Chapter 174

Chapter 174

Lorant's face lit up with joy, not expecting such a twist in their relationship.

A pet slime?

It made sense, now that he thought about it. When Estelle first saw the pet slime products, her first thought was to send things back home.

Compared to where their tribe is located, it should be quite cold in the winter there.

If he could obtain enough Holy Spring Water, what was there to stop him from starting a Slime Ranch?

It just so happened that the Church's ranch had only just begun operations. They could simply supply from both ranches, couldn't they?

"If that's the case, Estelle, could you contact your tribe for me? Don't mention our conditions just yet, just say that I want to talk to them about the slime ranch."

Lorant said with a smile.

In commercial negotiations, once you know the other party's bottom line, you have a lot of room to maneuver.

Goals achieved too easily might lead to greed.

Lorant needed to carefully manage the balance here.

The half-elf girl was a innocent little one, which was why her mother didn't want her daughter to become a representative of the tribe.

If she were to be deceived, the old stubborn ones in the tribe would blame her again. Estelle's mother wanted to avoid such trouble.

Estelle did have the potential to be deceived, but fortunately, she met Lorant. Given their relationship, Lorant would never let her be put in a difficult position.

After settling this matter, Lorant immediately returned to the Animal Pet Shop.

He quickly sorted out all the materials and live exotic beasts currently needed.

All the materials that could be purchased directly, Lorant was prepared to buy them outright.

For some, he wrote a list for Mike to hand over to Emma, and for others, Lorant prepared to send Tang En to acquire them.

The range for live exotic beasts was quite broad.

There were exotic beasts from level five to level twelve, all available.

So far, only the Beast Tower's cages could provide sufficient samples.

However, except for a few level five and six beasts that had one or two each, most of the others existed as single specimens, making it quite difficult to breed them in large numbers.

That night, Lorant headed straight to the Beast Tower.

He carefully inspected all the beasts in the tower that might be useful, and in the process, Lorant suddenly realized he had made a mistake.

To breed Holy Peafowls, he first needed to prepare five types of secondary beasts.

These five types of secondary beasts required ten different types of beasts for breeding.

The problem was, although the Beast Tower had all ten types of beasts in their collection, most of them were solitary.

Perhaps a long time ago, each type of beast in the Beast Tower had at least one male and one female, for research purposes.

But with the decline of the Beast Tower and the gradual completion of all beast research data, many beasts in the tower were left with only one specimen.

And these beasts weren't all like 'Swamp Mud,' a completely genderless beast.

Most beasts had gender distinctions, just like how Lorant only needed female Claw Wolves and male Wind Foxes.

To breed, it wasn't just about having the beast, but having the specific gender of the beast.

After checking, Lorant found that three types of beasts had genders that didn't match his requirements and couldn't be used for breeding.

One was a level seven beast, and the other two were level six beasts.

They were all of considerable level, and for now, Lorant couldn't find suitable replacements.

He spent the entire night completing the breeding of the other beasts.

With the help of the baby Ghost Spiders, the work was still quite manageable.

Lorant both completed the breeding of the secondary beasts and mixed the large amount of materials he needed into some cover materials, writing a long list for Tang En to collect as soon as possible.

"Don't worry about the cost, everything on the list must be brought back by tomorrow night," Lorant said to Tang En very seriously.

Tang En looked at Lorant's dark circles and suspiciously glanced at the clock in the living room, which pointed to 6:30 AM.

"Lorant, did you not sleep all night?" Tang En asked suspiciously.

Lorant blinked. He hadn't slept, but he didn't feel very tired at the moment.

The excitement of obtaining a brand new pet route, especially the one he wanted the most right now, kept his spirits high.

"That's not important, Tang En," Lorant waved his hand. "What's important is what I told you. Everything must be acquired by tomorrow night."

"If you encounter any difficulties, you can contact Nia or Emma. If there's something you can't get, then come to me."

Tang En nodded. When it came to professional matters, he was quite reliable.

"Don't worry, there won't be any problems. The Beast Tower has its own supply channels, and with the current beast tide at the entrance of the Lopulo mountains, it shouldn't be difficult to purchase these things." He looked at the long list in his hand.

