Chapter 540

Chapter 540

Lorant raised his arm to examine the little one that had now tightly wrapped itself around his wrist, forming a black chain.

Perhaps inspired by the gemstone bracelet on Lorant's other wrist—where Xiao Lan often resided—it attempted to fashion itself into a symmetrical accessory.

However, the little one misjudged its own size.

A small bracelet couldn’t possibly contain its vast, billowing black mist. Lorant looked quite odd, as if wearing a half-length black lace glove.

"You need to merge with someone, is that it?" Lorant muttered to himself. His gaze swept across the desk, only to find that the black eggshell that had been there earlier had vanished without a trace.

It had likely been devoured when the dream weaver failed to control its abilities and plunged the entire room into darkness.

The more powerful a beast pet, the sharper its instincts and perceptions.

Lower-grade little ones required Lorant to assign someone to carefully monitor them after birth, ensuring they consumed their eggshells without delay. Missing this crucial post-birth developmental opportunity due to distraction was a real risk.

But for Grade A Beast Pets and above, such worries were unnecessary. Currently, the most common Grade A Beast Pets in Blue Star were the Lightwing butterflies.

With several waves of population growth among the Lightwing butterflies, the number of these formidable Grade A creatures had also increased significantly.

Setting aside their abilities, most of these little ones were far more self-sufficient than their Grade B Beast Pet counterparts. Their survival and combat instincts were far stronger, so caretakers didn’t worry about small mistakes.

They were the preferred charges of their caretakers.

As a Grade A Beast Pet, the dream weaver naturally posed no such concerns. The moment it saw the eggshell, it couldn’t resist devouring it.

Lorant was eager to take the dream weaver to his lab immediately and experiment with its symbiotic ability using a few captured beasts. Unfortunately, the little one, having just consumed its eggshell, was exhausted and ready to sleep.

It didn’t even have the strength to maintain its "black glove" form. Within minutes, it slid off Lorant’s arm, reverting to a soft, floating mass of black mist in the air.

Lorant had no choice but to relent. Satisfied, he left the lab with the newly formed black mist bundle with him.

The next morning, when Lorant awoke, he initially thought it was still the middle of the night—his bedroom was pitch black.

Bleary-eyed, he couldn’t understand why he’d woken up at such an hour. After all, since acquiring the dream weaver, he hadn’t experienced midnight awakenings in a long time.

Oddly, he felt wide awake, without the slightest hint of drowsiness.

But he soon realized when Fa Meng angrily tore through the thick darkness, storming over to him. She reached into the air, swiping and gathering until she clutched a wispy black smoke in her claws, squeezing it angrily.

Lorant realized then that it wasn’t the time of day causing the darkness—it was yesterday’s little one, now awake and already up to mischief.

He rescued the dream weaver from Fa Meng’s claws, the poor creature now resembling a spiky black sea urchin from all the kneading.

After patiently lecturing the little thing about controlling its abilities and not carelessly shrouding rooms in darkness, Lorant finally allowed it to coil around him as he headed downstairs.

For the dream weaver, enveloping others in its darkness was an expression of intimacy—a way to claim them within its domain, showing affection and possessiveness.

But the little one was too young still, without a clear grasp of time and social norms.

It hadn’t realized that shrouding others in darkness during the day was inappropriate. In fact, it had done so all night, and since Lorant hadn’t objected in his sleep, the little one took this as permission.

At first, the scolding left it confused and even a little aggrieved. But its high intelligence allowed it to quickly grasp Lorant’s meaning.

After Lorant’s patient explanation, the little one started to grasp some of the human social norms.

With a sulky undulation, it flattened itself into a thin black sheet, bobbing as if to say, "I get it now."

As Lorant got up, it immediately draped over his back like an embrace, resembling a pure black cloak from a distance.

Lorant was quite pleased when he saw it in the mirror. Later, he might even have the little one conjure a hood to add a more mysterious aura.

The shopkeeper, indulging his inner edgelord, proudly donned his brand-new black cloak and began patrolling the Blue Star Pet Shop under the curious gazes of everyone.

Lorant wandered casually through the areas where the beast pets naturally gathered. He observed the Glacierflame Hounds in their own little paradise, passed the Mushroom Growers’ greenhouse, and finally chose a silly, long-haired Beast Pet Slime from the sunlit lawn where all the beast pets could freely play.

