Chapter 261

Chapter 261

A massive skeleton appeared above the Beast Tower shop, so enormous that it seemed capable of blocking out the sky.

The entire skeleton was several kilometers long.

From the tip of its tail to the first tooth in its skull, every bone glowed with an awe-inspiring energy and radiance.

What surprised Lorant even more than the skeleton's massive body were the gigantic wings.

The wings were two to three times the width of its body, with no trace of membrane left; the bones were clearly visible. The wings extended gracefully on either side of the body, their tips gently drooping downward. It was as if the dragon was embracing the entire Beast Tower shop.

Each thick bone was larger than the trunks of centuries-old trees.

Despite having been dead for centuries, the immense pressure it emitted still made it difficult for anyone who saw it to breathe.

Dragon.

This was the legendary beast—the Dragon Beast.

The gift Jacqueline gave to Lorant was none other than the complete skeleton of a Dragon Beast.

Even though it was just a pile of bones, it still seemed as if it possessed a lingering vitality. Lorant, looking at the hovering skeleton, couldn't shake the fear that it might suddenly open its jaws and unleash world-ending flames.

The innate pressure of this high-tier creature was enough to wrap anyone capable of sensing energy—both practitioners and beasts—in a cocoon of terror, robbing them of any desire to resist.

This was the unique pressure of a legendary beast. Now that it had been dead for many years, the ability to instill such fear had diminished significantly. Most practitioners, as long as they were mentally mature, could quickly steady their minds.

If this were a living Dragon Beast, even the most experienced practitioners below level ten would instinctively flee in terror. This wasn't due to a lack of bravery, but rather the instinctive response to being confronted by a higher-tier creature.

"So, do you like my gift?" Jacqueline took a sip of her hot chocolate, pleasantly surprised by the sweet drink. She decided she would have Tang En keep a stock of this hot beverage in the Beast Tower.

Lorant turned to face Jacqueline, his eyes wide and unfocused.

If anyone saw him like this, they might mistake the renowned shop owner for a simpleton.

"Th-th-this... is this a Dragon Beast?" Lorant stammered, his tongue tied as he asked Jacqueline.

"Of course, do you think it's my bone?"

"But! This!" Lorant gaped, looking up again at the quiet, floating massive skeleton in the sky, his heart filled with awe.

He had imagined what a dragon bone might look like, but he never expected Jacqueline to bring back a complete dragon skeleton.

Lorant had always viewed such beast bones as breeding materials.

As materials, he had imagined them to be just some large bones.

At most, a few frighteningly thick bones. He hadn't expected Jacqueline to present an entirely intact and well-preserved beast skeleton in front of him.

And he hadn't anticipated that seeing such a beast skeleton would exert such immense pressure and awe.

But none of that mattered. What mattered was that with this dragon bone, he could finally breed his first S-rank beast pet—the grimoire.

Thinking of this, his heart raced with excitement as he looked up at the skeleton that enveloped the entire Beast Tower shop, casting a sense of impending danger over many of the smaller beasts inside. Even though it was just a pile of bones, one could still see the terrifying and magnificent form of the creature it once was. His eyes were filled with amazement and admiration.

"Alright, enough with the 'this and that'," Jacqueline said, silently appreciating Lorant's rare foolish expression for a moment. She discreetly used two small imaging magic spells to record it and then resumed stirring her tea with satisfaction.

"A dragon bone this big should be enough for you to use, right?" she said with a smile, her composed demeanor seeming to glow with a golden edge in Lorant's eyes. "I don't want to pry into what you're going to do with it. That's your business."

"But there's one thing you must pay attention to. If you can't use it all at once, make sure to store it properly in your spatial bracelet. Once this item is taken out, it will attract high-level beasts significantly," Jacqueline hurriedly reassured Lorant as she saw his expression turn frightened. "Of course, you don't need to worry about that for now. The beasts in the Black Forest don't have the courage to try and snatch the dragon bones. It's safe here."

