Chapter 175

Chapter 175

Lorant hadn't expected that the first hurdle on his journey to breed the Holy Light Peacock would be the Orcish tribe's Lifewood.

Hearing Taya say this, Lorant also felt troubled.

He thought for a moment and said, "So there's absolutely no possibility of purchasing or trading for Lifewood?"

Mike and Taya exchanged glances, and Mike shook his head. "Unless there's a Lifewood somewhere that has lost its life and no longer provides shade, no tribe would be willing to sell their Lifewood."

Not giving up, Lorant pressed, "But if Lifewood doesn't hold any special significance to the Orcs, why are they so fixated on it? What purpose does Lifewood serve for the Orcs?"

Taya patiently explained, "Shopkeeper, Lifewood is actually just an ordinary tall tree. It's just that the Fiery Plains are flat land, and apart from wild grass, only Lifewood can survive there."

"Without the presence of Lifewood, even Orcs, who are naturally stronger than humans, would find it hard to survive in such a hot environment under the direct sun."

"For every Orc tribe or Orc city, a Lifewood tree is equivalent to expandable territory."

"Losing territory is unacceptable to anyone."

After understanding the reason, Lorant lowered his eyes and thought for a moment. "Wait! If Lifewood is an ordinary tree, shouldn't it be able to reproduce?"

"If Orc cities need Lifewood to expand their territory, where do these new Lifewood trees come from?"

This wasn't much of a secret; anyone who had spent time on the Fiery Plains knew. So Taya said, "New Lifewood seems to grow from the roots of older Lifewood, but the growth process is extremely slow, taking centuries to grow just a few centimeters."

This news deflated Lorant again, who had been planning to purchase seeds or saplings and ask Jacqueline to accelerate their growth.

The energy consumption to accelerate a plant that takes a year to mature versus one that takes centuries is enormous.

Even a legendary mage, trying to accelerate the growth of Lifewood, might need almost a year of continuous work.

"What to do now..." Lorant fiddled with the long spoon in his cup, looking troubled. "Dominic can help me get part of the Holy Springwater, and I can trade for the other part with Estelle's tribe using the Slime Ranch, but what about the Lifewood..."

He racked his brains, wondering what he had that could attract Orcs the way beast pets attracted Elves.

Hearing his muttering, Taya's eyes lit up.

"Shopkeeper, actually..." Taya said uncertainly, biting her lip. "Although Lifewood is Orc territory, territory isn't something that can't be sold."

"As long as the price is right, someone will be tempted."

Lorant looked up at her, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Beast pets!" Taya said confidently.

"I can feel it, shopkeeper!" She excitedly shook her cat ears. "I can feel the obvious connection between me and the beast pets!"

"So I've been thinking, maybe the compatibility between Orcs and beast pets is higher than other races."

"If you're willing to open a branch of the beast pet shop on the Fiery Plains and let Orcs enjoy the benefits of beast pets, I believe the Orc tribal shamans would seriously consider your request!"

Taya looked at Lorant nervously, her heart pounding.

She worried that she had overstepped today. As soon as the words left her mouth, she feared Lorant might be angry with her.

If the shopkeeper thought she was trying to sacrifice the interests of the beast pet shop for the sake of the tribe, would she get fired?

However, Lorant just looked at her confusedly.

"You mean, if the beast pet shop is willing to open a branch on the Fiery Plains, we might be able to get Lifewood?" He even wondered if he had misheard.

Was this some kind of joke?

To pay him to make money and still have to offer additional compensation?

Seeing Lorant's puzzled expression, the scene fell into silence.

Of the five people present, it was Mike who reacted first.

He sighed in realization. "Shopkeeper, well... you didn't already have plans to expand the beast pet shop to the Fiery Plains, did you?"

Lorant frowned at him. "Why not? Both Elves and Orcs can bond with beast pets, right?"

At least for now, half-Elves and half-Orcs could gain the recognition of beast pets, as evidenced by Estelle and Taya, both of whom had their own Wind-breaking Horses and got along well with them.

Mike smiled bitterly and shook his head. "This... we were narrow-minded..."