As the head steward of the Beast Tower, although Tang En wasn't a mage, he was quite knowledgeable about some materials mages needed, such as various crystals, plants, and exotic beasts.

He was even more knowledgeable about these materials than some lower-level mages.

The list Lorant gave him, although it seemed to contain a large number of items and they were all relatively precious, Tang En understood that as long as the money was right, these could be bought.

It was the list this guy gave him last time that was a real headache.

No matter how much money you had, you couldn't buy a dragon beast's skeleton!

The same went for the heart blood of high-level exotic beasts! This kind of collection-grade material left Tang En with no room to maneuver.

In the end, it was Jacqueline who, upon learning about it, transferred some of her collected exotic beast heart blood to Lorant.

She even used her own channels to obtain more heart blood from others, which greatly accelerated Lorant's material collection progress.

"I'll send someone to acquire these things right away," Tang En said, standing up to adjust his tailcoat. "But you'd better rest for a while. We're completely different from those professionals. If we stay up like this, our bodies definitely won't hold up."

He had seen the way the "elders" in the Beast Tower burned the midnight oil, their physical condition already vastly different from ordinary people by then.

Lorant, however, was a complete ordinary person.

Lorant nodded. Just sitting here for a little while had already made him feel slightly dizzy.

The excitement slowly faded from his mind, leaving only the accumulated fatigue of a sleepless night.

But before going to rest, Lorant had one more thing to do.

The fortress was already quite bustling in the early morning.

Or rather, since the beast horde began, this war machine of a fortress had not stopped for a single moment.

The professionals, following the schedule set by the military, stood guard on the towers day and night, facing those tireless embodiments of malice.

Mo'er yawned as he led the Gulp Frogs to the corner where they had been the day before.

Thanks to these big guys needing rest, Mo'er, who was in charge of taking care of them, could also enjoy a sufficient amount of sleep.

The Gulp Frogs were placed by Ed in a large warehouse at the rear of the fortress. The exotic beast hides that had originally been stored here were all moved away.

Two mages came over and easily used a few elegant cleaning spells to make the place look brand new.

The warehouse, with its high ceiling and large windows on the top and sides, did not feel stuffy or uncomfortable to walk in.

The Gulp Frogs were clearly not very demanding about their living quarters. They could comfortably sleep by finding any spot in the backyard of the animal pet shop, so naturally, they could also sleep well in the warehouse at night.

Mo'er declined the single room Ed had arranged for him in the fortress. He knew very well why he was here, so he directly set up a bed in the warehouse and slept together with these big guys.

Except for the loud snoring of a few Gulp Frogs at night, Mo'er thought everything was quite alright.

Of course, compared to the snoring, the constant battle sounds outside made Mo'er even more uneasy.

As long as he lay in bed, the shouts could be heard clearly in his ears.

All night long, Mo'er felt on edge in his dreams, always feeling that the next second a beast would break into the house.

So, when the already familiar Knight Squad knocked on the warehouse door to wake him up in the morning, Mo'er, with dark circles under his eyes, opened the door listlessly.

"Didn't rest well, Mo'er?" The wolf-headed squad leader Thomas, with a bright smile, looked at the exhausted Mo'er.

Mo'er staggered and tried to go back to his bed to catch a few more minutes of sleep. His mental state, having not truly slept all night, left him with no energy to deal with this person who was asking a redundant question.

Hanco, sensing his owner's need for support, leaned against Mo'er's leg, using his body to prop him up and ensure he wouldn't fall to the ground as he stumbled around.

Thomas chuckled behind him. "What? Couldn't sleep because of the outside noise?"

Mo'er successfully threw himself onto the bed and buried his head in the pillow, nodding with difficulty.

"Not just that, these big guys aren't peaceful at night either... the snoring is so loud..."

Thomas burst into laughter. "Little guy, this is the life in the military! You'll have to get used to it if you're going to stay here!"

He wasn't very old, probably around twenty.

When Ed specifically assigned him to assist Mo'er, Thomas had felt some resentment inside.

As a fourth-level knight, what he wanted at this time was to go to the front lines and kill those disgusting exotic beasts, not stay here and act as a nanny under the command of a kid!