Before fully understanding how the Nightmare's "fusion" ability worked or its exact mechanics, Lorant thought it safer to start with a dumber beast pet as an experimental subject.

If both were too smart and ended up incompatible, it might backfire.

After skipping over a few little ghosts and Spitroots that were just too dumb, Lorant settled on this gentle, harmless Beast Pet Slime with barely enough brains.

Since "fusion" was a natural ability of the Nightmare as a beast pet, and it would inevitably need to cooperate with other beast pets in normal circumstances, Lorant didn’t take the Slime and the little one to the lab for their first experiment. Instead, he brought them directly to the lakeside gazebo in the pet shop.

Mary, sharp as ever, brought Lorant a lovely afternoon tea and snacks, along with the slime chow loved by the Beast Pet Slime.

Most of the Beast Pet Slimes bred at the Blue Star Pet Shop were sent to various Slime farms or the Beast Tower’s breeding pens, leaving only a few behind.

The ones that remained were either uniquely colored, slightly different in size from their peers, or considered by Lorant to have potential for mutation under careful rearing—making them top-tier pets.

Thus, the mages naturally had to handle these elite beast pets with kid gloves.

Even for the slimmest chance of mutation, they would put in their utmost effort.

Taya and Mike specially formulated a separate nutrient solution for these Beast Pet Slimes, packed with extra energy—a little treat these Slimes adored.

It acted like Slime catnip.

It could even tempt these airheaded blobs to actively approach and beg for snacks by rubbing against objects coated with the solution, much like cats or dogs fawning over treats.

In a way, it taught these dopey things to interact.

As a result, visitors to the pet shop went gaga over these adorable Slimes.

Lorant happily stroked the Beast Pet Slime beside him, its fur an ombré fade from snow-white to cotton-candy pink—the very reason it had been kept for its charming appearance.

After slathering the slime chow on his palm, the little one eagerly rubbed against his sticky hand, only stopping once it had its fill.

Once satisfied, it didn’t just abandon Lorant. Instead, it plopped down like a loyal rug beside him, even thoughtfully shaping its body into a concave triangle to serve as a comfortable backrest.

This was the limit of a Beast Pet Slime’s intelligence—it still remembered Lorant liked using it as a pillow, leaning against it for naps, hence this almost sycophantic wriggle.

This time, however, Lorant didn’t sprawl over it, kneading its long fur or lounging on its fluffy belly while sipping tea. Instead, he yanked it into his lap.

An adult Beast Pet Slime wasn’t exactly small, so Lorant couldn’t cradle it fully in his arms. Instead, he held it between his legs like a giant stress ball.

The newborn critter docilely stayed put, letting Lorant pet and squeeze it as he pleased.

After happily indulging in some Slime cuddles, Lorant finally remembered his original task.

He reached back and forcibly peeled off the pure black cloak draped over his shoulders. The Nightmare clung stubbornly to his fingers and arms, resisting and trying to climb back up, as if unwilling to leave Lorant’s side.

The little thing, newly born, naturally felt a deep attachment to its first familiar presence in this strange world—a perfectly normal reaction.

Nowadays, the Nightmare shows reluctance whenever separated from Lorant—even for just minutes—acting much like a fussy child.

This behavior made Lorant somewhat uneasy yesterday, as this little one was destined to be Lancelot’s beast pet. He didn’t want Lancelot to endure another long and painful adjustment period with his beast pet due to such reasons.

Fortunately, the little one’s behavior during breakfast this morning completely put Lorant at ease. He had already prepared himself—if this Nightmare, like Little Qing back then, showed no interest in Lancelot, he definitely wouldn’t hand it over to him.

This Nightmare might have directly become Lorant’s beast pet, and they would have waited to breed another one before giving it to Lancelot.

Even if it meant extra effort, Lorant wouldn’t force Lancelot and the little Nightmare through another difficult bonding process.

But as it turned out, this Nightmare didn’t seem to have the same stubborn temperament as Little Qing.

It was indeed dependent on Lorant, but that was more like the natural attachment all beast pets showed toward him—a common behavior rather than a unique, unchangeable mindset.

Lancelot was naturally present during breakfast this morning.

