“I think there are pros and cons to it.”
Ailuel shook her head slightly as Lan Qingyou voiced her concern.
“Since it doesn't use the eyes, you could also say it doesn't rely on them.”
“On the contrary, in my opinion, the witches who do require their eyes need to pay more attention to protecting them. Otherwise, if they're attacked, they might not even be able to use their Magic Eye talent.”
Ailuel seemed to be speaking bluntly, though she felt she was being quite tactful.
She had even wanted to mention the possibility of eyes being gouged out or stabbed blind.
“That is indeed a major weakness for witches. Although, it's not yet certain whether the talent can still be used without eyeballs after an attack.”
Lan Qingyou had never considered the issue Ailuel raised.
Even though Ailuel had spoken subtly, Lan Qingyou understood her meaning perfectly.
Since they were Magic Eyes, wouldn't they stop being a threat if they were stabbed or gouged out?
While crude, it was undeniably an effective way to deal with a Magic Eye.
But even knowing they needed protection, it was hard to say how to provide it. They couldn't exactly have everyone wear glasses; those didn't offer much protection anyway.
She could only remind the witches in the Witch's Tea Party to be careful.
“And what about you, Aina?”
Lan Qingyou turned her gaze to the mature woman she was meeting for the first time.
“Mine is the Verdant Orb Magic Eye. It allows me to summon a Verdant Orb Insect with a hard carapace to help block damage. It seems a bit weak, though.”
Aina spoke with a hint of embarrassment.
She felt her Magic Eye was somewhat underwhelming, almost as if it were better than nothing but not by much.
Summoning?
Lan Qingyou was stunned for a moment, but then she felt a sense of relief.
Summoning required not only spirit and mana points but also a strong constitution.
The previous teleportation incidents at the shelter were the best examples of this; a single slip-up could result in being sucked into twisted space.
Of course, this was just a judgment Lan Qingyou made based on what she was seeing now.
No one knew the specifics for sure.
It might also be due to the nature of the summoned monster.
“How about this? Why don't we go outside and find a place to test it out?”
Still uncertain, Lan Qingyou decided to let the two of them spar so she could gain a clearer understanding.
“There's a combat arena in the Witch Academy. Why don't we try there?”
“I think that works. While we're at it, let's find more people—about a hundred should do. Tell them the Clan Leader is in a good mood and plans to give away a hundred Witch potions.”
Despite Susie's previous warning, Lan Qingyou didn't take it to heart.
The list she had obtained from Chu Yuan was enough to add over a hundred thousand smart people to the large family of the Witch race.
So, even if a few thousand of them were a bit slow or eccentric, it wouldn't be a problem.
If anything, a Witch race consisting entirely of brilliant minds would be quite boring.
More importantly, Lan Qingyou hadn't even thought about that aspect; her style was to let things happen naturally.
Whether they were geniuses or eccentric, they were all witches.
Take Ailuel, for example; her Magic Eye was clearly meant for someone like a Magic Archer who attacked while maneuvering.
For Ailuel, who used guns, it couldn't be more perfect.
She even saved on ammunition.
While it seemed like she was just producing bullets and didn't appear particularly powerful, the fact that she could manifest objects out of thin air was already startling.
Lan Qingyou even felt it was more impressive than her own Soul Siphon spell, which materialized soul matter.
The combat arena.
Despite its name, Diana had planned this space specifically for experiments.
After all, witches generally needed to put their theories into practice.
Thus, a combat arena was indispensable.
Under Lan Qingyou's authorization, Diana had even equipped each arena with anywhere from one to ten golems.
These golems were also part of the experimental equipment.
Of course.
If anyone felt the itch for a fight, this place could occasionally serve as a stage for mutual combat.
By the time Lan Qingyou arrived, a hundred people were already waiting.
This was a contingency plan Diana had established after figuring out Lan Qingyou's impulsive personality.
That was why these hundred people had arrived at the arena ahead of time.
Seeing this, Lan Qingyou couldn't help but give Diana a thumbs-up, silently praising herself for having an eye for talent.
It was a stroke of immense luck to have encountered such an administrative genius.
“So, who wants to go first?”
Lan Qingyou asked, looking at the two of them.
To everyone's surprise, Aina was the first to raise her hand.
In her mind, her Magic Eye that summoned an insect was likely weak, so she wanted to finish her demonstration before the fierce-looking Ailuel to avoid looking too pathetic later.
With that, she stepped onto the arena first.
“...&%#))&^%*(#$—”
Ancient and mysterious syllables that no one could understand flowed from Aina's mouth one by one. Subsequently, everyone present—even the hundred transmigrators who hadn't evolved yet—could feel the mana concentration in the air rising, let alone the others.
Lan Qingyou, meanwhile, kept her Analytic Magic Eye active to observe.
Forget Aina herself; even Lan Qingyou hadn't thought much of a Magic Eye that summoned insects before this.
But now, seeing the surge in mana and the Verdant Orb Insect gradually emerging behind Aina, Lan Qingyou realized she had been superficial.
No, she should say her perspective was still too narrow.
The entire Verdant Orb Insect was a vivid bitter melon green. It was about five meters in size and hemispherical in shape, with three thick but short legs on each side of its body.
Though strange, its most memorable feature was the massive, sunken mouth located at the bottom-center of its front, taking up nearly a third of its long 'face.' Inside the mouth was a ring of sharp teeth.
Above the mouth was a protruding compound eye.
The Verdant Orb Insect floated behind Aina like a guardian spirit.
Lan Qingyou's Magic Eye could even see lines of mana connecting the Verdant Orb Insect and Aina.
Undoubtedly, these mana lines were the bonds that existed after the summoning.
“So this is the Verdant Orb Insect. It seems quite a bit stronger than I imagined.”
After the summoning was complete, Aina turned to look at her Verdant Orb Insect and sighed in admiration.
After all, its fierce appearance was completely different from what she had imagined.
Forget the cute-sounding name 'Verdant Orb'; even if she called it 'Killer,' probably no one would object.
“The Verdant Orb Insect is a guardian summon belonging to the hell creature category. It has two active skills, Vicious Bite and Poison Spray, as well as a passive skill, Block.”
“Because it was summoned, it won't cause you any harm and will protect you according to the summoning contract. In a moment of crisis, you can even crawl into the Verdant Orb Insect's mouth for refuge without worrying about being hurt.”
Rate on N.U.
