"You mean..." Xu Ran looked at Purple Cloud thoughtfully. "The Shadow-Hunting Lizard mistakenly thought the Steel-Armored Rhino had also been abandoned by its Beast Tamer, so the rhino's 'optimism' encouraged it."
"When the Steel-Armored Rhino was summoned, the Shadow-Hunting Lizard realized it hadn't been abandoned. All the encouragement it had drawn from the rhino vanished, and it suffered an even greater blow?"
"Meow~" (Exactly.)
Purple Cloud nodded, breathing a small sigh of relief.
It had finally managed to talk its Beast Tamer out of it.
If he had really tried to get the Beast Tamer to pair up the Steel-Armored Rhino and the Shadow-Hunting Lizard...
That was a sight it couldn't bear to imagine.
"I think your guess is probably right." Xu Ran nodded seriously.
His earlier guess had also fit the way the Shadow-Hunting Lizard and the Steel-Armored Rhino interacted, but it failed to connect with the cause of the lizard's low spirits: its Beast Tamer had heartlessly left it at the foster shop.
"But now we have a problem." As if something had occurred to him, Xu Ran's expression gradually grew grave.
"If that's what happened, then when the Shadow-Hunting Lizard sees the Steel-Armored Rhino, which has just been teleported back..."
Hearing this, Purple Cloud's expression grew grave as well.
As though facing a formidable enemy, the man and his beast hurried toward the fostering area.
When they arrived, the Steel-Armored Rhino and the Shadow-Hunting Lizard were facing off. The situation was tense.
"Roar~"
The Steel-Armored Rhino looked at the Shadow-Hunting Lizard with displeasure.
After finally persuading its Beast Tamer to teleport it back, it had been about to roll around in its beloved Mud Pit when the Shadow-Hunting Lizard suddenly attacked.
The Steel-Armored Rhino was already stronger than the Shadow-Hunting Lizard, and as a Contract Beast specializing in defense, it hadn't suffered any damage from the attack.
But this fellow had gotten along fairly well with it over the past two days, only to attack it out of nowhere now. That left the Steel-Armored Rhino thoroughly annoyed.
Unless the lizard could give it a reason, it was going to teach it a lesson.
"Ka~"
The Shadow-Hunting Lizard glared furiously at the Steel-Armored Rhino.
Not long ago, it had regarded the rhino as its guiding light and the inspiration that helped it pull itself together.
Now, that faith had crumbled.
It had thought the Steel-Armored Rhino was an optimistic fellow abandoned by its tamer. Now it turned out the rhino hadn't been abandoned at all. This was outright betrayal!
"Stop! Both of you, knock it off!"
Xu Ran arrived just in time to see the two Contract Beasts facing off, a fight about to erupt, and anger flared within him.
Naturally, he couldn't beat two Elite Rank Contract Beasts.
But these two were currently being fostered in his shop, so he still had ways to deal with them.
He took out the Control Hub and pressed it a couple of times. An invisible force quickly separated the two Contract Beasts. Not only could they no longer touch each other, but they also vanished from each other's sight at the same time.
It was equivalent to putting the two Contract Beasts in separate compartments to prevent contact, except the system achieved this in a much more remarkable way.
"Steel-Armored Rhino, the Shadow-Hunting Lizard is in a bad mood. I'll explain later. Go play for now." Having guessed what had happened, Xu Ran knew the rhino had been dragged into this through no fault of its own, so he offered it an explanation.
"Roar~"
The Steel-Armored Rhino shook its large head.
It wasn't the type to hold petty grudges anyway. Since Xu Ran had spoken, it would let the matter slide.
It jumped excitedly into the Mud Pit and the Steel-Armored Rhino rolled around happily, soon forgetting the little incident entirely.
Then Xu Ran turned to the Shadow-Hunting Lizard on the other side.
"Ka~"
The anger in the Shadow-Hunting Lizard's eyes slowly faded. Looking somewhat aggrieved, it backed away step by step, about to retreat into the Stone Forest and slip into the shadows, but Xu Ran called it to a halt.
"Shadow-Hunting Lizard, stop!"
He strode up to the Shadow-Hunting Lizard. "I already know why you feel hurt, but think back carefully. After coming here, did you ever ask the Steel-Armored Rhino about its situation?"
The Shadow-Hunting Lizard stopped, thought for a moment, then shook its head.
"See? The Steel-Armored Rhino never said its situation was the same as yours. That was just your guess. Was it right to attack it because your own guess turned out to be wrong?"
"Ka~"
A little clarity returned to the Shadow-Hunting Lizard's eyes, and it shook its head.
Its low spirits had clouded its judgment. Seeing the Steel-Armored Rhino again had sent its emotions out of control, leading it to act so rashly.
Seeing that the Shadow-Hunting Lizard could still listen to reason, Xu Ran breathed a small sigh of relief.
With that, the conflict between the Steel-Armored Rhino and the Shadow-Hunting Lizard was resolved. He wouldn't have to worry about them fighting whenever they met.
But there was still another problem to solve.
The Shadow-Hunting Lizard's low spirits.
That affected the Happiness Points it could provide, so Xu Ran took it very seriously.
"All right, now let's talk about your problem." Taking a deep breath, Xu Ran began slowly, "I know your Beast Tamer... huh? Don't go!"
Xu Ran was dumbfounded as the Shadow-Hunting Lizard slipped into the shadows at the mere mention of its Beast Tamer, refusing to communicate any further.
Well...
How am I supposed to talk it through this now?
"Hey! Shadow-Hunting Lizard, come out! Let's talk!"
"If something's upsetting you, just tell me!"
"Can you hear me? Come out!"
"..."
After several calls, the Shadow-Hunting Lizard remained motionless, showing no intention of leaving the shadows. Xu Ran shook his head helplessly.
If he knew exactly what had happened between the Shadow-Hunting Lizard and its Beast Tamer, perhaps it would be easier to help it.
Unfortunately, that Beast Tamer had left in such a hurry that, never mind leaving contact information, Xu Ran still didn't even know his name.
He had a long way to go before he could soothe the Shadow-Hunting Lizard.
Holding Purple Cloud, he went back upstairs, and business continued at the Starfire Foster Shop.
"Big Rock, be good and wait for me at the foster shop this coming week."
A young man wearing a headband, his hair standing up in lively spikes, walked down a street not far from the Starfire Foster Shop.
Following behind him was a Contract Beast a full three meters long, with a broad, thick back covered in palm-sized stone scales. It walked slowly on four short, sturdy legs, trailing a long tail.
An earth-type Contract Beast, the Stone-Armored Dragon.
"Awoo~"
The Stone-Armored Dragon raised its head and answered with a low cry. Its eyes were filled with reluctance as it looked at its Beast Tamer ahead.
"I don't want to leave you either, but I can't take you where I'm going." Zhang Yun stopped, turned around, and crouched to stroke the Stone-Armored Dragon's head. "Don't worry. I'll come back as soon as I can."
"Speaking of which..." Zhang Yun lifted his hand from the Stone-Armored Dragon's head and frowned at his somewhat dirty palm. "It's been a while since I last took you for grooming."
"The Beast King Foster Shop I picked doesn't offer grooming services..."
"Here's what we'll do! I'll find a nearby shop that offers grooming and get you a good wash before taking you to be fostered." Zhang Yun patted the Stone-Armored Dragon's head.
"Awoo~"
The Stone-Armored Dragon nodded indifferently.
Its sturdy stone shell dulled its sensitivity to the outside world somewhat, so the dirt on its body hadn't made it particularly uncomfortable. But it was naturally willing to spend a little more time with its Beast Tamer.
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