He sat beside Lorant, eyeing his beast pet draped over Lorant’s back like a living cloak with longing, carefully reaching out to give it a gentle touch. The action didn’t provoke any resistance from the little one. In fact, the Nightmare even shyly wrapped a part of itself around the spot where Lancelot’s wrist had touched it.

This left Lancelot utterly astonished.

Strictly speaking, Lancelot was someone whom beast pets rarely took to. Literally, as if his genes carried some element that clashed with them, making beast pets instinctively wary of him. This had led to one setback after another in his interactions with them.

But with the Nightmare, Lancelot finally experienced a rare moment of a beast pet’s gentleness and friendliness, helping him understand why so many people adored beast pets.

Few could resist the charm of a beast pet showing kindness.

If not for the work piling up in the territory today, judging by how Lancelot lingered over the spot where the Nightmare had touched him, he might have stuck close to Lorant to witness the Nightmare’s first ability experiment.

Instead, he could only watch from afar, eagerly waiting for Lorant to record the first video of the ability experiment, unable to participate in person.

Yes, if he weren’t so swamped right now, Lancelot would have even asked Lorant to use the Wulu Shell for a video call, allowing him to remotely witness the little one’s first use of its abilities.

To be one of only two witnesses alongside Lorant.

Indeed, up to now, Lorant hadn’t informed the Blue Star mage team about the new beast pet.

For one, the mage team was already overwhelmed with work, barely able to handle another new beast pet. For another, as the only one of its kind for now, Lorant didn’t want to widely publicize the Nightmare’s existence.

Though it might not hold the same tactical value as an S-rank beast pet, it could still serve as a secret weapon.

As long as the Nightmare couldn’t be bred in large numbers, Lorant didn’t want too many people to know about its existence.

The Nightmare itself was highly deceptive in appearance. Though he hadn’t yet seen the little one combine, Lorant suspected outsiders might not even notice anything amiss—let alone guess that the Beast Pet Slime they were seeing harbored another powerful one hidden within.

Such misdirection might prove unexpectedly effective in certain situations.

Against single-minded magical beasts, such clever tricks would be useless. To their simple minds, no scheme held meaning—even high-level magical beasts with some intelligence were no exception. Only sheer force mattered.

But when facing other intelligent species, small tactics could often yield surprising results.

Right now, even though Blue Star had reached a point where internal human threats shouldn’t be a concern, Lorant knew better than to let his guard down. The old-world wisdom of his ancestors—never to underestimate potential dangers—was something he had never forgotten since arriving here. It was this very caution that had kept him alive.

Having a backup plan was never a bad thing.

"Little Nightmare, you see it, right? Try combining with it," Lorant pulled his 'Black Cloak' closer, letting it face the Beast Pet Slime.

The Nightmare obediently draped itself over the beautifully colored Beast Pet Slime, completely covering its long fur.

Then everything fell still.

The beast pet Slime wobbled uncomfortably, revealing its eyes from under the shroud of black mist, looking completely confused at Lorant, unable to comprehend what he was doing.

The Nightmare merely squirmed a couple of times before falling still.

Lorant, the beast pet Slime, and the Nightmare stared at each other in a standoff, none taking the next step.

Though the Nightmare had no facial features, and logically Lorant shouldn’t be able to see its eyes or nose, he could still sense the little one gazing at him.

Its expression was utterly innocent and confused.

As naive as a college student.

"Try merging with the little one. Use your ability to connect with it," Lorant poked the thin layer of black mist on the beast pet Slime, worried the little one hadn’t understood him.

The thin black mist on the Slime formed a few spike-like protrusions into the air, as if responding to Lorant’s words.

Lorant kept imagining this little one as a blob of magnetic black liquid.

Though it had no nose or eyes to give facial expressions, nor could it make sounds, it would respond to Lorant’s words with different dancing postures—sometimes stiff, sometimes fluffy—of its leaping, fuzzy black mist.

It had its own unique charm.

Yet, despite the black mist’s movements, nothing happened. The Nightmare remained a wisp of black fog, and the beast pet Slime showed no outward changes.

"What’s wrong? Can’t you bond with this little one?" Lorant asked, puzzled, looking at the Nightmare before him.

The little one peeled off the beast pet Slime like liquid black silk, seemingly dejected, then inching its way up Lorant’s leg.

A sense of grievance directly transmitted from the point of contact into Lorant's mind.

‘It’s too dumb to understand me!’ the little one projected.