Chapter #73

"Hey boss, don't you think it is dangerous to flaunt your apparent immunity to magic?" Ao asked as they approached Rivia.

He had been getting worried for some time and his master had already ran into three enchantresses and at least two of them learned about this ability.

Ao wanted to be calm during these events as his boss was cool as a cucumber but still, he couldn't help but ask.

"Well, they might try to capture me to do an autopsy but I have an acceptance letter to Ban Ard. If you can't beat them, join them." Zeno said, his expression totally carefree.

"Well, I just hope that the enchantresses you visit will be too blissed out to think about magic." Ao said.

"Well, it's not like they can kill us. We're on par with Higher Vampires when it comes to that." Zeno said.

"..." Ao.

"..." Jean.

The two who were not informed of their immortality blacked out for a second. Jean only knew she could regenerate, but she sometimes forgets that entirely.

"Anyway, how's the information gathering going?" Zeno asked Ao.

"There have been some ups and downs. It might take a year to get the entire lineage from past to the future." Ao explained.

"Wait, how the fuck will you guys learn about the future?" Zeno asked, somewhat surprised with the squirrel's resources.

"We had to cut a deal with the unicorns. Multiversal bastards, though they didn't demand payment after hearing your name." Ao said while looking at Zeno inquisitively.

"I may or may not be friends with the Creator himself." Zeno shrugged as Ao deadpanned at him.

"It seems our intel was lacking." Ao sighed and closed his eyes, no doubt talking with his clan.

______

Zeno stode in Rivia with a smile on his face, brimming with hope and joy. It was the first time in this world he had such a desire to roam a city like a tourist.

"The fuck are you smiling at!?" The guard stopped him with a sneer.

"..." Zeno stopped smiling and glared at the guard so hard that the dude had trouble breathing.

"You... You may pass." Guard said while trying to breathe.

Zeno beamed again and entered the city, completely ignoring the shivering guards sending messages to their superiors.

'Ah, the Rivian treatment. No wonder Geralt chose this place considering how rude he will become.' Zeno thought to himself as several people spit on the ground while looking him in the eye.

[... What happened, did we break him by accident?!] System felt like he couldn't recognize the world anymore.

{Well, he has been trying new things. He'll get over it, let's just hope he won't slaughter a town or something in the process} Ouryuu comforted the system.

As expected there were some contracts for Foglets, their nests were located at Lake Loch Eskalott.

He also visited the local Vivaldi Bank branch to drop off a crate of alcohol before leaving the city before the guards surrounded him.

The guards asked around after his leave and learned that he was a witcher and the Vivaldi Bank welcomed him with open arms.

They decided to bring him in for questioning but try to be a bit more polite this time around.

_______

Zeno quickly made way to the famous Lake Loch Eskalott while reviewing the Bestiary for Foglets.

Zeno wanted to learn whether their invisibility works on him and whether their illusions could deceive him.

'Kitsu was too scared to use her illusions on me.' Zeno sighed remembering the sacking and how he let both Kitsu and Tetra go. 'I wonder what they're doing.'

[Kitsu is probably hanging out with other monsters, while Tetra would be considered lucky if she hasn't been raped and killed already.] System made a guess.

<...My waifu> Dragon sniffed.

Zeno arrived at the lake as a second Waifu war began in his mind, he ignored it as he focused his senses in the fog.

As he moved further, he noticed that some parts of the fog felt heavier and some parts moved with great speed.

Still, he couldn't find any other anomalies, which meant that the illusions of Foglets worked. 'They are probably using the illusion around the fog but not on me.' Zeno figured.

[Yeah, if you want to see through it, you should send out your Carp instead of cooking the poor thing.] System reminded.

Zeno sighed, the little Carp was just too tasty for its own good. Still, he let the little guy out and the carp swam around the fog, highlighting the locations of the Foglets for him.

The only difficulty of these monsters was that they were hard to find and they lived in groups, now that Zeno disabled one of their advantages, they were basically sitting ducks.

"Damn, could it be any easier?" Zeno wondered as he slayed one Foglet after another, they already fell into disarray after seeing their illusions not working.

