"This Iron-Eating Beast seemed clever from a young age."
Shi Yu was very pleased to see that the Iron-Eating Beast cub had quickly overcome its resistance and accepted reality.
Wasn't it just a better environment to grow up in? Wasn't it just all kinds of delicious food?
Once he became a powerful Beast Tamer, wouldn't he be able to have whatever he wanted?
Well, before that, though, he would have to rely on the Iron-Eating Beast to sweat and toil to help him become a formidable Beast Tamer.
"Can we sign the contract now?"
Shi Yu looked at Breeder Lin Xiuzhu, who was holding down the Iron-Eating Beast cub.
Only after he signed a contract with the Iron-Eating Beast and they established a mental connection would they truly become each other's Beast Tamer and pet beast.
Only then could the various special features of the Beast Taming system be shown.
"Yes." Lin Xiuzhu moved her hand away and nodded.
"You handle the contract. I'll watch over you from the side."
With that, Lin Xiuzhu also breathed a sigh of relief.
At last, a Beast Tamer was willing to take Eleven.
Although many Beast Tamers who had come to choose pet beasts had rejected this Iron-Eating Beast, believing its talent was poor, Lin Xiuzhu didn't think so.
The Iron-Eating Beast cub's innately frail constitution was no major problem at all. After it entered a Beast Taming Space and spent some time recuperating, it would gradually recover. This wasn't the first time something like this had happened.
On the contrary, in Lin Xiuzhu's eyes, the hard-working character it had gradually developed in the face of that difference and rejection from one Beast Tamer after another-its refusal to admit defeat and its desire for recognition-was special, and an even greater sign of outstanding talent.
If a normally lazy Iron-Eating Beast stopped being lazy and became a little more self-disciplined, then, as long as it was raised properly, it wouldn't necessarily be inferior to pet beasts with higher racial ranks.
She herself had grown up at the Iron Bamboo Breeding Base, living alongside these Iron-Eating Beasts since childhood, and her first pet beast had also been an Iron-Eating Beast. As a result, she knew the circumstances of every Iron-Eating Beast like the back of her hand.
Originally, she had thought that if no one was willing to take this Iron-Eating Beast in the end, it would be nice to keep it at the breeding base and care for it herself.
But now that Shi Yu had taken a liking to it, perhaps this was a very good outcome for both Shi Yu and Iron-Eating Beast No. Eleven. Beast Tamers and pet beasts had always helped each other improve and grow together.
What's more, considering that Shi Yu had been a victim of the disaster in Ping City ten years ago, she had also chosen to include a month's worth of pet beast food for free.
During the beast tide ten years ago, she had only been a child, and both her parents had been powerful Beast Tamers. She had little memory of the disaster, but for ordinary people, it had been another story.
Many families had been torn apart, and many children had been orphaned. In fact, the people supported by local policy were precisely victims of the disaster like Shi Yu.
Without that status, even with Shi Yu's special Telepathy talent and his trainee breeder certificate, it wouldn't have been easy for him to get a loan to purchase an Iron-Eating Beast cub.
Society looked after the vulnerable in most cases, and Shi Yu, as one of those vulnerable people receiving care, had not rejected this innately frail Iron-Eating Beast. Instead, he had accepted it, and that had earned him Lin Xiuzhu's silent approval. That was why she was willing to include a month's worth of pet beast food.
The food wasn't much to her, but it would certainly ease a great deal of pressure on Shi Yu and his pet.
I hope they can have a better future... Lin Xiuzhu thought silently. After all, she had cared for the Iron-Eating Beasts for so long that she had grown attached to them.
"From today on, I'm your Beast Tamer... Let's work hard together. You're called Eleven here, right? My name is Shi Yu. It's very similar to yours, which means we're really fated to meet. How about I keep calling you Eleven, or Shi Yi?" Facing the nervous Iron-Eating Beast No. Eleven cub, Shi Yu closed his eyes, meditated, and murmured.
At that moment, Shi Yu seemed to look inward and see the Beast Taming Space in his mind.
It was a white world with transparent walls and an interior like clouds.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~~~
As Shi Yu connected with the Beast Taming Space and activated the Capture Contract using the method he remembered learning, a breeze stirred outside.
As gray dust rose from the ground, countless points of light flickered in front of Shi Yu. Two circular arrays, transparent and resembling star charts, appeared above and below the Iron-Eating Beast cub, sandwiching it between them.
The next second, countless faint points of light streamed from the arrays and wrapped around the Iron-Eating Beast cub, as if to envelop and cover it!
