66: Chapter 66 The Talent for Taming Beasts

Greenleaf gently pressed her fingertips against the cub's abdomen and joints.

She also checked the development of its tentacles and the clarity of its eyes.

Then, she slowly traced a rune of nature magic above the cub's body with her hand.

A pale green light spilled from her fingertips. The cub yawned comfortably, its ears flattening backward simultaneously, and then it lay on the moss, burying its head between its front legs.

"It is very healthy, slightly lighter than a Displacer Beast cub of the same age, but that is not a problem."

"You said you want to raise it as a war beast? Raising a Displacer Beast is not simple pet keeping."

"It will not naturally obey your commands when it reaches adulthood. You need to establish a kind of spiritual bond with it... not enslavement, not a contract, but making it trust you."

"This requires time, and it also requires some basic training."

"How long will it take to learn?" Richard asked.

"As for basic beast taming skills, I can teach you within a few days. After that, it will depend on you cultivating a relationship with it over the long term."

Greenleaf placed the cub back onto the soft moss, turned around, and took a thick notebook bound with tree bark fibers from the bookshelf. She opened it to a page and handed it to Richard.

The notebook contained the key points for raising a Displacer Beast, written in both neat Elvish and Common: feeding frequency, calcium supplementation during the tentacle development period, guidance methods for the budding stage of the phantom field, and so on.

"If you want to master the ability to tame beasts yourself, I can teach you. Of course, it is not free."

"The tuition is ten gold coins, and material costs are extra. If you want the Displacer Beast to be able to fight alongside you in the future, the investment of these few days is definitely worth it."

Richard paid the money decisively.

Morpheus said with a smile, "Congratulations, Captain. It won't be long before you gain a powerful war beast."

"Then I will head back first."

For the next few days, the other members of the squad took the opportunity to relax and rest, while Richard headed straight to Greenleaf's treehouse every morning after finishing his smithing at the dwarven forge.

The druid's teaching style was as unconventional as she was.

On the first day, she did not let Richard touch the cub. Instead, she had him spend an entire afternoon observing the predation and social behavior of several small Moon Hounds, while she provided instruction and guidance on the side.

"The first step of beast taming is careful observation."

Greenleaf said, while gently fiddling with a jumping spider in her hand.

"You must first understand the behavioral logic of the beast to know when to give commands and when to stay quiet."

"A Displacer Beast is not a puppy; it won't wag its tail just because you call it."

"It is an ambush predator. Its nature is suspicious, and it is accustomed to using illusions rather than direct confrontation to solve problems."

"If you want to be its partner, you must first learn to think like a Displacer Beast."

On the second day, she had Richard feed the cub fresh minced meat by hand, and while feeding, he was to gently rub the scent glands on the cub's forehead with his fingers.

The cub chirped and struggled to track the position of Richard's fingers with its not-yet-fully-focused eyes.

The keratinous serrations on its tentacles scratched a few shallow marks into the soft moss.

"It has completely memorized your scent," Greenleaf said after squatting nearby and observing for a while.

"From now on, the more you feed it, the more it will feel that your presence means safety and food."

On the third day, she taught him how to use mental soothing.

This was an entry-level beast taming technique improved by druids.

It did not require natural magic affinity or the chanting of spells; one only needed to master a specific breathing rhythm and set of hand movements.

Richard sat cross-legged on the moss-covered ground and placed the cub on his knees.

Following the rhythm Greenleaf taught, he held his palm suspended a few inches above the cub's head, maintained a steady breathing frequency, and focused on feeling it with his heart every time he exhaled.

It did not take long.

The cub rolled over comfortably under his palm, opened its mouth—which had not yet grown teeth—to let out a big yawn, and its two ears drooped down simultaneously as it fell asleep on his knees.

"Your speed of learning the basics is very fast. You have a real talent for beast taming. Look, it has already accepted you." Greenleaf lowered her voice, as if afraid of waking the cub.

Her amber eyes held a trace of undisguised gratification.

She said with a smile, "There is something about you... perhaps it is willpower, perhaps it is something else, that can make such sensitive creatures feel at ease."

"This Displacer Beast can become your war beast, but the path of beast taming is like any combat profession; it is easy to enter but difficult to master. You need to continue learning and delving deeper."

Just as Richard was about to answer, the parchment scroll in his mind automatically unfurled.

Golden text appeared line by line, neatly and rapidly arranged. In just a few short days, he had gained a new sub-class:

[Beast Taming skill detected as activated]

[Through systematic training and autonomous practice, you have mastered basic animal ethology and beast taming skills. New sub-class unlocked: Beast Tamer.]

[Current Level: Level 1 Beast Tamer (0/100); Beast Tamer experience points can only be gained by successfully executing beast taming commands, establishing new beast bonds, and completing relevant training tasks.]

[New Skill Acquired: Beast Empathy Lv0 (0/50) - Establish a temporary trust relationship with a beast through breathing, body temperature, and body language; effective on beasts with intelligence below a certain level. The duration and success probability increase with skill level.]

He closed the panel and gently lifted the cub from his knees, placing it back into the soft moss nest.

The cub chirped in its sleep, and its tentacles instinctively wrapped around his finger for a moment before letting go.

When he stood up, his knees creaked twice from having sat cross-legged for too long, but he did not feel any fatigue; on the contrary, he felt exceptionally excited.

"This is your commission fee." Richard placed ten gold coins on the workbench and added five more.

"Please take care of this cub for a few days for now. I need to return to the city... my teammates are still waiting for me to accept new missions."

Greenleaf collected the gold coins into a piggy bank made from a snail shell and waved at him.

"It will certainly be well taken care of here with me. Go on, warrior."

"By the time you return, it should already be able to run circles on the moss."

After she finished speaking, she lowered her head to look at the little furball curled into a ball, her eyes filled with gentle focus.

The emerald green tree viper on her shoulder extended its head from its coiled body and flicked its long, slender purple tongue, as if saying goodbye to Richard.

Richard walked out of the treehouse. The cool evening breeze in the forest blew against his face, scattering the moss debris that had clung to his cloak.

He could not help but look back at the wondrous giant oak tree.

Through the window woven from vines, the warm yellow lamplight illuminated Greenleaf's stooped figure.

She was carefully feeding the cub, humming an Elvish ballad he could not understand.

The distant horizon was aglow with the orange-red sunset clouds.

He withdrew his gaze, put on his horned helmet, and strode toward Blackwater City.