King of Beasts

Chapter 13: The Cat-Eared Maid Café

“Which is more valuable, a grass-type fruit or a wind-type fruit?”

After confirming General Ha’s attribute, Lu Ran asked again.

“Hmm?”

Xiaobailong did not expect Lu Ran to suddenly ask this question.

He explained, “Although the wind-type is also good, the grass-type has more functionalities. Beyond combat, it has many auxiliary effects. Most flying creatures are wind-type, but grass-type pet beasts are rarer. Therefore, grass-type fruits are pricier on the market.”

“Why do you ask?”

Lu Ran said, “I got a grass-type fruit as my clearance reward. Though attribute fruits are scarce now, I should be able to trade it for a wind-type fruit, right? Where would be the best place to make the exchange?”

“There shouldn’t be a problem…” Xiaobailong nodded, but in the next instant, his pupils shrank.

Shenghua, standing beside him, reacted the same way, both of them staring at Lu Ran in astonishment.

“What? What did you say? Your novice secret realm clearance reward included a grass-type fruit?” Xiaobailong exclaimed in surprise.

“Right.” Lu Ran casually revealed this fact during their conversation, having learned that advanced resources were only somewhat rare for newcomers at the bottom, and not considered rare in Infinite City, so he felt no pressure in asking.

Among his three clearance rewards, the beast taming skill was likely the most valuable.

“Did your rating reach D?” Xiaobailong continued to probe.

Upon his words, the wild boar youth and the others turned their eyes on Lu Ran.

It was somewhat unexpected. How did he manage to get a D rating with just a husky?

“E and F ratings don’t come with resource rewards, just basic crystal coins. It’s only at a D rating that you’re awarded advanced resources,” Bixia Shenghua explained.

“You actually reached a D rating… and you were so lucky to get a grass-type fruit,” Xiaobailong couldn’t believe he had misjudged the situation.

Quickly, a smile appeared on his face, and he lost all interest in eating, pulling Lu Ran along as he said, “Come with me.”

“I know a place where we can definitely find a wind-type fruit.”

“Uh…” Seeing Xiaobailong’s enthusiasm had doubled, Lu Ran had no choice but to be dragged away by him.

Before leaving, a thought crossed his mind, and General Ha, clutching his head, turned into a beam of white light, returning to the contract card.

“Shenghua, I’ve got something to take care of; I’ll be heading out first.”

Xiaobailong, full of excitement, didn’t forget to say goodbye to his colleague.

Seeing this, Bixia Shenghua adjusted her glasses, watching Lu Ran and the others leave, she mumbled, “Look how happy the kid is.”

“Shenghua, is a grass-type fruit very rare?” the wild boar youth asked.

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“It’s considered one of the more rare advanced resources. The chances of getting a grass-type fruit with a D-level rating are not high, his rating might even have reached C-level.”

“C-level? That’s the same as mine.” The wild boar youth was surprised.

Being C-level himself, he knew how difficult it was to achieve that rating in the novice secret realm, having experienced several close calls.

After all, his pet beast was a boar that had reverted to its ancestral form and mutated into an upper supernatural wild boar post-contract!

In the natural world, boars are notoriously tough creatures, not something a husky could measure up to.

“I’m curious too, how exactly did he manage to secure a D-level or higher rating with just a husky…” Shenghua pondered, saying, “Maybe they are just naturally talented. I forgot to mention, some seemingly weak animals, like chickens, ducks, and bugs, if they are a perfect match with their beastmaster, have a chance to awaken as upper supernatural species right from the initial contract, comparable to lions and tigers. Such cases are rare and sought after. Maybe, just maybe, that’s what happened with him…”

“Some people are born to be beastmasters.”

“Anyway, that ‘Passerby A’ is quite remarkable. If you run into him again, try to engage more deeply, make a friend. After all, many secret realms can’t be conquered alone, and having a strong partner can make things much more comfortable.”

“Hahaha, that is impressive…” The wild boar youth scratched his head, taking note of Lu Ran and General Ha, feeling a bit envious. He might indeed seek some advice and get to know him in the future.

