Some of the Arctic locals still found it hard to believe that the Icefall Bear had actually lost. Itâs not someone in a bear suit, is it?
Some eventually dismissed the thought. Who could possibly be desperate enough to play such a demanding role? Then again, there was no way a wild monster would abide by a human beingâs orders so obediently.
A couple of trainers, still unable to accept the Icefall Bearâs loss, sent out their familiars to test the Six-Horned Dreadwolf. Naturally, Huang Ya accepted all their challenges.
A total of three trainers had stepped forth to challenge the Six-Horned Dreadwolf. Two of them had earned a bit of reputation for themselves in the region. However, the Six-Horned Dreadwolf defeated all three of them rather easily.
After the opening ceremony, the store was officially opened to the Arctic public. The threshold was nearly stomped to pieces as the people stormed in. Some were just checking the place out of curiosity, while there were others who were genuinely interested in buying a familiar.
âFanny, tomorrowâs your eighteenth birthday. What kind of familiar do you want to buy?â said a huge Arctic man, stroking his stubbled chin.
âDad, I want that one! It looks really cool!â said a blonde-haired girl, her eyes twinkling as she pointed at a huge blue-grayish centipede in a cage.
âOh⌠oh my. Wouldnât you rather have something else?â said her father, his eye twitching slightly. He was, in every sense of the word, a manly man who thought that lions, tigers, and bears looked adorable. Before the Cataclysm, his family had even had a brown bear as a pet.
However, creepy-crawlies were the one thing he couldnât stand. He was fine with just looking at these multi-legged freaks of nature from a distance, but if his daughter was going to bring one home⌠Living under the same roof with a centipede that size would definitely be a challenge.
âMy dear daughter, why donât you find another one? How does that sound?â asked Wolfgang with a strained smile.
âNo, didnât you say I can pick whatever familiar I want? Do you think all centipedes look ugly? Do you hate them that much?â Fanny was looking at her father intensely.
âEr⌠Of course not, my dear.â
Wait⌠am I seeing things? Wolfgang rubbed his eyes. He could have sworn that a huge purple centipede was glaring at him contemptuously from a wall.
Is that hatred in its eyes? he thought, his heart racing in his chest.
Hmph, how dare you call all centipedes ugly. Da Zi narrowed its eyes at the ugly blonde-haired man.
As these meaty Arctic locals were more used to raising furry warm-blooded monsters as their familiars, monsters like the blue-grayish centipede werenât advertised as the storeâs main merchandise.
On the other hand, people from the Huaxia and Southeast regions loved scorpions, centipedes, and the like. They simply couldnât get enough of these twitchy little critters.
The blue-grayish centipede was a Glacial Bone Centipede, a type of Commander-tier monster. However, it was still a newborn. As soon as it entered adulthood, it would naturally reach Commander-tier.
Trainers all around the world now had a much higher expectation for familiars. This new generation of trainers wouldnât give Normal-tier familiars the time of day unless they happened to have extraordinarily high grades. As a result, Excellent-tier familiars had become the hottest products on the market.
As soon as these young people thought they had the slightest qualification to become monster trainers, they would automatically choose Commander-tier monster newborns as their first familiars.
However, Lord-tier monster newborns were still beyond the reach of most people.
âAll right then, if you insist. Letâs buy this centipede.â Wolfgang finally gave in to his daughterâs demands. He just couldnât say no to his little princess.
âDad, when I grow up, I want to buy a Glacial Bone Centipede just like big sis!â said nine-year-old Tommie excitedly.
Wolfgang ruffled his sonâs hair lovingly.
âSon, if you do, Iâll have to break your centipedeâs legs.â
Tommie pouted. Why didnât you say that to big sis just now?
When Wolfgang returned home with his son and daughter, Wolfgangâs wife came out to embrace him.
âIs this the familiar you bought for our daughter?â asked his wife, looking curiously at the 10-foot-long blue-grayish centipede.
âShe insisted on buying it. I couldnât change her mind,â said Wolfgang, shaking his head.
âYes, Mama. Look at how cute it is,â said Fanny. She then produced a small, polished gray stone from her pocket and set it on the ground.
Smelling the gray stone, the Glacial Bone Centipede crawled over to it, then devoured the stone without leaving a crumb on the floor.
âAll right, Iâm not going to say anything about your decision⌠But I must know, what use does a centipede have? Itâs your first familiar. You really should think carefully about this sort of thing before making such an important decision, you know.â
âIt has a high defense. See for yourself.â Fanny rushed to her fatherâs storage room. When she came back, she was holding a rubber band gun in her hand. She took aim at the Glacial Bone Centipede and shot at it.
Sparks flew as the gunâs pellet struck the centipedeâs sturdy exoskeleton, letting out a hollow clang.
There wasnât a dent on the centipedeâs blue-grayish body. It still looked brand new.
âIt just reached Excellent-grade. When it grows into a Commander-tier familiar, its defenses will become even better,â boasted Fanny to her parents.
The familiars that these people had bought from Gao Pengâs store would naturally pique the interest of their friends and family. Once word of his familiar store got out, the store would be guaranteed to receive a steady flow of customers for the next few days.
The day finally ended. Huang Ya did an inventory of the storeâs stock. They had sold a total of 78 monsters, 18 of them being adult monsters and the remaining 60 being monster newborns.
That dayâs income alone was enough to cover their travel expenses and the expenditure required to raise their monster stock. The rest of their monsters would bring them a considerable profit in the next few days.
âYoung Master Gao, the monstersâ freight expenses are just too expensive,â said Huang Ya with a bitter smile.
The freight expenses that incurred during the transportation of all these Commander-tier monsters had reached an astronomical figure. Huang Ya feared that they might not be earning enough to pay it off.
âDonât worry. Have headquarters send over 300 more monsters. Weâll just pay out of the companyâs pocket for now. We could also hunt for monsters with potential in the Arctic wilderness and raise them in a specially built monster training facility here. Iâll need someone I can trust to oversee our operations here, someone who can really command everyoneâs attention,â muttered Gao Peng. He glanced at Huang Ya. âDo you have anyone in mind?â
Huang Ya fell silent as he raked his mind for someone that fit such a description. Finally, he said, âIf Young Master Gao thinks Iâm trustworthy enough, then allow me to shoulder such a burden! I promise I wonât disappointâŚâ
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âIâm sorry, but youâll have to remain in the Southern Sky headquarters. If you leave, I wonât have anyone trustworthy enough looking after the place for me,â said Gao Peng patiently. âIâm not looking for someone high-ranking. For now, I only want someone who is loyal, not afraid of taking risks, and of course, intelligent enough to carry out this task.â
With Gao Pengâs incredible talent for raising familiars in mind, Huang Ya suddenly thought of the perfect candidate for the job. âJi Changming. Heâs one of the up-and-coming newbies in the reconnaissance division. He has a decisive way of doing things and great judgment to boot. Heâs also an intelligent man who knows his place in the company.â
âI see,â said Gao Peng, nodding. âCould you have this Ji Changming come to my place later? You can go now.â