2: The task of reopening stores

"Thud, thud, thud." Luo Chen's footsteps echoed as he climbed to the second floor.

The second floor was very spacious, containing only a pool that was currently bubbling with water. In Luo Chen's opinion, it looked more like a hot spring.

The pool wasn't very large, measuring only about three meters by three meters, and steam was currently rising from its surface.

Luo Chen pointed at the pool and asked curiously, "What is this pool used for?"

The voice in his mind spoke again, "The Transformation Pool. It can remove impurities from a pet beast's body and improve its Aptitude."

Luo Chen's eyes lit up. This was a good thing. He looked at the Xiao Maoqiu on his shoulder.

He slowly lowered it into the pool water.

When Xiao Maoqiu saw the water, its entire body resisted.

However, it couldn't defy its Beast Master, and could only watch helplessly as it got closer and closer to the water's surface.

Involuntarily, Xiao Maoqiu let out a pitiful cry from its mouth.

To anyone who didn't know better, it sounded like it was being mistreated.

The pool water soaked Xiao Maoqiu's fur. After a moment, Xiao Maoqiu stopped resisting; it could clearly feel a rich energy entering its body through the water.

Furthermore, its entire body seemed to be undergoing a transformation, feeling warm and exceptionally comfortable all over.

Feeling that the Xiao Maoqiu in his hands was no longer struggling, Luo Chen slowly released the 'evil' hands that were controlling it.

"Meow-wu."

Hearing the little fellow's panicked cries gradually turn into soothing ones, Luo Chen didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"How long does it need to soak for it to be enough?"

"Soaking time varies depending on the pet beast's size.

For small pet beasts like the Light Spirit Cat, only ten minutes are needed. Large animals generally require more than half an hour.

Additionally, with its current energy levels, the Transformation Pool can only support the soaking of three small pet beasts per day; any more than that will have no effect."

Ten minutes later, Luo Chen timed it perfectly and used the Eye of Truth to check Xiao Maoqiu's personal information.

【race: Light Spirit Cat

Rank: Ferocious Beast Four-Star

Type: Mental Type · Psychic

State: Comfortable

Aptitude: Excellent

Skill: 1. Spirit Membrane: Attaches a layer of gas membrane formed by energy to the target's body surface, blocking material exchange between the target and the outside world.】

The first thing Luo Chen noticed was that Xiao Maoqiu's Rank had increased by one star. Simply soaking in the pool once had raised its level; this was undoubtedly a fantastic deal.

According to what he knew, current Breeders mainly engaged in three areas of work. First was pet beast evolution; this was expensive and the primary source of income for Breeders.

Second was Rank promotion, such as increasing a pet beast's star level just now.

Third was combat power cultivation, which was more complex. It included learning new Skills, increasing proficiency in existing Skills, and improving physical fitness, among other things.

Fourth was Aptitude cultivation. This was likely the most difficult and an ability almost exclusively held by high-level Breeders. Because Aptitude is fixed from birth, it generally requires the use of heavenly treasures and earthly rarities to change.

His shop already possessed the second ability of Rank promotion, even though he wasn't yet an officially registered Breeder.

However, the shop was already fully capable of receiving customers normally.

"Yellow-grade mission issued: Reach a customer traffic of fifty people within one week and sell at least three pet beasts of Ferocious-grade or higher.

Mission Reward: Ten stalks of mystic spirit grass.

mystic spirit grass: Spirit Rank treasure. It can absorb impurities and generate spiritual energy in the surrounding environment, increasing the concentration of spiritual energy. It is the best choice for changing an environment."

Luo Chen was aware of mystic spirit grass because it frequently appeared on news hot searches and was a product where demand far exceeded supply.

In terms of market value, it was even more precious than a Spirit Rank pet beast. According to published research reports, the spiritual energy purified from this mystic spirit grass could greatly increase a pet beast's cultivation speed.

It was the kind of thing that let a pet beast's cultivation progress win at the starting line. Furthermore, living in an environment with a high concentration of spiritual energy offered various benefits to the human body.

Because of all this, the current market situation for mystic spirit grass was one of high prices and short supply.

Without a doubt, Luo Chen was deeply tempted by the reward offered by the pet shop system.

Luo Chen fished Xiao Maoqiu out of the pool, seeing that the little fellow still seemed somewhat reluctant to leave.

Luo Chen smiled helplessly, "Soaking too much isn't good for your fur. Be careful, or you'll turn into a patchy, bald cat."

As a highly intelligent pet beast, Xiao Maoqiu could naturally understand Luo Chen's words. Believing him, it shuddered and quickly climbed out of the pool.

He found a clean towel in the shop and dried the little fellow off before putting it on the ground to let it play on its own.

Luo Chen pulled out his personal terminal from his pocket and found the registration page for the Breeder qualification exam. He filled in his personal information according to the page's requirements.

The page refreshed quickly, allowing Luo Chen to choose an examination date. Luo Chen directly chose the nearest one, which was in three days. He couldn't help but marvel at the official efficiency.

He checked the time; it was already six in the evening, and it was getting late.

"Mao Qiu, let's go home."

Hearing Luo Chen's call, Xiao Maoqiu, who had been running around the shop, turned into a blur of afterimages. It accurately climbed up Luo Chen's trouser leg to its exclusive spot on his shoulder.

"Meow-wu."

It stuck out its tiny tongue, lightly licked Luo Chen's neck, and then stayed obediently on his shoulder without moving.

Opening the shop door, Luo Chen discovered that the heavy rain outside had stopped, and the gloomy clouds had receded. It looked like tomorrow would be a sunny day.

The puddles on the ground hadn't had time to disperse yet. Xiao Maoqiu reapplied the Spirit Membrane below Luo Chen's knees to prevent his clothes from getting wet by the dirty water.

The days of rainy weather had finally ended, and the number of pedestrians on the street gradually increased. Various magical pet beasts were happily running alongside them.

According to the laws regarding pet beasts in China, any pet beast under half a meter in size is classified as a small pet beast.

This Type of pet beast is not restricted on the streets, but care should be taken not to randomly release offensive-Type Skills.

Otherwise, they would be caught very quickly. Luo Chen looked up at several giant eagles constantly circling in the sky above the city.

This Type of pet beast was likely the standard-issue beast for the city's security patrol department. The Patrol Soaring Eagle could monitor the entire city for illegal activities or citizen disputes from all angles.

Overall, the security environment within the city was guaranteed to the greatest extent.

However, the wilderness was a different story. It was a forbidden zone for city people. Only those who reached the Spirit Beast stage were allowed to apply to leave the city and enter the wilderness; otherwise, one could only stay in the city for a lifetime.

The city was a sanctuary, but it was also a cage.