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A moment later, after filling his stomach with python meat, Merlin left a piece for the lynx and packed a large portion with lotus leaves.
Only then did Merlin get up and walk past the lynx.
However, at this moment, a front paw hooked onto Merlin's trouser leg. The lynx lying on the ground looked up at Merlin fawningly with eager eyes.
Discovering that Merlin wouldn't hurt it and had saved it twice, plus that strange sense of intimacy in its heart, the lynx had unknowingly regarded Merlin as its kin.
And at this time, Merlin looked down and also discovered the dependence in its eyes. His heart couldn't help softening, and his eyes softened.
This sense of intimacy was mutual. Under 99% Synchro Value, Merlin also had an extraordinary fondness for it in his heart.
Like a relative connected by blood.
Merlin's gaze moved slightly. He squatted down, slowly placed his right hand on its head, and rubbed gently. Immediately after, the lynx went limp on the ground, revealing its belly with eager eyes, signaling Merlin to pet it.
A purring sound came from its throat, like a clingy big cat.
And Merlin petted it.
The lynx squinted its eyes comfortably, its tiger-like big head rubbing gently against Merlin's arm, and its cat mouth opened to extend a pink tongue to lick Merlin's wrist.
After petting for a while, Merlin patted its head and chuckled:
"Want to come with me?"
The lynx's ears pricked up and trembled, its cat eyes contracting, seeming to be thinking.
Merlin smiled, then got up and walked away, ignoring it.
But seeing Merlin leave, the lynx shivered and got up, staring closely at Merlin's back, then chased after Merlin.
However, after running a few steps, it quickly turned back to pick up the piece of python meat as big as its head, then ran fast to catch up with Merlin.
Looking at the lynx following closely beside him, Merlin chuckled lightly:
"Decided to follow me?"
The lynx nodded very humanely and leaned against Merlin's leg, patting gently with its short tail.
The corner of Merlin's mouth rose at this time: "Then I'll give you a name? How about 'Hillbilly' (Shan Pao)?"
The lynx looked blank, but at this time Merlin shook his head again, "'Hillbilly' doesn't sound very good. I'll call you 'Three Cannons' (San Pao) from now on!"
And at this time, the lynx, no, San Pao instinctively understood that it seemed to have a name, and Merlin called out again:
"San Pao!"
At this time, San Pao blinked, tilted its head, and howled softly in agreement.
...
Although Petrel Mountain was full of cliffs, it wasn't without paths up the mountain.
Descending from a steep mountain path near the tail of Petrel Mountain, with a large brown-gray cat following closely beside him, Merlin didn't take long to arrive under a tree at the foot of the mountain. San Pao also didn't take much time, having eaten the meat in its mouth on the way down.
At this time, Merlin picked up his shirt placed under this tree and put it on.
Then walked forward.
Less than three hundred meters away was a thick three-meter-high wall, and a steel gate appeared here.
Taking out the key to open it, he led San Pao into the manor through the back door.
Not long after, they arrived at the training ground in the ginkgo forest.
At this moment, Yol and Lami were training here. Yol, whose foundation was already very solid, was completely capable of teaching Lami. However, seeing Merlin coming over, Lami shouted in surprise:
"What a beautiful big cat! But why is a section of its tail broken?"
Yol wasn't as ignorant as Lami. Looking at Merlin, she asked in surprise:
"Did you catch a lynx on the mountain?"
Hearing this, putting down the roasted meat in the pavilion, Merlin smiled and said:
"Mmh, seeing that I was fated with it and it was all alone, I brought it back."
Yol nodded and chuckled:
"Raising a cat is also quite nice. By the way, Merlin, does it bite?"
Merlin looked at San Pao lying at his feet, pointed at Yol and Lami, and said to it:
"From now on, these two are our own people. You are not allowed to bite them, understand?"
San Pao tilted its head and stared at Yol and Lami unblinkingly, then nodded lightly, and then looked up at Merlin and howled to indicate that it remembered them.
Yol looked at Merlin in surprise, then at San Pao: "So smart?"
At this time, Lami, bursting with curiosity, ran over and reached out her right hand, which already had a layer of fine calluses on the palm and tiger's mouth, to touch it.
Smack, smack, smack!
Suddenly, San Pao arched its back, extended its right paw, gave Lami a triple slap, and hissed lowly with bared teeth and open mouth:
"Awoo~ Hiss—"
Lami looked at the redness on the back of her hand with a dazed face, then pursed her lips, looked up at Merlin, and said helplessly with gloomy eyes:
"It seems not to like me?"
Merlin couldn't help laughing out loud ha, then gave her an example:
"You stay quietly by the roadside, and a little boy runs over thinking you look cute. So he reaches out to pinch your cheek. What would you do?"
Lami blinked, then said dissatisfiedly: "Of course, slap his face, then kick him over."
And just then, San Pao's ears pricked up, then it suddenly sprang up, leaped into the air, turned around, and kicked Lami's chest fiercely with its hind legs.
Under the not-so-heavy kick, Lami still staggered back several steps and fell on her butt.
