A First Try at Drugging

"Boss, are you sure this doesn't count as illegal construction?"

Looking at the boarding facility that occupied almost all the underground space beneath the block, Du Heng opened his mouth and finally couldn't resist asking.

"It's not illegal construction," Xu Ran said without so much as a blush. "You can rest assured about that."

I wasn't the one who expanded the boarding facility. Go arrest the system if you can!

Besides, with the system's capabilities, it had probably already taken care of any related issues.

Du Heng nodded slightly. Seeing how certain Xu Ran was, he relaxed.

With Xu Ran accompanying him, he walked around the spacious first basement level and gave a small nod.

Although it was underground, the boarding facility was well ventilated and had artificial lighting almost indistinguishable from natural light.

But providing enough space alone wasn't enough for a boarding service.

"Boss, the boarding environment here..." Since Xu Ran had once hired the Hunting Squad, Du Heng didn't speak too bluntly, but dissatisfaction was written all over his face.

Wasn't a boarding facility that looked like an unfinished building a little too slapdash?

"Don't worry about that." Xu Ran had anticipated Du Heng's dissatisfaction. He smiled confidently. "Uncle Du, you haven't summoned your Contract Beast yet. Why not summon it first and give this a try?"

"All right." Although Du Heng had no idea what Xu Ran was up to, he nodded cooperatively.

A large Contract Beast like the Steel-Armored Rhino was far too big, so he hadn't let it accompany him when he went out.

Now, as a Six-Pointed Star Formation flashed behind Du Heng, the Steel-Armored Rhino, a full five meters long and three meters tall, stepped out of the howling wind and curiously surveyed its surroundings.

Before being summoned, it had already communicated with Du Heng through their Beast Taming Contract.

Du Heng had told it that he'd found a boarding shop for it and wanted it to come see whether it liked the place.

Was this it?

Looking at the bare, unfinished surroundings, the Steel-Armored Rhino's eyes showed a hint of hesitation.

It didn't particularly like this environment.

But it was intelligent enough to know that its size had caused considerable trouble for its Beast Tamer's household.

The surroundings weren't great, but at least there was plenty of room.

After consoling itself, the Steel-Armored Rhino nodded, pretending to be satisfied.

"Don't be so quick to settle." Xu Ran knew the circumstances Du Heng and the Steel-Armored Rhino faced, and one look at the rhino's eyes gave him a rough idea of what it was thinking.

Patting its big head, Xu Ran took out a tablet-like Control Hub and tapped it twice.

What happened next made both Du Heng and the Steel-Armored Rhino's eyes widen.

Their surroundings transformed rapidly right before their eyes.

The boarding facility, which had looked like an unfinished building, swiftly became an expanse of rolling wilderness, with mud pits in the low-lying areas where the Steel-Armored Rhino could roll around to its heart's content.

Most importantly, none of this was a projection!

The Steel-Armored Rhino's cheers echoed in Du Heng's mind.

The environment was rich in earth-type power. This rolling wilderness had physically taken shape!

"This..."

For the second time in Xu Ran's boarding shop, the normally stoic Du Heng lost his composure. Even his words came more freely. "I've heard some equipment can use supernatural power to alter terrain. Your shop actually has something like that?"

"That's right." Xu Ran had no idea what equipment Du Heng meant, but that didn't stop him from nodding calmly. "We don't have any other Contract Beasts boarding here at the moment, so once the Steel-Armored Rhino moves in, the boarding environment will be purely earth-type."

Du Heng drew a deep breath.

Such excellent conditions had completely won him over.

But there was still one final question.

"Once it's boarding here, the food you'll feed it..."

"We prepare our own Contract Beast food here, tailored to their daily nutritional requirements," Xu Ran answered promptly. "If you decide to board it here, I'll feed the Steel-Armored Rhino shortly. You're welcome to watch, Uncle Du."

A little excitement stirred in his heart.

He could finally try Drugging!

"I'll board it here!" Du Heng nodded without hesitation.

Although he hadn't yet seen the Contract Beast food Xu Ran prepared himself, the Hunting Squad had escorted Xu Ran when he went to gather Azure Jade Fruit, so Du Heng had confidence in him.

Outside earlier, he had noticed the boarding rates.

Given the Steel-Armored Rhino's strength and size, its boarding fee was 6,666 a day.

It was a little expensive, but Du Heng was willing to go all out for his old companion.

"Let's start with ten days." Du Heng promptly transferred the money.

"All right, please wait a moment." Xu Ran turned and entered a separate room in the corner of the Animal Care Facility. It was the Preparation Room, dedicated to making food for Contract Beasts.

The room contained equipment for mixing, drying, stir-frying, air-drying, and other processes. The system also supplied all the raw ingredients.

[To improve the efficiency of this feeding session, the system will grant the host knowledge of steel-armored rhino racial nutrition.]

As the system notification appeared, a vast amount of relevant knowledge flooded Xu Ran's mind.

Azure Jade Fruit, Earth Element Cores, Steel Energy Crystals, sweetflowers...

He took the various ingredients in the ideal proportions, then used the knowledge taught by the system to prepare the food best suited to an Elite Rank Steel-Armored Rhino.

After a series of procedures that took about twenty minutes, Xu Ran had a large basin of specially prepared Steel-Armored Rhino food.

I'll make a portion for Purple Cloud later, too. No more buying food elsewhere.

Carrying the large basin out of the Preparation Room, Xu Ran couldn't help thinking of the little one who had volunteered to stay on the first floor and watch the shop for him.

"It's ready. Give it a taste." Xu Ran set the large basin in front of the eagerly waiting Steel-Armored Rhino.

System skill [Drugging], activate!

The Steel-Armored Rhino's gaze instantly froze.

Smelling the steaming, freshly prepared food in the basin, it felt as though a female Steel-Armored Rhino with an alluring figure stood before it.

The tempting aroma made it swallow repeatedly. It unconsciously started forward, walking toward the food basin step by step.

Beside it, Du Heng blinked.

His Steel-Armored Rhino had never been particularly interested in food before. This was the first time it had looked so ravenous.

Was the food the young boss made really that delicious?

He could smell some of the aroma, but humans and Steel-Armored Rhinos experienced things differently, so he couldn't fully understand the impulse his rhino felt at that moment.

While these thoughts raced through his mind, the Steel-Armored Rhino had already reached the basin.

It buried its head completely in the basin and wolfed down a huge mouthful with an "Awooo!" The hunger in its eyes turned to bliss.

What... was this taste?!

Chewing food with just the right firmness and savoring the rich aroma filling its mouth and nose, the Steel-Armored Rhino felt as though it were surrounded by one beloved female Steel-Armored Rhino after another, nestled in their warm, comfortable embrace.

This feeling...

This feeling!!!

Swallowing the food in its mouth, the Steel-Armored Rhino lifted its head slightly, its eyes dazed as it gazed hazily at the faint light spilling down from above.

[Happiness Points from the Steel-Armored Rhino +10]

[Happiness Points from the Steel-Armored Rhino +10]

[From...]