On Sunday, the group quickly finished their breakfast.
Although Lily looked sowhat uneasy, she still mustered the courage to leap into the cat carrier. Lin Guang strapped the carrier to his chest, locked the door, and led Vishdair to the roadside.
After a short wait, a giant Treading Creek Crab crawled sideways from the end of the line of sight, with rings of small light bulbs on its body flashing blue. Lin Guang instinctively raised his hand.
Treading Creek Crab, a native Water Spirit Beast, is amphibious with gray and low potential. They are almost ubiquitous in the streams of the wilderness, a kind of spirit beast that can increase its level just by eating.
However, it can hardly learn any useful combat skills, with almost zero talent in battle. All its talent is allocated to mobility, with its eight legs running at top speed that even ordinary sports cars can't match. Its body is flat and long, and there's a shallow groove on its shell at the back that can be fitted with a luggage rack and comfortable seats.
Lin Guang examined the Treading Creek Crab in front of him. Without counting the legs, its body alone is six or seven ters long, and it's likely that its level has reached over twenty, making it quite a big one among Treading Creek Crabs, whose level cap is only thirty.
Generally speaking, a Spirit Master who contracts a Treading Creek Crab would enter a moving company. If they contract one or two more Strong Muscles Gorillas, they could definitely beco a star perforr in the company, earning ten thousand Daxia Coins a month would not be a big deal.
Since when did Treading Creek Crabs start working as transport service?
Lin Guang slightly raised his eyebrows, a bit puzzled. The circle of small bulbs is the usual thod for transportation spirit beasts, blue indicating an empty ride, red indicating full.
The driver was a middle-aged man sitting on the forehead of the Treading Creek Crab, wearing a white shirt and black trousers, looking quite ordinary. He was slightly bald, a cigarette in his mouth, with a lancholy look on his face.
Seeing Lin Guang's bewildernt, he waved his hand: "Business has been tough lately, have to find so side gigs."
Snuffing out his cigarette, the driver uncle glanced at Vishdair beside Lin Guang, raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Having driven for a long ti, he's seen all sorts of people: "Young man, hop in, this crab's legit, uses a ter."
Following the driver uncle's command, the Treading Creek Crab spread its eight legs, its entire body crouching to the ground. The driver pressed a button, and a small electric ladder extended down.
"Oh, quite considerate." Vishdair glanced with curiosity.
"That's how the service industry is."
Lin Guang replied casually, climbing up onto the back of the Treading Creek Crab with her. They sat on the leather sofa fixed on top. Glancing at the price list next to him, it was a third more expensive than usual transport spirit beasts, which was understandable. A level twenty Treading Creek Crab is considered a "luxury car," with its speed truly outstanding.
"To the 'Southeast Gate.'
"Alright."
Once they were settled and buckled up, the Treading Creek Crab slowly rose. The driver uncle lifted his left hand, a faint green light erged, a mark appeared on the back of his hand, shaped like the wind. As the mark appeared, a faint green glow enveloped the Treading Creek Crab.
This is a One-Star Spirit Pattern "Wind Control," allowing spirit beasts to gain (or enhance) wind-controlling ability, enabling passengers to be unaffected by the wind—unless they deliberately reach out to feel the force of a 60 km/h wind—this is a mandatory Spirit Pattern for Spirit Masters seeking licenses for Class B and above transport spirit beasts.
Just like how a certain level chef license requires the Fire-controlling Spirit Pattern, it's a spectacle unique to a world of ubiquitous Guardian Beasts.
"These crab legs must taste great." Vishdair suddenly said, eyeing the orderly-moving crab legs below.
Watching the Treading Creek Crab lift its eight sturdy legs, Vishdair seed to have a glint in his eyes, unable to resist scraping the shell on the crab's back with the sole of his shoe, as if imagining what a delicious existence it would be when dismantled.
Lin Guang casually asked, "Have you eaten crabs before? I would've thought you lived inland previously and didn't expect you to be interested in them."
"No, I haven't."
Vishdair shrugged, "But I've eaten those big non-poisonous spider legs before, crabs seem quite similar aside from lacking fur."
"The texture of crabs... should be different from spider legs."
Lin Guang shook his head, whispering, "If you really want to try, I can buy you a small one next ti."
"A small one?"
"Relatively speaking, as long as you're full, isn't that enough?"
Only then did Vishdair withdraw her gaze.
Then, the Treading Creek Crab sped along the Spirit Beast Path, weaving between buildings, reaching speeds of sixty to seventy kiloters per hour. When encountering slow-moving spirit beasts like Road Block Turtles, it would gather Water Attribute Ether beneath it, leaping over them with its trait {Water Splash Jump}, greatly enhancing its agility when the surrounding Water Attribute Ether reached a certain extent.
Drivers carrying passengers are often talkative, and this driver uncle was no exception.
