Beast Taming: Starting From Zero

Chapter 3: Moving Houses

"Mom, why did you hit me on the back of the head?”

Ye Xiangting gritted her teeth.

“You succeeded in awakening, so why are you sighing about it?”

“The examiner said my brain domain fluctuations are significant and that I need to rest. But there are only 20 days left until the exam. Isn’t this delaying my studies?” Qiao Sang said innocently.

Ye Xiangting: “…”

“What are you doing, Mom!”

“Mom!”

Where is the strong woman she used to be?

Only Cialiguo, who had come out with Qiao Sang, was left standing in the wind, looking disheveled.

No running or making a commotion is allowed in the Beast Taming Center!

…

Back at home, Qiao Sang locked herself in her room and turned on her computer.

Her mother had planned for them to go to the Hanggang Pet Beast Base in the afternoon to select a pet beast, but Qiao Sang refused.

As Beast Tamers are a mainstream profession in this world, choosing the right pet beast is crucial because it’s highly likely that a person can only contract one beast in their lifetime.

The ranks of Beast Tamers range from F to SSS.

F-rank Beast Tamers are the simplest; as long as they awaken the Beast Taming Manual at age 15 and contract a pet beast, they can get certified at the Beast Taming Center.

To become an E-rank Beast Tamer, one must first develop their brain domain by 10% so that the Beast Taming Manual can contract a second beast.

Then, they must cultivate two mid-level pet beasts, which have undergone one evolution.

Next, they must win a 1v1 battle judged by the Beast Tamer Alliance’s notary.

Only then can their information be updated to E-rank Beast Tamer.

Some people choose insects with shorter evolution cycles to quickly cultivate mid-level beasts.

However, mid-level insect beasts are still too weak; only those with exceptional combat skills can win battles with them.

The original Qiao Sang, being a poor student with limited knowledge, only remembered extraordinary creatures that looked good.

What use is appearance if it can’t win battles?

If she can’t win, how will she become a higher-level Beast Tamer?

Selecting a pet beast should focus on those with high potential and strong combat abilities.

If they went to the Hanggang Pet Beast Base in the afternoon, she wouldn’t recognize the names or attributes of those beasts, nor their first and second-stage evolutions. How could she choose?

Qiao Sang felt that this was not something to rush. She needed to do her homework first.

She opened the forum and logged into her account, “GeniusAgainAgainAgain.”

This ID clearly reflects that every poor student has a dream of turning their fortunes around.

Instead of posting a new thread, Qiao Sang browsed the forum. In this world, the concept of pet beasts was already well-developed, with thousands of newly awakened Beast Tamers posting every year.

Scrolling through, she saw various posts related to pet beasts:

- [I was poisoned by a Little Scorpion!]

- [Does anyone else think the new form of the Cottonbug is ugly?]

- [B-rank Beast Tamer teaches you how to get into Nansheng Beast Taming University.]

- [A newbie Beast Tamer wants to know if contracting a Little Dragon is okay?]

Her gaze lingered on the last post.

Unbelievable.

Thinking about contracting a dragon-type beast as their first pet and asking others if it’s okay?

The power of dragon-type pet beasts is well-known.

Aside from a few extremely rare beasts, dragon-type beasts are the most expensive among all pet beasts. Only those who are wealthy can afford them.

Even if someone could just barely afford one, they might not be able to care for it.

Dragon-type beasts have long evolution cycles, and it may take several years of feeding and care to evolve into a mid-level pet beast.

If Qiao Sang were to answer, it would be an absolute no.

Absolutely no!

But if a dragon-type pet beast were presented to Qiao Sang for contract…

It might not be so absolute…

Qiao Sang moved on, no longer paying attention to that frustrating post.

- [New Beast Tamers highly recommend Sand Diggers!]

The comments section was filled with various opinions.

“The poster probably hasn’t let Sand Diggers sleep at night. A friendly reminder: They grind their teeth!”

“Why doesn’t the poster also mention what they use to grind their teeth?”

“My White Sand Fox disagrees.”

“Deepfur Turtle requests to fight.”

…

Beast Tamer civilization has developed to the point where suitable pet beasts for newbie Beast Tamers have already been summarized.

Little Fat Dove, White Sand Fox, Short-tailed Snake, Sand Digger, Deepfur Turtle.

These five pet beasts are reasonably priced, affordable for most families, and have mild temperaments.

With proper training, evolving them to mid-level is absolutely achievable.

Most newbie Beast Tamers’ posts on the forum are about these five pet beasts.

Qiao Sang’s mother’s first pet beast was a Little Fat Dove, with Fat Dove being its evolved form.

As a flying-type beast, its larger body causes it to fly slower than other flying-type beasts.

It is a popular choice among newbie Beast Tamers simply because it can evolve into a powerful Great Flying Owl.

White Sand Fox has strong attack power but weak defense; it can’t last long if hit.

Sand Digger is naturally skilled at digging and prefers to avoid direct confrontations.

Deepfur Turtle, while not water-based like normal turtles, has strong defensive abilities.

White Sand Fox, Sand Digger, and Deepfur Turtle are all earth-type beasts, so they are often compared.

However, White Sand Fox’s appearance outshines the other two, making it a top choice for female newbie Beast Tamers.

Short-tailed Snake is a poison-type beast, with venomous teeth and dangerous tail spikes, providing impressive combat power from the start.

