Chapter 195

Chapter 195

Lorant silently pondered for a moment.

In the end, he cheerfully abandoned the thought.

Such complex matters could be left for his future self to handle. For now, he should just focus on what was in front of him.

Opening the bestiary entry on the "Curry Monster" and its breeding process, Lorant contentedly set aside the overly complicated questions.

Difficult problems aren't solved simply by thinking hard about them. It's like how a kindergarten child wouldn't be able to solve calculus no matter how hard they try. There's no need to obsess over it.

As a C-class beast pet, the Curry Monster's breeding path wasn't a troublesome task for Lorant, who had already handled many higher-class beast pet breedings.

Moreover, the beasts required were not high-grade. Although they were not available at the Animal Pet Shop currently, they could easily be found at the Beast Tower.

With a breeding period of only one or two months, Lorant would soon have a Curry Monster.

"Looks like I'll have to go to the Beast Tower," Lorant murmured while rubbing Bear Two's belly.

"I can also surprise Aunt Jacqueline while I'm there," he said with a smile as his eyes fell on Bear Two.

Every time a new beast pet was bred at the Animal Pet Shop, Lorant would always take it to show his Aunt Jacqueline. From initial shock to eventual indifference, Jacqueline had adapted to this routine very quickly.

Coincidentally, Lorant also had some matters he wanted Jacqueline's help with, so he immediately made his way to the Beast Tower.

Holding Bear Two, Lorant rushed directly to the laboratory, only to find that Jacqueline wasn't there.

After searching with no luck, he reluctantly went to the lounge, hoping to find someone who could tell him where Jacqueline was.

If he couldn't find anyone, he would have to leave a message in the lounge, hoping that the witch would see it when she returned to the Beast Tower.

To his surprise, Jacqueline was in the lounge, leisurely sipping tea.

Lorant tightened his grip on Bear Two and regarded the powerful witch with a peculiar look. Jacqueline finally looked up, unable to tolerate his gaze. "What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that, little Lorant?"

"Aunt Jacqueline, why aren't you working on your experiments today?" Lorant asked suspiciously, as if he were looking at some terrifying creature.

He even wondered if Jacqueline had been taken over during an experiment. Otherwise, why would she be here, relaxing?

Other people might need rest, but Jacqueline certainly didn't!

She was the type to stay in the lab indefinitely. According to Robert, she once spent three years in the lab without leaving. This behavior was highly irregular.

"Oh," Jacqueline responded, ignoring Lorant's exaggerated reaction as she elegantly lifted her bone china cup and blew on the hot steam. "Robert said there's a new discovery about the Slime beast pet, and he wanted everyone to take a look, so I came out."

"Beast pet Slime?" Lorant's eyes widened in surprise. "What's the new discovery?"

Only after Jacqueline mentioned it did Lorant realize that he hadn't paid much attention to the Slime beast pet for a long time.

Ever since he handed over the breeding method of this beast pet to the Beast Tower, Lorant hadn't bred it himself.

At first, when he had the time, he would visit the 'Slime Factory' behind the Beast Tower to check if all the secondary beasts being bred were normal.

After a few visits, he found that Robert, who was in charge of breeding the secondary beasts, was more diligent and responsible than he was, so he stopped worrying about the Slime beast pet.

Upon hearing about changes in the Slime beast pet, various bizarre images of Slimes sprang to Lorant's mind.

Spiked Slimes, completely transparent Slimes, or Slimes with fur that had turned into rags.

Lorant shook his head, shaking off the image of the cloth-strip slime with Monroe's face from his mind. Curiously, he asked, "What happened?"

Jacqueline shook her head. "I don't know either. We'll wait for Robert to come back and ask him then."

Curbing his curiosity, Lorant deftly poured himself a glass of iced juice.

Sitting across from Jacqueline, he cradled Bear Two in his arms.

Jacqueline always felt that this child looked strange today, though she couldn't quite pinpoint why.

She scrutinized Lorant, her gaze inevitably fixed on the silly bear plush in his arms. It was odd enough that Lorant would hold such a plush, both in terms of his demeanor and overall presence.

