Chapter 217: Direct Evolution
Tian Bao was thrilled that he was finally allowed into the little circle. Never mind the other things, the fact that he was acquainted with Madam Ghost Child was already something worth boasting about to his fellow crook friends. The mere mention of her name might just scare them enough for them to wet their pants.
Once out of the Visitation Hall, Tian Bao quickly sought out one of his sworn brothers.
The Rank 2 Nanjiang mean-eyed tiger belonged to this brother of his.
“Old Seven, where’s your pet beast?” Tian Bao wanted to test this pill he had received from the curator. He had thought of claiming this pill for himself and feeding it to his tyrannosaurus.
But after a second thought, he ditched the idea.
The Curator had already specified this to be fed to the Nanjiang mean-eyed tiger so he must have his reasons. If he disobeyed the instructions and if the Curator found out about it, that would mean nothing but trouble.
So why not just comply with the Curator’s instructions?
He was curious to see what would happen too if the Nanjiang mean-eyed tiger consumed this pill.
Old Seven was a barbaric man. Upon hearing Tian Bao’s instruction, he called his pet beast over.
The Nanjiang mean-eyed tiger had a hulking frame and it was about ten feet long, from the tip of its nose to its tail. Its combat ability was great too and was considered above average among Rank 2 pet beasts.
Tian Bao proceeded to feed this Nanjiang mean-eyed tiger the pill he had returned with.
“Second Brother, what did you feed the big cat?” Old Seven cared dearly for his pet beast. Although he trusted Tian Bao, he was still afraid that the latter might be recklessly feeding the tiger.
“Cut the crap and watch,” Tian Bao snapped impatiently.
Just then, the leader of their camp appeared. He wanted to ask Tian Bao for any updates but when he saw the man fully focused on the Nanjiang mean-eyed tiger, this gang leader stayed silent.
The mean-eyed tiger immediately showed bizarre symptoms after consuming the pill.
First, it leaped around in a frenzy before roaring out as an ominous gust swept around its body, swaying everyone’s robes.
Then, the wind grew stronger and howled beside their ears. Even the calligraphy decorations on the walls were torn away by the tempest as they got swept into the center.
“That’s a very strong shadow gale!” the gang leader exclaimed.
With the exception of Tian Bao who was currently the most composed person, everyone was freaked out by what was happening.
“Brothers, stay calm. I’ve just fed Old Seven’s pet beast a pill the Curator has given me. You will learn of the pill’s specific effects later.” Tian Bao actually had no idea what the pill was for either.
Only a minority of the inhabitants here were actual felons on the run. Most were just average folks who were so poverty-stricken that they resorted to banditry to feed themselves.
It wasn’t a surprise that most of their pet beasts were weak.
Tian Bao’s tyrannosaurus was the strongest among the group and other than this, the number of Rank 2 pet beasts they had were scarce. Most of them were just average beasts found in the mountains.
Hence, for many of them, it was their first time witnessing an evolution process.
Tian Bao was, of course, no stranger to this.
Though, he still felt incredulous. Could some random pill the Curator gave actually help Old Seven’s pet beast evolve?
How could that be possible!?
His heart was beating wildly as he watched with widened eyes.
They began to hear the bones in this Nanjiang mean-eyed tiger crack. As the noise continued, the tiger grew in size and a new coat of fur grew out while its claws and fangs grew even sharper than they originally were.
Its aura swelled right up.
The next instant, this mean-eyed tiger opened its mouth and shot out a wind blast. Like blades enwrapped by wind, the blast easily shattered a huge rock up ahead.
The Nanjiang mean-eyed tiger had now grown a size larger and its aura was so potent that it was stronger than the one that Tian Bao’s tyrannosaurus exuded. Meanwhile, everyone else’s pet beasts were curled up in a corner as they were intimidated by the tiger.
“Rank 3?”
Tian Bao’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
Although he considered this possibility, to witness a Rank 3 evolution with just one pill still startled him.
“To think the Curator is this phenomenal. Just like that, he created a Rank 3 pet beast, a guardian beast for small countries. This is too scary.” This was Tian Bao’s reaction. The rest were way more bewildered.
The most amazed among them was clearly Old Seven. He never thought his pet beast could evolve up to Rank 3 in the blink of an eye.
A Rank 3! And how many Rank 3 pet beasts did they have in their camp?
Without even needing fingers, there had only been one thus far, their Second Brother’s tyrannosaurus. Wouldn’t this evolution put Old Seven on par with Second Brother?
Old Seven blossomed into happiness at this thought, feeling extra pleased.
After the other brothers clarified the situation, they all stared at Old Seven with envy. Some were also annoyed as to why their Second Brother didn’t help their pet beasts evolve.
Forget them, even the camp’s leader was envious.
His pet beast was also Rank 2 so why did Old Second help only Old Seven after this visit to the Visitation Hall.
Was there perhaps an unspeakable secret between them?
He had suspicions but he couldn’t possibly voice them out.
On the surface, everyone seemed harmonious as they congratulated Old Seven, but underneath the facades, cracks in their relationships had begun to appear.
***
At Lin Jin’s home. Lin Jin had entered the mountains yesterday to bring Shang’er, Little Five, the fox cubs, and the great white ape back to Maple City.
His decision to bring the monsters into the city wasn’t according to his whims but had arisen from deliberate consideration and planning.
Shang’er and Little Five knew transfiguration. In fact, they could even read and understood basic human etiquette. Still, there was still something odd in their behavior.
This was because they had been living in the wild up until this point. If they lived alongside the city folks, these subtle oddities should disappear with the passage of time.
This was also beneficial to their transfiguration cultivation.
The Museum of Deadly Beasts confirmed it. In the manual for Demonic Transformation, the first stage was to observe, listen, and learn, before one could mimic. An average person wouldn’t be able to tell the difference if this skill was mastered. For further improvement, the target was required to enter human society, to learn the way of humans, and only then could they achieve the highest form of transfiguration.
This was Lin Jin’s primary justification for his decision to bring Shang’er and the rest over to his home.
Monsters were known to be savage and difficult to tame. As they constantly brought trouble, humans have rejected their existence since ancient times and saw them as enemies.
However, as a soul who transmigrated here, Lin Jin snorted at this saying.
In this world, how could enemies be declared that easily?
They just didn’t understand each other.
Shang’er and the rest were good examples. If they had someone to restrict them, they could learn to obey rules and gain education, surpassing even some humans.
Didn’t humans have children that were also unruly and disobedient?
The same goes for malicious criminals.
Just like humans, monsters required education and restrictions. Humans are subject to the law so for now, it was up to Lin Jin to control these monsters.
Fortunately, the foxes and the great white ape respected Lin Jin’s authority. They probably would still abide by his orders.
Lin Jin settled them in while the fox cubs were allowed to stay in the yard. The great white ape had already gained the ability to consistently maintain its tiny size. Among the others, Lin Jin worried about this one the most.
Lin Jin had recently learned a ‘sealing technique’ from the Museum of Deadly Beasts that could suppress monster auras. If the great white ape finds it hard to maintain its size, by casting a seal, Lin Jin could disperse its monster aura so it wouldn’t revert back to its original form.
Hence, for this trip with Lu Bin to the royal city, Lin Jin planned to bring the white ape along.
Xiao Huo was his pet beast so the little guy obviously had to follow him too. Everyone else was to stay at home with Shang’er to take care of them.