Spirit Equipment, Lin Yuan's Childhood Picture Book

Lin Yuan's eyes lit up. This item...

He had seen it before.

He had seen it a very long time ago.

Seeing Lin Yuan's sparkling eyes, Liu Xing immediately said with a smile:

"What are you thinking? This is upper-grade Monarch [Beast Gear]. My parents only finally agreed to release it from the Lineage vault because I placed second in the whole school on the college entrance exam. I'm not giving it to you."

He stroked the green gemstone set into the pendant hanging from his hand.

"This was made by combining the core that an upper-grade Monarch wood-type pet beast, the [Life-Soul Shade Willow], only produces once every ten years with all kinds of precious materials, then condensing their essence."

"You couldn't make it without the skills of a five-star smith."

"If I traded this for your Transcendent-quality [Spirit Dew], my parents would definitely disown me."

"But... hehe." Liu Xing kept him in suspense. "Trading it is out of the question, but I can leave it with you for 'safekeeping.'"

"Want to guess what it does?"

Almost without thinking, Lin Yuan said, "Upper-grade Monarch support [Beast Gear], the [Life-Soul Pendant]. Its main effects are assisting pet beasts' growth and strengthening their traits by at least ten percent. Depending on compatibility, that percentage can increase further."

"For this kind of [Beast Gear], the key lies in the element of the refined core set into the pendant. Different elements produce different effects."

"The one you have should be pure wood-element. Once a wood-type pet beast wears it, it receives a constant stream of nourishing energy."

"Only a handful of smiths in the entire Chenlong Kingdom have mastered this technique, and they all belong to the same Lineage—the Lin of Longming City."

"Is there anything you don't know?" Liu Xing had wanted to keep Lin Yuan guessing and whet his appetite, getting a little "revenge" for being teased. How had he ended up being the clown instead?

"Oh, this? I read it in the literature," Lin Yuan said solemnly.

That literature really was literature. After all, he couldn't see [Beast Gear] panels.

It had always been in his father's study: a thick, hand-illustrated book called [The Complete Guide to Beast Gear of the Chenlong Kingdom]. Its drawings were very cartoonish, and he had treated it as a children's picture book when he was little.

As a child, he had simply thought it looked nice.

Only when he formally encountered the concept of [Beast Gear] a year ago had he realized...

It wasn't just a children's book.

"I have no idea where someone your age finds so much time to read the literature." Liu Xing decided to stop keeping him in suspense. "The third contracted pet beast my Lineage arranged for me is wood-type."

"I'll be a three-star beastmaster soon. I should manage it before I officially start university, in about a month."

"But until then, I can only put this treasure on my other two pet beasts. Their elements don't match, so it doesn't work very well."

Liu Xing smiled. "Wouldn't putting it on your mutated [Purple Dew Orchid], the one that produces [Spirit Dew], be perfect?"

"Of course, I'm not leaving it with you for free. For this next month, give me fifty percent of the extra [Spirit Dew] produced each day thanks to the [Life-Soul Pendant]."

"With this [Beast Gear], that orchid should adapt to her level faster and improve her traits, too. Her daily production should keep increasing."

"Well? Is that a good deal?"

"Of course, I have one more request. I need to buy ten drops of your [Spirit Dew] today, if you have them. I'm planning to test whether it can serve as a variable in a breeding project I've been working on lately. If it can, I might have a short paper published before I even start university."

"That might even give your [Spirit Dew] some publicity. Of course, I'll need your authorization for the research."

As he said this, Liu Xing's eyes were exceptionally clear, filled with a thirst for knowledge.

His demeanor and bearing certainly suited an academic standout from an elite high school who had placed second in his school on the college entrance exam, gained admission to one of the nation's top ten universities, and become a two-star breeder with an S-rank talent.

"Let's go with my original plan: sixty thousand Alliance Coins for ten drops. How about it?"

Without much thought, Lin Yuan immediately said:

"Sure, but there's one condition I won't accept. I can only sell you those ten drops of [Spirit Dew] for 9,999 Alliance Coins."

"After all, I'm definitely getting the better end of the deal by borrowing this [Life-Soul Pendant] for a month. Never mind the extra [Spirit Dew] each day—the accelerated growth alone is something I couldn't buy with money."

"Besides, yesterday you said you'd sell it to me at a friends' price of 9,999. Naturally, I have to give you the same friends' price today."

