Night fell.
From deep within Lin's Farm, a strange, excited cry, like a ape's shriek, emerged—that was Lin Lao Deng's voice.
Seeing Guoguo Sakura, who had gained a full circle in weight and grown 3 jin in just one afternoon, Lin Xuédòng's eyes widened.
He skipped dinner, his whole being filled with excitement, and he waddled around Guoguo Sakura, making surprised 'oh oh ah ah' noises and touching them all over.
If Lin Chuan didn't know his Lin Lao Deng, if it were anyone else, Lin Chuan would have kicked him down right then and called the police to have him arrested for indecent assault and molestation of spirit beasts.
Among spirit beasts, some have physical appearances close to humans, and even some top-tier, high-grade spirit beasts can transform into human forms; it's understandable to talk about indecent assault or molestation with such humanoid spirit beasts.
However, most spirit beasts still have vastly different appearances from humans, with clear species separation.
But, there are always some strange, perverted individuals among humans who prefer this kind of thing; the greater the difference, the more they like it, and they don't care for human-like forms.
Well, across the entire federation, at least several thousand such individuals are caught each year.
Holding his takeout dinner box, Lin Chuan sat on a small stool, eating, and watched his Lin Lao Deng touching Guoguo Sakura all over, observing and recording data.
Guoguo Sakura were also very cooperative; after all, they were experienced, having been frequently observed, researched, and had data collected before.
By the time Lin Chuan finished his takeout dinner, Lin Xuédòng had also almost finished collecting and recording the data.
At this moment, Lin Xuédòng felt satisfied, believing that the star rock coins Lin Chuan had extorted were worth it.
Ignoring Lin Lao Deng, who was engrossed in organizing data, Lin Chuan gave a heads-up and then left with Guoguo Sakura.
Lin Chuan rode his bicycle relatively slowly, while Guoguo Sakura ran alongside the bike.
This wasn't really training; it was more like a post-meal digestion exercise, as Guoguo Sakura had eaten very well and were full today, rapidly expanding and developing, so they definitely needed some good exercise to digest.
As for him, the Beast Master? Is riding a bike not exercise? Does he have to run?!
How infuriating! Please don't be double-standard!
Only when Guoguo Sakura were completely exhausted did Lin Chuan pick up the two little ones and put them in the front basket of the bicycle.
Then, it was time to get down to business; Lin Chuan stood up and pedaled, riding his bicycle towards the most magnificent and enormous building in the southern part of Tianshang Town.
That huge building was the Tianshang Town Beastmaster Association branch; Lin Chuan was going to register and update his information, and also buy a Pet Space Device.
The original plan was to go tomorrow during the day, but Lin Chuan couldn't wait; one must understand the excited feelings of a new Beast Master.
Speaking of the Pet Space Device.
As a Beast Master, there is often a need to go out, whether for Beastmaster Association missions, to collect wild resources, or for other personal matters.
In such cases, small or few spirit beasts following along are fine, but large or numerous ones, or some strange ones like poison-attribute spirit beasts or dragon-type spirit beasts, are very troublesome.
You can't have a Beast Master walking out with a grand procession following behind, can you? This looks like a complete safety hazard no matter how you see it.
Thus, the Pet Space Device came into being, invented to meet market demand.
The Pet Space Device's principle is to utilize precious treasures with spatial attributes, combined with mature spirit-rune lithography technology and other spirit-beast extraordinary technologies, to open up a sealed space where spirit beasts can live, also known as an artificial small secret realm.
This space is then anchored and installed on a portable item, allowing the Beast Master to carry their contracted spirit beasts within it.
...
It looked close, but in reality, the distance was still quite far.
In a way, the size of a building represents the power of the faction.
One can imagine how immense the power of the Beastmaster Association is; to think that even a town-level branch is so magnificent, not to mention the city-level and prefecture-level branches above it.
Lin Chuan pedaled hard on his bicycle; the bike swayed slightly from side to side, and the two Flower Leaf Leaf in the basket made happy chirping sounds.
Leaving the suburban area where Lin's Farm was located and riding on the town streets, under the streetlights, Lin Chuan couldn't help but feel emotional.
