Chapter 358: Winter Snow

"Test for Beast Tamer Talent?"

A look of clear surprise appeared on Ye Di's face.

Beast Masters are mysterious and powerful.

The powerhouses of the Otherworld are all powerful Beast Masters.

Canghai World is filled with blind worship and longing for the profession of Beast Master.

Otherwise, there wouldn't be such a flood of Beast Master games.

It can be said that the vast majority of people in Canghai World want to step into the realm of Beast Masters and become one; even those from the Special Zone cannot escape this longing for Beast Masters.

Becoming a Beast Master means soaring to great heights, shedding the status of a Commoner, obtaining permanent residency in the Special Zone, and even having the opportunity to pursue advanced studies in the Otherworld.

However, wanting to become a Beast Master is not that simple.

"I went to great lengths to get this. Xiaofan, come and take a test," the young man said slowly.

"Big brother, have you tested it? What was the result?" Ye Di asked curiously.

"I couldn't do it; I have no Beast Tamer Talent." The man spoke with an indescribable sense of loss, but then his tone shifted, becoming carefree. "Xiaofan, you take a look. If you have Beast Tamer Talent, it will absolutely be a tremendous opportunity for you. You might even have a chance to go to the Otherworld for advanced studies and become a noble Beast Master."

"Mm." Ye Di nodded.

He knew his big brother meant well for him.

Or perhaps, his big brother's thoughts were the same as their father's—both wanted to enter the Special Zone.

It was just that his big brother's methods were gentler.

Ye Di placed his hand on the crystal.

Suddenly, a dense wave of mental pressure surged toward him.

Ye Di felt a slight shock in his heart; for some reason, this feeling was the same as encountering a powerful monster in the game.

Ye Di was also a High-level Professional, so he was naturally unafraid, and he immediately blocked this mental pressure.

Beside him, his big brother's usually calm face showed a look of surprise for the first time: "Xiaofan, you have Beast Tamer Talent, and it's quite extraordinary!"

Ye Di's big brother looked at the light emitting from the crystal, his heart filled with excitement and joy.

His younger brother actually had Beast Tamer Talent, and it was quite extraordinary at that.

If his brother stepped into the realm of Beast Masters, then... their family would truly obtain permanent residency in the Special Zone.

Hadn't he and his father worked so hard for so long just to become residents of the Special Zone and achieve a leap in social class?

Now, this opportunity was so close at hand.

At this moment, Ye Di opened his eyes: "Is that so?"

In truth, his heart was not that excited.

His mother's passing was a hurdle he could not overcome in his heart, and he held a resentment toward his father, to the point where he had a certain repulsion toward becoming a resident of the Special Zone.

"Yes, and it's extraordinary." The tone of Ye Di's big brother rose by several notches. "No, I need to think this over carefully—what to do and how to maneuver things so you can become a Beast Master."

After all, Canghai World is not the Otherworld, and not everyone with Beast Tamer Talent has the opportunity to come into contact with the Otherworld's beast-taming paths and subsequently become a Beast Master.

"Mm." Ye Di's reaction was somewhat cold.

His heart was filled with some doubt at this moment.

This test of Beast Tamer Talent... was very interesting.

It felt like a pressure of the will.

This feeling was the same as encountering a powerful monster in the game.

Was that, perhaps, the... will of a powerhouse?

He thought carefully: if he hadn't played Twilight of the Gods and hadn't grown stronger in the game, could he have passed that mental pressure just now?

He thought about it, but had no clue.

"Xiaofan, stay home and behave yourself. I'm going to the Special Zone." Ye Di's big brother was still very excited.

"Alright." Ye Di sent his big brother off, thinking he might as well continue playing the game.

In reality, there was too much dissatisfaction and emptiness.

The game was better.

Before leaving, Ye Di's big brother patted him on the shoulder and said with a look full of expectation: "Xiaofan, choices determine the future. Your choice... is very important."

"I know." For some reason, hearing his big brother say this made him think of his mother again.

Sure enough, reality was painful; the game was more enjoyable and could make one forget their troubles.

"Sigh." Ye Di's big brother sighed in his heart, ultimately saying nothing more.

He knew that their mother's death would always be a hurdle in his younger brother's heart.

He did not try to persuade him of anything, nor did he offer any comfort.

He understood his younger brother, so he naturally wouldn't urge Xiaofan to stay away from the game and face reality seriously.

After watching his big brother leave, Ye Di entered the game once more.

His mood was quite complicated.

Tieshi Mountain.

Ye Di, Little Tough, and others were on patrol.

