10: Open
Luo Chen took the badge made of tender grass. “Thank you, Master Liu.”
After bidding farewell to Official Liu Chengyu, Luo Chen returned along the path he had come from.
Chenyang Pet Store.
Luo Chen took down the ‘Temporarily Closed’ sign from the door, signifying that the pet store was open for business again.
He returned to the store, took out a sign from the warehouse, and wrote down the service scope of Chenyang Pet Store on it.
Beast sales and fostering services.
If it weren't for his insufficient Rank as an Apprentice Breeder, he would have liked to offer Beast breeding services as well.
However, his identity as an Apprentice Breeder couldn't support him in providing this service, so Luo Chen could only temporarily give up.
After placing the sign in a conspicuous spot in the first-floor lobby, Luo Chen's next task was to wait for customers to arrive.
From sunrise until sunset, not a single customer entered. Luo Chen watched the pedestrians on the street outside decrease in number.
He started to doubt life itself. How could not a single customer come in?
‘Creak’
The sound of the store door opening finally rang out, and Luo Chen looked towards the door with anticipation.
A high ponytail, a slightly chubby round face, and wearing the student uniform of Qingyang First High.
The young girl who entered was startled by Luo Chen's intense gaze and, feeling flustered, tried to open the door and back out.
From her actions, Luo Chen guessed her thoughts and immediately spoke to retain her. This was his first customer, and whether she bought anything or not, it would at least add some liveliness to the store. Otherwise, he would truly start doubting life.
“Student, is there anything you're looking for?”
The cute round-faced girl heard his words and looked even more reserved. “I'm just looking around.”
“Just looking? No problem, feel free to look around.”
As if seeing the girl's social anxiety, Luo Chen shifted his gaze back to his personal terminal.
Without Luo Chen's direct gaze, the round-faced girl felt more at ease.
She first surveyed the interior space of the store, somewhat amazed that the store was willing to use a space Skill to expand its internal area.
After circling the store, she finally found the only few Beasts in the vast store in some cages in the middle of the south side.
The girl's face showed deep confusion. How could a store that seemed to have no shortage of money, judging by its decor and space, only have two or three Beasts for sale?
The girl secretly glanced at Luo Chen, and seeing that he wasn't looking at her, she breathed a sigh of relief and walked towards the cages with Beasts on the south side.
Her round eyes stared at the six little fellows in the cages.
The gentle and obedient Fragrant Rabbit, the excited and cheerful Radiant Hound, and the lazy and arrogant Lightning Rat.
Among them, the Radiant Hound was the most excited by the girl's arrival, trying to get close to her through the cage.
Luo Chen, who was secretly observing from the side, quietly gave the Radiant Hound a thumbs-up. Yes, that's how you promote yourself.
The lazy Lightning Rat made Luo Chen feel frustrated, wishing it could be better. Would any Beast Master choose such a lazy one? No, he definitely needed to give it extra training later.
The young girl's timid voice rang out, “Shopkeeper… big brother, these Fragrant Rabbits here seem a bit off.”
Luo Chen put down his personal terminal, came to the cages, and asked curiously, “What's wrong with them?”
“The crystals on the earlobes of these three Fragrant Rabbits seem abnormally large.” These words took all the courage the young girl had.
A gentle smile hung on Luo Chen's lips. “You're right, but have you noticed that their fragrance is also stronger?”
The young girl sniffed hard, then nodded, indeed, the fragrance in the air was very rich.
“Moreover, the crystals on their earlobes are closely related to their own Rank.”
Luo Chen's hint was very clear.
The young girl herself was very intelligent; her eyes lit up. “Does Shopkeeper Big Brother mean that the Rank of these Fragrant Rabbits exceeds the common Fierce Beast Two-star?”
Luo Chen calmly nodded, giving the young girl an affirmative answer.
It seemed that these few sentences of conversation with Luo Chen made the young girl less socially anxious, and she continued:
“But common Fragrant Rabbits on the market have never exceeded Fierce Beast Two-star. The ones here at Shopkeeper Big Brother's store seem very different.”
“Fragrant Rabbits above Fierce Beast Two-star haven't appeared on the market, not because they can't be bred, but because the cost is too high, and the profit gained is not as high as that from Fierce Beast Two-star.”
The young girl's eyes darted towards the Fragrant Rabbits in the cage. “Then, these?”
“We are different. Chenyang Pet Store only breeds high-quality goods. Naturally, we will cultivate Beasts to a higher quality.”
Luo Chen very appropriately advertised his store.
“Then what is the price of these Fragrant Rabbits?” The young girl's eyes were full of curiosity.
“A sincere price of twenty-five thousand spirit coin.”
After hearing Luo Chen's words, the young girl's face stiffened, then she waved her hands frantically, “No, no, I don't have money to buy them.”
A hint of disappointment flashed across Luo Chen's face, but he didn't intend to bully the young girl. “Haha, just kidding, don't be so nervous, you can continue to observe.”
Seeing that Luo Chen was just joking, the young girl quietly breathed a sigh of relief. She stayed for a while longer, checked the time on her watch, and then hurried out of the store.
‘Ding-dong’
Someone sent Luo Chen a message on his terminal.
Chenyangs Light: Bro, where are you?
Luo Chen slapped his forehead. He almost forgot, his own younger brother was also from Qingyang First High, and today, like the girl who came to the store, he should be on holiday.
Luo Chen: I'm at the store, coming home soon.
After replying to this message, Luo Chen prepared food and water for the six Beasts for the night, then closed the store and hurried home.
However, passing by a restaurant, he didn't forget to buy some food that Luo Yang liked, after all, he had finally come home, so he still had to treat him.
‘Click’
Luo Chen opened the door to his home. The lights inside were bright, but Luo Yang was nowhere to be seen. However, he did see a lion-like Beast nearly one meter tall.
Its fur was predominantly crimson, and its sharp claws and fangs clearly indicated that it was not to be trifled with.
It saw Luo Chen and excitedly pounced on him. Luo Chen felt a wave of heat rush towards him, and he hastily put down the packed food he was holding.
He firmly embraced the lion-like Beast with both arms. The Light Spirit Cat, which had been on Luo Chen's shoulder, seemed to dislike the high temperature around the lion-like Beast and 'whooshed' onto a nearby chair.
Blazing Lion, that was the name of the Beast in Luo Chen's arms, and also the contracted Beast of his younger brother, Luo Yang.
【race: Blazing Lion
Rank: Fierce Beast Nine-star
Type: Elemental · Fire
State: Joyful
Aptitude: Excellent
Skills: 1. Blazing Flame (Yellow-tier): The Blazing Lion can spray or coat its claws with blazing flames to attack targets.
2. Flowing Flame Bullet (Yellow-tier): Gathers fire element energy to form a fist-sized fireball that can be shot at targets.
3. Flame Avatar (Profound-tier): Consumes a large amount of fire element to summon a Flame Avatar twice its own size.】