A visit to the pet shop

People bustled along the chaotic street.

Baron Puxin, whose name Lin Ke could never remember, bowed with remarkable elegance despite his corpulent figure, then stepped forward to kiss Furon's hand.

Hand-kissing was a greeting reserved for relatives within a family, with younger members paying their respects to their elders.

For instance, if Lin Ke met an aunt or some other older female relative, he could kiss her hand.

But it should never be done to the wife of a peer. That was extremely improper.

So Lin Ke intercepted the conceited baron's greasy hand, gripped it, and gave it a shake. "Hello, Con... no, Uncle Baron."

Handshakes did not yet exist in this world. The usual greetings were a thump of the right fist against the chest to express sincerity, or a bow to show respect.

Baron Puxin raised an eyebrow at the little fellow who had suddenly appeared before him, but once he realized it was Lin Ke, he smiled faintly.

"Ah, the esteemed young master Lin Ke. I'm your uncle. Do you remember me?"

As he spoke, he shifted his greasy belly and barrel-shaped waist aside, revealing a boy behind him with an equally oily, powdered face and slicked-back hair. "Galia, you two are the same age. You should chat more... hmm, I'll have a word with Lady Furon first."

With that, he eagerly tried to shove Lin Ke aside with his backside.

Baron Puxin's son tilted his head back, exposing his nostrils, and smirked out of one corner of his mouth. "Hello, I'm..."

Lin Ke smiled faintly and ignored Baron Puxin's son completely. He dodged Baron Puxin and took Furon's hand.

"Come on, Mother. Let's take a look at that Akrik's Shop."

He pulled her away as soon as he finished speaking. Furon murmured her assent and waved to Baron Puxin. "Goodbye, Baron Sandir!"

John, Nix, and the others were still young and did not understand. They simply followed.

The two guards, however, casually positioned themselves in front of Baron Puxin and his son.

"Father, that mudblood ignored me!"

Baron Puxin's son pouted, cracking the powder on his face and exposing the freckles beneath.

Baron Puxin said nothing. He stood there and narrowed his eyes, hiding the sharp gleam within, then followed them.

Akrik's Shop was a pet shop, or rather, an animal dealership.

It sold pets, mounts, breeding bulls and boars, and even some wild beasts prized for their delicious meat.

It was quite a spacious shop, with three floors.

Supposedly, it had branches elsewhere on the continent, which also sold unusual creatures from other planes, and even sapient beings.

Although the branch in Parrot City had three floors, it was still very crowded.

Many hunters and adventurers brought rare wild beasts caught in the nearby forest or the more distant Great Swamp to sell, filling the entire space with all manner of animal cries and foul smells.

As soon as Furon drew near, she could not help frowning and stopping in her tracks.

From a distance, after all, one could only see how cute and novel the animals were. One could not see the stench.

Furon was about to go elsewhere. It was a hot afternoon, making the smell all the more intense.

Just then, however, the Luck bloodline in Lin Ke's mind stirred.

The Knowledge bloodline provided special bonuses to learning, acquiring, mastering, and applying knowledge.

The Luck bloodline, meanwhile, increased the likelihood of fortunate events.

In that case...

"Mother, I want to go inside and look!"

Lin Ke tugged at Furon's hand and gazed up at her with his wide, utterly innocent eyes.

Furon's heart melted, and her maternal affection overflowed. "All right!" She pinched Lin Ke's cheek.

Success!

Lin Ke glanced back. Baron Puxin seemed to have followed them.

Wasn't this fellow afraid Garros would deal with him when he returned...?

Lin Ke gave the two guard captains a meaningful look. "Tell that baron to get lost if he doesn't want to die. Otherwise, I'll tell Viscount Garros exactly what happened."

Then he took Furon's hand and walked into Akrik's Shop.

The two guard captains exchanged a glance and nodded, then turned to face Baron Puxin, who was following behind them.

It was clear that Akrik's Shop had originally been very spacious.

But with its only two shop assistants run off their feet, many cages of wild beasts had simply been dumped on the floor, making the whole place feel cramped.

At the counter at the very back, a burly woman was haggling with four or five people at once.

"Five silver coins! Five at most! You're as greedy as the kobolds of the Yulan Plane!"

"This sable of yours is obviously dyed purple! Next time, remember to wash the paint out from between its claws, idiot."

"Oh, look who it is! The most precious jewel of our Azan Territory, Azan's sweetest crimson wind-Lady Furon!"

Suddenly, the shopkeeper, whose arms were covered in black hair, spotted Furon and Lin Ke. She pushed past the hunters and came over warmly. "And you-could you be the famous, brilliant young master Lin Ke?"

The shopkeeper looked at Lin Ke, who was surveying his surroundings.

It seemed she had met Furon before.

"Hello."

Furon was clearly uncomfortable in this place, where the smells of sweat, feet, animals, and every other kind of stink mingled.

But there was no helping it. Lin Ke wanted to find out why his Luck bloodline had stirred, so Furon would have to put up with a little discomfort.

He therefore said directly, "Hello, big sister. Would it be all right if Mother and I browsed for a while?"

At Lin Ke's calling her "big sister," a startling gleam burst from the shopkeeper's eyes. Delighted, she said:

"Of course, my dearest young master Lin Ke! Your eyes are brighter than the noon sunlight on Orlan Lake to the south!"

Then she bellowed into the shop, "Lubi! Little Lubi, get your backside over here! Show our Lady Furon and young master Lin Ke around! Hurry!"

A thin, dark-skinned young man came running over.

"Oh! Wouldn't that be too much trouble...?" Furon felt a little embarrassed. She could also see how busy the shop was.

"Not at all, my lady. Your visit alone is an honor for our shop." The shopkeeper bent slightly in a bow.

Lin Ke could not help marveling. Though Akrik's Shop was a large chain, it understood how to deal with people. It neither bullied customers because of its size nor neglected the local rulers.

Very clever.

"Big sister, go ahead and get back to work. There's no need to send an assistant over, either. We'll let you know if anything catches our eye. Just charge it to Azan Castle's account."

Lin Ke's purpose was not shopping anyway.

"You truly are a handsome and considerate noble. Thank you for your understanding."

The shopkeeper thanked him sincerely, then waved the assistant back to work.

To avoid disrupting her business with too much conversation, Lin Ke took his mother along and began looking around, searching everywhere.

Most of the creatures here were ordinary wild beasts, likely to be bought as game meat for small restaurants.

A few were beautiful, showy beasts. Animals like these were generally considered prospective pets.

Such creatures tended to attract women most, though in truth, people of any age or gender had animals they liked.

Most boys preferred large, powerful animals, while most girls liked small, cute ones with vivid colors.

Furon, for instance, had stopped in front of a cage, frowning and covering her nose even as her eyes shone.

"What an adorable little spotted kitten! Lin Ke, look!"

Furon tugged at Lin Ke.

Lin Ke looked over and saw a little cheetah trembling in a corner of the cage.