Without even thinking about it, Thomas knew that this kid, supposedly the shop owner's cousin, was probably a pampered young master who was fussy about everything.

He assumed his task would involve not only taking care of the Gulp Frogs but also babysitting this kid.

However, after spending the day together yesterday, Thomas was surprised to find that this boy suited his taste quite well.

He wasn't some young master living in a castle but rather a young wolf cub who had experienced hardship in Pokara.

Although not a professional, Thomas felt a newfound respect for the boy. He re-evaluated his task during this period.

It felt like he had already lost a round by having those previous thoughts.

Still, he couldn't help but feel a bit competitive with Mo'er.

Seeing Mo'er in such a state of exhaustion, Thomas felt like he had won a round and was inexplicably pleased.

See! Not everyone can adapt to life in the military!

Mo'er struggled to pull himself together and stay awake.

"I should have brought my Dream Weaver along," the boy murmured, shaking his head uncomfortably. "It's really not comfortable to suddenly be away from Little White."

Thomas, who had just felt like he had won a round, had his smile freeze on his face.

Even though he wasn't a mage, he knew just how precious a Dream Weaver was as a beast pet.

Facing this guy who was using such a precious pet as a sleep aid, Thomas suddenly felt like he had lost completely.

......

When Lorant arrived at the fortress with dark circles under his eyes, the place was even more bustling than it had been last night.

The line in front of Ed was getting longer, and many injured knights were responsible for maintaining order.

These knights couldn’t return to the frontlines in the short term, so they had rotated with the logistical knights.

"Everyone, stop lining up! Those who received empowerment yesterday, don’t line up!" Ed shouted angrily at the crowd in the line, "Luna! Do you think I’m blind? Leave now! Go! No empowerment for you guys today even if you line up all day!"

The usually elegant logistics officer was now rolling up his sleeves, leaning halfway over the table and roaring, looking like he was about to rush out and hit someone.

The ranger who was called out wrinkled her nose and was unhappily pulled away by her husband.

More and more captains were gathering around Ed.

They chattered incessantly, giving Ed a headache.

"Ed," Lorant carefully stepped forward and greeted him, "Is Lance up there? Can I go up?"

Ed turned his red eyes fiercely towards Lorant, scaring the shop owner back half a step, fearing that Ed was about to pounce and bite.

When Ed realized it was Lorant, his expression calmed down, he took a deep breath and nodded, "Yes, shop owner, young master is upstairs, you can go directly."

Ed's address drew many envious glances. They knew all too well where these highly sought-after pets came from.

If they could get in touch with the shop owner, wouldn’t that be better than bothering this useless Ed?

Feeling a chill from all the gazes, Lorant quickly made his way to the staircase with Maomao.

He didn’t have to wait long on the platform before Lancelot accurately landed in front of Lorant.

"Why did you come so early?" The knight looked at Lorant in surprise. Normally, this guy wouldn’t get up before 9 or 10 o’clock.

Just now, when he saw Lorant’s figure from above, he thought he was seeing things.

Lorant was feeling sleepy too, he yawned and handed the prepared list directly to Lancelot.

"Can’t I come early?"

"Lance, can you try to catch these live alien beasts for me today?"

These beasts weren’t very high-level, so Lorant went directly to Lancelot. If they were more advanced beasts, he would have to go to Lindbergh.

After all, the great general had promised that even high-level beasts could be caught for him!

Lancelot took the list but kept his eyes tightly on Lorant’s face. He frowned as he looked at the visibly tired boy, "You haven’t rested since you left yesterday, have you?"

Lorant blinked, avoiding eye contact and talking around the issue, "Um... just make sure to confirm their gender, or it won’t be useful."

Lancelot rarely looked serious as he gazed at him in silence.

Lorant felt as if he had been nagged by Ruth again, a similarly eerie sense of pressure.

As if he had done something wrong.

He didn’t think he had done anything bad, just stayed up once, and it wasn’t a big deal, but he still felt guilty and couldn’t meet his gaze.

"Well, I, I’m sleepy." Lorant said softly, "I’m going back to sleep now, okay? I’ll come find you again tonight."

