Chapter 272

Chapter 272

When Jacqueline and the others finally returned from the Black Forest, they learned that Lorant had already come out of the Beast Tower.

Not only that, but according to the students doing part-time work at the Beast Pet Shop, Lorant had also brought back two never-before-seen beast companions.

This made the people from the Beast Tower both itchy with curiosity and filled with regret.

They had only wasted a day in the Black Forest, and Lorant had already packed up his new companions and headed to Camkwo. The mages could only look forward to his return at the shop.

Upon learning of Lorant's return, the mages immediately pushed Jacqueline to go and gather information.

"Little Lorant! How was it? Did you, um, go smoothly in the Beast Tower?" Jacqueline, of course, did not hesitate and rushed straight towards Lorant.

She looked at him with eager eyes. At times like this, Jacqueline didn't mind using her charm to gain the maximum advantage.

By now, everyone had returned to the Beast Pet Shop, and Lancelot had finally found a chance to have some alone time with Lorant.

Using the pretext of letting Lorant try a new barbecue seasoning he had made, Lancelot invited him to the lakeside for a romantic bonfire dinner.

Around them were only a few well-behaved beast companions, with no one else in sight. Even Natalie, who usually liked to hang around the lake, had been specifically called out for dinner by Doris.

The people at the Beast Pet Shop were all very perceptive, leaving the space for the two to be alone.

No one knew the full extent of what had transpired between them, but Lancelot's excitement over the past two days was impossible to hide.

Whenever they were together, the air seemed to sparkle with unspoken affection, visible even without Fa Meng's abilities.

Even Silem, dull to a fault, had vaguely realized that something had happened between his older brother and his teacher that he didn't understand.

After the last unsuccessful 'rescue' mission, Silem felt like he had aged quite a bit.

They were perfectly content with each other, neither needing rescue. It was better not to disturb them.

Otherwise, he might get scolded...

Yet, Jacqueline still rushed over without hesitation, intruding like a glaring presence.

The witch might have forgotten what young emotions felt like over the long years. She could clearly see the ambiguous atmosphere between the two. Ever since Lancelot first took Lorant to the Beast Tower, Jacqueline had noticed it.

But in her heart, there was nothing more important in the world than beast companions. And she thought Lorant should feel the same way.

After all, Lorant had always given her the impression of being rational and distant. Jacqueline could always see in him the shadows of some of her friends.

Perhaps all dedicated individuals shared a similar demeanor.

So, after a brief consideration, Jacqueline still chose to rush over.

She was too curious, and her excitement would keep her restless until she found out.

Lancelot shot the witch a resentful glance but held his tongue.

He moved closer to Lorant and eagerly handed over a freshly grilled meat skewer, "Lorant, try this. It's the meat of a Thorned Goose, very tender and juicy!"

Lorant took the skewer from Lancelot's hand and smiled at Jacqueline, "Mentor Jacqueline, thank you for your concern. I did fairly well in the Beast Tower."

He took a bite of the meat skewer and was instantly amazed by the burst of juices. His eyes lit up with excitement as he looked at Lancelot. "Delicious! It's really, really delicious!"

Lancelot looked like a dog whose fur had just been stroked the right way, practically wagging his tail.

"I'm glad you like it, I'll go and grill some more for you!"

As Lancelot turned back to the grill, Lorant wore a barely noticeable smile.

As he had said before, he was already quite good at balancing the relationships between his various familiars.

"One could even say it's going better than I expected," Lorant told Jacqueline with a smile. "Look, that child is the best proof."

He pointed to the little ones drooling next to the bonfire.

Fa Meng and Baby, the two small familiars, along with Maomao, the familiar lying on the ground, were huddled together, sharing a large piece of delicious grilled meat.

Naturally, Lancelot had prepared it for them.

To get some alone time with Lorant, Lancelot first had to win over these little ones who were always by his side.

He was already quite familiar with the art of bribing familiars.

At that moment, Fa Meng and Maomao had set aside their past differences. The two little ones, big and small, nestled closely together, amicably sharing the large piece of grilled meat.

