Chapter 184: Little One, Come Over Here
Chapter 184: Little One, Come Over Here
Although the Beastmaster society appears peaceful on the surface, wherever there are people, there are dark corners.
Before familiars became widespread, there were only human traffickers. As the Beastmaster society developed, the profession of Beast Trafficker emerged.
Those in this line of work are mostly ordinary people or Low-Level Beastmasters.
They dare not venture into the Hidden Realm to capture familiars, nor do they dare to target familiars that have undergone an Evolution.
This is because even Intermediate Beasts that have evolved just once are usually not too small in size. Moreover, if an Intermediate Beast senses something is amiss, a simple skill release can cause a significant commotion.
Most importantly, if the Beastmaster of an Intermediate Beast is at Level E or higher, the risk factor skyrockets. Forcing a familiar to forcibly break its bond is something they simply cannot do.
Therefore, their targets are invariably small, innocent, and easily deceived Low-Level familiars.
Of course, Beast Traffickers kidnapping familiars are rare occurrences, and each time it happens, it makes the news.
After all, there are very few people in this line of work these days.
The last reported case of a Beast Trafficker was three months ago.
According to his confession, he spent a month staking out at a Training Academy, finally spotting a Ballpuff that wasn't escorted by a Beastmaster.
He splurged on Aromatic Fruits, which have a strong attraction for Grass-Type Companion Beasts, and as expected, the Ballpuff grew close to him.
Later, he convinced the Ballpuff to go for more Aromatic Fruits, successfully luring it onto a long-distance black bus that didn't require identity verification.
Due to the bond, a Beastmaster can sense if their familiar's body is in distress. So, before the black bus left the area, he had to keep the Ballpuff well-fed and content.
However, that evening, a white light flashed, and the Ballpuff evolved into a Sweet Flower Poo.
And it didn't end there.
A minute later, while eating the Aromatic Fruits he had bought on loan, the Sweet Flower Poo suddenly vanished from the black bus.
The Beast Trafficker was instantly stunned.
Later, when he was arrested, he learned that the Ballpuff's owner was a Level B Beastmaster, and the Ballpuff was his fifth bonded familiar.
No matter where the Ballpuff wandered, as long as it was still in the area, a B-Class Beastmaster could summon it back directly using their Beastmaster Codex.
The Sweet Flower Poo, having evolved, revealed the trafficker's existence without reservation.
Upon learning the truth, the Beast Trafficker broke down in tears, vowing to reform and never engage in this line of work again.
After the news was reported, many Beast Traffickers retired, and the already rare cases of familiar kidnapping didn't occur for several months.
However, Qiao Sang felt that one couldn't let their guard down.
After all, the number of Beast Traffickers has decreased, but it doesn't mean they are gone.
A Beginner Beast like Crown Cat, walking around on the street, radiating the aura of Union Coins, could easily be targeted.
Qiao Sang inwardly sighed at the carefree nature of Crown Cat's Beastmaster and asked, "Why did it specifically request a Treasure Seeker?"
"It was my recommendation", the Front Desk Girl replied. "It wants a Beginner Beast that can teleport for sparring. Currently, the only one in our Club that fits the criteria is your Treasure Seeker."
...
After gathering all the information about Crown Cat, Qiao Sang entered Training Field No. 2.
A familiar wearing a sun hat and sunglasses sat in the front row of the spectator seats, eating the free fruit provided by the Club with an extremely graceful manner.
Qiao Sang was taken aback for a moment. If she hadn't known beforehand that it was a Crown Cat, the hat and sunglasses would have made it unrecognizable.
"Keguan?"
The Crown Cat heard the commotion and turned its head, tilting it gracefully.
Qiao Sang fell silent for a moment before speaking, "Treasure Seeker, translate for me."
"Xun~"
Treasure Seeker appeared and began the real-time translation, introducing its identity.
After confirming that Treasure Seeker could teleport, the Crown Cat used its paw to retrieve a mobile phone from a bag on the adjacent seat, opened the camera, and aimed it at the Training Ground.
Then, it removed the sun hat and sunglasses and walked to one side of the Training Ground with an extremely graceful gait.
Wow, it was even recording... Qiao Sang felt a deep admiration for the Beastmaster who could train a familiar to this level.
It wasn't easy to train a familiar to such a degree.
Qiao Sang looked at the now fully revealed Crown Cat.
A large head, short limbs, a white fur coat, and purple eyes, with small purple feet and ears. The graceful curves and the purple, hook-shaped tail, along with the purple crown on its forehead, gave off an aura of elegance.
"Keguan", the Crown Cat called out gracefully, signaling the start.
"Treasure Seeker, go ahead", Qiao Sang nodded at Treasure Seeker.
"Xun~"
Treasure Seeker floated into the Training Ground and immediately vanished.
Qiao Sang watched the Crown Cat's movements with a serious expression, not daring to be careless.
This sparring session was different from the usual ones. Without a Beastmaster to give commands, she couldn't rely on instructions to react.
Moreover, as a sparring partner, she had to provide appropriate advice during the fight.
The Crown Cat didn't panic at all when Treasure Seeker disappeared. It stepped forward with its right front paw, and a blue-lit energy shield spread out from its center, stopping at a radius of about 50 centimeters.
Qiao Sang was momentarily stunned. Mystic Guard, a defensive skill that could envelop the user in a mystical force, preventing them from falling into abnormal states.
It seemed quite effective, but one of its fatal flaws was that it couldn't prevent abnormal states caused by the opponent's traits.
In short, for a Treasure Seeker with the Pierce trait, this shield was useless...
After casting Mystic Guard, the Crown Cat raised its head gracefully, as if to say, "Come on, then."
"Xun~"
Treasure Seeker reappeared, curiously approaching the Mystic Guard shield.
It extended a short paw and poked the blue-lit shield. The point of contact rippled, and the short paw passed right through.
"Xun?"
Treasure Seeker tilted its head.
In the next second, its entire body ignored the blue shield and pierced through.
Treasure Seeker looked at the Crown Cat with innocent blinking eyes.
"Keguan!"
The Crown Cat was startled, its fur standing on end, unable to maintain its elegance.
Clearly, it had never encountered such a situation in its past battles.
Now it was her turn to step in... Qiao Sang cleared her throat and explained:
"Your Mystic Guard can defend against interference-type skills, but it's useless against fast opponents or those with certain traits."
"If Treasure Seeker had teleported close to you and attacked, your Mystic Guard wouldn't have had time to activate before you were injured."
"Keguan..." The Crown Cat stared at Qiao Sang in a daze.
Treasure Seeker took the opportunity to extend its tongue, trying to lick the Crown Cat.
Just as the tongue was 0.05 centimeters away, the Crown Cat jumped back, extending its right front paw in a stopping gesture.
"Keguan!"
(End of Chapter)
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