Chapter 3: Changing Houses
Chapter 3: Changing Houses
"Mom, why did you hit the back of my head?"
Ye Xiangting gritted her teeth, "You succeeded in your awakening, so why are you sighing like that!"
"The examiner said my brain domain fluctuated a lot and I need to rest, but the high school entrance exam is only 20 days away. This is just going to delay my studies", Qiao Sang said with an innocent expression.
Ye Xiangting: "……"
"Mom, what are you doing!"
"What are you doing!"
"Mom!"
What happened to the strong woman she was supposed to be!
The spot where they had been standing was now only occupied by Quagly, who was left to flounder in the wind.
"Quagly!"
The Beastmaster Center prohibits chasing and shouting!
……
……
As soon as they got home, Qiao Sang locked herself in her room and turned on her computer.
Originally, her mother had planned for her to go to the Hanggang Familiar Base in the afternoon to select a familiar, but Qiao Sang refused.
As a Beastmaster, choosing the right familiar was crucial in this world, as one might only be able to bond with one familiar for their entire life.
The Beastmaster ranks, from lowest to highest, were F to Sss.
F-rank Beastmasters were the simplest; they just needed to awaken their Beastmaster Codex and bond with a familiar before turning 15 to get certified at the Beastmaster Center.
To become an E-rank Beastmaster, one needed to develop their brain domain to 10% to bond a second familiar.
Then, they had to raise two familiars to their first stage of evolution, which were considered intermediate familiars.
After that, a notary from the Beastmaster League would conduct a 1v1 battle.
Winning the battle would allow the information to be updated to E-rank Beastmaster.
Some people, to speed up the process of raising intermediate familiars, would choose insect-type extraordinary beasts with shorter evolution cycles as their bond partners.
However, first-stage evolved insect familiars were too weak. Only Beastmasters with exceptional combat command could win with them; others simply couldn't manage it.
The original body, being a slacker, had very limited knowledge. The only supernatural creatures it remembered were those that looked good.
What good was looking good? Could they win in a fight?
If she couldn't win, how could she become a higher-ranked Beastmaster?
When choosing a familiar, it was essential to pick those with high potential and strong combat abilities.
If she went to the Hanggang Familiar Base in the afternoon, she wouldn't even recognize the names, attributes, or what they would evolve into after the first and second stages. How could she make a choice?
Qiao Sang thought this was something that couldn't be rushed and needed some preparation first.
She opened the forum and logged into her account, "Talent Again and Again."
This ID clearly showed that every slacker had a dream of turning their life around.
Qiao Sang didn't choose to post a new thread. The world of Beastmasters was already well-established, with tens of thousands of newly awakened Beastmasters each year.
A quick browse through the forum revealed countless posts from them.
Qiao Sang scanned the forum, and most of the content was related to familiars.
[Poisoned by a Poly Scorpion!]
[Is it just me who thinks the Cotton Worm's new form is ugly?]
[B-rank Beastmaster teaching you how to get into Nansheng Beastmaster University.]
[Beastmaster novice asking if it's okay to bond a Tiny Dragon as their first familiar.]
Her gaze paused on the last post.
How selfish.
Thinking about bonding a dragon-type familiar as their first one and even posting to ask if it was okay?
The power of dragon-type Beast Companions was well-known.
Apart from a few extremely rare familiars, in terms of attributes, dragon-type Beast Companions were the most expensive of all familiars.
No one without a fortune could afford them.
Even if someone managed to buy one, they wouldn't be able to raise it. Dragon-type Beast Companions had long evolution cycles, and it might take several years of pampering before they could even evolve to the intermediate stage.
Qiao Sang couldn't possibly answer that.
Absolutely not!
But if there were a Dragon-type Beast Companion waiting for her to bond with, it wouldn't be so absolute...
Qiao Sang looked down, no longer paying attention to the disheartening post.
[New Beastmaster Strongly Recommends Sandgopher!]
The comments section was filled with various opinions.
"The OP probably hasn't let the Sandgopher out at night to sleep. Just a heads-up, it grinds its teeth!"
"Why didn't the previous commenter mention what it uses to grind its teeth?"
"I, a Sandfox, am not convinced."
"Deep Fur Turtle requests to join the battle."
...
By now, the Beast Taming civilization had already summarized the best familiars for new Beastmasters.
Puffbird, Sandfox, Shorttail Snake, Sandgopher, Deep Fur Turtle.
These five familiars were reasonably priced, affordable for most families, and had gentle temperaments. If properly raised, they could evolve to the General-level familiar without any issues.
Most of the familiars Qiao Sang saw in the posts from new Beastmasters were among these five.
Her mother's first bonded familiar was a Puffbird, which evolved into a Plump Homing Dove. As a flying-type familiar, it was slower than other flying familiars due to its plump body. It became a popular choice for new Beastmasters because it could evolve into a Mighty Flying Owl, a General-level familiar.
The Sandfox had strong offensive capabilities but weak defenses, and it couldn't last long once hit.
The Sandgopher had a natural digging ability and a preference for hiding, generally avoiding direct confrontations.
The Deep Fur Turtle, while not being aquatic like regular turtles, still had strong defensive capabilities.
The Sandfox, Sandgopher, and Deep Fur Turtle were all earth-type familiars, often compared to each other. However, the Sandfox's appearance was superior to the others, making it a favorite among female new Beastmasters.
