Chapter 1016: Bao Wu Wu
Chapter 1016: Bao Wu Wu (Combined)
When Zhang Tai Dong said this, he laughed again:
"Your Ghost Ring King isn't a familiar from our Zhitia Region, and it has exceptional talent. If you can try to Absorb this positive energy for it, I'm sure you'll see some results. When that happens, I hope you'll contact me."
That was his true intention.
To be honest, he had seen champions of the Regional Tournament before, but Qiao Sang was different. A B-Class Beastmaster at just 17 years old, she had even outperformed the most talented Young Beastmasters from the Hollow Plains to win the championship. Even with his long life, he had never seen anyone like her.
Most importantly, she had a Ghost-type familiar with equally exceptional talent.
An exceptionally talented Professional Beastmaster paired with an exceptionally talented familiar—if Ghost Ring King could truly Absorb that energy, it would provide significant help for his research.
Before the evolution path was clearly defined and had examples, his paper would only be seen and followed by Beastmasters in the Zhitia Region.
However, this positive energy was the easiest for Ghost Familiars outside the Zhitia Region to Absorb. If Qiao Sang's Ghost Ring King could successfully Absorb and Evolve, then the majority of Beastmasters in the Dragon Nation who have Ghost Familiars would likely try it as well.
This was the power of celebrity influence.
High talent doesn't guarantee Absorption. If it did, the many Ghost Familiars in the Zhitia Region with high talent would have already Absorbed it... Qiao Sang inwardly complained but then said seriously:
"If I make any progress, I will definitely contact you."
Steel Treasure quietly glanced at her Beastmaster.
"Haha, good." Zhang Tai Dong smiled warmly at the young girl and asked:
"Is there anything else you'd like to ask?"
"No." Qiao Sang shook her head, not wanting to waste any more time. She stood up and said:
"Then I won't continue to disturb you."
With that, she prepared to leave.
Zhang Tai Dong was taken aback for a moment and quickly said:
"Why are you leaving so soon? You've come all this way. Let me show you around our Research Institute."
Qiao Sang hesitated, "Would that be too much trouble for you?"
"Not at all", Zhang Tai Dong smiled. "I was just about to take a break anyway."
Hearing this, Qiao Sang didn't say anything more and immediately agreed.
Apart from some large Companion Bases, the Research Institute had the most familiars, and some of these familiars were ones she had never seen before. There was no reason for her not to take a look.
Zhang Tai Dong led Qiao Sang to the area where Ghost Familiars usually stayed.
At the entrance, the inside looked dark and eerie.
As they stepped in, the lights suddenly turned on.
The space opened up, revealing a pond, trees, bushes, and the ground, along with several pieces of equipment for strength training.
There weren't many Ghost Familiars, and they were scattered around in various corners.
There aren't that many Ghost Familiars... Qiao Sang scanned the surrounding familiars, thinking to herself.
"Clap clap!"
At that moment, Zhang Tai Dong clapped his hands and called out loudly:
"Everyone, come out to meet our guest."
In the next second, Ghost Familiars appeared everywhere—above the pond, in the trees, in the bushes, on the ground, and even in the air. There were countless of them.
One particularly small Ghost-type, only about ten centimeters in size, was just 0.5 centimeters away from Qiao Sang on her left, curiously examining her.
Damn, so many Ghost Familiars?! Qiao Sang almost shouted out loud, but thanks to her recent training, her mental fortitude had improved, and she quickly composed herself.
She glanced at the Ghost Familiar that was almost touching her face and silently moved to her right.
"How about it, do I have a lot of Ghost Familiars here?" Zhang Tai Dong said with a smile.
"Besides the Ghost Familiars from the Zhitia Region, there are many from other regions as well."
Qiao Sang reflected sincerely:
"There are more here than I saw at the Ghost Market last night. It feels like you could open your own Companion Base."
Zhang Tai Dong laughed:
"I have many Ghost Familiars here; you won't find them at a Companion Base."
"Ugly Ugly~"
As he spoke, a Ghost Familiar wearing a red bow on its head, with a body primarily pink and dark green, and petals that were uneven, tiny eyes, and a sausage-shaped mouth, walked past as if by accident.
So ugly... Qiao Sang couldn't help but comment inwardly.
Zhang Tai Dong described:
"This is the ugly night flower I mentioned earlier."
Qiao Sang paused for a moment: "Indeed, it's much more beautiful than the other ugly night flowers."
"Ugly!"
The ugly night flower raised its head, took confident steps, but in the next second, it suddenly turned around and glared, then vanished into Invisibility.
It glared at me? What did I do to it? Qiao Sang was utterly confused.
