Chapter 466

Chapter 466

Picture books, in some ways, have a much broader audience than travelogues.

Although, due to the efforts of Blue Star, compulsory education within the Empire is gradually becoming more widespread, giving more common people the opportunity to read and write, this expansion is still in its early stages. While initial results are promising, it remains accessible to only a small portion of the population.

Even those fortunate enough to benefit from this educational spread can barely recognize the most basic characters.

Being able to write one's own and family members' names is already considered exceptional.

Those who truly have the ability to read books are still few and far between.

Picture books, however, are different. Even toddlers can easily understand the vivid illustrations and be deeply captivated by them.

If these illustrations are accompanied by simple text, they become the best tools for learning to read and are ideal for early childhood education.

Thus, after the first artist mustered the courage to contact Blue Star, which gave Lorant an idea, the production and printing of picture books were immediately scaled up on a large scale.

The most popular travelogues were reimagined as picture books and released again. Many people who had not seen the travelogues due to various reasons chose to buy a picture book, and even some readers who had already read the original were willing to purchase another copy for their collection.

The emergence of picture books led to a surge in demand, making paper scarce in Luoyang. This novel and engaging medium quickly became the most fashionable and popular leisure activity among the people of the Empire.

Lorant naturally became immersed in the ocean of picture books right away.

Despite having the perspective of his previous life, he hadn't read comics for nearly twenty years, making his resistance quite weak.

The big boss of Blue Star generously moved an entire box of picture books from his printing shop and set up a small study in the conservatory connecting Lorant's and Lancelot's rooms.

In the spatial ring where he stored daily items, there was also a small bookshelf for easy access.

Lorant suddenly raised his head, looking at the shifting mycelium in front of him, and stood up with a guilty conscience.

He would never admit that he had been so engrossed in reading that he almost forgot the emergence time of the beast pet.

Fortunately, these little creatures, the "Mushroom Growers," didn't require much special attention when they were born. Even if they were cruelly neglected by their neglectful owner, they still managed to emerge on their own, quite resiliently.

Those milky-white mycelial strands collapsed from the inside out.

At first, Lorant, not paying much attention, thought the mycelium was simply dissolving naturally. But when he began to observe the inner workings of the mycelium through Xiao Lan as an enhancer, Lorant realized how wrong he was.

The disappearance of the mycelium had nothing to do with the term "natural dissolution."

They dwindled until the hidden barrel inside was gradually exposed, entirely because they were being eaten.

Those who treated the mycelium as food were naturally the beast pets Lorant had been anticipating.

After hatching, they first ate all the mycelium in the barrel, allowing the barrel's lid to open again, and then they swarmed out to feast outside.

When the first little head popped up from the sea of mycelium, it meant that the "Mushroom Grower" had officially completed its own transformation.

The first time Lorant saw these little creatures, on whom he had placed high hopes, he froze in place. He blinked in disbelief, looking at the little creature in front of him, then turned to Xiao Lan, the magic-loving fairy on his shoulder, glancing back and forth and even rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn’t mistaken.

Fa Meng floated nearby, stroking her chin thoughtfully, deep in contemplation, her small eyes constantly glancing between Xiao Lan and the little creature she was seeing for the first time, with a thoughtful expression on her face.

Xiao Lan, on the other hand, was stunned in place. Sitting on Lorant's shoulder, it stared blankly at the little head emerging from the mycelium, and after a while, it turned to look at Lorant with a silly expression.

'Could this guy possibly be related to me?' Xiao Lan's pair of bright eyes were filled with even more confusion.

How come it didn't know that Lorant had been breeding its own kind all this time?

But if memory serves, didn't Lorant say that the beast pet being bred now was called something like "Mushroom Grower"?

Xiao Lan gave Lorant a reproachful look, feeling somewhat deceived.

Lorant took a moment to ruffle the little one's head, turning its smooth long hair into a messy bird's nest. Xiao Lan immediately puffed up its cheeks and started diligently smoothing its hair, its attention instantly diverted.

When Lorant had a moment to spare and took a closer look, he realized that the little one in front of him wasn't exactly like Xiao Lan.

However, this beast pet, like Xiao Lan, was a humanoid type, so at first glance, they could easily be confused.

So far, Blue Star has bred many beast pets, and aside from the two related Slime beast pets, there haven't been any that looked similar in appearance.

