18: Foster care mission completed

On the first floor of Chenyang Pet Store, Luo Chen held the Fine Steel Butterfly in both hands, leaning down slightly so the little girl could see its current State.

"Wow, big brother, you're amazing! Its injuries healed so quickly."

Seeing the Fine Steel Butterfly's intact wings and steady breathing, the little girl cried out in surprise and delight.

While the little girl was purely joyful, Luo Yang's expression was one of disbelief. His mouth hung open as if he didn't know what to say. "This... isn't..."

As a Beast Master who had received formal schooling, Luo Yang understood better than anyone what it meant to bring a dying beast back from the brink of death in just over ten minutes.

Even if the one saved was just a tiny common beast, he knew his brother had secrets, but he hadn't expected them to be this terrifying.

Remembering there was an outsider present, Luo Yang calmed his emotions slightly and kept his mouth shut, deciding to have a proper talk with his brother when no one else was around.

Luo Chen didn't realize how shocking his actions were. He just smiled at the little girl, who was carefully stroking the Fine Steel Butterfly in his palm. "Its surface injuries are much better now, but it still needs to recover internally. You can take it home after three more days of treatment."

Upon hearing about taking it home, the little girl's brow furrowed noticeably. "Big brother, I picked this beast up from outside. I don't know where its home is."

Picked it up? Was it abandoned by its Beast Master? Or was it a wild beast that wandered into the city?

Luo Chen immediately ruled out the second option. The city's defenses were strict; a tiny four-star common beast like a Fine Steel Butterfly wouldn't have the ability to break in.

Regardless of the situation, Luo Chen could confirm that this Fine Steel Butterfly had no contract mark on it. It was currently a clean, unbonded beast, which wouldn't affect any future contracts with a Beast Master.

"It doesn't have to be its original home. You saved it, so from now on, wherever you are is its home." Luo Chen looked at the little girl with affection; after all, who wouldn't like a well-behaved child?

The little girl's eyes suddenly lit up as she looked at the Fine Steel Butterfly in Luo Chen's hands. "My home is its home."

Her chubby little hand slowly slid over the wings that looked as if they were made of fine steel. "Recover well. Once you're better, I'll take you home." The little girl's voice was filled with a sense of responsibility.

Seeing the sky turning dark, Luo Chen urged the little girl to go home. Only then did she reluctantly say goodbye to the Fine Steel Butterfly.

After the little girl left, seeing that there was no one in the shop for the moment, Luo Yang hung up the 'Temporarily Closed' sign and locked the door.

Luo Chen, who had just placed the Fine Steel Butterfly back in its cage, turned around to see his younger brother's series of actions. Feeling it was strange, he couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"

Luo Yang pressed a hand to his forehead; his brother's safety awareness was simply too poor. "Brother, do you really not know how dangerous your actions in treating the Fine Steel Butterfly were?"

Healing-type beasts weren't rare, but the ability to pull a dying beast back from the gates of hell like this was indeed too uncommon. Rarity meant being coveted; it meant danger.

Seeing Luo Chen's still-confused look, Luo Yang continued with a bit of frustration, "In the Qingyang City First Beast Hospital, their signature healing beast is the Medicine Spirit Bamboo. Even at the Spirit Beast stage, it can't heal a dying beast in ten minutes.

Even their director's King Beast, the Medicine Spirit Bamboo King, can't do it. What do you think it means that this Fine Steel Butterfly could be cured in your shop?"

It meant there was a beast in his shop with healing effects even more terrifying than the Medicine Spirit Bamboo King, yet Luo Chen was just a lowly common-rank Beast Master.

Hearing Luo Yang's words, Luo Chen clearly realized something as well, and his face turned pale.

His life in a peaceful era in his past life, combined with being too well-protected in this one, often made him forget that this was a world of Beast Masters fraught with danger, a world where individual martial power was incredibly exaggerated.

Now that their parents were missing and the two brothers had no backer to rely on, if someone truly had ill intentions, they probably had a thousand ways to make them disappear silently within the city.

Thinking about it, Luo Chen couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.

Seeing that his older brother realized the danger, and fearing a relapse of Luo Chen's old illness, Luo Yang quickly added some comfort. "But it's lucky it was just a little girl this time. She probably doesn't know what this means. You don't need to worry too much, brother; just be more careful in the future."

Luo Chen let out a long sigh of relief, his face showing regret. "Brother, just this once. Never again."

With his sense of safety heightened, he had no interest in keeping the shop open for the day. After a simple cleanup, Luo Chen and Luo Yang returned to their home in the residential area under the moonlight.

The night passed in silence.

The next day, Luo Chen arrived at the shop early as usual to begin business.

Current beasts in the shop: one Lightning Rat, one Frost Wolf, and two Fragrant Rabbits.

Fostering status: two Fragrant Rabbits and one Fine Steel Butterfly.

Luo Chen remembered clearly that he had just brought in six beasts yesterday, so why did it feel like there were still so few beasts in the shop?

Luo Chen looked at his mission bar. He was only two fostering slots away from completing the system mission, after which he wouldn't need to go to the Beast Breeding Center to buy beasts anymore.

First, he took the three fostered beasts to the second floor to soak in the Transformation Pool.

Of these three, one was intended as a gift for Luo Yang's promotion to Spirit Beast Master, one had a contract signed with Wei Yansheng, and the other needed its life saved.

Of the remaining two Transformation Pool slots, Luo Chen allocated one to his Xiao Maoqiu and the other to the new Frost Wolf. Luo Chen couldn't help but lament that although there weren't many beasts in the shop, there were even fewer slots in the Transformation Pool.

Perhaps because the news of mystic spirit grass being in the shop had spread, there were an exceptional number of customers today, most of whom came for the mystic spirit grass's reputation.

Not many were buying beasts, but because the spiritual energy concentration in the shop was high, more Beast Masters were choosing to foster their beasts here.

In the morning alone, twelve customers chose to foster their beasts. Because of the high spiritual energy concentration, these beasts showed very little reluctance when their owners left.

After a busy morning, the number of customers thinned out at noon, allowing Luo Chen to rest and check his mission rewards.

[Mission Progress: Sell six beasts (Completed), Receive 200 customers (Completed), Foster five beasts (Completed).

Mission Reward: Permanent exploration rights for a Tier 1 Mystic Realm (Available for collection).]

Luo Chen closed the shop door, hung up the 'Temporary Rest' sign, rubbed his hands together, and chose to collect the reward.

[Mission reward has been distributed]

Seeing the words on the panel, Luo Chen looked around the first floor but didn't find anything new.

It must be on the second floor. Having this guess, Luo Chen actually felt a sense of relief; he was truly afraid the system would place the realm entrance directly on the first floor, which would make it difficult for him to run the shop.

Upon reaching the second floor, Luo Chen finally saw the Tier 1 Mystic Realm rewarded by the system.