Chapter 167

Chapter 167

Lorant patted the small, cool body of the translucent frog while curiously observing the few people beside him who were utterly shocked.

"How's it going? Have you tested the abilities of these little guys?"

While Lorant and Lancelot were having dinner, the others, who had finished eating early, started circling around these devouring frogs.

Lorant asked Mike and Taya to keep a close eye on these devouring frogs and provided them with some kitchen knives to demonstrate their "empowerment" effects.

After all, each devouring frog had a different empowerment effect, so they had to test each one individually to determine their specific abilities.

Taya, her eyes sparkling, turned to Lorant, "Shopkeeper! The empowerment talent of the devouring frogs is truly incredible. We just empowered a kitchen knife, and after it came out, the knife actually had a flame effect!"

As the biggest fan of beast pets, Taya always believed that beast pets could do anything.

The fact that even she was surprised indicated that the devouring frogs' abilities were indeed quite peculiar.

The others nearby were also dumbfounded, gathering around the kitchen knife in Mo'er's hand.

Lorant couldn't help but lean in to examine the knife closely. It was a kitchen knife they had conveniently taken from their kitchen.

In the Animal Pet Shop, apart from the personal weapons of a few professionals, only kitchen knives qualified as bladed 'weapons.'

To avoid any potential issues from the devouring frogs' empowerment, Mike and Taya carefully chose kitchen knives for the experiment.

After all, everyone's weapons were precious, and if the empowerment had any adverse effects, they would be heartbroken.

Several more kitchen knives from the kitchen, obtained from Kongwu, were placed nearby.

As a floating octopus now responsible for feeding all the beast pets, as well as providing meals for the orphanage and several mages, Kongwu was well-equipped.

Additionally, Taya's wand, Mike's battle-axe and greatsword, a shield, and Dominic's longbow were also ready on the side.

If the devouring frogs didn't harm these weapons, they would be put to use.

Dominic and Monroe stood a bit further away. They had learned about this matter when Mo'er borrowed Dominic's longbow and followed along.

At that moment, they were both curious but hesitant to get too close.

Regardless of other considerations, this was a completely new and unpublicized type of beast pet!

Dominic and Monroe weren't sure how much they should observe and how much needed to be kept confidential, but seeing the others' lack of secrecy, they assumed there wasn't a major issue.

Monroe watched as Pence and Jeremy tried to push Mike aside to be the first to touch the kitchen knife, thinking to himself:

If I'm not mistaken, these two aren't part of the Animal Pet Shop like me!

Lorant, however, didn't notice Monroe and the others; his entire focus was on the kitchen knife with flames swirling around its blade.

Looking at it, Lorant's first thought was that if used to cut meat, it would probably cook it to medium-rare with just one slice.

Lancelot also leaned in, but he was much more professional.

The knight held the kitchen knife and wrapped it in a testing array.

Under the influence of the magical array, which worked effectively though its principle was unknown, Lancelot quickly understood the basic situation of the 'flame knife.'

"There is indeed a magical flame attached to it," Lancelot said, handing the knife back to Lorant with the handle facing him. "The effect is roughly equivalent to a fourth-level spell, 'Flame Blade.'"

"The overall increase in attack power still needs further verification, but it's certain that the strength will be many times higher than without empowerment."

Lorant took the kitchen knife, delighted. With Lancelot's certification, at least this devouring frog's ability was confirmed to be flawless.

Who could refuse a beast pet that could provide a 'Flame Blade' effect to their weapon in a short time?

Taya tore off a piece of paper, wrote 'Flame' on it, and attached it to a small wooden sign, which she hung on the devouring frog's waist belt.

Not only the waist belt, but Lorant also planned to provide these creatures with full sets of clothing.

This wasn't for aesthetics; in fact, Lorant had long given up on appearance. Unless they were completely covered, he didn't think a little decoration would make much difference...

The main reason for dressing them was that, unlike the floating octopus, the devouring frogs' skin, though resilient, required surface moisture to support their normal life. The layer of mucus on their skin maintained the necessary humidity.

Under normal circumstances, the cool, plastic-like mucus layer served its purpose well, but in a place like Pokara, which was dry and hot, it would struggle to maintain the necessary moisture.

In such places, besides frequently replenishing their water, appropriate protective measures were essential. Lorant specially commissioned experienced craftsmen to make clothes for them using the skin of a sixth-level beast with a 'humidifying' effect.

However, in the Animal Pet Shop, there was no need for them to wear the clothes yet.

The devouring frog with the flame empowerment ability lowered its head slightly to look at Taya. Seeing that she was only attaching something to its body, it raised its head again and gazed into the distance.

Nothing could stop them from looking far away.

"Very good, let's split into two groups," Lorant began, turning to see Monroe and the others. He immediately called out, "Monroe, could you temporarily record the relevant data? Kongwu has already gone to call the others. Today, we will collect data on the devouring frogs."

Monroe immediately became interested and eagerly ran over, leaving Dominic behind. "No problem, Shopkeeper!"

