Chapter 271

Chapter 271

"I'll be waiting eagerly!" Lorant was well-versed in the ways of encouraging his beast pets. As a Beast Tamer who had raised many of them, he had long since learned how to soothe them at the right moments, encourage them at the appropriate times, and balance relationships when they got jealous.

He was a seasoned veteran at this.

"No problem!" Fa Meng, satisfied with her superhero pose, agreed confidently.

Little Fa Meng clasped her paws together in front of her chest, mumbling incantations under her breath.

It looked as if she was casting some kind of magic.

Then, from the short paws of the little fat dragon, a golden light materialized. The little one pressed her paw onto her grimoire, and the entire page began to emit a brilliant glow.

When the light filled the entire page, an invisible but terrifying energy spread out from the grimoire in a spherical shape, covering the entire Blue Star territory in an instant.

Far away, in the cotton trees, a candy rabbit that had been napping alertly lifted its head. Its large ears perked up, and its gem-like eyes stared intently at the source of the energy in the distance.

Its not-so-bright mind processed that such a powerful force could only come from someone formidable.

If that's the case...

Wouldn't that be a worthy opponent for a fight?

The candy rabbit's eyes lit up, and after exchanging glances with its companions, they prepared to set off in groups out of the cotton tree forest.

Outside the cotton tree forest, in the Blue Star territory, the lands infested by the beasts were similarly swept by the energy wave, but the scene was entirely different from the harmonious one in the cotton trees.

To Lorant's astonishment, the beasts below them froze mid-action. Some had a leg raised, while others had their mouths wide open mid-roar, their voices cut off in their throats.

Time appeared to freeze in that moment for the beasts.

The beast horde fell into an eerie silence.

Where there had once been noise due to the large numbers of beasts, there was now only silence, making the wind blowing through seem even more boisterous.

Lorant was no stranger to this state of the beasts. He knew this was what happened when a beast's soul was taken by the ghost spider.

As a competent feeder, although Lorant didn’t often take Baby to feed on souls, he still provided regular meals for the little one.

So, he had seen many beasts in this state before.

However, he had never seen such a large-scale collective soul extraction of beasts.

Baby, on the other hand, wasn’t very good at group attacks. Although her silk webs could achieve this, she herself didn’t seem to like doing so.

Even when coming here for a ‘buffet,’ Baby usually fed on groups of four or five at a time.

Fa Meng, obviously, didn’t have this problem.

Lorant had asked her to eliminate all the beasts within the territory, so Fa Meng simply extracted the souls of all the beasts in the Black Forest within the entire territory.

And being resourceful, she prepared to feed all the souls to Baby without wasting a single one.

Above those beasts, a nearly transparent energy slowly floated up.

If it were just one or two beasts, Lorant might not have realized that souls had a physical form, but when the semi-transparent energy of tens of thousands of beasts all floated out, it was a sight impossible to ignore.

The baby ghost spider, lying next to Fa Meng, happily rubbed its little claws in excitement.

An invisible web of silk began to form above their heads, with diligent strands of silk dragging souls from various places together.

Then these souls were woven together into a massive ball of light, like a giant ball of yarn.

Little Qing and Little Black were overjoyed, swinging on a strand of silk and pouncing onto the glowing soul orb in mid-air. In this area, there was a spider web laid by the little ones earlier, so they could move freely here.

The little ones pounced onto the soul orb, looking like a sesame seed landing on a football. They joyfully waved their tiny claws, gradually enlarging the soul orb until it grew to a massive size, quickly forming a massive orb of light with a diameter of tens of meters.

This vast amount of soul energy would allow Little Qing and Little Black to expand their silk reserves by several times, with some left over for Lorant to help turn into little snacks for storage.

Although snack souls weren’t as fresh as freshly harvested ones, the taste might be even better after processing!

The little ones blissfully took a big sip of the soul orb, happily thinking that nothing could make a little ghost spider happier than a large mass of souls to eat for a long time.

