Chapter 523

2520, Blue Star, Hua Xia Alliance

An ordinary countryside small courtyard in the suburbs of Chun City, Yu Province

Shen Yao felt her cheeks itch; in a daze, she couldn't help but open her eyes, only to meet a pair of beautiful amber eyes.

Wow, such a big Silver Shaded Cat～

Subconsciously reaching out to touch the head bigger than her own face, Shen Yao's voice was hoarse, "Xiao Guai, don't make trouble."

"Meow?"

What on earth happened just now? Suddenly no movement, it scared it to death.

Shen Yao smiled, "It's fine, my head is a bit dizzy, I'll rest a bit more."

"Meow"

Fine, I'll come find you to play in a bit.

The Silver Shaded Cat turned around and leapt off the bed, then thump-thump-thump ran out the door.

Shen Yao:...

With no creature disturbing her, Shen Yao finally had time to receive the memories, telling the system to stop idling and get to work; she closed her eyes again and chose to receive.

After about half an hour, Shen Yao simply understood the specific situation of this world from this chaotic mess of memories.

Hmm, so it's a Beast Taming world.

About three hundred years ago, Blue Star, which should have continued on the technological side to rush out into the universe, suddenly underwent a mutation.

Above ground and below ground, everywhere were black-and-white cracks, and monsters constantly emerging from the cracks.

Adding insult to injury, human weapons had no effect on these monsters; for a time, all kinds of tragedies occurred globally.

As the black-and-white cracks increased, Blue Star's area began to expand outward.

The most direct understanding is that between two people who should have been five meters apart, a road dozens of meters long suddenly appeared.

Blue Star's area eventually expanded to dozens of times its original size; mountains and rivers, dense forests and canyons—by the time people reacted, it was already a moment of crisis.

Human numbers sharply declined, once on the brink of extinction; fortunately, where there's a will there's a way, and the profession of Beast Tamer was thus born.

Scientific research found that when a person's mental power exceeds a specific threshold they can bear, they can rely on the star array hidden deep in their sea of consciousness to contract those monsters that jump out of the cracks.

The appearance of Beast Tamers greatly alleviated the situation where humans were unilaterally trapped.

It's just that the awakening ratio of Beast Tamers is not high; at first it was just feeling one's way across the river by touching stones, proceeding haltingly, until a hundred years later, when the entire Blue Star pattern stabilized, forming the Hua Xia Alliance, and related professions entered a period of rapid growth.

But as of today, the profession of Beast Tamer is still not something everyone can do; with an awakening ratio of nearly ten to one, even though Beast Tamers are no longer high and mighty, it's hard to be completely down-to-earth.

On the other hand, industries related to Beast Tamers—Breeders, breeders, Wild Hunting Teams... even those without Beast Taming talent can get involved a bit.

The body Shen Yao transmigrated into belonged to a college sophomore who returned to the countryside during the holidays.

She had luckily awakened her Beast Taming talent at eighteen and even contracted a pet beast (the Silver Shaded Cat that just left).

Because she was a Beast Tamer, the original owner smoothly entered the Beast Taming University located in Yang City, the provincial capital of Yu Province.

Barring accidents, after graduating in her senior year she would enter the Beast Taming Alliance to work, either as a full-time civil servant or a part-time personal Beast Tamer, and could earn some extra money by exploring Secret Realms on ordinary days.

After all, the Beast Taming world had developed for hundreds of years and already had a set of life routines.

Whether Beast Tamer or ordinary person, even wild pet beasts distributed in the dense forests outside, all had principles they needed to follow.

Shen Yao raised her hand to rub her sore and swollen head, casually took out two pills and swallowed them. The discomfort on her body instantly improved, and the original minor ailments all disappeared.

Shen Yao got out of bed and picked up the phone beside her, discovering a string of missed calls.

She hurriedly called back; Shen Yao first reported that she was safe, then said she would return home in a few days. Listening to the busy tone on the phone, Shen Yao felt somewhat strange.

Hmm, a normal family with both parents alive and younger siblings at home, compared to the orphan setting of her previous life, the contrast was strong.

"Xiao Guai"

"Meow"

I'm coming

As Shen Yao's words fell, there was a whoosh, and the lightning-fast Silver Shaded Cat big cat came to her side.

Because of the contract between the two parties, Shen Yao could understand what Xiao Guai expressed; she raised her hand and fiercely rubbed this giant Silver Shaded Cat that was over one meter long and three meters (nearly five meters including the tail), then buried her head in the furry thing.

Xiao Guai didn't mind this; after all, her Owner loved her very much.

"Meow meow, meow meow meow"

Hungry, want to eat, Owner hurry downstairs to cook for Xiao Guai.

"No, it's not mealtime yet; didn't you forget what Teacher Zhou said earlier?"

Shen Yao looked up and crisply refused Xiao Guai's request to eat.

Who let Xiao Guai's weight be too over the standard; according to the Breeder's explanation, temporary control was needed to promote growth and development.

The amber cat eyes showed human-like grievance, opening its mouth to meow nonstop.

