Moving House

"Mom, why did you smack the back of my head?"

Ye Xiangting gritted her teeth. "You awakened successfully, so what was with that sigh when you came out?"

"The examiner said my brain domain fluctuations were significant and told me to rest properly, but there are only twenty days left until the high school entrance exam. Isn't that going to delay my studies?" Qiao Sang looked innocent.

Ye Xiangting: "..."

"Mom, what are you doing?!"

"What are you doing?!"

"Mom!"

Where was that strong woman she'd promised to be?!

Only the Qiaoli Fruit that had come out with Qiao Sang remained where she had been standing, swaying messily in the wind.

"Qiaoli!"

Chasing and making noise were prohibited in the Pet Tamer Center!

The moment she got home, Qiao Sang shut herself in her room and turned on her computer.

Her mother had originally wanted to take her to Hangang Pet Beast Center that afternoon to pick out a pet beast, but Qiao Sang had refused.

As the mainstream profession in this world, a pet tamer's choice of pet beast was naturally extremely important. After all, a person would most likely only be able to contract one pet beast in their lifetime.

Pet tamer ranks ranged from F to SSS, from lowest to highest.

F-rank Pet Tamers were the simplest. As long as they awakened their Pet Beast Codex at the age of fifteen and contracted a pet beast, they could go to the Pet Tamer Center for certification.

But to become an E-Class Beast Tamer, one first had to develop their brain domain to 10%, allowing the Pet Beast Codex to contract a second pet beast.

Then, they had to raise two pet beasts that had undergone their first evolution—that was, Intermediate Pet Beasts.

After that, they had to undergo a 1v1 battle judged by a notary from the Pet Beast Alliance.

Only by winning could their information be updated to E-Class Beast Tamer.

In order to raise Intermediate Pet Beasts sooner, some people chose Bug-type Extraordinary Creatures with shorter evolution cycles as their contract targets.

But Bug-type Pet Beasts that had only gone through one evolution were still far too weak. Aside from pet tamers with exceptionally powerful battle command skills, no one else could win matches with them.

The original Qiao Sang had been an academic underachiever with woefully inadequate knowledge. The Extraordinary Creatures she remembered were all ones that merely looked good.

What was the point of looking good? Could they win a fight?

If they couldn't win, how was she supposed to become a higher-ranked pet tamer?

Of course, when choosing a pet beast, she had to choose one with high potential and strong combat power.

If she went to Hangang Pet Beast Center that afternoon, she wouldn't even recognize the names and attributes of those pet beasts, let alone what they became after their first and second evolutions. How could she choose?

Qiao Sang felt that this wasn't something to rush. She needed to do her homework first.

She opened the forum and logged into her account, "Genius You You You Mu."

This ID fully proved that every academic underachiever dreamed of turning things around.

Qiao Sang did not make a new post. Pet taming knowledge in this world was already highly developed, and every year, tens of thousands of newly awakened pet tamers appeared.

A casual browse revealed all kinds of posts from them.

As Qiao Sang browsed the forum, everything she saw at a glance was related to pet beasts.

I got poisoned by a Little Many Scorpion!

Am I the only one who thinks Cotton Segment Worm's new form is ugly?

A B-rank Pet Tamer teaches you how to get into Nansheng Beast Taming University.

New pet tamer here. Is it okay for my first contracted pet beast to be a Little Horned Dragon?

Her gaze stopped on the last post.

How inhumane.

For a first pet beast, they were already thinking of contracting a Dragon-type Pet Beast, and they had even made a post asking whether it was okay?

Everyone knew how powerful Dragon-type Pet Beasts were.

Aside from a few exceptionally rare pet beasts, in terms of attributes alone, Dragon-type Pet Beasts were undoubtedly the most expensive of all pet beasts.

Anyone without a gold mine at home absolutely couldn't afford one.

Even if someone gritted their teeth and bought one, they wouldn't be able to afford to raise it. Dragon-type Pet Beasts had long evolution cycles. They might be fed and cared for lavishly for years without even undergoing their first evolution into an Intermediate Pet Beast.

