Beast Taming: Starting From Zero

Chapter 74: The Treasure-Seeking Ghost

The pathways inside the pet beast base were numerous and intricate.

Every time one reached the end of a path, it would split off into several more.

It was a labyrinth, and without someone familiar with the layout leading the way, it was easy to get lost.

Blue Delight Butterfly was leading the way ahead.

It was clearly very familiar with the terrain here, as it flew directly down one of the paths without hesitation.

Throughout the journey, Blue Delight Butterfly kept chattering, but unfortunately, Qiao Sang couldn't understand a word.

However, Fire fang Dog seemed to enjoy chatting with it immensely.

From Fire fang Dog’s responses, Qiao Sang could vaguely guess what Blue Delight Butterfly was saying. It was probably something like:

"Did you come from here too?"

"I did too."

After three turns and passing through two areas, they finally reached Blue Delight Butterfly’s intended destination—the Activity Hall.

The inside was laid out like a courtyard.

At a glance, apart from dragon-type and fairy-type pet beasts, nearly every other attribute of pet beast could be found here.

Among them, ghost-type pet beasts were the fewest, with only a handful present.

Next were fire-type pet beasts, also barely in the single digits.

Overall, in terms of species, there were easily dozens, if not a hundred, different types of pet beasts in the Activity Hall.

"Most of our base’s pet beasts are housed here. If you haven’t decided which one to contract with, you can get close to them here and see which one suits you best." Said a male staff member not far from Qiao Sang, addressing a group of three young people.

"The beasts here are mostly gentle in nature, so you can feel at ease."

Qiao Sang had sharp ears and overheard their conversation.

She realized that Fire fang Dog probably hadn’t been here before...

Sure enough, the Fire fang Dog in her arms had eyes filled with excitement and curiosity.

If his beast master weren’t holding him, he would have already rushed inside.

"But there are some precautions to keep in mind."

The male staff member continued, "Don’t take pictures of that Flamefinch over there without warning, and be cautious around the Fire fang Dog in the hall, it just went through a breakup, and it's feeling down. We brought it here to lift its spirits, so just don’t show off any affection in front of it, and you’ll be fine."

Qiao Sang froze for a moment.

She glanced around and, sure enough, spotted a Fire fang Dog under a decorative stone, eyes closed in rest.

Could this be one of the dogs that had fought over a female Fire fang Dog earlier?

What happened to the other one then?

Did it win the beauty?

Just as Qiao Sang wanted to get closer and eavesdrop, Blue Delight Butterfly flew in front of her at the perfect moment.

It never forgot its beast master’s instructions.

It had to make sure the customer felt well taken care of and never neglected.

Blue Delight Butterfly enthusiastically introduced the area.

"Yue."

"Yue Yue, Yue."

"Yue."

Qiao Sang: ...

Realizing that the male staff member’s voice was getting fainter, Qiao Sang decided not to linger and instead walked into the pet beast activity area, still holding Fire fang Dog.

Before she had taken two steps, a green-bodied pet beast blocked her path.

Qiao Sang recognized it as a grass-type pet beast, a Budblossom.

Its distinguishing feature was a yellow flower bud on top of its head, which hadn’t bloomed yet.

When that flower blooms, it means it's time for it to evolve.

The Budblossom held a similarly yellow flower in its hand, which it shyly presented to her.

Qiao Sang’s pupils widened.

What the heck? Why does this scene feel so familiar?

While Qiao Sang stood there, dumbfounded, Blue Delight Butterfly dutifully stepped in to explain what Budblossom meant to express.

"Yue."

"Yue Yue, Yue."

"Yue."

Qiao Sang: ...

"Yaobao, translate for me." Qiao Sang said.

Fire fang Dog faithfully translated.

"Yap Yap."

"Yap."

"Yap."

Qiao Sang finally relaxed.

So it just wanted to be her contracted pet. For a moment, she had thought...

After understanding Budblossom’s intentions, Qiao Sang felt a bit of heartache.

What a good pet beast.

Good-looking, good taste, great attributes.

But unfortunately, she had no money...

The coupon from the Bai Xin Competition was only for pet beast eggs, not for already-hatched beasts.

Even if her endorsement payment had arrived, it wouldn’t be enough. Budblossom was priced around 500,000 yuan.

She couldn’t possibly blow all her prize money and endorsement fees on it.

“I’m sorry.” Qiao Sang squatted down and apologetically declined.

“Bloss~” Budblossom shook its head with a smile, showing that it didn’t mind at all.

Qiao Sang’s heart ached even more.

What a great temperament...

Maybe she should call Song Yuan and ask for the endorsement payment in advance...

After all, Budblossom ticked all her boxes.

Making a mutual selection when contracting a pet beast would undoubtedly be ideal.

But the money…

Just as Qiao Sang was struggling internally and unable to make up her mind, Budblossom turned and walked up to another young man who had just entered.

“Bloss~”

Same yellow flower, same shy expression.

Qiao Sang: ...

So, it turns out she had been wrong all along.

Most of the pet beasts here were indeed gentle and friendly, and after a few more interactions, Qiao Sang’s mood improved significantly.

Just as she was about to check out a nearby little Ember Owl, Fire fang Dog suddenly stopped in its tracks. Its body tensed up as it stared at a tree.

Qiao Sang followed its gaze.

A pet beast, yellow and gray in color, was hanging upside down from a branch. It had no wings or legs, but its bottom was firmly stuck to the tree.

A yellow ring encircled its head, and both its eyes were bright yellow, with pea-sized gray pupils.

Sensing their intense stare, the beast looked over.

Its mouth curled into a grin, and its eyes squinted mischievously, showing a sly smile.

Qiao Sang quickly picked up Fire fang Dog and turned to leave.

Oh my god!

Why is there a Treasure-Seeking Ghost here?

The Treasure-Seeking Ghost wasn’t just a creepy ghost-type pet beast, it was one of the most troublesome ghost-type pet beasts.

It liked to search for treasures, but not the gold and silver humans considered valuable. Instead, it sought out things it found interesting.

If something caught its interest, it would find a way to take it for itself.

The yellow ring on its head wasn’t just for decoration; it was used to store things.

The ring was like a separate dimension, and once something was placed inside, it could never be retrieved unless the Treasure-Seeking Ghost willingly took it out.

While that might sound useful, people with malicious intent would often try to contract a Treasure-Seeking Ghost.

However, the most troublesome thing about them was that their idea of 'treasure' could be very odd.

If the things they liked were normal, it wasn’t a big deal. But if not, their owner might end up with a terrible reputation.

There was once a man accused of stealing items from his neighbors.

When the police came, the man, eager to clear his name, did not resist and allowed them to search his home.

When they found out he had a Treasure-Seeking Ghost, the police asked him to summon it.

Confident in his innocence, the man didn’t think twice and told the Treasure-Seeking Ghost to empty its ring.

Out came several pieces of women’s underwear.

The man spent ages explaining himself, but even after being cleared, he could never show his face in the neighborhood again.

Qiao Sang quickly turned and walked away, afraid that something on her person would catch the ghost’s attention.

But after only a few steps, the Treasure-Seeking Ghost floated right in front of her.

Qiao Sang came to a screeching halt.

Phew, that was close, almost a face-to-face encounter.

With a mischievous grin, the Treasure-Seeking Ghost took off its ring and pulled out a gray egg with yellow rings on it.

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