It was a feeling stemming from fragmented memories of his past life, a mix of jealousy and envy, as he watched the figures of pedestrians and spirit beasts walking along the road, laughing and playing, some leading spirit beasts, some holding them, or being held or carried by them.
The scene of humans and spirit beasts coexisting harmoniously, indistinguishable from each other, filled his heart with overflowing joy.
This world is truly amazing!
Spirit beasts, Beast Masters, they're all super awesome!
Finally, after half an hour of cycling, Lin Chuan arrived at the Tianshang Town Beastmaster Association.
After parking his bicycle in the designated area, standing close to the Beastmaster Association and looking up, Lin Chuan felt even more a sense of vastness in the world and his own insignificance.
Without further emotion, Lin Chuan entered, with Guoguo and Sakura waddling behind him on their short legs, making little grunting sounds.
Seeing Lin Chuan enter, a female staff member wearing the Beastmaster Association's clerical uniform immediately came forward to greet him.
Accompanying the female staff member was a medium-sized canine spirit beast, about half a meter tall and furry, also wearing a Beastmaster Association-style spirit beast uniform—a Golden Sun Furry Dog.
Crucially, it had an employee badge hanging around its neck.
----
【Spirit Beast Name】: Golden Sun Furry Dog
【Name】: Jin Dapang
【Gender】: Male
【Position】: Deputy Director, Security Department, Tianshang Town Beastmaster Association
【Attribute】: Fire
【Species】: Animal, Canidae
【Bloodline Potential】: Handsome (Inferior)
【Strength】: Fourth Tier, Seventh Level
【Skills】: Confidential
【Attention!!!】: All Beast Masters, please behave yourselves, and Beast Masters with children, please watch your children carefully.
Do not pet my head without permission, or you will be confined to the security office!
----
The above was the information on the employee badge, and Lin Chuan's eyelids twitched as he read it.
Lin Chuan had been to the Beastmaster Association before, but he hadn't seen this Deputy Director of the Security Department; it seemed this Director Jin Dapang was newly appointed.
Can you believe it? In this day and age, even dogs are getting official positions!
Indeed, this Golden Sun Furry Dog was newly appointed.
As for why spirit beasts can get official positions, this goes back to the new Spirit Beast Act recently updated by the Federation this year; it contains a lot of content, which won't be detailed here.
The purpose of this Golden Sun Furry Dog here is to deter new Beast Masters.
After all, this time of year is the graduation and awakening season, and a large number of new Beast Masters will come.
Some new Beast Masters overestimate themselves or want to make a comeback and contract initial spirit beasts with relatively high potential but arrogant personalities and fierce tempers.
Although they successfully contract them, those new Beast Masters are unable to tame them, so things always go wrong.
With a scrutinizing gaze, the Golden Sun Furry Dog carefully looked at Lin Chuan and the two little chubby Flower Leaf Leaf who were currently hiding behind Lin Chuan's calves, trembling, due to its deterrence.
It gave a low bark, nodded, and then turned to leave, lying down on its exclusive dog bed nearby.
Watching her Golden Furry Dog colleague leave, the female staff member couldn't help but feel regret, wondering when she would finally be able to pet her colleague's dog head.
“Excuse me, Beast Master, how may I help you?” she asked, collecting herself.
“I'm here to register and update my Beast Master information.”
Lin Chuan naturally replied, his gaze also returning from the distant Golden Sun Furry Dog.
“Alright, sir, please follow me.”
The female staff member gestured for him to follow and then led the way.
Following the female staff member, Lin Chuan arrived at a small workstation of about ten square meters, where another staff member, a male, was seated.
Such independent small workstations were designed to prevent Beast Masters' personal and spirit beast information from being overheard by unrelated individuals during registration and updates.
“Name, age, native place, Beast Master rank, and the specific strength of your contracted spirit beast's species and tier,” the male staff member asked formally, glancing at Lin Chuan.
Lin Chuan had no intention of greeting him and answered truthfully.
Hearing Lin Chuan reply that his initial contracted spirit pets were two Flower Leaf Leaf, the staff member couldn't help but give Lin Chuan another look, but that was all; he wasn't surprised.
