CHAPTER 335 – THE SEVEN PANDAS

Leyvi blinked, surprised at the strong reaction. "Wait, is it really that unbelievable?"

"I didn't say it was me!" he quickly added. "It was probably the formation lending me its power. Didn't you say that it's sustained by the world itself? So isn't it possible that it allowed me to glimpse the world too?"

Dastan frowned, arms crossed. "Hmm… possible, technically. But this prince remains skeptical. What if it was all fake? Illusions from the formation—or maybe you just missed your panda wife so much that your brain invented the whole thing after playing with those pandas."

Leyvi rolled his eyes. Do you think I can't see what's an illusion or not? I've been in a long night battle illusion before. I can tell apart what's real or what's an illusion, okay, Leyvi argued inwardly.

"How to know if they're true? We have to find out for ourselves, of course. On the way, we will pick up my brother-in-law first. He's on one of the mountains nearby. There's a forest with mist and clouds at the top. Although it's been a week since I saw his location, he should still be there… maybe," Leyvi said, slightly unconfident at the last part.

"Fuck! You're heartless. That was a week ago? If he's your brother-in-law, why didn't you go right away?" Dastan said, tone surprised, but he was just acting to guilt trip him.

Leyvi remained unbothered. "I'm not here to save people, okay? Victor and I were never that close to begin with, and he came here of his own will. His life isn't my responsibility. I'm only going because it's on the way to Anda. If he were somewhere else, I'd just hope for the best."

Crown Prince Dastan blinked. "Aren't you supposed to be a good guy? Didn't you save me?"

Leyvi rolled his eyes. "When did I ever claim that? I saved you because I needed information."

"Damn, Leyvi. No wonder you asked so many questions back then. That hurts this prince's feelings! You just ruined your good-guy image." Dastan clutched his chest dramatically.

"Hahaha, like I care. I don't enjoy killing, so I try to avoid it when possible unless it affects my family. But the same logic applies to saving people too. If it doesn't concern me, I'd rather mind my own business."

"I see, I see. So this is your character…" Dastan nodded slowly. "Quite peculiar. This is outside this prince's expectations."

"Heh, you know what?" Leyvi said in a serious tone. "The ones who claim to be the 'good guys'—those are the ones you need to watch out for the most. Everyone has their own agenda. No one does good deeds for nothing. You'll be king someday, so you better watch out for people like that."

"Really? Shit! A few people just popped into this prince's mind the moment you said that. Maybe this prince should kill them first."

"Oi, oi! Calm down! I said 'watch out,' not 'butcher them on the spot!' At least investigate first and use what you find to your advantage. Dammit, clown prince, don't go on a killing spree and blame it on me!"

"Hmm… makes sense." Dastan nodded, rubbing his chin. "This prince should use the situation instead. Leyvi, you should come to my Howling Kingdom. When this prince becomes king, I'll make you my royal advisor. Sounds good, right?"

"No thanks," Leyvi waved him off. "I don't like being under anyone. I prefer my freedom. If you really want to learn more about this stuff, just read more novels. Everything I just said came from the novels one of my ladies reads to me."

Crown Prince Dastan was speechless. It's the damn novels again… He stared at Leyvi, feeling doubtful. Is this guy telling the truth? Are those novelists actually that smart? Maybe I should make the novelists my royal advisors instead.

---

Just as Leyvi and Crown Prince Dastan were about to step beyond the bamboo forest, familiar cries echoed behind them.

"Panda God! Don't leave!" "Stay here!" "We want to be with you!"

Leyvi turned around just in time to see seven giant pandas barreling toward him. Before he could react, they pounced, wrapping him up in a clumsy, affectionate group hug.

"Alright, alright! You're going to crush me!" Leyvi laughed, trying to push their heavy bodies off. "Off me and line up, now!"

The pandas scrambled to obey, quickly forming a neat line, their big eyes locked on him with eagerness.

Leyvi dusted himself off and took a breath.

"Listen up, you guys. I'm not from this place. I can't stay here forever. But… if you really want to follow me, then become my spirit beasts."

The pandas leaned forward, listening intently.

"But understand—if you do this, you're leaving your home behind. Forever. So think about it. I'll give you ten minutes to decide."