Little Tough looked at the neat houses nearby, feeling quite emotional: "This place finally looks a bit like a place for people. Houses built with cement are better after all."

In front of him was a row of tidy, one-story houses, looking square and very standard.

"I always feel like this destroys the original ecology in the game. Perhaps it would be better for those people to keep things as they were," one player couldn't help but say, his voice carrying a sense of superiority.

This was easy to understand; after all, it was the superiority of modern civilization over a backward one.

"How do you know these NPCs want to keep things as they were?"

They are able to live in spacious houses and drink clean water; who would want to be poorly clad and hungry every day?

"Keep it in its original state? Keep it my ass," Ye Di said from the side.

He had always had a rather irritable temper.

"I support Brother Ye Di's point of view," Level 8 Little Tough said from the side.

"Right, isn't the charm of a game precisely that it can be changed?

To realize one's own value.

Although this value might only be a kind of moral satisfaction, it is also a form of human selfishness.

But at least it was done, wasn't it?"

This topic ended there.

Recently, the Manager mentioned that the remnants of the Orc Tribe might come to Koya City, which is why they organized patrols, mainly to deal with the remnants of the Orc Tribe.

"Ye Di, why does it feel like you have something on your mind?" Level 8 Little Tough looked at Ye Di and asked suddenly.

"Huh?" Ye Di was slightly stunned, thought of something, and immediately asked, "Little Tough, have you ever tested your Beast Tamer Talent?"

Level 8 Little Tough is a resident of the Special Zone and is different from people like them.

As soon as Ye Di asked, everyone present looked at Level 8 Little Tough.

They were all very curious about Beast Masters.

"Of course I've tested it.

Everyone in our Special Zone is tested for Beast Tamer Talent uniformly when they turn twelve.

I've heard that the golden age to become a Beast Master is twelve.

Unfortunately... I don't have Beast Tamer Talent."

An unconcealable disappointment appeared on Level 8 Little Tough's face.

His family is also considered quite powerful within the Special Zone.

"Twelve years old?" Ye Di was surprised; these were things he was not clear about.

"Right, twelve is the golden age. If people in the Special Zone are found to have Beast Tamer Talent, they have the opportunity to study and become Beast Masters," Level 8 Little Tough said.

"In other words, even if one has Beast Tamer Talent, one might not necessarily have the opportunity to study?" Ye Di asked.

"Right, people from the other world come to our world mainly to search for Pet Beast eggs in the no-man's-land.

As for training Beast Masters, they don't really care; not everyone has the opportunity to become a Beast Master.

By the way, if the Beast Tamer Talent is discovered after the age of 12, it will be even harder to become a Beast Master and go to the other world to study, unless the Beast Tamer Talent... is very unusual."

Level 8 Little Tough said, looking deeply at Ye Di.

Ye Di naturally wouldn't ask this question for no reason, so he explained this matter more clearly.

"Mm, thanks." Hearing this news, Ye Di didn't know if he felt happy or disappointed in his heart.

"It's snowing." Lan Guang looked up at the sky; snowflakes drifted down and landed on his palm.

"I didn't expect that it's already been almost half a year since I came here."

When he arrived, Tieshi Mountain was still very desolate; there weren't many people at all, and everywhere there were mountains, trees, and bushes.

Now, looking out, the neat and uniform fertile fields are broad and vast.

Behind him, there are also rows upon rows of houses.

The number of laborers here has now reached four thousand.

This number is comparable to a small town.

The current Tieshi Mountain should be renamed Iron Stone Town.

At the foot of the mountain, there is a large area of neat houses where the laborers who came here live.

Nowadays, many people, like Lan Guang, have moved their families to Tieshi Mountain.

The current Tieshi Mountain has a full five thousand people living at the foot of the mountain.

And on Tieshi Mountain, those mysterious adventurers are said to be even more numerous than them.

Lan Guang walked on the broad and clean street, watching the stalls on the side of the road slowly closing up, and a smile appeared on his face.

Here, he found hope for life and lived a life he dared not imagine in the past.

You might think this is just a small town, yet its streets are much cleaner than Koya City in terms of cleanliness.

In Lan Guang's past memories, the roads in those villages were full of livestock feces everywhere, especially when it rained, it was unbearable.

The streets in Koya City were no better.

But it's different here; those mysterious adventurers set rules that it is forbidden to defecate or urinate on the street or litter at will, otherwise, one will be fined if caught.

These rules and regulations sounded very strange, and at first, no one followed them.

However, that group of mysterious adventurers specifically spent money to hire some people to patrol the streets, and anyone found defecating, urinating, or littering would be fined.

