Chapter 1042: If You Evolve Now (Part 2)
Chapter 1042: If You Evolve Now (Part 2)
After Teacher Mikara left, Qiao Sang returned to her room to read the books she had exchanged from the Library.
Although she had already decided to pretend to be a Treasure Seeker's familiar, the credits had already been spent. Even if the borrowing time for the books hadn't expired, she couldn't get a refund. It was better to use the time to read and broaden her knowledge.
Time passed, and after finishing two books, she noticed that Fangy and the others still hadn't returned. She picked up her mobile phone to check the time:
11:32 PM.
It was so late already... Qiao Sang got up to prepare for bed, and as she looked up, she saw Neurocrack's claws still extending out of the screen. She couldn't help but ask:
"Aren't you going to sleep?"
"Goo?"
Neurocrack turned around, looking puzzled.
Then it seemed to remember something and pulled its claws out of the screen, starting to type rapidly.
Qiao Sang moved closer to read what it had written:
[Didn't you say I work all day?]
Qiao Sang was taken aback. "You mean you work 24 hours a day?"
"Goo." Neurocrack nodded.
Suddenly, she felt the 18 credits she spent were worth it. She reflected on this for a moment and asked:
"Can you work 24 hours without sleeping?"
Neurocrack typed: [As long as I have power, I can keep working.]
No wonder among all the types of familiars, only the Mechanical-type had its own dedicated academy. Unfortunately, her knowledge of mechanics was minimal, and she didn't have much time to spend on learning and creating a Mechanical Pet... Qiao Sang felt a bit regretful and said:
"Thank you for your hard work."
Neurocrack looked at the human who had thanked it and typed again:
[If you think I'm working hard, can you give me more work in the future?]
Qiao Sang was taken aback again. "You need work?"
Neurocrack: [I need credits.]
Qiao Sang laughed. "Isn't it your Beastmaster who needs credits?"
Neurocrack: [My Beastmaster has too many things to do, and my evolution requires a lot of resources. Credits can be exchanged for resources, so I need credits.]
Qiao Sang's heart stirred, and she asked:
"So you go out to earn credits on your own?"
"Goo."
Neurocrack nodded.
The idea of a familiar earning credits on its own never occurred to her. It could save time, earn credits, and even train the familiar's abilities... However, among Fangy and the others, only Treasure Seeker and Steel Treasure were suitable for going out alone. Fangy was prone to causing trouble, Lulu wouldn't want to deal with strangers, and Qingbao was too young and naive, easily deceived. Besides, as a Legendary Beast Companion, Qingbao could be easily lured away...
As these thoughts flashed through her mind, a loud "boom" from outside interrupted her.
She quickly said, "Don't worry, if there's any more work or familiar-related tasks, I'll definitely come to you", and then hurried out the door, heading toward the Open Training Ground.
"Goo."
Neurocrack, feeling satisfied, extended its claws back into the screen.
...
Open Training Ground.
When Qiao Sang arrived, the first thing she saw was Treasure Seeker, fully restored, drinking milk and beckoning to Steel Treasure with its short toe, saying "Xunxun."
"Steel Blade..."
Steel Treasure's wings slowly spread out, entering a pre-attack state.
"Aren't you going to rest?" Qiao Sang asked.
"Ya Ya!" Fangy, who had been drowsy, instantly perked up at the sight of its Beastmaster and ran over excitedly.
"Qingqing..."
Qingbao appeared beside its Beastmaster, yawned, and called out, indicating that Treasure Seeker still wanted to practice.
"Xunxun!"
Treasure Seeker called out energetically, confirming that it indeed wanted to practice.
Qiao Sang found the situation both amusing and comforting.
She had never seen the Treasure Seeker train so diligently before. In the past, even during the most intense training sessions, it would still play computer games. It was nothing like the focused training it was doing now.
"Are you still energetic enough?" Qiao Sang asked.
The Treasure Seeker’s energy was currently unstable, and it couldn’t consume anything that boosted energy, including Energy Recovery Potions.
"Xunxun~"
The Treasure Seeker let out a call, indicating that it had rested half an hour ago and had recovered a bit.
Qiao Sang sighed and said, "Take a break first. We need to balance work and rest. We can practice again tomorrow morning."
"Ya Ya…"
Upon hearing this, Fangy yawned.
It had been wanting to sleep for a while.
"Ice Emperor."
Lulu nodded in agreement.
Steel Treasure said nothing, just flying over to its Beastmaster's side.
"Xunxun…"
Seeing that Big Brother Yabao and the others were ready to sleep, the Treasure Seeker recalled that they were different and needed to rest at night. It reluctantly nodded in agreement.