Lin Yuan placed particular emphasis on "friends' price."

Liu Xing understood what he meant.

From the few words of guidance Lin Yuan had offered during their first meeting the day before yesterday, to Liu Xing's "theory of fate," and then to today's apparent transaction, which was really Liu Xing giving Lin Yuan a leg up.

Though they hadn't known each other long, Lin Yuan had accepted Liu Xing as a friend.

Liu Xing grinned. "Hehe, have you fallen for my charm? See? See? Making friends is just that easy for me, Liu Xing. It's all thanks to the wonderful genes my parents gave me."

Hearing Liu Xing start running his mouth again, Lin Yuan felt a little helpless.

Fine. He's rich, so everything he says is right.

He smiled without answering.

Instead, he turned to fetch the ten drops of spirit liquid.

The plant room wasn't far from the main hall, but Liu Xing simply waited quietly.

Although he was a little curious about what Lin Yuan's [Purple Dew Orchid] had mutated into, he couldn't go snooping into someone else's secrets without an invitation.

Whether a friend he had known for two days or twenty years, the rule was the same. His parents had taught him that throughout his childhood.

As a breeder, he had to remain curious at all times, but he also had to know how to restrain that curiosity.

Lin Yuan handed Liu Xing a glass bottle containing twelve drops of Spirit Dew.

At the same time, he received a transfer of 9,999.9, along with the [Life-Soul Pendant].

The pendant felt slightly cool when it first touched his hand, but soon a warmth spread through Lin Yuan.

What a wonderful thing...

"I transferred an extra 0.9 Alliance Coins. Thank you for your generous hospitality, shopkeeper."

Liu Xing took the glass bottle, not noticing that Lin Yuan had also slipped in two extra drops of [Spirit Dew].

"By the way, I won't come bother you every day after this. And if I remember right, you start school in a few days, don't you?" Liu Xing said. "Then I'll come by every Saturday afternoon. If you have any questions about your studies, feel free to ask me."

"And if you run into any problems with your research, Senior Liu Xing, feel free to ask me, too!" Lin Yuan mimicked his tone.

Liu Xing rolled his eyes at him.

"Right, there really is something I need your help with. Didn't you say you could ask someone from your Lineage who knows business to come have a chat with me?"

"I do have some questions. Mainly, I want to understand how some shops are structured and what their main lines of business are."

"Before school starts, I'm also planning to settle the terms of some trading partnerships with shops."

"Sure, no problem. I'll arrange it for you in a bit. Does tomorrow work?" Liu Xing asked.

"Yes!" Lin Yuan nodded.

Holding the [Life-Soul Pendant], Lin Yuan entered the plant room again.

Seemingly sensing the treasure in Lin Yuan's hand, Zilan immediately perked up. Even the phantom Pagoda behind her became more solid.

For Zilan, who had only just evolved and was still of Transcendent quality, high-quality support [Beast Gear] of the same element was indeed extremely precious.

Rather than putting it on her immediately, Lin Yuan sat down comfortably.

"Zilan, this is something really good." Lin Yuan reminisced, "Remember how I loved sitting beside you and reading picture books when I was little?"

"I remember it so clearly. Even back then, I thought this would look beautiful beside you."

"I even cried and begged Mom to buy it as a present for you, because you supported our whole family."

"I remember Mother telling me back then that Dad had just made it up in his drawings, and it didn't exist."

"I was sad about that for ages. I even wished for a real green pendant on one of my birthdays."

"See? Sometimes childhood wishes really do come true, don't they?"

To be honest, Zilan no longer remembered what Lin Yuan was talking about.

She only remembered that, when Lin Yuan was little, he had loved reading and drawing beside her. Back then, she had secretly given him [Purple Dew], and Lin Yuan had secretly eaten it.

She did remember very clearly how the boy and the flower had both received a fierce scolding from her old master.

Still, she could sense Lin Yuan's current emotions, and she quieted down a little.

After a while, Lin Yuan slowly stood and gently hung the pendant on Zilan's main flower.

Green light gushed out, but quickly dissipated, as though Zilan had absorbed it into her body.

Zilan's condition visibly improved by a whole notch.

Even the Pagoda behind her seemed tinged with a faint green glow of life.

The effect...

It seemed even better than the picture book had described!

He immediately looked at the latest information on Zilan's panel...