It's Normal. You'll Get Used to It

"Wel~come!"

Xu Ran sat up like a shot, even instinctively slipping into the greeting that had become a meme in his previous life. Purple Cloud also straightened up a little, eyes wide as it tried hard to look well-behaved.

"Meow~"

Xu Ran had said that grooming more Contract Beasts meant getting more skills!

So hurry up and hand your Contract Beasts over to Xu Ran for Grooming!

"This young owner is even younger than I imagined! He's almost my son's age." Liu Xue, the only female Beast Tamer among the four, covered her mouth and chuckled. "Young man, what services do you offer here?"

"We only offer grooming at the moment, but we might introduce some new services in a while," Xu Ran answered honestly.

The amusement in Liu Xue's eyes deepened. She had actually already heard about the shop from Liu Gu, but she still couldn't resist teasing the boy before her. "Then how many beasts can your shop groom at once?"

"I'm the only person working here at the moment, so I can only groom one beast at a time."

"Then let’s start by Grooming my Telepathic Mouse." Liu Xue pointed to a little mouse-like Contract Beast sitting quietly on her shoulder.

The Telepathic Mouse was covered in long white fur that fluffed out, making it look like a tiny puff of dandelion fluff. A long, hairless, brilliant golden tail stood tall behind its body, particularly eye-catching.

Hearing its Beast Tamer's words, the Telepathic Mouse darted its lively little eyes around, then hopped over to the counter and surveyed its surroundings curiously.

Though it was very small, Xu Ran could feel a powerful aura around it as he approached, every bit as strong as the Wind Lion Dog's.

[Species: Telepathic Mouse

Attribute: Psychic

Growth rank: Elite Rank

Size: Small

Grooming needs: ★★☆☆☆

Evaluation: Within this petite body lies a deep longing for grooming. It needs the host's nimble hands to find pleasure.]

"Grooming a small Contract Beast costs 6,666 yuan." Xu Ran had already learned to ignore the system's indecent evaluations. He looked up at Liu Xue and quoted the price.

"No problem. You can start now," Liu Xue said with a smile.

The other two men besides Liu Gu said nothing. Both stood with their arms folded, looking ready to enjoy the show.

As its name suggested, the Telepathic Mouse was extremely perceptive.

Liu Xue's Telepathic Mouse served as their team's scout, and it was notoriously hard to please. If Xu Ran could give it a good grooming, that would prove the boy really knew his stuff.

It was also the team's only small Contract Beast besides the Sea Wave Flower.

Liu Gu had praised the Starfire Foster Shop to the skies, but his teammates weren't entirely convinced. They wanted the Telepathic Mouse to test the waters first. Only if the Grooming results were good would they feel comfortable entrusting their own Contract Beasts to Xu Ran for Grooming.

After all, with prices this high, they had to be cautious.

Xu Ran had some idea why the others remained silent, so he didn't ask whether their other Contract Beasts needed grooming. Instead, he held out a hand to the Telepathic Mouse. "Little one, let me take you in for grooming."

"Squeak~"

The Telepathic Mouse glanced at Xu Ran, stood casually in his palm, and even pulled a face at Purple Cloud nearby.

Purple Cloud narrowed its eyes slightly.

A mere mouse dared to pull a face at me?!

Don't get angry. Don't get angry.

Remembering that this creature might bring it a new skill, Purple Cloud's gaze turned friendly again.

Seeing that it hadn't managed to provoke the feline Contract Beast, the Telepathic Mouse stuck out its tongue, then obediently sat down in Xu Ran's palm.

"I'll take it in for grooming now. Please wait a moment." After speaking to Liu Xue, Xu Ran headed straight into the Grooming Room.

Once Xu Ran closed the door, Liu Gu chuckled. "The grooming will take a while. Shall we sit in the lounge next door? There are snacks inside. Help yourselves."

"The amenities are pretty good." Yan Fan yawned. "Grooming Liu Xue's Telepathic Mouse shouldn't take too long. Let's wait and see how it turns out."

"We came straight here after entering the city. We could certainly use a rest." Zhang Yun nodded slowly.

All four readily agreed and entered the lounge with their Contract Beasts.

On the counter, Purple Cloud slowly lay down, occasionally glancing at the filthy Contract Beasts in the lounge with a gaze full of goodwill.

It had a feeling that it would definitely get a new skill today!

[To improve the results of this grooming session, the system will grant the host knowledge of "basic grooming for rodent beasts" and "basic grooming for psychic beasts."]

As a flood of new knowledge poured into his mind, Xu Ran, who had just settled the Telepathic Mouse on the grooming table, paused briefly before calmly beginning the preparations.

Grooming a Telepathic Mouse was different from grooming many other Contract Beasts. Its fur was long and extremely dense, with a single follicle often producing over a dozen hairs. This dense structure meant it couldn't be rinsed directly with water.

Its grooming required Bathing Sand.

Xu Ran brought over a small basin of special volcanic ash, as fine as flour and mixed with finely ground psychic resources, and set it in front of the Telepathic Mouse.

In an instant, the Telepathic Mouse's lively eyes lit up with wild delight.

It could already imagine the cool, comfortable sensation of that fine, chilly sand working its way into the gaps between its hairs.

Rolling around in sand like this would feel amazing!

"Squeak~"

With a delighted cry, it sprang into the basin without any prompting from Xu Ran and began rolling around, squeaking happily all the while.

Its tumbling body scattered dust into the air. Prepared for this, Xu Ran calmly took two quick steps back.

[Happiness points from the Telepathic Mouse +5]

[Happiness points from the Telepathic Mouse +5]

[From...]

Watching his happiness points rise rapidly, he nodded in satisfaction.

Earning happiness points without lifting a finger-who else could understand this joy?

Of course, that hands-off approach was only temporary. Once the Telepathic Mouse began rolling more slowly in the Bathing Sand, a humanlike look of bliss appearing on its little face, Xu Ran reached in and lifted it out of the basin to begin the remaining grooming steps.

Xu Ran gently spread moist Coat-Enhancing Cream over the surface of the Telepathic Mouse's fur, then carefully worked it in with his fingertips until it evenly coated every hair.

The pressure traveled down to the Telepathic Mouse's follicles, making its eyes suddenly widen as it lay quietly on the grooming table.

The faint tingling coming from follicles all over its body made it tremble involuntarily. It spread all four paws as wide as it could, as though trying to grasp something, before letting them curl limply inward again.

[Happiness points from the Telepathic Mouse +10]

[Happiness points from the Telepathic Mouse +10]

[From...]

The Telepathic Mouse's lively eyes gradually lost focus, and an uncontrollable sound slipped from its throat.

"Squeeeak~~~"

"What's going on?"

Hearing the strange noise her Contract Beast made in the Grooming Room, Liu Xue stopped what she was doing and blinked.

"It's normal. You'll get used to it." Beside her, Liu Gu calmly stuffed a handful of potato chips into his mouth and played his cards.

"Three sixes with a pair!"