Chapter 23: See Which One You Like
Chapter 23: See Which One You Like
About six kilometers from Verdant Haven lies Tea Osmanthus Park.
Under the lush wutong trees, a slender figure sits cross-legged in the shade, engrossed in a book.
Fangflare has lost count of how many laps it has run around this park.
Each time it returns to its Beastmaster, exhausted, it sees its Beastmaster looking at it with a trusting gaze, cheering it on. This always makes Fangflare feel powerful and ready to continue.
By the time Fangflare realizes it, it is already running again...
Qiao Sang closes her book and shakes her head, watching Fangflare move at a snail's pace not far away.
Fangflare is no good; it's already exhausted after just ten laps.
Morning runs don't really improve Fangflare's speed, but they do help build its stamina. They also give Qiao Sang a rough idea of Fangflare's physical limits.
When Fangflare finally makes it back to Qiao Sang, the morning run is considered over.
Qiao Sang hands Fangflare a bottle of Miracle Milk.
Miracle Milk is a drink for familiars, one of the better-known brands on the market. It can slightly replenish a familiar's stamina. Qiao Sang bought it from a breakfast shop that specializes in making food for familiars.
These familiar-related items are always overpriced, but the price of Miracle Milk has remained unchanged for decades. A bottle costs only 98 Union Coins.
Fangflare reaches out with its weak paw, gulps down the milk, and the bottle is empty in no time.
"Tooth."
Fangflare looks at Qiao Sang with a pleading gaze.
Qiao Sang is taken aback; she only bought one bottle...
Unable to resist Fangflare's eyes, Qiao Sang hands over the bean curd pudding she bought for herself for 3 Union Coins.
Fangflare looks at the small remaining portion of the pudding and remains silent for a moment.
"Tooth!"
Fangflare's wet eyes are full of accusation.
"Alright, alright, I'll buy you more later", Qiao Sang soothes.
No matter how hard things get, she can't let her familiar suffer. How can she expect Fangflare to train properly if she can't even satisfy its hunger?
I now have 50,000 Union Coins; it's just a bottle of Miracle Milk, right?
Buy!
Fifteen minutes later.
Qiao Sang is carrying a large bag of Miracle Milk, lost in thought.
This 50,000 Union Coins should last me a while...
By the time Fangflare finishes three bottles, there are still seven bottles of Miracle Milk left in the bag.
After four bottles, Fangflare finally perks up, but its limbs are still sore, and it wobbles as it walks.
Seeing this, Qiao Sang decides not to start the skill training immediately.
"I'll take you to buy something nice", Qiao Sang smiles at Fangflare.
"Tooth."
Fangflare's eyes light up, clearly very interested in this "nice thing."
...
Vele Square.
The largest shopping center in Tangxin District, Vele Square is a premium commercial complex that combines leisure, shopping, dining, and entertainment.
As soon as Qiao Sang arrives, she is stopped by a handsome young man with blue wolf-tail hair.
"Beautiful lady, are you interested in making your familiar more charming? Visit our Mely Beast Styling Studio. We have a professional team of familiar stylists, and our chief stylist even designed the look for Luo Gang's Purple Magic Vine."
"Thank you, but I'm not interested", Qiao Sang declines.
"Beautiful lady, don't refuse so quickly. Look at my Azure Pleasure Butterfly", the young man with wolf-tail hair says, stepping aside.
Behind him, an Azure Pleasure Butterfly with a blue-purple body and green-veined wings appears before Qiao Sang.
The Azure Pleasure Butterfly gracefully circled in the air, its scattered scales refracting dazzling light in the sunlight.
It looks so beautiful...
Qiao Sang was momentarily captivated by the Azure Pleasure Butterfly before her.
The young man with the wolf-tail hairstyle looked satisfied as he watched the girl lose herself in the charm of his familiar. He seized the opportunity and said, "What do you think? The blue-purple color looks great, doesn't it? Our stylist adjusted it based on the Azure Pleasure Butterfly's preferences. Your Fangflare has a nice color, but it lacks personality. Why not come to our Mely Beast Styling Studio and design a unique look for it?"
"Yah!"
Fangflare barked at the young man with the wolf-tail hairstyle in protest.
How dare he say it lacked personality!
With the development of the Beastmaster society, numerous professions have emerged, most of which serve familiars. Familiar stylists are one such profession.
There are millions of familiars in the world, and they come in all shapes and sizes. However, familiars of the same species generally look very similar, with only minor differences in height, weight, and build.
With the advancement of information technology, colored familiars have become more visible to the public.
Without the spread of information, a person might never see a colored familiar in their lifetime.
Rarity makes them valuable.
While a colored familiar may not be as valuable as a Dragon-type familiar, its selling price can rival that of a Fairy-type familiar. For some rare species, the price can be hundreds of times higher.
This led to the emergence of the profession of familiar stylists.
Not having a colored familiar wasn't a problem; they could dye them.
Although it sounds great, almost no professional Beastmaster would choose to dye their familiar.
The reason is simple.
The color fades...
Familiars often get injured during battles, and losing a layer of fur or skin can ruin the entire look.
Despite this, some famous Beastmasters couldn't resist the allure of colored familiars.
Recently, contestant Lin Ruochu used a golden Silver Frost Centipede in a nationwide live broadcast of the Super League for Universities. In the first round, she faced an opponent with a Water-type Impact Bubble Turtle.
Ice-type familiars have a significant advantage over Water-type familiars.
However, under a barrage of high-pressure water attacks, the Silver Frost Centipede's golden color faded significantly, making it look quite pitiful. This directly affected Lin Ruochu's mindset and performance, causing her to lose the entire match.
Qiao Sang was indeed captivated by the Azure Pleasure Butterfly, but she wasn't about to dye Fangflare just to give it a new look.
Fangflare's fiery red color was beautiful!
This guy has no taste.
"No, thank you." Qiao Sang declined again.
Seeing her firm resolve, the young man with the wolf-tail hairstyle didn't waste any more time and moved on to intercept a young woman passing by.
"Miss, are you interested in making your familiar more charming? Come to our Mely Beast Styling Studio..."
...
Qiao Sang and Fangflare made their way to a familiar accessory retail store on the third floor.
Following the signs, she found the items she wanted to buy.
"Come on, Fangflare, which one do you like?" Qiao Sang smiled at Fangflare.
Fangflare curiously examined the items before her.
There were beaded necklaces and various styles and colors of bracelets.
"Yah."
Fangflare pointed at a blue beaded necklace with its paw.
Qiao Sang picked up the necklace and tried to hold it, but her hand involuntarily dropped by 50 centimeters.
"Let's go with the bracelet instead; this might not be good for your neck." Qiao Sang said, looking at Fangflare's neck.
Fangflare: "???"
(End of Chapter)
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