Chapter 846: Pantian City
Chapter 846: Pantian City (Combined)
The moment this thought crossed his mind, Qiao Sang's face turned serious, and he immediately said:
"Let's go back."
"Xunxun~"
Treasure Seeker's eyes glowed with blue light.
In the next second, Qiao Sang appeared in the blind spot of the security camera.
The staff member's heart skipped a beat at the sudden appearance of a person and cautiously asked, "Miss Qiao, you..."
Before he could finish, Qiao Sang said:
"Spatial Lockdown."
"Xunxun!"
Treasure Seeker didn't see the same scene as Fangy's Synchronization Sensitivity, but upon receiving its Beastmaster's command, it immediately understood that the thief they were looking for was inside the warehouse.
It adopted a serious expression, and its eyes glowed blue again.
A semi-transparent barrier instantly spread, enveloping the warehouse except for the area where Qiao Sang and the staff member stood.
"Gradually narrow the area", Qiao Sang instructed. "Stop when you sense something unusual."
"Xunxun~"
Treasure Seeker obediently complied.
The semi-transparent barrier gradually shrank.
The staff member seemed to understand and dared not breathe heavily, fearing that he might disturb the operation.
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed as a distant shelf toppled over.
The staff member and the crocodile familiar were startled, hugging each other out of reflex. They quickly realized their behavior was awkward, glanced at each other, and then quickly separated, pretending the hug never happened.
Steel Treasure, which had been silent, glanced at them.
" Ignore that side; continue narrowing the area", Qiao Sang said, unaffected.
The shelf had fallen at the most inopportune moment, and she reasonably suspected that the ghost familiar had done it on purpose to divert her attention.
There was no need to worry about that side. As long as Treasure Seeker continued to use the Spatial Lockdown and narrow the area, the ghost familiar inside the warehouse would be caught.
"Xunxun..."
Treasure Seeker nodded and continued to shrink the Spatial Lockdown area.
"Qi qi!"
Just as the Spatial Lockdown covered only a tenth of the warehouse, a familiar with a body of purple gas, about a meter tall, appeared, looking distressed. It rammed its head against the barrier, trying to break through.
Seeing no reaction from the barrier, the familiar opened its mouth and condensed a black shadow orb, which it shot at the barrier.
The barrier rippled like water but quickly returned to its calm state, showing no signs of damage.
Qiao Sang immediately recognized this familiar as the one she had seen through Fangy's Sensitivity Synchronization.
"Bubble Ghost?!" the staff member exclaimed in surprise.
So, this familiar is called a Bubble Ghost... Qiao Sang noted this information and turned to ask, "Do you know it?"
"Two months ago, we hired a warehouse inventory clerk, and his familiar is a Bubble Ghost", the staff member said hesitantly. "Could it be that the thief isn't the Bubble Ghost? Is there some misunderstanding?"
Qiao Sang looked at the Bubble Ghost, which was still ramming its head against the barrier, and said, "The familiar that took the artifacts during the time you mentioned is this one. Regardless of the reason, I am responsible for catching the thief and handing them over to the authorities."
The staff member fell silent upon hearing this.
The Spatial Lockdown area continued to shrink. Seeing its attacks were ineffective, the Bubble Ghost's demeanor crumbled, and it suddenly went berserk, screaming, "Qi qi!"
Three black shadow orbs condensed in front of it and were hurled at the remaining shelf within the barrier range.
"Ah!" the staff member screamed, "No!"
"Lulu", Qiao Sang said.
As soon as she spoke, the staff member and the crocodile familiar felt a bone-chilling cold, causing them to shiver involuntarily.
The expected scene of the shelf collapsing and the artifacts being destroyed did not happen.
The staff member looked toward where the Bubble Ghost was, only to see that the semi-transparent barrier had vanished. The Bubble Ghost, now frozen in a block of ice, was suspended in mid-air, along with the three shadow orbs that were about to hit the shelf.
The dimly lit environment and the ice-encased Bubble Ghost, along with the three shadow orbs, contrasted sharply.
The Bubble Ghost and the shadow orbs, frozen in mid-air, looked as if they were in a different layer.
The staff member stared at the scene, his expression blank and his mind numb.
