84: Feeding

When Ning reached the third realm of Qi Condensation, he could feel a surge of power flowing within him; this was merely a difference in cultivation realms, yet it was a monumental one.

If as a second-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator, he could contend with another second-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator, as a third-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator, he could handle five second-layer Foundation Establishment cultivators.

How much strength his body had gained from this.

Unfortunately, it had no effect on his body itself, only making his body stronger by channeling Qi into it.

As dawn broke, he left his room to exercise his body at the training grounds. After finishing his physical training, he briefly practiced his spear and claw techniques.

This movement technique felt a bit awkward when tried in public. "I look like a frog hopping on two legs at the same time," he thought.

Once he finished his tasks, he didn't immediately return to his room but instead went to the beast enclosures. The beasts were all kept in the same area, a group that moved about all day.

When Ning arrived, he met Regiel, who had arrived there before him.

"Oh, hello, Brother. I was worried you might forget your task," Regiel said.

"Oh, good morning. I'm not late, am I?" Ning asked.

"Oh, no. I came early so I could show you around. After all, this is your first time here," Regiel said. He led Ning into the beast enclosures, showing her the different beasts kept in their respective areas.

"This reminds me of a Zoo, a Zoo I have to work at again," Ning thought.

"Alright, we'll start with the birds. These birds only eat different seeds, these birds require meat, and these birds eat whatever they can get. We usually give them leftover food as extra so they'll finish it."

Regiel began explaining, separating the different birds in the place, all divided by large cages. The terrifying birds were kept in their own cages.

Thankfully, most of them were just fledglings or small birds, so they didn't have to worry about these birds being strong.

"Alright, try feeding them," Regiel said, taking a bucket of grain from his storage bag and handing it to Ning.

"Okay," Ning said, taking the bucket. He looked for an opening to enter and put the grain into the feeding area, but he couldn't see any openings to go through.

The only door to the enclosure was locked with a very large padlock. So, he took out a handful of seeds and tried to feed it little by little by reaching his hand through a hole.

Slap!

Suddenly, Regiel slapped his hand, and Ning reflexively pulled his arm back, asking, "What's wrong?"

"What are you trying to do? Feed them little by little? Do you want to stay here forever?" Regiel asked.

"Then, is there an opening I can go through? The only door has a padlock on it," Ning said.

"No, you just throw the grain in," Regiel said.

"Excuse me? Throw the grain in?" Ning was surprised. "But wouldn't that make a mess inside? The place would be full of feathers and droppings, and we can't just throw food anywhere."

"Don't worry about that. This place is very tidy. The animal caretakers are diligent. They'll clean all the dirt and trash from the cages, including bird feathers and droppings. So..." Regiel took the bucket from Ning's hand and splashed its contents into the cage, scattering it everywhere.

"...that's how we do it," he finished. At the same time, the birds flew down from their perches and ate all the grain on the ground.

"Come on, they'll finish quickly. We still have a lot of work to do," Regiel said, leading him away.

It was the same for the carnivorous birds; the only difference was that the meat wasn't thrown in all at once but was evenly distributed so that no single beast could eat it all.

As for the omnivores, this time they ate some grain and a pile of leftovers from the church's meal yesterday. Ning hadn't been to where they ate, but he knew about it.

"When I have money, I'm going to try the food there," he thought.

Other areas were all the same. Most beasts were separated by food, species, rank, and breeding grounds. If they were deemed too dangerous to be with other beasts, then they were kept in individual enclosures.

Ning and Regiel went around, completely astonished at how easy it was to feed the different beasts. Only in one or two places did he have to stop and feed the beasts inside for more than a minute.

Otherwise, it was just going to the place, taking out the food, throwing it in, and leaving. If he had done this while working at the Zoo, he would have been fired on the first day.

"Were your predecessors all like this?" Ning asked Regiel.

"Yes, things are always this simple. That's why so many people come to join us. If it weren't for Sister Soria scaring them away, we'd have even more people working here. That would be too bad for us," Regiel said.

They finished feeding the beasts in about 40 to 45 minutes. Ning was surprised at how simple and quick it was. "Damn, 100 coins for doing this 6 times a week, that's great," he thought.

"Alright, come to the hall around two this afternoon, and I'll give you the food for the remaining two days," Regiel said, then dismissed Ning to do his own thing.