Chapter 915: The Last Mission (Part 2)
Chapter 915: The Last Mission (Part 2)
2:00 PM.
Beastmaster Center.
Qiao Sang arrived at the Assessment Office right on time.
Inside the office, the Examiners heard a deliberately lowered voice from the doorway:
"Take off your mask and use Wind Transformation, or I'm worried you'll be touched again."
"Qingqing." A young, ethereal voice replied.
Then came a knock.
The Examiners remained silent for a moment before responding:
"Please come in."
"I've completed the mission to Purify the Air around the Purifyliko Factory." Qiao Sang handed over her ID Card and Beastmaster Emblem.
The Examiners looked stunned. "Completed? So quickly?"
They had assumed she had come to seek help, perhaps asking for advice on where to find a familiar that could Purify Air quickly.
After all, in Heaven's Guide City, familiars capable of Purifying Air were in high demand. Most Beastmasters who bonded with such familiars were raking in profits, making it difficult to book their services. Even if a Beastmaster was willing to pay a premium, they would often have to wait about a month.
Even if she had bonded with the legendary Qingqing Ni, it shouldn't have been possible. Qingqing Ni was still in the Junior stage and couldn't Purify Air on such a large scale...
To be honest, this was the first time she had encountered a Beastmaster who had completed an Air Purification mission the same afternoon it was assigned.
Qiao Sang nodded and smiled. "My familiar doesn't have any direct Air Purification skills, but it has a few other skills that can solve the problem."
The Examiners glanced at her, then dialed the Environmental Protection Bureau:
"Hello, this is the Beastmaster Center Assessment Office. I'd like to confirm the air quality above the Liko Factory..."
The person on the other end also needed to verify the information.
After about twenty minutes, the Examiners hung up the phone and looked at Qiao Sang with a mix of complexity and admiration:
"You completed the mission very well."
Qiao Sang smiled modestly.
The Examiners clicked "Passed" on the screen and returned her ID Card and Beastmaster Emblem.
"I'll be on my way then." Qiao Sang said politely.
The Examiners nodded and joked, "Is Qingqing Ni often touched?"
Qiao Sang: "???"
Qingbao: "???"
...
Leaving the Assessment Office, Qiao Sang called Teacher Mikara.
After a few rings, the call connected.
Before the other end could speak, Qiao Sang got straight to the point: "Teacher, I've completed the mission."
Mikara seemed to have grown numb to it. "Where are you now? I'll come over."
Qiao Sang replied, "I just submitted the mission and am now going downstairs to the Beastmaster Hall."
"Wait for me." Mikara hung up.
Qiao Sang arrived at the Beastmaster Hall.
Just five minutes later, she saw Teacher Mikara approaching.
"What was the mission this time?" Mikara asked casually.
"Purify Air." Qiao Sang answered.
Mikara immediately guessed, "Did you have Ice Emperor Ram do the Purification?"
Qiao Sang nodded and briefly explained the mission process.
Mikara nodded in approval. "That mission suits you well."
In the hall, some people recognized Fangy and took out their phones to secretly take photos.
The fact that Qingqing Ni's Beastmaster was now a B-Class Master made many lower-ranked Beastmasters more cautious, hesitant to approach.
Qiao Sang pretended not to notice, chatting with Teacher Mikara as they walked towards the entrance of the Beastmaster Center.
"Next, there’s only Sky Rift City left."
"Right."
"Teacher, you packed your things so quickly."
"You completed your mission too fast. I hadn’t even taken most of my things out yet..."
...
Sky Rift City.
One of the three most unstable Hidden Realm Rift cities in the Hollow Plains.
The probability of a Hidden Realm Rift appearing here is almost six times higher than in other cities.
Many locals can’t stand the occasional wild beast companion popping up, so they mostly choose to work elsewhere.
However, Beastmasters love it here, finding the abundance of Hidden Realm Rifts and wild beast companions very promising for development.
After all, where there are wild beast companions, there are Beastmasters.
Even the public servants in the Patrol Department here earn higher salaries than those in other regions.
Qiao Sang stepped down from the Sky Passage and saw two beams of white light flash by, one after the other.
Some of the people around her were unfazed, while others were eager to join in.
"Those are probably trying to capture a wild beast companion. Should we join in? If we catch it, we could earn some money."
"You go ahead. I’ll pass. I can’t keep up with that speed."
"I’ll pass too. That beam of white light is pretty big. It’s probably a High-Class Beast Companion."
Migala watched the scene and listened to the surrounding voices, suddenly reflecting, "This Sky Rift City seems a bit like Eagaria."
