Chapter 263: The Pattern in the Magic Eye

Although they could not brake completely due to momentum and the lack of friction, their speed at least dropped after shifting down to first gear.

"What do you mean?"

Lan Qingyou turned her head to look at Susi.

"I mean the pattern that appears when you activate your Magic Eye skill. Like this."

Seeing that Lan Qingyou genuinely seemed clueless, Susi activated her own Magic Eye. Immediately, Lan Qingyou saw a white skull materialize within the other girl's crimson irises!

And it was a freaking stick-figure drawing at that!

"Wait, why do you get such a cool visual effect?"

Lan Qingyou complained indignantly.

'I am the Origin Witch, for crying out loud. The source of all witches!'

'No, wait!'

'I can't jump to conclusions so quickly.'

'Perhaps this is an effect unique to Susi's personal Magic Eye?'

After all, the Magic Eye was an eye shaped by one's mind. A thousand witches could have a thousand different variations based purely on their individual thoughts.

However...

"It's not just me. Other witches have them too, which is why I'm curious as to why you don't."

Susi's words caused Lan Qingyou's expression to stiffen even further.

'Curious?'

'I'm freaking curious about why that is, too!'

Despite the endless grumbling in her heart, Lan Qingyou showed nothing on her face—mostly because it was completely frozen in shock.

"Is... is that so? Perhaps it's because I'm the first witch, making me a bit of a special case."

Falling back on her status was nothing more than a desperate attempt to save face.

But right now, Lan Qingyou did not have a better excuse.

"Why don't you try using it again? I was too far away to see clearly earlier, but I should be able to observe it from up close now."

"Alright then."

To be completely honest, she had never paid attention to this detail when using her Magic Eye. She had always assumed that her eyes turning red was the sole indicator.

Thus, Lan Qingyou cast an appraisal on Susi.

Her stats were fairly average for a witch, though her physical constitution was perhaps slightly higher than normal.

Considering this girl was a poison user who likely tested her own concoctions frequently, having a higher constitution made perfect sense.

Otherwise, she probably would have poisoned herself to death long ago.

"Oh! There is a pattern!"

Susi exclaimed after staring intently into Lan Qingyou's eyes.

"Ah? What is it?"

Hearing that she had one too, Lan Qingyou immediately perked up, instantly abandoning her study of the other girl's attributes.

"It's very faint, like another eye forming right in the center of your pupil."

Susi leaned in and narrowed her eyes, observing with utmost scrutiny.

"Like an eye?"

"Yes, a very simple line drawing of one. And it is vertical, which makes it quite unique."

An eye, a simple drawing, vertical.

Lan Qingyou suddenly realized what it might be. She pulled out a pen and paper and sketched a quick symbol.

"You don't mean it looks like this, do you?"

After finishing the drawing, she held it up for Susi to see.

"Yes, yes, yes, that's exactly it."

Susi nodded immediately upon seeing the sketch, though a trace of confusion lingered in her mind.

"How strange. Didn't you just say you had no idea? How were you able to draw it?"

"Ah, this is roughly equivalent to a personal emblem."

Prompted by the question, Lan Qingyou pondered for a moment and figured out the missing link.

"Right, judging by your reaction, you haven't been assigned a Contract Magic Circle yet, have you?"

"A Contract Magic Circle?"

"Yes. It is an auxiliary magic circle I developed for witches, designed to let us form contracts with monsters."

As she spoke, Lan Qingyou pulled out four rolled-up pieces of magical beast parchment.

Susi unrolled one to take a look. Good heavens, it was yet another field of study she hadn't learned.

Although she knew about magic circles—and the Supreme Council had even sent over copied versions—Susi felt she barely grasped Alchemy yet, so she hadn't bothered to study them at all.

Golems, magic circles, Alchemy... this Origin Witch truly lived up to her reputation.

"You really should consider studying magic circles. After all, an Alchemy Array is technically a type of magic circle. Understanding them will greatly assist you with potion brewing and the like."

"..."

'I still haven't figured out Alchemy yet, and now you want me to learn magic circles too?'

'And it supposedly helps with brewing potions?'

Susi really, truly did not want to study anymore.

But truth be told, this magic circle really did look strikingly similar to an Alchemy Array.

"Does that mean an Alchemist with experience drawing Alchemy Arrays would find it much easier to learn magic circles?"

Susi found a rather cunning angle to approach the topic.

Her choice of words was equally deliberate.

She specifically said "Alchemist" instead of "witch."

"You could say that. However, since the Witch Clan has a skill modifier for Alchemy, we would likely learn even faster than standard Alchemists."

"Furthermore, magic circles are categorized into offense, defense, and utility. Learning them is both an upgrade to your capabilities and a means of self-protection."

Lan Qingyou nodded.

Having laid it out so clearly, Susi naturally understood her point.

In other words, magic circles represented a significant power boost for the entire Witch Clan, making them a mandatory subject.

"And what about this? Is this also meant to increase a witch's strength?"

Susi waved the piece of beast parchment in her hand.

"Yes. You just need to find a monster you like, one with good compatibility. Place it on the magic circle, activate it with Magic Power, and you can forcibly sign a contract to make it your Familiar."

"Won't it attack you?"

Susi blinked in surprise.

"That's why you need to find juveniles. Who in their right mind would try this on a fully grown beast?"

"Plus, once the contract is signed, you share a mental link with your Familiar. Even though they cannot speak, you will be able to vaguely understand their general intent."

"This symbol is what appears on the Familiar's head after the contract is established. Mine is an eye. Barring any surprises, yours should be a skull."

Lan Qingyou rolled her eyes at the other girl before continuing her explanation.

"Can a witch sign contracts with multiple Familiars?"

"Yes, but the cost is immense. Binding my two Familiars consumed roughly two-thirds of my Mana Points."

"A one-time cost?"

"A one-time cost."

"But don't get greedy. Every Familiar you contract adds a certain amount of strain to your Spirit."

Fearing that Susi might try to contract a whole horde of Familiars, Lan Qingyou felt obligated to issue a warning.

"I see. I understand the gist of it now."

Susi nodded.

She now had a comprehensive understanding of what a Familiar actually was.

From what Lan Qingyou had described, Familiars were fundamentally a form of support. While one could certainly choose an offensive monster as a Familiar, Susi felt that would be a complete waste of potential.

Of course, finding one that excelled in both offense and support wouldn't be a bad idea either.

Furthermore, raising a Familiar from infancy meant it could likely be taught a great many things.

It was the exact same principle as training a dog.

Even though these monsters were a far cry from the dogs back on Blue Star, the mystical mental link made such taming entirely possible.

In truth, Susi already had her own plans brewing in her mind regarding these Familiars.