Chapter 143

Chapter 143

After tapping on the entry in the catalog, the guidebook switched to the new page.

A Candy Rabbit with light purple ears hopped over from afar toward Lorant.

It moved forward by hopping, using both hind legs together to propel itself.

Although Candy Rabbits can also walk on their hind legs, moving left and right, they seem to prefer this hopping method.

Moreover, when hopping, they can cover quite a distance in a single leap thanks to the powerful strength of their hind legs.

Strictly speaking, despite its seemingly clumsy way of moving, the little creature is not slow at all.

In no time, it hopped right up to Lorant.

An adult Candy Rabbit stands about two meters tall.

Half of that height is taken up by their exaggeratedly large ears.

If you exclude the ears, a Candy Rabbit's actual height is only around one meter, which is not considered large for a pet beast.

As they grow, the ears of a Candy Rabbit widen, making them look even more top-heavy to Lorant.

Lorant watched the Candy Rabbit in the guidebook hop away, its large ears atop its head swaying as if they might fall off at any moment.

In fact, the ears of a Candy Rabbit do fall off.

"Candy Rabbit" Skills:

1. "Rapid Growth": The ears of a Candy Rabbit have the ability to grow rapidly, reaching an astonishing size in a short period. To facilitate movement, Candy Rabbits will actively rub off their overly large ears and use the shed ears for hunting.

2. "Hallucinogenic Lineage": The ears of a Candy Rabbit are made of sweet sugar, and when consumed by prey, they produce a mild hallucinogenic effect, making it easier for the Candy Rabbit to hunt.

3. "Powerful Kicks": The hind legs of a Candy Rabbit possess incredible strength, allowing them to kick with force many times their body weight, enabling direct attacks.

Lorant looked at these three skills of the Candy Rabbit.

The first skill, like those of two pet beasts, Slimes, is "Rapid Growth," which is the core ability of the Candy Rabbit.

Their ears, similar to the fur of a Slime, continue to grow without limit until they become so large that the Candy Rabbit has difficulty moving, validating Lorant's concern that the Candy Rabbit could indeed be weighed down by its own ears and fall over.

When their ears grow to the point where they start to impede movement, the Candy Rabbit will choose to remove the excess part.

In Lorant's understanding, what the Candy Rabbit removes is a protective shell formed outside its body, not the actual fleshy ears.

This protective shell, once removed, is not wasted; the Candy Rabbit uses these sweet-smelling 'ears' to hunt.

Their ears contain a hallucinogenic effect, and when prey eagerly consumes this rare treat, it is the perfect moment for the Candy Rabbit to deliver a powerful kick to the prey's head, knocking it out.

The Candy Rabbit has a set of skills that form a clear and complete logical loop, but for the foreseeable future, they will likely not need to use their innate hunting skills.

After all, whether in the Animal Pet Shop or in the future Candy Rabbit farm, there will be bipeds carefully tending to these lords, providing them with well-balanced pet food daily to ensure their ears grow comfortably.

Hunting will probably be something they can only play with their fellow Candy Rabbits.

However, what most concerned Lorant was the second skill.

"Hallucinogenic Lineage." Lorant looked at the description of this skill with worry, concerned about the so-called "mild hallucinogenic effect."

He wanted the Candy Rabbit to become another major asset for the Animal Pet Shop to penetrate the general market.

But if the "Hallucinogenic Lineage" effect were too strong, his plans would undoubtedly fall through.

No one would risk their life for a taste of sugar.

However, it seemed that the Candy Rabbit's hallucinogenic ability was not particularly potent. Lorant had consumed a fair amount of sugar just now, yet he remained quite clear-headed, without falling into any hallucinations.

This hallucinogenic ability likely requires a certain quantity to take effect.

Furthermore, it was unclear whether this hallucinogenic effect, like the 'Blue Ghost Mushroom' wine Lorant had once drunk, would only cause temporary illusions without true harm to the human body, or if it would leave real toxins in the body.

If it were the former, everything would be fine, but if it were the latter, the Candy Rabbit could only be sold as a regular pet with near-combat capabilities of a Level 2 exotic beast.

That was the last thing Lorant wanted to see.

Like the Slime, the Candy Rabbit, possessing the "Rapid Growth" ability, has a very short juvenile stage.

In less than five days, this batch of Candy Rabbits grew to a height of two meters.

However, despite this, their ears still appeared relatively slender, not as exaggerated as those in the guidebook.

This meant that the Candy Rabbit's ears had not yet reached their full growth, and it would take some time before the first batch of 'sugar ears' could be harvested.

