Chapter 157: It is the Imposingly Named Floating Lotus Seed, Indeed

"Why human form?"

It was easy enough to understand why Phloxsis could turn into a human; the little dragon lady had explained that it was an innate magic deeply etched into their very brains, and dragons held no particular grudge against humanity. Magical beasts, however, were considered mortal enemies of humans, weren't they? Doing this felt rather like a World of Warcraft player from the Alliance running around skin-changed as a Tauren just for fun.

"Because humans are the enemy! Taking on the form of the enemy helps us understand them better. Plus, once you get used to this shape, it actually feels quite nice."

The bear girl didn't see anything wrong with it. Ever since she transformed into a human, it was as if a brand-new world had opened up before her. In the past, whenever she looked at things, everything always seemed tiny, and no matter how much she ate, she was never full. All of that completely changed after she became a human, prompting her to praise the great Beast God from the bottom of her heart.

"I see. My name is Ruby, and this is Mayona."

Ruby remembered they hadn't formally introduced themselves yet, and they couldn't just keep referring to each other as "human" and "bear girl"—it sounded rather strange.

"My name is Bear Zhuangzhuang."

The bear girl generously told Ruby her name. One had to admit, it was a truly mighty, imposing, yet deceptively simple and easy-to-understand name that carried an extraordinary aura within its plainness.

"B-Bear Zhuangzhuang?!"

Mayona nearly choked on her own breath. After forcefully shoving Ruby's hand away, she abandoned all poise and began pounding against a nearby tree while laughing uproariously.

"Don't go making fun of people's names like that."

"What are you talking about? You were laughing too! Don't think your poker face can fool me. What is that in your eyes? Are those tears of sad amusement?"

Mayona unyieldingly tugged at the corners of Ruby's mouth, forced an artificial smile onto his face, and pulled him into a fit of giggles alongside her.

"You two really have a great relationship."

The bear girl didn't quite understand human culture and didn't find her own name funny at all. To magical beasts, a name was merely a tool used to tell members of the same race apart; it simply carried the beautiful aspiration of parents hoping their child would grow up strong and thriving.

"Not at all."

"How did you end up showing up here? I heard that Tier 10 magical beasts always hide in the deepest parts of the forest."

Ruby straightened his messed-up expression, reverted to his wise and powerful poker-faced persona, and asked.

"Me? Well, this chronic ailment has been plaguing me for hundreds of years. This time, the pain drove me out of my mind, which is how I unknowingly ended up wandering all the way out here. Still, if not for this, I never would have met you, fascinating human."

Bear Zhuangzhuang rubbed her exposed lower abdomen with a helpless expression. Healthcare for humans in this world was hardly advanced, let alone for rough creatures like magical beasts; she probably couldn't even begin to comprehend how she had fallen ill in the first place.

"Parasites like that tend to appear over time. Although I used a rather hazardous method to treat you, it still caused some damage to your body. For the time being, you shouldn't transform back into a bear. Stay in this form, take some medicine, and wait until your condition stabilizes before doing anything else."

"Huh? You really are one of a kind. To be honest, didn't you want to take advantage of my weakened state to kill me and harvest my magic core?"

Compared to humans, magical beasts had very little guile and spoke their minds directly, bringing up the main subject right away. The gazes of the other bears in the vicinity grew sharp as well. However, Bear Zhuangzhuang didn't harbor the slightest intention of attacking Ruby; she still vaguely remembered what this human had muttered while hiding inside her mouth when she was in too much pain to move. Though she hadn't fully understood his words, she could more or less sense Ruby's goodwill.

"Magic cores are useless to me, and they aren't of much use to individuals either."

To describe it in gaming terms, a Tier 10 magical beast's magic core was probably just a massive chunk of experience points. Even a Saint Mage would reap countless benefits from obtaining one. But Ruby and Mayona were different—one was permanently stuck at Level Zero while the other was permanently maxed out, rendering such an item completely useless to them.

"Then what are you two doing here?"

"I'm looking for the Emerald Spirit Ape. Do you happen to know where they live?"

"You're looking for those monkeys? I know where they are, all right, but I can't take you there. That tribe is a bit special and lacks any real self-defense capabilities. You understand, right?"