Zhang Tai Dong rubbed his forehead:
"It probably didn't absorb any genuine praise and realized you were lying to it."
Qiao Sang: "..."
Zhang Tai Dong thought of something and said seriously:
"I almost forgot to tell you. Besides absorbing positive energy, Ghost Familiars can also sense whether the emotions expressed are genuine. If they detect insincerity, the absorbed energy can be affected. This is one reason why I haven't managed to make any Ghost Familiars evolve after so much research."
So, the absorbed energy can be affected by this... It's incredible... If a Treasure Seeker could really absorb this energy, I wonder what it would be like... Qiao Sang glanced at the Treasure Seeker, who had drifted to the middle of the Ghost Familiars and was already playing with them.
"Ring?"
Suddenly, a Ghost Familiar about a meter tall, with a body of purple and red, resembling a flower ring, floated next to Fangy, pointed at the Beast Egg he was holding, and called out.
"Ya Ya!"
Fangy protectively covered the Beast Egg, bared his teeth at the flower ring-like familiar, and growled fiercely.
The flower ring-like familiar immediately trembled in fear and vanished into Invisibility.
"Fangy"
Fangy relaxed.
The Ring Devourer dislikes absorbing negative emotional energy and prefers to eat food, even if it's not Ghost-type related. They are especially fond of Beast Eggs. It's said that after they lay a Beast Egg, their caretakers must immediately separate them from the egg to prevent them from eating it... Qiao Sang recalled the information about the flower ring-like familiar.
Good grief, was this Ring Devourer just asking if it could eat that Beast Egg?
Zhang Tai Dong noticed this and his gaze fell on the Beast Egg, asking:
"What is this egg?"
With his extensive experience, he couldn't immediately identify what familiar was inside the Beast Egg.
"It's the championship prize from the Hollow Region Tournament", Qiao Sang replied.
Zhang Tai Dong's expression showed understanding.
He wasn't particularly interested in non-Ghost-type familiars, and although he couldn't identify the familiar inside the Beast Egg, he knew it wasn't a Ghost Familiar.
He suddenly thought of something and asked:
"Are you planning to make it your next familiar?"
Qiao Sang was honest: "I haven't decided yet. I need to wait for it to hatch and see if we have a good connection."
Zhang Tai Dong laughed and said:
"If you're planning to bond with another familiar, I think there's one that would be perfect for you."
Another one... I just became a B-Class Beastmaster, and I don't know when I'll be ready to bond with another one... Qiao Sang asked:
"What familiar?"
Zhang Tai Dong's smile faded, and he said seriously:
"A Soul Ferry Cat."
A Soul Ferry Cat? Qiao Sang was taken aback.
She realized that despite her vast knowledge, she had no idea what a Soul Ferry Cat was.
Seeing Qiao Sang's lack of reaction, Zhang Tai Dong suddenly remembered something and said with a complex expression:
"I almost forgot you bonded with a hidden sprite from the Hollow Plains Legend."
What does bonding with Qingbao have to do with this? Qiao Sang was puzzled.
Zhang Tai Dong continued:
"A Soul Ferry Cat, a Ghost Familiar, is said to be able to ferry souls, allowing beings to reincarnate into the form they desire. Its Racial Limit is the Venerable Rank."
"Venerable Rank?" Qiao Sang's voice rose sharply.
Venerable Rank, above Imperial Rank and just below Divine Rank.
Now she understood why Zhang Tai Dong had mentioned Qingbao earlier.
She had to admit that after bonding with Qingbao, she had become much calmer about Ultra-rare Familiars.
Seeing Qiao Sang's reaction, Zhang Tai Dong smiled again:
"Yes, Venerable Rank. A Soul Ferry Cat has recently appeared in Xi Han City, and many Professional Beastmasters are heading there. You could try your luck."
Xi Han City? Why does that name sound so familiar? Qiao Sang recalled and said in surprise:
"The Xi Han City of the Ten Ghost Cities?"
"Yes, that's the one", Zhang Tai Dong nodded.
Qiao Sang couldn't help but ask:
"Aren't they ghost cities? Aren't people afraid to go there?"
Zhang Tai Dong laughed:
"For people from other regions, they might be afraid, but for us in the Zhitia Region, ghost cities aren't particularly scary. They just have more Ghost Familiars and a bit more mischief."
I guess people from the Zhitia Region aren't afraid of horror movies either... Qiao Sang thought to herself and hesitated:
"I've heard that many people go missing in the Ten Ghost Cities every year."
