19: I want to be a salted fish

Song Yu had no idea what her cat was thinking.

In her eyes, it was just a talentless, zero-tier little cat that could never become a first-tier Beast in its life.

Since the Snow Civet Cat cub, with a potential score of 9, couldn't break through even if an angry seventh-tier master Beast Master smashed billions, it could only maintain the first tier. Therefore, she regarded the potential score 3 trash cat she raised as an ordinary pet cat.

At most, this special version of a little cat was a bit smarter and more human-like, looking a bit like a small white fox...

"Since the talent is poor, and the potential score is extremely low, it's impossible for this zero-tier cat to ever become a first-tier Beast... I can confidently take out the Energy Fruit and Hundred Flowers Spirit Honey for it to eat." Song Yu unzipped her backpack and looked at the almost ten million worth genius treasures inside, feeling a bit distressed.

If these things were exchanged for money, it would be enough for her and the little Snow Civet Cat to live a lifetime.

But with Song people watching over her, she felt that it was more appropriate to use these two treasures for her cat master sooner rather than later.

"Otherwise, if I go home and Grandpa sees that the Snow Civet Cat has such poor talent, he might make me re-contract a different one. What should I do?"

"For the widespread popularity of contracted beasts, high-quality cubs with bloodline levels of three or four can be obtained in the Beast Breeding Base for around twenty to thirty thousand." Song Yu calculated in her mind, "The Song family can't use so much cash at once. If I buy genius treasures worth millions for me, wouldn't they have no money to take me to the Breeding Base to contract Beasts? Although the second Beast contracted at the Breeding Base can't participate in the college entrance exam and enter the evaluation stage, it can still follow the civilian version of the professional Beast Master path... Many civilian professional Beast Masters can't enter the Beast Master University because their first initial Beast nurturing isn't good."

Song Yu blinked her eyes, secretly calculating, "So, I have to quickly use up this Hundred Flowers Spirit Honey and Energy Fruit..."

To avoid causing waves in her later laid-back life.

Song Yu quickly opened her backpack, took out the Hundred Flowers Spirit Honey, and uncovered the bottle cap containing the fragrant scent of Hundred Flowers Spirit Honey. The little Snow Civet Cat, which had been waiting on the chair next to Song Yu, immediately moved its tender little nose and let out a meow, jumping up, and staring at the small bottle with shining eyes!

Its Beast genes instinctively told it that this was a good thing!

As long as it ate these things, it could become even stronger~

The little Snow Civet Cat stared at the Hundred Flowers Spirit Honey with excited emotions, and its two front paws involuntarily scratched the chair. 

"Hiss! Hiss! Hiss—!" 

"Hiss! Hiss! Hiss, Hiss—!!" 

The sharp and piercing metal tearing sound made Song Yu's expression stiff.

She instinctively turned her head to look at the chair beside her...

Song Yu: "???"

Song Yu: "!!!!"

"Hiss!—" Song Yu's pupils trembled, and she gasped.

On the originally sturdy metal waiting chair, there were eight deep claw marks left by the little Snow Civet Cat!

If it had been a bit more, the metal seat would have been pierced through!

Song Yu's eyelids trembled, almost unable to control her scream.

What happened to the promised potential score of 3 points?

Such a fierce Beast, and Zhou Tao actually told her... it would only be slightly stronger than an ordinary pet when it grows up?

I've fallen for your tricks!

Song Yu's face turned pale and then green, not knowing what to say for a while.

At this moment, a student in school uniform, with a high ponytail and holding a cat-like Beast cub, walked in from outside the auditorium and sat next to Song Yu. The girl with the high ponytail stretched her head, glanced at the Snow Civet Cat cub, and subconsciously spoke, "Eh? Is this a Snow Civet Cat cub? It's so cute..."

"Hmm?" Seeing no response, the girl with the high ponytail blinked, carefully observed Song Yu's expression, and then looked at the eight claw marks scratched by the little Snow Civet Cat, suddenly realizing.

"Hey, don't be too sad, fellow student... Although Snow Civet Cats don't have high potential scores and their attack power is a bit weak..." The girl with the high ponytail showed sympathy, patted Song Yu's shoulder, and said, "But after contracting, they make great companion pets. They are well-behaved at home, not causing much trouble..."