At that moment the little Carp used Splash and dispersed the fog entirely giving Zeno better vision.

"..." Zeno looked at the Carp who was flailing on the ground, trying to look cute in its own way.

"Fine, I won't eat you again." Zeno sighed.

The Carp's eyes sharpened and it started to tackle the Foglets, each tackle bringing one down.

Zeno watched in astonishment as the residual Chaos in the corpses got neutralized, possibly allowing Zeno to consume them and get the full benefit.

He never dabbled in Witcher mutagens, from the game as he hoped he'll find a better way and he has now.

"Well I'll be damned!" Zeno exclaimed.

Zeno eagerly consumed the Foglets as Carp killed them, naturally after taking enough evidence of his work. This was his first time getting his hands on magic DNA and it showed.

Zeno's skin turned gray and he started emitting a soft glow similar to Foglets; it appears that Zeno was being taken over by Foglet DNA itself.

Soon however his own bloodline revolted with great vigour, suppressing the surge down and digested the DNA.

Now Zeno could use fog to cast illusions and he could use the ambient Chaos to create fog as well.

'Well, it doesn't seem to be useful and I will probably never use this ability during a fight but still I'll take it.' Zeno thought to himself.

[Well, I got good news and bad news. Your Karmic Virtue manifestation can cleanse the Chaos from the monsters but it can only do so if it kills the monster...] System explained.

'Why?' It sounded suspicious to Zeno.

[Merlin figured it would be funny, apparently the little Carp reminded him his pokémon days and how much he struggled to raise an Magickarp.] System said.

"..." Zeno.

_____

Zeno slaughtered and consumed the Foglets living near the Lake Loch Eskalott and was currently whistling a tune on his way back.

He was still surrounded by fog but this time he felt like he was home, with a wave of his hand he controlled the fog to his will.

He shaped it to his liking, he was even able to give it sound by adding illusions to it.

Soon there was a chorus made of Fog figurines accompanying him as he sang a song.

"Man, I wonder what will happen when I consume everything in the Bestiary?" Zeno thought out loud.

"Your overall abilities will be enhanced several times over and you will have magic befitting a dragon instead of what you currently have." A melodious voice answered his question.

Zeno stopped and turned towards the voice before giving a slight bow before asking. "Thank you for the information Lady Gabriel. May I ask, what do I owe for this visit?"

"Hehe, don't worry I am not here for something bad. I have a request, I want you to make a city of sorts inside Amell Mountain Range, Mount Gorgon to be exact. I will provide the place for you." Gabriel giggled as she answered.

It was obvious that after her last intervention Zeno had grown weary of both Merlin and Gabriel.

"May I ask why?" Zeno asked.

"Well, Amell Mountain Range has borders to Cintra and Touisant. I don't have to remind you how useful such a country would be during the first war with Nilfgaard." Gabriel said.

Somehow Zeno got the feeling Gabriel wanted to join in on his prank on Emhyr but he figured someone like Gabriel would be above such petty stuff.

Zeno will later know how right he was at the moment, Gabriel has started reading the books after he was reincarnated here. After what she read, she decided to support him on his prank.

"Fine... It's not like I have much to do in the century ahead of me." Zeno shrugged.

"Good, my husband left a gift for you there. I didn't know you had a thing for lolis though." Gabriel sighed, like she failed another soul.

"What?" Zeno was confused.

"Anyway, I heard you have been snooping around Elder Blood, I allow you to gather material but don't consume anything related to it, it is for your own good." Gabriel warned before leaving.

Zeno was so shocked about the loli statement that he couldn't ask something that has been bothering him for some time.

<Umu! It was time we added a loli in the Harem> Dragon nodded sagely.

{Legal I hope... Still the very idea repulses me.} Ouryuu cringed.

<DOESN'T MATTER!>

'Of course it bloody does matter, you horny Dragon!' Zeno bonked the piece of shit to yesterday.

[...] System was suddenly feeling happy that he stayed silent.

In the skies Gabriel giggled to herself while planning her own actions. 'Now we need a Santa in this world don't we?'

It's not ruining the setting if it was done by the wife of the Creator himself after all.