Obviously dissatisfied with what Shen Yao said; it was just a little kitten, not fat at all, what was wrong with eating more?

Shen Yao:...

Shen Yao helplessly raised her hand to soothe Xiao Guai, "I'll stew silver fish for you in the evening."

"Meow" Really?

Shen Yao nodded and held up two fingers with her hand, "Two fish"

Xiao Guai's eyes suddenly widened, then acted coquettishly against Shen Yao, rubbing against her until cat fur covered her body before it was willing to scamper downstairs.

Shen Yao could only sigh about this; after all, Xiao Guai was just a baby under three years old. She got up to let the robot vacuum work, took a bath, and changed into new clothes.

Coming from the second-floor room to the living room, Shen Yao pulled open the blocking curtains and pushed open the window for ventilation.

The refrigerator had fruits and drinks she had bought earlier but not eaten; she casually took some to fill her belly, Shen Yao turned on the TV and sat on the sofa to listen to the news.

There wasn't any proper content at this time; Shen Yao switched channels back and forth, finally choosing an official platform, hearing about Secret Realm eruptions here and there, wild pet beasts attacking humans here and there, Heaven Tier wild pet beasts discovered here and there, crowds swarming over wanting to contract them.

"Xiao Guai"

Shen Yao looked up and called out to Xiao Guai, who was lying in the large cat bed, then made room on the sofa and buried herself on top of Xiao Guai.

Chun City's summer isn't scorching, and besides, the room had the automatic air conditioner running.

Brushing Xiao Guai's fur absentmindedly, Shen Yao began to ponder how to handle Xiao Guai.

The Beast Tamer world has developed to this day, and the Officials have announced seven tiers of wild pet beasts, each tier divided into three stages.

The most common are Mortal Tier Pet Beasts, followed by Yellow Tier, Xuan Tier, Di Tier, Heaven Tier, Saint Tier, and God Tier.

Among them, God Tier are legendary pet beasts; everyone has only heard their names, never seen their forms.

There are Saint Tier Beast Tamers within the Alliance, but they are national treasures, numbering only a handful globally; below them, Heaven Tier and Di Tier are the backbone, while the general populace mostly lingers at Mortal and Yellow Tiers — owning a Xuan Tier pet beast counts as crossing the upper-class threshold.

Shen Yao's Xiao Guai is a Yellow Tier Xuanbai Swift Shadow Cat, famed for its speed; it also possesses the Xuan Shadow Cat's hidden and gigantification attributes, making it a rare mutant feline.

This is a very rare variety; compared to the three categories of Ordinary, Good, and Excellent, rare doesn't mean precious, but it is indeed more worthwhile to cultivate than the masses.

Xiao Guai is currently at Yellow Tier Stage One, the juvenile period; once grown, it will reach Yellow Tier Stage Three, the mature period, which is also the Xuanbai Swift Shadow Cat's limit.

Of course, a species' limit can be surpassed; through mature evolution routes, employing different methods, they can evolve into new species, and their tier will also rise.

For example, changing from Yellow Tier to Xuan Tier, the species itself changes along with it.

However, such evolution routes have always been exceedingly few; the publicly released ones by the Alliance deter most Beast Tamers due to high prices and a failure rate exceeding half.

After all, a Beast Tamer's pet beast costs are high; no matter how wealthy the Beast Tamer, they cannot afford the loss of a pet beast failing.

So evolution routes basically just sit there as scenery; with the effort spent researching them, one might as well work hard to raise one's spirit threshold and contract a few more pet beasts to boost one's own combat power.

A Beast Tamer does not have only one pet beast; as long as the spirit can support it, theoretically, a Beast Tamer can contract pet beasts without limit.

But to return to the point, without money and without resources, it is very hard for a Beast Tamer to raise pet beasts.

So the Mortal Tier Beast Tamers of the Beast Tamer world aren't much stronger than ordinary people; at most they can contract Mortal Tier pet beasts and have a respectable job.

Shen Yao's parents — one an ordinary person, one a Mortal Tier Beast Tamer — currently both work in Chun City's government; as for Younger Brother Shen Cheng and younger sister Shen Ying, currently sixteen, they are still in High School Freshman year in Chun City.

Shen Yao running back alone to the old house in the countryside outskirts this summer vacation to live was to facilitate going to the distant dense forest to train her Beast Tamer abilities; once her Xuanbai Swift Shadow Cat is well raised, it will be a pet beast that can bring enormous assistance.

"Xiao Guai, tomorrow we'll make a trip to the dense forest, and we'll practice hard again."

"Meow"

Okay, I definitely won't let Owner down.

…………

In the evening she casually ate some food; the two silver fish promised to Xiao Guai were stewed, and before they could cool, Xiao Guai gulped them down with a wu-ao sound.

As expected of a Yellow Tier pet beast — thick skin and tough flesh, completely different from fragile-skinned humans like them.

When sleeping, still accompanied by the furry thing, Shen Yao rarely slept straight through to dawn.