"Relax. Don't struggle."
Beside them, Lin Xiuzhu spoke to the Iron-Eating Beast cub. She could sense that Shi Yu hadn't activated the contract at full strength, so its restraints weren't very strong. If the Iron-Eating Beast struggled even a little, the contract would be interrupted, so she had to remind it.
At the same time, Shi Yu watched it quite seriously.
"Wuu..."
Enveloped in white light, the Iron-Eating Beast No. Eleven cub still looked very nervous. In this state, however, the Telepathy connection between Shi Yu and the Iron-Eating Beast reached a higher level.
The Iron-Eating Beast cub could now clearly sense Shi Yu's feelings, too. Shi Yu was very fond of this cub. Having been all alone in both his lives, he knew very well that this Iron-Eating Beast might be the one to accompany him for the rest of his life. He had already adopted the mindset of a parent hoping his child would become a dragon, and was determined to raise the cub with the care he would give a child, helping it grow up smoothly.
Alas... I haven't even found a wife, and I've already gotten a pet beast that's harder to raise than a kid. Shi Yu felt a little weary.
Although Shi Yu seemed unserious on the surface, it was his reasonably sincere heart that made the Iron-Eating Beast cub lower its guard and begin accepting the contract. It had also fully accepted the Beast Tamer who had chosen it.
Soon, white light finally spread over the Iron-Eating Beast cub's entire body. The arrays connecting to the Beast Taming Space rippled, and within those ripples, the cub, shrouded in white light, gradually turned into specks of light and vanished from the outside world, entering the Beast Taming Space!
Hum!
Everything happened so quickly that Shi Yu had yet to react. He only felt a warm current flow through his body. His mind first grew tired, then quickly recovered, and he became remarkably alert. His strength seemed to have increased considerably, too.
"Congratulations. You've successfully signed a contract with the Iron-Eating Beast."
"My advice is to let it get used to the environment in the Beast Taming Space first. Don't summon it and put it back too often for now."
"If it can adapt to the Beast Taming Space quickly, it should be able to awaken the Hardening ability within a week."
As Shi Yu's head buzzed, Lin Xiuzhu's voice came from behind him.
"Okay." Shi Yu nodded subconsciously, realizing at the same time what had happened to him.
After successfully signing a contract with his first pet beast and becoming a Beast Tamer, he had immediately received a feedback of power from his pet beast, improving both his mental strength and physical condition!
Although the Iron-Eating Beast cub was weak, it could still give him at least a little feedback. Even the smallest mosquito had meat on it, and for Shi Yu, who was experiencing this for the first time, it was a great novelty.
But that wasn't what he found most novel.
What delighted Shi Yu most was that, after he successfully contracted his first pet beast and his physical qualities improved, the Skill Index had also given him new information.
The number of skills it could record had increased.
"What's wrong?" Lin Xiuzhu asked, noticing something odd about Shi Yu.
"Nothing. I just felt my physical condition improve, and I'm not quite used to it," Shi Yu said at once.
Lin Xiuzhu smiled. "It really does take some getting used to the first time. You'll be fine once you get used to it."
"Then I'll take you to complete the final procedures. You'll also get a breeding manual. While we're at it, fill in your address. The iron bamboo I promised you will be delivered to you regularly when it's on the way. This kind of food has to be kept fresh, so it isn't suitable for storing in large quantities."
"Once you've eaten all of it, you're welcome to come back and order more Iron-Eating Beast food, but you'll have to pay for it then."
"No problem..." Shi Yu said. "Actually, Senior Lin, I have another presumptuous request."
"Hmm?"
"Can I look around here? To raise the Iron-Eating Beast well, I'd like to learn more about its actual living environment."
"Of course that's fine. You can even bring the Iron-Eating Beast back to play whenever you like in the future. After all, this is its home. Well, no freeloading meals..."
"Ahem, we won't freeload meals. By the way, can the Iron-Eating Beasts here be touched...?"
"Usually, that's no problem. This is a tourist attraction, after all, and the Iron-Eating Beasts are all very docile. Besides, you have the Telepathy talent."
Great!
Her answer thrilled Shi Yu. Didn't that settle it? Why wait a week? He would get Hardening for the Iron-Eating Beast today and show it how impressive its Beast Tamer was.
This was the first step in raising a child: make it worship you first. Once that succeeded, it would be easy to foo... educate!
He just didn't know whether the adult Iron-Eating Beasts here had mastered any rare skills beyond their racial abilities... Never mind, he would copy Hardening first.