Chapter 1054: Tingbao's Sense of Crisis

Read at: https://blogspot-translatedstories.blogspot.com/?m=1 

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The next morning.

The Beast Taming Center, first-floor lobby.

Qiao Sang processed the identity bracelets for Yabao and the others, putting them on one by one.

Yabao and the rest were all wearing white identity bracelets, while only Tingbao wore a black one.

Mikayla glanced at Tingbao, who was currently hugging a block of ice with his backside completely turned toward Qiao Sang, and asked: "What's wrong with him?"

"I'm not entirely sure." Qiao Sang replied in a lowered voice. 

"He's been in a foul mood since last night."

To be precise, it started last night at the open-air training field when he was inexplicably releasing electricity. She had no idea what had transpired prior to that.

Reining in her thoughts, Qiao Sang asked: "Where are we heading today?"

Mikayla smiled faintly: "The Contract Fair."

Qiao Sang blanked out for a moment: "The Contract Fair?"

"That's right." Mikayla nodded. 

"On Flame Star, forming a contract is a major milestone for both Beast Tamers and pets. A Contract Fair is hosted here almost every other period of time, specifically to allow Beast Tamers and pets who want to form a contract to find their ideal partners."

Tingbao's ears twitched.

Qiao Sang instantly grew intrigued: "Can people like us, who don't have any blank contract pages left, still go check it out?"

"Yes." Mikayla smiled. 

"Some Beast Tamers and pets who take a mutual liking to each other will exchange contact details. They'll wait until the Beast Tamer expands their brain capacity and gains a blank contract page before officially finalizing the contract."

Qiao Sang wasn't someone who particularly enjoyed tracking down random spectacles, but when it came to unique cultural events she had never witnessed before, she was genuinely interested.

Mikayla glanced in Tingbao's direction and continued: "You can take this opportunity to look around and see if there are any pets you might want to contract with."

Tingbao hugged his ice block tighter as rows of yellow electrical arcs surfaced across his body.

"What are you saying, Professor?" Qiao Sang hurriedly intervened. 

"I already have Tingbao. I'm just going there purely to broaden my horizons."

"Lei lei..."

The electrical arcs on Tingbao's body vanished. Still holding his ice block, he slowly shuffled his way closer to Qiao Sang.

Catching sight of Tingbao's actions, Mikayla's eyes filled with amusement as she remarked:

"Don't speak too soon. Flame Star is teeming with highly talented pets, and most of them have the autonomous right to choose. Even at an ordinary Contract Fair, you might just run into a wild pet with exceptional talent, one that wouldn't necessarily be any lesser than Tingbao."

Qiao Sang remained unconvinced.

Tingbao was an incredibly powerful dual Dragon/Electric-type pet with a racial ceiling reaching the Emperor rank. How could she possibly stumble upon a pet comparable to him that easily?

Even if such a pet existed, they wouldn't just willingly form a contract with someone on a whim.

"Lei lei..."

Tingbao finally turned his head around, glaring directly at Mikayla.

He really didn't like this human...

---

No. 101, Bawa Jing Avenue.

Inside a building that resembled a museum, a great number of humans and pets wearing black identity bracelets were filing in and out.

The original exhibits inside the building had been completely cleared out, replaced instead by rows of long brown tables.

Seated by the tables, the pets wearing black identity bracelets were organizing the profiles and documents on hand.

Every now and then, a human would sit down directly across from a pet to converse with them.

Holding Tingbao, who had suddenly become willing to interact with her again, Qiao Sang observed her surroundings and couldn't help but comment: "Why does this feel so much like a job interview?"

"It is a job interview." Mikayla explained. 

"By the looks of it, this seems to be a venue dominated by wild pets. This specific event was likely organized and hosted by a wild pet association."

As she spoke, she looked at Qiao Sang and asked, "Want to experience it for yourself?"

Qiao Sang's interest peaked: "How do I do that?"

The moment the words left her mouth, Mikayla firmly pushed her down into an empty seat right next to them.

Qiao Sang: ...

"Du du."