Breakfast was a cup of milk with boiled eggs and two pieces of cut sandwich; Shen Yao poured some of the food rations made by the troublesome Breeder for Xiao Guai; eating and drinking their fill, one person and one beast left the room for the dense forest.

Because the small courtyard she lived in was in the outskirts, the surroundings were all such two-story small buildings.

Shen Yao wore a full set of sun-protective clothing, brought a sun hat, carried a backpack, and holding the cat rope headed straight for the distant dense forest.

Not entering on foot, but there is a special bus from the outskirts leading to the dense forest.

These are all buses under the Government Department, to provide convenience for Beast Tamers, and also because the dense forest's risk is extremely high, strictly restricting ordinary people from entering.

Swiping the card to deduct the fare, Shen Yao led Xiao Guai onto this entirely gray-black behemoth, about fifty meters in length and about six meters in height.

At this time, quite a few people were already seated on the bus, of every age bracket.

Shen Yao walked to a middle position, raised her hand to loosen the cat rope a bit, so Xiao Guai would be comfortable.

Because Xiao Guai had gone out frequently during this period, there were also quite a few familiar colleagues on the bus, for example the Red-Tailed Ant in the front left, the Black Snake behind, the Lop-Eared Muscular Rabbit not far away... Xiao Guai stared with its round eyes, sharpening its claws while sizing them up.

As the front doors closed, the driver shouted "Depart!", and the whole bus surged forward.

Trees flashing by outside were like reflections, yet inside the bus there was no movement at all. Xiao Guai's body pressed tight against Shen Yao, its pair of claws sharpened bright and sharp.

"Meow"

Are we catching fish again today?

Shen Yao shook her head, "Today we're going behind the waterfall; supposedly there are tracks of Long-Hoofed Sheep appearing there."

Long-Hoofed Sheep are Mortal Tier pet beasts; four long hooves steady and powerful and they run fast; at the same time the meat is fresh and delicious, sold to restaurants or butcher shops, the price is ten times that of ordinary livestock.

Xiao Guai is a Yellow Tier pet beast, an omnivorous animal, it can eat anything.

But because Shen Yao plans to return to Chun City in a few days, therefore hunting some sheep or deer can also be brought back to supplement the family's nutrition.

Hearing this, Xiao Guai meowed once, indicating it understood; the Long-Hoofed Sheep's taste is not bad, this time they can hunt a few more to bring back.

The bus drove for about an hour, finally stopping before a lush woods.

The doors opened, people got off one after another, then the bus turned around and left like a gust of wind.

Shen Yao opened her phone and pulled up the previous map, confirmed the direction, then loosened Xiao Guai's cat rope, signaling Xiao Guai to stick close to her side.

Although there weren't many people in this dense forest, with the Yellow Tier Xuanbai Swift Shadow Cat's lethality, ordinary people wouldn't want to provoke Shen Yao.

And in this era, tracing methods are extremely strong; anyone daring to commit crimes must be prepared to wander the wilderness, unless they are heinous criminals, otherwise no one really wants to add difficulty mode to their own life.

"Meow"

Sniff sniff sniff, sniff sniff sniff

Xiao Guai lowered its head, sniffing its nose, constantly sensing dangers existing in the surroundings.

Shen Yao walked while positioning, after confirming her direction had no problem, Shen Yao couldn't help but speed up.

One person and one pet walked and stopped, and soon arrived at the waterfall where they had previously caught silver fish.

The white waterfall cascaded down with a hua-la-la sound, below was the water pool smashed out by it. Occasionally silver fish played in the pool, and hearing movement they instantly vanished without a trace.

Shen Yao took a fishing net from her backpack and threw it into the water pool, better than nothing.

"Xiao Guai, continue walking forward."

"Meow"

They jumped over the water pool and disappeared behind the waterfall.

"Hush."

Shen Yao suddenly called a halt to Xiao Guai, then pointed at the trampled tracks not far away.

Matching them seven or eight parts with the long-hoofed sheep in her phone, Shen Yao pointed at the woods not far off, signaling Xiao Guai to go hunt on its own, while she climbed a sturdy tree to observe.

Within a certain range, beast and beast tamer can sense one another through the contract.

Because a Yellow Tier pet beast's reverse feedback is not much, Shen Yao's body has yet to leave the ordinary human stage; if Xiao Guai were to fight a long-hoofed sheep, it would very likely implicate her.

The binoculars were fished out by Shen Yao, and through her line of sight she soon noticed Xiao Guai acting sneaky.

The silver-white cat walked without a sound; at this moment it was slowly approaching a herd of long-hoofed sheep twice its own height.

The white flock had slender limbs and exceptionally sharp goat horns. At this moment they were bending to eat grass, bleating meh-meh-meh from time to time.

Xiao Guai did not act immediately, instead hiding in the bushes staring motionless, until the long-hoofed sheep herd began to move, revealing the rather plump tall leader inside.

Whoosh—

Fast as a streak of lightning, the herd leader let out a shrill bleat, the whole sheep pounced to the ground, flailing its limbs in midair in agony.