Although it was extremely rare for someone to initially sign a dual contract with two Spirit Beasts, it wasn't unheard of; every year, there were always a few true geniuses from wealthy families who awakened powerful Beast Master talents, as well as those who overestimated themselves.
The staff member wasn't curious which category Lin Chuan belonged to, unless Lin Chuan could get into one of the Eight Great Academies or achieve greater success and appear in the news.
At that time, he might pull up the surveillance footage of Lin Chuan's registration today to brag to his colleagues.
Well, in fact, he didn't have that authority.
"Alright, Mr. Lin Chuan, Beast Master, your information has been registered and updated."
"According to the Association's rules, you will receive a registration reward."
"Based on your current Beast Master level and Spirit Beasts, you will receive a 20,000 star rock coin registration reward.
The 20,000 star rock coins will be transferred to your bank account within the next hour."
"Also, your Beast Master newcomer gift package will be delivered to the address you provided within 1 to 3 business days.
You will receive a call then, so please make sure to sign for it promptly."
The male staff member continued to speak in a formalized manner.
Lin Chuan nodded, wondering what would be in his newcomer gift package.
He had, after all, filled out 'dual talent'.
Even if he had concealed the true effect of his Beast Master talent, Reincarnation, even just listing 'Skill Master' would still count as a significant talent.
The Beastmaster Association should give him more, he thought.
The male staff member typed on the keyboard, completing and organizing all the information.
He printed out a form, and then, using the machine next to him, he produced a legitimate Beast Master ID card based on Lin Chuan's registered information, handing it to Lin Chuan.
Taking the registration form from the staff member, Lin Chuan quickly scanned it to confirm there were no issues, then casually put it into his backpack.
He carefully tucked his Beast Master ID card close to his body, then Lin Chuan turned and left directly with Guoguo Sakura.
...
It was already 8 PM, and Lin Chuan wasn't in a hurry to return because he still needed to buy something: a Pet Space Device.
This item could only be purchased after initial registration at the Beastmaster Association; otherwise, Lin Chuan would have bought it earlier.
About a ten-minute walk from the service area was the Beastmaster Association's internal commercial district.
Here, there were all sorts of Beast Master supply stores, offering daily food rations, nutritional supplements for training, weighted gear, Spirit Beast materials, various books related to Beast Masters, and so on.
Almost anything imaginable related to Beast Masters could be found here.
Lin Chuan didn't wander for long before he found a shop specializing in Pet Space Devices, named Baicuiida, a mid-to-high-end brand store for Pet Space Devices.
Seeing Lin Chuan enter, a female sales assistant, dressed in a sharp yet charming women's suit, immediately greeted him with great enthusiasm.
Her attitude was much better than that of the staff in the Beast Master hall earlier.
Well, this was to be expected.
The Beastmaster Association staff were salaried employees, while the female sales assistant, though working within the Beastmaster Association, was not an Association member; she was merely a shop employee.
The female sales assistant offered Lin Chuan a glass of water, then led him around the shop.
In fact, the female sales assistant was much more proactive and attentive towards Lin Chuan than other customers, not because Lin Chuan was handsome, but because she could tell from Lin Chuan's attire, and his walking posture and demeanor, that he was definitely not from an ordinary family.
Even if he wasn't a wealthy dignitary, he should at least not be short on money; this was a rich young master!
He certainly wouldn't be like most other new Beast Masters who came into the shop, looking impoverished, wanting to see everything, wanting to buy everything, but ultimately only able to afford the cheapest, lowest-grade goods.
But this one was different; if she served him well, it would definitely be a big order!
Her monthly performance target would be met!
Female sales assistant: "Beast Master Sir, what is your surname?"
"My surname is Lin."
"Alright, Mr. Lin, please come this way."
The female sales assistant led Lin Chuan merely two steps on the first floor before directly heading upstairs, showing no intention of introducing the Pet Space Devices on the first floor's counters to Lin Chuan.
Lin Chuan didn't mind; he wasn't interested in the low-grade goods on the first floor anyway.
Pet Space Devices come in various forms: card-type, containment spheres, wristwatches, necklaces, and rings.
In short, they are diverse and can even be customized according to preference.
