Chapter 233

Chapter 233

Lorant was well aware that Jacqueline was not someone who would quibble over every little thing.

Or rather, someone who had reached her level had no need to get caught up in petty concerns.

Aside from her reputation, there was almost nothing Jacqueline was unwilling to give up.

She wasn’t even afraid of others saying she was inferior. At her age, she had long since let go of worldly worries. She knew when to hold on and when to let go, something ordinary people could never compare to.

Thinking of this, Lorant couldn’t help but be tempted.

It wasn’t that he was coveting the potential profits from an as-yet-ungraded beast pet, but rather that Jacqueline’s situation presented Lorant with an excellent opportunity.

Although the chances of producing a beast pet without an ability chart were nearly zero, it wasn’t entirely impossible, right?

If someone else really did manage to create a beast pet through sheer luck, the Animal Pet Shop would need to have a comprehensive response plan in place.

Ensuring the Animal Pet Shop’s uniqueness in the field of beast pets was the most important factor for its long-term sustainability.

What Lorant wanted was to make an offer too good to refuse, encouraging those who might waver to collaborate with the shop.

The collaboration could be a profit-sharing arrangement, an outright purchase, or any other form. The key was not how much the Animal Pet Shop had to offer, but rather that Lorant was even willing to subsidize this aspect of the business.

The crucial point was the Animal Pet Shop’s uniqueness and authority.

Even if the other party was unwilling to collaborate with the Animal Pet Shop, Lorant would find a way to make them understand that any beast pet’s existence would have to be certified by the Animal Pet Shop before it could be recognized by the public.

Just like what the Congress of Magic had done, establishing authority was necessary to truly control an entire industry.

It might be a good idea to start drafting the specifics of this plan now, Lorant thought.

After some consideration, Lorant spoke up, "Jacqueline, since you’ve put it this way, I certainly can’t refuse."

"If you trust me, I’ll assist you in completing the final phase of the experiment. If this experiment succeeds, I hope you’ll agree to grant the Animal Pet Shop the exclusive rights to breed and sell this line of beast pets," Lorant said, this idea having just occurred to him. "The Animal Pet Shop will split the profits with you on a 40-60 basis."

Jacqueline didn’t care about money. For a research fanatic and high-ranking wealthy woman like her, gold and gems meant nothing compared to a wonderful experimental result.

It could be said that the present Jacqueline pursued intellectual satisfaction, having already satisfied her material desires long ago.

But others were different. There were few mages in the entire Congress of Magic who had reached her level of enlightenment.

For other mages, their research was something they needed to make a living from. The more money they could make, the more effective their research was considered to be.

After all, even research-oriented mages needed to eat, right?

Only the elite mages who sat atop the Congress of Magic could afford to live off thin air for the sake of their dreams.

Lorant wouldn’t make such a mistake. What truly moved people’s hearts was never empty rhetoric from a lofty position; it was tangible benefits that led people to make choices.

Therefore, if the first collaborative beast pet from the Animal Pet Shop could serve as an example of "offering a king's ransom for a rare find," it would set a good precedent for future lucky or highly talented individuals, making the Animal Pet Shop’s future work much easier.

Of course, the specific details would need to be worked out gradually by the think tank at the Animal Pet Shop, which wasn’t something Lorant needed to delve into.

Jacqueline was completely indifferent to all of this and readily agreed, "Of course, as long as you don’t remove my name from the final results of this experiment, I agree to anything!"

The phrase 'treating wealth like it’s nothing' might sound like nonsense when others say it, but when Jacqueline said it, it truly felt genuine.

After all, when a beggar says they don’t love money, most people think it’s because they’ve never seen wealth. But when a billionaire says they don’t love money, it might actually be true.

Fame and fortune can only be chosen after one has possessed them.

Even though he had agreed to complete the experiment with Jacqueline, Lorant did not choose to stay in the Beast Tower all the time.

He still had a lot of matters to handle at the Animal Pet Shop, especially since the hatching of the Lightwing Butterflies had reached a critical moment. Lorant needed to return to properly oversee the shop.

