A minute passed.
Mother's voice was a few decibels louder than usual, yet her facial expression remained calm, "I'm going to the restroom."
The staff member said, "Take a left at the front, go to the end, then turn right, and you'll see it."
Mother nodded and lifted her legs to walk towards the right.
"Ma'am, it's to the left," the staff member reminded her.
Mother's back stiffened for a moment, then she acted as if nothing had happened and turned left.
Qiao Sang couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions; she controlled the upward curve of her lips.
Mom, your image as a strong, independent woman just collapsed.
She turned her head back to the Fire-Toothed Dogs, her thoughts returning to them.
Qiao Sang noted that Fire-Toothed Dogs were lively, full of energy, and not a single one sat quietly.
There really was a reason why new Beast Tamers would often select such spirited Pet Beasts as their first choice...
Qiao Sang couldn't help but ask, "Are there any Fire-Toothed Dogs with a calmer temperament?"
The staff member tactfully replied, "Actually, we have many other Pet Beasts at our base."
Qiao Sang got the hint instantly.
After all, her soul was that of an adult. Even without any Beast Taming experience, she didn't feel like she would be as clueless with an ill-tempered Pet Beast as a 15-year-old.
With that in mind, forget the personality; she might as well choose a Fire-Toothed Dog she felt a connection with.
"Can I see that one?"
Qiao Sang noticed a Fire-Toothed Dog that kept ramming into a tree. It wasn't just blindly crashing into it but charged with purposeful force.
Qiao Sang felt that its target was not the tree, but itself.
After all, who would foolishly, without any purpose, ram into a tree?
"Of course," the staff member replied.
"Toot toot!" She picked up the metal whistle hanging in front of her chest, put it to her lips, and blew a piercing sound.
All the Fire-Toothed Dogs stopped their movements, and their gaze focused on her, ceasing the destruction.
A few Fire-Toothed Dogs tilted their heads.
"Ya?"
Is it time to eat?
Once the flames were gone, the staff member walked into the Fire-Toothed Dog enclosure and picked up the selected Fire-Toothed Dog.
"Ya?"
The Fire-Toothed Dog blinked its confused eyes as its fiery, attention-grabbing ears moved.
The Fire-Toothed Dog was placed in front of Qiao Sang.
The Fire-Toothed Dog is a small canine-type Pet Beast with fiery red fur and a few black stripes, topped with a patch of short orange hair.
The Fire-Toothed Dog in front of her was about 60 centimeters in height, definitely smaller in build than the others, with a scar on its forehead from the recent ramming. Its black pupils were wetly gazing at her, invoking an almost irresistible urge to stroke it.
It didn't seem as fiery as other Fire-Toothed Dogs, but rather evoked a pitiable feeling.
In Qiao Sang's mind, a heartfelt backstory had instantly formed of a weak Fire-Toothed Dog being ostracized, its food stolen, suffering from malnutrition, and then training hard in desperation.
Its recent tree ramming must have been an attempt to practice some sort of special move.
Like a Flame Charge or something.
"This Fire-Toothed Dog is the youngest one in our base right now, less than a month old," the staff member introduced.
So it's not weak, just young...
But being young is good. Many Beast Tamers prefer to start training their Pet Beasts while they're still eggs, as it's often easier to establish a bond and rapport that way.
Qiao Sang had indeed considered buying a young beast egg, but she quickly dismissed the idea.
After all, she still had to attend school, and it was neither sensible nor safe to take an egg with her.
If she left it at home, she would worry about it being unsupervised while her mother went out to work.
Qiao Sang squatted down and reached out to stroke the Fire-Toothed Dog's head.
The Fire-Toothed Dog comfortably narrowed its eyes, and its red tail swayed unconsciously.
It looked quite well-behaved.
Qiao Sang felt the soft fur in her hand and was increasingly satisfied.
She looked into the eyes of the Fire-Toothed Dog and smiled, "Would you like to come with me?"
The employee's expression was a bit strange; this Fire-Toothed Dog had a foul temper, taking advantage of its young age to fight with other Fire-Toothed Dogs without restraint.
Older Fire-Toothed Dogs, seeing that it had only been born not long ago, with no "Spark" Skill to speak of, and its claws not even sharp yet, let it do as it pleased because their skirmishes lacked impact.
Sometimes, they would even play with it, pretending to be defeated, making it believe that it was unbeatable and thus becoming more arrogant over time.
As a professional receptionist, she had the ability to tell what kind of pet beast the customer wanted and what their needs were.
It was clear that this girl wanted a quieter Fire-Toothed Dog.
Should she warn her...?
This place didn't have any Fire-Toothed Dogs with a good temper.
She thought about the commission for a Fire-Toothed Dog, then about the school district house for her son, and ultimately, she didn't say anything.
Go?
Of course, the Fire-Toothed Dog understood what that meant.
To go or not to go?
Of course it wanted to go; it had no more rivals here, and besides, the human's hand felt very comfortable to touch...
It seemed it was time to go out and look for new opponents!
"Yah!"
The Fire-Toothed Dog nodded solemnly and extended its chubby paw.
Qiao Sang was momentarily stunned, then took it in her hand.
This was going smoother than she had expected...
Thus, an agreement was reached between the girl and the dog.
...
The contract between humans and Extraordinary Creatures is established under the effect of the Beast Taming Codex.
The Beast Taming Codex acts as a mediator, closely linking the relationship between the two; generally, for a contract to be successful, it must be voluntary for both parties.
However, you can also form a contract with the Extraordinary Creature after defeating it completely and while it is unguarded.
The latter method comes with many risks, as without sufficient bond, the Pet Beast may be disobedient, a concern only for higher-level Beast Tamers.
As long as a Beast Tamer's brain domain is developed enough, and the Beast Taming Codex is powerful, the Pet Beast couldn't break the contract even if it tried to retaliate.
At this moment, Qiao Sang was connecting to her own brain domain.
In her brain domain, the Beast Taming Codex was lying there quietly without any movement; although it was called a Codex, it was as thin as an envelope with only one blank page inside.
Qiao Sang had read in books that when the Beast Taming Codex first awakens, it is white, and there is only one Contract Space available for bonding with a Pet Beast.
When the brain domain is developed to 10%, the Beast Taming Codex will awaken to a grey color, and the Contract Space will expand to two pages.
Following the gestures to activate the Beast Taming Codex from her memory, Qiao Sang formed a seal with her hands in front of her.
Soon the Beast Taming Codex in her brain domain activated, slowly turning to its only page.
A white light began to gather slowly from all around towards the Fire-Toothed Dog's head, gradually forming a small circular Star Array.
In fact, there is a very simple way to distinguish a Beast Tamer's rank—whether it's forming a contract or summoning, just look at the light that appears on the Pet Beast.
Just like the Beast Taming Codex, the color of the light reflects the color of the Star Array that summons the Pet Beast.
However, this can only be a reference, as ordinary people, even if their Beast Taming Codex awakens again, cannot pass the Beast Tamer rank assessment of the Beast Taming Alliance without a corresponding powerful Pet Beast.
The glow of the Star Array covered the Fire-Toothed Dog's head, and it looked up at the Star Array with curiosity, showing no resistance.