If Qiao Sang were answering, then of course it wasn't okay.

Absolutely not!

But if a Dragon-type Pet Beast were really placed in front of Qiao Sang, waiting for her to contract it...

Then perhaps it wasn't quite so absolute...

Qiao Sang continued scrolling, no longer paying attention to that post that made her heart ache.

New pet tamers strongly recommend Sand Bob Rats!

The comments were filled with differing opinions.

"I'm guessing the OP has never let a Sand Bob Rat sleep in the room at night. Friendly reminder: it grinds its teeth!"

"Why doesn't the person above also remind the OP what it uses to grind its teeth?"

"My White Sand Fox refuses to accept this."

"Deep Fur Turtle requests to join the battle."

By now, pet taming civilization had developed to the point where suitable pet beasts for new pet tamers had long been summarized.

Little Chubby Dove, White Sand Fox, Short Tail Snake, Sand Bob Rat, and Deep Fur Turtle.

These five types of pet beasts were reasonably priced, affordable for most families, and had gentle temperaments.

If properly raised, there was absolutely no problem evolving them through three stages into General-level Pet Beasts.

Most of the pet beasts Qiao Sang saw new pet tamers asking about were these five.

The first pet beast her mother had contracted was a Little Chubby Dove. Fat Domestic Pigeon was its evolved form.

As a Flying Type pet beast, it was slower than almost every other Flying Type pet beast due to its plump body.

The only reason it had become a top choice for new pet tamers was because it could evolve into a Stout Crested Flying Owl and become a General-level Pet Beast.

White Sand Foxes had strong attack power but weak defense. Once hit, they couldn't hold on for long.

Sand Bob Rats were born knowing the digging move and loved avoiding opponents, generally disliking direct confrontations.

Although Deep Fur Turtles couldn't control water like normal turtles, their defense was still strong.

White Sand Foxes, Sand Bob Rats, and Deep Fur Turtles were all Earth-type pet beasts, so people often compared these three.

But White Sand Foxes outclassed the other two in looks and were basically the first choice for female new pet tamers.

Short Tail Snakes were Poison Type pet beasts. Their teeth were venomous, and the needle tail on their tails was also a dangerous attack weapon, giving them considerable combat power early on.

It was just that pet tamers who contracted one could easily end up taking a trip to the hospital if they weren't careful.

Without a strong physique, no new pet tamer would really dare to contract one.

After looking for a long time, Qiao Sang still couldn't decide. Each of the five pet beasts had its shortcomings, but their affordable prices and safe evolution paths were undeniable advantages.

In the end, it was still a matter of money.

Qiao Sang got up and left her room.

Her mother was sitting on the sofa watching TV.

"Mom, do we have a million?" Qiao Sang asked. "I want to buy a Bubble Bell."

"Get lost."

"Sure thing!"

Qiao Sang returned to her room and continued browsing the forum.

Is it safe for a D-rank Pet Tamer to go to Qipang Forest?

I got a Green Ke Meow Meow on my second beast gamble! Everyone, come absorb some European luck!

Besides buying pet beasts from a pet beast base, there were many other ways to obtain them, such as through the black market, beast gambling, or the wilderness.

The origins of pet beasts obtained through the black market were unknown. As long as one could pay, they could find a way to get any kind of pet beast.

Beast gambling depended on luck. One wrong move and a person could lose their entire fortune, perhaps even their underwear.

Going into the wilderness to find a pet beast to contract was something only pet tamers at least as strong as D-rank Pet Tamers would do.

After all, the wilderness was extremely dangerous, and Extraordinary Creatures were wild and difficult to tame. Even after contracting one, it was not easy to raise it into obedience.

None of those three methods were things she could do right now.

Qiao Sang sighed. Although she had plenty of ideas, she truly did not have many choices.

At 8:26 p.m.

Qiao Sang shut off the computer and was somewhat surprised when she looked at the time.

Her mother still hadn't called her to eat at this hour. Could she really be angry?