At the same time, Lorant's experimental method was quite different from others. He only needed to continuously run the breeding route simulation of the beast pets in the simulator in his mind.

By now, Lorant had fully mastered the ability to multitask.

No matter what work he was doing, it would not affect the normal operation of the simulation in his mind.

Even when falling asleep each day, Lorant relied on the simulator to help him sleep.

The task of simulating beast pet breeding seemed to have deeply engraved itself into Lorant's bones, becoming an unchangeable habit.

In this situation, Lorant had not yet perfected the route that Jacqueline had discovered before the Lightwing Butterflies began to hatch.

The Diner Pine, carrying Lorant's hopes, grew increasingly swollen in the greenhouse.

Originally as sturdy as a cement pipe, the Diner Pine had crazily expanded over the past month and now almost filled the entire greenhouse.

At this point, if someone were told that this room was entirely built with clear glass walls, Lorant guessed it would be hard for anyone to believe it.

From the outside, the black body of the Diner Pine had filled almost every corner of the greenhouse.

By now, the Diner Pine had completely deformed and could no longer resemble a bonsai that could be disguised. Instead, it had become angular, conforming to the structure of the greenhouse.

It had lost its original shape, probably because the greenhouse itself was shaped that way.

Each day, as Lorant observed the Diner Pine, the available space became smaller. At first, he could walk into the greenhouse to carefully examine the large branch, but gradually he was forced to stay near the door.

Now, the entire Diner Pine had completely occupied the once spacious greenhouse, leaving only a small area near the main door.

Lorant felt that he was about to be squeezed out of the glass room entirely.

He gently stroked the outer skin of the Diner Pine. The black surface was fully stretched and bulging, and when his palm covered it, he could feel that the skin had become very thin, almost transparent.

Upon closer inspection, Lorant could see the vaguely visible spherical objects beneath the semi-transparent black skin.

Gently pressing the surface, he could even feel the shapes of the eggs beneath.

The Diner Pine, now resembling a wall, was too unsettling to examine closely, as it felt like it would drive anyone's sanity down.

Lorant shuddered and closed the greenhouse door, then sat down outside on a chair.

Today, Lorant had prepared to stay here overnight. The Lightwing Butterflies were ready to hatch at any moment, and given the state of the Diner Pine, he wouldn't be surprised if they hatched at any time.

Baby, a ghost spider, gently covered Lorant with a thin blanket made of some self-heating material to prevent him from catching a chill on this autumn night.

The temperature in the beast storage was always constant, so even if it was snowing outside, the temperature inside wouldn't be affected. Wearing a short-sleeve shirt, Lorant shouldn't have had any issues.

But everything deserves a bit of ceremony, doesn't it? Baby explained that humans find romance in rituals, and it wanted to be a romantic ghost spider as well!

Baby tucked the corner of the blanket around Lorant's shoulders contentedly.

The Lightwing Butterflies were evidently well-behaved children. They didn't make a fuss in the middle of the night but instead let Lorant have a good night's sleep.

It was only the next morning, after Lorant had woken up, that the Lightwing Butterflies began to hatch.

Overnight, the outer skin of the Diner Pine became completely transparent, to the point where it was almost unbearable to look at.

If someone with trypophobia were to see this scene, they would probably be scared unconscious.

The entire surface of the Diner Pine appeared fully transparent, with thousands of beast companion eggs piled inside, which made one's heart palpitate just by looking at them.

Even so, Lorant was not in a hurry to touch it. He leisurely ate breakfast and then returned to his spot, picking up a book to read.

At this moment, the Diner Pine underwent another change.

The already transparent exterior deepened in color again, turning into a thin, black, hard shell in a short amount of time.

At first glance, it seemed to have returned to its original form, but upon closer inspection, it was clear that this thin shell was actually very fragile and appeared to be struggling to bear the weight.

Following this, the outer shell, unable to hold any longer, cracked open with thin fissures.

Without warning, in the next second, the black outer shell clinging to the walls of the glass house shattered instantly, turning into fine dust that filled the air.

