A Pleasant Collaboration

Three minutes later, the message finally received a reply:

I'm already on the way. It'll take another ten-odd minutes. Contact you when I get there.

Qiao Sang sent an "OK" gesture and put down her phone.

Meanwhile.

Pet Tamer Center.

Third-floor testing hall.

Ferrell stared at his phone, lost in thought.

"What's wrong?" McCarthy asked when he saw this.

Ferrell put down his phone and asked, "If the person with the Ghost Fire Paste really is the kid who used Space Movement to take the Lava Beast away last night, do you think you can beat her?"

"What are you talking about? She's just a kid. How could I possibly..." McCarthy suddenly trailed off, having recalled the terrifying pet beast that had charged out of the volcano last night.

"Is she really just a kid?" Ferrell continued.

McCarthy laughed. "What else could she be? She clearly looks underage."

"But her pet beasts aren't the kind an underage person should possess," Ferrell said thoughtfully.

McCarthy froze for a moment. "You mean..."

"Aren't there pet beast skills that can alter a person's appearance?" Ferrell said gravely. "What we saw might not have been what she truly looked like."

At that, McCarthy's expression turned solemn.

Indeed, he remembered a news story from a year ago. A man had fallen in love at first sight with a girl while traveling and pursued her relentlessly. On the last day of their trip, he had finally won her over, and they began dating.

But they had remained in a long-distance relationship. During that time, the man had transferred at least a million to her, only to be broken up with without ever seeing her again.

Unable to bear it, the man went to the police and reported fraud, though his real purpose was actually to see the girl one more time.

The police investigated and discovered that the girl was actually a forty-eight-year-old man. He had merely been cursed by a Ghost Type pet beast, temporarily taking on the appearance of his daughter.

This forty-eight-year-old Uncle had chosen to travel because he was too embarrassed to let acquaintances see his altered appearance.

The deceived man was furious when he learned the truth, but when he heard that the appearance had been that of the other man's daughter, he immediately said that he chose to forgive him.

Uncle was deeply moved and introduced his daughter to him.

The two married half a year later, making for a truly bizarre tale.

Ferrell continued on his own:

"It's too dangerous to cooperate or trade with someone whose true appearance we don't even know. We should avoid direct contact as much as possible."

McCarthy nodded, deeply agreeing.

"I'm going to the restroom first," Ferrell said, rising to leave.

He arrived at the first-floor lobby and handed a square box to the service center attendant.

"If someone comes asking for you and gives you something, please give this to her."

"Of course, sir." The attendant accepted the box and nodded.

Ferrell turned and walked to a wall more than ten meters away, speaking to the air:

"Watch closely when the time comes. If you don't sense anything from the item she takes out, immediately retrieve the Yin Tide Pearl and leave."

"Gui Gui," a voice answered from the air.

Ferrell glanced toward the service center, then took out his phone. He deliberately waited several minutes before sending a message:

Do you have enough Ghost Fire Paste for half a jin?

Qiao Sang looked at the new message and typed a reply:

Enough.

Ferrell quickly replied: I've already placed what you want at the service center in the first-floor lobby. Give the Ghost Fire Paste to the staff there and say that someone just left a box. She'll give you what you want.

Why had it suddenly become another trade without meeting... Qiao Sang pondered for a moment before typing:

How can I confirm that your SS-rank Yin Tide Pearl is genuine?

The other party replied instantly:

You know what I look like, so you can easily find me. Besides, an SS-rank Yin Tide Pearl holds a fatal attraction for Ghost Type pet beasts. You can have your Ghost Type pet beast sense it. If you still don't believe it, you can find an appraiser to authenticate it before using it.

This guy didn't seem afraid that the Ghost Fire Paste I gave him might be fake... Does he trust me that much...? No, how could anyone feel at ease making a trade involving something so important without watching it in person... Qiao Sang recalled television dramas she had watched and couldn't help spinning conspiracy theories.

But then she thought of Ya Bao's current combat strength and Little Treasure's Space Movement, and she no longer felt particularly afraid.

At worst, she would deal with whatever came her way.

As one's strength grew, so did one's confidence.

Qiao Sang did not reply again. Following the other party's instructions, she went to the service center on the first floor.

She handed over a bottle already containing half a jin of Ghost Fire Paste and asked:

"Someone left a box just now, right?"

"Yes." The staff member nodded, then handed her a square box. "A gentleman left it."

Qiao Sang took the box, handed the bottle of Ghost Fire Paste to the other party, and thanked her.

"Xun Xun~"

At that moment, the invisible Little Treasure called out.

Qiao Sang calmly glanced in the direction of the bottle.

Then she turned and headed for the women's restroom.

Five minutes later, Qiao Sang emerged from the restroom, left the Pet Tamer Center, hailed a taxi, opened the door, and got in.

"Airport, please."

At the entrance of the Pet Tamer Center, Ferrell held the bottle containing the Ghost Fire Paste, his gaze fixed on the direction in which the taxi had departed.

Inside the taxi.

Little Treasure revealed itself.

In the Middle Tenth District, pet beasts suddenly appearing was a common enough sight. Uncle Driver remained very calm, and his hands did not even waver on the steering wheel.

"Put this away." Qiao Sang handed the box to Little Treasure.

"Xun Xun~"

Little Treasure removed its Ring and placed the box inside.

Qiao Sang took out her phone, found the chat window labeled "SS-rank Yin Tide Pearl," and typed a few words:

A pleasant collaboration.

A pleasant collaboration. The other party replied.

Qiao Sang put away her phone and happily admired the scenery outside.

The SS-rank Yin Tide Pearl was genuine. She had specifically looked it up online before. Aside from its special attraction to Ghost Type pet beasts, SS-rank Yin Tide Pearls contained visible purple crystals at least one centimeter in diameter. When influenced by Ghost Type energy, thin purple strands like cicada wings would appear.

The Yin Tide Pearls in the box indeed met all the requirements.

At two o'clock the following afternoon, Qiao Sang arrived in the First District aboard a Flying Ship.

As soon as she got off the Flying Ship, she formed a Hand Seal with both hands and summoned Luobao and Gang Bao.

Qiao Sang put on the backpack containing Luobao and used navigation to follow the location she had looked up beforehand.

Nearly an hour later, she arrived at a real estate agency.

A Black woman in business attire hurried over. "How may I help you?"

"I'd like to rent a place," Qiao Sang said.

Only people from Superstar Planet were allowed to purchase property on Superstar Planet, unless the pet tamer seeking to buy was classified as A-rank talent and granted an exception. Qiao Sang had already looked into this.

The female agent asked, "Do you have any requirements for the property?"

She had no intention of asking about Qiao Sang's budget.

Just based on the bird pet beast beside her, one she had never seen before, she had no doubt whatsoever about the young girl's wealth.