Lorant looked at the little ones’ blissful, bubbly appearance and secretly reflected that maybe he really didn’t take them out for “meals” often enough. The little one must have been hungry.

At the same time, Lorant also gained a new appreciation for Fa Meng’s abilities.

This number of beasts posed no difficulty for it at all, and it could even extract their souls according to the ghost spider’s needs.

Soul-affecting abilities were rare, which was why Little Qing and Little Black, despite their relatively weak physical strength, could resist formidable warriors at level thirteen.

And now, in Fa Meng’s hands, such an ability was used so effortlessly.

After performing such a monumental task, Fa Meng didn’t seem the least bit tired, as if it had just tidied up a table.

“Is there anything else you need me to do, Lorant?” Little Fa Meng looked very eager, rubbing its fists in anticipation of Lorant’s next instruction.

It was a very active little one and seemed to enjoy the “tasks” Lorant gave it, completing them very diligently each time.

This task was obviously too easy for Fa Meng, so it didn’t have much fun and now wanted to get the next “game task.”

Lorant thought carefully and finally shook his head.

“Not for now. You’ve already cleared all the beasts within the territory. Let’s walk ahead and see if there’s anything that needs to be done.”

Fa Meng looked slightly disappointed at the massive soul orb that was still condensing under the little ones’ manipulation.

It looked like they would need some more time to gather all this soul energy.

“Okay, really nothing else?” Fa Meng asked reluctantly.

Lorant shook his head firmly. “Really. But who knows, maybe if we walk ahead a bit more, we’ll find something else to do!”

Despite its disappointment, Fa Meng quickly found something to occupy itself. It strapped on a miniature glider and buzzed excitedly around Lorant.

When the little ones were finally satisfied and packed away the energy ball, everyone continued forward.

This time, Lorant crossed the boundary of his territory and walked a bit further toward the Black Forest.

Based on the number of beasts alone, the Blue Star territory already resembled the Black Forest. Therefore, beyond the Blue Star territory, the density of beasts had reached the level of the outskirts of the Black Forest.

Despite Fa Meng’s eagerness for more tasks, Lorant decided not to clear the remaining beasts at this time.

He needed to handle these areas slowly over time, and if necessary, he would even "farm" the exotic beasts.

Lorent understood that nowadays, exotic beasts were not only a powerful threat to practitioners but also an essential and irreplaceable resource.

He had once wondered why the beasts within the empire could never be completely eradicated.

He believed that if a few powerful practitioners above level ten were willing to spend a few weeks, they could thoroughly clear the beasts outside the empire's cities.

Even if a few were missed, they would just slip through the cracks and wouldn't amount to much.

However, as Lorent stood higher and higher in this world and gained more and more advantages, his perspective on things began to change.

Now, Lorent could vaguely understand that the reason those beasts hadn't been completely eradicated might be because, in the eyes of practitioners, they were a useful resource.

If all the beasts within the empire were cleared, low-level practitioners, apprentice practitioners, and other similar practitioners—who made up the majority—would completely lose the relatively safe means of obtaining beast materials to enhance themselves.

If all practitioners could only fight beasts in the Lopulo Mountains and the Black Forest, it would be far too dangerous for low-level practitioners, especially those of levels one, two, or apprentice level.

Compared to the current situation, the overall number of practitioners would be drastically reduced.

This wouldn't be beneficial for cultivating more practitioners. Perhaps it was for this reason that those powerful practitioners had tacitly agreed not to clear all the beasts within the empire in one go.

As for the ordinary people who were injured because of this...

They might never appear in the considerations of the strong.

Lorent couldn't agree with this situation. In his view, these practitioners overlooked the most crucial point.

Practitioners were born from ordinary people, and only by continuously increasing the overall human population and ensuring a certain standard of living could the number of practitioners truly be increased.

However, even though he didn't agree, changing this situation wasn't as simple as Lorent stubbornly clearing all the beasts within the empire with Fa Meng.

This kind of solution that treated the symptoms but not the disease would always be the most foolish.

To truly solve this problem at its root, Lorent believed he needed to focus on pet beasts.