He barely finished speaking before the pandas shouted over each other:

"We go with Panda God!" "We go!" "We become spirit beasts!" "Goodbye, forest!"

Leyvi blinked. They didn't even hesitate.

"…Well," he said with a grin, "that settles it."

Leyvi knew he was fully taking advantage of the Panda Affinity to make them his spirit beasts—but honestly, he didn't care. Pandas weren't exactly common out there, and he wasn't recruiting them for combat anyway. No, he wanted them as mascots for the Leyan Family. 

How could a household with a panda lady not have actual pandas? That would be false advertising!

"Alchemist Anda and Her Seven Pandas," Leyvi mused inwardly with a chuckle. That would make quite the story title. Maybe Sayu could write a novel about it and publish it one day.

He looked at the lined-up pandas, all staring at him with expectant eyes.

"Alright, everyone. I'll be sending a spiritual imprint into your minds. It will form mental connections between us. Don't resist it, okay?"

The seven pandas nodded enthusiastically, their heads bobbing in unison.

Leyvi closed his eyes and focused. With a thought, he condensed seven spiritual imprints at once, then waved his hand. Streams of spiritual energy shot forward and entered each panda's sea of consciousness, settling nicely.

The connection formed instantly.

The pandas blinked, then burst into a cheer, dancing clumsily in celebration.

"We feel Panda God's presence!" "Amazing!" "We can sense where he is!" "Great, great!"

"Now, what name should I give you guys?" Leyvi said. "Maybe Clown Prince One to Seven."

"Oi, Leyvi! Are you picking a fight? Use other names!" Crown Prince Dastan shouted from behind. Tantan on his shoulder mimicked his annoyed expression.

Leyvi chuckled. "Oh? Why are you mad? I'm pretty sure Clown Prince isn't your name, right? Or could it be you just can't bear the thought of someone else having that title?" His trap worked perfectly.

Crown Prince Dastan was dumbfounded. Right… why did I even respond like that? I should be happy that I won't be associated with that stupid name.

"Dammit, Leyvi! You're tricking this prince again just to humiliate me! My royal family will execute you sooner or later!"

"Hahaha!" Leyvi laughed and ignored him.

"Oh, by the way, are you guys male or female?" Leyvi asked. He honestly couldn't tell the difference between them, aside from some slight variations in the black patches on their fur.

"I'm male!" "We are female!" they answered.

Leyvi was surprised. Only the one in the middle was male. He looked more closely but still couldn't tell their gender apart, so he gave up. He was curious, but not curious enough to check their genitals.

The only male among the seven pandas had teardrop-shaped eye patches, while the females had rounder ones. That was the best Leyvi could do to tell them apart at a quick glance.

So you have your own harem, huh? From now on, it'll be your responsibility to expand the panda bloodline. Bring out an entire army of pandas! Leyvi said inwardly.

"Alright, I've figured out how to name you guys. From now on, your name will be Kanda!" Leyvi said to the male.

"Kanda, Kanda! I'm Kanda! Yay!" Kanda jumped up and down, celebrating his new name.

"And you will be Wanda, Yanda, Fanda, Janda, Randa, and Manda," Leyvi continued, pointing from left to right, assigning names to the females at random.

He still couldn't tell them apart, but given time, he was sure he'd learn. Of course, if really needed, he could always identify them through their spiritual imprints.

The seven pandas celebrated once more, cheerfully reciting their names over and over.

Behind Leyvi, Crown Prince Dastan was speechless. Is that how you name them? Just swapping out the first letter of "panda"? I spent days thinking of a proper name for Tantan, but this guy just names them like that... His children are doomed to have tragic names.

Afterward, Leyvi sent the seven pandas in his luxurious spirit beast bag, which had been sitting empty for some time. The interior was spacious, so the pandas immediately resumed their chaotic game of tag inside.

And so, Leyvi and Crown Prince Dastan once again rode the Crown Rider, heading toward the vast mountain range where Victor had last been seen—according to Leyvi, at least. Although Leyvi had said it was "nearby," that was only in the context of the entire world. In reality, it was still quite far.

A few days later, they reached the base of the range and brought the Crown Rider to a stop. The atmosphere here felt damp and rich, and they could smell the earthy scent rising from the moist ground beneath their feet.