Chapter 228

Chapter 228

The Beast Tamers, or rather, the Animal Pet Shop, certainly lived up to everyone's expectations.

Although those who received spots came from various organizations and were only gathered here for a free spot, some of them were meeting each other for the first time today.

However, this did not affect the fact that when they stood in the middle of the fortress, all of them lined up with their beast pets, creating a sense of order that stirred a collective pride in their hearts.

Even if it was just for a moment, they did seem to acknowledge their identity as 'Beast Tamers.'

Lorant stood on one side of the line, watching Lancelot riding his Little Qing, with the tall and handsome Little Seven beside him, delivering an inspiring speech to the Beast Tamers, rallying them for the upcoming battle.

Though everyone knew that most of these individuals were independent fighters who would soon reunite with their respective teams, the necessary procedures had to be observed.

The church's combat personnel were bald, muscular warriors, the knights from the knight order were mostly cavalry due to the terrain advantage of the hunting ground, and the Congress of Magic's personnel were various mages and berserkers.

Excluding the Congress of Magic, there weren't many mages in other organizations, highlighting just how imbalanced the distribution of practitioners in this world had become.

In contrast, the composition of the Beast Tamer community was surprisingly balanced.

Currently, the most popular beast pets sold by the Animal Pet Shop were the Windbreaking Horses, followed by the Dream Weavers.

The Glassy Ice Flame Dog, which initially made the Animal Pet Shop famous, hadn't sold many up until now. It wasn't until a few days ago that 200 people finally acquired Glassy Ice Flame Dogs from the shop.

At first glance, the vast majority of the several-thousand-strong Beast Tamer camp consisted of knights riding Windbreaking Horses, making it seem like the Knight Order was stationed here.

Those surrounding the Windbreaking Horse camp weren't just spectators; they were a large group of people wearing exotic robes and holding staffs as tall as themselves. These were the owners of the Dream Weavers.

These people are unique. Their Dream Weaver companions provide not just temporary battlefield support but also a steady accumulation of mental energy in their daily lives.

However, they are indeed genuine Beast Tamers. Most mages with Dream Weavers rushed to the animal pet shop for certification right away. Even a single day without their Dream Weaver, especially if the shop took it back, would be unbearable for them.

At first glance, aside from the Beast Tamer badge on their chest, it's hard to tell who they really are.

The most eye-catching group among the Beast Tamers was the 200 who had just received their Glassy Ice Flame Dogs.

Standing together, their Glassy Ice Flame Dogs stood tall and proud, looking incredibly handsome—far from the mischievous pups that had chewed up several wooden tables at home.

The Glassy Ice Flame Dogs seemed to have a natural talent for putting on a show. In a strange environment, being watched by strangers, they all appeared steady and reliable, like mature and dependable young gentlemen.

There was no sign of their usual home-wrecking behavior, making them highly deceptive.

Moreover, these majestic Glassy Ice Flame Dogs turned more heads on the streets than the now-common Windbreaking Horses.

First, Windbreaking Horses had become so common that they no longer stood out. On the other hand, the Glassy Ice Flame Dogs were an entirely new and unseen beast pet for most people, thus attracting much more attention.

Second, the Glassy Ice Flame Dogs perfectly embodied what humans associate with strength.

Even among beasts, their canine bodies were considered handsome, and even more so as pets.

With their broad muzzles, striking features, glass-like eyes, flowing fur, fluffy tails, and the floating icy blue flames surrounding them, the Glassy Ice Flame Dogs left a lasting impression.

When multiple Glassy Ice Flame Dogs appeared together, the visual impact was nothing short of breathtaking.

Of course, the welcome ceremony for the Beast Tamers intrigued many people, but it hadn’t reached the level of attracting adventurers from other outposts to make a special trip here.

There were two reasons why the number of adventurers flocking to this fortress to watch the excitement had surged.

First, in the open space in front of the tent with the Beast Tamer flag hanging in the fortress, five ugly and intimidating beast pets were squatting there.

