Beast Taming: Starting From Zero

Read at: https://blogspot-translatedstories./?m=1

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Jiang Xiu suddenly realized he had made a mistake.

The girl in front of him contracting Ice Xilu might have been a coincidence, but the Blazing Star Canine and the Treasure-Seeking Demon were not.

To be able to contract such talented beasts and nurture them to this level in such a short time, how could her family possibly lack money?

With such a noble background, her standards must naturally be high. No wonder she wasn't interested in something as ordinary as a Thermal Stone.

Speaking of which, what else was in his bag…? Jiang Xiu silently reached into his backpack to search.

"Not picking it up?" Qiao Sang asked again when she noticed Professor Jiang hadn't made a move or said a word for a while.

After a moment of silence, Jiang Xiu called out, "Haizi."

The Sea Salt Lizard looked exasperated as it swam quickly to where the Thermal Stone had sunk and swallowed it in one gulp.

Soon after, water began to gush out of one of the blue circular spots on the lizard's back.

As the water dispersed, the Thermal Stone reappeared.

Seeing this, Qiao Sang asked with interest, "Is that a skill or a trait?"

Jiang Xiu placed the Thermal Stone back into his bag as he explained:

"It's a storage trait, considered one of the lowest levels. My Sea Salt Lizard can store small objects inside its body, transferring them through its mouth or these circular spots. However, the storage time is limited, anything stored inside for more than five minutes will be digested."

Qiao Sang mentally noted the new information.

---

Over the next while, materials suitable for contracted beasts appeared every few minutes. Jiang Xiu's backpack was in a constant cycle of taking out and putting in items, never seeming to deflate.

"There seems to be something over there." Jiang Xiu said numbly.

He felt like an NPC in a game, endlessly repeating the same actions and lines.

Qiao Sang followed his gaze and her eyes lit up. "Is that Dark Phantom Crystal?"

Seeing her interest, Jiang Xiu perked up. Pretending to scrutinize it carefully, he said with certainty, "It is indeed Dark Phantom Crystal!"

"Aren't you going to pick it up, Professor?" Qiao Sang asked.

Jiang Xiu waved dismissively, his tone indifferent.

"I'm not interested in Dark Phantom Crystals. If you want it, I can have the Sea Salt Lizard fetch it for you."

What a peculiar man. He showed interest in a mere thousand-coin Thermal Stone but couldn't care less about a Dark Phantom Crystal worth tens of thousands… Qiao Sang was inwardly amused but said, "I'll let Lubao fetch it."

At her command, Lubao darted to the crystal's location. Just as she reached out to grab it, a large, dark red orb nearby caught her eye.

"Lu!"

Lubao placed one paw on the Dark Phantom Crystal and another on the red orb, intending to take both. But when she tried to lift the red orb, it wouldn't budge.

"Lu!"

Lubao increased her strength.

"Zhu Zhu!"

Suddenly, a roar echoed nearby, and the red orb quivered.

Below it, a pair of dark red eyes snapped open.

The initially fierce and violent gaze turned momentarily stunned upon seeing Lubao.

"Not good! It's the King-level Bulging-Eyed Fish!" Jiang Xiu exclaimed.

"Quick, recall Ice Xilu!"

A King-level beast?! Qiao Sang's heart sank as she quickly gestured to recall Lubao into her Beast Tamer Codex.

"Zhu Zhu!!!"

The Bulging-Eyed Fish let out a deafening roar, even more furious than before.

The water rippled as a massive, deep blue beast with bulging eyes and two dark red orbs, one on its forehead and another on its tail, entered Qiao Sang's view.

"Yap!"

Yabao, Qiao Sang's other contracted beast, showed an eager expression, itching for a fight.

"Why do you want to fight everything strong you see? This is a King-level beast! We can't win!" Qiao Sang said, noticing Yabao's excitement with a twitch of her lips.

"And we're underwater. Are you sure you want to fight here?"

"Yap…"

Yabao stiffened and obediently stayed in her arms, unwilling to move.

Ugh, he really hated water!

"This area's most aggressive creature is this Bulging-Eyed Fish." Jiang Xiu said grimly.

"I didn't expect to encounter it right away."

"This is supposed to be a water beast exchange event, right? Shouldn't we try talking to it?" Qiao Sang hesitated.

"I need to prioritize your safety." Jiang Xiu replied.

"It's not convenient to communicate with the Bulging-Eyed Fish, it tends to attack on sight."

"Other participants who've tried to interact with it said it's highly territorial and attacks without warning." He explained further.

That made sense, fighting underwater would be disastrous if the bubbles surrounding the Sea Salt Lizard burst. Qiao Sang asked, "Should we leave now?"

"Not yet. If we move now, the Bulging-Eyed Fish will likely target us." Jiang Xiu warned.

After a moment of silence, Qiao Sang hesitated and said, "Shouldn't we turn off the light from the Sea Salt Lizard? It's like a giant glowing beacon!"

Jiang Xiu: …

The Sea Salt Lizard seemed to understand and dimmed its green light.

At that moment, the Bulging-Eyed Fish darted over, stopping right in front of the Sea Salt Lizard.

"Zhu Zhu!"

The Bulging-Eyed Fish let out a cry.

"Not good! Run!" Jiang Xiu's face darkened as the Sea Salt Lizard spun around, its tail creating a water vortex to propel them away.

"Zhu Zhu!"

The Bulging-Eyed Fish roared, chasing after them.

"Xun Xun!"

Little Treasure clung to the bubble's interior, excitedly calling out that the fish was catching up.

Why are you so excited?! Qiao Sang inwardly grumbled, glancing back at the relentless pursuer.

After observing for a while, she hesitated and said, "Professor Jiang, it doesn't seem like the Bulging-Eyed Fish wants to attack."

"That's impossible." Jiang Xiu said.

"Its expression and roar earlier were clearly aggressive."

"But it's a King-level beast." Qiao Sang reasoned.

"If it wanted to attack, it could have already done so at this range. It hasn't used any skills, it's just chasing us. Doesn't that seem odd?"

Jiang Xiu paused, considering her words.

"What are you suggesting?"

"Maybe it wants to say something." Qiao Sang suggested.

"Why not try communicating?"

"No way!" Jiang Xiu refused immediately.

"It's too dangerous."

"We can communicate from a distance." Qiao Sang said with a smile.

Jiang Xiu was momentarily puzzled.

Qiao Sang turned to the Little Treasure.

"Didn't we buy a voice amplifier recently? Find it."

"Xun~"

Little Treasure rummaged through his ring, quickly producing a microphone shaped like a lollipop.

"Ask it why it's chasing us." Qiao Sang instructed.

Little Treasure nodded, switched on the microphone, and tested the volume with a few chirps. The sound echoed loudly through the water.

Jiang Xiu was dumbfounded. What kind of crazy idea is this?!

"Zhu Zhu!"

The Bulging-Eyed Fish flinched at the noise.

"Xun Xun!"

Little Treasure held the microphone up and earnestly repeated Qiao Sang's question.

"Zhu Zhu!"

The Bulging-Eyed Fish hesitated, then called back shyly while still chasing them.

"What did it say?" Qiao Sang asked.

"Yap yap!"

Before Little Treasure could answer, Yabao translated, It's asking if we've seen a beautiful creature just now.