"Little Lorant, what do you have there?"

Lorant was, of course, deliberately displaying Bear Two in front of the witch.

He was surprised that Jacqueline hadn't noticed Bear Two was a beast pet when they first met.

He was relatively insensitive in these matters and hadn't expected that the Furious Ragdoll Bear would have some form of disguise.

In fact, the ragdoll form of the Furious Ragdoll Bear was a natural form of camouflage, as long as people weren't deliberately paying attention to the little teddy bear plush.

Lorant placed Bear Two on the table, facing Jacqueline. "Bear Two, say hello to Aunt Jacqueline."

Bear Two slowly raised its short paw and waved at Jacqueline, its small black eyes hidden beneath its fur and nose, blinking friendly.

It was now a well-mannered companion, well-trained by Lorant.

Jacqueline's hand, holding the bone china cup, trembled slightly.

"Beast pet?" She barely managed to suppress her inner shock, trying hard to appear calm, but her voice trembled slightly. "Is this another new type of beast pet?"

As a powerful legendary mage, although she hadn't focused on the toy bear at first and thus missed its presence, once she focused on the toy bear, the Furious Ragdoll Bear could no longer hide from her.

While its vital signs weren't obvious, the Furious Ragdoll Bear clearly wasn't a master of concealment. Its ragdoll appearance was its only disguise.

Even an ordinary person could easily spot the difference between a plush bear that wasn't deliberately pretending and an actual plush toy, let alone a mage of Jacqueline's caliber.

Lorant rewarded the well-mannered Bear Two by placing it back in his arms and rubbing its head. "Yes, Aunt Jacqueline, this is a new type of beast pet I've bred."

"I've named it the 'Furious Ragdoll Bear.' It's a combat-oriented beast pet, classified as B."

Jacqueline suppressed the waves of shock in her heart. Even though she had repeatedly reminded herself that a genius was a genius and couldn't be compared to ordinary people, she was still amazed by how quickly Lorant was unveiling new beast pets.

Her voice tightened as she spoke again. "A combat-oriented beast pet? How strong is it? What level of beast can it compare to?"

"Probably a bit stronger than the Glassy Ice Flame Dogs," Lorant thought for a moment. "I'd say it's comparable to a level six to eight beast."

Initially, he had assessed the Glassy Ice Flame Dog's strength as being roughly equivalent to a level five to seven beast, so Lorant concluded that since this Furious Ragdoll Bear was stronger, placing it in the six to eight range should be appropriate.

Of course, these classifications were only rough estimates.

The true strength of these beast pets depends on the specific opponent. For instance, the Glassy Ice Flame Dog struggled against some level six beasts, but against larger beasts with less robust defenses, it could win even if they were level seven in a life-or-death battle.

This was mainly due to their ability to burn enemies from the inside with their ice flames.

Similarly, the Furious Ragdoll Bear wasn't afraid of close-combat beasts.

But if they really encounter those types of distant beasts that only attack from afar and compete in speed, even if it's only a level five or six beast, these relatively bulky giants might struggle.

Jacqueline didn't care much about those specific cases. She was absentmindedly staring at the little bear that Lorant held, which was fidgeting slightly to find a more comfortable spot.

"Can this little one be mass-produced like the Crystal Ice Flame Dog?"

"Of course, though we're still missing some key beasts. But I’m already working on a solution and should be able to achieve it soon," Lorant said confidently.

The types of beasts required for the Furious Ragdoll Bear, while high-level, are not rare, unlike the Bloodsucking Tarantula, which always hides so well it’s impossible to find.

Lorant had seen several in Pokara before, but Lancelot failed to capture any during those times.

He planned to try again later and make Lindbergh honor the promise he made when buying the Devouring Frogs.

"That’s good..." Jacqueline murmured absentmindedly, seemingly forgetting the tea in front of her, her eyes staring into the distance, lost in thought.

"By the way, Auntie Jacqueline," Lorant suddenly remembered one of the purposes of his visit today, "I’ve already chosen my territory. Could you help me create a large defensive array? And a teleportation array?"