…

Xiaobailong pulled Lu Ran along, speeding all the way.

During the ride, Xiaobailong even rented a shared motorcycle on the roadside, taking Lu Ran towards the central district.

“Where are you taking me—,” Lu Ran couldn’t help but ask from beneath his helmet.

“Now, you won’t find wind-type fruit at any old store, but the place I’m taking you to next won’t disappoint,” Waves Xiaobailong assured.

Vroom Vroom Vroom——

As the motorcycle dashed along, Lu Ran saw many people, but there was no interaction between them.

Finally, Waves Xiaobailong brought Lu Ran to a stop in front of a store decorated in a very “anime-esque” style.

When the bike came to a halt, Lu Ran turned his head to look at the store’s name emblazoned in cutesy font, his mouth twitching involuntarily.

It read: Cat-Eared Maid Café!

“This is where you’re taking me??”

Lu Ran asked, glancing at Waves Xiaobailong who licked his lips with a hint of anticipation, expressing his skepticism.

“Yes, the Cat-Eared Maid Café is a chain information agency established by a powerful intelligence dealer among the second-generation beastmasters. It has many branches in the various infinite cities. On the surface, it looks like a café, but it’s actually an intelligence hub. If you ever want information, coming here and making a purchase is always the right move.”

“Instead of aimlessly searching various shops for a wind-type fruit, commissioning the help here is much more efficient.”

“Welcome!” As Waves Xiaobailong and Lu Ran were talking, the door to the café opened and out stepped a woman dressed in a black and white maid outfit, complete with cat ears and a tail accessory. At her feet was an adorably dressed pet beast resembling a plush cat with a bow tie.

“Ah, Mr. Waves Xiaobailong,” greeted the cat-eared maid, beaming at the sight of Waves Xiaobailong.

“Hehe, Little Ling

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,” Waves Xiaobailong chuckled, his suit-clad figure resembling a cultured beast: “Brought a newcomer to broaden his horizons.”

At this point, Lu Ran was completely speechless. He saw the barely concealed smile on Waves Xiaobailong’s face and couldn’t help but feel a wave of criticism.

Initially, he thought Waves Xiaobailong was just a straight-laced office worker, but it turned out he was a closeted flirt.

That made sense—what straight-laced person would name themselves Waves Xiaobailong?

Ah, men.

Considering how familiar he seemed, it was clear he wasn’t a stranger to places like this.

Lu Ran put a mental question mark on whether this place truly was an intelligence hub, remaining skeptical.

“A newcomer, welcome, welcome,” the cat-eared maid said, offering Lu Ran a warm smile.

“Hello,” Lu Ran said as he removed his helmet.

“Let me introduce you to Fengyu Piaoling, who became a Beast Taming master about a month ago. In general, we’re all fourth-generation beastmasters, although Xiaobailong and I preceded you by nearly a month. She is currently working here, and if you ever need to get your hands on some special information, you can come here to purchase it. Don’t underestimate this café; it’s currently the second largest intelligence agency in Xia Country, second only to the official one.”

“Little Ling, this is a newcomer who passed the trial today. He received a grass-type fruit as a novice reward, but his pet beast is of the wind type. He wants to exchange it for a wind-type fruit. Is there a way to do that?”

The cat-eared maid named Little Ling lit up upon hearing this and turned to look at Lu Ran, saying, “It’s not easy to find a wind-type fruit elsewhere nowadays, but you’ve come to the right place.”

“Please, come inside.”

The interior of the maid café was decorated in a rather classical style, with bookshelves piled up all around the room.

The place resembled a cat’s dwelling more than a café, with several pet beasts of different species lounging in various spots, in addition to the pet cat following Little Ling.

Most conspicuous of all was what appeared to be a statue enshrined at the center of the shop.

The statue was also a cat, but it looked more noble than the pet cats, with gem-like eyes watching over everything.

“It’s quite late; there’s no one in the shop right now, so feel free to sit anywhere,” Little Ling said as she led them inside. She handed Lu Ran a menu with a smile, “Would you like something to drink?”

Lu Ran thanked her again and glanced at the menu.