The Shorttail Snake was a poison-type familiar with venomous fangs and a dangerous needle-tail, providing strong combat capabilities even in the early stages. However, bonding with it could easily land a Beastmaster in the hospital if not handled carefully. Without a robust physique, no new Beastmaster would dare bond with it.
Qiao Sang spent a long time deciding but couldn't make up her mind. Each of the five familiars had its drawbacks, but their affordable prices and safe evolution paths were undeniable advantages.
In the end, it all came down to money.
Qiao Sang got up and walked out of her room.
Her mother was sitting on the sofa, watching TV.
"Mom, do we have a million credits? I want to buy a Bubble Chime."
"Get lost."
"Sure thing!"
Qiao Sang returned to her room and continued browsing the forum.
[Is it safe for a D-rank Beastmaster to go to Qipang Forest?]
[Got a Green Claw Cat on my second Beast Gambling session, come and soak up the good luck!]
...
In addition to purchasing familiars from the Pet Beast Facility, one could also obtain them through the Black Market, Beast Gambling, or the wild.
Familiars from the Black Market had unknown origins, but as long as you had the money, they could get you almost anything.
Beast Gambling was a matter of luck; one wrong move could leave you bankrupt and even without your underwear.
Going into the wild to bond with a familiar was something only D-rank Beastmasters or higher would consider. The risks were high, and wild Supernatural Creatures were difficult to tame, even after bonding.
None of these options were feasible for her current situation.
Qiao Sang sighed. Although she had many ideas, her choices were limited.
8:26 PM.
Qiao Sang closed her computer and glanced at the time, feeling a bit surprised.
At this hour, her mother usually wouldn't have called her for dinner. Could she really be angry?
She decided to check the living room. Just as she stood up, she thought better of it and grabbed a copy of Beastmaster Chronicles II from the bookshelf.
She opened the door and found the living room dark and empty.
Her mother wasn't there.
Qiao Sang pondered for a moment, then confirmed that her mother wasn't in the bedroom either.
She turned on the living room light, tossed Beastmaster Chronicles II onto the sofa, and took a box of matcha ice cream from the fridge.
She settled down, legs crossed, and turned on the TV.
"Click."
The door opened.
Qiao Sang turned around, and their eyes met.
"..."
There was a brief silence.
"Come and eat dinner." Her mother raised an eyebrow and placed the takeout on the table.
So she had gone out to buy food...
"Coming." Qiao Sang, holding the matcha ice cream she had just taken a bite of, decided not to waste it and took another bite.
"Mom, why did you go out to buy food today?" Qiao Sang asked as she approached the table.
"I had something to do outside and didn't have time to cook, so I picked up some food on the way back", her mother replied.
Qiao Sang asked, "What was it?"
Her mother paused for a moment. "Sang Sang, let's move to a smaller house."
Qiao Sang was stunned, her movements freezing. "Why move to a smaller house?"
Hanggang City, the capital of Zhehai Province, had exorbitant housing prices. This house had been bought by her father's family when the prices were still reasonable. Their current home in Verdant Haven, though not in the most expensive area of Hanggang City, had a prime location with nearby schools and a subway station, and the price per square meter was around 53,000 Union Coins.
Her mother took a bite of her food, swallowed, and then looked at Qiao Sang. "I asked the real estate agent when I went out. Our 133-square-meter house is now worth about 53,000 Union Coins per square meter, so we can get 7 million Union Coins from the sale."
"I've thought it over. We can buy a smaller house, pay the down payment, and use the extra money to buy you a Bubble Chime. We'll still have some left over."
"Besides, I can earn more money. Apart from moving to a smaller house, nothing else will change."
Qiao Sang was speechless.
Her mother had made such a big decision without a word, just a few hours after she had mentioned it.
"Mom..." she murmured, wanting to say something.
Her mother cut her off, "Although your grades aren't great, you're a Spontaneous Awakening. Your talent is undeniable."
"Our family isn't particularly wealthy, but I can still get you the familiar you want."
"Just promise me that you won't treat it like your studies, where you work hard for a few days and then slack off. You need to nurture it properly."
Ye Xiangting hadn't originally had this idea, but her daughter had expressed a desire for a Psychic Type familiar.
Her daughter wasn't great at studies, but being a Spontaneous Awakening indicated a genuine talent for beast mastery. Their family had never had a Spontaneous Awakening before.
If that was the case, buying a familiar, even an expensive one with great potential that she liked, was worth it.
It was her duty as a mother.
Qiao Sang felt a mix of emotions. All she knew was that she wanted to finish her matcha ice cream to calm the heat in her heart.
She looked into her mother's eyes and smiled. "Mom, you said it yourself that I'm a Spontaneous Awakening and have the talent. I can nurture any familiar I get."
"I was just saying. I don't really want a Bubble Chime, so please don't sell the house."
Her mother got up and poured a glass of water, then paused. "I know you want a Bubble Chime. You're autonomous..."
Qiao Sang didn't let her finish. "I spent the afternoon and evening researching, and I think Fangflare is great. I want it."
Bubble Chimes, being Psychic Type, were naturally excellent. Dragon-type Beast Companions, Fairy-type familiars, and Ghost-type familiars were all great too.
But Qiao Sang only thought they were rare and powerful, not necessarily something she had to have.
Some people liked to talk about wanting a legendary creature right from the start.
Owning a familiar within her means was what she truly wanted.
(End of Chapter)
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