"Hmm? A defensive array? A teleportation array?" Jacqueline came back to her senses, "Oh, I can do that, but it might take some time."

Lorant quickly said, "There’s no rush. Please prioritize your work. It will still take some time before my territory is ready."

Jacqueline nodded, "Yes, I understand. I'll help you with it when the time comes."

The large defensive array and teleportation array Lorant proposed are not simple or cheap. Only a legendary mage like Jacqueline could casually agree to it.

She didn’t even mention compensation. Given the witch’s temperament, Lorant knew he might get two precious arrays for free.

However, what's free is often the most expensive. Relationships between people need mutual give-and-take to last long. Lorant thought he should consider what valuable gifts he could give this special elder this year.

Before long, Robert returned to the lounge with several other mages.

"Lorant!" He rushed over excitedly, "I just went to the Animal Pet Shop looking for you! I didn't expect you to be here. Perfect! Come with me to check out that beast pet Slime! You're the authority on this matter!"

He excitedly grabbed Lorant's arm and pulled him out, completely forgetting about the other mages.

But they were all from the Beast Tower, and it was normal for everyone to be a little eccentric. When these mad mages made progress in their experiments, it was quite usual for them to ignore others.

Following behind Robert, Lorant and the group arrived at a vast grassland behind the Beast Tower.

The actual area of the Beast Tower was astonishingly large.

Following the path Lorant took the first time he came here, from the small road in Sacklon, both sides of the way were part of the Beast Tower's territory. Now, these places were occupied by all kinds of Slimes, and the once semi-wild beasts kept for food had been cleared out.

Lorant had to admit that the safety factor had indeed increased significantly.

Passing through the defensive fog, the first things visible were those crookedly built houses.

Later, Lorant learned that those stacked houses were not just simple 'landscapes.' They were actually the residences of several mages, and to this day, they would still go there to rest during their spare time.

Beyond those houses was the main body of the Beast Tower. From the outside, the part of the Mage Tower exposed above ground looked like an 'underground colosseum.'

Crossing through the colosseum brought them to where Lorant and the others were now.

It was an endless grassland, and Lorant felt they must have been very far from Sacklon by now.

In the distance, he could see a small village. That was the place where people like Tang En, the dependents of the Beast Tower, had lived for generations.

The rising smoke from the village, combined with the surrounding scenery, was as beautiful as a painting.

The vast expanse of grassland lay between the village and Beast Tower.

This grassland was enclosed, with a tall stone warehouse standing at the edge.

At first glance, Lorant thought he had returned to Cavendish's estate, where the Slime Ranch was located.

Various beast-pet Slimes were scattered everywhere, their density so high that Lorant couldn't help but take a second look.

"These are all beast-pet Slimes we've bred for sale," Robert briefly explained to Lorant. "There are so many today because we're about to ship them out."

Although seemingly careless, Robert was actually quite attentive. He could tell what Lorant was thinking and quickly clarified that he wasn't abusing these silly beast-pet Slimes.

Lorant nodded, equally amazed by the astonishing efficiency of the Beast Tower.

With such a large breeding farm, the number of beast-pet Slimes produced daily was impressive. Now, with the Slime Ranch jointly operated with the Church already half full, it wouldn't take long to prepare the next ranch.

Robert led everyone straight into the large stone house next to the Slime Ranch.

There were numerous beast-pet Slimes awaiting hatching, each large spherical Slime placed in individual compartments, ready to split into countless little Slimes.

At the very back of this incubation room was a large door that was completely locked.

Robert pressed his hand on a wooden panel without a handle, allowing the door to open slowly.

Lorant and the others filed in.

It seemed to be a former office, furnished with basic furniture—tables, chairs, and stationery for record-keeping.

However, now the entire room was filled with lively little Slimes.

Bright pink furballs were happily bouncing on and off the tables and chairs, with a few particularly idle ones trying to knock over the pen holders with their bodies.