The Devouring Frogs were indeed very deceptive. Even some adventurers who had already learned through their private channels that the military had a type of beast pet capable of adding strange abilities to their weapons—apparently called something like a frog—still couldn’t connect the Devouring Frogs with a supportive beast pet when they first saw these big guys.

After all, the last supportive beast pet launched by the Animal Pet Shop was the Dream Weaver.

Fluffy, soft, and adorably cute Dream Weavers.

When people saw the Devouring Frogs for the first time, many even thought they might be some kind of powerful weapon of the shop, maybe these pets could even fire powerful energy blasts from their mouths.

After all, well, they looked so, um, formidable?

However, upon learning that these beast pets were actually the ones rumored to give additional power to their weapons, people’s interest only grew.

After all, even a beast pet that could fire projectiles to deal with level-ten beasts was just something to watch.

But a pet that could enhance your own weapon? That was something directly relevant to themselves. Everyone was eager to try to "enchant" their weapons and see if the effects were as good as their old friends had said.

Lancelot had specifically arranged a combination of Devouring Frogs that could greatly boost knights, bringing this "enchantment set" to the fortress to give these practitioners an impressive start.

The line next to the Devouring Frogs had already grown long, and the attraction was self-evident.

The other beast pet that attracted even more adventurers was, of course, the Holy Light Peacock.

These little guys had grown quite a bit recently. Although they had been busy using their abilities to heal others non-stop every day, under the top-tier meals prepared by Lorant for them, their development hadn’t been delayed at all.

Now, even without counting their tail feathers, they had grown to half the height of a human. These Holy Light Peacocks had a longer growth period compared to the other beast pets currently in Lorant’s possession. On one hand, the life span of a high-tier beast pet was naturally longer than others, and on the other hand, the Holy Light Peacock, as a healing-type beast pet, was quite special.

This specialty couldn’t be ignored even among high-tier beast pets.

Lorant wasn’t in a hurry at all. Since the Holy Light Peacocks hatched, his initial urgency to heal all wounds instantly had faded.

He had come to understand that the wounds of this world couldn’t be healed by simple healing abilities.

To truly heal the world, perhaps a hundred ghost spiders would be much more useful than a hundred Holy Light Peacocks.

Only by making the beasts disappear could the world truly be healed.

However, the existence of the Holy Light Peacock still held absolute significance.

After all, for those on the brink of death, a Holy Light Peacock was undoubtedly more important than any other beast pet.

Perhaps for the military or other organizations, thinking about the greater good of the world, ghost spiders were more important, but for fragile individuals, the Holy Light Peacock was an irreplaceable existence.

So Lorant understood that he just needed to do his job well and bring more beast pets into this world, and the rest would be left for time to prove.

The Holy Light Peacock brought by Gabriel showed great excitement upon seeing Lorant.

This type of beast pet usually appeared very indifferent, even towards the staff who took care of them, showing little warmth and not getting too close to them.

In Pokara, they only seemed slightly intimate with Mo'er and Lancelot, occasionally responding to their touch.

But now, in Gabriel’s astonished eyes, the Holy Light Peacock, which had been standing steadily like a statue on the sturdy bloodwood perch he was holding, suddenly soared into the sky after emerging from the teleportation array.

Gabriel was taken aback.

The Holy Light Peacock does indeed soar and dance in mid-air, but that only happens in very rare instances. The Holy Light Peacock has a strong sense of autonomy, and most of the time, it decides on its own which skills to use—something not easily controlled by humans.

Gabriel had never seen the Holy Light Peacock dance in such a situation before, so his first thought was that it had flown away for some reason, which caused him to break out in a cold sweat.

But then, following the trail of the Holy Light Peacock in the air, Gabriel caught sight of Lorant, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time.

This allowed him to breathe a huge sigh of relief. If the Holy Light Peacock had escaped or gotten hurt, Gabriel knew he’d be marked for life.

Not to mention his own inner guilt, the notoriety of injuring the Holy Light Peacock would likely follow him forever!

Lorant, seeing the Holy Light Peacock flying straight toward him, stretched out his arms to catch the now grown-up Little Qing and Little Black.