However, the appearance of the Candy Rabbit urged Lorant once again.

Forming a research team for the Animal Pet Shop had become an urgent matter.

After delaying it repeatedly, Lorant finally made up his mind.

Tang En and Liszt arrived at the Animal Pet Shop together.

Liszt was there to create the guidebook entries for the Candy Rabbits, while Tang En had been called by Lorant to ask if he had found a suitable mage for the task he had requested.

"There are candidates," Tang En said, taking a sip of the latest 'grape juice' produced by Lorant, looking surprised at his cup. "Oh! Lorant, what is this? You never cease to amaze me. Is this delicious drink also your invention?"

Lorant smiled. "Of course, it's one of the benefits brought by those adorable Candy Rabbits. Now, the Animal Pet Shop offers a variety of beverages to choose from."

The candy rabbits had not yet shed their ears, but upon closer inspection, it was clear that their 'ears' were actually a shell with very low transparency.

When they were born, this layer was still quite thin and hard to see, so Lorant hadn't noticed it.

As they grew a bit older, the boundary between the shell and the actual 'ear' became quite distinct.

At this point, touching the candy rabbits' ears elicited no reaction from them; even when Lorant accidentally tore off a small piece during his examination, these little creatures showed no response.

Startled, Lorant feared he had damaged the candy rabbits' ears, but he soon relaxed.

He then confirmed that the candy rabbits' ears were likely similar to human hair, lacking pain receptors.

With this discovery, Lorant conducted extensive research over the following days. He eagerly carried various colored powders scraped from the candy rabbits' ears to the Beast Tower to find Jacqueline.

Upon learning that Lorant had bred another type of pet, Jacqueline's surprise was less intense than before.

She increasingly believed that Lorant was the lucky genius destined to advance the field of pet breeding.

After all, only a true genius could accomplish what ordinary people could not.

Moreover, she was firmly convinced that Lorant would continue to breed more pets in the future.

Such a genius could not be measured by conventional standards.

Just as most people struggle with advanced mathematics in college,

there are those who can independently research and develop powerful weapons using basic physics, helping their country overcome a weapons crisis.

One must acknowledge that there are such incomprehensible geniuses in the world.

When Lorant requested an analysis of the hallucinogenic properties of the sweet substances, Jacqueline readily agreed.

Any lingering self-doubt she had about her own abilities due to Lorant's latest breakthrough quickly dissipated.

She didn't need to compare herself to Lorant; no one could match a genius favored by the heavens.

However, in her own field, Jacqueline was undeniably a formidable expert.

She formed a magical array, sprinkled the powders on it, and quickly analyzed their composition and potential effects.

"This powder has a mild hallucinogenic effect. Although its structure is similar to that of exotic beast meat, it is not the same. It seems to have undergone some transformation that altered its entire structure," Jacqueline said, her left eye emitting a eerie green light as she read the report before her without noticing anything amiss.

"The hallucinogenic effect is mild and does not harm the body," she concluded after carefully reviewing the magical analysis.

"Like certain hallucinogenic plants used in wine or cuisine, the components here can be rapidly broken down by the body."

"I have two formulas you might find useful for processing these substances: one is a minor spell I developed early in my career to extract the hallucinogenic properties."

"The other is a potion recipe that amplifies the hallucinogenic effects, potentially making it comparable to the effects of blue ghost mushroom wine."

Jacqueline spoke while flipping through two pages of paper and handed them to Lorant. "Take them both and review them. You can use whichever one you prefer. The patents for both are mine, so you can use them with peace of mind."

These patents would normally cost at least a thousand gold coins, but Jacqueline generously placed them before Lorant.

Lorant accepted the papers without hesitation, smiling at Jacqueline. "Thank you, Aunt Jacqueline. By the way, have you made any discoveries regarding the bamboo lanterns?"

This piqued Jacqueline's interest. She had been fully engrossed in studying the bamboo lanterns, even delegating the research on Slimes to others in the Beast Tower.

Her dedication had indeed yielded some results.

"Little Lorant, I adjusted the formula of the potions used in the breeding process of the bamboo lanterns. By changing certain ratios, I found that within a specific range, the breeding process still works," she excitedly pulled Lorant to her workbench to show him the recorded data.

The breeding process for bamboo lanterns was straightforward, involving the direct pairing of two exotic beasts with a specific potion.

The simplicity of this process limited the scope of Jacqueline's research.

"Of course, significant changes lead to failure, but that's not the point. The point is!" Jacqueline waved her hand, and a bamboo lantern quickly flew from the far end of her laboratory into her palm, where it dizzily drooped its tassel.