Lorant tilted his head, unsure of what his staff were hinting at.

As someone who had come from the common folk, after arriving in this world for over a decade, Lorant's understanding of this world was limited to the freely available city libraries.

It was only after the rise of the beast pet shop that he gradually gained more means to access information.

This frustration was one of the most significant things Lorant had felt after leaving a world bursting with information and arriving in this one.

But even with his efforts to gather all kinds of information, his understanding and knowledge were largely confined to the human empire.

As for other races, Lorant hadn't been able to gather sufficient information.

So naturally, he didn't know that the 'protective barriers' established between intelligent races had been in place for thousands of years.

These protective barriers meant that large-scale transactions between different races were entirely impossible.

The ones who first proposed the 'protective barriers' referred to certain goods. Initially, the regulation was genuinely meant to protect the interests of various races.

For example, the Elven mines were extremely scarce and thus highly priced. If they were commercially invaded by the Dwarves, who had mines everywhere, the Elven mining industry might collapse entirely.

The original proposers of this rule were the leaders of each race. They agreed to give each other time to adapt, with the intention of lifting the restrictions later.

But the people who established such rules obviously didn't consider that after their death, these rules would be exploited by certain individuals with ulterior motives, gradually developing into dual barriers in trade and knowledge.

Both commercial trade and knowledge exchange were strictly controlled by these people.

Apart from a tiny amount of informal trade, each race was developing independently without interfering with one another.

Before his mother's passing and his father's departure to the Flame Plains for business, Mike was an ordinary person, which was why he could immediately understand Lorant's thoughts.

He also found it somewhat amusing that the Animal Pet Shop had grown to such a scale, yet Lorant was completely unaware of these developments.

It wasn't that Lorant was neglectful to this extent.

Firstly, the speed at which the Animal Pet Shop had grown was unexpected by everyone.

Secondly, the shop was actually only registered as a 'professional goods store,' and it was the most basic kind.

The Imperial Diet stipulated that business registrations be renewed every five years, meaning that no matter how much the Animal Pet Shop expanded within those five years, it would still be considered a 'basic' professional goods store.

They only needed to pay the taxes corresponding to that level.

Lorant was fairly satisfied with this arrangement.

However, the downside was that information usually accessed by larger stores wasn't specifically mentioned during registration.

The members of the Commercial Association were naturally aware of these matters, but who would bring up such unpleasant old regulations at a banquet?

Lancelot and Nia were also aware, but since the Animal Pet Shop hadn't considered expanding into the territories of other intelligent races, things gradually evolved to this point.

Those in the know didn't realize the need to point this out, and those unaware simply muddled through.

After Mike explained the situation to Lorant, Lorant became indifferent.

"Is that so?" Lorant mused thoughtfully, "But don't worry, I've never said that the animal pets are only meant to circulate within the empire."

"Expanding to other intelligent races' territories is just a matter of time." The shopkeeper said calmly.

Lorant then turned to Taya, who looked uneasy, "Taya, later you'll need to return to your tribe and try to find out if there's a possibility of purchasing the Longevity Wood."

Taya nodded nervously; she was just an ordinary adventurer and had never done such a thing.

Seeing Taya's nervousness, Lorant thought for a moment, "How about this? Taya, go find Emma. The two of you can go together, and she'll know what to do."

Taya and Dominic soon left the Animal Pet Shop.

Lorant went to the backyard to check on the shop's affairs, ensuring everything was running smoothly.

Just as he finished tidying up the backyard and was about to get something to eat, Lancelot appeared in the shop with three tightly restrained exotic beasts.

"You've caught them?" Lorant asked, pleasantly surprised.

Lancelot nodded slightly, looking tired. Even with others' help, capturing three exotic beasts of a level close to his own in a single day was quite challenging.

But these were matters Lancelot didn't need to worry about, so he just smiled, "Of course, just look at who I am!"

The knight pulled Lorant's arm to stop him from moving forward. Although the exotic beasts were subdued, they were still quite dangerous for Lorant.

Lorant trusted his little one to ensure his safety, but Lancelot couldn't help but worry, fearing something might go wrong.

