King of Beasts

Chapter 10: Xiaobailong

After studying in his room for a while, Lu Ran stepped out.

He had a realization: his only beast taming skill, if not learned, would be a waste, and definitely not a case of the grass being greener on the other side.

As for how to effectively use super beast mimicry, he already had ideas!

General Ha was just over a year old, still highly impressionable… Hmm, he wasn’t going to learn canine behavior, but he could prevent General Ha from acting like a dog!

How exactly to achieve this, he was still missing some items.

Once he returned to Green Sea City, he could attempt further.

As for now… He came to Infinite City to gather more information.

The quicker he learned what he needed, the quicker he could return.

“The Divine Deer pendant must be kept safe and hidden; fortunately, it can also be placed in the backpack of the identity card.”

Before leaving, Lu Ran had made thorough preparations. The Divine Deer pendant was currently his biggest secret, one he absolutely couldn’t let others discover, to avoid covetousness.

Epic level resources… Although he did not know how many ranks it exceeded ordinary or advanced, there was no doubt it was a very rare treasure.

Of course, the main thing was, it was a keepsake from his mother.

After leaving the house, Lu Ran found himself in a residential area filled with grey and white buildings, and there were no people nearby, making it quite desolate.

He had originally thought that Infinite City would be bustling, filled with many fellow beastmasters, but it seemed he was mistaken.

Lu Ran looked around and then walked towards the outskirts of the residential area. When he reached the main entrance of the residential area, he finally saw the first person.

Dressed in a neat white suit, wearing thick-rimmed glasses, the man exuded a serious demeanor, but… seated on a bench, book in one hand and frequently reaching into a bag on the table beside him to grab chips and put them into his mouth, he didn’t seem so stern after all.

As Lu Ran approached, the man noticed him.

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“A newcomer?” Noticing Lu Ran’s approach, the man turned around, his tone seemed cheerful, and said, “Newcomer, congratulations, you’ve passed the novice trial.”

Lu Ran looked at him and asked, “And you are?”

“Don’t be nervous, let me introduce myself. I’m also a ‘resident’ of this residential area and should be considered your senior. I passed the novice trial and became a beastmaster just over half a month ago.”

“Since we’re all from Xia Country, if there’s anything you don’t understand, feel free to ask me. Think of me as your guide to Infinite City.” The man in the suit and glasses stood up, smiling cheerfully.

“What should I call you?” Lu Ran chose to ask. It was clear that the man was here waiting for newcomers, and Lu Ran was willing to oblige him.

It seemed that indeed, many had become beastmasters before him.

He already had a guess about the man’s identity.

“My name here is Waves Xiaobailong.”

Lu Ran: ?

“And you? There’s no need to use your real name; most beastmasters change their names on their identity cards upon entering Infinite City.”

“It’s like an online nickname.”

“Passerby A,” said Lu Ran, who had indeed changed his name.

At first, Lu Ran had wanted to call himself “xxx,” but he worried that being too ostentatious might attract unwanted attention, so he chose something more low-key.

“Ah?” The suited man was taken aback upon hearing this.

That’s rather ordinary.

He had assumed that young people would choose more flamboyant names.

Waves Xiaobailong shrugged: “Alright, I know you must have a lot of questions. How about I answer them for you?”

“Thanks,” Lu Ran said. “First, I want to know what exactly happened to me.”

Waves Xiaobailong pondered for a moment before answering: “Well, about that…”

“It was roughly three years ago when many black cards, known as contract cards, suddenly appeared all over the world. A conservative estimate suggests that hundreds descended upon Xia Country alone.”

“That incident was likely the first time contract cards appeared, and since then, countries around the world have come to realize that such supernatural forces exist.”

“Three years ago?” Lu Ran was surprised.

“Yes.”

Three years ago, contract cards and beastmasters first came into the public eye in Xia Country?

What about the Divine Deer pendant then?

His family heirloom must have at least a few hundred years of history.

“What happened next?” Lu Ran asked.