However, contracting it can be risky and might require a trip to the hospital.

Only those with strong physical constitutions dare to contract it.

Qiao Sang looked at the options for a long time and couldn’t decide.

Each of these five pet beasts has its drawbacks, but their affordable prices and safe evolution plans are undeniable advantages.

Ultimately, it’s still a matter of money.

Qiao Sang got up and left the room.

Her mother was sitting on the sofa, watching TV.

Qiao Sang said, “Mom, do we have 1 million? I want to buy a Bubble Bell.”

“Get lost.”

“Alright then!”

Qiao Sang returned to her room and continued browsing the forum.

- [Is it safe for D-rank Beast Tamers to go to Qipang Forest?]

- [Second Beast Betting just got Green Cat Meow, everyone come and absorb the luck!]

…

In addition to buying pet beasts at the base, they can also be obtained through black markets, beast betting, or the wild.

Pet beasts from the black market have unknown origins. As long as you have the money, they can get any kind of beast for you.

Beast betting relies on luck; You might end up bankrupt, even losing your underwear.

Finding pet beasts in the wild is something only D-rank Beast Tamers or higher would do.

After all, the chances of encountering danger in the wild are high, and extraordinary creatures are difficult to tame. Even if contracted, they are not easy to train and obey.

None of these three methods are feasible for her right now.

Qiao Sang sighed. Although she had many ideas, her options were truly limited.

8:26 PM.

Qiao Sang closed her computer and looked at the time with a bit of surprise.

Her mother hadn’t called her for dinner yet. Could she really be upset?

She prepared to go to the living room to check, but feeling uneasy, she grabbed a copy of "Beast Taming History II" from the bookshelf.

Opening the door, she found the living room dark and unlit.

Her mother was nowhere to be seen.

After a moment of contemplation, and confirming that her mother was not in the bedroom either, Qiao Sang turned on the living room light, tossed "Beast Taming History II" onto the sofa, and then took a box of matcha ice cream from the fridge.

Just as she sat down with the ice cream and turned on the TV, the door creaked open.

Qiao Sang turned her head and their eyes met.

"…"

A brief silence filled the air.

“Come and eat.” Her mother said, raising an eyebrow as she placed the takeout on the dining table.

So she had just gone out to buy food...

“I’m coming.” Qiao Sang looked at the matcha ice cream she had just started eating and, adhering to the principle of not wasting food, took another bite.

“Mom, why did you go out to buy food today?” Qiao Sang asked as she approached the dining table.

“There was something I had to do, and I didn’t have time to cook, so I bought some on the way back,” Her mother replied.

Qiao Sang asked, “What was it?”

Her mother paused for a moment, then said, “Sang Sang, let’s move to a new house.”

Qiao Sang was stunned, her eating motion coming to a halt. She asked in confusion, “Why move?”

Hanggang City, being the capital of Zhehai Province, has absurdly high housing prices.

This house was originally bought when the prices weren’t so high, as a wedding gift from her father’s family.

Although Qiao Sang’s current residence, Qingcheng Jiayuan, is not in one of the more expensive areas of Hangang City, it is in a good location with nearby schools and the subway, making it worth over 50,000 per square meter.

Her mother took a bite of food, swallowed, glanced at Qiao Sang, and then continued, “I asked the real estate agent when I went out. Our house is 133 square meters. The current market price is about 53,000 per square meter, so it could sell for over 7 million Alliance Coins.”

“I’ve thought it over. We can buy a smaller house, put down a down payment, and use the extra money to buy you a Bubble Bell. We’ll even have some money left over.”

“And I can still earn money. Besides moving to a smaller house, nothing else will change.”

Qiao Sang was speechless.

In just a few hours, her mother had made such a big decision without any prior notice.

“Mom…” She murmured, trying to say something.

Her mother interrupted, “Although your grades aren’t great, you awakened on your own. Your talent is evident.”

“Even though our family isn’t very wealthy, whatever kind of pet beast you want, your mother can still get it for you.”

“As long as you promise me not to slack off like you do with your studies, and to properly nurture it.”

Although Ye Xiangting hadn’t considered this before, since her daughter expressed a desire for a superpower-type pet beast, and given that her daughter’s academic performance was poor but she managed to awaken on her own, it showed real talent in beast taming.

They had never had a child who awakened on their own before.

Given this, buying an expensive but promising pet beast that her daughter liked seemed reasonable.

After all, it’s her duty as a mother.

Qiao Sang felt a mix of emotions. She only knew that she wanted to eat the unfinished matcha ice cream to calm her feelings.

She looked into her mother’s eyes and smiled, saying, “Mom, you’ve said that I awakened on my own and have the talent. I can nurture any pet beast I get.”

"I was just saying; I don’t really want a Bubble Bell. Please don’t sell the house."

Her mother stood up to pour a glass of water and, after a while, said, "I know you want a Bubble Bell. You awakened on your own, so—"

Qiao Sang interrupted her, saying seriously, "I’ve studied all afternoon and evening and think that a Fire Fang Dog is great. I want it."

While Bubble Bell is indeed a powerful superpower-type pet, and dragons, fairy-type, and ghost-type pets are also excellent, Qiao Sang felt that these were rare and strong but not necessarily what she needed.

It was like some people who, despite their starting conditions, want a divine beast from the get-go.

What she truly wanted was a pet beast that was within her capabilities to own and nurture.