The little fat dragon had spread himself out like a 'dragon pancake,' lying on top of the Glassy Ice Flame Dog's forehead, burying himself in Maomao's soft fur like a big roast duck, happily rubbing against it.

In the simple and beautiful world of the little ones, even small conflicts would pass quickly. Nothing a delicious piece of grilled meat couldn't fix, and if not, two pieces would do the trick.

Fa Meng's food was always a bit different from the other familiars'. The fragrant pot meat prepared by Lorant was her favorite.

Although she enjoyed grilled meat, it didn't captivate her as much.

So, after Fa Meng gave her share to Maomao, the two little ones became inseparable.

Jacqueline had been glancing over at the familiars, and after receiving confirmation from Lorant, she boldly turned her head to look.

Jacqueline had long noticed Maomao's peculiarities.

Not only did it look vastly different from an ordinary Glassy Ice Flame Dog, but even before reaching maturity, it was already the largest Glassy Ice Flame Dog in the shop.

Moreover, it was highly intelligent, making communication much smoother than with an ordinary Glassy Ice Flame Dog.

Everyone who interacted with it would subconsciously treat it as an equal.

But what intrigued Jacqueline the most was what happened the last time they encountered dragon bones.

When the dragon bones appeared above the beast pet shop, the first to show emotions other than fear and panic was this Glassy Ice Flame Dog.

Even a high-level practitioner wouldn't have handled it better.

This naturally piqued Jacqueline's interest, and recently, she had often tried to get close to Maomao, wanting to observe it up close.

But when Lorant wasn't around, Maomao was distant, giving her a 'take care of yourself' look before turning away.

At that moment, however, Jacqueline's gaze was firmly fixed on Fa Meng and Baby.

"These two small familiars?" As soon as Jacqueline focused on them, she sensed an unusual energy fluctuation.

Every practitioner had their own distinct energy signature. The stronger the practitioner, the more noticeable their energy signature, though only at higher levels could they conceal it.

The witch immediately recognized that the white furball was the hidden protector that had always been by Lorant's side.

This little critter had actually fought her in earnest once before, and since then, the witch had remembered his aura.

Most of the time, this aura seemed to be nonexistent, only appearing in the witch's perception when Lorant was in danger or during other emergencies.

Based on this energy signature, Jacqueline had long ago determined that Lorant had a companion with at least the strength of an 11th-level practitioner.

So, when the corpse of that formidable assassin was brought before her, Jacqueline wasn't particularly surprised.

However, this was the first time she had truly seen this pet with her own eyes. Previously, all Jacqueline had were various guesses, but now she could finally draw a conclusion.

Jacqueline carefully scanned the furball that was lying on the page, tearing off the roast meat piece by piece with its little paws. This little one was quite deceptive, and for a moment, the witch couldn't even tell what form of pet it was.

But what attracted her the most wasn't Baby.

After sensing that Baby's aura matched the pet she had seen before, Jacqueline immediately shifted her gaze to Fa Meng.

Since two of the three pets had existed before, it meant that this plump, chubby little dragon was the brand-new pet that Lorant had bred this time.

Although Jacqueline didn't know exactly which materials Lorant had used, she could faintly sense that he must have gone all out.

If there were no accidents, the breeding process of this pet might have even involved some dragon bones!

Although she had no evidence to prove that the value of the materials directly influenced the pet's strength, she had always suspected it.

Moreover, just like Lancelot, Jacqueline had a considerable understanding of Lorant.

The child's cautiousness far exceeded what most people could imagine; in other words, he lived far too cautiously.

The fact that he dared to release the powerful pet he had hidden for so long was already significant.

Jacqueline suddenly realized that the boy in front of her, who was focused on eating barbecue skewers, seemed even more composed than when she had seen him last.

"Well, I should say it's just one," Lorant smiled and said meaningfully as he looked at Jacqueline.

The existence of Baby had never been a secret to Jacqueline. It was just that they had a mutual understanding not to expose it.