Sunlight streamed in through the glass, unhindered, casting a thin layer of light on the fluttering fragments.

In that moment, the eerie scene became dreamlike and enchanting.

Lorant looked up through the glass door, and inside the glass house, it looked like a shower of glowing light was cascading down, with specks of sunlight flickering in the air.

However, those glittering fragments failed to capture Lorant's attention.

For just a moment, Lorant's gaze shifted away from the fragments.

Because alongside them, an even more beautiful creature had appeared.

If the beauty of the Holy Peacock was a regal and divine beauty, then the appearance of the Glow-wing Butterfly was the most delicate and wonderful beast companion Lorant had ever seen.

This was a creature kissed by the Creator.

The body of the Glow-wing Butterfly was slender, and even its tiny claws seemed to be coated with a layer of golden light, making it hard to see clearly, like a piece of art crafted from the most precious metals by a master artist.

Its body appeared to be made from some kind of translucent crystal, its elongated form glowing like a piece of fine jade.

On this artistic body were a pair of disproportionately large wings.

A Glow-wing Butterfly that was at most ten centimeters long had wings that could spread to about thirty or forty centimeters.

The wings of the Glow-wing Butterfly had no fixed shape or pattern; they were entirely composed of light. Transparent and bright, they were not bound to any fixed template, just like the free spirits they were.

The wings were not solid but entirely made of light. If you reached out to touch them, your hand would pass through the completely illusory wings, feeling only a slight warmth.

Lorant reached out dreamily, trying to touch the light behind the Glow-wing Butterfly's wings, feeling only a gentle warmth as his fingers passed through.

In the instant the Diner Pine exploded, thousands upon thousands of Glow-wing Butterflies emerged from the black shell, transforming the entire glass house into a mesmerizing wonderland.

Countless beast companions constructed from dazzling light, translucent crystal, and the most beautiful human fantasies spread their wings in the sunlight, filling the world with a glittering dream.

This creature, exuding beauty in every way, was the beloved of the gods of this world. All the beauty was gathered into their tiny bodies. Before dazzling the world, the Glow-wing Butterflies first captivated Lorant's imagination.

Lorant stood at the entrance of the glass house, nearly entranced by the breathtaking sight before him.

Through the glass door, Lorant saw the sunroom transformed into another world, with warm sunlight pouring down and dreamlike butterflies dancing gracefully.

From the wings of the light-winged butterfly, composed of various hues of light, tiny specks slowly sprinkled to the ground, much like the scales from its wings being shaken off, leaving fleeting traces on the ground before vanishing completely.

Lorant pulled open the glass door and stepped into the glass house. The light-winged butterflies, which had been flying aimlessly, all seemed to have discovered something intriguing and gently folded their beautiful wings to land on Lorant's body.

Soon, under the curious gazes of Baby and several floating octopuses, Lorant turned into a glowing 'light man.'

Like other beast companions, the light-winged butterflies also seemed to be very fond of Lorant, covering him with countless butterflies in just a moment.

Even though the light-winged butterflies were so delicate that they weighed almost nothing, when there were enough of them, one could still feel a certain heaviness.

At this moment, with countless light-winged butterflies favoring him, Lorant felt as if he had donned a suit of armor, making his body somewhat heavier.

The life form of these beast companions was quite unique; their true bodies were actually only the small, crystal-like parts, while most of their light wings were invisible and intangible, yet truly existed and left traces.

However, just like light, once it faded, it could no longer be seen clearly.

Lorant extended his hand in front of him, and the first light-winged butterfly, whose wings resembled fireworks constantly blooming and dissipating, landed on his knuckles.

The little creature's translucent body, with two small black eyes, looked at Lorant with curiosity. Even though it was small, Lorant could see its curious expression.

Lorant was amused by the lively appearance of the little one and couldn't help but curl his lips into a smile.

As a B-level beast companion, the intelligence of the light-winged butterfly was unquestionable.

They, much like the Ruyi Ice Flame Hound, were capable of clearly expressing their preferences.

However, without vocal organs, the light-winged butterflies seemed unable to convey their thoughts through sound like the Ruyi Ice Flame Hound.