The external style is not the key to a Pet Space Device; the crucial aspects are its internal space and other Spirit Beast-related functions.
Based on these, Pet Space Devices are generally divided into 5 levels.
Level 1: The lowest-grade Pet Space Device, with a cramped, empty sealed space inside, only allowing a small number of small Spirit Beasts to rest and Sleep within.
The price is usually between 5,000 and 10,000.
Level 2: In addition to the resting space, a dedicated area is constructed inside for Spirit Beasts to move around, along with many small toys to keep the Spirit Beasts happy.
Prices range from 10,000 to 100,000.
Level 3: Larger internal space, also equipped with healing spirit patterns that can, to some extent, treat injuries of Spirit Beasts placed inside.
For severe, life-threatening injuries, it will automatically perform a freezing treatment.
Prices range from 100,000 to 400,000.
Level 4: Includes all the features of the previous levels, but in enhanced versions.
Most importantly, it allows Spirit Beasts to cultivate and absorb energy within it as if in the outside world, and can also filter and purify natural energy to a certain extent, thereby slightly increasing the efficiency of Spirit Beasts' energy absorption and conversion.
Of course, this amplification efficiency cannot compare to a Beast Master's Beast Master talent.
Prices range from 500,000 to 1,000,000.
Level 5: Exclusive custom-made models, priced at 1,000,000 and above, with no upper limit.
The specific internal environment will be customized to best suit the growth of the Spirit Beast, based on the Beast Master's needs and the type and attributes of their contracted Spirit Beast.
It is almost indistinguishable from the natural outside world, and in some cases, even better, as certain special environments like dragon lairs, phoenix nests, Qilin caves, or volcanic lava lakes are very difficult to find suitable ones.
If he didn't have money, that would be another matter, but since he had a bit of money, Lin Chuan naturally aimed for the highest possible level of Pet Space Device, to avoid frequent replacements later.
Exclusive customization was not an option for now, so a Level 4 Pet Space Device it was.
Lin Chuan looked around and settled on three models.
A watch, a necklace, and a belt, priced at 800,000, 500,000, and 650,000 star rock coins respectively.
The differences were in the size of the internal space and some other minor auxiliary functions.
The largest one, the watch, had the most auxiliary functions and the largest internal space, capable of easily accommodating Spirit Beasts up to 30 meters tall for free movement.
A 30-meter height covers 99% of all Spirit Beasts in the world.
"I like all three of them, Guoguo, Sakura, you two help me make the final decision."
Lin Chuan handed the choice over to his two little darlings, after all, they would be living inside.
Guoguo and Sakura unhesitatingly pointed their chubby little paws at the watch, not because they understood the pros and cons, but because through the contract, they could feel that Lin Chuan's preference for that watch-type Pet Space Device far exceeded the other two, he just felt embarrassed to say it.
Realizing the situation, Lin Chuan blushed slightly, embarrassed that Guoguo Sakura had seen through him.
He did indeed prefer the watch.
First, well, because it was handsome!
Second, well, it was still handsome!
Super handsome! Incredibly handsome!
It was silver, with a retro-mechanical sci-fi style, meaning it was crafted from futuristic sci-fi materials in a retro-mechanical style, perfectly blending the two aesthetics.
Crucially, it could also project a virtual screen and integrated smartphone functions.
However, its enormous internal space was quite a waste for Lin Chuan's current situation.
If he spent all his money on this, the future cultivation funds for Guoguo Sakura would be stretched thin, and they might soon miss out on the palace banquet-style delicacies they had today.
Guoguo and Sakura currently had the intelligence of human children aged three or four.
They didn't understand complex things, only knowing from the emotional fluctuations transmitted through the Beast Master contract that Lin Chuan genuinely loved that watch.
So, the two little darlings hugged Lin Chuan's calves, whimpering and shaking, melting Lin Chuan's heart.
Lin Chuan gritted his teeth and made a decision.
"Since you two like it, then... I'll buy it!"
"Money lost can be earned again, but if you miss something you like, you truly miss it!"
The female sales assistant beside him covered her mouth, her eyes crinkling in a wide, uncontrollable smile.
Big order completed, commission bonus GET~
