At the checkout counter of Flourish and Blotts, a long line of young witches and wizards waited, most of them buying textbooks for the new school year. Lucien was almost at the front.
Hermione, standing behind him, bit her lip before asking, "Lucien, are you really going to read all those books?"
Lucien glanced back with a shrug. "Probably. I'll finish them by the time school starts. After that, I can just hit up the Hogwarts library."
Hermione's eyes widened. She'd meant whether he could finish them in a year, not before term began in a month! Studying his handsome profile, she noticed the serious glint in his eyes. He didn't seem to be joking.
Before she could say more, it was Lucien's turn to check out. He handed over a fistful of gold Galleons to the cashier. Noticing A Guide to Caring for Magical Creatures at the top of his stack, he added casually, "If you want to borrow it once school starts, just let me know."
"Oh, thank you!" Hermione nodded eagerly. As long as there were books to read, she was happy.
The cashier quickly counted out the change, and Lucien grabbed his books and left without waiting for Hermione to finish. He was itching to get home and dive into the knowledge they held.
More than that, he couldn't wait to check on his new pet—a mythical qilin.
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Back at Grafton Manor, Lucien stared at an egg on his bed, lost in thought. It was about half a meter tall, just small enough for him to wrap his arms around.
"System, what's this?" he asked. "Where's my qilin?"
[Host, this is a qilin… egg.]
Lucien's mouth twitched. "Uh, System, are you sure qilins hatch from eggs?"
[It's… more convenient this way (0v0).]
Ignoring the system's attempt at cutesy robot-speak, Lucien leaned closer to inspect the egg. "How long until it hatches?"
[Three.]
Three what? Seconds ticked by, but the system didn't elaborate. Lucien rolled his eyes, refusing to play along. "Two, one?"
Crack!
A fissure appeared on the eggshell, followed by a web of cracks spreading across its surface, accompanied by faint rustling sounds. The top half of the shell shattered, and a small head poked out.
A pair of golden-red eyes locked onto Lucien, sparkling with a clear, trusting gaze, as if he were its closest kin. The baby qilin was covered in delicate, pale gold scales, its tiny horn still underdeveloped.
"Hungry—" a soft, childish voice echoed in Lucien's mind.
Startled, Lucien stared at the creature. Telepathy? Was this a qilin's natural ability or something the system cooked up?
"I'm hungry—" the voice came again, as the qilin's mouth opened slightly.
Lucien quickly asked the system, "What do qilins eat?"
[Pure dew and the essence of plants.]
Dew was straightforward enough, but it was nighttime, so collecting it wasn't an option. "What counts as the essence of plants? Regular fruits and vegetables? Herbs?"
[All of them. The older and higher quality the plant, the richer its essence.]
Lucien stepped out of his room and called to a maid. "Roxia, bring some fruits, vegetables, and any herbs we have in storage to my room."
Returning to the qilin, he said gently, "Just a little longer, okay?"
To his surprise, the qilin nodded in a very human-like way.
"You… understand me?" Lucien asked.
"A little—" the small voice replied in his mind.
As they "talked," Lucien realized the qilin's intelligence was roughly that of a five- or six-year-old child. It could express basic needs but lacked broader knowledge of the world, having just hatched.
Within ten minutes, Roxia knocked. Lucien took two trays from her—one with tomatoes, carrots, apples, and other common produce, the other with a few sprigs of herbs—and placed them in front of the qilin.
The creature leaned forward, sniffing each item. With a gentle inhale, faint green wisps of energy rose from the fruits, vegetables, and herbs, drifting into its mouth and nose.
As he watched the qilin's unique feeding process, Lucien asked the system, "What abilities does a qilin have?"
[Command over fire.]
[Cloud-riding and mist-traveling.]
[Telepathic communication.]
[Sensing the goodwill or malice of other beings.]
[High resistance to magic, with only a few spells capable of harming it.]
[Qilin blood can heal and extend life, making it a prime ingredient for potions.]
[Innate Apparition, with the ability to lock a specific area, preventing others from Apparating within it.]
Lucien rubbed his chin, marveling. No wonder it's a mythical beast. Its abilities were diverse and powerful. Sensing malice and resisting most magic made it naturally adept at avoiding danger. Built-in Apparition meant it could escape—or deliver messages—faster than any owl. As a mythical creature, its combat potential would likely be formidable once grown, and its space-locking ability could cut off an enemy's retreat. The healing properties of its blood, though, gave Lucien pause.
According to the system, his qilin was distinct from those native to this world. He didn't know if local qilins had similar properties. If they did, he'd need to keep his qilin hidden until he or it was strong enough to fend off any greedy opportunists.
"Guess I need to hit the books and learn more," Lucien muttered, rubbing his forehead. He glanced at the stack of books on his desk, raised his wand, and pointed at A Guide to Caring for Magical Creatures.
"Accio Book!"