At that moment, he was completely bewildered, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
As a Beastmaster, even though my level isn't high and I haven't achieved much, I still watch the Regional Tournament every year. I paid attention in class when I was in school, and even though it's been many years since I graduated, I still remember the basics.
The scene in front of me is clearly the result of Ice Skills.
But if something is frozen, shouldn't it fall to the ground?
Why are the Bubble Ghost and the Shadow Orbs still suspended in mid-air?
What kind of skills are these?
How can they have such an amazing effect?
Does Miss Qiao have such a powerful ice-type familiar?
A series of chaotic thoughts flashed through the staff member's mind.
Just as he looked at the backpack behind Qiao Sang, the Bubble Ghost fell to the ground, and the three Shadow Orbs shattered with a loud noise.
"It's taken care of. Call the police", Qiao Sang said calmly.
"Y-Yes, right away..." The staff member quickly averted his gaze, pulled out his mobile phone, and dialed the emergency number.
Fangy, the crocodile familiar, looked at her with admiration.
The police weren't quick to solve the case, but they responded quickly and soon arrived to arrest both the Bubble Ghost and its Beastmaster.
...
"Name."
"Qiao Sang."
"Age."
"16."
"Why were you in the warehouse?"
"I'm participating in the Regional Tournament. The Examiners in Changqing City assigned me a mission to catch the thief stealing artifacts from the warehouse, so I was there", Qiao Sang replied succinctly.
The police officer in charge of recording looked up, his expression stunned.
It was hard to believe that the girl in front of him, who looked so young, could be eligible to participate in the Regional Tournament.
Qiao Sang seemed to realize something and added:
"Before I went to the warehouse, I called a police officer here named Officer Li. The Examiners said he was in charge of the case, and he can vouch for me."
Pausing, she added:
"I wanted to ask him about the case and invite him to come with me, but he said he was about to finish his shift."
Officer Li, that's you, isn't it... The recording officer turned to look at the questioning officer.
Don't look at me. If I had known I'd have to work overtime on this case today, I wouldn't have hung up so quickly... Officer Li coughed, pretending it wasn't him, and continued:
"Why did you know that the Bubble Ghost was the thief?"
Qiao Sang sat comfortably in the chair, answering the questions with ease, as if she were at home.
During the questioning, the officer even poured her a cup of tea.
The interrogation was soon over, and Qiao Sang walked out of the room.
Officer Li followed and, after a moment of hesitation, said, "Actually, I am the officer in charge of this case, Officer Li."
Qiao Sang glanced at him. "I know."
Officer Li: "???"
"The Examiners provided me with your contact information and a photo", Qiao Sang explained.
Officer Li: "..."
Officer Li's face stiffened, and after a few seconds of silence, he said:
"I apologize, but thank you for helping us catch the thief. The Bubble Ghost's Beastmaster has already admitted to the theft. He said he instructed the Bubble Ghost to steal the artifacts."
Qiao Sang, curious, asked:
"Why did he steal them? I heard from the staff that the artifacts in the warehouse were flawed and not very useful."
"He wanted to feed the energy to the Bubble Ghost", Officer Li explained. "Although the artifacts were flawed, many still contained energy. The missing artifacts had varying amounts of energy that any familiar could absorb. He couldn't afford to buy energy-rich food for the Bubble Ghost, so he came up with this method."
...
This evaluation mission was too easy. If the next missions are this simple, I could probably complete all the evaluation missions for the eleven municipalities in a month or two... Qiao Sang mused as she left the police station, climbed onto the enlarged Fangy, and said, "Let's head back to the Beastmaster Center."
"Xunxun..."
At that moment, Treasure Seeker appeared, staring at its Beastmaster with a pained expression.
Qiao Sang understood immediately. She stroked Fangy's fur and said, "But first, we'll go shopping and buy some accessories for Treasure Seeker."
"Xunxun~"
Treasure Seeker's pained expression vanished, and it floated beside its Beastmaster, rubbing its head happily.
"Yah!"
Fangy called out and took off into the sky.
...
11:01 PM.
Beastmaster Center.
Residential Area.
Room 1108.
