The second pet beast

After Fang Lan finished her call with Gu Qingyi, she and Lu Ran stared at each other.

"Beast taming for everyone..."

"That was fast." Lu Ran had never expected this.

Were they really going to reveal the existence of Infinite City and Beast Tamers so soon?

He had thought it would take a while longer.

After all, he was essentially a closed-beta player right now, even if this was the fourth round of testing.

Once the announcement was made, it would be like the game entering open beta.

The competition would probably get even fiercer then.

They both glanced at the time. It was 6:42 p.m.

There was less than an hour and a half until the time Gu Qingyi had mentioned.

"Well, this round of Black Card distribution shows no sign of stopping..." Fang Lan said. "Announcing it sooner will help Xia Country gain more Beast Tamers."

"As for whether a supernatural event like this will seriously disrupt the stability of society, that hardly matters anymore. After three years of exploration, every country must have realized how important Beast Tamers are."

"Heh, true. These days, you graduate straight into unemployment, and even finding a job is hard. Becoming a Beast Tamer and gathering resources in secret realms seems like another way to make a living," Lu Ran said with a laugh.

"Besides, pet-related industries are about to take off."

"Speaking of which, you should hurry up and get your parents to quit their jobs. Have them go all in on starting a business in Infinite City. There are bound to be opportunities." Lu Ran rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"What? They're getting on in years. There's no way a Black Card would choose them." Fang Lan flatly rejected the idea.

"Starting a business in the real world would work too. They could sell starter pets or open a hospital specifically for Beast Tamers." Lu Ran shrugged. "Forget it. It's not like you're short on money anyway."

"That's not true. I'm short on Crystal Coins!" Fang Lan said.

Just then, Lu Ran's phone rang too.

"Huh..." He shushed Fang Lan as well, signaling for her to keep quiet.

The caller was Little White Dragon.

Lu Ran thought for a moment, then answered. He already had a pretty good idea why Little White Dragon was calling.

"Hey, Lu Ran. Have you eaten? Officer Luo said you went straight home after handing the tiger over to them."

A tiger? What tiger?

Fang Lan stared eagerly at Lu Ran.

Oh, so you're still keeping things from me!

"Not yet... Oh, right. What's going to happen to that tiger?"

Little White Dragon considered the question. "If an ordinary tiger ate someone, it would definitely be shot on the spot."

"But supernatural beasts are too rare. They'll probably send it to the Special Department for rehabilitation and taming, to see whether it has a chance at 'Meritorious Service While Under Punishment.'"

"I looked into it a little. That keeper had plenty of experience and specifically chose the strongest tiger to contract, thinking he could tame it. But after being strengthened, a pet beast enters a stage where its wild instincts awaken and its hunger peaks. On top of that, they barely had any bond. It was a tragedy waiting to happen."

Lu Ran sighed. Fortunately, he hadn't gone courting death at a safari park in search of his first pet beast.

General Ha might be a goofball, but at least he listened.

"What a shame. What a shame," Lu Ran said regretfully.

"Yeah... Anyway, Lu Ran, about what you mentioned earlier, I think I can help you sort it out. I have some connections that can take care of your schooling."

"When do you have time to come over and register? We can talk it through."

On the other end of the line, Little White Dragon rubbed his hands together eagerly. After reading Lu Ran's file, he had begun to understand why Lu Ran didn't want to join any organizations. It was probably the guarded nature of an orphan.

No problem!

He would get Lu Ran to open up.

"Ah, I don't want to go to Magic University anymore," Lu Ran said.

Little White Dragon: ???

"Huh? Imperial Capital University works too. Pick any university in the country!" Little White Dragon felt his stomach ache. Why were young people so fickle?

Lu Ran was surprised. Although Little White Dragon was only a team member in the Newcomer Recruitment Department, he seemed remarkably well connected.

"None of them. Someone just recommended some Beast Taming University to me. Apparently, it'll start accepting applications within the next couple of months."

"Beast Taming University?" Little White Dragon was stunned. He had never heard of it. What was that?

"Are you sure you haven't been scammed? Beast Taming University... How come I don't know about it? Who told you?"

"Gu Qingyi, Dr. Gu. Do you know her?"

"Gu Qingyi... Dr. Gu..." Little White Dragon fell into thought.

A moment later, his eyes widened.

"Is that the Dr. Gu I'm thinking of? The First-Generation Beast Tamer?"

"You know her?" Little White Dragon was shocked.

He had heard of her. Gu Qingyi, a First-Generation Beast Tamer of Xia Country, was one of the thirteen top-tier Beast Tamers currently active on the country's front lines.

In terms of status and standing within Xia Country's beast-taming community, even his boss's boss couldn't compare to Dr. Gu.

Lu Ran knew someone like that?

Suddenly, Little White Dragon remembered Lu Ran's background. Both his parents had been renowned zoologists. Judging by their ages, they might even have been Dr. Gu's seniors in academia. It was entirely possible they had known her!

Well... Little White Dragon froze. He had thought Lu Ran was unaffiliated, but it turned out he had a powerful backer hidden away?

"Ahem. Someone in my family knows her." Lu Ran glanced at Fang Lan.

Every word was true.

But he had a feeling Little White Dragon had misunderstood something.

Still, he could tell from his reaction that Dr. Gu really was a big deal.

"I... I understand."

If you encounter an advertisement such as "Are you a real person?", simply close it and ignore it. Do not scan any QR codes or send text messages!

"By the way, where do I go to register? Don't tell me I have to leave the province," Lu Ran asked.

"Hold on. Let me check with my supervisor..." Little White Dragon broke into a sweat, feeling that his chances of recruiting Lu Ran were growing slim.