Fortunately, Maomao was right there, and the tall, reliable Glassy Ice Flame Dog stepped in front of Lorant.

The Holy Light Peacock paused mid-flight, its forward momentum suddenly halting, and then it gracefully circled before landing on Maomao’s back.

Maomao wasn’t angry about the Holy Light Peacock landing on him. He quietly turned his head to look at the peacock, carefully sniffing its scent. His huge tail swayed slightly, gently brushing over the peacock’s back as if to say hello.

The Holy Light Peacock, like a proud and reserved young lady, shook its feathers, tossing its beautiful tail to one side, letting it drape down from Maomao’s back.

It then calmly accepted Maomao’s warm greeting, even rubbing its beak friendly against Maomao’s head.

Seeing the two little ones interacting so friendly, Lorant couldn’t help but curl the corner of his mouth.

Who wouldn’t feel good seeing something cute display its adorable side right in front of them?

After greeting Maomao, the Holy Light Peacock turned its head and stared intently at Lorant with its beautiful eyes. Its head tilted slightly, its eyes filled with anticipation as it flapped its wings gently.

Unfortunately, without using its abilities, the Holy Light Peacock couldn’t make a sound, so the little one anxiously shuffled its claws on Maomao’s back, trying to get closer to Lorant.

However, as a flying beast, the Holy Light Peacock looked quite clumsy when moving on the ground, a stark contrast to its usual pride.

This was also why, most of the time, they stood still on their wooden perches without moving.

But now, wanting to get closer to Lorant, it completely disregarded its image and tried to walk closer to him.

Lorant quickly stepped forward and reached out to catch the Holy Light Peacock, which was eager to jump into his arms.

The Holy Light Peacock appeared to have grown quite a bit, but in terms of weight, there wasn’t much change.

With the strength enhancement from the ghost spider, Lorant could still manage to pick up the little one.

He gently smoothed the peacock’s feathers. Although he generally preferred the feel of soft fur, the Holy Light Peacock’s feathers were like the finest silk, incredibly smooth to the touch, which Lorant quite enjoyed.

The Holy Light Peacock wriggled contentedly in Lorant’s arms, purring softly. Its pretty head rested on Lorant’s shoulder, and it closed its eyes, a look of pure happiness on its face.

Lancelot, standing behind Lorant, watched this strikingly human-like expression of the little one with some surprise.

He had been caring for these little ones for a long time but had never seen the Holy Light Peacock behave like this before.

Such a human-like expression was something Lancelot had never seen in a beast. Even Little Qing, who was already quite clever and sometimes mischievous, hadn’t given him such a strong sense of “humanity.”

And truth be told, Lancelot was quite curious about Lorant’s ability to attract beasts.

To be honest, Lorant hadn’t spent much time with them since they were born, but for some reason, the Holy Light Peacock was particularly dependent on him. Lorant also pondered this question as he stroked the little one’s feathers.

If we have to say something, it’s probably because he was the first person these Saint Light Peacocks saw when they hatched. Maybe seeing him the moment they opened their eyes made the Saint Light Peacocks develop a dependence on Lorant, almost as if he were their parent.

Just like the Ghost Spider, Lorant has been carrying this little one with him ever since it was a monster egg.

So, from the moment this little one was born, it has had an immense affection for Lorant, and without much need for nurturing, it naturally loves Lorant and sees him as its only one.

Unlike A-grade beast pets, B-grade ones like the Glassy Ice Flame Dog and the Windbreaking Horse don’t form as strong a bond with the first person they see.

Although this influence still noticeably exists, as long as Lorant doesn’t deliberately appear in front of these little ones, their dependence on him decreases significantly. Even though there might still be some preferential treatment, it’s not much different from how they treat those who regularly care for them.

They don’t display such obvious favoritism compared to the Saint Light Peacocks.

As for the little one’s blatant preference, Lorant was quite pleased to see it.

The Saint Light Peacock is a type of beast pet that Lorant currently has no plans to sell.

