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"Oh~," seeing Li Baocheng's reaction, Xiao Buli was somewhat pleased, but he wasn't a man to keep secrets, so he immediately answered, "I've used Taming Skills. Just caught it."
"Taming Skills?" Li Baocheng repeated, his desire for the ability making him ask without thinking, "Can you tell me where you learned it?"
"Weren't you planning on being an archer?" Seeing Li Baocheng's eagerness, Xiao Buli curiously asked.
"Of course, but having a pet would be so cool. I won't lie to you, when I used to play World of Warcraft, I played as a hunter, and in that game, hunters could have pets. And with this game's high degree of freedom, I guess mixing and matching shouldn't be a problem," Li Baocheng hurriedly explained, worried that Xiao Buli might hesitate and not tell him. Li Baocheng's plan was to look awesome with a pet that could tank monsters while he shot arrows from behind. What could be more comfortable than that?
Xiao Buli answered without think of hiding anything, "At that time, I asked an old man in the village, who introduced me to find work at a farm where I became a swineherd. After feeding the pigs for a certain time, I learned this skill."
Having said this, Xiao Buli stopped paying attention and began to carefully ponder his path to leveling up. He thought that both Taming Skills and Basic Sword Skills were good abilities and didn't conflict with each other, providing full effects in combat. So, until other skills appeared, Xiao Buli decided to develop both skills simultaneously. Moreover, based on what Li Jian said, if he developed each skill properly, they could each become a standalone ability. Therefore, Xiao Buli decided to ask around to see which skill information he could find first and then delve deeper into that skill.
He walked a few steps and ran into the village leader he had met before. He went over to ask him. During this time, whenever he wandered around the village, he would greet the old man. Initially, it was just for fun to see if the NPC really had different thoughts each day, but later he realized that the NPCs in the game seemed to have memory functions. The old man would not only say hello but sometimes ask whether he was happy working at the farm, or he would comment that "the child is really sensible." Over time his relationship with the old man had warmed up, and the old man seemed happy to have someone to chat with.
"Elder, could you tell me who to see if I want to learn Taming Skills and Sword Skills?" in Xiao Buli's words, respect and politeness still shone through.
The old man stroked his beard, chuckling as he looked at him, and thought for a while before saying, "For swordsmanship, you can ask our militia captain for guidance; he was once a soldier who had been to the battlefield and has quite good sword skills. As for Taming Skills, I'm not really sure; it seems there's nobody who possesses that kind of skill."
Hearing this, Xiao Buli felt deflated, having already learned the militia captain's sword skills; essentially, he could ignore them. It seemed that there was no higher level of existence in this village. However, he thought his Taming Skills should still have room for improvement here. It would be nice if that guy were around. While he was thinking this, he subconsciously turned his head, only to find the man in the cap standing right behind him, staring blankly at his screen.
"Are you looking to improve your Taming Skills?" the man in the cap asked indifferently.
Xiao Buli nodded.
"You can't just directly ask about Taming Skills and the like, because NPCs in the game can't comprehend skills like we players do. Even the farmers at the pig farm won't have Taming Skills. They might not even know what Taming Skills are," he explained.
"What do you mean?" Xiao Buli's mind had a flash of insight. He was a highly intelligent person, and quickly inferred the answer, "Are you saying one could inquire about professions related to animals?"
The man in the cap nodded slightly, "Perhaps you'll find something, you never know."
Though his words were vague, Xiao Buli was already fairly certain. He turned back to the dialogue box and typed, "So, are there any jobs related to animals?"
"Jobs related to animals?" The old man would always answer any question Xiao Buli had. "Maybe you can ask Master Yang," the old man suddenly suggested after thinking for a moment.
"Master Yang? What does he do?"
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"Oh, he's a ranch owner with a huge flock of sheep," the old man said, gesturing expansively as if the sheep were truly boundless. "However, Master Yang generally doesn't interact with strangers, but if you go, I can write you a letter of introduction; once he reads it, he'll surely trust you," the old man kindly offered.
"From a swineherd to a shepherd now?" Xiao Buli couldn't help but find it amusing, but having the experience as a swineherd, Xiao Buli was somewhat looking forward to it. If nothing went wrong, this job should be able to enhance his Taming Skills, right?
Level two Taming Skills could already tame wild dogs, so if he leveled up two more times to reach level four, would he be able to tame wild wolves or even fierce beasts like tigers? As he pondered this, he couldn't help but turn back to thank the man in the hood, only to find that he had disappeared without a trace.
"What a strange fellow, where did he come from?" Xiao Buli mumbled to himself, but his attention was quickly drawn back to the game.
After thanking the old man for the handwritten letter and asking for detailed directions to Master Yang's farm, Xiao Buli set off with Meatball.
The ranch came into view quickly, and as expected, it was on a field at the edge of the village. Xiao Buli had never been here before; looking at the boundless field before him, he thought that the ranch owner must be quite wealthy. Although this was a virtual world, it still seemed to adhere to the rules of reality—owning such a vast prairie meant that Master Yang must be a very powerful NPC.
Master Yang was standing beside the sheepfold drinking tea. With the village chief's letter, everything went smoothly. After Xiao Buli explained his purpose, Master Yang hesitated for a moment and then agreed. "So you want to work for me? That's not impossible. Having read the village chief's letter, he says you're a fine young man. But shepherding must be done on the fields outside the village; it's been dangerous lately, it seems there are some risks," Master Yang said slowly, stroking his distinct goatee.
"Danger, you mean wild dogs?" Xiao Buli inquired.
"Yes, that's right. These hungry beasts always lurk around; if they find the chance, they'll definitely strike at the sheep. The worst part is, sometimes they form temporary packs, so if you're not strong enough, you might get hurt as well. If you're afraid, it's better to forget about it."
Xiao Buli looked at Meatball beside him. He had already killed a rabid wild dog and acquired a pet. At this point, he didn't have much fear of wild dogs, and with Meatball as a companion, it should be... "No problem, leave it to me," he decided and confidently volunteered.
Master Yang nodded appreciatively, clearly admiring the young man's bravery. He then taught him some knowledge about grazing. System prompt: Player Xiao Buli has changed his profession to 'Herdsman' and has learned the 'Grazing' skill; current skill level is LV1.
Grazing: One method of livestock breeding. It is a way of feeding under supervision where herbivorous animals eat grass on pastures and transform it into livestock products.
In addition to this, he also acquired a weapon—the herding whip.
Herding Whip (Special Weapon): Attack 1-1.
Weapon Effect: When attacking animals, there is a certain chance to inflict a state of fear. The higher the wildness level of the animal, the lower the chance of causing fear.
An incredibly lame weapon, it seems to have no other use besides herding sheep.
PS: There's another chapter tonight