A sharp cry of "Magnetic!!!" pierced the stillness as the Magnetic Tough Mouse darted to the corner of its cage, startled.
Inside the room, the occupants flipped over and continued sleeping, ignoring the commotion. Over the past few days, the noise from the Magnetic Tough Mouse had grown quite sizeable. The people in the room had gone from irritation to indifference, used to the disruptions now. They had even specifically sought fresh, recently caught contract beasts as ingredients, prioritizing health and freshness.
As long as there was movement, it meant the Magnetic Tough Mouse was still energetic; otherwise, it might be returned without hesitation.
Curled up in the corner of the cage, the Magnetic Tough Mouse trembled. It remembered what its mother had said about ghostly creatures being even more fearsome than the spiny-tailed lizard on the mountain. Its great-grandfather had turned into a female Magnetic Tough Mouse due to a curse from a ghost-type beast, leading to a lifetime of misery until he finally chose to leave home.
Would it be forced to change its gender too? If that happened, returning to the mountain would mean no one would recognize it at all!
Just as the Magnetic Tough Mouse was ready to weep in distress, it noticed that a bottle of milk had vanished due to the cage's barriers. But before it could celebrate, the milk suddenly appeared inside the cage.
"Magnetic!!!"
"Here." A small ghostly creature named Xun hurriedly revealed itself.
The Magnetic Tough Mouse's voice faltered as it stared blankly at the diminutive ghostly beast in front of it. It didn't seem quite as terrifying as its mother had described...
"Xun Xun."
"Xun."
"Xun Xun, Xun." The little ghostly creature tried to explain its purpose.
The Magnetic Tough Mouse froze for a moment, barely able to believe it.
"Magnetic?"
"Magnetic Magnetic?!"
"Xun." The little ghost nodded.
"Magnetic!"
The Magnetic Tough Mouse exclaimed, excitement bubbling over. It solemnly nodded to indicate that it would cooperate fully. But the next instant, it slumped again.
It pointed at the cage, then at itself.
"Magnetic Magnetic."
"Xun."
At that moment, the little ghostly creature removed a circular object and placed the milk inside.
The Magnetic Tough Mouse was stunned.
Looking once again at the little ghost, its eyes were filled with admiration.
"Xun Xun."
The little ghost pointed at the circular object, then at the Magnetic Tough Mouse.
"Magnetic!"
With determination, the Magnetic Tough Mouse nodded vigorously and leaped into the circle without hesitation.
The little ghost placed the circle back atop its head, then vanished from sight.
The dimly lit room fell silent. The people inside did not perceive anything amiss; instead, they relaxed, enjoying the newfound quiet.
Outside the district...
"Why did you go up the mountain to search for Barbital Grass? Can't you buy it online?"
"Mainly to save some money."
With nothing else to do, the two began chatting.
"What about you? Why did you come back to your hometown for the summer?" Ye Jingwen asked.
"I wanted to help my Fire Fang Dog evolve," Qiao Sang replied.
Ye Jingwen paused for a moment, wanting to scoff.
Do you remember that you just graduated from middle school? If evolving a contract beast were that easy, the mountains of Qitang Town would have long become a dangerous territory!
But as she reflected on Qiao Sang's recent antics, she restrained her words. Who was she to criticize someone else? She could barely climb a hill without needing a trip to the hospital herself, and now she was relying on her cousin just to rescue the Magnetic Tough Mouse that had once saved her.
If she were a Beast Master, Zhang Huai wouldn't dare to so openly bring his father along to catch a Magnetic Tough Mouse in front of her.
Ultimately, it was clear they didn’t hold her in high regard.
As Ye Jingwen wallowed in her thoughts, Qiao Sang asked, "I heard from Auntie San that you want to become a Spirit Plant Master?"
Ye Jingwen nodded, a bit shy, "For self-nomination, the score for Spirit Plant Master majors accounts for 60%, plus 20% for culture points, and the remaining 20% depends on the contract beasts. I want to give it a try."
