Shao Zifeng trailed behind the group of people. After more than ten minutes, they arrived beside a dilapidated building. One of them stepped forward and knocked on the wall. Moments later,
"Clack!"
The middle of the wall slowly parted, revealing an entrance wide enough for two people. Shao Zifeng glanced around, memorized the surroundings, and followed the group through the entrance, only to discover it was a spacious elevator.
A feeling of weightlessness swept over him as the elevator began to descend rapidly.
-1M...-23M...-107M...-187M
Shao Zifeng watched the numbers displayed above the elevator door. His heartbeat gradually sped up. He felt he was about to come into contact with an extraordinary power.
"Ding-dong, destination reached."
The elevator door slowly opened. Harsh lights and cacophonous noises swept over Shao Zifeng like a heat wave, causing him a moment of dizziness.
In front of his eyes was a vast underground space, estimated to be tens of thousands of square meters. The sleek silver decor made it look like the interior of a spaceship from a sci-fi movie.
Shao Zifeng walked out with the crowd, gazing up at the ceiling several meters above, embedded with rows of fluorescent lights that made it seem like daytime. He felt a moment of vertigo.
The people here carried various pets with them. Some were chatting, while others were handling business at service counters on the edge of the space. Occasionally, combat training masters with flying pets would swoop low, causing gusts of wind to lift the hems of people's clothes, eliciting screams from women.
In the center of the vast space was an enormous pit surrounded by a railing. Hundreds of people crowded around, either shouting, gasping, or cursing hysterically.
Shao Zifeng approached and saw that below the pit was a structure resembling a Roman amphitheater. On the stone-built beast-fighting platform, two pets were standing and intertwining madly, tearing and biting each other. Blood splattered across the platform, fresh blood covering dark, dried bloodstains. The sight of blood excited the crowd, their eyes turning red and their shouts growing louder.
The mix of modern and ancient, the clash of civilization and barbarism—the stark contrast of styles made Shao Zifeng acutely aware of the various negative emotions in the air.
Shao Zifeng saw the pets with their overturned fur and bloodstains. He couldn't help but frown in discomfort. Qiuqiu had already covered its eyes with its little paws, pressing its head against Shao Zifeng's neck, letting out a low whimper, urging Shao Zifeng to leave.
Leaving the central beast-fighting platform, Shao Zifeng walked toward the service counter at the edge of the space.
"Hello sir, what business would you like to handle?" A young woman in uniform with a professional smile asked softly from behind the counter.
"Uh... it's my first time here. Could you please give me an introduction?" Shao Zifeng hesitated slightly. After seeing this place filled with indulgence, he felt a bit discouraged.
"Sure, sir. This is a comprehensive service platform. Here, you can post or receive tasks, buy or sell pet items or mutant creatures, participate in beast fights, or place bets on pets you favor. Additionally, you can train pets or learn skills based on personal needs." After carefully explaining the services, the young woman continued, "Since it's your first time here, sir, how about registering some personal information?"
Shao Zifeng felt tempted but hesitated because he didn't have a legal combat training master identity and didn't want to reveal personal information, so he remained silent.
"Don't worry, sir. You only need to register a pseudonym. After registration, we will provide you with an identity number. Your pseudonym will only be displayed if you choose to reveal it yourself." The young woman behind the counter seemed to discern Shao Zifeng's concern and smiled gently.
Feeling reassured, Shao Zifeng found it difficult to come up with a pseudonym. He was embarrassed to seek help from Qiuqiu's teacher in front of the young woman, scratching his head anxiously. Even Qiuqiu couldn't bear it anymore, suggesting names like "Eggy" or "Roundy," similar to "Qiuqiu."
Just then, Shao Zifeng noticed his Tang sword. The sheath faintly bore the inscription "Hidden Edge." He happily adopted this as his code name.
Though Qiuqiu couldn't read, it sensed that the two characters Shao Zifeng inputted were different, and angrily bit Shao Zifeng's ear with its toothless mouth.
"You tasteless, foolish biped."
~~(﹁﹁)~~~
"Alright, Mr. Hidden Edge, your personal number is 9331. What business would you like to handle?" The young woman cheerfully entered Shao Zifeng's information into the platform's database and asked.
"I'd like to purchase some Fire Attribute Energy Potion Type I. How do I complete the transaction?" After searching through the night, Shao Zifeng was finally able to buy what he wanted, feeling somewhat excited.
Qiuqiu, not knowing what Shao Zifeng intended to do, sensed his slight excitement and mimicked an excited expression, glancing at the young woman. It adjusted its expression to match Shao Zifeng's.
Hmm, Shao Zifeng's skin should be redder.
Qiuqiu glanced at its own pale white body, feeling it didn't quite match.
Then, it started brainstorming how to turn its skin red. Suddenly, an idea struck.
Secretly, it gathered a ball of fire element in its mouth and swallowed it down with a gulp.
Instantly, Qiuqiu's entire body swelled up a bit, turning visibly redder.
Not wanting Shao Zifeng to notice its awkward state, it clenched its mouth shut. As thin wisps of black smoke seeped from its nostrils and ears, Qiuqiu's body returned to normal.
Then, acting nonchalantly, it glanced around and, seeing that Shao Zifeng hadn't noticed, breathed a sigh of relief and curled into a ball.
"So mad at myself, hmph."
o(╥﹏╥)o
As Shao Zifeng waited for the young woman behind the counter to search for sale information, he didn't notice Qiuqiu's solo performance. Luckily, he didn't, or Qiuqiu would have been mortified.
"Mr. Hidden Edge, we found 28 sale entries. The average price is 1200 yuan per vial, how many would you like?" The young woman asked with a smile.
Indeed, 200 yuan more expensive than the official price, but still not too bad.
As for how many, Shao Zifeng pondered. From his research, he knew that a young pet's infancy period was very short. Typically, five energy potions would suffice for an infant's nutritional needs, but Qiuqiu had dragon bloodline.
It's widely known that dragons are long-lived species, requiring eons to mature into an adult dragon. Even though using energy potions could hasten growth without harming the pet's potential, it still far exceeded ordinary pets.
"I'll start with ten vials. How do I make the payment and collect my purchase?" Shao Zifeng asked curiously.