"Du du."

A plump, round bird-like pet with a white face and a predominantly blue body chirped twice from the opposite side.

Following that, it used its wing to slide a profile over.

Qiao Sang lowered her head to scan through it briefly.

【Race: Duli Owl】

【Attribute: Flying】

【Rank: Primary】

【Age: 1 year, 6 months, 23 days】

【Characteristic: Vitality】

【Skills: Growl, Peck, Aerial Ace】

The age is actually precise down to the exact number of days... Qiao Sang marveled internally.

It was no wonder the other tables were completely swamped with people while this particular table was practically deserted. It was already a year and a half old yet only knew three skills, its talent was clearly lacking...

"Xun xun~"

Little Treasure materialized and leaned over to look at the profile.

"Du du?"

The Duli Owl chirped with a polite smile.

"Xun xun~"

Little Treasure helped translate.

It's asking for your profile.

If you don't have a contracted pet with you to bridge the gap, communication is practically impossible here... Qiao Sang griped inwardly. Maintaining a straight face, she let out a light cough and said: "My name is Qiao Sang. I'm 17 years old, and I'm a B-rank Beast Tamer."

"Du du!"

The Duli Owl processed the information, its eyes instantly lighting up.

Right at that moment, a noticeably larger Duli Owl walked up from behind. Wearing a thoroughly exasperated expression as if disappointed by its peer's lack of standards, it smacked the smaller owl over the head and let out a sharp cry.

"Du du..."

The seated Duli Owl wore an incredibly aggrieved expression.

"Du du!"

The larger Duli Owl looked toward Qiao Sang, its face flashing with open disdain. It waved its wings dismissively, signaling for her to leave immediately.

Is it kicking me out? Qiao Sang wasn't entirely certain.

"Gang qiu."

Gangbao's voice resonated within her mind.

It is indeed kicking you out.

Qiao Sang fell silent for two seconds before rising and walking away.

Mikayla caught up to her side, asking with a smile: "How did it feel?"

Qiao Sang answered with a question of her own: "Did that Duli Owl take one look at Yabao and the others and realize I don't have an empty contract slot right now?"

"A Duli Owl's intelligence is quite average." Mikayla replied. 

"It simply didn't believe that someone your age could be a B-rank Beast Tamer. It thought you were a fraud."

Qiao Sang: ...

So that was it... Qiao Sang felt instantly relieved. She then answered Mikayla's earlier question: "It didn't feel very great. It felt a bit too much like a transaction."

"This is how the majority of the contracting process works on Flame Star." Mikayla stated slowly. 

"You're just not accustomed to it. There are actually plenty of benefits to this method. On Blue Star, it's almost always the Beast Tamer who chooses the pet they want to contract with. However, when you give the pets the right to choose as well, the competitive pressure among them naturally spikes. It also allows them to align with a like-minded Beast Tamer. Moving forward, even if the Beast Tamer doesn't push them, the pets will actively train on their own initiative because they want to become stronger."

Qiao Sang blanked out for a moment: "Is getting a pet to train on their own initiative really that difficult?"

Setting Little Treasure aside, Yabao and the others always trained completely on their own accord. Now that Little Treasure had evolved into a Night Ring King, his initiative had also skyrocketed, requiring absolutely no micromanagement from her.

Mikayla fell silent for a good while. Taking a deep breath to steady her emotions, she said: "For the vast majority of pets, it is incredibly difficult. Furthermore, pets contracted through this framework are exceptionally good at taking care of themselves, barely requiring their Beast Tamers to worry about them at all."

That's true. The wild pets on Flame Star know how to scout out their own Beast Tamers and even take out loans to buy their own houses. They are clearly much more adept at navigating life than the pets back on Blue Star... Qiao Sang agreed internally.

"Zhao zhao!"

Suddenly, a sharp cry rang out from a neighboring table. A pet with a predominantly black, blocky, and box-shaped appearance let out a call.

Reining in her thoughts, Qiao Sang turned her gaze over and saw a person sitting directly across from this pet.