The girl with the high ponytail sighed, "Unlike my contracted Double-Tailed Moonshadow Cat, it's different. It has more physical energy on regular days, and if it doesn't maintain 4 hours of high-intensity training every day after contracting, it definitely can't control its own claws when it comes home. During the juvenile period, Double-Tailed Moonshadow Cats are always particularly mischievous..."

"Um..." As she spoke, the girl with the high ponytail suddenly felt a bit awkward. She found that although she was complaining, it seemed a bit extravagant. Didn't she see the girl next to her feeling sad because her Beast's combat power was too weak?

Ah, this Snow Civet Cat with two claws couldn't even tear through a chair; indeed, it was a bit weak.

The girl with the high ponytail racked her brains to find comforting words but, being someone who didn't usually comfort others, couldn't think of suitable vocabulary after thinking for a long time.

On the other hand, the Double-Tailed Moonshadow Cat seemed happy to meet another cub of its kind. The little black fluffy cat with a silver moon totem on its forehead, happily jumped down from the high ponytail girl's leg, bounced onto the waiting chair, and wanted to play with the Snow Civet Cat.

However, perhaps because the cub's control over its body was not very precise, when the Double-Tailed Moonshadow Cat leaped lightly, it unexpectedly braked unstably. Its head hit the metal backrest of the waiting chair first.

"Bang!—" The metal backrest, built with ergonomics in mind, was directly pierced by the Moonshadow Cat, and the hole it left behind surprisingly had the shape of a cat's head!

Even after such a heavy impact, the Moonshadow Cat cub didn't feel uncomfortable. Instead, it shook its ears, happily played with the Snow Civet Cat on the waiting chair.

Issuing soft and cute meows!

Song Yu: "..."

Song Yu exchanged a glance of bitterness with the girl with the high ponytail...

So, this seemingly soft little cat also had a brain harder than steel?

Quietly, Song Yu put back the opened cap of the previously opened Hundred Flowers Spirit Honey.

Now, she dared not take out these genius treasures again.

These Beast cubs were already so formidable without eating; she worried that this little thing would betray her if it ate.

As for her parents, she had to figure out a new way to deceive them!

With a new understanding of the combat power of this world, Song Yu took a deep breath and tried to calm her emotions.

When reading novels, Song Yu didn't think much of seventh-tier masters or eighth-tier king-level beings.

After all, in the end, they would all be cut and beaten by the male protagonist, crying with tears all over their faces.

But now...

Just thinking that with each advancement of a Beast's tier, there would be at least one more zero in the combat power points behind, Song Yu felt a dryness in her throat, and the chair felt uncomfortable to sit on.

A thick sense of exhaustion surged to her heart, and tears filled Song Yu's eyes.

She was already a laid-back fish, why did she have to endure such grievances?

"If only I hadn't listened to the class teacher's advice - it would displease my parents, and Grandpa would be disappointed."

She slumped in the waiting chair, motionless, just wanting to play dead.

But after thinking about it, since not many people around her knew her, and she was sitting in the corner of the waiting room, she sighed, touched her somewhat flat stomach, and took out a fish-shaped biscuit that someone had given her from her backpack to stuff it into her mouth.

The world is vast, and eating is the most important. She didn't want to starve to death in this lifetime.

However, as she lowered her head, she found that the little Snow Civet Cat, which had just been playing with the Moonshadow Cat cub, was looking at her with its head tilted, a pair of bright and shiny cat eyes filled with confusion...

"Meow~?"

Why did you take out something good and not give it to the kitty?

Wishing to roll on Song Yu's legs in distress, the soft white furball pounced forward, directly lying on Song Yu's shoes and meowing incessantly.

"Be good, that thing is too dangerous... not suitable for an underage little kitten like you."

Song Yu tried her best to coax and stuffed the fish-shaped biscuit into the little Snow Civet Cat's mouth, attempting to deceive it with the acting skills of an old lady while saying, "Let's eat a piece of biscuit first to fill our stomach... Don't look at the Hundred Flowers Spirit Honey smelling good; in reality, it tastes like shit, really terrible! How can it be better than these little fish biscuits? And I just thought about it, you're really too young. The energy in the Hundred Flowers Spirit Honey is too much. In case you can't digest it after eating... you'll end up like that balloon 'Bang!—' burst open in the stomach~"

Song Yu's eyes were red; this time, she was genuinely sad, not acting.

Song Yu comforted with a nasal tone, "Forget about other foods, but we've only known each other for a short time, and we haven't even contracted yet... What if you can't bear the energy in the Hundred Flowers Spirit Honey, leaving only me behind? What should I do then?"

