Chapter 23: The Second Pet Beast_1

Fang Lan ended the call with Gu Qingyi, and Lu Ran exchanged a look with her.

"National Beast Training..."

"That was fast." Lu Ran hadn't expected it at all.

Were they really going to announce the existence of Infinite City and Beast Trainers so soon?

He had thought it would take a bit more time.

After all, he was essentially a beta tester right now, though it was the fourth beta.

And once it was announced, it would be like the game's public beta.

By then, things would probably get even more competitive.

They both glanced at the time simultaneously, 6:42 PM.

There was less than an hour and a half until the time Gu Qingyi mentioned.

"After all, the issuance of Black Cards hasn't shown any signs of stopping..." Fang Lan said, "Announcing it sooner could help Xia Country gain more Beast Trainers."

"As for whether such supernatural events will cause any major disruptions to the stability of existing societies, it doesn't really matter anymore. After three years of exploration, all countries must have understood the importance of the Beast Trainer profession."

"Heh, that's true. Nowadays, you graduate and face unemployment; finding a job is tough. Becoming a Beast Trainer and gathering resources in the Secret Realm seems like a way out," Lu Ran said with a laugh.

"Besides, the pet-related industry is going to explode."

"Speaking of which, you should tell your parents to quit their current jobs and go all-in on starting a business in Infinite City. There must be opportunities," Lu Ran pondered, stroking his chin.

"What for? They're both quite old, so how could they be chosen by the Black Card?" Fang Lan said.

"Starting a business in the real world isn't bad either. Whether it's selling starter Pet Beasts or opening a hospital specializing in serving Beast Trainers," Lu Ran shrugged, "Never mind, you're not short of money anyway."

"That's not entirely true, I'm short of crystal coins!" Fang Lan said.

At that moment, Lu Ran's phone also began to ring.

Huh... He also shushed, signaling Fang Lan to keep quiet.

The caller, Little White Dragon.

Lu Ran thought for a moment and answered the phone. He was about eighty percent clear about Little White Dragon's intent in calling.

"Yo, Student Lu Ran, have you eaten yet? Officer Luo told me that after you handed over the Siberian Tiger to them, you went straight back."

Siberian Tiger? What Siberian Tiger?

Fang Lan stared at Lu Ran expectantly.

Nice, keeping secrets from her!

"Haven't eaten yet... By the way, how will they deal with that tiger?"

Little White Dragon pondered for a moment and said, "If it were an ordinary tiger that ate someone, they would definitely have killed it."

"But extraordinary Ferocious Beasts are too rare, so it's likely it will be sent to a special department for reform and training, to see if it can 'atone for its sins' through service."

"I roughly understood; that zookeeper was very experienced and specifically chose the healthiest Contract Card, thinking he could tame it. However, a Pet Beast that has undergone enhancement is at the stage of its hungriest and wildest awakening. Plus, they basically have no affection, it's just tragic," he said.

Lu Ran sighed. It was a good thing he didn't recklessly go to a wildlife park to look for his first Pet Beast.

Mr. Husky might be foolish, but he's obedient.

"That's too bad," Lu Ran said regretfully.

"Yeah... Oh right, Student Xiao Lu, about the matter you discussed with me earlier, I think I can take care of it for you. Through a special relationship, I can help you sort out your academic issues."

"When are you free to come over so we can talk in detail?"

On the other side of the phone, Little White Dragon was rubbing his hands secretly. After looking at Lu Ran's information, he understood a little why Lu Ran didn't want to join any organization – probably because of his sensitivity as an orphan.

It's alright!

He would make Lu Ran open up to him.

"Ah, I don't want to go to Devil University anymore," Lu Ran said.

Little White Dragon: ???

"Ah? Imperial University is also fine; you can pick any school in the country!" Little White Dragon felt a pain in his stomach, why are these young people so fickle these days?

Lu Ran was surprised; although Little White Dragon was just a minor member of a new recruit department, it seemed he had quite powerful connections.

"I'm not going to any of them. Someone just recommended to me to go to some Beast Training University, sounds like they'll start recruiting externally in a couple of months."

"Beast Training University?" Little White Dragon was astonished; he hadn't heard of it. What was that?

"Have you been scammed? Beast Training University... I have no idea about it, who told you?"

"Gu Qingyi, Doctor Gu, know him?"

"Gu Qingyi... Doctor Gu..." Little White Dragon fell into thought.

After a moment, he widened his eyes.

"Is that the Doctor Gu I'm thinking of? The First Generation Beast Trainer?"

"Do you know her?" Lu Ran was shocked.

He had heard of this person, Gu Qingyi, Xia Country's first-generation Beast Trainer and one of the thirteen active, top-tier Beast Trainers in the country.

Doctor Gu's status and identity in Xia Country's Beast Training circles, even his boss's boss couldn't compare.

Lu Ran knew such a figure?

Suddenly, Little White Dragon thought of Lu Ran's background. Lu Ran's parents were renowned zoologists and, age-wise, appeared to be Doctor Gu's academic seniors, making it entirely possible that they were acquainted!

This… Little White Dragon was stunned. He had thought Lu Ran was a rogue, but it turned out he had a hidden support?

"Cough cough, someone in my family knows her," Lu Ran looked at Fang Lan.

Every word was true.

But he always felt like Little White Dragon might have misunderstood something.

However, he could tell that this Doctor Gu was indeed someone important.

"I... I understand," said Little White Dragon.

"Where do we have to go to register, it's not gonna be out of the province, right?" Lu Ran asked.

"Hold on, I need to ask the leader…" Little White Dragon swished sweat, feeling that the hope of recruiting Lu Ran was slim.

Soon after, Lu Ran and Little White Dragon also hung up the call.