Not only that, there was a massive queue forming right behind that person.

"Are you calling me?" Qiao Sang pointed to herself, feeling uncertain.

"Zhao zhao."

The blocky pet nodded its head.

The man sitting opposite the pet sized Qiao Sang up, his gaze ultimately coming to rest upon Tingbao.

Though he couldn't recognize exactly what species this pet was, he could immediately tell it belonged to the Dragon type.

I can't compete with that... The man let out a sigh, standing up to vacate his seat.

The people waiting in the queue all fixed their eyes on Tingbao, and not a single one dared to step forward to occupy the vacant seat.

"It's calling you over." Mikayla gestured toward the empty chair with her eyes.

Biting the bullet, Qiao Sang stepped forward while cradling Tingbao and took a seat.

"Zhao zhao."

The box-shaped pet slid a profile document over to her.

Qiao Sang lowered her eyes to read it:

【Race: Zhaozhaodu】

【Attribute: Psychic, Dark】

【Rank: Primary】

【Age: 9 months】

【Characteristic: Insomnia (Because of a constitution that prevents sleep, it cannot be put into a sleeping state), Trace (During battle, it can photograph the opponent to copy their characteristic, altering its own to match theirs)】

【Skills: Confusion, Double Team, Nasty Plot】

It's actually a dual Psychic/Dark-type pet, and it even has the Trace characteristic... Qiao Sang abruptly raised her head, her face filled with astonishment.

A pet possessing this specific attribute combination was incredibly rare. To think that a pet like this would actually show up at such a commonplace event...

"Lei lei..."

Tingbao seemed to sense something amiss, his body instinctively tensing up.

"Zhao zhao?"

Zhaozhaodu let out a polite call.

This time, even without a translation, Qiao Sang understood its intent. She subconsciously launched into her introduction: "Qiao Sang. 17 years old, B-rank Beast Tamer."

Before Zhaozhaodu could even respond, the people waiting in line behind her began to clamor: "If you're going to trick a pet, at least pick a dumb one! How dare you try to deceive a Zhaozhaodu? Don't you know it has high intelligence and carries the Dark attribute?"

"This is hilarious. If you're a B-rank Beast Tamer, then I'm an A-rank Beast Tamer."

"Zhaozhaodu, you aren't actually believing her nonsense, are you?"

"If you're really a B-rank Beast Tamer, produce your Beast Taming Badge right now!"

Qiao Sang pulled out her Beast Taming Badge and placed it firmly on the table.

The queue fell instantly silent.

Staring at the crimson badge resting on the table, every single person present wore a look of utter shock and bewilderment.

In this day and age, no one had the sheer audacity to pull off a public scam using a counterfeit Beast Taming Badge. A 17-year-old B-rank Beast Tamer was practically impossible, but perhaps this girl's family genuinely possessed a parent who was a B-rank Beast Tamer... 

Convinced they had pieced together the truth, the crowd fell back, no longer daring to voice any further objections.

They simply couldn't afford to offend a household backed by a B-rank Beast Tamer...

"Zhao zhao~"

Zhaozhaodu looked at the crimson Beast Taming Badge, then glanced over at Tingbao and the nearby Yabao and the others. It flashed a massive smile and let out a cheerful call.

"Lei lei..."

The moment those words were uttered, Tingbao glared at Zhaozhaodu with an unfriendly expression, yellow electrical arcs beginning to surface across his body.

"Gang qiu."

Simultaneously, Gangbao's voice chimed into her mind, letting her know: This little guy says it's willing to form a contract with you.

Qiao Sang offered a tactful refusal: "I'm very sorry, but I don't have any vacant contract slots at the moment."

"Zhao zhao."

Zhaozhaodu didn't look discouraged in the slightest. Instead, it slid a business card over and let out a call.

"Gang qiu."

Gangbao translated in her mind.

It says you can get in touch with it once you have an available contract slot.

This Zhaozhaodu actually has its own business cards... Qiao Sang blanked out for a second before accepting the card.

"Lei lei!"