"Meow, meow~"

I won't eat it anymore~ I won't eat it~

Seeing the future servant cry so sadly and hearing that the supposedly delicious thing was hard to eat...

The little Snow Civet Cat hesitated for a moment, then responded with meows.

The little Snow Civet Cat's eyes flashed with regret. It didn't expect that something smelling so good would be inferior to even a small biscuit? And it could eat dead cats?

Girl with a high ponytail: "..."

The girl with the high ponytail bent down, picked up her Double-Tailed Moonshadow Cat cub, adjusted her position with the backpack on her back, and sat five meters away from Song Yu.

The girl with the high ponytail raised her hand and vigorously wiped her cheek...

However, if that Snow Civet Cat cub had attended elementary school, it wouldn't have believed this nonsense!

The whole world knows that Hundred Flowers Spirit Honey is the gentlest type of spiritual treasure!

Moreover, who says honey tastes like shit!?

"Um~" Song Yu got the answer she wanted and felt satisfied.

She lowered her head, lifted the little cat by the back of its neck, and performed a quick check from its head to tail and limbs, kneading the small creature that flipped over its belly. The little thing purred comfortably.

She was already someone ready to be a laid-back fish.

If her cat always wanted to become stronger, wasn't something a bit off?

"So snacks, cartoons, and kneading must be arranged immediately!"

"Amusement parks, novels, TV shows also need to be kept up with...! I have to encourage it to watch more anime, read novels, and play games every day!"

Song Yu thought to herself, "Why do Contract Beasts strive to become stronger?"

"Isn't it just to live a stable and worry-free life in the dangerous wilderness, avoiding becoming a meal for other Beasts?"

"But now, we've already lived such a life; there's really no need to add any more waves..."

As a zero-tier Beast at the bottom of the food chain, going to the wilderness forest... wouldn't that be like delivering fast food automatically?

After other advanced Beasts finished eating, they would probably say: "Thanks for the gift of nature."

Both humans and beasts needed self-awareness.

Song Yu lowered her head and patted the Snow Civet Cat's head a few times, saying seriously, "From now on, we are companions. How about I give you a name?"

"Meow~" Okay, okay~

The Snow Civet Cat was happy in its heart, tilting its small head with a face full of expectation.

"How about I call you Qiuqiu from now on?" Song Yu smiled gently, opened the backpack, and stuffed a fish-shaped biscuit into the Snow Civet Cat's mouth.

"Meow~?" The little cat tilted its head, holding the small biscuit. Why should it be called that?

"Because you look like a little snowball, especially cute~" Song Yu's smile was gentle, and she unabashedly coaxed, "Meow~ Meow~?" Really, really?

The kitten's pointed ears suddenly became warm, and the Snow Civet Cat buried its head in its paws, showing only the tip of its tail trembling happily.

Seeing the Snow Civet Cat trusting her so much, Song Yu's conscience hurt for a moment.

Ah, in addition to the fact that the Snow Civet Cat did look like a snowball, a furry and cute ball... this name also had another layer of meaning, that is...

'Please, lie down with me?'

'Please, don't be as powerful as other Contract Beasts!'

"Yeah~ I've never seen a cuter kitten than you~" Song Yu nodded earnestly, automatically blocking out Qiuqiu's siblings.

Leaving aside other things, the Snow Civet Cat did have a high level of cuteness and came with eyeliner. If it returned to Earth, Song Yu estimated it could become an overnight internet sensation.

"Meow~"

The voice was like honey, and the little white cat turned itself into a ball on Song Yu's legs, its ears happily shaking non-stop.

The life of a laid-back fish was always plain and simple.

Song Yu sat in the waiting area lazily, looking at other classmates going through contracts with the guidance of professional Beastmasters.

However, Song Yu held her breath, focused her attention, and couldn't figure out the reason left and right.

Unlike those fancy fantasy novels.

In this world, the contract between humans and Beasts didn't require any special magic array, gem inlays, or the use of other special tools...

Instead, with the assistance of professional Beastmasters, students guided their Beasts in a spiritual contract.

The process was like the matchmaker helping with red threads, and after the contract, the relationship between humans and Beasts became even closer. Through this spiritual thread, both sides could better understand each other with more complex language and vocabulary.

"Student 00217: Bai Yuhan, come with your Beast to me for the contract!"

As the small broadcast sounded ahead, a tall figure in a white school uniform stood up from the densely packed crowd in front of the waiting area.