Lorant steadied the precarious pen holder and grabbed the mischievous little leader with one hand.

The moment he touched the little beast-pet Slime, an encyclopedia entry popped up in his mind.

SR Fluffy Slime "Spark Fur": A type of Fluffy Slime with softer and longer fur than ordinary Fluffy Slimes. Tiny sparks often appeared in the long fur of Spark Fur, and because of this, its fur is less likely to ignite compared to regular Fluffy Slimes, giving it excellent fire resistance.

Lorant, glancing at the encyclopedia entry in his mind, curiously picked up the little Slime in his hand and rubbed it energetically.

As the squeezed and squished Fluffy Slime's bright pink long fur rapidly showed tiny sparks.

Admittedly, Lorant thought it resembled static electricity more than actual sparks...

But regardless of what exactly caused the glowing in the fur, Lorant was highly intrigued by this beast-pet Slime.

"Lorant! Look, this Fluffy Slime was hatched this morning; isn't it different from the others?" Robert, seeing Lorant petting a Slime, excitedly came over, eagerly seeking his 'expert approval.' "Its fur is twice as long as other beast-pet Slimes!"

"And it occasionally has these little sparks! Isn't it very different?"

Lorant nodded. This was an SR-grade beast-pet Slime; of course, it was different.

"That's right, this beast-pet Slime seems to have undergone some mutation," Lorant said directly.

His words drew everyone's attention.

Jacqueline put down the Slime in her hand, looked up at Lorant, and curiously asked, "Mutation? What do you mean by that?"

"It means that every beast pet actually has significant variations," Lorant explained. "Just like humans, some people are born with high vocational talents, while others can never enter the vocational realm in their entire lives."

Jacqueline asked skeptically, "Are you saying that this beast pet Slime is a professional among Slimes?"

"You can understand it that way, but I am more inclined to say that it is a beast pet that has awakened a special ability. This special ability is something that other Fluffy Slimes lack," Lorant replied.

"Oh? A special ability? Would you say that the ability to create sparks in its fur counts?" Robert became interested, saying as he curiously rubbed his palm to produce a series of sparks that crackled open.

"That could count," Lorant guided him. "But I believe there is certainly more to it. The most distinctive feature of the Fluffy Slime is its fur, so we should focus on the fur to understand it better."

"Take the length of this beast pet's fur, for example. Fur twice as long as that of ordinary Fluffy Slimes must have unique properties. Besides, it may also offer better cold resistance."

"The sparks are definitely not random. They must have other functions as well."

"We need to explore all these aspects over time."

As he said this, Lorant suddenly asked, "By the way, Robert, was this Fluffy Slime bred following the standard procedure? Was there anything different?"

Robert was taken aback upon hearing this, then looked up at Lorant with admiration. "Lorant, it seems there’s nothing about beast pets that escapes your keen eye!"

"I bred this Fluffy Slime using a unique secondary beast. Of course, the entire process was unchanged, and the potions used were exactly as you recommended. However, that secondary beast was noticeably smaller, which immediately raised a red flag!"

As Robert spoke, he pulled out a crystal that stores images. "Look, this is the record I made. I can guarantee that the feeding regimen for that secondary beast was identical to that of the others, but its size was just smaller."

"I had even specifically checked its body before. Not only were there no issues, but its vitality was higher than that of the other secondary beasts, so I marked it specifically."

"I didn’t expect it to breed such a ‘mutated’ Fluffy Slime this time!"

Lorant nodded inwardly, looking at the image on the crystal. He guessed that if he could touch that secondary beast, the Compendium might even rate it!

This suggests that the appearance of this SR-ranked beast pet Slime was not due to luck, but rather due to a change in the quality of the secondary beast used in breeding.

"A secondary beast’s mutation can indeed affect the breeding of beast pets," Lorant explained without hiding anything, sharing his theory with everyone that superior and secondary beasts can breed superior beast pets.

"In fact, I have already bred a few SR-level mutated beast pets," Lorant told the group. "I hope to uncover the secrets behind their mutations, especially from this mutated Fluffy Slime."