Its uniqueness, its importance, the difficulty of breeding it, and the long life it can offer its future contract holder all make the Saint Light Peacock a highly strategic beast pet in Lorant’s mind.

Even if he acquires more Saint Light Peacocks later, Lorant feels that he probably won’t sell them casually.

In other words, these little ones will most likely be raised by Lorant in the Animal Pet Shop for their entire lives, with no owners other than Lorant.

Even if they form contracts with others, Lorant won’t let them leave the Animal Pet Shop.

So, whether they can accept other people as they do with Lorant isn’t important.

It’s actually a good thing that they are especially dependent on Lorant. At the very least, these ‘mama’s boy’ Saint Light Peacocks leave the military completely at a loss.

After leaving the Saint Light Peacock at the military, and with Lancelot spending a large part of his day capturing live beasts, and Mo'er being too busy taking care of a large group of Devouring Frogs and Saint Light Peacocks to spare any time, the military inevitably started to have some small ulterior motives.

They didn’t dare to do anything too excessive, just assigning a few people to regularly take care of the Saint Light Peacocks, trying to bypass the Animal Pet Shop’s employees to build some rapport with these beautiful and proud beast pets.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard they tried, these Saint Light Peacocks always maintained an air of superiority, perched on the wooden stand that Lorant had specially built for them, looking down on others. It was even harder to get them to be affectionate or initiate contact.

Given their higher tier, Saint Light Peacocks find it difficult to bond with humans quickly. This was the conclusion the military reached after so many failed attempts.

If they saw how the Saint Light Peacocks behaved today, they’d likely be green with envy.

Lorant’s purpose in bringing the Saint Light Peacocks to this fortress was clear. He wanted to showcase the beast pet and make adventurers understand one thing.

Healing isn’t exclusive to the Church and the Congress of Magic.

Beast Tamers also possess such healing abilities.

And compared to priests and healing mages, the healing ability of a Beast Tamer’s Saint Light Peacock is even more outstanding, capable of both large-scale group healing and having precedents of saving those on the brink of death.

Such a powerful healer, once you become a Beast Tamer, you’ll have priority access to it.

The knight rescued at Lopulo Fortress was already well-known among practitioners.

Their team was one of the military’s elite squads, evident from their assignment to handle a Level 9 beast solo.

It’s important to note that each level up is a qualitative change.

The higher the level, the more obvious the gap. A level three practitioner might still have a chance to defeat a level four, but a level six practitioner, apart from a one-in-a-million genius, can’t defeat a level seven.

For a Level 9 practitioner to challenge a Level 10, it would take divine intervention to even stand a chance.

The Knight Squad was able to work together to deal with a ninth-level beast, demonstrating that each member was incredibly powerful.

Therefore, thanks to its fame, the news that the Saint Light Peacock had snatched someone back from the brink of death spread like wildfire throughout almost all practitioner circles.

Although the story became more and more distorted as it spread, gradually turning into versions where the person had stopped breathing, was confirmed dead by a cardinal, or was even buried in the ground before being dug out by the Saint Light Peacock and forcibly revived, the general direction of these exaggerated tales wasn't wrong. The Beast Pet Shop, where the message first spread, didn't bother to correct the increasingly bizarre rumors.

The knights, out of gratitude for the life-saving grace of the Saint Light Peacock, weren’t going to contradict anything. After all, while the real situation wasn’t quite as dramatic, it wasn’t far off either.

Deep down, they felt that the Saint Light Peacock had indeed pulled them back from the dirt. Had it not been for Lorant and the Saint Light Peacock, their squad would likely have lost a member by now.

So, no matter how the Beast Pet Shop promoted the story, they fully cooperated, not refuting anything. In fact, they went around extolling the Saint Light Peacock among their friends, behaving as if they were about to convert and become devout followers of the bird.

They spoke of the Saint Light Peacock as if it was unmatched in the world, nearly saying it was the strongest healer beneath the High Priest himself.

Even so, the church couldn’t say anything in response. Were they seriously going to challenge a beast?

If they truly put themselves on the same stage as the Saint Light Peacock, the Beast Pet Shop would already have an unassailable position.