Once the phone call ended, Fang Lan immediately turned to Lu Ran and said, "What's this about a tiger, what happened?"

"Oh, it's just that when I took Mr. Husky out for a walk, we came across an escaped Northeast Golden Leo from the zoo. I just helped the police deal with it, no big deal," Lu Ran said dismissively.

Fang Lan, "Never mind… Let's not talk about that. I just discovered that there's a lot of information about the Black Card online now, you should take a look."

"Ah? They're not deleting it this time?" Lu Ran said, "Right, the announcement is coming soon, no need to delete anything. That guy with the Pet Beast cat, I originally wanted to add him as a friend to ask for some information, but the officials were pretty quick to delete that post."

"Cough cough cough." Hearing Lu Ran's words, Fang Lan felt a bit embarrassed and said, "About that post… I think I casually reported it to the admin for deletion…"

Lu Ran: ???

It really was you!

At that moment, Lu Ran took out his phone, and although there was quite a bit of information on the Black Card online, it wasn't overwhelming.

Most of the information was circulating on forums related to "supernatural events," "pets," and "animals."

For example, when Lu Ran entered an animal forum, he came across a post like this.

The content of the post read: [Imagine if every animal on Blue Star had a chance to evolve extraordinarily, which one would be the most powerful?

My mom bought a bag of mantis shrimp this afternoon for dinner, I heard mantis shrimp can throw 100 punches in a second and produce lightning, sounds pretty strong!]

Replies below: [Stop probing, did you also get a Black Card? My advice is to stay calm, it's best to find a reliable Pet Beast, don't try to act clever.

If you contract with one that isn't strong, you're screwed. Look at the sticky post, some expert posted a guide, go read it 100 times.]

Lu Ran: …

He then switched to another forum.

The content of the post was: [Why is there information about Contract Cards all over the internet? What happened to being the main character? I thought I was the only one…

Does any expert want to show me the ropes on what Pet Beast to contract with? All I have at home is a turtle, can I contract with that?

I'm soft, light, easily pushed over, and I'm an expert at making tea and pouring water, is there a big shot willing to send me a dragon egg?]

Replies below: [A dragon egg? Dream on. Having a turtle isn't too bad, maybe it could evolve into Xuanwu someday.

My family just had a Border Collie neutered, do you think I dare to contract with it? Do I dare? The way it looks at me, it seems like it wants to kill me.]

Lu Ran: …

Such talents.

It appeared that as the relevant online information increased, people who obtained Black Cards didn't hide their experiences but actively sought advice instead.

Lu Ran noticed the posts all suddenly came up today, which suggested that the number of people chosen today must have increased exponentially compared to yesterday.

As for some tutorial posts, Lu Ran sensed the strong official flavor they had.

"Have you thought about what your second Pet Beast will be?" Lu Ran asked Fang Lan, who was also looking at her phone.

Fang Lan nodded, looked at Lu Ran, and said, "I think I'll choose a snake."

She showed an excited expression, "Since they can evolve indefinitely, I want to raise a Dragon!"

Lu Ran held his forehead and laughed.

"That's great, we're on the same page."

"Honestly, with the appearance of extraordinary Beings, fantastic creatures like Dragons must be able to exist too, right?"

"Not contracting one would feel like a missed opportunity."

"Eh, you're going for it too?" Fang Lan was surprised.

Lu Ran shrugged and said, "I just hate snakes, and fish seem so inconvenient. Maybe I should see if I can evolve a Western Giant Dragon first. But I'll have to wait till I get the second Contract Card."

"The birthday present you gave me is still at home, unused. A Lizard and Giant Dragon, they seem quite similar, maybe they're part of the same evolutionary tree."

"Ah, that 'Red-eyed Eagle Lizard' hasn't been killed off by you, has it?"

Lu Ran said helplessly, "What are you talking about, I'm a Pet Raising expert. But that one does have some temperamental issues; it's too timid. Mr. Husky looks at it, and it plays dead, absolutely no communication, forget it, I better change for a different one."

…

Devil City.

Little White Dragon immediately made a call to his boss, Leader Zhao.

"Bai Junjie? What's up?" Leader Zhao asked.

"Leader Zhao, about that student Luran, it seems someone else has taken an interest in him," Little White Dragon reported.

"Do you know about Beast Training University? He seems to have been recommended to attend there."

"What?" Leader Zhao was baffled and said, "I know about Beast Training University...the League is currently in the process of its establishment. Who recommended him? Isn't he an orphan? Weren't you the first to get in touch with him?"

Little White Dragon said, "I don't know either, but he knows Gu Qingyi, it seems to be a family connection... it's that Doctor Gu, the one from the Official Guide Group."

Initially, Leader Zhao was a bit upset, but upon hearing the name Gu Qingyi, he suddenly fell silent.

"Goodness... top-tier Beast Trainer's second generation."

"I see, then forget it, maybe Doctor Gu is looking to cultivate her own team. In that case, there's no need to bother with this Luran," Leader Zhao said as he shook his head over the phone.

"By the way, Little White, Beast Training University needs a few people from over here to set up their recruitment office. It's a rare opportunity, are you interested in going?"

"Ah?" Little White Dragon was startled, could this be a promotion?

"Don't hesitate, it's a good thing. According to internal information, the current first and second divisions and the rest will be dissolved in a few days. All the current positions are undergoing major adjustments. I estimate I will also be transferred elsewhere. Compared to other positions, Beast Training University indeed offers a better prospect for advancement."

"I'm in, Leader Zhao... thank you so much," Little White Dragon replied with great joy, but then he thought about it and realized, oh no, that means more dealing with Luran.

PS: Thanks to Dinosaur Who Loves to Eat Fish and yǔ. zhòng. bù. tóng for their support as Alliance Hierarchs!