Jacqueline's face was filled with surprise. "You really succeeded! You've bred another type of pet?" She was stunned after saying this.

Within just one month, Lorant had gone from the Light-winged Butterfly to the Wingless Flywheel, and now he had come up with another mysterious pet.

Even for Jacqueline, who had seen much, this was shockingly surprising.

Lorant, feeling a bit guilty, chuckled awkwardly. "Hehe, well, I just got lucky, I guess!"

Jacqueline nodded absentmindedly. Yes, just lucky.

Without this excuse, the witch felt that the blow would have been even greater.

Shaking her head to dispel a bunch of doubts about herself and the world, she lunged forward toward Maomao.

Or rather, the little one on top of Maomao's head.

Maomao lifted its eyes and, seeing that it was the familiar witch, instinctively wanted to run away. But after seeing Lorant's expression, it finally moved its paws but didn't get up.

With Lorant around, Maomao felt that it wouldn't be taken away by the frightening witch.

Its calm demeanor gave Fa Meng the illusion that the witch approaching her was someone she could ignore.

The miniature dragon rolled over and, in a way that defied logic, pulled out a plate from somewhere on Maomao's head. On the plate was a small portion of meat, which it then elegantly delivered into its mouth with a fork.

Seeing how much Maomao was enjoying its meal, the miniature dragon couldn't resist the urge to try a bite.

However, before it could even raise its fork, the excited Jacqueline grabbed it by the short arm and lifted it up.

Fa Meng: "?!!"

It was so startled that it nearly instinctively jammed the fork into the witch's face!

With its tail drooping and claws hanging limply, Fa Meng glared at Jacqueline as if she were holding a loaf of bread in the air.

Its claws twitched, as if wanting to teach a lesson to the rude person who had disturbed its meal.

But Lorant had been watching and reached out to grab the little guy's tail swinging in the air. "Aunt Jacqueline, this little one is called Fa Meng, the new member of the beast pet shop."

"Fa Meng, this is Jacqueline, a teacher who takes good care of me!" Lorant introduced them to each other.

For Lorant's sake, Fa Meng silently retracted its claws, which had unknowingly become sharp and gleaming.

It obediently let Jacqueline hold it, its claws hanging down.

Lorant couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth at the sight. This little guy's personality didn't seem to be as good as he had imagined!

The child was completely the type to hold grudges and seek revenge for even the smallest slights.

Recalling its conflict with Maomao earlier that day, Lorant sighed inwardly.

He couldn't figure out who it had inherited this from.

He himself was quite gentle and friendly! How had he ended up with beast pets that were either superficially obedient or secretly manipulative, petty, or arrogant?

Jacqueline, however, didn't sense any hostility from the little one.

Or rather, the slight reluctance shown by Fa Meng was completely insignificant to her.

They locked eyes for a moment, and a puzzled expression slowly spread across Jacqueline's face.

From this beast pet, she sensed no danger, and its energy signature was barely detectable. In her perception, the little fat dragon's strength seemed to be not as high as the other miniature dragon beast she had fought earlier.

Energy signatures don't lie. If this little one was stronger than she imagined, its energy signature would either be more intense or completely hidden.

Many formidable warriors could mask their true strength by altering their energy signatures. However, such a complex task would be impossible for an innocent-minded beast pet.

Noticing Lorant's look, Fa Meng instantly put on its most adorable act, waving a soft paw. "Hello, Aunt Jacqueline! I'm Fa Meng."

Jacqueline's eyes widened, and she unconsciously tightened her grip.

But after past experiences with Lorant, she had learned to control her strength whenever he was around.

Fa Meng's body had a very soft texture, feeling like a plush toy with good elasticity.

Lorant had tried pinching its face before, and the little one had said it didn't hurt, but now it found an excuse.

"You're hurting me!"

The chubby dragon squirmed unhappily, and somehow its plump body slipped out of Jacqueline's hands like an eel, darting into Lorant’s arms in a flash.