Lan Guang knew that last time his good friend Lilong urinated on the street after drinking and was discovered by the patrol team; he was caught directly and fined 5 copper coins.

At that time, Lilong felt heartbroken.

Then, the patrol team caught a few more examples, causing complaints everywhere.

However, the laborers who came to Iron Stone Town all cherished the opportunity here and no one wanted to offend Prince Lin.

Therefore, gradually, everyone changed that habit.

What amazed Lan Guang the most was that the mysterious adventurers also established a position called a cleaner.

Every day, someone would come to the street to sweep the floor and clean up the trash.

Lan Guang didn't understand this scene at first.

Why spend money to hire people to sweep the streets?

This doesn't seem to create value for Prince Lin, does it?

Later, seeing more and more traveling merchants arriving in Iron Stone Town, and hearing many people praise the place for being clean and orderly, Languang felt he might have found some answers.

"Brother, you're back."

Before he had even returned home, Languang heard his younger sister's sweet voice.

Languang pinched the little cheeks of his sister Caisi, feeling quite good.

"Mm, I also brought back the pastries you like best."

Hearing the sound, his younger brother also ran over.

"Where are the pastries?"

Looking at his younger brother and sister, a smile appeared in Languang's eyes.

His younger brother and sister today were completely different from when they first arrived at Tieshi Mountain.

Before they came, the two were sallow and thin, looking malnourished at a glance.

Now, his sister Caisi had some meat on her bones; she wasn't just skin and bones anymore, but had grown white and chubby, which was truly adorable.

"Were you well-behaved in the Academy today, and did you learn a few more characters?" Languang asked from the side.

Because more and more laborers were bringing their families over, there were also more children in Iron Stone Town.

Since these laborers went out to work every day, it was difficult for them to take care of their children.

Consequently, an Academy was established in the town specifically to look after the children, providing a free lunch every day, with teachers to help the children learn characters.

These were provided for free as benefits for the laborers.

It could be said that it was incredibly thoughtful.

At the time, many people in the town were deeply grateful to Prince Lin.

After all... such an employer was unheard of.

"I'm coming to your place for a free meal tonight." Just then, a gruff voice came over; it was Lilong.

"Uncle Lilong, you're here." Little Caisi had a sweet smile on her face.

"Call me brother," Lilong said fiercely.

"Okay, Uncle Lilong."

Lilong felt quite helpless.

"I knew you would come to mooch a meal today," Languang said, feeling quite helpless.

Today was a festival of the Saya Kingdom, Song Singing Day.

This festival was one of the five most important festivals in the Saya Kingdom.

Every night on this day, the Ordinary people of the Saya Kingdom would gather together to sing and dance.

Lilong was an outsider, and Languang did not worship the Song God, so the two did not participate in this Song Singing Day.

The sky gradually turned dark, Languang brought the food to the table, and the four people gathered together.

Outside, clear singing voices could still be heard occasionally.

The four ate while talking.

"Sigh, the weather has turned cold and it's snowing. I heard from the town manager that the tap water pipes might freeze. Does this mean I have to go fetch Water myself again?"

It is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but difficult to go from luxury to frugality.

In the past, Lilong always fetched his own Water and didn't feel anything was wrong.

But now, having grown accustomed to tap Water, Lilong was extremely unwilling to have to fetch it himself again.

"Prepare some hot Water; if it freezes, pour it over to thaw it," Languang laughed. "These aren't big problems."

"It's true, it's not much. When I was in the city, I worried every day about what to eat and whether I could get enough to eat."

"Coming here, I think about how to be more comfortable."

"People... I never want to return to Koya City in this lifetime; I don't want to suffer that kind of hardship."

"Haha, all of this depends on Prince Lin." Languang was a firm supporter of Prince Lin.

"It's a pity... Prince Lin doesn't have much talent for singing." Hearing the sounds outside, Lilong sighed. "If Prince Lin were the King of the Saya Kingdom, I would raise both my hands and feet in support!"

Without talent for singing, Prince Lin was not valued by the Royal Family, and thus, could not become the King of Saya.

"If Prince Lin were valued by the Royal Family, perhaps we would still be in Koya City now, worrying about winter clothes and quilts," Languang also sighed.

The house was very warm, and they had thick cotton quilts to cover themselves and cotton clothes to wear; they didn't need to worry like before about not waking up one day.

"Yeah," Lilong smiled.

Just then, however, a piercing siren sounded.

This type of siren was an alarm, representing that enemies had invaded, and the whole town was to maintain a wartime alert state.

In the room, Languang's expression changed slightly: "The beastmen... have attacked?"

(End of this chapter)