Chapter 3492: The Three Founding Clans Of Khwanzim World

Cattaleya stood in the middle of the courtyard, arms spread slightly, eyes half closed as the Battle Raiment Armlet shimmered around her forearm.

A soft metallic hum echoed as threads of light unraveled from the armlet, weaving themselves around her body like liquid fabric. In just a breath, her clothes changed.

What had been a fierce looking armor now transformed into a close fitting combat suit. Layered plates formed along her shoulders and chest, thin but dense, overlapping like the scales of some predatory beast. Flexible armor wrapped around her arms and legs, engraved with faint runic patterns that pulsed in rhythm with her Qi.

She clenched her fist.

The armor responded instantly. Reinforcements formed around her knuckles, while the plating along her forearm thickened subtly.

Cattaleya nodded in satisfaction.

"Response time is excellent," she muttered. "Qi conductivity is smooth. No lag, no resistance."

With another thought, the armor shifted again.

This time it became lighter, more streamlined. The plating retreated, replaced by layered cloth reinforced with hidden fibers. It looked like something meant for high speed movement, assassination, or battlefield maneuvering rather than head on clashes.

Meng Bai watched all of this with wide eyes, sitting on a stone bench nearby.

"...You know," he said carefully, "you could try making something... prettier."

Cattaleya paused mid transformation.

Her head slowly turned toward him.

"What," she said flatly, "do you mean by prettier."

Meng Bai coughed. "I mean, like, you know. A dress. Or robes. Something elegant. The armlet can make anything, right?"

The armor dissolved once more, reforming into another battle outfit. This one had a long coat like mantle, split at the sides for movement, with hardened sections along the spine and ribs. It looked imposing, commanding, and undeniably martial.

Cattaleya crossed her arms.

"True beauty," she said, "lies in battle."

Meng Bai blinked.

"Only the right battle clothes fit that beauty," she continued. "Armor that protects. Cloth that moves with you. Gear that does not fail when your life depends on it. Those are the prettiest things in existence."

She looked down at her current attire and nodded firmly. "This one is especially beautiful."

Meng Bai stared at her for a few seconds, then sighed deeply.

"...I walked into that one, didn’t I."

From the side of the courtyard, Daoist Chu let out a low chuckle as he sipped from his cup of tea.

"You did," the old man said, amused. "And you should know better by now."

Meng Bai rubbed his face. "I really should."

Lin Mu finally stepped forward, the faint glow of Qi still lingering around his fingers. He had been watching the tests quietly, observing how the armlet reacted to Cattaleya’s intent and Qi flow.

"The armlet seems stable," Lin Mu said. "Any anomalies?"

"None worth noting," Cattaleya replied. "The conversion speed between forms is excellent. Illusory integrity holds even under rapid shifts. Honestly, this thing is frightening."

She glanced at Lin Mu. "You did well."

Lin Mu nodded slightly, then gestured toward the table in the courtyard. "Sit. I’m curious."

They all moved to the stone table, settling into their seats. The city noises drifted faintly in the background beyond the compound walls.

Lin Mu looked at Meng Bai. "What have you been up to while I was buried in refining?"

Meng Bai’s face brightened immediately.

"A lot!" he said. "We explored the city, went to restaurants, bought things, got lost twice, almost got scammed once, learned a bunch about the world..."

Daoist Chu raised an eyebrow. "You did get scammed."

Meng Bai coughed. "Almost."

Lin Mu leaned back slightly. "And what did you actually learn."

Meng Bai straightened up, suddenly more serious. "More than I expected. Especially about this world itself."

"The Khwanzim World," Lin Mu said. "I know the name comes from the first settlers."

Meng Bai nodded eagerly. "Right. But I didn’t know the full story until now."

He took a breath, clearly organizing his thoughts.

"The name Khwanzim comes from three clans. The Khwa clan, the An clan, and the Zim clan. They were the pioneers who first arrived in this world and established the foundations of civilization here."

Lin Mu’s eyes narrowed slightly in interest. "Are they royalty?"

"Not exactly," Meng Bai said. "They’re powerful, yes. Prosperous too. But they’re not some untouchable ruling class anymore. Not like you’d expect."

Cattaleya leaned in slightly, listening.

"They assimilated," Meng Bai continued. "Over countless generations. Instead of staying isolated, they spread out, intermarried, settled everywhere. Their bloodlines diluted, but their influence spread."

"In a way," Daoist Chu added, "that kind of power is more enduring."

Meng Bai nodded. "Exactly. Their names, traits, and specialties are everywhere."

Lin Mu gestured for him to continue.

"The Khwa clan," Meng Bai said, "is the easiest to spot. Blond hair. Almost everyone with blond hair you see around the city has some connection to the Khwa bloodline. Direct descendant or distant branch, it doesn’t matter. That trait is dominant."

Lin Mu thought back to the city streets. Now that it was pointed out, he realized just how common blond hair had been.

"And the An clan," Meng Bai went on, "is harder to tell just by looks. Black hair, brown eyes. Nothing special physically. But their surname is everywhere."

"What sets them apart," Daoist Chu said, "is their craft."

"Right," Meng Bai agreed. "Puppetry. The An clan brought the art of puppets to this world. Combat puppets, labor puppets, formation puppets. They’re still the best at it. Even now."

Lin Mu’s gaze sharpened. "So that explains the quality of puppets here."

Meng Bai nodded. "A lot of puppet masters trace their lineage back to the An clan. Even if they don’t realize it."

"And the Zim clan," Meng Bai said, his tone shifting slightly. "They’re the most distinctive."

Lin Mu already knew the answer, but he still asked. "How so."

"Blue hair," Meng Bai said. "Anyone you’ve seen with blue hair carries the Zim bloodline."

Cattaleya frowned slightly. "That many."

"A lot," Meng Bai confirmed. "Way more than you’d think."

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