Soon, Lu Ran and Little White Dragon ended the call.

As soon as it was over, Fang Lan looked at Lu Ran. "What tiger? What happened?"

"I was out walking General Ha and ran into a Northeast Golden Tiger that had escaped from the zoo. I helped the police deal with it while I was there. Nothing major." Lu Ran brushed it off.

Fang Lan said, "Forget it... Never mind that. I just noticed there's a lot of information about Black Cards online now. Take a look."

"Huh? They're not deleting it this time?" Lu Ran said. "Makes sense. They're about to announce it anyway, so there's no point. I originally wanted to add that person who posted about having a cat pet beast and ask a few questions, but the authorities deleted the post so fast."

"Ahem, ahem." Hearing that, Fang Lan looked a little embarrassed. "That post... I think I was the one who reported it and contacted an administrator to have it deleted..."

Lu Ran: ???

So it really was you!

Lu Ran took out his phone too. There was a fair amount of information about Black Cards online now, though still not all that much.

It mainly circulated on forums related to topics such as "supernatural events," "pets," and "animals."

For example, when Lu Ran opened an animal forum, he found a post like this.

"Guys, help!"

Post: [If every animal on Blue Star had a chance to undergo supernatural evolution, which one would be the strongest?

My mom bought a bag of mantis shrimp this afternoon for dinner. I heard mantis shrimp can throw a hundred punches a second and generate lightning. They sound pretty strong!]

Reply: [Stop fishing. Did you get a Black Card too, OP? I suggest you calm down and find a reliable pet beast instead of trying to be clever.

If you contract something that turns out to be weak, you're screwed. Check the pinned post. An expert put up a guide. Go read it a hundred times.]

Lu Ran: ...

He switched to another forum.

"Damn it!"

Post: [Why is information about Contract Cards all over the internet? What happened to being the main character? I thought I was the only one...

Anyway, can an expert help me out? What pet beast should I contract? All I have at home is a turtle. Can I contract that?

I'm supple, lightweight, and easy to push over. I'm great at serving tea and pouring water. Would any expert be willing to mail me a dragon egg?]

Reply: [A dragon egg? Dream on. Having a turtle is already pretty good. Maybe it'll evolve into a Black Tortoise someday.

All I have is a Border Collie I just took to get neutered. Do I dare contract it? Do I? The look in its eyes says it wants to kill me.]

Lu Ran: ...

What a bunch of characters.

Perhaps because more information was appearing online, people who had received Black Cards weren't hiding their experiences. Instead, they were actively asking questions.

Lu Ran looked through the posts. They had all suddenly appeared today. It seemed the number of people selected today had risen sharply compared with yesterday.

As for some of the tutorial posts, Lu Ran could practically smell the official involvement.

"Have you given any thought to your second pet beast?" Lu Ran asked Fang Lan, who was also browsing her phone.

Fang Lan nodded and looked at him. "I'll probably pick a snake."

Excitement lit up her face. "If they can evolve without limits, I want to raise a dragon!"

Lu Ran pressed a hand to his forehead and chuckled.

"Nice. We're thinking along the same lines."

"Honestly, if supernatural creatures exist now, fantasy creatures like dragons must be possible too, right?"

"I feel like I'd regret not contracting one."

"Huh, you want one too?" Fang Lan asked in surprise.

Lu Ran shrugged. "But I hate snakes, and fish seem so inconvenient. Maybe I'll see whether I can evolve a Western Dragon first instead. I'll have to wait until I get a second Contract Card, though."

"That birthday present you gave me is still sitting at home. Lizards and dragons look pretty similar. Maybe they're part of the same evolutionary line."

"Oh, you haven't managed to kill that Red-Eyed Hawk Lizard yet?"

Lu Ran said helplessly, "Are you kidding? I'm an expert at raising pets. That one does have some personality issues, though. It's way too timid. One look from General Ha and it plays dead. I can't communicate with it at all. Forget it. I'd better pick another one."

Magic City.

Little White Dragon immediately called his supervisor, Team Leader Zhao.

"Bai Junjie? What is it?" Team Leader Zhao asked.

"Team Leader Zhao, it looks like someone else has already set their sights on Lu Ran."

"Do you know anything about Beast Taming University? Apparently, someone recommended that he study there."

"What?" Team Leader Zhao was baffled. "I know about Beast Taming University... The Alliance is currently setting it up. Who was it? Isn't he an orphan? Weren't you the first person to contact him?"

Little White Dragon said, "I don't know either, but he knows Gu Qingyi. It seems to be a family connection... Dr. Gu, the one from the Official Strategy Team."

Team Leader Zhao had been a little displeased, but upon hearing Gu Qingyi's name, he immediately fell silent.

"Well, damn... A top-tier second-generation Beast Tamer."

"In that case, forget it. Maybe Dr. Gu wants to build up a team of her own. If so, we can leave Lu Ran alone."

On the other end of the line, Team Leader Zhao shook his head.

"Oh, right, Bai. Beast Taming University asked me to send a few people over to set up its Admissions Office. It's a rare opportunity. Do you want to go?"

"Huh?" Little White Dragon froze. Did this count as a promotion?

"Don't hesitate. It's a good thing. According to internal information, both the First Bureau and the Second Bureau will be dissolved in a few days. All existing positions will undergo major restructuring. I'll probably be transferred somewhere else too. Compared with other positions, Beast Taming University really does offer better prospects."

"I'll go. Team Leader Zhao... Thank you." Little White Dragon was overjoyed, but then another thought struck him. Wait, doesn't that mean I'll be dealing with Lu Ran again?