"But under no circumstances should you take the dragon bones out in the Lopulo Mountains, not even a bit of powder! Otherwise, it will cause a terrible disaster," she emphasized with a serious expression.

Seeing Jacqueline's demeanor, Lorant swallowed hard and then nodded vigorously.

Lorant had always been someone who listened to advice, and he was never the type to rebel or do something dangerous just because he wasn't supposed to.

Moreover, facing such a skeleton, something that exuded such terrifying pressure just by existing, it wouldn't be surprising if there were some unusual side effects. Therefore, no matter how you looked at it, what Jacqueline said was a sincere and thoughtful warning.

"Aunt Jacqueline, don't worry, I'll take good care of this skeleton. So, did you go looking for these dragon bones as a gift for me?" Lorant smiled obediently at Jacqueline and took the initiative to refill her bone china cup, which was already half empty.

Acquiring the dragon bones made him feel incredibly grateful to Jacqueline.

Previously, Lorant had even considered that if Jacqueline could obtain the dragon bones, he would be willing to give up another breeding route for his beast in exchange for a small portion.

However, now, without even mentioning any conditions or negotiations, Jacqueline was preparing to give him such a precious material as a birthday gift. This made Lorant feel a bit guilty for his earlier thoughts, but also deeply appreciative.

He had always adhered to the principle of fair exchange and had always believed that what is free is the most expensive.

Of course, this was his attitude toward outsiders. He used to treat Jacqueline the same way.

Even though Jacqueline had helped him many times, Lorant had always believed that their relationship was built on mutual interests. She needed his beast routes, and he needed their resources and connections. It was a mutually beneficial partnership.

However, in their subsequent interactions, Jacqueline's care for the beast shop and Lorant had far exceeded what a mutually beneficial partner should do.

Lorant had been gradually opening up and trying to accept this powerful mentor, but for someone as suspicious and sensitive as him, this wasn't an easy task.

He still needed some time.

"It's not like I went looking for it. I just remembered a couple of days ago that an old acquaintance might have this item, so I went and asked for it," Jacqueline said with a relaxed expression, as if she were talking about borrowing a bowl of water from a neighbor.

But anyone could imagine that such a legendary beast's skeleton was an incredibly precious item. No matter what Jacqueline used to exchange for it, whether it was materials of equal value or a more precious favor, it must have cost her a great deal to obtain.

"Don't worry, although this item is indeed valuable, for most people, it only has aesthetic value and can't really be utilized. Instead of letting it gather dust in some old acquaintance's spatial bracelet, it's better to let you make the most of it," Jacqueline seemed to comfort Lorant, as if reading his mind.

Every part of a legendary beast was extremely valuable, but that was only true if it could be utilized by practitioners.

However, the dragon's bones were too hard. Even after its death and the energy core being removed, there was still a protective membrane on its bones that made them difficult to break open.

After studying the bone fragments that appeared during the great battles, the mages were disappointed to find that the bones of such a formidable beast contained no energy at all. Apart from their astonishing hardness, they were even less useful than the bones of many high-level beasts.

As a result, this complete skeleton of the dragon had been preserved.

"This is too valuable," Lorant solemnly shook his head. What was useless to others was invaluable to him. More importantly, he could see that Jacqueline had truly put his needs in her heart. "Aunt Jacqueline, you've touched me deeply. This is my favorite gift this year."

Since Jacqueline had said this was a birthday gift for Lorant, he didn't bring up any further discussion about compensation or exchange.

What Jacqueline had given him could no longer be settled by simple equal exchange.

Now, Jacqueline gave Lorant the feeling of being a true elder and teacher. Her actions might not be entirely selfless, but her intent was clear.

At that moment, Lorant had already decided that during this year's Winter Solstice Festival, he would select a beast breeding route to give to Jacqueline.

Hopefully, this woman, who had a deep interest in beasts, would like that gift.