"By the way, are all the other things ready?"

Lorant shook his head, then nodded again, "Dominic said he could get the Holy Spring Water, and tomorrow, Estelle said their tribal elder would come to the Animal Pet Shop to discuss the details, which shouldn't be a big issue."

"As for the Longevity Wood, I've sent Emma and Taya to the Flame Plains to see if we can exchange something for it when our shop enters the Beastfolk territory."

Lancelot was slightly stunned, then nodded, "That's right. No matter how precious something is, it can't compare to the animal pets."

The animal pets now were not the same as they were six months ago. Everyone had seen their importance, and other intelligent races had long been envious.

If it weren't for the major organizations keeping them out of human territories, some intelligent races would have already come seeking agreements.

The temptation to have the Animal Pet Shop in their territories was irresistible.

If anyone with any sense of reason were to refuse, they'd likely be torn apart by their own people.

As for resistance from the human side...

Lancelot smiled slightly, who cared?

Rules were never meant to bind those who made them.

Besides, given the current standing of the Animal Pet Shop, who would dare to stop its actions?

Wouldn't Lorant just pack up and leave from Mauplan to the Elven Forest or the Flame Plains?

If anyone believed Lorant was deeply reliant on humans, it was a joke to all those who knew he came from the commoner district, and even the parliament itself probably wouldn't believe it.

Honor of the race? That wasn't something people who were constantly at risk of starvation or being killed by passing nobles and professionals would have.

In the end, they couldn't hinder the Animal Pet Shop in the slightest.

"Since these exotic beasts have arrived, I'm going to Sakaron to meet Jacqueline. Do you want to come along, Lance?"

Lancelot thought for a moment, then shook his head, "I can't be away from Pokara for too long, so I won't accompany you. Be careful."

"With everyone's attention on Lopulo, there might be some ill-intentioned people trying to make a move at this time."

Lorant nodded, patting the little one in his pocket, feeling a bit more at ease, "Don't worry, nothing will happen."

However, as much as he said that, he always felt that with the development of the Animal Pet Shop and the increasing strength of the people he came into contact with, he would need to breed the codex as soon as possible to truly feel at ease.

Jacqueline was naturally in the Beast Tower.

Although a beast tide had appeared in Pokara, to most strong professionals, it was just a normal occurrence that happened every few years.

There was no need to give it any extra attention.

Unless the beast tide reached a high level with legendary beasts appearing, the military could handle it easily on their own.

The Magic Church would, of course, organize a small group of professionals to help out in Pokara.

However, with only ten official members left in the Beast Tower, including Lorant, they were not going to be involved anyway.

"Time magic?" Jacqueline, who was hovering in mid-air, pondered after hearing Lorant's idea. "I do know someone who specializes in that magic school."

"However..." Jacqueline looked at Lorant hesitantly.

"What is it, Aunt Jacqueline? Is there some inconvenience with that mage?" Lorant looked at Jacqueline eagerly.

He needed someone proficient in time magic to assist him.

To breed a batch of Holylight Peacocks.

Admittedly, the last time he tried to accelerate the breeding of Wind-Breaker Horse eggs was not a pleasant experience for Lorant.

But it had proven that accelerating the breeding of beast pets was feasible.

Although that batch of Wind-Breaker Horses had been in a state of slow development for a long time, they had gradually returned to normal by now.

Without pointing it out, they looked no different from ordinary Wind-Breaker Horses.

However, Lorant had marked them and asked Jin Baoli and others to pay special attention when recording data.

Lorant occasionally sent this data to William, who was confined in the Energized Mage Tower, so he could still have work to do while being locked in the tower.

Although Lorant couldn't quite agree with William's way of handling things, he had no doubt about the grandmaster's research capabilities.

Someone who was completely oblivious to social graces yet thrived so well already spoke volumes about his strength.

Since William was willing to act as a free researcher for the Animal Pet Shop, Lorant found it hard to refuse.

From that batch of Wind-Breaker Horses, Lorant saw the potential of time magic on beast pets.

