Chen Mo sold his donkey with heartfelt affection

The old man touched Red Hare's head again, hardly daring to believe it.

Second-tier. A Variant.

And the energy fluctuations radiating from this donkey...

There was none of the usual violence and chaos of uncanny creatures.

This was definitely a Variant! And one that had already stabilized at the second tier!

Something like this could only be found by chance.

It was practically unheard of!

The old man had traveled far and wide. He had encountered many convoys and seen plenty of the world.

He had seen plenty of Beast Tamers contract low-level uncanny creatures.

But an intelligent Variant!

That was simply astonishing.

A discovery like this could even mark a milestone.

The old man slowly lowered his hand. Greed flashed through his eyes before he quickly concealed it.

Looks like it's my lucky day. I, Old Zhang, have run into a clueless greenhorn.

He's even offering his own contracted beast for trade.

Should I remind him how important a Contract Beast is to a Beast Tamer?

The old man shook his head, banishing the thought.

No merchant gets rich by playing fair. If I don't take a fool's money, someone else will.

The old man cleared his throat, returning to his air of calm, unflappable expertise.

He repeated his earlier question.

"How... would you like to trade?"

Everyone in the Starfire Convoy was stunned by those words.

The donkey Xiao Ya chased around every day, the one Big Niu fed from a dog bowl, really was a second-tier Variant?!

Chen Mo grinned, exposing big white teeth that looked rather like a donkey's.

He pointed at the black cloth bundle the old man had spread out.

"How about I trade this divine steed, Red Hare, for that Vengeful Soul and the First-Tier Energy Core?"

The old man was ecstatic inside, but he betrayed nothing as he shook his head.

"Young man, this Red Hare of yours may be a second-tier exotic beast."

"But my Vengeful Soul is also second-tier, and it's a rare Lion-Headed Vengeful Soul with extremely powerful attacks."

"I admit I'd be getting the better end of the deal if we traded Red Hare for the Vengeful Soul."

"But if you want a whole First-Tier Energy Core thrown in too, that's... a little short."

"How about adding something else? That vehicle of yours... must be a wondrous item too, right?"

Only an idiot passes up a profit. This greenhorn has quite a few good things. Let's see if I can squeeze a little more out of him.

Old Zhang narrowed his eyes at the three-fingered young man before him, his mental abacus clacking away.

Chen Mo sneered inwardly.

Crafty old fox.

This lion Vengeful Soul may also be second-tier, but it's clearly an idiot. Violent and bloodthirsty, it's still baring its teeth even while chained up.

How could it compare to Red Hare, who can carry cargo and keep you entertained at any time?

He's planning to fleece me.

Heh.

Chen Mo did not call him out. Instead, he put on a pained expression.

He slowly took the piece of black-haired finger he had secretly stashed earlier out of his clothes.

A faint trace of uncanny aura still lingered on the finger bone.

Holding the finger, Chen Mo offered it to the old man.

"Sir, this is everything I have."

"I can't trade you the vehicle. I still need it to travel."

"If you won't trade, then forget it."

With that, he picked up the strip of cloth tied around Red Hare's neck and turned to leave.

He even whistled as he walked.

Red Hare, who had been crouching on the ground pretending to be a dog, immediately understood.

He sprang to his feet, pushed off with both hind legs, and performed a full backflip in midair.

He even flicked his donkey tail playfully.

The entire sequence flowed smoothly, brimming with intelligence.

The old man was utterly dumbstruck.

He glanced disdainfully at the lion head, still struggling frantically against its chain.

When this thing wasn't fighting,

All it could do was roar and drool.

On long journeys, the greatest dread was the endless loneliness.

The old man began imagining how much more enjoyable his travels might be with this intelligent donkey for company.

He could ride him, have him carry goods, and even... chat with him at night and swap tall tales.

Fine, fine!

A little less profit won't hurt.

At that thought, Old Zhang immediately forced a pained expression onto his face.

"Wait!"

The old man called out to Chen Mo, who was still dawdling as he left.

He took the bait!

Chen Mo turned to see the old man unfasten the iron chain at his waist and hand it over, along with the pale golden energy core.

"Deal!"

"This Lion-Headed Vengeful Soul is full of malice. Every night at midnight, remember to burn some spirit money for it to consume. That will soothe its emotions."

"When it isn't fighting, make sure you keep it tethered with this chain. The chain has a calming effect on uncanny creatures."

Chen Mo readily accepted the cold iron chain and the gleaming core.

He casually handed the old man the shabby rope tethering Red Hare.

Standing behind Chen Mo, Su Qian tugged at his sleeve.

She muttered quietly.

"Don't you know how important a Contract Beast is to the Beast Tamer Sequence?"

"If this were an ordinary donkey, fine, but this is a second-tier Variant! You're losing out horribly!"

Big Niu also stared with his big, bovine eyes, his face full of disbelief.

Remembering how he had fed Red Hare from a battered dog bowl just two days earlier, he suddenly felt embarrassed.

"Chen Mo... you... he really is a second-tier Variant."

Lin Lu came over too.

"Chen Mo, think this through. The value of a second-tier Variant is immeasurable."

Old Yang simply watched Chen Mo. He knew Chen Mo was no fool.

Xiao Ya held her Barbie Doll in front of her face, gazing blankly at Red Hare as he was about to be led away, her eyes full of reluctance.

"Say no more. My mind is made up."

Chen Mo crouched down and hugged the donkey's head, making a show of comforting him.

"Red Hare, with me, you never have enough to eat or enough clothes to keep warm."

"One look at this gentleman tells you he's an expert. With him, you'll have meat to eat, and you'll be safe."

"Be good, understand?"

Red Hare affectionately nuzzled Chen Mo's palm with his head.

He actually squeezed two teardrops from his donkey eyes and let out a choked whimper.

Chen Mo handed Old Zhang the cloth strip tethering Red Hare.

"Sir, treat him well."

The old man took the tether, thoroughly satisfied.

Red Hare was still looking back at Chen Mo again and again, like a loyal dog.

"Of course, of course. I'll treasure him."

With the trade complete, the old man was in an excellent mood.

"Does anyone else want to trade?"

With his back to the old man, Chen Mo pretended to wipe away tears while frantically winking at Lin Lu.

Su Qian was still angry about Chen Mo's impulsive trade and wasn't looking at him at all.

Lin Lu understood.

He gave Chen Mo a thoughtful look,

Then glanced at the "Fantasy Phone" in the old man's hand.

"Sir, please wait."

Lin Lu stepped forward and spoke quietly to the others.

"I'm taking that item. I'll make up your shares later."

Since their captain had said so, no one objected.

Seeing everyone nod, Lin Lu turned and beckoned to Xiao Liu.

Xiao Liu immediately took the hint and fetched a case from the vehicle.

Lin Lu took out two things.

The Hairy Savage's hand and the Black Skull of a Canine Creature.

"This hand and that finger from earlier belong together. A first-tier peak Half-Variant."

"How about these two for your camera?"

The old man weighed the offer.

"I'm in a good mood. All right."

He handed the "Fantasy Phone" to Lin Lu.

The second trade was complete.

After they said their goodbyes, the old man patted the donkey, who kept looking back with every step.

"Little fellow, don't be afraid. Stick with me, and you'll live the good life."

"Oh, my little darling, how are you so adorable?"