"This item is useless to others," Jacqueline said seriously to Lorant. "Its hardness is so extreme that even the sharpest weapons would struggle to scratch it."

"This Dragon Beast was a beast that was killed more than 500 years ago. Its leather, flesh, blood, scales, tendons, and all of its internal organs—every usable material—had already been completely stripped away by others long ago."

"Only this skeleton is something that people can't do anything with. Besides being extremely hard, it doesn't have any special qualities. If it had any special qualities, I wouldn’t be able to give it to you so easily," explained Jacqueline to Lorant. "The owner of this skeleton is an old friend of mine who has retired for many years now. Apart from occasional gatherings, it's rare to see him these days."

"He is willing to give you this skeleton out of regard for beast pets. He hopes that you will make good use of this precious skeleton and not let it waste away for a hundred years like he did."

Lorant nodded solemnly. "Please rest assured, Aunt Jackie. I will definitely make good use of this dragon bone and live up to the expectations of that senior."

Jacqueline smiled. "Alright, enough said. Quickly put this away before the people from the outpost come running over."

It wasn't just the people from the outpost. Looking at the enormous skeleton in front of him, Lorant guessed that the knights from the knight corps would probably appear at his doorstep any moment now.

The Dragon Beast's skeleton was exceptionally huge and a complete whole, making it impossible to easily dismantle.

The reason this complete skeleton still existed wasn't just for its ornamental value, but mainly because the bones couldn't be separated.

Lorant’s storage bracelet didn’t have enough space, especially after storing quite a bit of material, leaving little room. If the skeleton could be folded up and stacked bone by bone, it might fit, but in its current form, there was simply no space for it.

Even the spatial belt Jacqueline gave him couldn’t fit a skeleton that long.

Seeing Lorant’s troubled expression, Jacqueline patted her head. "Oh, how forgetful of me!" She flipped her palm, and a crystal the size of an ostrich egg appeared in front of Lorant.

The sorceress infused her magic into it, and the crystal began to emit a blinding light.

The light extended for tens of thousands of meters, enveloping the entire dragon skeleton. After a final intense flash, the enormous skeleton disappeared into the air.

After carefully placing the specialized crystal containing the dragon bone into his spatial belt, Lorant finally felt a heavy weight lift from his heart.

Jacqueline stayed at the beast pet shop for a few more days. Every day, she spent most of her time in the beast storage, looking at the Wingless Flywheels bred using her routes. If no one interrupted her, she could stand there, laughing to herself, for hours on end.

It reminded him of his visits to the panda base in his past life.

Although Lorant had gathered all the materials needed for his breeding manuals, he didn’t rush to start the breeding process.

Knowing how much Jacqueline valued the Wingless Flywheel beast pets, he deliberately spent several days with her, overseeing the entire breeding process of the Wingless Flywheels from start to finish and handing over the entire process to her.

The Wingless Flywheel was a type of beast pet that bred in large numbers, almost on par with the Windbreaking Horse. Thanks to Lorant’s precise calculations and the Beast Tower’s ample supply of live beasts, the breeding of Wingless Flywheels quickly got on track, surpassing the Curry Monster to become another stable product available for sale at the beast pet shop.

Now, Lorant could obtain a batch of their monster eggs every day at the shop, just like he could with Windbreaking Horses and Glassy Ice Flame Dogs.

In contrast, the Curry Monster, which was born earlier than the Wingless Flywheel, suffered from an initial positioning error. It wasn't bred on a large scale and fell behind the Wingless Flywheel, with only a few more appearing every ten days or half a month.

If it was just for the Blue Star Restaurant, the quantity would be sufficient, but for mass production like the candy rabbit, the scale needed to be increased dozens of times.

The rapid growth of the Wingless Flywheel population also brought significant pressure to Lorant.

These Wingless Flywheels were incredibly energetic. With their large numbers, the backyard was filled with the constant buzzing of these little creatures whenever they were let out.

However, in the indoor beast pet activity room, these little ones would consciously tuck in their wings and hop around. Apart from their numbers, there wasn’t much noise.