"Lolo!" The little fat dragon reached out to Lorant with teary eyes: "Wah wah wah, scared!"

Lorant resisted the urge to give this little drama queen a light tap on the head and helplessly picked it up, rubbing it a couple of times: "Alright! Alright! Jacqueline didn’t mean to, how about I open a can of your favorite treat later?"

Jacqueline stood there in a daze, completely unaware of what had just happened.

The Ghost Spider moved over to Faimeng, and the two little creatures leaned their heads together, whispering to each other, their small eyes frequently glancing at Jacqueline.

They were probably saying bad things about Jacqueline, Lorant thought with a slight amusement.

However, Jacqueline paid no attention to this; she was still overwhelmed by the excitement that this little creature could actually speak.

To Jacqueline, she had never imagined that pets could be so intelligent.

She didn't know that the Floating Octopus was already smarter than eighty percent of humans, nor did she realize that Baby was a pet capable of normal conversation with Lorant.

Without a gradual adaptation process, when Faimeng appeared directly before her, Jacqueline's worldview was severely shaken.

She stood there, frozen, as if she couldn’t believe what she had just heard.

It seemed as though her spirit and soul had begun to drift away, leaving behind only an empty shell.

"Aunt Jacqueline, Faimeng does have some special qualities. It’s as rare as Baby, so it might be more powerful than you think. Um, don’t be too surprised," Lorant explained considerately. Afterward, he patted the spot next to him and asked Jacqueline, "By the way, do you want to join us for some grilled meat?"

"Lance’s cooking is indeed quite good," Lorant praised in a voice just loud enough for the knight to hear.

Of course, only when it comes to grilled meat, he silently added.

Upon hearing Lorant say this, Lancelot felt a silent joy in his heart.

However, after hearing Lorant's invitation, he looked at Jacqueline with a pleading look, hoping that this senior would have the decency to not stay and steal the spotlight.

Lorant's pleading look had no effect on Jacqueline, or rather, she was simply unable to process any other information at the moment.

She shook her head dazedly, turned back with her expression vacant, and walked back.

On the way back, she even stumbled over herself.

Lorant watched Jacqueline with concern and had Baby follow her to keep an eye on her, afraid that a legendary mage might fall and hurt herself in a pet shop.

Immediately after, Lorant stopped paying attention to the departing witch and focused on enjoying Lancelot's company.

For the next few days, Jacqueline put aside everything she was doing and spent each day following Fa Meng, trying to observe her every move.

This became quite a nuisance for the little fat dragon.

"Lorlor!" The little fat dragon shouted as it suddenly phased through the glass wall and headed straight for Lorant, "Can you please tell Jacqueline to stop following me!"

The little fat dragon, puffed up in frustration, buried itself in Lorant's arms and rubbed against his chin, whining in frustration.

Lorant casually embraced Fa Meng, cradling her comfortably in his arms, shaping her into a plump, squishy 'dragon pancake' that felt quite nice to hold.

"Jacqueline doesn't have any bad intentions," Lorant rubbed Fa Meng's head, gently comforting her, "In two more days, they'll head back to the Beast Tower, and then she won't bother you anymore."

"But!" The little fat dragon whined, clearly fed up with all the attention.

Jacqueline was extremely powerful and in no way inferior to Fa Meng. When she was determined to follow him, even Fa Meng didn’t know how to handle her.

She didn’t say anything, just silently followed Fa Meng, which really threw him off.

"Didn’t we agree to have her check you out?" Lorant rubbed Fa Meng's body and said softly, "So we can’t drive her away just yet, okay?"

Fa Meng sighed like a kid who knows too much, reluctantly snorted and rubbed her head against Lorant’s chin, pouting. "So let’s get it done! Talk to her already!"

"Okay, okay! Let’s go find her now."

Lorant coaxed Little Qing and Little Black, carrying the grumpy little fat dragon as he pushed open the glass door and stepped out.

Just as they stepped out of the glass room, they ran into Jacqueline, who was strolling by with a casual look on her face.