Qiao Sang summoned Fangy and the others, saying, "I only know that the frequency of Hidden Realm Rifts appearing here is quite high."
But compared to Eagaria, it’s still a bit lacking in danger... She kept this thought to herself and didn’t say it out loud.
...
Qiao Sang rode the Steel Treasure to the Beastmaster Center according to the Navigation.
After checking in, she followed Teacher Mikara to the Residential Area.
Migala walked a few steps and turned to ask, "Why aren’t you going to pick up a mission?"
The Assessment Office and the Residential Area were not in the same direction.
Qiao Sang was taken aback, "They should be about to finish work now. I’ll go pick up a mission tomorrow."
Migala was surprised, "That doesn’t sound like you at all."
Qiao Sang thought to herself, Teacher, you might have a misunderstanding about me...
To be honest, although she had been very efficient with her missions recently and had a tight schedule, it was because she had lost half a year of mission time compared to others.
Now, with only one mission left and over two months remaining, she had no need to rush like she did at the beginning.
"There’s only one mission left", Qiao Sang said tactfully.
Migala found this a bit hard to get used to. She raised her hand and checked the time on her wristwatch, saying, "They finish work at six, and it’s now five thirty-three. You can still go pick up a mission."
She lowered her hand and added, "You can take the mission and not do it right away. Knowing the mission content early will help you prepare better."
Qiao Sang was silent for a moment.
She felt a sense of déjà vu, as if this scene had happened before...
"Alright", Qiao Sang finally said.
...
Assessment Office.
"Knock knock~"
Qiao Sang knocked on the door.
"Come in", a cool voice called from inside.
Qiao Sang pushed the door open and saw a white familiar with a doll-like body and a large mouth, but no one else.
The large-mouthed familiar spoke, "Stop looking around. I’m the one talking."
Fangy showed a "scared me" expression.
Damn, that scared me... Qiao Sang looked at the large-mouthed familiar and mirrored Fangy’s expression, but quickly composed herself, testing, "Examiners?"
"Right", the large-mouthed familiar nodded. "I’m currently outside and can’t make it here."
Qiao Sang: "???"
Wait, didn't you just say you were Examiners?
Now there's someone outside?
"Xunxun..."
Just as Qiao Sang was bewildered, the Treasure Seeker appeared, took out the Beast Identifier, and aimed it at the familiar with the huge mouth.
This action caught the attention of the familiar, which looked over.
At the same time, a voice identical to the Treasure Seeker's sounded:
[Let me see... Echo Beast, a Fairy-type Intermediate Beast with the Echo Trait. Beastmasters can use it for long-distance communication... In my opinion, this familiar is a bit too weak...]
The Treasure Seeker turned off the Beast Identifier, vanished, and retreated.
"Same mouth!"
The Echo Beast clearly understood what the Beast Identifier had left unsaid and called out in dissatisfaction.
It was because of the Echo Trait... Qiao Sang coughed and apologized:
"Sorry, you're so rare. I've never seen one before, and neither have my familiars. I just wanted to understand a bit more."
"Same mouth..."
The Echo Beast paused, then showed a slightly smug expression, trying to suppress the corners of its mouth from curving upward. It called out, indicating that if that was the case, it wasn't entirely unreasonable.
Then, it spoke in human language:
"No problem, are you here to take on a mission?"
It only had the Echo Trait and not the Visual Sharing Trait, so it must have seen the scene through a security camera... Qiao Sang analyzed this subconsciously and nodded, "Mm."
"If you're not here, I'll come back tomorrow."
"No need", the Echo Beast said. "This Echo Beast can handle it. Hand over your ID Card and Beastmaster Emblem, and it will arrange everything for you."
This... Qiao Sang hesitated for a few seconds, then chose to trust it, pulling out the necessary identification and handing it over.
The Echo Beast took it with its claws and operated it skillfully.
"Same mouth."
Soon, it returned the ID Card and Beastmaster Emblem, indicating that everything was done.
"What's the mission?" Qiao Sang asked.
"Hold on, let me check", the Echo Beast said. "Send me a screenshot of the mission."
The latter part of this statement was clearly not directed at her.
The Echo Beast operated something.
After about ten seconds, it spoke again: "Someone's familiar was captured by a familiar from a Hidden Realm Rift and taken into the Hidden Realm. Your mission is to rescue the familiar safely. The mission must be completed before the Regional Tournament officially begins. The specific details will be sent to you through the backend."
Qiao Sang was taken aback: "The specific Hidden Realm has been identified?"