Even the Dream Weaver and the Phantom Spider, which were bred in the same way, or the Dream Jellyfish and the Healing Chime, which are purely twin beast pets, have vastly different appearances.

Yet, the 'Mushroom Grower' looked strikingly similar to Xiao Lan at first glance.

Both had a standard small humanoid body with disproportionately large eyes.

If you ignored Xiao Lan's iconic long hair, the two little ones looked like they had hatched from the same egg.

Of course, this illusion lasted only until the little one huffed and puffed its way out of the thick mycelium.

At the waist of the little one, there was a mushroom cap that looked like a small skirt.

The fluffy mushroom head looked quite adorable, with a strikingly bright color—a vibrant orange with a red ring.

It looked...

Fa Meng couldn't help but swallow, thinking that the mushroom looked quite delicious.

The little Mushroom Grower looked around nervously, sensing a dangerous aura behind it.

Lorant, who had seen everything, thought to himself...

It seems he would have to take some time to educate these little ones about the toxicity of mushrooms, lest one day a curious little one accidentally gets knocked out by some strange mushroom.

An S-class beast pet, though almost impossible to be killed by a poisonous mushroom, would still be a lifelong embarrassment if it got a stomachache from eating something bad.

Especially since these little ones have high intelligence. If such a thing were to happen, even Fa Meng would be too ashamed to show her face.

To prevent Fa Meng from leaving an indelible black mark in the S-class beast pet community, Lorant decided to take some time to educate these little ones, who often had plenty of free time and might not always be in his sight, about food safety.

Food, especially mushrooms, isn't always better the brighter it looks...

Lorant grabbed the little fat dragon's chubby body and spun it 180 degrees in the air, making it turn around so its expression wouldn't scare the little one. The little fat dragon had a bubble above its head clearly containing a plate of deliciously fragrant stir-fried mushrooms and was drooling.

Then he crouched down and gently extended his hand to the little one, who clearly looked like a poisonous mushroom.

The Mushroom Grower blinked its big eyes, looking up at Lorant innocently. After a moment of careful thought, it cautiously moved its legs and crawled onto Lorant's lowered, cupped hands.

Then it obediently sat down in a duck-like position.

After lifting the little one and taking a closer look, Lorant immediately realized that the little one only looked somewhat similar to Xiao Lan because they were both humanoid beast pets, but in reality, they were quite different.

Aside from the dazzling mushroom cap skirt, the Mushroom Grower also had a small, inconspicuous mushroom on its head.

At first glance, Lorant had mistaken it for its hair.

With the preconception of Xiao Lan's blue hair, Lorant subconsciously felt that this little creature should also have its own hair.

However, upon closer inspection, it was clear that what he saw was fleshy mushrooms rather than a mushroom-shaped hairstyle.

Another difference was the eyes of this little one.

Its eyes were a pair of black beans.

Though they seemed lively enough due to their proportion, when placed next to Xiao Lan, the disparity became evident.

Compared to Xiao Lan, who was almost indistinguishable from a miniature human, the Mushroom Grower appeared much more rigid.

Moreover, the Mushroom Grower's entire body and facial features were not as delicate as Xiao Lan's.

If one had to compare, it would be like the difference between an inexpensive Barbie doll and an expensive high-end figurine.

Of course, the Mushroom Grower had its own strengths and advantages, and was not just a substitute for the MagicEater Sprite.

Due to the presence of the mushroom elements, this little creature looked more cartoonish, appearing cuter in comparison to Xiao Lan's exquisite and lustrous appearance.

Lorant stroked the little one's head, causing it to close its eyes and rub against his fingers like a contented kitten.

No pet could resist a good pat; if there was one that did, another pat would surely do the trick!

The feel of this little creature was like touching a freshly cleaned small mushroom, with a thick, fleshy texture that, while somewhat incongruous on a humanoid pet, surprisingly felt quite pleasant.

Like its head, the little one's skirt-like appendage had the same texture. Though it resembled a skirt, Lorant's careful observation revealed that it was actually part of the creature's body.

Tickling the folds under the cap would make the little thing giggle, which was incredibly endearing.

However, as a B-grade pet, this little creature's intelligence was at the average level for its grade. Despite its apparent cleverness, Lorant found himself having higher expectations due to Xiao Lan's exceptional qualities.

But soon, Mr. Shopkeeper adjusted his mindset.