The shopkeeper handed Ryan the magical beast egg, which was priced at 10 gold coins, with a strange look. Ryan casually handed over the 10 gold coins, feeling curious about the egg. As he sensed it, he detected a faint wood element aura. Though it was weak, after sensing it twice, Ryan confirmed it was correct. The wood element was a rare attribute, and such magical beasts were typically plant-based. The reproductive methods of plant-based magical beasts were still a mystery, but their bodies were often prime materials for alchemy, which was why Ryan decided to buy it. This magical beast egg looked different from the others—it had a slightly grayish tint, and its surface was rough and uneven, unlike the smooth surfaces of the other eggs. Among the many magical beast eggs in the shop, most were Level 1, while the grass spirit eggs were priced at 10 gold coins for two. Apart from Ryan, most people were looking at Level 2 or Level 3 eggs. Quillin trailed behind Ryan, looking despondent.
"Hey, boss, give me two grass spirit eggs," Ryan said, just as he was closely examining the grass spirit eggs. Two young women dressed as warriors walked into the shop. They wore leather armor, short warrior tunics, leather boots, and helmets. Both appeared to be around 18 or 19 years old, and each wore a Level 4 Warrior Swordsman badge. Awakening fighting spirit made someone a Level 1 warrior, so these two were impressive—Level 4 warriors. It was no wonder Alliance City was known as a hub of talent.
"Ladies, as a mage, I suggest you pick these two grass spirit eggs. It's best to form a soul contract with them, or at the very least, a fair contract," Ryan said, and as the others in the shop gave him strange looks, he calmly walked out, his laughter echoing behind him.
"Little brother, don't you think a grass spirit doesn't need a soul contract?" Quillin gave Ryan a puzzled look before asking.
Ryan shook his head and asked Quillin, "What if I told you one of these grass spirit eggs is mutated with lightning attributes and the other has light attributes? Do you think they're worth it?"
"Ah?" Quillin exclaimed, and immediately ran back into the shop. But after taking a few steps, he stopped, turned around, and gave Ryan a mischievous smile.
"Big brother, just say it if you have something to say," Ryan said, feeling uncomfortable under the gaze of a grown man. Alice and Delis couldn't help but laugh, and the big-nosed shopkeeper also had a strange expression.
"Little brother, how did you know?" Quillin finally asked with a smile.
"This is Niu Niu. By accident, I signed a soul contract with her, which allows me to sense the attributes of magical beast eggs," Ryan pointed to Niu Niu on his shoulder. Quillin had been standing by Ryan's side, so he hadn't noticed her until now.
"Grass spirit!" Quillin's face was filled with disbelief.
"Hmph, this is a mutated light-type grass spirit," Ryan added.
Quillin felt his head spin. How could one person be so lucky? Mutation, especially in lower-level beasts, was rare, but to get one, and especially one with light attributes—this was something special. Everyone knew that mutated magical beasts could grow directly to Level 9. This was the advantage of mutations. A Level 9 light-type magical beast in the future? If word of this got out, it would surely cause a stir in Alliance City. With Quillin's experience, he understood why Ryan had acted the way he did earlier. However, raising a mutated low-level magical beast to a high level wouldn't be a matter of a few years. But it wouldn't take centuries either, like with other high-level magical beasts. The benefit of mutation was that if a mutated beast reached Level 7, it might only take a few decades. That was the value of mutation.
Meanwhile, in the magical beast shop, the two young women, holding the grass spirit eggs that Ryan had pointed out, were in a dilemma. The fair contract would allow the magical beast to maintain high intelligence, while a master-servant contract would limit the beast's intellect. A fair contract meant the magical beast could disobey its owner, and if the owner mistreated it, the beast might even escape. But the most critical issue was that signing a fair contract could make them the subject of ridicule, so the two young women were in a quandary.
"We'll sign a fair contract. If we end up embarrassed, we'll make sure to get even when we see him again," one of the taller girls said to the other.
"Mm!" The other girl nodded in agreement.
"Haha, those two fools."
"Yeah, yeah! I think they should just sign a soul contract."
"Haha, yeah, yeah, but... wait, why is this one purple? Could it be..."
The two girls spent 200 gold coins on two fair contract scrolls and began to hatch the grass spirits. One of them came out with purple wings, while the other had white wings but green hair.
"Mutated lightning attribute, light attribute!" The two young women screamed, as they, as the owners, immediately realized the properties of their new pets.
"Hey, beautiful, I'll offer 5000 gold coins if you let me have the lightning-type mutated magical beast."
"Beautiful, tell him to get lost. 5000 gold coins to buy the mutated lightning-type magical beast? I'll offer 8000 gold coins! Beautiful, don't run away!"
At once, several people rushed towards the two young women, some even planning to snatch the eggs directly. However, in this street, fighting would draw the ire of the Mage Guild, so the two young women, after a brief moment of shock, hurriedly ran off, clutching the two newly hatched grass spirits tightly in their arms.
"Boss! Boss! Boss, what's wrong with you?" The shop assistant saw the boss collapse weakly onto the ground and rushed to help him up.