Zhang Tai Dong's smile vanished, and he said gravely:
"That's true. I won't hide it from you. The Mystic Rifts in the Ten Ghost Cities appear more frequently than in other cities, making them more dangerous."
He glanced at Qiao Sang and continued:
"But danger often comes with opportunity. A Soul Ferry Cat has recently appeared in Xi Han City. As a B-Class Beastmaster with a Ghost Familiar, you shouldn't encounter much danger if you go."
Qiao Sang pondered for a few seconds and said:
"A Venerable Rank familiar is indeed very tempting, but I'm interested in bonding with familiars of different attributes."
Meaning the Soul Ferry Cat and the Treasure Seeker share the same attribute.
Zhang Tai Dong fell silent.
Seeing this, Qiao Sang asked:
"Is there something you want to say?"
Zhang Tai Dong looked at Qiao Sang:
"Actually, I have a familiar that came from a Mystic Rift in Xi Han City. I've inquired about the trends there, and multiple Mystic Rifts will burst forth in a couple of days. If you go, you could help me bring that familiar back."
"Take it along with us?" Qiao Sang probed.
"That familiar wants to return to the Hidden Realm?"
Zhang Tai Dong nodded slightly. "It has been lacking appetite for a long time. I've had it taken to Xi Han City twice, but we couldn't find the Hidden Realm it came from, so it was brought back to me. I thought that if you were to go, you could help it find its way back."
He paused, then added, "Its name is Bao Wu Wu. It can sense unusual auras and easily find treasures and rare familiars."
As he said this, he glanced at Qiao Sang.
If the other party was interested in the Soul Ferry Cat, bringing Bao Wu Wu would serve two purposes at once.
Unfortunately, the other party wasn't interested.
Zhang Tai Dong wasn't particularly disappointed.
Qiao Sang's visit had been unexpected, and his main focus was still on his research. Even if the other party didn't go to Xi Han City, he could still have someone else take Bao Wu Wu there.
As Zhang Tai Dong prepared to describe the Ghost Familiar further, Qiao Sang asked, "Can I see Bao Wu Wu?"
Zhang Tai Dong was taken aback for a moment, then smiled. "Of course."
He didn't call out to the familiar as he would with others but instead led Qiao Sang to a corner, seemingly certain that Bao Wu Wu was there.
"This is it", Zhang Tai Dong said, pointing to a familiar curled up in the corner.
Qiao Sang followed his gaze.
The familiar, with its eyes closed, was about twenty centimeters in size. Its limbs were thin, its skin was a pinkish-red, and its head was disproportionately large. Two sharp fangs protruded from its mouth, and it wore a hat similar to those worn by witches in movies.
In front of it were a bowl of Energy Pills and a pile of fruits for Ghost Familiars, none of which seemed to have been touched.
Zhang Tai Dong explained the situation, "Bao Wu Wu was sent to me a year ago. At the time, I needed a Ghost Familiar to study how to absorb positive emotional energy, so I kept it. It rarely spoke, and only after getting to know it better did I learn that it wanted to return to the Hidden Realm."
"After two failed attempts to go to Xi Han City, it ended up like this—eating only once every few days. Now, it's half the weight of a normal Bao Wu Wu of the same age."
Qiao Sang looked at the closed-eyed Bao Wu Wu and was reminded of a certain Fortune Seeker she had known.
She remained silent for a few seconds before asking, "The Mystic Rifts will appear in two days, right?"
Zhang Tai Dong was taken aback for a moment, then his eyes lit up as he nodded, "That's correct."
The Nether Chrysanthemum would arrive nine days later, and if she went to Xi Han City and took Bao Wu Wu along, she would still have time... With this in mind, Qiao Sang smiled and said, "I've heard of the Ten Ghost Cities even before I became a Beastmaster. Since I'm here, I might as well take a look. It would be like visiting a famous landmark. I'll take Bao Wu Wu along."
"Great! Great!" Zhang Tai Dong's smile was radiant, and his opinion of Qiao Sang improved significantly.
He was over a hundred years old; he could tell that Qiao Sang had changed her mind because of Bao Wu Wu.
"Bao Wu Wu, get up", Zhang Tai Dong said.
"Wu Wu!" Bao Wu Wu's eyes snapped open, and it floated up.
Its eyes were unusually bright, showing no signs of the lethargy it had exhibited earlier.
Qiao Sang: "???"
Zhang Tai Dong cleared his throat and explained, "It does indeed have a poor appetite and low spirits, but it becomes especially energetic whenever we set out for Xi Han City."
"Wu Wu!"
Bao Wu Wu nodded vigorously.
Exactly, exactly!
Qiao Sang: "..." (End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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