Song Yu: "..."

Song Yu shrank her neck, turned her head to the side, pretending not to have seen anything.

But her ears couldn't help but stand up quietly, wanting to hear the movement ahead.

 

*****

 

The professional Beastmaster held the information about Bai Yuhan and his Beast, compared it with the on-site situation to confirm it was indeed the person, and nodded before confirming again.

"Beast Space A-level, contracted with the Iron-armored Exploding Dragon Lizard with a potential score of 73, right?"

"Yes, teacher." The tall boy nodded, rubbing the small black lizard on his shoulder.

The round-headed lizard stared with big eyes, shook its tail, indicating it also wanted to contract with the human in front of it.

"In that case, let's begin."

The Beastmaster with a crew cut nodded, word by word, "First, focus your scattered attention on your lower abdomen!"

"Use the Beast Space in your lower abdomen as a springboard to slowly release your spiritual power! Then let your spiritual power contract with your Contract Beast! I will use my spiritual power to protect you on the side. If anything goes wrong, I will separate you..."

The Beastmaster with a crew cut seemed a bit ethereal, but those who awakened their Beast Space could instinctively sense their own spiritual power—a kind of colorless and formless, invisible but real spiritual power.

Hold your breath, focus on your lower abdomen.

Bai Yuhan quickly found the feeling. He remained expressionless, and in less than a minute, he signed a spiritual contract with the Iron-armored Exploding Dragon Lizard.

After the contract, Bai Yuhan could clearly feel a tiny but lively and unfamiliar spiritual power in his lower abdomen, like a joyful little dog swimming around. Bai Yuhan hooked the corner of his lips, raised his hand to pat the lizard's head, and for a while, the relationship between man and Contract Beast seemed particularly harmonious.

This appearance fell into the eyes of many students in the waiting area, and some immediately scornfully sneered.

"A Beast with a potential score of 73. It's really something for him to treasure. Our school has a total of eight people who awakened A-level Beast Spaces this year. Among the others with A-level Beast Spaces, the lowest rating for contracted Beasts is 86... His Iron-armored Exploding Dragon Lizard doesn't even have 80 points!"

A thin and weak student coldly snorted, "It's really something for me to have considered him as my idol two years ago! It's a waste of my emotions!"

Another student with a crew cut said angrily, "We regarded him as our idol, but he doesn't care about our feelings at all. Even when the class president of Class 1, who awakened an A-level Beast Space, provoked him, he had no reaction."

Jianghuai City No. 1 High School, as the best key high school in Jiangnan Province, had a good academic atmosphere.

However, even with a good academic atmosphere, various struggles and competitions between students were inevitable.

Open conflicts during physical education class were one thing, but scenes of students fighting could be seen everywhere else.

However, things like painting contests, singing contests, and annual class performances were considered trivial by the students. Only academic achievements and physical combat abilities were their trump cards!

But for students with wealthy families who had received elite education from a young age, it was easier for them to excel in school.

However, Bai Yuhan was a dark horse among them. Not only did he lose his parents at a young age and had to work every day, but he also managed to rank consistently in the top 10 in both academic and combat performance, almost outshining the entire grade. He became an example for many ordinary students, especially those with average family backgrounds.

So when Bai Yuhan submitted the information indicating that he awakened an A-level Beast Space, many people in the school were happier than he was.

Hearing the continuous boos in the auditorium, Bai Yuhan remained unchanged, seemingly indifferent, and left the auditorium with his backpack towards the back door.

For him, it didn't matter who admired or hated him; it had nothing to do with him.

Following the low-key principle over the years, he not only did not submit his real Beast Space level, but he also didn't use his full strength during assessments.

For him, maintaining a rank between 5th and 10th in the entire grade in each exam was not only to avoid standing out too much but also to facilitate his part-time work and training on weekdays, making it easier for his homeroom teacher to be lenient.

However...

Just as Bai Yuhan was about to leave the auditorium, his ears accurately caught a disgusting remark, causing him to instinctively pause.

"I remember that Bai Yuhan's Iron-armored Exploding Dragon Lizard seems to be a small lizard born from a 6th-tier Iron-armored Exploding Dragon Lizard couple. In theory, it should have excellent talents. However, this couple laid four eggs. This one, since it hatched, has had poor health, a body size half as small as its siblings, and can't even have the powerful poisonous fangs like other Iron-armored Exploding Dragon Lizard cubs. So, the potential score was categorized as 73 by the expert professors."