"The detailed information will be sent to you. You can also ask the Beastmaster of the captured familiar", the Echo Beast paused, then continued, "My shift is over. When you leave, please close the door for me. Thank you."
With that, the Echo Beast disappeared.
Qiao Sang: "..."
She took out her mobile phone and checked the time—it was exactly six o'clock.
...
Beastmaster Center.
Residential Area.
Room 1129.
"Ya Ya!"
Fangy watched the battle competition on the TV, occasionally shouting in excitement.
It couldn't train now, so it could only pass the time by watching matches in the room.
Steel Treasure watched the match as well, but at the same time, it was controlling a Clone in the Training Field.
"Xunxun..."
The Treasure Seeker, while dealing with Qingbao's Enchantment, spared a glance at the TV.
This made Qingbao's mouth pout slightly, and the wind around it increased a bit.
Lulu was enveloped in a crystalline Ice Armor, eyes closed, floating in the Sanctified Essence Water.
Qiao Sang leaned back on the bed, looking at the mission details sent by the Beastmaster Center's backend. It included the name and contact information of the captured familiar and its Beastmaster.
Happy Seed, Intermediate Grass-Type Companion Beast... Qiao Sang stared at the disappeared familiar information, pondered for a few seconds, and then dialed the contact number provided.
The first call went unanswered.
Qiao Sang tried again.
After a few rings, the phone was answered:
"Hello?"
The voice on the other end sounded slightly immature.
Why does it feel like a kid... Qiao Sang remained silent for a moment before speaking:
"Hello, I accepted a mission from the Beastmaster Center to help you find your familiar that was taken away."
The voice on the other end instantly turned ecstatic:
"Really? When can we go?"
"Can we go six days from now?" Qiao Sang asked.
Fangy is still in the Absorb Flamefruit stage and can't use any skills. Entering the Hidden Realm without security is too risky.
The voice on the other end paused for a moment, then pleaded, "Can't we go any sooner?"
"I need time to prepare", Qiao Sang explained. "For safety reasons, it's best if we go six days from now."
There was a moment of silence on the other end.
"I have a few questions to ask you."
"Go ahead."
"Has the Hidden Realm where Happy Seed is located been confirmed?"
"Yes", the slightly immature voice replied obediently. "Patrol Officer Uncle told me that there's only one Hidden Realm in that area. If a Hidden Realm Rift appears, it's almost certainly connected to there."
Patrol Officer Uncle... Qiao Sang repeated the seven words in her mind, feeling a bad vibe. "How old are you?"
The voice on the other end replied, "I'm 15, almost 16."
Qiao Sang fell silent.
Although she had suspected it earlier, this age seems way too young!
"Hey, are you still there?" the immature voice asked.
"I'm here", Qiao Sang finally spoke after a moment of silence. "Can you enter a Hidden Realm at your age?"
She remembered that there were restrictions on entering Hidden Realms based on Beastmaster Level.
"I can", the immature voice replied. "I've already asked. In my case, it's special. If I don't go in, even if someone finds Happy Seed, they won't know if it's mine. So the Hidden Realm Administration said that as long as I have a team of five C-Class Beastmasters or one B-Class Beastmaster to protect me, I can enter."
"Since you accepted the mission alone, you must be a B-Class Beastmaster."
That was true, but I haven't even exchanged my Beastmaster Emblem yet. Technically, I should still be a C-Class Beastmaster... Qiao Sang suddenly remembered something and opened her unread messages on her mobile phone.
One of the messages was from the Beastmaster Center, sent around 4 PM:
[Respected Beastmaster Qiao Sang, congratulations on passing the evaluation and becoming a powerful B-Class Beastmaster. You can choose any Beastmaster Center to exchange your Beastmaster Emblem.]
So, I'm officially a B-Class Beastmaster according to my records... Qiao Sang realized.
No wonder this mission was assigned to me...
Indeed, the greater the ability, the more challenging the mission... Qiao Sang thought of something and asked, "Which Hidden Realm is it?"
"Hidden Realm 53", the immature voice said.
"Which one did you say?" Qiao Sang straightened up, raising her voice to confirm.
"Hidden Realm 53... Is there a problem with that?"
Hidden Realm 53, it's actually Hidden Realm 53... How could it be Hidden Realm 53... Qiao Sang looked at Fangy's back, her heart churning.
Hidden Realm 53, the place where Fangy will evolve.
But that shouldn't be the case!
Fangy will only reach Mid-Commander Rank six days from now...
Could it be that I will have to enter this Hidden Realm again in the future... Thinking this, Qiao Sang calmed down slightly. (End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
