Qiao Sang hung up the phone and hurriedly dialed her teacher's number.
She did not want the teacher to see a missed call from her mother and call her back.
No one answered the phone.
Qiao Sang kept calling, and after five consecutive attempts, the call went from no answer to "The number you have dialed is switched off."
Having no other choice, Qiao Sang sent a text message and gave up.
The Fire-Toothed Dog kept looking up at the window.
Qiao Sang followed its gaze.
In the sky about a hundred meters high, an advertisement blimp with a size of approximately 30m × 19m, carrying a television screen, was slowly moving forward.
Passers-by would occasionally look up at such airships, which usually broadcast the latest hot news and sports events.
Right now, the television screen on the outside of the airship was displaying an interview about The Interstellar Cup.
"What are your thoughts on the next opponent?" a reporter asked.
"Bodelei is an outstanding beast tamer, his tactical combinations are varied and fancy, especially in the 24-to-22 match, his combination of Earth Disaster Hound with the Dual-headed Serpent Dragon and that move 'Double Disaster' was simply stunning. I'm sure you all saw it," the man replied.
The person responding was Lin Ya, the man with the huge toad that Qiao Sang had seen in the center of the mall last time.
"This is the third time you're participating in The Interstellar Cup. You stopped at the top ten in the previous two competitions. Do you have the confidence to achieve better results this time?" the reporter continued to ask.
"Everyone here is a top-notch beast tamer in The Interstellar. I have no confidence," Lin Ya said with a smile.
The interviewing reporters looked at each other, clearly not expecting such an answer.
"But I will do my best," Lin Ya added.
"On The Interstellar betting site, the odds for you and Bodelei are 1.89 and 1.23 respectively. What do you think about your odds being higher than Bodelei's?" another reporter asked.
"Everyone should be cautious when betting," Lin Ya replied amicably, with a smile.
Qiao Sang stared at the interview on the airship's television screen for a moment, then lowered her head to search for The Interstellar betting website on her phone.
The Interstellar betting website is the Alliance's official betting site. There are also other big and small websites for betting on The Interstellar Cup matches, but when it comes to safety and public trust, The Interstellar betting website is the one to look at.
Qiao Sang didn't hesitate to place a bet of 5,000 Alliance Currency on Bodelei.
Even though Lin Ya represented Blue Star and was the only person from Dragon Country taking part in The Interstellar Cup, Bodelei's odds were lower than Lin Ya's. These odds are calculated through rigorous analysis by the betting companies, and unless there is an upset, these odds represent the probability of their winning or losing.
Qiao Sang chose to trust the data provided by the betting company.
Besides the match between Lin Ya and Bodelei, Qiao Sang also spent 5,000 Alliance Currency to bet on another upcoming match, also based on the winning probabilities.
After placing the bets, Qiao Sang felt refreshed as if she had earned some money, more or less.
...
...
June 9th came in the blink of an eye.
It was 8:50 a.m.
The Sixth Beast Taming High School in Hangkang.
The Fire-Toothed Dog looked around spiritedly, its limbs moving briskly, the 10kg Weighted Ring on its right forelimb seeming to have no effect on it.
On the other hand, Qiao Sang walked towards the designated spot with unsteady steps, the dark circles under her eyes stark against her pale complexion, clearly showing she didn't sleep well the previous night.
Qiao Sang couldn't help but yawn; because of the time difference on The Interstellar, she had stayed up until 3 a.m. to watch the match between Lin Ya and Bodelei.
As it concerned her money, sacrificing a bit of sleep was naturally nothing.
As a result, she ended up pulling an all-nighter.
Before 3 a.m., she was watching the match; after 3 a.m., she was too angry to sleep.
Lin Ya won.
Her 5000 Alliance Currency was gone...
What the hell kind of odds did that betting company provide, not reliable at all!
Indeed, gambling could do some serious harm, Qiao Sang could now only hope the other match would let her recover some of her losses, or else she would have to skimp on a few bottles of the Qiyuan milk she bought daily.
Fire-Toothed Dog, I'm sorry!
The Fire-Toothed Dog, curious about the new environment, looked around eagerly, completely unaware that its favorite Qiyuan milk might be at stake.
Beast Taming High School's sixth recruitment office.
The door was ajar, and from outside one could hear quite a few people chatting inside, Qiao Sang knocked on the door.
"Come in," a deep voice came from inside.
Qiao Sang pushed the door and entered.
The people inside instantly quieted down, all eyes turning to look at Qiao Sang and the Fire-Toothed Dog by her side.
There were four men and two women sitting in the office, all of whom looked to be over thirty.
Qiao Sang was a bit perplexed, wasn't today the special recruitment day? Why didn't she see anyone her own age? And why were these people all staring at her? It was weird...
"Hello, teachers, I'm here for the special recruitment," Qiao Sang said to the middle-aged man closest to her.
All these people were seated, and they all had that unique air of being teachers, so Qiao Sang simply addressed the nearest one to make her intentions clear.
"So you are Qiao Sang, I am the vice principal of this school," Chen Shengtang said enthusiastically.
He managed to control the excitement that he couldn't stop from welling up inside, revealing a standard eight-toothed grin, and strived to appear as amiable as possible.
This young person before him was, after all, the only self-aware awakener in the history of Hangkang's sixth Beast Taming High School to apply to their school!
Self-aware Beast Tamers naturally had an advantage in beast taming, with the ability to have their brain domains expand more quickly. Talents like these were scarce in Zhehai Province, with only around forty a year; once discovered, they were mostly allocated or specially recruited to the top Beast Taming High Schools—rarely to their school!
But this year, this talent chose to apply to their school!
This had excited him so much that he had been waiting here early in the morning, and finally, here was this student Qiao Sang.
Chen Shengtang liked Qiao Sang more the more he looked at her; not only was she good-looking, but she also dared to contract a Fire Element beast as her first Pet Beast, showing courage!
And she had applied to their school, showing discernment!
Turned out to be the vice principal...
"Hello, vice principal," Qiao Sang found it strange that the vice principal of a school recognized her, but before she could think more about it, she promptly took out her information card and the proof of her self-aware awakening and handed them over.
Even though she had already registered online, due processes still had to be followed. Personal verification was required, and her brain domain development needed to be tested again to avoid any oversight.
Qiao Sang was quite indifferent about the special recruitment at Hangkang's sixth Beast Taming High School; she was certain she would pass, and her heart was set on Shengshui Middle School, with this school being just a backup option for her.
"Have you had breakfast?" Chen Shengtang asked with a smile, not rushing to check the information.
"If you haven't, the breakfast at our school's cafeteria is quite sumptuous, and I can take you there," a bespectacled female teacher said kindly.
Chen Shengtang gave her a pleased look.
The female teacher by the window felt a bit sour.
No wonder she became the dean of students at such a young age with her knack for reading situations.
"I have eaten," Qiao Sang replied.
The teachers at this school seemed pretty nice...
Chen Shengtang glanced down at the self-aware awakening certificate, seemingly nonchalantly, mainly to check the extent of brain domain development.
At that glance, he felt a bit anxious.
[Brain Domain 5%–9%, fluctuating greatly, cannot be confirmed, needs to be reevaluated after stabilization]