"Mom, why did you hit the back of my head?"
Yan Xiangting gritted her teeth, "If your awakening was successful, then it's successful. Why are you sighing when you come out?"
"The examiner said that my brain waves have significant fluctuations and I need to rest well. But the high school entrance exam is only 20 days away. Isn't this delaying my study?" Qiao Sang looked innocent.
Yan Xiangting: "..."
"What's wrong with you, Mom?"
"What's wrong with you?"
"Mom!"
Where is the strong woman she knew?
Only Qiao Sang's partner, Bubbleling, was left behind in the wind where they were standing before.
"Bubbleling!"
Chasing and making noise are prohibited in the Beastmaster Center!
...
...
As soon as she got home, Qiao Sang locked herself in her room and turned on the computer.
Her mother had suggested going to the Hangang Pet Beast Base in the afternoon to choose a pet, but Qiao Sang refused.
As a Beastmaster, it is crucial to choose the right pet because it's highly likely that a person can only contract with one pet throughout their life.
The ranking of Beastmasters starts from F, going all the way up to SSS.
An F-level Beastmaster is the simplest, as long as they awaken their Beast Compendium at the age of 15 and contract with a pet, they can go to the Beastmaster Center for certification.
However, to become an E-level Beastmaster, one must develop their brain domain to a degree of 10%. This allows the Beast Compendium to contract with a second pet.
Then they must cultivate two intermediate evolved pets, known as intermediate pets.
After that, they have to engage in a 1v1 battle with a notary from the Beastmaster Union.
Only if they win can their information be changed to reflect their status as an E-level Beastmaster.
Some people choose to contract with insect-type Super Beasts with shorter evolution cycles to cultivate intermediate pets more quickly.
However, evolved insect-type pets are inherently weak, and apart from Beastmasters with exceptional combat command abilities, others would have a hard time winning with them.
The original host, as a poor student with limited knowledge, only remembered the appearances of Super Beasts that looked good.
But what use is it to have good looks? Can they win fights?
If she can't win, how can she become a higher-level Beastmaster?
When selecting a pet, she naturally needs to choose those with high potential and strong combat abilities.
If she were to go to the Hangang Pet Beast Base in the afternoon, she wouldn't even recognize the names and attributes of those pets, let alone their first and second-stage evolutions. How could she choose?
Qiao Sang felt that rushing into this matter wouldn't do any good. She needed to do her homework first.
She opened a forum and logged into her account, "GeniusWoodAgain."
This ID fully proves that every underachiever has a dream of counterattack.
Qiao Sang chose not to post a new thread. The world of Beastmasters in this world is already mature, with thousands of newly awakened Beastmasters every year.
A quick browse will reveal various posts from them.
Qiao Sang browsed the forum, and all she saw were contents related to pets.
"I've been poisoned by a Small Multiscorpion!"
"Am I the only one who thinks the new form of Cotton Bug is ugly?"
"B-level Beastmaster online teaching you how to get into South Sheng Beastmaster University."
"New Beastmaster wants to ask if the first pet can be a Little Horned Dragon."
Her gaze stopped on the last post.
No sense of reality.
Wanting to contract a dragon-type pet as their first pet and even posting to ask if it's possible?
Everyone knows the power of dragon-type pets.
Apart from a few extremely rare pets, in terms of attributes alone, dragon-type pets are definitely the most expensive among all pets.
People who don't have a fortune at home definitely can't afford them.
Even if someone grits their teeth and buys one, they can't afford to raise it. Dragon-type pets have long evolution cycles, and even if they're well-fed and taken care of for several years, they may not even evolve into intermediate pets.
If Qiao Sang were to answer, of course, the answer would be no.
Absolutely not!
But if there were actually a dragon-type pet waiting for her to contract right in front of Qiao Sang...
Then it's not so absolute...
Qiao Sang scrolled down, no longer paying attention to the post that made her feel depressed.
"New Beastmaster strongly recommends the Sandrat!"
The comments section had various voices.
"It seems the OP didn't let the Sandrat sleep at night. Friendly reminder, it will grind its teeth!"
"Why don't you also remind the OP what it uses to grind its teeth?"
"I, the White Sand Fox, object."
"The Deep-Haired Turtle requests a battle."
...
In the development of Beastmaster civilization, the pets that are suitable for new Beastmasters have already been summarized.
Little Fat Dove, White Sand Fox, Short-Tailed Snake, Sandrat, Deep-Haired Turtle.
These five types of pets have moderate prices, and most families can afford them. Moreover, they have gentle temperaments.
If properly cultivated, it's absolutely no problem for them to evolve into intermediate-level pets by the third stage.
Most of the pets that the new Beastmasters asked about in the posts Qiao Sang saw were these five.
The first pet that Qiao Sang's mother contracted was the Little Fat Dove, and the Fat Dove is its evolved form.
As a flying-type pet, it flies slower than other flying-type pets due to its plump body.
It becomes the preferred pet for new Beastmasters simply because it can evolve into the Mighty Flying Owl, becoming an intermediate-level pet.
The White Sand Fox has strong attack power but weak defense. It can't hold on for long once it's hit.
The Sandrat has a natural digging technique and a fondness for hiding. It generally doesn't like direct confrontation.
Although the Deep-Haired Turtle doesn't swim like a normal turtle, it is strong in terms of defense.
The White Sand Fox, Sandrat, and Deep-Haired Turtle are all earth-type pets, so these three pets are often compared.
But the White Sand Fox's appearance surpasses the other two, making it the preferred choice for female new Beastmasters.