When he saw the prices of the coffee, which were higher than the cost of entering a secret realm, his fingers twitched. He was not eager to spend money right away and looked up to say, “No, thank you.”

“Don’t mind the high prices; the ingredients for the beverages here all come from secret realms. They have added effects when consumed, so the price is justified,” Xiaobailong said with a chuckle, as if noticing Lu Ran’s hesitation.

“Let’s focus on the matter at hand,” Lu Ran said, showing no interest in the pricing, as he wasn’t familiar with the value of things and wasn’t inclined to drink just yet.

At that moment, Fengyu Piaoling had already taken out a tablet-like device and stood next to Lu Ran.

“A wind-type fruit, right? And you’d prefer to trade items for it,” Fengyu Piaoling said as she used the tablet to search for the intelligence Lu Ran needed.

“Got it.”

“We have intelligence on three wind-type fruits.”

“The cheapest and most suitable for you costs 50 crystal coins.”

“That cheap?” Lu Ran was surprised.

You see, his novice clearance reward was 10,000 crystal coins.

And 50 crystal coins were even less than the change needed for the coffee and milk tea.

“Generally speaking, if intelligence is cheap, it means it’s not difficult to obtain and there’s a good chance you could get it elsewhere. Would you like to consider it?” Fengyu Piaoling asked.

“Yes,” Lu Ran said, deciding that 50 crystal coins were worth the convenience.

Fengyu Piaoling smiled slightly and said, “There’s a place to swipe your card on the table. Just place your hand on it.”

Lu Ran looked at the sensor screen on the table.

He stretched out his hand and placed his palm on it.

The next moment, a voice popped up in his mind, and a string of text appeared before his eyes.

[The cat-eared maid café requests to deduct 50 crystal coins. Do you agree?]

“Agree,” Lu Ran said.

The next moment, Little Ling tapped on the tablet and said, “Okay, the intelligence is unlocked. It has now been sent to your communication mailbox.”

The communication function of the identity card can be used to send emails, make phone calls, or video calls.

Lu Ran checked his mailbox and immediately saw a system email from the cat-eared maid café.

[The Beastmaster Guild’s Medicine Pavilion in Infinite City No.6 is collecting grass-type fruits indefinitely. They support transactions with crystal coins or item exchanges. Currently, the Medicine Pavilion Guild’s public resource exchange list includes wind-type fruits.]

“Infinite City No.6? Medicine Pavilion Guild?” After obtaining the intelligence, Lu Ran didn’t keep it to himself and shared it right away.

Clearly, he still needed an explanation for this intelligence.

“Hmm…” The cat-eared maid pondered for a moment and said, “We are in Infinite City No.3. Infinite City No.6 is in the southwestern region. You need to go through a teleportation circle or reach the corresponding area in reality to enter. As for the Medicine Pavilion, it’s a Beastmaster Guild.”

“The Beastmaster Guild is a collective of beastmasters, initially established to conquer secret realms of abyssal difficulty together. Most are formed by unofficial beastmasters. I’ve heard of the Medicine Pavilion; it was founded by a second-generation beastmaster. They have many support and healing-type beastmasters, as well as several lifestyle beastmasters skilled in creating medicines. It’s akin to a commercial pharmaceutical company within the guild structure. So, the intelligence you’ve obtained indicates that they have wind-type fruits and need grass-type fruits, right?”

“That’s right,” Lu Ran nodded. “So, I need to go to Infinite City No.6 to make the exchange?”

“No, the value of your grass-type fruit is actually higher than that of the wind-type fruit. Since you’re a new customer at the cat-eared maid café, I’ll give you a perk. I’ll contact someone from the Medicine Pavilion for you. They will come to you with the wind-type fruit for the exchange. Since the grass-type fruit is more valuable, I’ll try to get you some additional resources as well.” Fengyu Piaoling said, “And remember to give me a five-star rating later~”

Footnote:

1. Little Ling(小翎):

   “Little” followed by the first character of the surname or name is used to address young people or those who are younger than oneself, conveying a sense of friendliness and closeness. Such a form of address is very common in the workplace, among friends, or in neighborhood relationships.