49: Chapter 49 The Beast Taming Family of the Southern Region.
Chu Ran's overly blunt answer made the atmosphere in the room somewhat awkward.
Fortunately, Old Family Head Ouyang, with his decades of experience dealing with people, didn't let the chill linger.
"Ahem..." He coughed twice, changing the subject. "Our family is a Beast Taming Noble Family from the Southern Domain..."
Chu Ran's expression shifted slightly as he looked at the old man before him.
To be called a Beast Taming Noble Family, the clan must have at least a hundred Beast Tamers, including powerful Seventh Turn or even Eighth Revolution experts!
A single family would have at least several hundred tamed beasts. And the upkeep for tamed beasts is enormous. If they can afford all that...
Chu Ran suddenly felt an aura of wealth emanating from the other man...
It wouldn't hurt to get closer...
"What are the conditions?"
Getting millions of dragon country coins for free every day did stir Chu Ran's interest. Moreover, as a Beast Taming Noble Family, their experience in beast husbandry would surely be far superior to an amateur like him...
"A few days ago, the monster density in the Desolate Realm area bordering the Southern Domain suddenly nearly doubled. The pressure on the authorities and our family spiked, and we feel we can't hold out much longer. So, we urgently need capable Professionals to handle the monsters..."
A sudden monster surge?
The incident in the Northern Domain instantly surfaced in Chu Ran's mind.
Could this be another move by the Blood Cult?
"Why not request aid from the Central Domain?" Chu Ran asked, puzzled.
"We did. We even went to the Imperial Capital Professional Association to ask for a Ninth-Turn Expert to intervene, but they refused..."
For a beast tide like this, if a Ninth-Turn Expert took action, it should be resolved quickly. Why would they refuse?
"At the Ninth Revolution level, one no longer represents just an individual... but the nation's final line of defense. Every ounce of their strength belongs to the entire country.
Moreover, Power of Laws is unleashed at the cost of life force, expended with every use. Given the current international situation, if even one Ninth-Turn Expert were to lose combat capability or perish, the Dragon Country could face a concentrated assault from other nations... And there are too many monsters; it would be too draining. Only Saint Spirit Level monsters are worth their intervention..."
The Dragon Country possesses the largest Safe Zone area on the entire Tianxuan Continent. Many smaller nations plagued by monster invasions have their eyes on the Dragon Country, wanting to carve it up...
And those major powers maintaining a superficial harmony with the Dragon Country are also engaged in covert and overt struggles...
Now Chu Ran finally understood why those old folks were so desperate to get him into the Inheritance Pagoda...
"Do you know about the Starry Sky Project?" Old Family Head Ouyang whispered.
Chu Ran was immediately taken aback. He had only heard about the Starry Sky Project by chance when Clan Head of the Chu Clan Chu Tianba slipped up at the association. He never expected this old man before him to know about it too...
"Actually, the five great nations aren't truly united internally. Cracks have long appeared over rotation issues, but they haven't openly broken ties because they cannot abandon the Starry Sky..." Old Family Head Ouyang said calmly, seeming to have a grasp on everything.
Chu Ran grew increasingly curious about the identity of the man before him and directly asked.
You never know until you ask, and the answer was startling.
This Hidden Emperor Pavilion, located in the most prime district of the imperial capital, was actually a business of the Ouyang Family from the Southern Domain...
Moreover, in other cities of the Central Domain, the Ouyang Family's forges, Beast Tamer breeding bases, and equipment malls were nearly monopolistic in their development...
In fact, their influence in the Dragon Country rivaled that of the Chu Clan. The reason they weren't called a 'Great Clan' by the outside world was because their goods were only sold within the Dragon Country, never internationally...
Now it seemed not having heard of them was indeed his own problem...
But it was understandable. Who told them not to open shops in the Northern Domain...
And the man before him was actually the previous generation family head of the Ouyang Family...
Genuine old money!
"Let's go."
Chu Ran was already prepared.
Old Family Head Ouyang, however, felt somewhat astonished. "This... we're leaving just like that? Aren't you going to prepare? We're entering the Desolate Realm. It's not like a secret realm or the Genius Battle..."
Old Family Head Ouyang had evidently deduced from Chu Ran's tamed beasts that he was the genius Beast Tamer from the Northern Domain currently dominating the trending searches.
Chu Ran glanced at his phone. "Eleven hours left. Should be enough for a round trip."
Side income had to be earned, but the opening of the Inheritance Pagoda couldn't be delayed either.
"Right now, too many high-level Professionals are heading to the Southern Domain for support. The teleportation arrays might have queues..."
The Genius Battle preliminary rounds had eliminated over half the contestants. These eliminated Professionals were still quite capable. With the Southern Domain seeking support and the Ouyang Family offering high prices, many Professionals wanted to earn this side income...
Chu Ran said calmly, "We're not taking a teleportation array. Also, do you have any heart conditions?"
"No..." Old Family Head Ouyang answered cautiously. For some reason, he had an inexplicable sense of foreboding...
"Good that you don't." A slight smirk touched Chu Ran's lips as he grasped the other's hand.
And then, two figures... or rather, their afterimages... appeared in the sky.
"Is someone flying up there...?"
"That's a fucking ghostly afterimage!"
...
An hour later, the two landed within the Ouyang Family's territory.
Chu Ran had also given Old Family Head Ouyang a taste of the feeling where the body flies ahead, and the soul chases after...
The gatekeeper only realized upon approaching that the man lying on the ground with a utterly defeated look was the family head. The mask of agony he wore almost made him unrecognizable...
"Family Head... You are..."
Seeing someone had arrived, Old Family Head Ouyang forced himself to appear composed. "Old but vigorous, just had a bit of fun with something thrilling."
"Uh... you do look radiant..." the man replied with an awkward laugh.
A seventy-year-old man scared out of his wits—of course he'd look radiant...
Not long after, once Old Family Head Ouyang had recovered, the man led them into the inner courtyard.
Upon entering the family estate, Chu Ran's eyes immediately lit up.
This family...
was enormous!
Behind one wall lay a grassland spanning roughly fifty square miles, with all sorts of tamed beasts running freely within...
If no one was around and Chu Ran didn't know these were tamed beasts, he might have just summoned Thunder Flood Dragon and the others to grind levels...
After walking another several dozen miles, they arrived at an immensely tall city wall, atop which stood many Professionals.
Some dressed with distinct regional characteristics were clearly Southern Domain natives—dark-skinned, lean, and muscular, bodies forged from years of blacksmithing and husbandry.
Others who looked fair-skinned, tender, and carried an air of naive innocence were obviously geniuses who had come from the Central Domain...
Those young people noticed the figures of Chu Ran and the other man, initially just curious. But when the two walked up onto the city wall and the geniuses got a clear look at Chu Ran's face, their expressions instantly turned serious. They began whispering among themselves...
"Isn't that Chu Ran?!"
"Didn't he advance to the semi-finals? Why is he suddenly here?"
"The network here isn't great. Have you guys not refreshed in too long? Two hours ago, the Zhou Family was expelled from the imperial capital because of him, and their family head died!"
"Huh?!"