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Mother paused, "Isn't the Fire-Toothed Dog too aggressive?"
Beast Tamers undoubtedly look at attributes, talent, and potential when choosing a Pet Beast.
However, for novice Beast Tamers, the most important aspect is to consider the temperament of the Pet Beast.
The Small Fatty Pigeon, White Sand Fox, Short-Tailed Snake, Sand Burrowing Mouse, and Deep-Fur Long all make for prime choices for rookie Beast Tamers, with temperament playing a significant part.
The Pet Beasts bred at the Pet Beast Base aren't all docile and nonaggressive towards humans.
An inexperienced Beast Tamer who contracts with a fierce-tempered Pet Beast as their first would struggle not just to command it in battle, but even to train it.
Last year in Kainan City, a boy who had just finished his middle school exams contracted a Flame Sparrow, but within two days, the Flame Sparrow preferred to suffer backlash over maintaining the contract.
The boy's brain suffered serious damage, and by the time he went back to high school, it was half a year later, leaving a wide gap between him and his peers.
It was only after an interview that they discovered the incident started because the boy wanted the Flame Sparrow to strike a few poses for his social circle...
This news was hotly searched for several minutes.
Fire Attribute Beasts are mostly crude and willful, and the Fire-Toothed Dog is no exception.
But Qiao Sang didn't believe that all Fire-Toothed Dogs of a species could have bad tempers; there had to be a few with different personalities.
Otherwise, if a whole species shared the same temperament, how uninteresting that would be.
"Mom, didn't you say that I have a talent for Beast Taming? I think the Fire-Toothed Dog suits me well," Qiao Sang said.
The Fire-Toothed Dog is a Fire Element Pet Beast with strong attack power; after a phase of evolution, there would absolutely be no problem with her qualifying for the E-rank Beast Tamer assessment.
Although the Fire-Toothed Dog is not as expensive as Psychic Beasts like Bubble Bell, it is still priced significantly higher than the likes of Small Fatty Pigeon.
For example, Pet Beasts preferred by rookie Beast Tamers like the Small Fatty Pigeon are priced around 30,000, while the Fire-Toothed Dog needs around 100,000.
Qiao Sang was aware of her family's financial situation, and they could indeed afford this sum.
"Okay, I'll take you to the Pet Beast Base tomorrow morning," her mother agreed, without saying much else.
...
...
The next day, just as dawn broke, Qiao Sang was woken up by her mother.
With her mother's urging, she managed to get ready and eat breakfast in just 10 minutes; by the time they left the house, it was only 7:06 AM.
Qiao Sang's eyelids were drooping the whole time, appearing as though she hadn't fully woken up.
That changed once she got outside.
Hangkang Pet Beast Base was not located in the urban area, but rather in the suburbs, more than 40 kilometers from the city center.
When Youyou brought them to the Hangkang Pet Beast Base, it was already 8:31 AM.
They arrived just in time for the Pet Beast Base's opening hour.
Since it was early, there were only the two of them at the entire Hangkang Pet Beast Base looking to purchase a Pet Beast.
There was no need for an appointment or to queue up.
The person who received them was a woman in her thirties who appeared to be an employee.
"How may I assist you?" she approached, wearing a professional smile.
"We want to buy a Fire-Toothed Dog," her mother stated their intention directly.
"Alright, please follow me," the employee led the way.
She was clearly experienced at her job, providing a continuous stream of information, preventing any awkward silence.
"We currently have 27 Fire-Toothed Dogs at the base, all well-developed; 2 of them are even on the verge of evolving, and out of the remaining 25, 19 have already learned 'Spark'.
"7 have even learned 'Fireball', and they stand a few centimeters taller than their peers of the same age. There are also 5 others..."
During the introduction, they had already reached the area where the Fire-Toothed Dogs were kept.
Before Qiao Sang could get closer.
"Bang!"
The explosion sounded suddenly, and a flame struck the ground about five meters away from her.
Qiao Sang was startled.
She looked in the direction from which the flame had come.
Two Fire-Toothed Dogs, obviously larger than the others, were baring their fangs at each other, the teeth covered in flames.
The fangs were covered in burning flames, a skill that Fire-Toothed Dogs typically inherit—Flame Tooth.
Staff members, unflustered, explained, "These two are Fire-Toothed Dogs close to evolving. They're always fighting to prove who's the strongest, but it always ends in a draw."
As she spoke, flames darted chaotically, another striking the ground about four meters away from Qiao Sang.
Qiao Sang's scalp tingled.
The staff pointed to the bushes not far on the left, "The spark that just shot out was released by that Fire-Toothed Dog. Its power is quite impressive."
Qiao Sang looked over and saw another Fire-Toothed Dog standing in front of it, the atmosphere seemingly tense.
Indeed, the next second, the two began to snarl and bite at each other.
The staff provided a live commentary, "They are love rivals, fighting over the affection of a female Fire-Toothed Dog. But there won't be any outcome, as the female has her sights set on a different one."
Qiao Sang: "..."
She pondered for a moment and then asked, "Where is this female Fire-Toothed Dog?"
The nature of a female Fire-Toothed Dog must be better than that of the males, right?
The staff member replied with a smile, "It's that one, the one that was cheering them on while they fought."
Qiao Sang was taken aback, she looked back to see that indeed there was a Fire-Toothed Dog with cleaner, softer fur frantically barking at the edge of the bushes.
"Fang!"
"Fang!"
The staff interpreted, "What it's probably shouting is, 'Fight, fight!' It may not like them, but it enjoys watching them fight for its affection."
Qiao Sang: "..."
While Qiao Sang was caught in confusion, the staff looked at the mother who had been silent and asked, "Do you have a preference for a Fire-Toothed Dog? I can bring one over for you to have a closer look."
The mother shook her head, "I'm here with my daughter; she's the one who wants to make a contract with a Fire-Toothed Dog."
The staff had an epiphany, "No wonder. Your daughter is a self-awakened, isn't she?"
The mother looked pleased, "How did you know?"
The staff explained, "Today is Friday, and your daughter is still in her Wen Cheng Junior High uniform. She should be in her third year.
The Beast Taming Alliance doesn't awaken the neurodomains until later in the year. If she hadn't awakened herself, how could she possibly be here to contract a Pet Beast?
And getting leave from school at such a critical time is not easy either."
All of this was fabricated.
She had guessed as much only because a girl from Wen Cheng Junior High had come three days prior, also a self-awakened, accompanied by her parents to contract a Pet Beast, and she had been the one to attend to them.
But what is in the water at Wen Cheng Junior High? To have two self-awakened students in the same grade.
She absolutely must discuss with her husband about getting a loan for a school-district house over there; their son was already in the fourth grade of elementary school.
The smile on the mother's face gradually stiffened.
Qiao Sang came back to her senses and asked faintly, "Mom, did you call my homeroom teacher to ask for a leave today?"
The mother forced a laugh, "Haha, how could I have forgotten?"
"I remember you did ask for leave yesterday, but today…" Qiao Sang expressed her doubt.
"I asked for two days off for you yesterday!" the mother raised her voice unconsciously.
Qiao Sang replied, "That's good."
She sighed quietly to herself.
She wondered if her mother realized that she tended to raise her voice when she lied.