She was about to check the living room when, after getting up, she thought better of it and took a copy of Beast Taming Chronicles II from the bookshelf.

When she opened her door, the living room lights were off, leaving the place pitch-black.

Her mother was not there.

Qiao Sang pondered for a moment, then confirmed that her mother was not in the bedroom either.

She turned on the living room lights, casually tossed Beast Taming Chronicles II onto the sofa beside her, then took a box of matcha ice cream from the refrigerator.

Just as she turned on the TV and sat down cross-legged—

"Click."

The door opened.

Qiao Sang turned her head, and their eyes met.

"..."

A brief silence hung in the air.

"Come eat." Her mother raised an eyebrow and placed the food she had bought onto the dining table.

So she had gone out to buy food...

"Coming." Following the principle of not wasting food, Qiao Sang took another bite of the matcha ice cream she had only tasted once.

"Mom, why did you go out to buy food today?" Qiao Sang asked as she walked to the table.

"I had something to do, so I didn't have time to cook. I picked it up on the way," her mother said.

"What was it?" Qiao Sang asked.

Her mother fell silent for a moment. "Sangsang, let's move."

Qiao Sang froze, even stopping in the middle of eating. "Why are we moving?"

As the capital city of Zhehai Province, housing prices in Hanggang City were outrageously expensive.

This house had been bought by her father's family as a marital home back when housing prices had not yet become so high.

Though Qingcheng Jiayuan, where they now lived, was not among the most expensive areas of Hanggang City, it had a good location, with schools and subway stations nearby. It still cost more than fifty thousand per square meter.

Her mother took a bite of food, swallowed it, glanced at Qiao Sang, and after a while said, "I went out and asked an agent. Our house is 133 square meters, and the current market price is about fifty-three thousand per square meter. We could sell it for over seven million Alliance Coins."

"I've thought it over. We can buy a smaller house and make a down payment first. We can use the extra money to buy you a Bubble Bell, and there'll still be quite a bit left over."

"Besides, your mom can still earn money. Other than moving into a smaller house, nothing else will really change."

Qiao Sang was stunned.

In just a few hours, her mother had quietly made such a major decision.

"Mom..." she murmured, wanting to say something.

Her mother cut her off directly. "Your grades may be poor, but you awakened on your own. Your talent is right there."

"Our family may not be especially wealthy, but whatever kind of pet beast you want, Mom can still get it for you."

"You just have to promise me that you won't treat raising it like studying—doing it for three days and slacking off for two. You have to raise it properly."

Ye Xiangting had not originally considered this, but her daughter had said she wanted a Psychic Type pet beast.

Her daughter had never been good at studying, but awakening on her own proved that she truly had talent for pet taming.

Their family had never produced a child who awakened on their own before.

Since that was the case, there was nothing wrong with buying her a pet beast that was expensive but had good potential, and which she liked as well.

This was what she, as a mother, should do.

Qiao Sang could not describe what she was feeling. She only knew that she wanted a bite of the unfinished matcha ice cream to cool the heat in her heart.

She looked into her mother's eyes and smiled. "Mom, you said it yourself. I awakened on my own, and my talent is right here. No matter what kind of pet beast it is, I can raise it well."

"I was just saying it. I don't actually want to contract a Bubble Bell, so you absolutely must not sell the house."

Her mother stood up and poured herself a glass of water. After a moment, she said, "I know you want a Bubble Bell. You awakened on your own—"

Qiao Sang did not let her finish. She said seriously, "I spent all afternoon and evening researching, and I think a Fire Fang Dog is great. I want one."

Bubble Bells were Psychic Type, so naturally they were great.

Dragon-type Pet Beasts, Fairy-type Pet Beasts, and Ghost Type pet beasts were all great too.

But Qiao Sang only thought they were rare and powerful. She did not necessarily have to own one.

It was like how some people loved talking big and wanted a Divine Beast right from the start.

Having a pet beast of her own within the limits of her abilities.

That was what she wanted.