The bear girl scratched her ears again and gave him a helpless, regretful look. Although she believed Ruby was a good person, if any trouble arose afterward, she would still be the one holding the responsibility.

"I understand. I'll go look for them myself."

Ruby didn't intend to use this favor to coerce Bear Zhuangzhuang into doing something she didn't want to do. Seeing that dusk was approaching, he prepared to set off. He needed to find a place for Mayona to spend the night before dark. Though he didn't voice it aloud, his heart ached a little every day when he saw the delicate Archmage girl roughing it out in the wilderness alongside him.

"Don't go! You saved my life, after all. Let me properly repay you."

Seeing Ruby get ready to leave, the bear girl immediately objected. She didn't know what the rest of her tribe thought, but as a warrior of the bear clan, she was fiercely loyal to her debts of gratitude and enmity. Without a second thought, she reached out and grabbed him.

"Repay me? If you dare utter a single word about offering your body in marriage, I'll send you to meet your Beast God right this instant."

The Archmage girl's ears twitched. She cast a benevolent, smiling gaze at Bear Zhuangzhuang and casually batted the bear paw away.

"O-Offer my what?! I just wanted to invite him over for some meat."

Bear Zhuangzhuang felt utterly distressed. She couldn't understand why the human in front of her had suddenly turned murderous out of nowhere, nor did she comprehend that strange phrase.

"That works too. We can find a place to stay for the night."

Ruby had no intention of throwing cold water on the bear clan's enthusiasm. Led by Bear Zhuangzhuang, he and Mayona marched in a grand, imposing procession deep into the Magical Beast Forest, escorted by several hundred bears.

"Dragon, are you alright?"

During the journey, Ruby noticed that Dragon's condition didn't seem very good. The tree branch that usually stood remarkably straight atop his head was now drooping and bent, reminding Ruby that there was likely still some residual venom lingering inside his body. He asked with a hint of concern.

"I'm fine. Don't underestimate Lord Dragon. Mere venom? I can force it right out with my internal energy."

"Are you really okay?"

"All right, fine. It feels as disgusting as swallowing an expired fly and being forced to digest it anyway. If I had the Gluttony skill, this little bit of junk wouldn't even be worth mentioning."

"What are you two whispering so sneakily about?"

While Ruby and Dragon were discussing the topic of indigestion, Mayona had nothing to do, so she flew up to rest on Big Bear's head and asked. She could hear these fellows restlessly muttering amongst themselves.

"Nothing much. We've never seen a living human before, so we're just a bit curious. Are you two little mister or little missy?"

Big Bear's eyes rolled upward. It didn't mind Mayona standing on its head at all, though heaven knows where it had learned those strange titles—they sounded rather bizarre.

"Can't... can't you tell?"

"Can't tell. Do female humans have those milk-feeding tools? Like the matriarch's, but you guys..."

Big Bear stopped mid-sentence. For no other reason than the terrifying aura of killing intent radiating from directly above its head, it felt convinced that if it uttered one more word, it would suffer a gruesome death right here on the spot.

"Wait a minute. Didn't Bear Zhuangzhuang say that many Saint Beasts can transform into human forms? Why are you questioning Ruby's gender?"

Before the Archmage girl could fly into a rage, a sudden, ominous premonition washed over her—so intensely bad that her brow twitched uncontrollably.

"Because there are no male Saint Beasts here."

"Are you telling me this is a matriarchal society?!"

Mayona drew in a sharp breath. She had been wondering why the Earth Bear was a female, but she hadn't expected it not to just be *one* female, but an entire clan of them!

"I don't understand what you're saying, but isn't it only natural for females to be the matriarchs? Bearing and nurturing offspring are the duties of females, so isn't that a great thing?"

"I—I have nothing to say!"

Mayona agonizingly clutched her head. She had finally escaped human society, thinking on the bright side that at least she wouldn't be pestered by vixens anymore. But to her horror, she discovered she had apparently walked straight into a den of vixens instead! Her next mission in life would likely be guarding Ruby from a whole pack of female bears.

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*PS: Just as Ruby was about to be snatched away by the vixens, Lord Mayona bravely stepped forward. To protect Ruby's chastity, she had no choice but to become... the King of Magical Beasts! (Laughs)*