Chapter 118: The Second Option
Chapter 118: The Second Option
"It's the Evolving Flame Elixir. Don't worry, it's good for your Fire Familiar", Liu Yao smiled.
Qiao Sang almost shouted out loud.
That's exactly why she was worried!
"Do you remember when I mentioned that your Fangflare's Energy Level has exceeded the normal range, yet it hasn't evolved yet?" Liu Yao asked.
Qiao Sang was panicking internally but still managed to answer, "Its physical Energy Level hasn't reached saturation."
"Right", Liu Yao nodded. "A Familiar's Energy Level mainly increases through battle, natural growth, and the consumption of appropriate resources."
"However, even with the right resources, it's not always easy to boost their Energy Level."
"Familiars with high talent grow and absorb resources quickly, while those with low talent grow and absorb resources slowly. Even if you give them Blazefruit, which helps boost energy, they might not be able to absorb it."
"Some Beastmasters force their Familiars to evolve by injecting or making them drink various energy potions, regardless of whether they can handle it. This is not a good practice."
"Your Fangflare's Energy Level has surpassed the normal range, which means its talent is undoubtedly high. The reason it hasn't reached saturation could be due to a bottleneck or a lack of appropriate energy resources."
"So, I gave it some Blazefruit to test. If it was at a bottleneck, it would have felt full after eating one. But it finished an entire plate."
Liu Yao looked at Fangflare with a smile, "This means your Fangflare has the capability to absorb energy fully."
"It was drooling just now, indicating that its energy is nearing saturation. The Evolving Flame Elixir works similarly to a fire-type Evolution Stone, but it has a more gentle effect."
"An Evolution Stone can force a Familiar to evolve even if its energy isn't saturated. Using a high-grade Evolution Stone can still trigger evolution."
"On the other hand, the Evolving Flame Elixir only works when a Familiar's energy can no longer be increased in its current stage. Given Fangflare's current state, it should take effect in about half a day, leading to a perfect evolution."
Qiao Sang felt a wave of dizziness at the last sentence, almost losing her balance.
Half a day? Evolution?
The next shoot is in two weeks.
So, she's breached the contract?!
"Yah!"
Fangflare's eyes lit up at the news.
Evolution!
It can finally evolve!
Evolution means it will become stronger!
"Yah!"
Fangflare turned to Qiao Sang, eager to share its joy.
But seeing its Beastmaster's expression, it paused, its excitement turning to confusion.
Its Beastmaster doesn't seem happy about its evolution...
Liu Yao noticed Qiao Sang's expression and asked, "What's wrong?"
Qiao Sang forced a smile, her eyes brimming with tears, "I... I'm just too excited."
"Don't worry about it. It's my duty as a teacher. Just focus on your studies and don't let your talent go to waste. If you have any problems, I'll help you solve them", Liu Yao smiled.
Qiao Sang chuckled, "I want to live off-campus."
Liu Yao: "..."
"I also want to bring my phone to school."
"..."
After Qiao Sang left, Liu Yao sat in her chair, puzzled, "Old Xian, I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I felt like Qiao Sang wasn't very happy just now."
"Xian."
Skyglow Bat flapped its wings.
It wasn't an illusion. She wasn't happy when she heard about Fangflare's evolution.
But why?
Who could refuse evolution?
It didn't understand.
...
Qiao Sang returned to her dorm, closed the door, and lay on the bed.
Hearing that Fangflare was about to evolve in half a day, she lost all interest in the day's intensive training.
Although the Vice Principal didn't agree to her living off-campus or bringing her phone, she did allow her to skip the afternoon's intensive training.
Qiao Sang lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Breach of contract...
How much will it cost...
She thought she had considered everything when she signed the six-month contract, but life always throws unexpected challenges...
"Yah."
Fangflare, seeing its Beastmaster's state, lost the excitement it felt about its upcoming evolution.
It hung its head by the bed, lost in thought.
Treasure Seeker looked at its Beastmaster, then at Fangflare, and took out a bottle of milk from its Ring, offering it to its Beastmaster first.
"Xun~"
"Xun xun~"
Qiao Sang was preoccupied with thoughts of the breach of contract penalty when she subconsciously accepted the item handed to her.
