Chapter Ninety-Three: Choosing a Contract Beast

Sweat dripped as many people sank back into the water.
The winter air chills the water, so everyone should be careful not to catch a cold.
PS: Starting tomorrow, this book will be strongly promoted. I hope everyone will help push it onto the homepage.
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“Focus your cultivation!”
Long ago, a friend once said this to Xu Wen.
He remembered that he was the very first player to become a necromancer, but midway through, he developed an obsessive fascination with modifying the undead he summoned.
He hunted magical beasts relentlessly, continuously improved his summoned undead servants, further strengthening their combat power, and even invented a method to enhance undead combat skills using magic cores.
As a result, he gradually lost his position as the top-ranked necromancer...
Many people regretted this and tried to persuade him otherwise.
But later!
He managed to defeat several powerful nine-star masters with his eight-star necromancer strength, earning the reputation as the strongest in undead combat. His friend, impressed, never spoke of it again.
Now, Xu Wen found himself doing something others thought would hinder his cultivation... Yet in his own eyes, this was another opportunity to sharpen his blade.
Besides his yearning for flying creatures, he also wanted to use his contracted beasts to conceal his identity as a necromancer, so that in the future he could openly employ his most prized undead modification techniques.
Accelerating the growth of a bird hatchling was not difficult for Xu Wen, and unlike ordinary beast trainers who had to take their contracted beasts out daily to hunt magical beasts, the undead in his own space were perfect for training its muscles and bones.
Many shops in Xuancheng offered magical beast eggs and hatchlings for sale, all acquired from adventurers and mercenaries who ventured into the mountains, as well as a few bred by local families.
Xu Wen instructed the beast trainer’s manager to arrange for a trainer and left the aviary station.
Xuancheng was slightly smaller than Bims City, serving as a gateway to the imperial capital for many travelers. The influx of adventurers and mercenaries crowded the streets, and business was booming in many shops.
The old brands owned by the six great families were especially popular, with thriving trade.
Xu Wen found one of the West City family’s shops and squeezed inside...
There were so many people that even the staff struggled to keep up.
Xu Wen noticed a staircase leading to the second floor, where few ventured, and immediately moved closer.
“Sorry, the second floor is reserved for regular customers.”
Guarding the staircase were two six-star warriors who raised their hands to block him; their tone was firm yet gentle, judging Xu Wen’s youthful three-star strength as not that of a reckless child.
He produced the purple gold token given by Elder Lin, and the two guards were instantly shocked. One turned and made an inviting gesture:
“Apologies!”
“Please follow me upstairs!”
Xu Wen quietly put away the token and followed one of them to the second floor.
It was rare for someone to be personally escorted upstairs, drawing many curious glances.
Though not as magnificent as the second floor of the Divine Arms Pavilion, compared to the noisy scene below, this space was far more comfortable and spacious. Xu Wen took a seat to the side, and a finely dressed woman of notable beauty approached:
“Inferior concubine Lan Qinyan, chief steward of this shop, begs forgiveness for not welcoming you from afar...”
Her voice was gentle and sweet, her bright eyes fixed on Xu Wen, evidently informed of his VIP status by the guiding warrior.
“May I ask your honored name, sir?”
“You’re too polite, Miss. I am Xu Wen,” he replied with a smile.
Lan Qinyan’s eyes lit up, her gaze growing warmer: “You are the disciple of Dean Harman, Xu Wen?”
“Hehe, yes, that’s me.”
“So it truly is Young Master Xu! Wonderful! Not long ago, Young Master Xiu Shu of West City was here, and he spoke highly of you, saying you not only helped thousands of students from the Fire Arts branch escape danger, but also saved **** Town. You are a hero of the Azure Empire, and I never expected to meet you so soon.”
“Brother Xiu’s praise is a bit exaggerated. Really, it was a collective effort; if it were only me, none of this could have been achieved.” Xu Wen did not claim all the credit, and glanced around:
“Is Brother Xiu still in Xuancheng?”
“Oh, Young Master Xiu Shu has already left. With the imperial capital under siege, the matter is urgent; he had to accompany the elders to other cities to gather forces.”
Xu Wen’s modesty made Lan Qinyan see him as even more remarkable—so young, yet not arrogant, able to maintain composure. No wonder he received the West City family’s VIP token.
“Oh.” Xu Wen sighed with some regret and said, “If Brother Xiu were here, it would be perfect. I have some matters I’d like to consult the West City elders about.”
“What matters? May I hear them? Perhaps I can help?” Lan Qinyan’s attention was drawn by Xu Wen’s casual remark.
“Speaking with you is just as good. It’s like this: I suddenly wish to know what kind of hatchling is most suitable for a novice beast trainer.”
“Hatchlings—do you have a friend who is a beast trainer?”
Lan Qinyan naturally knew Xu Wen’s true cultivation level and his fire arts talent from Xiu Shu’s account, and never associated him with a novice beast trainer.
“Yes.”
“How old is your friend? What direction is his cultivation?”
“He’s the same age as me, a fire arts practitioner, three-star fire arts.”
“A fifteen-year-old three-star fire arts practitioner? Why switch to beast training?” Lan Qinyan’s face was full of regret; in her eyes, such talent was already impressive, and if he followed the proper path, his future would be limitless... But switching to beast training would waste a promising seedling.
She did not dwell on it, though, and changed her tone: “Good hatchlings—we have them here. There’s the fire-type ‘Three-Eyed Flame Tiger’ cub; the wind-type ‘Black Wind Eagle’ cub... If you want other elemental magical beasts, your friend can come select personally.”
Xu Wen shook his head and smiled:
“I’ll take the two you mentioned.”
Lan Qinyan’s suggestion was excellent—one fire-type, one wind-type magical beast, perfect for a fire arts beast trainer. And among them was a mature, seven-star Black Wind Eagle, a flying magical beast.
“You want both?”
Lan Qinyan was slightly surprised.
For novice beast trainers, training a single contracted beast at a time was best; taking too many was not wise...
Xu Wen offered no further explanation and simply asked the price for both cubs.
“The market price is five thousand gold coins each. You only need to pay five thousand for both.”
Lan Qinyan responded respectfully.
“Please put it on my account. I’ll pay in a while, if that’s all right?” Xu Wen had given all his money to Sukecha and didn’t have a single gold coin on him.
“That’s absolutely fine.”
Lan Qinyan regained her composure and nodded.
Though she had never seen a VIP make purchases on credit before, Xu Wen certainly had the right as a VIP.
But she did not know that Xu Wen had already used his VIP token to owe the West City family over a hundred thousand gold coins; to him, owing another five thousand was just another debt.