Clutching her chest blankly, savoring the slight pain coming from her chest.
Lami stared blankly at San Pao, who had landed on the ground, head held high, looking at her askance with disdain.
An inexplicable grievance welled up in her heart, but soon, her face scrinched up, and she looked fiercely at San Pao:
"Stinky cat, you dare to pick a fight? Do you want a beating?"
Saying this, she climbed up, ran to Yol's side to pick up her bamboo sword, rushed towards San Pao again with a dark face, and slashed:
"Prepare yourself! You stinky cat."
Unfortunately, San Pao sprinted away nimbly, and Lami chased behind, slashing continuously with her sword.
Watching these scenes, the corner of Merlin's mouth twitched. Watching San Pao jumping up and down around Lami, twisting its body in mid-air, landing with 360-degree balance, and hissing provocatively at Lami from time to time.
Lami screamed in anger, but she couldn't catch up or hit it.
Yol had a strange expression and couldn't help saying: "Is this lynx so naughty?"
Merlin didn't answer, but his eyes looked at San Pao somewhat weirdly at this moment.
Lightning Reflexes, keen intuition...
Watching San Pao teasing Lami at close range and dodging easily in the nick of time, a pair of cat eyes sometimes expanding into circles and sometimes shrinking into slits, sometimes even making various high-difficulty dodging movements with its back to Lami.
Watching these scenes, Merlin couldn't help thinking, Is Synchro Value mutual? I obtained the special expertise possessed by the biological [Equipment], and conversely, the creature's own potential will also be maximized.
And just then.
A piece of information instinctively emerged in Merlin's mind.
[Synchro Value is a mutual interaction]
Realization appeared in his eyes. Merlin narrowed his eyes slightly looking at San Pao. Although the creature lynx possessed those special expertise abilities, it didn't mean all lynxes could grow them.
And this involved the level of the creature's own talent.
But his Equipment Slot inherently possessed the ability to maximize the potential of equipment.
Does this count as mutual achievement? No wonder I have such a sense of intimacy with you.
After watching for a while longer, Merlin withdrew his gaze, ignoring their chasing and fighting in the training ground, and looked at Yol:
"You eat first! I brought python meat back."
Yol nodded, then shouted at Lami: "Stop playing! Come eat meat."
Lami panted angrily, glared at San Pao unhappily, and then came over.
San Pao, with its short tail raised, strode past Lami with its head held high. When passing by, it even grinned at her, as if saying, "You stupid human, want to catch me?"
Lami's face was dark, and she said nothing.
Came to the pavilion, ate python meat fiercely, staring at San Pao.
However, at this time, San Pao lay on Merlin's leg, staring at the python meat unblinkingly, sticking out its tongue to lick its mouth.
Sitting on the ground, Merlin also ate roasted meat. At this time, he tore off a strip of meat and placed it in front of San Pao's eyes, and the latter obediently poked its head to bite it and gobbled it up.
"Merlin, have you given it a name?" Yol asked curiously, watching San Pao eating meat with relish.
Lami glanced at it at this time and said grumpily: "Might as well call it Stingy Ghost!"
Merlin laughed, "San Pao (Three Cannons)!"
"Its name is San Pao. It's a male lynx."
Yol blinked: "San Pao? Why this name?"
"Just sounds smooth!"
Merlin said casually. Of course, this was a lie. More accurately, Merlin obtained three specializations from it.
Plus "Shan Pao" (Hillbilly) didn't sound very good, so he called it San Pao.
Yol nodded with a chuckle: "San Pao? Indeed sounds quite smooth."
"San Pao? One, two, three, boom, boom, boom?" Lami had a strange expression, "So ugly!"
And at this time, San Pao stared at Lami with cat eyes and hissed wuwu, very dissatisfied with her words. Seeing this, Lami giggled very happily:
"San Pao~ Boom, boom, boom!"
Wa-awoo—
San Pao was very dissatisfied and hissed. However, at this time, Merlin slapped its head and said with a smile:
"Playing is playing, but you are not allowed to hurt her. Lami is one of us."
San Pao looked up at Merlin. Seeing the seriousness in Merlin's eyes, it stared straight for several seconds, then nodded and howled softly awoo, awoo.
There was some grievance in the voice.
At this time, Merlin also looked at Lami and said: "Don't bully it. If you annoy it and it beats you up, I won't interfere either."
Lami nodded depressedly, then extended her right hand towards San Pao and said glumly:
"Let's make peace then!"
San Pao narrowed its cat eyes slightly, hesitated for a few seconds, then extended its right paw and placed it in her palm.
Feeling the soft touch on her palm at this moment, Lami suddenly grinned and said:
"Your paw is so soft, I like it."
San Pao immediately rolled its eyes.
Quickly withdrew its front paw.
But soon, under Lami's delicious meat strategy, the person and the cat began to stick together.
Friendship established.
Merlin and Yol watched with smiles.
After lunch.
The three people and one lynx sat under the ginkgo tree and took a comfortable nap together.