King of Beasts

Chapter 14: Lone Ranger

“Definitely deserves a five-star rating,” Lu Ran chuckled.

Who would have thought that the second largest intelligence agency would be so down-to-earth?

“So, do you need any more intelligence? For a newcomer like you, I would highly recommend some advanced breeding intelligence,” Little Ling’s cat ears twitched, catching Lu Ran off guard.

“What does advanced breeding intelligence entail?” Lu Ran asked.

“Well, for instance, the resources needed to nurture your pet beast, which secret realm you can find these resources in, which secret realm offers good training opportunities with lower risks—all of this constitutes advanced intelligence.”

“Or the monster data and adventure guide for a certain secret realm. That’s also considered advanced intelligence. Very suitable for a newcomer like you.”

“Of course, the most critical… the best evolution path! But that’s even higher-level intelligence.”

Lu Ran looked towards Xiaobailong.

Stroking his chin, Xiaobailong nodded and said, “After joining the official ranks, you can actually get basic intelligence for free, but advanced intelligence still comes at a cost.”

Lu Ran nodded in understanding, but…

“I need to think about it first,” Lu Ran said.

“No rush! I’ll go contact someone from the medicine pavilion then,” Little Ling replied.

“Okay. Wait, there is actually another piece of intelligence I need,” Lu Ran suddenly remembered something he almost forgot!

“Oh? What is it?” Little Ling was curious.

“If I want to buy weapons, armor, or other equipment, or purchase materials to custom forge a weapon, where’s the best place to go?” Lu Ran inquired.

“That intelligence is quite simple,” Little Ling said with a slight smile. “You could ask Mr. Xiaobailong right beside you. But here, I’ll recommend a place in Infinite City with a good reputation for free.”

“The coordinates are 8766, 1273. The owner of the forge house there is a top Forgemaster among third-generation beastmasters. The prices are fair, and whether you want to buy equipment or have a weapon forged, you can choose this place.”

Lu Ran noted the coordinates, but soon after, he asked with curiosity, “By the way, what exactly is a lifestyle beastmaster…”

He had a rough idea, but needed to confirm it.

“Uh, didn’t I tell you?” Xiaobailong, stroking his chin, was the first to speak:

“I, as well as Little Ling here, are actually considered lifestyle beastmasters.”

“Lifestyle beastmasters are those who don’t focus on challenging or exploring secret realms or primarily aim to enhance the strength of their tamed beasts.”

“The most brute force way for a beastmaster to improve themselves is to enter secret realms for training, but as you’ve experienced with the novice secret realm, you know that place is very dangerous. Most people, after one experience, decide never to enter again.”

“Instead, they learn some special skills, such as cooking, forging, or pharmacology, to earn crystal coins from combat beastmasters.”

“Then, they use crystal coins to buy resources to level up, or hire combat beastmasters to protect them as they enter breakthrough secret realms. This is also a stable way to level up. In short, it’s two different choices.”

“Has Mr. Xiaobailong given up on becoming a combat beastmaster?” Lu Ran asked.

“Yes, I have a wife and kids, and after giving it some thought, I decided not to do something so dangerous. I’m quite content with life as it is now, even as the most ordinary lifestyle beastmaster, the benefits are beyond what those elites out there could imagine,” Xiaobailong laughed.

“I was going to recommend that you become a lifestyle beastmaster. Often, such fellows live the most comfortable lives, but now…” Thinking of Lu Ran owning at least a D-level rated husky, Xiaobailong realized that Lu Ran probably didn’t need his suggestion; he would make a good choice on his own.

“Yep, the basics are what Mr. Xiaobailong has just described. I also work here because I don’t like fighting,” the cat-eared maid Little Ling smiled and said: “I’m quite satisfied with my job here. The seniors in the store take good care of me and leave a lot of work and training opportunities to me.”

“Look, even an intern like me can manage such a big place on my own!” Little Ling’s eyes shone with pride, after all, this was a very famous intelligence center in Infinite City!

Lu Ran: “…”

Are you sure they’re not just using you for extra work?

The café owner sure is ruthless, squeezing so much work out of an intern.

Lifestyle beastmaster…

Lu Ran pondered in his mind, feeling that it did not conflict with being a combat beastmaster.

If a beast tamer was skilled enough to create custom nutrition meals for their pet beast and craft equipment for them, they could surely raise their pet beast to an even higher level. But, in the end, it all comes down to the issue of energy and talent.

“Lu Ran, if you need to buy weapons, let me take you! I’m more familiar with the streets of Infinite City, and I can give you some advice too,” Xiaobailong, realizing Lu Ran’s potential, became even more attentive. After all, Lu Ran was like a walking jackpot!

“Uh… I’m not planning to go just yet, I’ll go by myself later,” Lu Ran didn’t want to trouble him too much, so he said.

“Alright then,” Xiaobailong replied, a bit helpless.

“You guys talk, I’ll be right back,” the cat-eared maid Little Ling said at that moment.

“But before that, let’s add each other as friends.”

Lu Ran nodded again and added her to his communications.

Afterward, Little Ling gestured for Lu Ran and Xiaobailong to rest while she went to contact the Medicine Pavilion Guild through the exclusive channels of the maid café.

Meanwhile, Xiaobailong looked at Lu Ran with eager eyes again, saying, “Lu Ran, what’s your rating?”

“If it’s high, whether joining an official institution or the major guilds, you can receive generous nurturing. If you have this in mind, I can help you with introductions.”

Lu Ran grinned and said, “It’s not that high, not even better than that Pig Raiser. Joining a force or something… I don’t have any plans for that yet, I want to understand more first.”