He had wanted to get involved right away! Only by measuring the data himself could Monroe truly believe it.

Beside him, Jeremy watched enviously as Monroe and Mo'er began simple tests and recorded the changes in the kitchen knife. He also wanted to participate.

Although he was a priest, Jeremy had a strong interest in beast pets.

He didn't consider whether, as an 'outsider,' he should temporarily step back or whether observing these secrets might be inappropriate.

The priest's mind lacked the concept of 'social norms.'

Lorant, of course, knew this guy's temperament. In fact, if there were any truly confidential matters, he wouldn't have let the devouring frogs appear before everyone.

Seeing Jeremy's gaze, Lorant didn't hold back and immediately started giving orders to the priest: "Jeremy, could you get me another kitchen knife? We need to test them all one by one."

"Coming!" Jeremy's face lit up with joy as he enthusiastically rushed over with the knife.

Lorant took the knife and walked over to the second Devouring Frog.

The creature was still looking up at the sky, seemingly lost in thought about the clouds, completely oblivious to the group of excited bipeds around it.

Lorant gave the Devouring Frog's large belly a firm pat, but for the frog, his force felt no different from a strong breeze. The giant creature didn't even notice someone was patting its stomach.

It was Little Tō who first noticed Lorant's actions. It wobbled over to its brother and nudged him with its body.

Despite being "transparent," Little Tō still had a considerable volume, making its movements quite weighty.

With a few thuds, the dazed Devouring Frog in front of Lorant finally snapped out of its trance and noticed him.

Seeing that it had finally focused on him, Lorant immediately looked up and extended his hand: "Frog Two, empower it."

The Devouring Frog's eyes had an unsettling, viscous yellow-green color, with a black horizontal bar as its pupil.

Staring into those eyes always gave a sense of pressure.

Partly because of their towering height, which naturally created a powerful presence, and partly because Lorant couldn't help but associate such pupils with something demonic.

However, over time, understanding these creatures' gentle nature and having raised them from a young age, Lorant had grown used to them. The only discomfort he felt was from having to look up at them.

But others found it harder to overcome this discomfort. Both Mike and Jeremy still felt a slight sense of pressure when facing the towering Devouring Frogs.

Of course, for them, the yellow-green horizontal pupils held no special significance, so once they got used to the frogs' massive size, they adapted faster than Lorant did.

Lorant raised the kitchen knife in his hand, and upon seeing it, the Devouring Frog slowly opened its mouth.

It stretched its wide, astonishingly large mouth, revealing a thick, long tongue covered in what seemed to be mucus.

However, like the mucus on the frog's skin, the mucus on its tongue served as a protective layer to prevent the giant creature from losing moisture.

So touching it didn't feel slimy at all, which made Lorant's experience much more pleasant.

For someone with a mild obsession with cleanliness, the cool plastic feel was far better than actual slime.

The large tongue skillfully wrapped around the kitchen knife in Lorant's hand.

Lorant was holding the handle, intending to adjust the knife's position to avoid cutting the frog's tongue with the sharp blade.

But before he could act, he saw the knife's edge completely sealed by the mucus on the frog's tongue, encased in a translucent layer that effectively isolated it from the frog's body, ensuring it wouldn't cause any harm.

The tongue then retracted the knife into the frog's mouth.

The crowd watched intently.

Even though Taya and Mike had already performed the process once, it didn't diminish their amazement when they saw it again.

They could watch this performance all day without getting tired!

After retracting its tongue, the Devouring Frog made a clear swallowing motion and closed its eyes.

Lorant watched the giant creature nervously, expecting the usual magical glow during the enchantment process, followed by a 'ding' indicating success or a 'crack' indicating failure and the weapon breaking.

But the Devouring Frog wasn't some game NPC; it couldn't fail the enchantment.

Once the "Empower" skill was used, the frog would infallibly imbue its ability onto the object.

After a brief pause, the frog suddenly opened its mouth and let out a loud burp.

The kitchen knife, now coated in an unknown mucus, was casually spat out onto the ground.

Lorant felt as if the frog had choked while eating and decided to spit out the fish bone stuck in its throat.

The sensation was quite strange.

......

But the others weren't as bothered. Having such a capability, they wouldn't mind even if the knife had to go through the frog's digestive system...

Never mind, Lorant thought, feeling a bit disgusted as he watched Jeremy excitedly wipe the mucus off the knife. He suddenly regretted it, thinking that after today, all the knives would need to be replaced.

He would make sure the Devouring Frog earned enough to cover this unnecessary expense!

This time, unlike the previous knife, the result of the enchantment was clearly visible. From its current appearance, everyone couldn't help but wonder if the empowerment had failed.

But when Lancelot picked it up, he immediately understood the frog's ability without needing to examine it further.

"This kitchen knife has become a power-storing weapon," Lancelot said confidently, weighing the knife in his hand.

"A power-storing weapon?" Mo'er, who had been replaced by Dominic, curiously leaned in to ask.