"Kid, the school organized a wilderness trip for experience?"
"No, but my destination isn't far either."
"Even if it's close, be extra careful." The driver uncle, with an air of experience, advised, "I used to be an adventurer like you until an arrow hit my knee, got betrayed, lost two great partners, and my spirit was severely wounded. Now I can only contract with small spirit beasts like this to make a living."
Saying this, the driver uncle sighed, "Ah, I didn't expect this line of work to beco so competitive."
Lin Guang didn't want to bring up the other person's sad mories, so he followed up with, "What's going on?"
"Protective Umbrella Technology Company, you know it, right?"
"Is there anyone in Zhen Sheng City who doesn't know?"
"That's true." The driver uncle took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, paused for a mont, and then put it back again, "But you surely don't know about their newly developed 'Chiric Spirit Beasts'."
"For example, they've spliced the genes of the White-headed Strong Eagle and the Muscle Ape to successfully create an 'eagle with strong arms under its wings', a single bird that does the work of the Stream-crossing Crab and Muscle Ape, and even snatches a lot of the ssenger Ambrosia's jobs."
"It's just that these chiric spirit beasts can't reproduce and currently cost quite a bit, otherwise I would have considered going to another city to make a living."
Chiric spirit beasts... How they seem to be a prelude to that high-difficulty 'mission'?
Lin Guang pondered.
Three and a half hours later, Vishdair had long leaned against Lin Guang drowsy, looking as if she was about to fall asleep. Finally, the Stream-crossing Crab arrived at the boundary of Zhen Sheng City, parked by the roadside, and spat out a transparent bubble that could fill an entire bathtub. It slowly leaned down, and the electric ladder unfolded again.
"Hey, we're here."
Lin Guang shook her shoulder, waking her up.
Shaking her head, the silver-haired girl, holding Lin Guang's hand, lightly jumped down from the back of the Stream-crossing Crab, landed steadily, and then looked up with a sigh, "It's so tall up close."
Indeed.
Upon reaching the boundary of Zhen Sheng City, the first thing in sight was a nearly hundred-ter-tall, extrely majestic silver-white giant wall.
They could see its shadow from afar, but they didn't expect it to be so massive up close.
This giant wall extended to the left and right, one could not see its end, firmly separating the outside world, with only a toll station-like entrance and exit below bustling with people, many vehicles and spirit beasts entering from outside, and many others preparing to depart.
And beside it were serious-looking comrcial facilities.
Hotels and inns aside, there were more spirit beast-related stores that sold spirit beasts, tools, and equipnt related to Spirit Masters, and also recycled spiritual materials brought back from the wilderness and secret realms.
Vishdair touched her chin, "Speaking of which, there should be quite a few flyers, right? Does such a wall have any aning?"
"You're quite right."
Lin Guang nodded, "If riding a spirit beast with flying ability, it seems it doesn't matter from which direction you leave the city."
"But in actuality, even if the spirit beast can fly with people, most Spirit Masters exploring the wilderness in the southeast would still enter and exit from here, trying to register and go through the procedures."
Vishdair was sowhat puzzled, "Why?"
"Because in this world, rules are bonds, yet they are also a type of protection for the weak." Lin Guang hinted, pushing his glasses, "Most people can't guarantee that they are strong beings not needing protection through rules."
"Thus, relying on cooperation within the rules becos inevitable."
He pointed to a three-story building in the distance, "That is the Spirit Master Association, which can be simply understood as the rcenary Guild. Besides food and accommodation, you can issue and accept commissions, and form teams there."
"rcenary Guild..."
The silver-haired girl gazed there, slightly entranced.
Lin Guang led her into the simply decorated yet bright first-floor lobby of the association, approached the reception desk, and took out his ID: "Hello, I'm the commissioner, previously released a commission."
The staff took the proof, operated on the computer, and nodded, "Is it the commission to go to True Waterfall? Alright, the flying mount of the association is ready, there'll be soone to connect with you over there."
The True Waterfall, due to being a unique terrain at a distance, although not a wonder, is considered quite valuable. It can temper a Spirit Master's and spirit beast's 'Heart Nature', 'Will', etc. Thus, it has been contracted by a company, maintained with spiritual materials and manpower, and sold its usage slots for profit. The price is also not cheap, with a single use clearly marked at thirty thousand credit points.
But overall, it's at least cheaper than buying fragnts of the Heart Demon Mirror, and there is no need to wait.
Lin Guang retrieved his ID, took Vishdair out of the Spirit Master Association's gate, preparing to leave the city, and suddenly looked up.
—He felt an unusual stirring in the backpack.
Lin Guang took off the bag and saw an extrely uneasy Lily.
At this mont, its hair stood on end, shivering, starting to whine in a low growl, pressing its small front paws onto the transparent glass cover, its panic clearly evident on its face.
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