Xiaobailong was speechless. This kid really doesn’t budge.

“The current beast taming community can roughly be divided into four batches: the first-generation beastmasters from three years ago, the second-generation beastmasters from two years ago, the third-generation beastmasters from last year, and our batch, the fourth-generation beastmasters.”

“Among the first-generation beastmasters from Xia Country, there are only 13 people left active on the front lines, all holding high positions in the Donghuang Alliance.”

“The second and third generation beastmasters are quite active nowadays,” explained Waves Xiaobailong. “Whether it’s the creator of the cat-eared maid café or the guild leader of the medicine pavilion guild, they are all second-generation beastmasters. These individuals are pillars within the Xia Country’s Beast Taming community.”

“The cat-eared maid café, the medicine pavilion, and other Beast Taming organizations, though privately established, are actually part of the Donghuang Beastmaster Alliance of Xia Country. They operate independently without direct orders from above but are still under oversight.”

“This can be seen as the difference between purely official beastmasters and semi-official beastmasters,” continued Waves Xiaobailong. “I am a purely official beastmaster, while someone like Little Ling is semi-official. In the end, there’s no such thing as complete freedom.”

“If you want a secure job, a position within the system, like me, you should join an official institution. If you prefer more freedom, you can become part of various guilds and chambers of commerce. These are like employees of companies, and these companies are also part of the Donghuang Alliance’s forces.”

“The Donghuang Alliance is Xia Country’s largest Beast Taming group, composed of official institutions and various guilds.”

Though Waves Xiaobailong stood to gain a bonus for recruiting Lu Ran, he didn’t like to deceive others and laid out the options clearly.

In his traditional view, most people still trust the security of an ‘iron rice bowl’—a secure job.

“After all, at the end of the universe is a spot within the system.”

“There are roughly these two choices, especially since, if you want to enter a secret realm dungeon, you almost always need to team up. Wild teams are unreliable, and no one dares to join them. If you’re looking for a reliable team, it’s either an official strategy team or a guild’s team.”

“Can’t I solo?” asked Lu Ran.

“Soloing…” Waves Xiaobailong felt a pang in his stomach. The naivety of the young is fearless.

“Do you think, why are there only so few first-generation beastmasters left?”

“Besides those who gave up their identity as beastmasters to become lifestyle beastmasters, the majority… died in the secret realms.”

“Even in teams, the beastmasters who can solo are few and far between, no, it’s fair to say there are none.”

Lu Ran pondered. In truth, he was inclined to solo, especially since he possessed the divine deer pendant, and he didn’t want to reveal the pendant.

This was the reason why Lu Ran had been hesitant about Xiaobailong’s various invitations.

Joining an official organization or a guild would surely lead to situations beyond his control, and he feared the potential consequences.

Instead of facing endless trouble later, he preferred to solo from the beginning.

So, could he possibly outperform teaming up with others if he soloed using the divine deer pendant?

If possible, he would start off as a lone wolf in the early stages.

Once the advantages provided by the divine deer pendant were no longer significant, and the secret realm dungeons in the later stages became more challenging, he would consider joining an organization. By that time, he would have gained some strength. No, at that point, perhaps he could form his own small team or even a guild, only with people he could trust!

“What are you guys talking about?” At this moment, Little Ling came out again and said, “I’ve already contacted someone from the medicine pavilion, and they will send someone over soon.”

Lu Ran looked at Xiaobailong and said, “I need to think about it, thanks.”

“Take your time to consider,” Xiaobailong nodded.

“What did the medicine pavilion say?” He then asked Little Ling.

“They will exchange wind-type fruit,” Little Ling replied. “In addition, I managed to get an extra 700 crystal coins for Passerby A.”

“Thank you,” said Lu Ran.

“You’re welcome,” Little Ling said with a smile. “Just come to spend more here in the future.”

As an intern… she urgently needed a large number of positive orders to secure her position!

“Alright… Also, I’ll have a cup of this,” Lu Ran said at that moment, pointing at the “vitality tea” on the menu.

A pot of tea for 50 crystal coins, the same value as the intelligence he had just received, was considered the cheapest drink there.

Vitality tea, produced from the level 2 secret realm, Lookout Canyon, was a place where apprentice beastmasters couldn’t reach.

Lu Ran was mainly interested in the effects of the tea, which could relieve fatigue, clear the mind, and remove some minor ailments from the body.

Although he had been strengthened and his physical condition had improved, he had been running around in a secret realm all day without sleep, and now he was struggling to keep up.

He hoped the tea would help him to last a little longer.

Additionally, the prep classes for the upcoming senior year at school had been intense recently, and he hadn’t had a good sleep in a long time.

“Sure,” Little Ling said upon hearing his request and immediately went to prepare the tea.

“Luxury, but it’s nice for the youth to enjoy themselves,” Waves Xiaobailong said.

“It’s on me, have a few drinks too,” Lu Ran said.

“That’s what I’ve been waiting to hear,” Xiaobailong laughed heartily.

Lu Ran shrugged; this was his way of setting up a polite refusal for later.

Soon, a pot of tea was brought up, and Lu Ran immediately poured a cup for Waves Xiaobailong as a token of gratitude for his help.

As for Little Ling, being an employee, there were rules against accepting treats from customers within the café.

The two of them sipped tea while waiting for someone from the medicine pavilion guild. True to Little Ling’s word, the person arrived quickly. Before long, the sound of a cry was heard outside, and a youth dressed in a pharmacist robe, riding an eagle, arrived at the maid café.

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