Lorant, who had read related literature, explained: "A power-storing weapon is a special type of magical weapon. The user can store their abilities within it and release them all at once or gradually absorb them back into their body when needed."

Lancelot nodded: "That's correct, but due to the limited duration of the empowerment, using it as a mana replenishment tool might not be very practical."

"And I just tried it out; the amount of energy this knife can store is not very high, roughly equivalent to a first-level spell. I wonder if it’s because of the type of blade. If this applies to all weapons, it would still be quite attractive to those below level three."

Lorant understood his subtle words. Being attractive to those below level three implied that higher-level individuals might look down on such energy-storing weapons.

Especially when compared to the 'Flame Blade' from earlier, this energy-storing ability seemed significantly weaker.

It seemed that even within the same species, different Devouring Frogs could possess different abilities.

However, Lorant was not discouraged. He picked up the now energy-storing kitchen knife and walked over to the Devouring Frog labeled with the 'Flame' tag.

"Frog One, empower it."

Frog One's long tongue flicked out, swallowing the kitchen knife once again.

Soon, when the knife was spat out onto the lawn, everyone except Lorant widened their eyes in surprise.

The kitchen knife was now engulfed in roaring flames.

Lancelot immediately picked up the knife and examined it closely.

He looked at Lorant with delight: "Flame and energy storage! Both functions are present! Their abilities can actually stack!"

Lorant had not been entirely sure about his hypothesis, but he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief after Lancelot's exclamation.

The ability to stack powers was a significant enhancement for the Devouring Frogs!

Who could resist a weapon that could store energy and also be imbued with a flaming magic edge?

However, Lorant remained composed and didn't jump around excitedly like Jeremy. He took the knife, which had been empowered twice, and approached the third Devouring Frog.

Soon, a kitchen knife that burned with flames, stored energy internally, and enhanced the 'Arcane Missile' spell was born into the world.

Then, Lorant moved on to the fourth Devouring Frog...

By the time he reached the sixth Devouring Frog, Lorant stopped his exploration.

Because while the first flame-imbued knife was still burning brightly, the 'energy storage' ability on his multi-empowered knife had disappeared.

"Perhaps the Devouring Frogs can only stack up to five abilities," Kimberly, who had rushed over, observed seriously. "Or maybe the duration of energy storage is inherently shorter than that of the Flame Blade. We will need to confirm this thoroughly."

Lorant nodded; it was best to leave such specialized matters to the experts.

While the small experiments they had conducted were interesting, there was much more tedious work ahead.

How strong were the abilities granted by each Devouring Frog? How long did they last?

Would stacking abilities affect the strength of each function? Could conflicting abilities like ice and fire coexist on the same weapon? Would stacking abilities have any adverse effects on the weapon itself?

And could the Devouring Frogs empower multiple weapons at once? How many times could they empower weapons in a day? Would different weapons produce different empowerment effects?

All these questions needed to be answered through meticulous experimentation.

Kimberly and three other mages quickly got to work, while Kong Si, standing nearby, began recording information and assisting them.

Mages, after all, were mages—madmen in the eyes of ordinary people.

After a brief moment of surprise, they accepted the terrifying intelligence of the floating octopus within days.

They quickly became accustomed to having Kong Si assist them in the laboratory.

With its eight tentacles, the floating octopus had a natural advantage, capable of assisting four people simultaneously—a feat that two-legged creatures with only two hands could only envy.

Now, the four humans and one creature worked together seamlessly.

Lancelot watched the busy mages and felt a surge of excitement. For a moment, he forgot about returning to Pokara.

"Kimberly, can you compile all the abilities, strengths, durations, and stacking effects of each Devouring Frog by tonight?" Lancelot asked, unable to resist looking at the cooperative frogs.

Kimberly knew that although her boss was Lorant, this knight held a significant position in his regard. She did not react angrily as she might have in the Mage Tower when a young mage disturbed her experiments.

She turned around, holding a thick leaf-paper notebook, and thought carefully: "The basic data should be no problem, but I can't guarantee the rest."

"These pets can't work non-stop like us; they need rest. So I can't be certain how much time we have left."

"All I can say is that we will do our best. If you let me focus on the research now, we might improve our efficiency further."

Her words were blunt, but Lancelot understood these research-oriented mages.

These individuals often became so engrossed in their work that they could ignore everything else, much like his nominal teacher, William, who was a madman.

Lancelot wisely did not disturb them further.

He also refrained from offering to help, knowing that for a well-functioning research team, only an expert in the field should intervene; otherwise, it would disrupt their rhythm.

Lancelot hurried back to Pokara and explained the new pets to Lindbergh, who glared at him.

Upon hearing this, the tall general immediately dropped his previous concerns about his son's temporary departure from the front lines to enjoy himself in the rear.

"If what you say is true and this can be done on a large scale!" The general paced back and forth in his office, his excitement evident: "We must bring these creatures to Pokara first!"

Lancelot nodded; this was also Lorant's intention. Lorant wanted the Devouring Frogs to make their debut in Pokara, the chaotic place that now drew all attention.