There was no other choice.
…
2:03 AM.
The Treasure Seeker was lying in bed, repeatedly scrolling through the trending topics and comments about the Cloak Totem on its mobile phone.
["No wonder I couldn’t find the Chromatic Ghost Ring for half a year. It turns out it was the Cloak Totem all along."]
["This Cloak Totem is really smart, able to speak human language. If it hadn’t transformed back into a Cloak Totem, I wouldn’t have believed it."]
["What are the Security Bureau agents eating? They couldn’t even figure out that the Ghost Ring King was a Cloak Totem. It took the Ghost Ring King’s Beastmaster to expose it."]
["I’ve been saying all along that the Ghost Ring King isn’t the real Ghost Ring King. It’s just a General-Class Beast Companion. How could it strip Olson Velasquez’s clothes and throw him into the police station? He’s a C-Class Bounty Hunter with three General-Class Beast Companions."]
["True, the real Ghost Ring King wouldn’t have been able to do that. In the video, it wasn’t even a match for one of the Cloak Totem’s moves."]
["Sigh, I’d rather it was the real Ghost Ring King. Even though it’s a Ghost-type Beast Companion, it’s only a General-Class. It would be much easier to deal with compared to a Royal Tier Cloak Totem."]
The Treasure Seeker silently turned off its mobile phone, glanced at its sleeping Beastmaster and the others, then floated out of the room.
At the same time, Qiao Sang opened her eyes and watched the Treasure Seeker’s departing silhouette, sighing inwardly.
…
"Xunxun!"
The Treasure Seeker arrived at the Open Training Ground and began to repeatedly release its various skills.
It recalled the scenes on TV where it was instantly defeated by the Cloak Totem, and the comments on the trending topics. Its mouth puffed up in anger, and the power of its skills grew stronger.
Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out, "I knew you’d come here to train."
"Xunxun…"
The Treasure Seeker turned around and saw its Beastmaster, who should have been sound asleep in bed. It was taken aback for a moment.
"Surprised to see me?" Qiao Sang asked with a smile.
"Xunxun!"
The Treasure Seeker shook its head and then remembered something, quickly calling out to indicate that its energy had mostly recovered.
"I know", Qiao Sang said.
"Xunxun…"
The Treasure Seeker thought of something else and called out with a hint of guilt, asking if it had woken her up.
"No", Qiao Sang said softly. "I couldn't sleep. You forgot, I had Lulu cast Healing Light on me when I was too tired to continue reading."
"Xunxun~"
Treasure Seeker's expression cleared up.
It remembered.
Qiao Sang waved her hand, feigning helplessness. "I can't sleep, so I guess I'll have to train with you."
"Xunxun~"
Treasure Seeker was initially taken aback, then its eyes lit up, and it nodded.
It felt a renewed sense of motivation for training, different from before.
"Ice Emperor."
Just as Treasure Seeker was preparing to train, Lulu's voice rang out.
"Xunxun..."
Treasure Seeker turned its head, puzzled.
"You didn't sleep either?" Qiao Sang looked in the direction of the voice, both surprised and unsurprised.
Several times before bed, she had seen Lulu in the water tank with its eyes closed, radiating a chill aura. She knew it appeared to be sleeping, but was actually practicing, likely casting Healing Light on itself to increase its training time.
"Ice Emperor." Lulu nodded, then looked at Treasure Seeker and called out, indicating it was also awake and could join in the training.
Lulu was still as cold on the outside but warm on the inside... Qiao Sang reflected inwardly.
"Xunxun..."
Treasure Seeker looked touched.
At this moment, Qiao Sang remembered the main task. "Find the Real-time Energy Monitor and wear it on your claw to check if your energy is stable."
"Xunxun!"
Treasure Seeker removed its Ring and searched inside for a while, finally finding a white Real-time Energy Monitor and wearing it on its claw.
As soon as it was on, the data began to fluctuate wildly and didn't stabilize.
Qiao Sang glanced at it but didn't say anything. She started the training session with Treasure Seeker and Lulu, taking a book she had brought from the room to a safe spot and occasionally looking up to give Treasure Seeker some pointers.
Time ticked by.
The sky began to brighten.
She could hear people walking and talking outside the Villa District.
Qiao Sang checked the time on her mobile phone, then looked at Treasure Seeker and Lulu, who were still training. She closed her book, got up, and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
After finishing, she returned to the room and saw that Fangy and the others were still asleep. Just as she was about to leave, her gaze fell on Neurocrack, whose claws were still in the computer screen. She lowered her voice and asked, "Do you need Energy Pills?"
