"Thank you for the grooming, boss!" Su Xiaoxiao said gratefully. Then she took an exquisite gift box from her bag. "This is a little gift A-Yue and I prepared for you. Please accept it!"
Inside was a beautiful little cake that looked delicious.
"You brought your Contract Beasts to my shop. I was only doing my job." Xu Ran smiled and carefully accepted the little cake. "I love the gift, but you don't need to spend money on me next time."
He set the cake on the counter where Purple Cloud had been lying.
Perhaps Purple Cloud would enjoy it after waking up.
After expressing their thanks, Su Xiaoxiao and Lin Yue did not linger and soon said their goodbyes.
Before leaving, however, Su Xiaoxiao reluctantly asked a question under the Blazing Fox's persistent meaningful glances. "Boss, Little Flame still can't get groomed today, right?"
"Unless there are special circumstances, I recommend at least a month between grooming sessions." Xu Ran glanced at the Blazing Fox, whose grooming needs were still rated at zero stars, and refused without hesitation.
"All right." Su Xiaoxiao rubbed the Blazing Fox's drooping head to comfort it, then asked another question. "Boss, does your foster shop offer anything besides grooming?"
If the grooming alone was this impressive, surely any other services this shop offered would be far better than those elsewhere, too?
"For now, we only offer grooming." Xu Ran paused, glanced at Novice Mission 2, which needed just seven more Fur Plucking uses to complete, and added, "We might have some new services in a while."
The system skill [Drugging], awarded by Novice Mission 2, did not sound like a grooming skill. If it corresponded to another service, perhaps the system would undergo some new changes.
"If you offer any new services, I'll definitely come try them!" Su Xiaoxiao's eyes lit up, and she volunteered at once.
"Me too!" Lin Yue chimed in beside her.
Having reaped the benefits of grooming, both girls were eagerly anticipating the Starfire Foster Shop's next new service.
"We'll see when the time comes." Xu Ran gave a noncommittal chuckle.
The new service was only his guess, after all. It would be awkward if nothing came of it.
"We'll be going, then. Bye, boss!"
The two girls left the shop without further delay and soon disappeared down the street outside.
A moment later, a slender, tall figure wearing a baseball cap, sunglasses, and a mask slowly emerged from an inconspicuous corner of the street and looked toward the Starfire Foster Shop.
"So this is the place..."
After murmuring to herself, she removed her sunglasses and mask, revealing a delicate, pretty face, then took off the baseball cap holding down her coiled-up hair.
Her high ponytail spilled free, and sunlight fell across her face, bold and unrestrained.
"Hmph, I finally found it!"
Duan Anxun glanced in the direction Su Xiaoxiao and Lin Yue had gone, then headed toward the Starfire Foster Shop.
"Meow~"
A faint sound came from upstairs. Xu Ran, who had just sat down behind the front counter, turned toward the stairs.
Soon, a purple figure darted down the staircase and nimbly leaped into Xu Ran's arms.
"Why are you awake already?" Xu Ran rubbed its head, torn between laughter and exasperation. "If training wore you out, you should rest a little longer."
Purple Cloud nuzzled his palm without answering.
Not long after Xu Ran had placed it on the bed, it had noticed the change in its surroundings, quickly woken from its deep sleep, and hurried straight to his side.
It could not sleep peacefully away from Xu Ran.
"All right. There happens to be a little cake here. Try it and see if you like it." Xu Ran picked up the cake Su Xiaoxiao had just given him, opened the box, and placed it in front of Purple Cloud. "The Beast Tamer of yesterday's Blazing Fox gave us this."
The Blazing Fox's Beast Tamer was here?
Purple Cloud paused, a hint of regret appearing in its eyes.
What a shame it had been asleep. Otherwise, with its newfound strength, it would definitely have challenged that Blazing Fox!
Oh well. Next time.
Purple Cloud sniffed, then curiously scooped up a lump of cake with its paw, coating its purple paw pad in white cream.
It brought its paw to its face and slowly licked it with its tongue, soon looking thoroughly satisfied.
Sweet. I like it!
(Note: Normal cats are not sensitive to sweetness, but are highly sensitive to bitterness.)
Watching Purple Cloud savor the cake, Xu Ran smiled. Suddenly noticing movement, he looked up.
A tall girl who appeared to be about the same age as Su Xiaoxiao and Lin Yue entered the shop and looked around curiously.
"Welcome. Our shop currently only offers grooming services."
"Grooming..." As Duan Anxun heard Xu Ran's words, she also noticed the price board on the wall. Her eyes widened at the steep grooming fees. "That expensive?!"
"It's expensive, but I guarantee it's worth the money," Xu Ran said calmly.
"I'd like to ask something first. Those two girls who just left-did they have their beasts groomed here yesterday?" Duan Anxun bit her lip and abruptly asked.
"That's right." Xu Ran could not help giving Duan Anxun another look.
Does she know Su Xiaoxiao and Lin Yue?
After receiving confirmation, Duan Anxun hesitated for only a moment before gritting her teeth. "All right. Groom my Contract Beast too!"
As she spoke, a Six-Pointed Star Formation appeared behind her. Accompanied by gusts of wind, a parrot with rainbow-brilliant feathers and a phoenix crest on its head flapped its wings and flew out of the void.
[Species name: Rainbow Cloud Parrot Attribute: Light Growth Rank: Transcendent Rank Size: Small Grooming needs: ☆☆☆☆☆ Evaluation: A Contract Beast that has just been groomed. Although the host did not perform the grooming, it should not be groomed frequently.]
It just got groomed somewhere else?
This was the first time Xu Ran had encountered such a situation.
After a moment's thought, he looked at the girl before him. "Sorry, I can't groom your Contract Beast. It was groomed recently, and frequent grooming isn't good for it."
"There's a rule like that?" Duan Anxun was dumbfounded.
Whenever she had taken her Contract Beast for grooming before, the shops had used every sales pitch they could to persuade her to keep coming regularly. They practically wanted her to bring the Rainbow Cloud Parrot in whenever it got the slightest bit dirty.
She had never expected this shopkeeper to take such an unconventional approach.
Thinking of how Su Xiaoxiao and Lin Yue had already had their beasts groomed here, Duan Anxun gritted her teeth. "What if I pay extra?"
"Sorry, this isn't about money." Xu Ran frowned. "Frequent grooming isn't good for your Contract Beast."
As he explained again, he deliberately emphasized the words "isn't good for your Contract Beast."
"I..." Duan Anxun looked deeply conflicted. After a brief silence, she nodded helplessly. "All right. I'll come back another time."
With that, she turned and walked out of the shop.
Xu Ran watched her retreating figure, frowning in silence.
He felt this customer had wanted grooming for some reason other than the grooming itself.
"Meow~" (Do you want some?)
Purple Cloud's call brought Xu Ran back to his senses.
Seeing the half of the cake Purple Cloud had deliberately saved for him, he promptly pushed the little incident out of his mind.
"Yes!"
Before you continue