"Ding-dong~"
"Ding-dong~"
"Ding-dong~"
The doorbell at Woodheart's main gate rang.
Yet after what felt like ages, not only had no one come to open the gate, there hadn't even been a single footstep from inside the base.
A middle-aged man stood outside under the blazing sun, staring at the motionless gate. The occasional whiffs of foul odor drifting from the grounds made him suck his teeth.
What on earth was that little rascal doing at home?
The visitor was none other than Manager Guan from the neighboring Yuntian Pet Beast Training Base.
Yesterday, his chairwoman had told him to invite the little rascal over to discuss renting Forest Wolves.
As a result, Manager Guan had spent the entire morning standing outside the gate. Aside from one wave of strange odors after another drifting out of the base, he hadn't seen a soul!
Before the chairwoman arrived, his days had been comfortable. When he had nothing to do, he could even come over to chat and shoot the breeze with Su Anyong.
But once that queen arrived, Manager Guan hadn't dared slack off in the slightest.
Even though he had already stood there all morning, as long as he was certain Su Ping was home, he couldn't leave first.
He knew the chairwoman's temper all too well.
And so, Manager Guan had spent a full three hours ringing the doorbell.
Forget lunch-he hadn't even had a sip of water.
Finally, just as Manager Guan was about to wear his eyes out staring, hurried footsteps came from the other side of the gate.
Bang.
The gate, which seemed to divide two separate worlds, finally opened for Manager Guan.
But before he could gaze tearfully at the little rascal he had met a few times before, a surging stench forced him to instinctively retreat several steps.
Braving the eye-watering odor, Manager Guan looked at the rather innocent-looking Su Ping.
Why was he wearing a gas mask in this heat?
What was this kid researching at home?
Was it some kind of biological weapon?
Actually, the smell really did fit.
"Uncle Guan? What brings you here?"
"What have you been doing, kid? You took so long to open the gate that I was about to call your dad."
Manager Guan couldn't help complaining.
Su Ping scratched his head.
What else could he have been doing?
Making more Magic Potions, of course.
After seeing Xiao Qing's growth and progress, as well as Little Dot's hard work, Su Ping naturally couldn't fall behind as their owner, could he?
Little Dot was the name of the weakest Forest Wolf.
Now, after another nearly full day of hard work, he had only just placed three new bottles of Woodheart Potion into the Cooling Box.
He hadn't even had time to take off his gear.
Only then had he noticed the doorbell ringing outside.
"Did you need something?"
Faced with that overpowering stench, Manager Guan abandoned any thought of going inside for a proper chat with Su Ping and got straight to the point.
"We've been short on training beasts at the training grounds lately. How are your Forest Wolves? We can negotiate the price!"
Once business came up, Manager Guan's expression grew serious.
"Are you looking to rent or buy, Uncle Guan?"
Su Ping did believe what Manager Guan said.
The Dragon Nation's Beast Tamer Association, the authorities, and other relevant bodies had clear regulations: unless special circumstances applied, Beast Tamers were not allowed to casually engage in beast battles in public places.
Any resulting damage to public facilities or the natural environment could lead to seven to fifteen days of detention, depending on its extent. Serious offenses would incur heavier penalties according to the circumstances.
They could battle on their own property, but pet beasts had all sorts of bizarre skills. Most people simply didn't have suitable facilities.
As such, pet beast training and battle venues made for a pretty good business everywhere. Naturally, they needed pet beasts to serve as paid sparring partners.
Manager Guan thought for a moment before replying.
"We're mainly looking to rent, of course, but we could buy a few if they're good enough. Also, I don't know whether your dad mentioned this, but regarding this plot of land for Yuntian, we'd like to..."
Su Ping interrupted him.
"I know about that, Uncle Guan, but something this big isn't going to get settled in a quick chat. Let's leave it for another time.
"As for the pet beasts, renting is fine, but selling probably isn't an option."
"Uh..."
Manager Guan looked troubled.
"Su Ping, we really are sincere. Out here in the suburbs, aside from Yuntian, you absolutely won't find another buyer willing to pay such a large sum for a vacant plot like this."
Su Ping merely smiled.
Looking at the youngster before him, Manager Guan felt rather helpless. Why did this kid seem even harder to deal with than his slick old man?
"All right. When you have time, we'll sit down and have a proper talk about it. Yuntian really is sincere. Let's talk about renting the Forest Wolves first. Your dad worked with us before, too.
"For an Ordinary-tier Forest Wolf, the rental fee is three hundred a day, plus five hundred per beast battle, win or lose. For Elite-tier ones, the guaranteed daily rate is one thousand, and the battle fee is the same. Of course, every Forest Wolf will be insured..."
Before Manager Guan could finish, however, Su Ping interrupted him again.
"Uncle Guan, I really don't have time today. How about this? Give me a few days-two days. Even if you don't come looking for me, I'll come to you for a deal this good. I'll visit you myself. Would that work?"
Looking at the smiling Su Ping, then at his full protective gear and the stench wafting out of Woodheart, Manager Guan could only nod after waiting more than three hours.
He had wasted the entire lunch hour and hadn't managed to settle a damn thing. Manager Guan could already imagine his chairwoman's fury when he returned.
But Su Ping really didn't have the spare time to worry about anyone else.
After closing the gate, he returned to his living quarters and took a shower. Then, as he stroked Xiao Qing, he sank into thought.
Make money!
That really was his most pressing task.
The reason was simple: Woodheart did have some resources to its name.
There had been some leftover potion ingredients, but only enough for four batches.
He had used all of them up today.
If he wanted to make more Woodheart Potions, he would have to find a way to earn money.
Guan really was being decent to him. The price he offered was quite good.
Ordinary- and Elite-tier sparring beasts were in high demand, and those rates were pretty good.
Su Ping was already quite satisfied. After all, to train the Forest Wolves properly, he also needed beast battles to solidify their foundations.
Having someone else pay to hire his pet beasts meant he could get sparring practice without spending a cent-and even make money from it. No one would turn down a deal like that.
But it still wasn't enough!
Even at cost, the ingredients for a single batch of Woodheart Potion came to two hundred thousand in total.
If he earned money solely by renting out pet beasts, it would probably take a long time to save up enough Woodheart Potions for his twenty-odd Forest Wolves.
But thinking of the Myriad Spirits Codex in his mind, Su Ping clearly couldn't wait, nor did he want to wait that long.
The question was, how could he get his hands on such a huge sum?
It really was true that scholarly pursuits were for the poor, while martial pursuits demanded wealth. In this world, anything involving beast taming cost money!
And raising outstanding pet beasts required countless resources, with money flowing away like water.
Su Ping sank into thought over how to get the money.
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