Having learned the truth behind the stone statue's strange transformation, and with a huge sum of money about to come his way, Shi Yu was bursting with joy.
That very day, he came to the Century Group building, ready to splurge.
Century Group was a leading enterprise in the high-tech sector of the ancient nation of Dong Huang, with a presence in nearly every city of the third tier and above.
Shi Yu planned to buy a smarter phone here.
In fact, while Lu Qingyi was still around, Shi Yu had asked her whether the organization provided phones.
And the answer he received was, of course, no.
She told Shi Yu to use part of his initial ten-million-yuan funds to buy one himself. At his level, there was no need to provide him with a dedicated phone yet.
That was rough... but never mind. Even a relatively smart phone would only cost a hundred thousand yuan, which was nothing compared to ten million.
"Welcome, sir. How may I help you?"
As soon as Shi Yu entered the phone showroom, a receptionist came up to him.
"I'd like to pick out a phone."
"What are your basic requirements?"
"It should be able to connect to the internet, detect energy, and have a pet beast guide."
As soon as Shi Yu finished speaking, the receptionist took a phone with a silver-white casing from the counter and said, "How about this one?"
"This is Century Group's latest model, the Illustrated Guide Phone M30. It contains information on 6,029 kinds of pet beasts and their skills. It can also accurately detect the energy fluctuation levels of pet beasts below the Transcendent Level."
"It costs 99,998 yuan. If you choose this one, you'll also receive a thousand yuan in phone credit if you buy it now."
"Can I try it out?" Shi Yu asked.
"Of course."
Shi Yu took the phone and found the guide function.
The guide function wasn't really all that magical. Much like the scan function on a smartphone on Earth, it only worked when the phone's camera was pointed at another living creature.
After opening the guide, Shi Yu pointed the phone at a black-and-orange dog with a fierce expression lying outside the showroom. In an instant, the phone began reading aloud.
[Name]: Mechanical Dog [Attribute]: Mechanical [Species level]: Mid-Level Transcendent [Growth level]: Awakening Level Ten [Species skills]: Image Storage, Aura Detection, Electric Current Bite, Self-Destruction [Description]: An artificial mechanical life-form used for guarding, tracking, and investigation.
The phone didn't just read the information aloud; it also displayed the Mechanical Dog's detailed information on the screen.
The information was relatively comprehensive, and he could learn more about the skills by tapping them or using voice commands.
[Skill]: Self-Destruction [Skill level]: High-level [Description]: Detonates all the energy in the user's body. The user dies after using it.
Shi Yu: "..."
That skill's level was really high, but if he wanted to copy it, wouldn't there be a bug?
See it, touch it... if it had already blown itself up, what was left for him to touch?
Forget it, forget it. Eleven and the Green Silkworm had no use for the skill anyway...
Thanks to the basic energy fluctuation detection function, the Mechanical Dog's growth level had also been successfully detected.
Level ten was quite high, only one step away from becoming a Transcendent Level creature.
Very good.
Shi Yu spoke silently to himself. The guide was the function he valued most.
Although he was something of a top student himself, what he knew most about were creatures with Transcendent Level species levels, and he couldn't claim to know all of them.
But with this phone, whether he encountered a rare pet beast with a high species level or a rare skill, he could immediately look up the relevant information.
Although he would certainly have to keep studying if he wanted to become an outstanding Beast Tamer, using high-tech products could make up for some of his shortcomings for now and let him take a shortcut.
All in all, the phone was great in every way as far as he was concerned, and it looked pretty good too. It was just... so expensive!
If he bought it now, his savings would hit rock bottom.
If the ten million yuan Lu Qingyi had promised arrived tomorrow, that would be fine. If it didn't, he and Eleven would have nothing but dirt to eat.
Roasted Earth-Burrowing Rat.
If only he'd known, he would have come tomorrow... Shi Yu was once again keenly aware of the flaws in his personality.
He was intensely curious and rather impatient. A personality like that was perfect for courting death. No wonder he was the one who had transmigrated.
"Forget it, I'm already here."
He'd already handed over the rare evolution method. It wasn't as if the ten million could run away.
"I'll take one," Shi Yu told the receptionist.
"Certainly, sir." The receptionist immediately smiled, since it seemed she could treat herself to an extra chicken leg tonight.
After buying the phone and taking care of the paperwork, Shi Yu left with his heart aching.
But instead of hurrying home, he went to another company, Talent Group.
Talent Group and Century Group were two of the five major groups in the ancient nation of Dong Huang, and both had a wide reach.
The latter specialized in high-tech products, while the former focused on rare spiritual plants, minerals, pet beast food, and supplements.
Since he had already spent so much, Shi Yu didn't mind spending a little more.
Eleven had eaten plenty of Iron Bamboo every day for nearly a month now. Although he liked it, Shi Yu planned to get him something better.
In the end, he bought some Ironheart Wood, a level-two resource. It was also a recommended food in the Iron-Eating Beast cultivation manual Lin Xiuzhu had given him, and it was a higher grade than Iron Bamboo.
As its name suggested, Ironheart Wood was wood with metallic minerals growing inside it. It was a spiritual plant with a filling, and it was also part of the Iron-Eating Beast's diet.
Its attributes likewise leaned toward metal and wood, and it could effectively strengthen an Iron-Eating Beast's Hardening ability and vitality.
This ingredient provided more nutrition than Iron Bamboo. Generally, only Transcendent Level Iron-Eating Beasts ate it as a staple, as it was otherwise easy for them to take in too much nutrition.
That said, considering how much his own Iron-Eating Beast consumed... Shi Yu didn't think using up all that nutrition would be a problem at all. After all, he ate several times as much as a normal Iron-Eating Beast.
As for the Green Silkworm, it grew quickly anyway, and an occasional lesson from the Skill Index kept it supplied with nutrition, so Shi Yu didn't spend much on it.
The Green Silkworm could eat whatever he ate. Now that was a bond! A bond even Eleven couldn't enjoy!
Afterward, Shi Yu also planned to see if there were any higher-grade supplements. After all, he was practically developing antibodies to Mind-Clearing Capsules.
Besides, Mind-Clearing Capsules really weren't very high-grade... He would have money soon, so Shi Yu planned to treat himself better. Only if he was well could his pet beasts be well.
But considering that he still had Mind-Clearing Capsules left at home, Shi Yu ultimately decided to use them up before looking for a new replacement.
After splurging to his heart's content, Shi Yu returned home feeling refreshed.
As usual, Eleven had dragged the Green Silkworm along to do their daily training.
As for Shi Yu himself, besides meditating, he could now lie in the courtyard and study on his phone.
After he browsed for a while, he suddenly received a text notification from the Ping City Beast Tamer Association addressed to all apprentice Beast Tamers in Pingcheng District, since he had registered under his real name as a Beast Tamer.
"The Pingcheng District ruins have opened. Those interested in exploring may sign up for the Beast Tamer Association's wilderness combat training and take the assessment. Those who pass will receive permission to explore, and everything obtained within the ruins will belong to the individual!"