Besides a few that look eerily similar, most pet beast eggs are quite easy to identify.
The egg in the hands of the Treasure Ghost was grey with a yellow ring, indicating that the pet beast inside belonged to the same species as it. Qiao Sang felt a jolt of surprise. Did it want to make this Treasure Ghost its pet beast, just like the previous yellow bud flower? But she hadn’t even considered a ghost-type pet beast.
Not even rookie beast masters would dare to form a contract with a ghost-type beast. Unlike the fiery and temperamental fire-type beasts, which were straightforward when angry, ghost-type beasts could keep their fury hidden. They wouldn't hold back when it came to taking revenge. The methods they employed depended on their abilities. If it was a Treasure Ghost, it wouldn't hesitate to do mischievous things like stealing toilet paper or clothes while someone was bathing.
Qiao Sang pretended not to see and walked around it. The Treasure Ghost grinned wider and nodded at a shadow in the upper right. After receiving the signal, that shadow directed two other shadows, and they all took off in different directions.
Just as Qiao Sang moved a few steps, the Treasure Ghost darted back in front of her again. Before she could sidestep it again, the Treasure Ghost switched the pet beast egg to its left hand and wiggled a short finger in front of her with its right hand. Confused, Qiao Sang thought, What is this? Is it trying to tell me the price? Is it 100,000 or a million?
As she struggled to interpret this, the short finger jabbed hard at the pet beast egg. “...!”
A hole broke open in the egg, and an unusually short grey finger poked out from within. The egg then began to crack open gradually. In no time, the pet beast egg split in half, revealing a mini Treasure Ghost, about 20 centimeters tall, blinking its eyes in surprise, staring at Qiao Sang.
Two seconds later, it opened its arms and cried out adorably, “Xun~”
Qiao Sang was left in shock. This little thing wouldn’t be thinking of her as its mother, would it?
When it saw Qiao Sang not picking it up, the little Treasure Ghost's face crumpled in disappointment, and tears streamed down its cheeks. The original Treasure Ghost laughed gleefully, then similarly pouted and began to sob loudly, “Xun!” “Xun!”
People around noticed and turned to look. The sight of a large and small Treasure Ghost crying pitifully at a girl made it difficult not to connect the dots. Qiao Sang stared helplessly at the two Treasure Ghosts. She couldn't decide whether to stay or to leave. The little Treasure Ghost, just born and still devoid of nutrients, cried as if it had faced some grave injustice.
Before long, its cries quieted down, clearly lacking the strength to continue. A thought struck Qiao Sang; she placed the Fire Tooth Dog down and pulled it into her arms.
The Fire Tooth Dog looked astonished.
Instantly, the little Treasure Ghost stopped crying, though tears still glistened in its eyes. The original Treasure Ghost continued to wail loudly. Just then, a male staff member with yellow hair approached, asking, “What happened here?”
The Treasure Ghost floated in front of the staff member, showcasing the broken eggshell while glancing at Qiao Sang, sobbing profusely. “Xun!” “Xun Xun!” “Xun Xun!”
Qiao Sang sighed; it was clear what was happening. This Treasure Ghost was trying to pull a scam! Suddenly, the little Treasure Ghost felt especially hot to her touch.
The yellow-haired staff member quietly watched the performance of the Treasure Ghost. Having worked here for three years, he had a decent understanding of the base's pet beasts, particularly those that sat unsold. Ghost-type beasts were expensive and had strange personalities, leading few beast masters willing to pay a high price to form a contract with them.
As the least popular type of pet beast in terms of sales, they often resorted to various tactics to persuade favorable beast masters to form contracts with them or their kind. This particular Treasure Ghost was no rookie in this trick; every time it would falsely claim that its hatching egg was broken by a beast master.
Most pet beasts would form attachments to the first creature they saw after birth. The same applied to the Treasure Ghost. This particular one chose to target female beast masters, as most women tended to be sympathetic and didn’t like seeing young pets crying. If it happened that the woman had the means to make a purchase, it could end up achieving its aim. The base was also keen to see this happen, encouraging such antics every time this Treasure Ghost set its sights on a female. After all, if successful, it was a win-win for everyone involved.
“Miss, can we step outside to discuss?” the yellow-haired staff member asked.
Seeing the crowd grow, Qiao Sang agreed. The two of them headed to an office where a middle-aged man in work attire, around fifty years old, was seated.
Upon seeing the large and small Treasure Ghosts, the man immediately understood what was happening. While both staff members were in the know, the yellow-haired worker still feigned a formal report.
The middle-aged man cleared his throat and said, “Miss, this pet beast egg has already been reserved by one of our customers. Given the current situation, it will be difficult for us to sell it.”
Most beast masters buying pet beast eggs preferred to be the first sight their beast would see upon birth. In this case, if the first creature it saw was someone else, returning the egg was very likely.
Qiao Sang understood, but that did not mean she was going to take responsibility for it.
“You can check the surveillance; I didn’t break this egg. This Treasure Ghost deliberately poked it in front of me,” Qiao Sang pointed at the nearby Treasure Ghost.
“Xun!” “Xun Xun!”
The Treasure Ghost shook its head in protest, looking utterly wronged.
The middle-aged man said, “Let’s look at the surveillance, then.”
He knew the Treasure Ghost was well-prepared. Indeed, the three cameras covering that area caught the three ghost-type pet beasts in that time frame.
Qiao Sang turned to the nearby pretending-to-be-innocent Treasure Ghost. So it had accomplices?!
“Miss, did you come here to buy a pet beast today?” the middle-aged man asked without mentioning the surveillance footage.
“I’m looking to buy a pet beast egg,” Qiao Sang replied.
A trace of joy appeared on the middle-aged man’s face, but he hadn’t even spoken yet. Qiao Sang quickly added, “I want a Sakhalin Cotton.”
The man’s expression froze, and he sincerely replied, “To be frank with you, ghost-type pet beasts sell better while still in egg form. Once they’ve hatched, it’s nearly impossible to sell them. The Treasure Ghost is stronger than Sakhalin Cotton; look how much the little Treasure Ghost adores you. Why not consider exchanging for a different one?”
His words were half-truths; the latter half was genuine, while the former was false. Even ghost-type pet beasts were hard to sell while still eggs…
This was not just due to their personalities; the price was another factor. Ghost-type pets were elusive, making them difficult to obtain. Moreover, they had formidable strength, only vulnerable to ghost and dark types, naturally commanding a higher price than typical pets.
But in such circumstances, they frequently sold at reduced prices without many buyers willing to step forward.
Qiao Sang glanced down. The little Treasure Ghost was looking up at her with watery eyes, as if worried she would let go.
Her heart trembled. It was all just an act, just an act…
(End of Chapter)