Otherwise, even with earplugs, it would be hard for Lorant to step inside.

The indoor activity room was originally prepared with ample space, having been built wide enough. But once their numbers reached a certain point, even the spacious activity room felt inadequate. It could only last for less than a week before they would need to expand outward again.

The overall renovation of the backyard of the beast storage has now reached the mid-stage with the help of the mage builders. Most of the land has been taken over for construction and is being rebuilt according to Lorant's blueprints.

Therefore, there aren't enough hands or space to expand the indoor activity area for the time being.

Looking at the massive indoor activity area that would be completed in less than a month, which would provide ample space for the indoor beasts, allow customers to walk in and visit, and could be expanded around the sides and upwards as needed in the future, Lorant decided to bear with it for a little while longer. He would wait until the new beast storage and activity rooms were fully built before moving the little ones over. For now, they would have to make do with the limited space.

However, this wasn't the main reason causing Lorant a headache. As time passed, the wingless flywheels had gradually grown up and started to master their attack abilities.

Arcane Missile is a basic entry-level universal skill that all mages must learn.

As a skill that can change its intensity based on the mage's energy and is one of the few skills that can be instantaneously cast, this magic holds a high status in the mage community.

There are quite a number of beasts that can master this skill, just like mages.

According to Jacqueline, this is the simplest form of magical energy manipulation and release, so many beasts are naturally born with this ability.

The Wingless Flywheel is the first known beast to possess the Arcane Missile skill.

When they reach adulthood, the power of their Arcane Missile can match that of a level 3 mage's full-strength release, which is a skill that shouldn’t be underestimated.

Moreover, what's more important is that Lorant has been emphasizing that beasts are capable of learning.

Jacqueline has been experimenting with teaching the little ones some variations of the Arcane Missile skill, curious to see if they can learn them.

But even mastering the basics has been giving Lorant quite the headache.

Ever since they learned to use this ability, Lorant feels like he's watching a real-life aerial dogfight every day.

These little creatures, relying on their agile movements, enjoy nothing more than forming an "arcane missile zone" by releasing arcane missiles at each other, and the ones not participating in the release would happily dodge within it. They never tire of this game, but it leaves Lorant feeling on edge.

The other ability of these wingless flyers, "laser beams," is even more of a headache for Lorant.

Their beams can strike targets dozens of meters away. Though they may not be as powerful as arcane missiles, this ability differs from the latter in that its effect spans an entire straight line.

A thin, pale red beam extends from the body of a wingless flyer to its target, so when many of them use this ability simultaneously, they create a vast, untouchable web.

Moreover, wherever the beam passes, it leaves a strong trace of energy.

Now that the weather has turned dry and winter is setting in, their laser beams often spark alarming fires when passing through grass or dry branches.

In just three days since the wingless flyers mastered their abilities, Mike and Taya have already extinguished no fewer than a dozen such sparks.

Lorant feels that if this continues, these mischievous little creatures will eventually set his yard ablaze.

He is also worried about the possibility of these abilities accidentally harming other beast companions, especially the Windbreaker Hare and Candy Rabbit, which are at the same level.

Therefore, he strictly controls the areas where these little creatures can use their abilities. C-grade beast companions do not possess the intelligence of a Liuli Iceflame Hound; sometimes, mere communication is not enough to make them understand.

Fortunately, he has Baby and Maomao, his two precious helpers, by his side.

Baby communicates with these little coal balls, and understanding naturally leads to solving problems. For those who don't understand, Maomao follows up with a mix of kindness and firmness. It didn't take long for Maomao to tame these new little creatures, teaching them a lesson about the order in the backyard.

Before long, under Maomao's supervision, these little coal balls learned to live obediently.

Occasional fires were entirely due to accidents, and there were no more deliberate troublemakers.

Lorant was so pleased that he rewarded Baby and Maomao with stewed meat for several consecutive days.