"But I think this Iron-armored Exploding Dragon Lizard cub seems quite spirited, not as bad as the experts say... If I had the Eye of Rules from the four major aristocratic families a hundred years ago, I could easily see through the potential of all Beasts and abilities!"

"I heard that after the Eye of Rules is dug out, it seems it can be installed on others and continue to be used. I wonder if that's true?"

"If it can be dug out, I wish it could be installed on me. After all, with a third-tier healing-type Contract Beast, organ transplantation, blood vessel and nerve connection can be easily done..." The person spoke with excitement and immediately chatted happily with the classmates next to them.

Others around also smiled and nodded, showing their desire for the Eye of Rules from the Qin family.

After all...

Who wouldn't want a pair of eyes that could see through the talents and abilities of all Beasts?

With these eyes, not only could they pick up bargains on the initial Beast distribution day, find the best-qualified Beast for contract at the Beast breeding base, but they could also accurately analyze which Beast was most suitable for their Beast Space. In various Beastmaster battles, they could seize the enemy's weaknesses precisely and adjust the perfect lineup for the battle.

Bai Yuhan's pitch-black pupils were profound. After clenching and loosening his fist, he turned to look deeply at those male students, preparing to lift his leg and leave again.

However...

When he was about to leave the auditorium, he heard a disgusting remark that made him instinctively pause.

"I remember that Bai Yuhan's Iron-armored Exploding Dragon Lizard seems to be a small lizard born from a 6th-tier Iron-armored Exploding Dragon Lizard couple. In theory, it should have excellent talents. However, this couple laid four eggs. This one, since it hatched, has had poor health, a body size half as small as its siblings, and can't even have the powerful poisonous fangs like other Iron-armored Exploding Dragon Lizard cubs. So, the potential score was categorized as 73 by the expert professors."

"But I think this Iron-armored Exploding Dragon Lizard cub seems quite spirited, not as bad as the experts say... If I had the Eye of Rules from the four major aristocratic families a hundred years ago, I could easily see through the potential of all Beasts and abilities!"

"I heard that after the Eye of Rules is dug out, it seems it can be installed on others and continue to be used. I wonder if that's true?"

"If it can be dug out, I wish it could be installed on me. After all, with a third-tier healing-type Contract Beast, organ transplantation, blood vessel and nerve connection can be easily done..." The person spoke with excitement and immediately chatted happily with the classmates next to them.

Others around also smiled and nodded, showing their desire for the Eye of Rules from the Qin family.

After all...

Who wouldn't want a pair of eyes that could see through the talents and abilities of all Beasts?

With these eyes, not only could they pick up bargains on the initial Beast distribution day, find the best-qualified Beast for contract at the Beast breeding base, but they could also accurately analyze which Beast was most suitable for their Beast Space. In various Beastmaster battles, they could seize the enemy's weaknesses precisely and adjust the perfect lineup for the battle.

Bai Yuhan's pitch-black pupils were profound. After clenching and loosening his fist, he turned to look deeply at those male students, preparing to lift his leg and leave again...

But he saw a long-haired girl sitting not far away from those male students, holding a soft white kitten. She suddenly stood up, shouted loudly, "Are you guys perverts?! Did Qin's family offend you? When Qin's family blocked the attacks of wilderness Beasts for us in the north, so many people died! They were heroes, and you guys actually want to dig out people's eyes? Aren't you afraid your ancestors will climb out of the ground in anger!"

Song Yu, holding Qiuqiu, was in agony and almost screamed out.

She felt like she was sitting in the corner, and a pot fell from the sky!

She was happily munching on chocolate and cookies in the corner, preparing to enjoy a couple of bites of happy otaku snacks. Then she saw a group of boys walking in from outside the auditorium with Beasts. Obviously, these boys had just found their Beasts and were ready to contract them.

Well...

There was nothing wrong with that.

The auditorium was so big, and there were so many chairs in the waiting area. Just sit anywhere.

However, this group of people deliberately said in front of Bai Yuhan that they wanted to dig the eyes of people from the Qin family!!!

Oh my god!

Didn't they see that the male protagonist turned his head and looked in this direction?!?!

Look, look! He looked at us for five seconds!

Song Yu's eyelids were twitching madly. She quickly stood up with a clever move. She was afraid that if she didn't draw a clear line with the boys in front of her, the grass on her grave would be three meters high by next year, QAQ!

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