The replaceability of pet beasts for wild beasts was the best solution Lorent could think of at the moment.

Until pet beasts could replace most of the functions of wild beasts, beasts would remain an indispensable resource.

But if all the resources that beasts could provide could also be provided by pet beasts, and even more excellently, why would practitioners oppose Lorent clearing all the beasts within the empire?

"Fa Meng, can you think of a way to divide this area?" Lorent pointed downward at the Black Forest area within his territory.

"Divide it into several different zones, where the outermost area allows all beasts to enter, the next layer only allows beasts below level five, and further in, only beasts below level three." As Lorent spoke, he gestured, dividing the land below into three layers.

Little Fa Meng instantly grasped Lorent's idea. The little fat dragon waved its claw, and several bright yellow lines appeared on the ground below, clearly dividing the entire area into several sections.

These lines weren't actually real; they looked like something drawn with colorful markers. From Lorent's vantage point, he could clearly see the land below divided into several sections by the vibrant lines.

"Does this look good, Lorent?" Little Fa Meng tilted its head and explained its actions to Lorent. "I can set up a rule in each of these zones."

"Only beasts below a certain level can pass through, and higher-level beasts will be blocked by the rules."

"This way, lower-level beasts can pass through higher-level zones, but higher-level beasts can't move forward. This will effectively separate the beasts by level without making them wary."

"I can also keep the entrances at the front and sides of the territory open to allow the beasts to reach their designated areas more quickly!" Fa Meng's understanding of Lorent's idea was thorough, and its suggestions hit the mark perfectly for Lorent.

Lorent nodded, clearly pleased and even a bit surprised. "Yes, you did very well, better than I thought!" As he spoke, he patted the little fat dragon's head.

Having an incredibly intelligent, obedient, and incredibly powerful beast pet feels absolutely wonderful.

In this way, part of the Blue Star territory can become a perfect training ground for Beast Tamers.

Practitioners and their beast pets can choose a relatively safe and stable environment to gradually train their combat abilities.

Those who purchase beast pets like the Wingless Flywheel can meet their training needs by staying in the relatively low-level areas.

On the other hand, practitioners who own more powerful beast pets like the Glassy Ice Flame Dog and the Furious Ragdoll Bear can choose to move on to higher-level areas.

This idea is undoubtedly the most ideal.

Now, the 'Black Forest Training Ground' in the Blue Star territory is like a monster farm from a video game.

All kinds of small monsters obediently stay in their respective areas, allowing brave warriors to pick opponents according to their own strength.

One can focus on dealing with a Level 1 Hopping Worm without worrying about a passing Gale Eagle pecking a big hole in their back.

Such an environment is an ideal training ground for practitioners.

This concept has been proposed before, but until now, even the Congress of Magic could not truly realize this dream.

However, with Fa Meng, Lancelot can easily achieve this dream by relying on the unreasonable rule-based powers of this powerful beast pet.

Once this 'dreamland' gets out, it should attract many practitioners, becoming a 'leveling paradise' for many.

After further refining the division of the Black Forest area with Fa Meng, Lancelot also reorganized the ground at the edge of his territory where the knight squad had helped him set up.

Now he has divided his territory into two large sections.

One section is the Black Forest 'leveling zone' under his feet.

A barrier that can shield the senses of the beasts has been moved to the very edge of the territory under Lancelot's instructions.

With Fa Meng around, Lancelot can now remove all the barriers around the territory if he wants to, as Fa Meng's rules are far better than these barriers.

So Lancelot placed the barrier in the very center of the territory to separate the leveling zone from the beast pet farm.

Beyond the barrier is Lancelot's future beast pet farm.

Currently, the beast pet farm still occupies only a small part of the territory.

But Lancelot is not in a hurry, as with the increase in the production and variety of beast pets, it won't be long before this place might need to be expanded.

Although there is the Holy Shield River to the far south blocking the way to the south, the entire west is an undeveloped wilderness.