“Three years ago, about a few hundred people in Xia Country were chosen to become beastmasters, but not many passed the trials to enter Infinite City,” explained Xiaobailong.

Lu Ran remained silent.

“After that, the black cards would descend once every year, two years ago, one year ago… In Xia Country, each time, a few hundred people were chosen.”

“And other countries?”

“Perhaps due to population counts, many countries only had a few individuals selected; our country is on the higher side.”

“Of course, while we have many beastmasters compared to other countries, considering our own population of over a billion, those chosen are but a tiny fraction. So, with official suppression, this matter didn’t have much of an impact. There were undercurrents beneath the surface, but on the surface, all remained calm.”

“But a month ago, there was a new change.”

“The annual descent of the black cards came again.”

“All over the world, many more black cards appeared this time, far more than in previous years, and the duration was longer. Up to now, black cards are still frequently descending all over the world, selecting different individuals to become beastmasters.”

“You’ve seen the serial number on your identity card, right? That indicates the order in which you passed the trial.”

“The officials predict that the scale of this event is so large that it would be difficult to keep under wraps. Society is bound to be shaken, so now, the officials are considering how to disclose this information to the public without destabilizing society, and how to systematically manage beastmasters,” continued Xiaobailong.

“Clearly, you and I are among the lucky ones this time, and moreover, we’re quite capable. Generally speaking, most people can’t get through the novice trial, not because it’s hard for ordinary people in Xia Country to encounter combat-capable animals, but because it’s hard for ordinary people to quickly adjust their mindset.”

“After all, Infinite City has its own consciousness and will arrange suitable novice secret realms to some extent based on the newcomer’s contract situation.”

“Of course, having a pet beast from a powerful species initially is a huge advantage… Those rich guys overseas… Damn, they have all sorts of creatures, their advantage is too great.”

Once again, Lu Ran fell silent.

So that’s how it is?

“Are you with the official institution?” Lu Ran asked.

“Sort of,” came the reply.

“I’m a member of the second team within the Newcomer Recruitment Department of the Beastmaster Administration Bureau, part of the Donghuang Beastmaster Alliance.”

“The Donghuang Beastmaster Alliance is Xia Country’s official beast taming organization. It was established three years ago as a special department that’s not open to the public.”

“Internationally, other new beast taming institutions have also been established, maintaining a balance among various parties.”

Waves Xiaobailong laughed and said, “In any case, I wouldn’t be here recruiting people without being paid.”

He was quite candid.

“After passing the novice secret realm, I joined Xia Country’s official beast taming institution. My current job is to guide and explain things to newcomers who have just passed the novice trial. Now you understand, right?”

“So, you want to invite me to join the official organization?” Lu Ran inquired.

That made sense. With beastmasters possessing supernatural powers, it was indeed unlikely that the official organization would allow them to act freely among the public.

To be honest, Lu Ran was somewhat resistant, mainly because he didn’t want to get too close to others, like teaming up to challenge secret realms, as that would make it inconvenient to use the divine deer pendant.

“That’s one way to put it, but it’s all up to you,” Xiaobailong said. “So far, not everyone is willing to join the official ranks.”

“As long as you ensure that you won’t use the powers of a beastmaster for evil or break the law outside, it doesn’t really matter whether you join the official organization or not. Of course, whether you join or not, every beastmaster must be registered.”

Lu Ran was surprised, as he hadn’t expected this answer.

In an instant, Lu Ran imagined various scenarios, such as the official institution initially trying to forcibly manage beastmasters, resulting in a backlash and severe losses, leading to a more lenient approach to managing beastmasters.

Otherwise, it could be that in these three years, the group of people who became beastmasters had grown powerful enough to slip beyond the control of the mundane world… That seemed unlikely, however, or else the outside world would have already descended into chaos. Generally speaking, it’s the more powerful factions in the external world that can more easily obtain animals of strong species as pet beasts. Moreover, the power of a beastmaster in the early stages couldn’t possibly compete with technological weaponry.