Treasure Seeker's eyes curved as it floated over to Fangflare and presented a bottle of milk.
"Xun~"
"Xun xun~"
Fangflare lifted its head, its wet eyes flicking between the milk and the still-dazed Qiao Sang.
"Ya."
It shook its head and lowered its head again.
"Xun."
"Xun xun."
Treasure Seeker drifted to the other side of Fangflare and extended the milk forward.
"Ya."
Fangflare refused again and walked to the corner of the room, sitting down with its head hanging low.
Little Treasure Seeker was taken aback and followed suit.
It placed the milk on the ground and then floated to where Fangflare could see it, placing its short paws to its mouth and pulling grotesque faces.
Fangflare didn't react.
Undeterred, Treasure Seeker kept changing its faces, trying to cheer it up.
"Xun~"
"Xun."
"Xun..."
The commotion finally caught Qiao Sang's attention.
She snapped out of her daze and looked toward the corner. When she saw Fangflare's listless state, she was taken aback.
She quickly got out of bed and hurried over, scooping Fangflare up with concern. "Fangy, are you okay?"
This was Fangflare's first Evolution, and it was her first time experiencing it. Seeing Fangflare's unusual behavior, she immediately worried that something might be wrong.
Fangflare was taken aback by the sudden embrace. Seeing its Beastmaster's worried face, its eyes welled up, and it buried its head in her chest.
"Ya."
It shook its head, holding back tears.
"Xun!"
"Xun xun!"
Seeing this, Treasure Seeker floated in front of its Beastmaster and started gesturing.
There was definitely something wrong!
Qiao Sang, who knew Fangflare very well, immediately understood the issue when she saw Treasure Seeker's gestures and recalled what had just happened.
Fangflare was very competitive and must have been excited about its Evolution. However, seeing its Beastmaster's downcast expression, it must have assumed she didn't want it to Evolve.
Qiao Sang sighed and lifted Fangflare to eye level, explaining, "I'm actually very happy you're Evolving. I was just thinking about the endorsement deal."
"Remember that endorsement? The one where you modeled those Sunglasses. The contract is for six months, and according to the terms, you'll need to appear as Fangflare again in two weeks. Otherwise, we'll have to pay the penalty."
She hadn't intended to bring this up. Last time, she had deceived Fangflare into swapping the Fire Condensing Pearl for a new string, thinking that her familiar only needed to focus on what it enjoyed—training, eating, and playing, without worrying about other matters.
Human society was too complex for a familiar, and it was her responsibility to handle such issues.
However, Fangflare had clearly misunderstood, and she didn't want it to remain in the dark.
"Ya."
Fangflare stared at its Beastmaster, calling out involuntarily.
"But don't worry, it's not a big issue. Just focus on Evolving", Qiao Sang said gently. "Remember that person we caught in the mountains? We earned five million from that. That's more than enough for the penalty, and we'll still have plenty left over."
Fangflare stared intently at its Beastmaster.
"To be honest, I'm pretty excited to see your Blazefang form today. Have you seen your Evolution form? It's amazing!"
Qiao Sang, who had been trying to reassure Fangflare, ended up convincing herself.
That's right, she still had five million. It's just an Evolution, not like they couldn't afford it!
Qiao Sang placed Fangflare back on the bed and pulled out her phone to search for Blazefang images.
"Look, isn't it cool?" Qiao Sang asked, showing the phone to Fangflare with a smile.
Fangflare didn't look at the phone. Instead, it stared at its Beastmaster, recalling the days they had spent together since bonding.
It remembered the TV, the wall, the strength tester, and the broken vase. Every time, its Beastmaster had seemed so sad.
Now, because it had accidentally triggered the Evolution by drinking something, its Beastmaster was going to be sad again.
Its Beastmaster was clearly unhappy, but she was forcing herself to be happy for its sake.
Fangflare could feel that its Beastmaster was genuinely happy now.
Unbeknownst to anyone, in Qiao Sang's brain domain, the Beastmaster Codex page corresponding to Fangflare was glowing faintly, with a new "Evolution" option appearing after its name.
There were two options, but the second one was barely visible, alternating with the first, which glowed more brightly.
In the next moment, Fangflare emitted a blinding white light.
---
(End of Chapter)
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