In front of the checkout counter at Flourish and Blotts.
A long line of mostly Little Wizards buying textbooks for the new semester stretched out.
It was almost Lucien's turn.
Hermione, who was behind him, gritted her teeth and asked,
"Lu, Lucien, you bought so many books, can you finish them all?"
Lucien turned his head and shrugged:
"Pretty much. By the time I finish these, school will have started anyway."
"Then I can just go to the Hogwarts library."
Hermione's eyes widened slightly. She wanted to ask if Lucien could finish all these books within a year.
Was he planning to read them all before school started? There was only one month left.
Looking at Lucien's handsome profile, Hermione thought he looked very serious, not like he was bragging.
Hermione was about to say something when it was already Lucien's turn to check out.
Lucien directly pulled out a handful of Galleons and handed them to the cashier.
Scanning the top book in the pile, "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," Lucien added,
"If you want to read it, I'll lend it to you when school starts."
"Oh, thank you."
Hermione nodded repeatedly.
As long as she had books to read, she didn't mind.
The cashier quickly counted the change, and Lucien picked up the books and left.
He didn't wait for Hermione to finish checking out and then chat or anything.
Lucien was eager to go home and absorb the knowledge from the books.
Of course, he was more eager to check on his pet, the divine beast Unicorn.
… … …
Grafton Manor.
Lucien looked at an egg on his bed and fell into contemplation.
The egg was about half a meter tall, just small enough for Lucien to embrace.
"System, what is this?"
"Where is my Unicorn?"
"Host, this is a Unicorn… egg."
Lucien's mouth twitched.
"Uh, System, are you sure a Unicorn is egg-laying?"
"…It's more convenient this way (0v0)."
Ignoring the System, which was trying to act cute with its robotic voice, Lucien leaned closer to observe the Unicorn egg.
"How long will it take to hatch?"
"Three."
… …
After waiting a few seconds, the System didn't continue.
Lucien was speechless, a little unwilling to play along with the System's joke.
"Two, one?"
Crack, crack, crack—
A crack appeared on the surface of the eggshell.
Immediately, numerous cracks spread across the eggshell, accompanied by rustling sounds.
The upper half of the eggshell shattered, and a small head peeked out from within.
A pair of golden-red eyes looked at Lucien.
Those eyes were clear and bright, as if looking at its closest existence.
The Little Qilin was covered in fine, light gold scales, and its short horns on its head had not yet fully grown.
"Hungry—"
A tender voice appeared directly in Lucien's mind.
Lucien looked at the Little Qilin in surprise.
Telepathic communication?
Was this a Unicorn's innate talent, or the result of the System's effect?
"I'm hungry—"
Another voice entered Lucien's mind.
At the same time, the Little Qilin's mouth opened and closed.
Lucien immediately asked the System:
"What does a Unicorn eat?"
"Pure dew, plant essence."
Dew was literal, but it was already night, so Lucien couldn't get any.
"What does plant essence include? Ordinary vegetables and fruits? Herbs?"
"It includes everything. The older the plant, the higher its quality, and the richer the plant essence it contains."
Lucien immediately walked out of the bedroom and instructed a maid:
"Lothia, prepare some fruits and vegetables and send them to my room."
"Also send some of the herbs stored in the house."
After giving his orders, Lucien returned to the room, looked at the young Unicorn, and said softly,
"Just wait a little longer."
Hearing Lucien's comfort, the Little Qilin actually nodded in a very human-like manner.
Lucien was a little surprised.
"You, can you understand what I'm saying?"
"A little bit—"
Again, that tender voice echoed directly in Lucien's mind.
Lucien communicated with the Little Qilin for a while and found that its intelligence was already equivalent to a human child of five or six years old, able to express its needs simply, but having just been born, it still lacked knowledge of the world.
In less than ten minutes.
The maid Lothia knocked on Lucien's door.
Lucien went out and took two trays from her hands.
One contained common vegetables and fruits such as tomatoes, carrots, and apples.
The other plate held a few herbs.
He brought them to the Little Qilin.
The Little Qilin stretched out its body and sniffed each one.
With a strong inhale, small wisps of greenish-blue aura emerged from the fruits, vegetables, and herbs, one after another, entering the Little Qilin's mouth and nose.
While observing the Little Qilin's peculiar eating method, Lucien asked the System:
"What abilities do Qilins have?"
"Control of flames."
"Riding clouds and mist."
"Telepathic communication."
"Perception of other living beings' goodwill and malice."
"Powerful magic resistance; only a very few magic can harm a Unicorn."
" Unicorn blood has the effect of curing diseases and prolonging life, making it an excellent material for making Potions."
"Naturally able to use Apparition, and can also confine space within a certain range, rendering Apparition ineffective within that range."
Lucien stroked his chin, marveling.
As expected of a divine beast, its abilities are not only diverse but also very powerful.
Being able to perceive the malice of living beings and having powerful magic resistance, a Unicorn can naturally avoid many disasters.
With innate Apparition, escaping is even more convenient.
If used for sending messages or something, it would definitely be much faster than those round-faced fat chickens.
Moreover, a Unicorn is ultimately a divine beast, so its combat power, once it grows, should not be poor.
Coupled with the ability to confine space, if he encounters a battle in the future, he can directly cut off the enemy's escape route.
As for the Unicorn blood that can cure diseases and prolong life, it made Lucien ponder.
According to the System's description, his Unicorn was very different from the native Qilins of this world.
He didn't know if the blood of native Qilins in the Wizards' perception of this world had similar magical effects.
If the Qilins of this world also have such effects, then before my strength grows or the Little Qilin matures, I cannot easily expose its existence, lest it attract undesirable covetousness.
"I still need to read books and acquire more knowledge."
Lucien rubbed his forehead.
He tilted his head to look at the pile of books on the desk.
Lucien raised his magic wand.
He pointed it at the book "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them."
"Accio Book."