The boss felt as if his heart had died. These two grass spirit eggs were worth at least hundreds of thousands of gold coins, especially the light-type one. If it were sold at an auction, it could easily fetch over a million gold coins. The boss felt an immense sense of regret, but then he recalled the Earth Magic Rat egg that Ryan had bought earlier, the Level 1 egg. That one, too, was of significant value, yet Ryan hadn't wanted it. The boss gasped in realization: sometimes, valuable things were the ones others didn't want. As the thought crossed his mind, the boss suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, then collapsed dramatically into unconsciousness.
"Little brother, what magical beast is this big-nosed one? You don't want it, but it's clearly something good. If you're after the best, you must know what's good, right? Come on, today's meal is on me; just tell me," Quillin, along with Ryan, Alice, and Delis, were sitting in a restaurant. The table was filled with various delicacies, all made from magical beasts. Big-nosed was eating heartily, while Niu Niu continued nibbling on fruit. Quillin, however, wouldn't stop asking.
"There's nothing special about it. It's really for Delis, but this one's actually something useful," Ryan replied, not telling the whole truth and quickly shifting the topic.
"What's so special about it?" Quillin asked, his curiosity piqued as he looked at the dull-looking egg Ryan was holding. He even pulled Alice aside to get closer to Ryan.
Ryan took a bite of the magical rabbit meat and explained to Quillin, "I suspect this is a plant-based magical beast."
"Is that it?" Quillin said, looking disappointed. Most plant-based magical beasts were weak. They couldn't walk and had very limited combat ability, which was why very few people used them as pets. Of course, the treants in the Elven Forest were an exception. These treants had both strong magical and physical resistance, and some were even powerful enough to fight dragons. But most treants evolved from large trees.
"Don't you want it? Let Alice hatch it; she's a mage and could use this," Ryan said, without lying but not revealing everything. He had sensed a faint trace of bloodlust coming from the egg, and he wondered whether it might be one of the Ten Terrifying Magical Beasts of the continent—the Skeleton Vine. This plant-based magical beast, when it unfurled, appeared as a regular plant, but when it retracted, it became a ball. The most dangerous aspect of this beast was its ability to break magical defenses, and its vines were highly toxic. Even magical beasts couldn't sense it, and it would drain the blood from its prey. Rumor had it that a Level 7 Skeleton Vine had once occupied the territory of a Level 9 magical beast in the Beast Forest, and the area was surrounded by these deadly vines. It was considered a death zone, and even flying magical beasts couldn't escape.
"Heh, since you're preparing it for Alice, I won't take it away. This is a gift from big brother," Quillin said with a wink, then handed Alice a contract scroll.
"Alice, I suggest you sign a soul contract, but it's up to you." In fact, there was no set limit on how many magical pets one could contract. It depended on the strength of one's mental power. If someone's mental power was strong enough, they could easily contract ten or more magical beasts. However, most mages and warriors typically only contracted one magical pet, as having too many would divide their mental focus and hinder their progression.
Alice glanced at the egg in her hands, not displeased for any particular reason, but because Delis's egg was more expensive than hers. However, Alice soon thought of something else. "I'll sign the soul contract if you want, but if I get ten useless ones, I'm sticking with you for sure. Who told you to have me sign this?"
"Alice, are you really going to sign the soul contract? Fine, take it," Ryan said, seeing Alice hesitate. Quillin, seeing her uncertainty, patted his body and pulled out another contract scroll with a pitiful look on his face.
After Alice signed the contract, a small vine slowly emerged from the egg. It was about the thickness of a chopstick and had a small mouth that clicked as it ate away at the eggshell. In no time, the shell was completely consumed, and the creature revealed its true form—a bright red vine, with a slight green hue. The little vine immediately recognized its owner and, curling into a ball, rushed toward Alice. It then coiled around her wrist, forming a tight circle.
"Not bad, not bad," Ryan observed carefully, then sensed it more deeply. He realized it wasn't just any ordinary Skeleton Vine; it also had the wood attribute. Originally a poison-type, the addition of the wood attribute would increase its resistance, making it even stronger.
"Little brother, you must know a lot about these magical beasts, right?" Quillin looked at the little creature for a while but couldn't figure out its name, so he asked with curiosity.
Ryan smiled and replied, "I've memorized the profiles of over 4000 magical beasts from the Beast Encyclopedia. I've never seen one in person, but as expected, this is the third most terrifying magical beast on the continent—the Skeleton Vine. Look at its blood-red vines and its unique way of moving. And this little one has the wood attribute. Its potential for growth is limitless!"
Bang!
Quillin, along with the stool, crashed to the ground with a loud thud, his head hitting the wall behind him.
With tears in his eyes, Quillin looked mournfully at the Skeleton Vine wrapped around Alice's wrist, which now resembled a red decorative bracelet. He felt as though his heart had been shattered. If he had this vine, with his family's financial power, within a decade or two, the Skeleton Vine would become the number one magical beast on the continent. Plant-based magical beasts had no real bottleneck in leveling up; as long as they had enough magic cores, they could continue to evolve. And the Skeleton Vine had a unique ability—it could corrupt and absorb any type of magic core, regardless of its affinity, using it as nourishment. Alice, on the other hand, was filled with astonishment. She hadn't expected that the little vine on her wrist would have such a powerful background. Noticing Quillin's constant gaze on her magical pet, she subtly lowered her sleeve to cover it, leaving Quillin frustrated and utterly dejected.
