Three Spirit-Aligned Beasts and the Courier Bird's Treasure Pouch

In this world of Beast Tamers, all things had spirits.

The moment a pet beast awakened its [Trait] often determined its attributes.

In that respect, it was much like a Beast Tamer awakening a talent.

Huang Zixuan's [A Hundred Grasses Flourish], for example, was tied to the [Wood] attribute.

Naturally, he was better suited to contracting pet beasts with that attribute.

As for Lin Yuan's [Living Creature Affinity], it was officially classified under the [Spirit] attribute.

Unlike the more obvious five elements and natural attributes, this one manifested chiefly as power over the mind and heart.

Most pet beasts with the [Spirit] attribute had greater talent for domestic work and supporting business operations.

Take Linghuan at Lin Yuan's home. Its [Spirit] attribute gave it greater intelligence and let it handle everyday tasks most pet beasts could not.

If Lin Yuan had to classify his [Eye of All Spirits] talent, he felt it leaned toward the [Spirit] attribute too.

But it might be closer still to [Fate], an attribute above [Spirit].

After all, seeing a pet beast's hidden Evolution Path and revealing another road buried within its fate had a touch of destiny and creation about it.

The three pet beasts Chen Xuanbai had recommended were all connected to [Spirit].

They also leaned toward combat or support roles.

That made them rarer still.

Lin Yuan studied the three pet beasts' information carefully. He had already learned about all three before.

The first was the [Illusion Spirit Butterfly], a Transcendent Low-Grade beast. It had little real combat power early on, but once its [Illusion Spirit] trait reached LV2, it would undergo a transformation and become a powerful controller in beast battles.

This pet beast was highly compatible with [Living Creature Affinity]. [Illusion Spirit] was weak at LV1 because the [Illusion Spirit Butterfly] lacked the maturity and experience to master such a powerful trait.

But with a Beast Tamer's deeper mental involvement, that trait could display its splendor ahead of time.

It had a publicly known Evolution Path: [Illusion Spirit Butterfly]—[Illusion Spirit War Butterfly]—[Illusion Spirit Divine Butterfly].

Its grade would transform from Transcendent to Commander, then to Monarch.

Lin Yuan kept reading.

The second was the [Mist Spirit Spider], also Transcendent Low-Grade. It possessed not only the [Spirit] attribute but the [Poison] attribute as well.

It combined control with combat power.

It was strong from the start. Choosing it meant a Beast Tamer could overcome plenty of challenges early on without much training.

Its only drawback was that its potential was not as great as the first beast's.

It had one publicly known Evolution Path: [Mist Spirit Spider]—[Mist Spirit Stealth Spider].

In other words, as far as anyone knew, this pet beast's upper limit was Commander rank.

These two pet beasts were each worth around a hundred thousand Alliance Coins.

The third was the Transcendent Mid-Grade [Still Spirit Cat].

It was a remarkably well-rounded species, with a starting grade one step above the other two.

Its drawback was that its combat power was not particularly strong early on, or even in the middle stages.

It was more of a support beast in battle. Its trait could dispel all sorts of negative conditions and also had a healing effect.

Paired with [Living Creature Affinity], it would perform exceptionally well.

But choosing it was almost like giving up independent combat power from the outset. For a Beast Tamer, it was not the best choice for a first pet beast.

Its publicly known path was:

[Still Spirit Cat]—[Quiet Spirit Hidden Cat]—[Nether Spirit Veil Cat]

Upon becoming a [Nether Spirit Veil Cat], it would undergo a transformation, gaining not only powerful support abilities but also formidable strength in solo combat.

The trouble was that evolving it into that form was extremely difficult.

Even so, it had the highest price overall: fifteen thousand Alliance Coins.

Lin Yuan continued studying the three pet beasts, weighing them against what he had learned and gathered. He was beginning to form his own judgment.

Another message came from Chen Xuanbai.

"Lin Yuan, I suggest you choose the Still Spirit Cat. It's the best match for your talent, and I believe you can raise it into a pet beast unlike any other."

"Tomorrow, focus on this species at the Breeding Center. Individual pet beasts differ too. Remember to use your talent and choose the one you feel the strongest bond with."

"If money is tight and you're a little short of what you need to buy it, don't worry. I can cover the difference for now."

"Of course, if you prefer the Illusion Spirit Butterfly or the Mist Spirit Spider, I won't object at all. As I said, use your talent to sense which pet beast feels closest to you."

Reading that, Lin Yuan felt an unexpected warmth in his chest.

Teacher Chen really did treat him well.

But...

After paying for the materials for Zilan's evolution, even with the ten-percent discount, he would still be more than eighty thousand Alliance Coins short of the price of an average [Still Spirit Cat].

Chen Xuanbai's family money had not blown in on the wind.

Lin Yuan certainly would not ask to borrow it.

Still, he decided to visit the Breeding Center tomorrow. Chen Xuanbai had already made a reservation for him, after all.

He could pick one that suited him first, then buy it once Zilan evolved and his funds were replenished.

"Thank you, Teacher Chen. I'll study them carefully at the Breeding Center tomorrow and see which one feels right," Lin Yuan replied.

Then he returned to studying pet beast breeding and evolution.

Much of it was still new to him, but the pleasure of learning kept his spirits high. Add in his anticipation of Zilan's coming evolution, and he was brimming with motivation.

Two hours later.

The doorbell rang.

Lin Yuan had checked the delivery time and was already waiting.

He opened the door to find a bird with an enormous mouth like a great pouch.

Inside its mouth was a [Treasure Pouch] space, clean and dry, that could hold up to about five cubic meters of goods.

This pet beast, which resembled a seagull, was a [Courier Bird].

It was also one of the pet beasts Lin Yuan knew best. Every time an online order came in, a [Courier Bird] arrived at the shop to collect it.

Lin Yuan glanced at its panel.

[Courier Bird]

[Attribute]: Flying

[Grade]: Ordinary Mid-Grade

[Sex]: Female

[Level]: Ordinary Level 7

[Trait]: [Treasure Pouch]

[Personality]: Hardworking and uncomplaining

[Status]: She has flown three hundred and twenty-one deliveries today. She's a little thirsty, and nobody has praised her. If only someone would compliment her and pat her head.

[Evolution Path]: None at present

Lin Yuan had prepared water in advance.

He stroked her head and said, "You've been flying all day. Thanks for the effort. You did a great job, Courier Bird."

The Courier Bird opened her mouth, and her [Treasure Pouch] opened automatically. Lin Yuan's package had arrived safely.

She drank the water, gave a "quack, quack," then flapped her wings and left.

As she departed, Lin Yuan could faintly hear her thoughts: This human's good-looking and kindhearted too. But this bird has to hurry to the next delivery.

Lin Yuan smiled.

Between the panel and the thoughts he could hear through [Living Creature Affinity], he felt a strange sense of accomplishment.

Lin Yuan had met plenty of [Courier Birds], and most were just as hardworking and uncomplaining.

But the "None at present" under Evolution Path also gave him something to think about.

There were no publicly known Evolution Paths for [Courier Birds].

They spent their whole lives flying and making deliveries, seemingly content with lives both free and busy.

"None at present" was not the same as "none."

"None at present" meant there would be one.

Was his talent not developed enough yet, or was this [Courier Bird] too low-level to meet the requirements for evolution? Was that why the panel displayed it this way?

Lin Yuan felt there was still much about [Eye of All Spirits] for him to explore.

For now, though, the most important thing was to use those materials on Zilan!

Zilan's evolution was close!