"Look, Lorant! Doesn't its light seem a bit dimmer compared to other bamboo lanterns?" Jacqueline excitedly handed the bamboo lantern to Lorant.

Lorant examined the bamboo lantern closely but couldn't detect any difference.

He smiled awkwardly, looking at the expectant mage. "Jacqueline, well, maybe its light is a bit different, but I can hardly tell. However, I think your research direction is correct."

"You could try changing the ingredients or using different exotic beasts," Lorant suggested, racking his brain for new directions to explore with E-grade pets like the bamboo lanterns.

"And if possible, you might consider how to make these little guys' lights brighter. Their light is already quite dim, and any further reduction might extinguish it altogether," Lorant said, glancing at the bamboo lantern now back in Jacqueline's grasp.

Reassured that the candy rabbits' ears had only a mild and non-lethal hallucinogenic effect, Lorant felt relieved.

......

Soon after, the selection of beverages at the animal pet shop became more diverse.

Initially, Lorant experimented with incorporating various flavors of sugar ears into summer drinks.

Then, Martha discovered Lorant's beverage experiments. After a few trials, Lorant was pleasantly surprised to find that his aunt had a natural talent for culinary arts.

Despite being new to the material, Martha quickly mastered its use, creating several harmonious and delicious iced beverages and incorporating some of the candy powder into food preparation.

Tang En marveled at the delightful drink in his hand and then remembered the purpose of his visit.

"Oh, where was I? Right, personnel, yes, we're not short of candidates."

Tang En regained his composure and continued.

"The Congress of Magic never lacks for research enthusiasts." He smiled and handed over a list. "But the quality varies somewhat."

"I've gone through the list and filtered it down. The names here are those I believe can meet your requirements. You can take a look; their demands are also listed."

Lorant took the long list from Tang En and scanned it.

There were far too many names on it, just as Tang En had said. The Congress of Magic was never short of madmen eager to conduct research.

Moreover, the demands these mages made were incredibly varied.

Some wanted a Mage Tower, others desired peculiar research materials, and one even requested to perform a live dissection on a pet beast.

"This one." Lorant pointed at the face of the mage who had requested the live dissection of a pet beast. "Remove him from the list, add him to the Animal Pet Shop's blacklist, and ensure that anyone who has ever done business with him undergoes strict A-level scrutiny if they wish to purchase a pet beast from the shop. We must ensure no pet beast falls into his hands."

Tang En nodded. He had deliberately left this mage on the list so that Lorant could see and handle the matter personally.

He silently noted Lorant's reaction, planning to send someone to keep a close eye on this individual upon his return.

However, adding someone to the blacklist was beyond his authority. With only the two of them in the pavilion, Tang En was unsure if Lorant was giving him an order or not.

Before he could figure it out, a thick, brownish-red tentacle descended from above his head.

Lorant handed the list to the tentacle with a calm demeanor. Kong Jiu slowly slid down from the top of the pavilion, bringing the list close to its eyes and examining it carefully.

Kong Jiu often accompanied Lorant at the Animal Pet Shop, helping him with various tasks.

As it read, two of its other tentacles scribbled on a piece of paper it had somehow produced.

In no time, under Tang En's horrified gaze, Kong Jiu completed a copy, recording all the information about the person.

Having finished, Kong Jiu politely nodded at Tang En, who was frozen in place, and then swayed its tentacles toward the shop entrance.

These floating octopuses had learned quite a bit recently, including basic reading and writing. They were astonishingly intelligent and could copy unfamiliar characters after learning to write.

To help the floating octopuses master writing faster, Lorant required them to carry paper and pens in the suckers of their tentacles at all times, practicing whenever they had a moment.

But this scene was too much for Tang En!

He stared dumbfounded at the slowly departing floating octopus, unable to react for a long time.

Lorant paid no attention to him and flipped through the list again.

After confirming there were no more outrageous individuals, Lorant didn't feel like going through each name himself.

Such personnel information wasn't always accurate; sometimes, only a face-to-face meeting could determine if someone was the right fit.

"Alright, Tang En. Go back and inform these people that we will be conducting interviews in three days. Those who wish to join the Animal Pet Shop's research team can attend," Lorant said, handing the list back to Tang En and dismissing the matter with a wave of his hand.

Tang En, now recovered, reluctantly put the list away. He had become accustomed to Lorant's laissez-faire attitude.

After all, before Lorant, he had served many lords in the Beast Tower, becoming adept at the role of a major steward.

As for the wonders of the pet beasts, well, he would get used to them eventually!

Tang En thought to himself as he walked out of the teleportation array, his mind still reeling.