Tingbao's face completely fell. Twisting his body, he struggled out of her arms, leaped down to the floor, and began crawling toward the exit.

"Tingbao, wait for me!" Qiao Sang quickly got up to give chase.

"Zhao zhao."

Zhaozhaodu's gaze lingered on Tingbao's black bracelet for a brief moment before it turned to face the waiting queue with a polite smile and a call.

The pet belonging to the man standing first in line let out a cry, translating for its partner.

The man's face instantly lit up with joy, and he quickly stepped forward to take the seat.

Qiao Sang caught up to Tingbao, scooping him up into her arms as she asked: "What's wrong with you?"

"Lei lei!"

Tingbao refused to answer, merely squirming around in an attempt to break free and get back down.

To think he's this angry yet he's still refraining from discharging electricity... Witnessing this scene, Mikayla could clearly sense the preferential treatment Qiao Sang was receiving.

Recalling the exact moment Tingbao had flared up, Qiao Sang seemed to put the pieces together. She asked testingly: "Are you angry because I accepted Zhaozhaodu's business card?"

Tingbao's body stiffened completely.

So that really was it... Qiao Sang found it both amusing and endearing. She explained softly: "I only accepted it out of politeness. I only came to this Contract Fair because I'd never seen one before and wanted to experience it. I have absolutely no intention of looking for another pet to contract with. You know it yourself, the one I want to contract with is you."

"Lei lei?"

Tingbao stopped his struggles, raising his head to flash her a look that vividly screamed, Really?

Qiao Sang somehow understood exactly what he was trying to communicate. She nodded earnestly: "Of course it's true."

Tingbao stopped squirming entirely, settling down quietly within Qiao Sang's embrace.

Mikayla walked up, casting a glance at Tingbao before asking: "Do you want to keep looking around?"

"Of course." Qiao Sang replied. 

"Since we're already here."

Over the next period of time, Qiao Sang toured practically the entire venue.

She noticed that if a pet and a Beast Tamer happened to hit it off on the spot and expressed a mutual intent to form a contract, they would head over to a designated section where notary personnel were stationed. 

The pet would showcase its skills and trigger its characteristics, while the human would present their relevant Beast Taming Badges and credentials. If all the provided information aligned perfectly without any deception, the contract would be finalized right then and there under official witness.

This setup is actually quite excellent it completely prevents fraudulent profiles... Qiao Sang thought appreciatively as she continued to wander.

During this time, quite a few wild pets cast their eyes in Qiao Sang's direction.

Though they lacked the precise details of this human's profile, one look at the several entirely unrecognized species surrounding her, coupled with the Dragon-type pet cradled in her arms, made it glaringly obvious that she came from an exceptionally well-off background.

The wild pets began to grow restless.

"Lei lei..."

Sensing the collective gazes converging from all directions, Tingbao experienced a profound sense of crisis for the very first time since the day he was born.

---

That evening, at seven o'clock.

After finishing dinner, Yabao and the others headed out to the open-air training field one after another.

Tingbao followed closely behind Lubao.

"Lu di."

Lubao turned around and came to a halt. Exhaling a burst of frosty breath, she rapidly condensed a block of ice and let out a call.

"Lei lei..."

Tingbao lowered his head to cast a brief glance at the ice block. Shuffling his body, he bypassed both the ice block and Lubao, continuing his march forward.

Lubao: ???

"Lei lei!"

Tingbao arrived at an open clearing. Channeling his energy, streaks of yellow electrical arcs surfaced across his body, striking down aggressively at his surroundings.

Peering through the French windows to witness this scene, Qiao Sang asked hesitantly: "Is Tingbao actually training?"

Mikayla looked over as well, a smile gracing her face: "It is indeed about time for Tingbao to begin his training."

The moment the words left her mouth, the doorbell rang.

A gentle breeze drifted past.

Qingbao materialized at the front door, swinging it open.

"Mei mei."

Standing just outside the doorway was Meichouni, cradling a bouquet of flowers and letting out a sweet call with a smile.

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T/n: (5/5) The promise was upheld my dearies✊😚

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