Perhaps such acceleration would temporarily inhibit the growth of the beast pets, making them appear somewhat 'deficient,' but with proper nurturing and growth, this adverse effect could disappear.

Of course, Lorant also suspected that the long 'side effect period' of the Wind-Breaker Horses last time might have been due to William, a master of spatial magic, insisting on using time magic.

The Holylight Peacock held great significance for Lorant, both as an A-rank beast pet and for its abilities, which made Lorant give it his full attention.

He had to find an expert to carry out the operation.

So even when facing a legendary mage like Jacqueline, Lorant asked her to find a suitable person rather than requesting her direct assistance in the experiment.

Jacqueline shook her head. "There's no inconvenience; he's been idle all day and will likely meditate his life away in the Mage Tower if we don't find him something to do."

"However, this guy has a bit of a love for money, so you might have to pay a considerable amount to get him to cooperate." Jacqueline could hardly bring herself to say it—a legendary mage loving money was almost a disgrace!

A disgrace in the world of legendary mages!

But to Lorant, this was the best possible scenario!

If all strong individuals had such a love, and could be handled with money, Lorant would wake up smiling every day.

Jacqueline shook her head. "Oh well, since it's your request, little Lorant, I'll make an exception and introduce you to him."

Without leaving the Beast Tower, Jacqueline took Lorant through a teleportation array into another mage tower.

As soon as Lorant exited the teleportation array, he immediately felt the extraordinary atmosphere there.

The decor was just too striking.

Thinking back to when he had secretly mocked the Hall of the Holylight Rose Association for being ostentatious and lacking substance, Lorant felt a bit short-sighted.

Compared to this place, the Hall of the Holylight Rose could be considered refreshingly elegant and tasteful.

Pure gold covered every corner of this room.

For a moment, when the teleportation light disappeared, Lorant almost thought there was something wrong with his eyes.

He was suddenly unsure what the color 'gold' was supposed to look like.

Jacqueline took a long, deep breath and quickly led Lorant out of the room.

Outside wasn't much better.

Lorant couldn't help but slightly open his mouth; he felt like he had seen all the gold he would ever see in his lifetime within five minutes.

Though there was no evidence, he believed the golden statues in the corridor were made of solid gold...

At first, Lorant thought the owner of this place might just have a special liking for gold, but this thought was dispelled within seconds as they entered the next room.

Passing through the golden corridor, Jacqueline led Lorant into a room that glittered blindingly.

It was filled with all kinds of crystals!

Crystals were embedded in the ceiling, walls, and even the floor.

Under the light emitted by the crystal lamps in the room, a dazzling glare was reflected.

It was the first time Lorant had realized that the enchanting glow of the crystals could make someone so uncomfortable.

Jacqueline’s steps faltered for a moment, then quickened, and she practically ran through the room as if escaping.

Every minute spent here seemed to be an assault on the legendary mage’s sanity.

Finally, under Jacqueline’s guidance, the two arrived at a reception room that appeared somewhat normal.

Relatively speaking, it was normal. At least the massive gold statues here gave the stone walls a chance to breathe under the golden siege.

Moreover, the floor was simply covered with several layers of luxurious and soft carpets, without any gold showing through underneath.

Lorant couldn’t help but marvel that the human capacity for adaptation truly remained an unsolved mystery.

After what he had just experienced visually, he actually found this place to appear quite normal.

Perhaps it was he who was not normal.

Jacqueline didn’t waste any words: “Little Lorant, wait here for a moment, I’ll be right back.”

With that, she vanished on the spot.

‘Boss! It’s so bright here!’

The little soul spider, who had immediately begun to scout and weave webs upon arriving in this unfamiliar place, remarked with emotion as it scurried about.

‘So many, many crystals!’

‘Wow! And pearls too!’

‘This room is completely filled with gems!’

Lorant found it somewhat amusing and was about to engage in a brief discussion with the excited little one about the aura of wealth here, but before he could speak, his pupils suddenly shrank.

"Little ones!" a voice suddenly rang out behind Lorant, "It’s not polite to tamper with things in someone else’s house, you know!"