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Chapter 12: 12. Familiar and True Name
"Grandpa Audel, are you sure this is my sister's staff?"
After the two sisters stared at the little black kitten, which was still sound asleep in the old man's palm, a cute snot bubble adorning its pink nose, the impatient Alice was the first to blurt out the question.
After all, while there were many oddly shaped staffs in this world, no matter how one thought about it, a staff that looked like a cat was just too outrageous. How was one supposed to cast spells with it? Would she swing it around by its tail every time?
The thought of her sister wielding a cat in her hand every time she cast a spell sent shivers down Alice's spine.
That was just too weird. The image was too beautiful; she didn't dare to think about it anymore.
Dorothy herself didn't mind much, though. She curiously reached out and took the little black kitten from the old man's hand.
The moment it touched her hand, a strange sense of familiarity welled up in her heart, making her movements involuntarily gentle. She extended a finger and softly stroked the kitten's fur, a slight curve appearing on her lips.
This was a very beautiful little cat. Its pitch-black fur had golden tiger stripes, especially the small 'King' character on its forehead, which showed no hint of dominance, but rather made it look adorably clumsy.
Perhaps awakened by her teasing, the snot bubble on Little Ati's nose popped with a "pop," and then it opened its pair of golden vertical pupils.
"Meow~ roooar~"
It first cautiously looked around, letting out a "super fierce" roar that was hard to describe, its fur somewhat ruffled. But soon, Little Ati noticed Dorothy, who was holding her, and immediately looked relieved.
She wobbled to her feet on Dorothy's palm, then rubbed her head against the palm. Finally, she happily hugged the finger Dorothy used to tease her. Because of her small size, this slender finger was like a stabilizing needle to Little Ati, a bit too thick.
Dorothy was also amused by Little Ati's cute actions. She was about to withdraw her finger to tease her again, but before she could move, she saw Little Ati open her mouth.
"Crunch."
It sounded like something had shattered. Dorothy, who was bitten, didn't feel much, but the biting Little Ati was already teary-eyed from the pain, yet stubbornly refused to let go.
Dorothy: "..."
This little thing seemed a bit dim-witted.
She turned to look at the old shopkeeper, wanting to ask what was going on.
She didn't need to ask; the old man spoke first.
"This is the Psychic Staff. After just changing her shell, Little Ati's spirituality has greatly increased, and she has successfully materialized into a spirit form. She recognized you, Miss Dorothy, as her master. She wants to take some of your blood to form a contract with you."
The old man said with a smile, but then looked at the customer's seemingly fair and delicate finger with some surprise.
"You truly are a powerful Demoness, Miss Dorothy. Although Little Ati looks young and weak, she is actually as strong as the Soul-Nourishing Wood used for the staff's body. This is a very high-strength wood, far superior to ordinary steel alloys, yet she couldn't break through your defense. You'd better offer her a drop of blood voluntarily."
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Ah, this...
Dorothy felt a bit awkward upon hearing this. With a thought, an invisible layer of scales on her outer skin dissipated, and then a drop of scalding blood, emitting astonishing heat, was forced out of her body.
The little kitten, seeing this, didn't mind the heat. She happily loosened her already loose teeth, ran over, and extended her pink little tongue to lick the drop of blood.
Afterward, a brilliant five-pointed star magic array unfolded beneath Little Ati. The next moment, Dorothy could clearly feel a new connection between herself and Little Ati. She could distinctly sense Little Ati's happy, adoring, dependent, and even a little bit aggrieved emotions at that moment.
"Isn't this a Familiar Contract?"
As a top student on the path of an all-rounder, Dorothy easily recognized the origin of the fleeting, brilliant magic array. She looked at the old shopkeeper with some confusion.
"Yes, the Psychic Staff is a true living creature, so it naturally cannot use the authentication contract for inanimate objects. They are actually more like Familiars, and a Familiar Contract is more suitable for them."
The old man patiently explained.
Hearing this explanation, Dorothy suddenly understood.
Familiars are a very important part of the Demonesses' combat power. Excellent Demonesses always keep a group of Familiars with various functions by their side. They are the Demoness's most loyal and most useful companions.
However, excellent Familiars are usually quite hard to find, a matter of chance encounter. Moreover, the first Familiar often holds special meaning for Demonesses; they invest more emotion, as first experiences are always more memorable.
Therefore, Dorothy, who was quite picky in this regard, had not yet contracted a Familiar.
This Hai Yue Floating Island, as an eighteenth-tier small city, was still a bit rustic. The Familiar shops in the city only sold the most common and lowest-grade Familiars, with no rare breeds. Thus, she had originally planned to visit the academy shop after enrolling in the Witch Academy.
But now, she didn't need to worry. The Little Ati in her hand was now both her staff and her first Familiar.
"Now, please give her a name, Miss Dorothy. Then, call out her name, and you will truly see your new staff."
The shopkeeper urged.
This made Dorothy a bit conflicted; she wasn't very good at naming things.
In her previous life, she had also kept some cats and dogs, but their names were usually chosen casually. A white one would be called Little White, and a black one, Little Black.
But now, this Little Ati in her hand, as her first Familiar, could not be named so casually.
After all, in this fantasy magic world, names often contained powerful strength. Naming someone, especially naming one's Familiar, was a very serious matter.
The first name of any creature in this world is called its True Name, and the named one usually shares a part of the namer's power, but at the same time, will also be bound by the True Name.
A True Name is both a blessing and a bond. Therefore, protecting one's True Name from being known by outsiders is basic common sense in this world.
And since True Names are so important, they naturally must be chosen carefully. This name usually contains the namer's blessing, and some names can even influence the named one's fate to a certain extent. Therefore, if Dorothy were to casually give the Little Ati in her hand the True Name "Little Black," this precious Psychic Staff might just be rendered useless.
"Tsk, if I can't call her Little Black, then what should I call her? Let me think. Were there any nice cat names in my previous life? Preferably with some special blessing meaning."
Dorothy lowered her head in thought. After a long while, she looked up in surprise.
She had already thought of a name, and there was probably no name more suitable for a cat.
However, she didn't intend to say it directly. After all, it was said that True Names needed to be kept secret; it was best if no third person knew it besides the namer and the named.
Fortunately, the human and the cat had already signed a contract. Dorothyclosed her eyes and, following the connection of the Familiar Contract, told Little Ati her True Name.
"By my name, Dorothy, your master, I bestow upon you the name Sekhmet Mut Wadjet Buster. Now, show me your power, Buster."
In her telepathic sense, as soon as Dorothy finished speaking, a piercing cat's meow sounded, but this meow gradually became majestic, quickly transforming into a tiger-like roar.
"Meow~ Roar~"
When Dorothy opened her eyes again, she was holding a beautiful and ornate long staff in her hand.