Seeing the boy who wanted to run away, Lancelot helplessly pulled him back and urged, "Go back and sleep directly. Deal with the shop’s matters after you wake up. Don’t always stay up late. These things can’t be rushed. Don’t ruin your health, okay?" The knight softened his voice as if coaxing a child, "You don’t need to rush tonight. After I finish, I’ll return to the animal pet shop. You rest well, okay? Alright?"

Lorant nodded slightly and pouted, "I got it, you’re so naggy!"

Watching the sleepy Lorant, who was starting to throw a childish tantrum, walk away, Lancelot helplessly shook his head.

After returning to the animal pet shop and having a good sleep, Lorant filled his stomach and began to think about the next steps while sitting at the dining table.

He thought it would be unwise to put all his hopes in acquiring the Sacred Spring Water on Estelle alone, so he called over Mac, Taya, and Monroe from the backyard.

"Here’s the situation," Lorant briefly explained his needs, "I want to ask if you have any channels to get Sacred Spring Water and Eternal Wood."

Dominic pondered for a moment and then said, "If it’s Sacred Spring Water, I can indeed get you some, but the quantity might not be much."

Seeing Lorant’s excited expression, he explained, "Every member of the elf tribe actually has a fixed share."

"Each tribe allows its members to collect their share every year. Some elves who don’t need it themselves might choose to sell it."

"But if you’re hoping to buy it for its powerful healing effects, you’ll probably be disappointed."

"The sacred spring of the elf tribe does have strong healing effects for its members, even to the extent of regenerating lost limbs."

"However, for non-elf tribe members, even half-elves, the healing effects are significantly reduced."

Lorant, however, didn’t care at all about the healing effects. He was extremely excited and almost wanted to grab Dominic and urge him to get the Sacred Spring Water immediately.

"It’s okay, Dominic. I just want to study it. I think I can make good use of this material in one of my experiments and want to try it."

"Regardless of the effects, if possible, I hope you can help me buy some Sacred Spring Water. The price is negotiable. Get as much as you can."

Seeing Lorant so determined, Dominic didn’t say much more and nodded, "Alright, I’ll return to the Elf Forest tomorrow and check the current market price."

"Thank you for your hard work. You can use the teleportation array in the animal pet shop freely. Of course, you’ll get your share after the deal is done. I’ll be waiting for your good news."

Seeing the first task resolved so easily, Lorant couldn’t help but feel secretly pleased.

He hadn't expected that Estelle, a half-elf, and Dominic, a full-blooded elf, both members of the elven race, would have such a huge difference in their perception of the Sacred Springwater.

From what Estelle had implied yesterday, the Sacred Springwater was an extremely rare existence for her, to the point that when she fell ill, her mother had to secretly use her own portion to help her.

But in Dominic's eyes, the Sacred Springwater seemed to be just an ordinary allocatable resource.

He didn't even emphasize its rarity from beginning to end.

He only mentioned that there might not be much available on the market.

Lorant couldn't help but feel a silent sigh in his heart, thinking that the elves' pursuit of bloodline purity and exclusivity seemed far more severe than he had imagined.

But these were not matters he should be considering right now. Lorant turned his head and looked at Mike and Taya, the siblings.

"So, Taya, Mike, do you have any leads on the Everwood?"

As he asked the siblings, Lorant felt a bit uneasy. He was somewhat worried that, like the elves, the orcs might also have a bias against members of their race who only had half-blood heritage.

If that were the case, as a half-orc, Taya might not have any good way to obtain the Everwood.

"Boss, the Everwood is indeed a bit hard to come by," Taya said, exchanging a glance with Mike. "Most orc tribes live on the Burning Plains, where our parents reside."

"The Everwood is not a special totem of the orc race, nor does it carry any sacred meaning, but it is a tree that no orc tribe can do without."

"Moreover, because the Everwood has a long lifespan, the orcs are reluctant to cut down their Everwood while it's still alive."

"Acquiring Everwood is indeed quite difficult," Taya said with some embarrassment.

"That's right," Mike chimed in. "Everwood is not uncommon on the Burning Plains, but it's rarely heard of any tribe willing to sell the Everwood."