If expansion is needed, it will be a simple matter, so Lancelot doesn't need to worry about insufficient territory.

In this area, the rules left by Fa Meng are much simpler, with a bunch of protective rules all stuffed into this section.

Given the current level of safety provided by these rules, even a sudden Level 3 beast surge would not disturb this area.

After checking everything, Lancelot is quite satisfied with today's work.

Little Qing, slowly landing in front of Lancelot, proudly snorted as she elegantly stepped aside and slightly bent her knees to allow Lancelot to dismount easily.

Lancelot quickly and easily stepped down using the stairs Fa Meng had created next to Little Qing.

After being spiked by his Windbreaking Horse, Lancelot, uninterested in village matters, brought a lounge chair to the second floor of the Blue Star Hall to relax in the sun.

He stared in shock as Lorant and several of his beast pets descended from the sky, his mouth slightly agape, unable to speak.

Lancelot had never pressed Lorant about Fa Meng's abilities.

Although he was very curious himself, the knight knew that if Lorant was willing to talk about it, he would find out sooner or later. If Lorant wasn't willing to talk, there was no point in asking further.

And Lorant indeed didn't deliberately avoid him.

Lancelot and Lorant had once signed a contract, and everything about Lorant would be kept confidential.

Lorant naturally trusted him completely.

However, there had been other matters occupying them, and since returning to the beast pet shop, Lorant hadn't really had the chance to rest properly, so he hadn't talked to Lancelot about Fa Meng.

Seeing Lancelot's shocked expression, as if his worldview was being reshaped, Lorant couldn't help but smile with his eyes.

When they returned to the beast pet shop, Lancelot's mind was still buzzing.

Lorant hadn't hidden anything from him and had told the knight most things about Fa Meng.

Unfortunately, Fa Meng was still a mystery to Lorant, even to him. There wasn't much information he could share.

Even so, the few abilities that had been displayed were enough to shock Lancelot to the core.

Rules, the ability to create things out of thin air, and the power of a legendary beast—

Each of these alone would be enough to shock the world, but Fa Meng possessed all of them.

"Lorant," Lancelot prompted, though his mind was sluggish, "Try not to let too many people know about Fa Meng's true strength, especially the fact that she's at least of legendary beast level."

Lorant raised an eyebrow, clearly taken aback by Lancelot's concern; he had thought the knight would be most surprised by Fa Meng's rule abilities.

Seeing that Lorant didn't seem to take it seriously, Lancelot patiently continued, "If people knew that a legendary-level existence could be artificially created, even those old fellows who have been dormant for years and seem dead would be attracted."

"Such power is too daunting."

Lorant lowered his eyes, and just as Lancelot thought he would realize the seriousness of the situation, he lifted his head.

The boy's black eyes were deep and fiery, filled with unconcealable ambition.

"Daunting?" Lorant smiled, reaching out to take Lancelot's arm, stepping half a step closer to look into the knight's surprised blue pupils, "Have I not been daunting enough?"

"When I only had the Glassy Ice Flame Dog, I had to worry about level 12 and 13 practitioners being daunted by it. When I got the Ghost Spider, I had to worry about its unique abilities attracting the retaliation of legendary practitioners."

"And now, I finally have the strength of a legend." Lorant leaned in even closer, his breath warm against Lancelot’s ear as he whispered, "When I was weak, I lived in fear, but now it's different. I have grown strong, and even a legendary practitioner, so what?"

"I’ve faced enemies a hundred times stronger than me and survived. Now, I’m just dealing with someone on my own level."

"Trust me, Lance. I know exactly what I’m doing."

Lancelot was taken aback for a moment, but then he relaxed, realizing how much he had come to trust Lorant without even noticing.

Yes, what was there to fear?

No matter how daunting the existence of a beast pet was, taking down a legendary existence would require any organization to be prepared for massive casualties.

Lancelot instinctively wrapped his arm around Lorant’s waist.

"Of course, my dear shop owner, your loyal knight will always be by your side." If the storm can’t be avoided, I’ll be your shield.