Qiao Sang used her Beastmaster Badge to enter the room.
At the same time, Migala, who lived next door, heard the commotion, perked up her ears, got up, put on her shoes, and walked to the door of room 1108, knocking lightly.
"Who is it?"
"It's me."
Qiao Sang opened the door, somewhat surprised. "Teacher, you're still awake?"
I'm responsible for your guidance over the next few decades, including your safety. How could I sleep if you're not back?... Migala walked into the room, glanced at Fangy, who was sleeping on the bed, and said, "I already got some sleep."
Then, she turned back to the door and looked at Qiao Sang. "Get some rest early. You haven't had much rest today. You need to be in top condition for your mission tomorrow and complete your evaluation as soon as possible."
Qiao Sang opened her mouth to speak. "I..."
Migala interrupted, "I know what you're going to say, but you still need rest, especially at your age. Although Iceapura can use Healing Light, casting an Epic Skill drains a lot of energy. Even with restorative potions, it takes time to recover to prime condition."
"You have your evaluation and training ahead, and your familiar needs a lot of energy every day. It's best to save your energy for when you really need to use an Epic Skill."
Qiao Sang fell silent for a moment before speaking. "Actually, what I wanted to say is that I've already completed my evaluation mission. We can leave for the next city tomorrow."
Migala: "???"
Completed?
In just one night?
Migala was stunned for a moment and couldn't help but ask, "How did you complete it?"
"I went to the warehouse and asked the staff there..." Qiao Sang quickly recounted what had happened that night. "That's it."
With Flame Kiru's Sensitivity, Ghost Ring King's Spatial Lockdown, and Iceapura's Ice Domain... No wonder you could confirm, isolate, and capture them so quickly. Migala looked at Qiao Sang with a approving smile. "Well done. Get some rest, and we'll leave tomorrow."
"Okay." Qiao Sang nodded.
Migala returned to her room, lay down on the bed, and then remembered something. She took out her phone and canceled the six-day room reservation at the Changqing Beastmaster Center.
...
The next day.
At 8:55 AM.
Changqing Beastmaster Center.
Third floor.
At the door of the Examiners' office, who was in charge of evaluations.
The Examiner arrived on time and, upon seeing the person standing at his office door, immediately smiled. "Why are you here? Is there a problem with the mission?"
Qiao Sang looked at him and smiled. "No, I've already completed the mission and came to confirm it with you."
Examiner: "???"
"You've already completed it?" The Examiner asked, disbelieving.
He remembered assigning this mission to her just yesterday.
Qiao Sang nodded and affirmed, "Yes."
The Examiner took a deep breath, hurriedly opened the office door, and went to the computer to verify.
Five minutes later, he clicked "approve" on Qiao Sang's mission evaluation, still looking dazed.
...
"Where are we heading next?" Qiao Sang asked as they left the Beastmaster Center.
"Pantian City." Migala had already planned the route. "Pantian City is right next to Changqing City. We can get there in an hour via the dedicated sky route."
Qiao Sang had been to the Hollow Plains before and was familiar with the sky routes.
In the Dragon Nation, wild familiars are rare, so flying in the sky is generally safe as long as nothing unexpected happens. As a result, the sky routes are well-developed.
Especially in Hollow Plains, where a dedicated sky route to various cities has been established, operated by the government. The flying familiars are specially trained, and some universities even have related programs.
The flying-type companions working on these routes are known for being the largest, fastest, and most stable.
It's rumored that only certain species are allowed to work there.
Even if a Beastmaster has an Imperial Familiar, they won't be hired if they're not one of those species.
As a result, many parents ensure their children bond with one of those species first to secure a stable job.
Qiao Sang sat on Fangy's back, and they ascended into the sky with Teacher Migala.
Half an hour later, they reached a dense cloud area.
Many people and their familiars were walking and waiting on the clouds.
Qiao Sang had experienced free movement in the sky over the Hollow Plains before, so she wasn't particularly surprised.
Migala, however, marveled, "Your Dragon Nation's sky routes are truly impressive."
In Eagaria, even if a familiar has the ability to walk on clouds, it's impossible to implement such a system because no one knows when a Mystic Rift might appear.
(End of Chapter)
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