what was happening, seeing Lan Qingyou repeat the exact same actions she used on Little Spoon caused it to stand at attention. Its eyes filled with the resolute determination of a martyr marching toward an honorable death.

Along the way, it even used that heroic gaze to shoot a look of utter disdain at Little Spoon.

Lan Qingyou ignored its theatrics. Reaching out, she efficiently executed the magical procedure.

Compared to the terrified Little Spoon, Steel Wool was visibly much calmer.

When the magic circle flared to life, its little body trembled just slightly before settling into complete stillness.

Just like with Little Spoon, the contract was complete the moment a small, diamond-shaped red mark appeared on its handsome forehead.

Immediately afterward, it copied Little Spoon, leaping into Lan Qingyou's arms to demand cuddles.

Faced with these two childish companions, Lan Qingyou could only sigh helplessly and pet them both at the same time.

Well, to be fair, the two little creatures really were just children. They were not even a year old yet.

After petting and comforting the duo for a while, she gently cupped their heads in her hands to closely examine the diamond-shaped red marks on their foreheads.

Initially, she thought it was just a simple dot, but upon closer inspection, she realized it wasn't a dot at all—it was an eye.

A vertical eye.

'Could this be due to the influence of my Magic Eye?'

Seeing the eye symbol naturally brought her Analysis Magic Eye to mind.

Using her Magic Eye, she inspected the statuses of the two creatures once more. She discovered no new skills; the only change was the addition of a new line of text: "Contractor: Lan Qingyou".

'It seems to be a marker similar to a dog tag.'

'It lets others know they are domesticated rather than wild monsters, warning them that capturing or killing them will bring serious trouble.'

"Phew..."

Having successfully forged the first Familiar contract of her life, Lan Qingyou let out a breath of relief and fell back onto her bed.

'Good heavens!'

Lan Qingyou's eyelids twitched violently the moment she glanced at her own status panel.

'Signing just two Familiar contracts drained over a thousand Mana Points from me—nearly half my entire reserve?!'