"You’re the most studious one among us; I believe in you," Qiao Sang said.
You? Studious?
Ye Jingwen was instantly speechless, though Qiao Sang’s words lifted her spirits.
Just as she opened her mouth to respond, she saw Qiao Sang suddenly jump on a bicycle.
"We're done; let’s go," Qiao Sang called out, pedaling away.
So fast?! Ye Jingwen was momentarily taken aback before quickly suppressing her excitement and chasing after her.
They rode the bicycle until they reached a place without surveillance cameras.
Under the faint yellow glow of the streetlamp...
"Xun~"
The little ghostly creature appeared, removing a circular object and extending it inward, revealing a yellow figure slowly emerging before Qiao Sang's eyes.
The Magnetic Tough Mouse was panting heavily.
There was hardly any air in that circular object, and it felt like it was suffocating.
Once it caught its breath, the Magnetic Tough Mouse looked around.
There was moonlight, a cool evening breeze, and the ghostly creature that had rescued it.
And...
"Magnetic!"
The Magnetic Tough Mouse tensed up like a drawn bow, its whole body stiff, tail standing straight, with slight sparks of electricity flickering across its body.
Humans!
The little ghostly creature hurriedly blocked Qiao Sang, explaining, "Xun!"
"Xun Xun!"
"Xun!"
Ye Jingwen was dumbfounded: "You didn’t notice that the Magnetic Tough Mouse was about to attack me, did you...?”
It was indeed tough being someone without a contract beast...
Under the little ghost's explanation, the Magnetic Tough Mouse slowly lowered its guard. With that, it relaxed and fainted.
The next day.
Qiao Sang woke up to find the Magnetic Tough Mouse drinking milk in her room alongside the little ghost.
Last night, since it was late, Ye Jingwen had suggested the Magnetic Tough Mouse sleep at her place first and then return to the mountain early the next day.
Of course, the Magnetic Tough Mouse had naturally ended up in Qiao Sang's room.
If it had been with Ye Jingwen, without the little ghost translating, it probably would have caused a ruckus at dawn.
Qiao Sang glanced at the time.
9:12 AM.
Having just woken up, she was a bit dazed.
Had it gotten so late?
Normally, her Fire Fang Dog wouldn’t let her sleep until this hour without waking her.
Fire Fang?
Fire Fang!
The next moment, Qiao Sang suddenly came to life, forming an imprint.
"Fire."
The Fire Fang Dog looked at its Beast Master with an injured expression.
Feeling awkward, Qiao Sang remembered she had been worried leaving her Fire Fang alone at home and had put it away in the Beastmaster Codex, thinking she'd let it out as soon as she returned, but then exhaustion took over…
"Xun!"
The little ghost squealed joyfully upon seeing the Fire Fang Dog appear.
Its head turned, and it noticed the Magnetic Tough Mouse, which had been staring at it all this time.
Though wild extraordinary beings weren’t strictly controlled in the town, wild fire-type contract beasts were still under very tight supervision.
After all, even at its initial form, a fire-type beast could easily start a fire with just one breath, which meant the Magnetic Tough Mouse had never encountered one in the mountains.
"Fire?"
The Fire Fang Dog tilted its head in confusion.
Had its Beast Master gotten a new pet while it was in the Codex?!
As the clock ticked to 10:20 AM...
At the foot of Huangming Mountain, Qiao Sang decided to send the Magnetic Tough Mouse back herself because Ye Jingwen had to attend a tutoring session.
Huangming Mountain wasn’t far from Shuimao Road; they arrived by bicycle in about eight to nine minutes.
"Magnetic."
The Magnetic Tough Mouse expressed its gratitude.
Though it had dreamt of returning during its sleep, it still felt somewhat unreal now that it was back.
Having expressed its thanks, the Magnetic Tough Mouse dashed eagerly towards the mountain.
However, after a few steps, it turned around and spotted the human who had rescued it following closely behind.
"Magnetic?"
"I'm going up the mountain too. Let’s go together," Qiao Sang said.
(End of Chapter)