"Gui gui?"
Neurocrack looked around at Fangy, Steel Treasure, and Qingbao, then pointed at itself, looking puzzled.
Qiao Sang understood and nodded. "I'm asking you."
Neurocrack started typing:
【Thank you, I don't need Energy Pills.】
Qiao Sang read it and said nothing, then turned and left.
Neurocrack carried its laptop and followed her out.
"What's wrong?" Qiao Sang asked.
Neurocrack placed the laptop on the dining table and typed quickly:
【I've locked onto a few targets. Should we check them out first?】
Qiao Sang glanced out the floor-to-ceiling window at Treasure Seeker, who was still training, and said, "Not yet. Let's find more before we start the investigation."
Even if they found the Cloak Totem now, Treasure Seeker wouldn't be able to defeat it. It would be better to let Treasure Seeker train for a while longer.
"Gui gui."
Neurocrack nodded and continued working with its claws in the computer.
To be a good working familiar and ensure the mission giver would want to hire it again, the first step was to talk less and do more. Neurocrack knew this well.
...
For the rest of the day, Qiao Sang and Fangy spent their time training with Treasure Seeker.
During the journey, Treasure Seeker rested twice to recover energy.
"Gui gui."
At sunset, while Treasure Seeker was resting, Neurocrack pointed at the screen and called out.
Qiao Sang leaned in to take a look:
[The day is over, and I have marked the locations of all targets wearing the Miniaturization Band. However, there are still many places I haven't checked. Do you need me to stay and continue working?]
With so many targets, it would take some time to investigate... Qiao Sang opened the file and glanced at the densely marked locations and familiars. Just as she was about to speak, Treasure Seeker suddenly appeared beside her and called out:
"Xun xun!"
Needed!
"Gui gui." Neurocrack showed a rare expression of happiness.
Qiao Sang: "..."
"Can we get a discount if we need more days?" Qiao Sang asked.
"Gui gui."
Neurocrack turned to look at the human for two seconds, then nodded, indicating a reduction of two credits.
"Steel Blade." Steel Treasure Synchronization translated.
That would be 16 credits... Qiao Sang subconsciously calculated and asked, "Don't you need to check with your Beastmaster?"
"Gui gui." Neurocrack shook its head, indicating it wasn't necessary.
"Xun xun..."
Treasure Seeker looked at its Beastmaster with anticipation, hoping she would agree.
"Qing qing!"
Just as Qiao Sang was about to speak, Qingbao, who was watching TV on the sofa, called out.
She turned to see the TV broadcasting a news report.
A young-looking host reported:
"At 4:01 PM today, the police discovered the trail of the Cloak Totem on Shuanghua Street and are currently implementing an arrest. Please evacuate the area around Shuanghua Street as soon as possible..."
"Xun xun..."
Treasure Seeker stared at the TV intently.
They found it so quickly... Qiao Sang was somewhat surprised.
After all, when the Cloak Totem impersonated the Ghost Ring King, they searched for over half a year and found nothing...
But of course, the Security Bureau had never suspected the Cloak Totem before, so they were looking for someone who looked like Treasure Seeker. Now that they knew it was the Cloak Totem, they would search based on the Cloak Totem's characteristics, just like she had used the Purple Grape Hair Ornament to identify it...
It seems the capture of the Cloak Totem won't involve Treasure Seeker...
After all, the Cloak Totem's attributes and level are now known, and the police will deploy appropriate forces based on its abilities. The Cloak Totem is unlikely to escape... Qiao Sang thought about this and couldn't help but glance at Treasure Seeker beside her.
She saw Treasure Seeker clench its claws and stare at the TV.
Qiao Sang sighed and said, "Treasure Seeker..."
"Xun xun?"
Before she could finish her sentence, Treasure Seeker called out, asking if it could now fight this guy.
Do I even need to answer that... Qiao Sang remained silent, unable to bring herself to respond.
Treasure Seeker, being so intelligent, couldn't possibly not know it couldn't defeat the Cloak Totem.
"Ya ya!"
Fangy called out, indicating that it didn't matter if it couldn't fight, as it would help.
"Xun xun..."
Treasure Seeker looked dejected and turned to drift silently toward the room.
"Ya ya?"
Fangy scratched its head, unsure what it had said wrong.
At this moment, Qiao Sang spoke up, "Actually, there might be a way."
Treasure Seeker's expression brightened, and it turned its head.
"If you can stabilize and evolve your energy now", Qiao Sang looked at Treasure Seeker seriously and continued, "You know, your Evolution location is right here."
Ah! Happy New Year, everyone! (End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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