In comparison, despite their small size, the light-winged butterflies were very agile, and although it was Lorant's first time seeing such a small creature, he could easily sense its mood.

Part of this is due to Lorent's own unique qualities, but more so because he is willing to calm down and truly feel the emotions of his beast pets.

Beast pets that can't vocalize are inherently more difficult to care for compared to ordinary ones. To bond with an intelligent, non-verbal creature that can't express itself easily, one needs to invest several times more patience than usual.

As a result, the requirements for raising light-winged butterflies are even higher.

Leaving aside all material considerations, the owner must have ample patience. If the owner isn't patient or attentive enough, there is a high chance that the light-winged butterfly will feel neglected.

In more severe cases, this could trigger depressive emotions in the little one.

Although Lorent had not raised a pet of his own in his previous life, he still had some understanding of this aspect. Many pets that are mistreated or neglected for long periods can develop psychological issues, much like humans.

Lorent was unwilling to let his little ones endure such pain. As highly capable battle partners, they deserved better treatment.

Therefore, some subtle adjustments should be made in the qualification assessment of light-winged butterflies, Lorent thought to himself.

After this light-winged butterfly, with wings resembling an orange-red firework, landed on Lorent's finger, it curiously looked at him and then displayed a humanized happy expression.

Lorent gently reached out to touch the little one's wings, feeling a slight warmth from his fingertips, along with the butterfly's joyful mood.

Ever since acquiring the ability of the ghost spider, what Lorent found most rewarding was the ability to achieve a certain level of spiritual connection with beast pets. Being able to sense their emotions so clearly was truly rewarding.

Gently shaking off the curious light-winged butterflies that had gathered on him, Lorent retreated back into the beast storage and closed the glass door.

These little ones had just hatched, having absorbed the visible monster eggs. According to Lorent's experience, it wouldn't be long before they would need their first deep sleep.

To allow these little ones to fall asleep quickly, Lorent decided not to disturb them.

The number of light-winged butterflies that hatched greatly surprised Lorent, far beyond what he had expected.

Now it seems that, although there hasn't been a precise measurement, Lorant can roughly guess that there are at least nearly ten thousand Lightwing Butterflies in the greenhouse.

A number like this would be impressive for any type of beast pet.

Even with beast pet Slimes, having tens of thousands of them would be enough to equip a farm and significantly boost the overall productivity of the Slime family!

With proper management, the price of a basic down jacket could potentially drop by one or two copper coins.

But the Lightwing Butterfly is not an E-grade Fluffy Slime! It's an A-grade and B-grade beast pet!

However, Lorant didn't find it surprising upon second thought.

The breeding process of the Lightwing Butterfly is quite different from all the other beast pets he had bred before.

For most beast pets, the breeding process doesn't consume much of the secondary beast, making it a normal kind of reproduction.

For example, the Claw Wolf, which eventually breeds the Lightwing Butterfly, after giving birth to a batch of beast eggs, only needs some time to recover before it can breed again.

For the Claw Wolf, laying a batch of beast eggs or Claw Wolf eggs is the same process.

Now, Lorant has bred the first batch of purely artificially bred Claw Wolves and wants to improve their quality to obtain even stronger Lightwing Butterflies.

But the Lightwing Butterfly is different.

In the breeding process of the Lightwing Butterfly, the last two secondary beasts completely dissipated during the process.

This is a completely new life born from the darkest death, blooming brilliantly in the ugliest mud.

This intense breeding method lends a sense of tragic beauty to the birth of the Lightwing Butterflies.

Additionally, this method significantly increases the cost of each breeding cycle for Lorant.

After this breeding, if Lorant wants to breed another batch of Lightwing Butterflies with the resources at hand, it would take at least more than two years.

This long interval is even greater than the breeding cycle of the Dream Weaver, so it's reasonable for the number of beast pets produced in one breeding to be higher.

While tens of thousands of Lightwing Butterflies may seem like a large number, Lorant believes that once their remarkable effects are revealed, they could be sold out in less than an hour if not restricted.