The Short-Tailed Snake is a poison-type pet with venomous teeth and a dangerous stinger on its tail, giving it considerable combat power in the early stages.
The only problem is that the Beastmaster who contracts it might end up having to go to the hospital.
Without a strong physical constitution, not many new Beastmasters dare to contract it.
After pondering for a long time, Qiao Sang couldn't make a decision. Each of these five pets has its drawbacks, but their affordable price and safe evolution options are undeniable advantages.
In the end, it's all about money.
Qiao Sang got up and walked out of the room.
Her mother was sitting on the sofa watching TV.
Qiao Sang said, "Mom, do we have 1 million? I want to buy a Bubblebell."
"Get lost."
"Okay!"
Qiao Sang returned to her room and continued to browse the forum.
"Is it safe for a D-level Beastmaster to go to the Qi Pang Forest?"
"The second Beast Gambling got a Green Kitten. Everyone, come and absorb the luck!"
Actually, besides buying pets at the pet base, you can also obtain pets through the black market, beast gambling, the wilderness, and other methods.
Pets obtained from the black market have unknown origins. As long as you can afford the money, they can find a way to get you any kind of pet.
Beast gambling depends on luck, and if you're not careful, you can lose everything, even your underwear.
Going to the wilderness to find a contracted pet is something that only Beastmasters of at least D-level can do.
After all, there is a high possibility of encountering danger in the wilderness, and extraordinary creatures are difficult to tame in their wild state. Even if contracted, they are not easily trained to be obedient.
None of these three options are feasible for her at the moment.
Qiao Sang sighed. Although she had many ideas, she didn't have many choices.
...
...
It was 8:26 PM.
Qiao Sang closed her computer and looked at the time, feeling a bit surprised.
Her mother hadn't called her for dinner at this hour. Could she be really angry?
She was about to go to the living room to check when she thought about it and decided to grab a copy of "Chronicles of Beastmasters II" from the bookshelf.
Opening the door, the living room was dark without any lights on.
Her mother was unexpectedly not there.
Qiao Sang pondered for a moment and confirmed that her mother wasn't in the bedroom either.
She turned on the lights in the living room, casually threw "Chronicles of Beastmasters II" on the nearby sofa, and then took out a box of matcha ice cream from the fridge.
Just as she had settled down, turned on the TV, and was about to start eating...
"Click."
The door opened.
Qiao Sang turned her head, and their eyes met.
"..."
There was a brief silence in the air.
"Come and eat." Her mother raised an eyebrow and placed the food she had bought on the dining table.
So, she had gone out to buy food...
"Coming." Qiao Sang looked at the matcha ice cream in her hand, took another bite following her principle of not wasting anything.
"Mom, why did you go out to buy food today?" Qiao Sang approached the dining table.
"I had something to do and didn't have time to cook, so I bought it on the way." Her mother spoke.
Qiao Sang asked, "What happened?"
Her mother fell silent for a moment and then said, "Sang Sang, let's move to a new house."
Qiao Sang froze, her eating motion paused, and she asked in confusion, "Why do we need to move to a new house?"
As the capital city of Zhehai Province, Hangang City had exorbitantly high housing prices.
This house was originally purchased by her father's family as a marital home when the housing prices were not so high.
Although the Qingcheng Jiayuan they currently resided in was not located in the most expensive area of Hangang City, its prime location and proximity to schools and the subway still cost more than 50,000 yuan per square meter.
"Mother took a bite of her food, swallowed, and glanced at Qiao Sang. After a moment, she spoke, 'I just went out and asked the real estate agent. Our house is 133 square meters, and the current market price is around 53,000 yuan per square meter. We could sell it for over 7 million union coins.'"
"I've considered it, and we can buy a smaller house, make the down payment, and use the extra money to buy you a Bubble Bell. There will still be a lot left over."
"Moreover, I can still earn money. Besides moving to a smaller house, there won't be many other changes."
Qiao Sang was dumbfounded.
Just a few hours had passed, and her mother had made such a big decision without a word.
"Mom..." she murmured, wanting to say something.
Her mother interrupted her directly, "Although your grades are not good, you have awakened independently, and your talent is there."
"Our family may not be particularly wealthy, but if you want a certain type of pet, I can still get it for you."
"As long as you promise me not to treat it like your studies, slacking off every other day, and instead take good care of it."
Originally, Ye Xiangting didn't have this idea, but her daughter expressed a desire for a pet from the Superpower category.
Her daughter didn't excel in academics, but her independent awakening indicated that she indeed had talent in the field of Beastmastery.
Their family had never had a child with an independent awakening before.
In that case, buying an expensive but promising pet that she also liked was not a big deal.
That was what she, as a mother, should do.
Qiao Sang couldn't express her feelings. All she knew was that she wanted to eat the remaining matcha ice cream and let the lingering warmth soothe her heart.
She looked into her mother's eyes and smiled, "Mom, you said it yourself, I have an independent awakening and talent. I can cultivate any type of pet."
"I was just saying, I don't actually want to contract a Bubble Bell. Please don't sell the house."
Her mother got up, poured a glass of water, and paused for a moment. "I know you want a Bubble Bell. You have an independent..."
Qiao Sang didn't let her finish speaking and said seriously, "I researched it all afternoon and evening. I think Hellfire Dog is great, and I want it."
Bubble Bell, with its psychic attribute, was naturally excellent.
There were also Dragon-type, Fairy-type, and Ghost-type pets that were great.
But Qiao Sang just thought they were rare and powerful, not necessarily something she had to possess.
It was like some people who liked to fantasize and start with a mythical creature.
Having a pet that belonged to her within her capabilities was what she truly wanted.
(End of this chapter)