"There was once a terrifying existence! I… I only needed to give a little nod, and it would have been my little treasure. But now, it's in someone else's arms..." Quillin lamented dramatically, tears welling up as he glanced at Alice, who had covered the vine with her sleeve.
"Alright, alright, enough with the song and dance. Let's go and take another stroll. Maybe we'll check out some of the street vendors," Ryan said, shivering at Quillin's theatrical display, and quickly suggested a change of subject.
As they exited the tavern, they realized it was already dark. Big-nosed was sleeping comfortably in Delis's arms, his belly round and full. Niu Niu continued nibbling on fruit, seemingly without any sign of gaining weight. Alice was teasing the Skeleton Vine, watching it coil around her fingers, while Quillin's frustration only deepened. He carefully observed the vine's movements and even had the tavern send over a Level 1 magical beast for the vine to feed on. In a flash, the Skeleton Vine drained the beast's blood, confirming Quillin's suspicions. But he was even more frustrated now. However, there was nothing they could do; all the street vendors had already closed their stalls. They would have to come back the next day.
Upon returning to the Mage Guild, they overheard a lively discussion among the lower-ranked mages, who could only meditate for 1 or 2 hours a day.
"Hey, have you heard? Someone spent 10 gold coins today to buy a mutated lightning-type pet and a light-type pet. The shop owner was so angry he nearly passed out from vomiting blood."
"Yeah, I heard. Both were sold together for just 10 gold coins? If the owner had known, these could've fetched a million gold coins at an auction!"
"Exactly! With these two magical pets, the warrior's chances of survival will increase a lot. The lightning paralysis is really annoying, and the light-type one can heal."
"But I heard those two female warriors were being guided by someone. I think it's a pervert watching those beautiful women."
"Hmph! You think you can pick one? You'd be lucky if you could even get through the crowd of beauties on the street."
"What did you say? You trying to get kicked out of the Mage Guild?"
"Who's afraid of you? You only got in because of your sister. With your talent, you'd never make it in the Mage Guild."
As Quillin and the others walked, they overheard the conversation, and Quillin sneered, "If you knew that those 10 gold coins bought the third most powerful magical beast on the continent, the Skeleton Vine, you wouldn't be so smug. And the person who bought it is standing right here." But then Quillin thought of himself and slumped his shoulders, his head hanging low. As he glanced ahead and saw Ryan talking with Delis, a surge of envy flared up again in his chest.
"Sigh, that little guy... I don't know if it's luck or what, but he got all the good stuff. If my magical pet hadn't been with me for over two hundred years, I'd be willing to trade it for that little guy's Skeleton Vine. A double-attribute one, no less!" Inside the tallest tower at the Mage Guild, an elderly man was watching Ryan and his companions through a magical scrying stone. Two other elderly men and a middle-aged man were also present.
"However, it's not possible for him to know. Maybe the mutation came from signing a soul contract with the Grass Spirit, which allowed him to sense the essence of the soul. If that's the case, this little guy's talent is extraordinary," another elder suggested.
"Hmph! Your two granddaughters got lucky, didn't they? One got a light-type pet, and strictly speaking, a light-type Grass Spirit is already a mutation. Normally, Grass Spirits only have the attributes of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Anything else is a result of mutation. Now, with this, your granddaughters are bound to become amazing!" The third elder added with a sour tone.
"Alright, enough of that. You're all so old and still acting like this," the middle-aged man finally spoke, addressing the three elders in a tone of authority.
"Master, we were wrong," the three elders quickly stood up, bowing respectfully, but their words were jarring.
"You're missing the point. The focus isn't on the Skeleton Vine, but rather that little Earth Magic Rat and Niu Niu. As expected, the Earth Magic Rat is the legendary Gold-Eating Rat, which seeks out rare minerals and treasures to devour. As for Niu Niu, I have no idea what species it is. If it weren't for Ryan's background, and Niu Niu being a circus performer's trick pet, I'd be suspicious of where it came from. But this is a good thing; with more and more mages in the world, the elemental tide is approaching," the middle-aged man's words left the others stunned. Ryan's ability to buy such valuable items showed the extent of his power.
"So, Master, who should teach this little guy?" one of the elders asked eagerly.
"No one should teach him. Let him learn on his own. The alchemy pen has been modified, and it's effective. Just send him to the Chaos Academy and let him learn there. Our job is to lay a good foundation for him. If he can reach intermediate mage status in three years, I'll take him as my apprentice," the middle-aged man said, then fell silent. The three elders exchanged glances, each with their own thoughts.
"Ryan, wake up, we have things to do!" The next morning, Ryan was sound asleep, holding Delis in his arms, when he heard Quillin's loud call from outside the door.