King of Beasts

“A great discovery?”

Lu Ran’s body trembled as he looked at Little Wu, asking, “What discovery?”

“The divine deer that our village worships… might still be alive!”

Just as Lu Ran was about to ask for more details, Lu Dingding interrupted, “Don’t believe his nonsense… I think it’s just the old folks being superstitious.”

“Are you not from LuJia Village?” Little Wu looked at him displeased.

“Now that spiritual energy has recovered, what’s the harm in believing a little? It’s not like it costs any money.”

Saying this, he turned to Lu Ran and continued, “The village actually preserves this legend.”

“The legend says that in ancient times, ghosts and monsters roamed rampantly. Many human tribes, seeking survival, would take refuge with powerful beings that were almost like deities, relying on them to live.”

“Even though some of these deities demanded the sacrifice of infants and flesh, many human tribes accepted it, as the ghosts and monsters outside were even fiercer.”

“Of course, there were also some benevolent deities who were willing to protect humans unconditionally. Our ancestors encountered such a deity, which is the divine deer.”

“In fact, under the protection and guidance of the divine deer, we even took up arms and hunted ghosts together. This is the origin of LuJia Village’s hunting tradition…”

“Until… a great upheaval occurred, introducing a ghost so powerful that not even the divine deer could rival it. The entire tribe had to migrate, and even during the migration, they suffered great losses.”

“The divine deer stayed behind to cover their retreat and disappeared completely after that.”

“Later, it’s said that some villagers returned to search, but found no trace of the powerful ghost or the divine deer.”

Hmm… a very typical myth.

Lu Ran pondered and asked, “Then how do you conclude that the divine deer is still alive?”

Little Wu replied, “Because some elders in the village say that the divine deer often appears in their dreams.”

“Some dreamed that the divine deer suppressed the ghosts alone, waiting for rescue.”

“Some dreamed that the divine deer was severely injured in that battle and was forced to reincarnate.”

“Others dreamed that the divine deer didn’t die, but felt exhausted and completely retired from the world.”

“Dreams like these? I can daydream for a bit during the day and have seven or eight of them at night,” Lu Dingding said again, adding, “I could even chat with the White Bone Spirit or the Spider Spirit in my dreams. It’s not impossible.”

Lu Bing kicked him, but Lu Yi seemed to think there was some truth in what Lu Dingding said.

You dream about what you think about. Given that LuJia Village already has the legend of the divine deer, it makes sense for people to have similar dreams. It definitely can’t be taken as evidence.

“Dreams, huh?” Lu Ran fell into deep thought. Unlike the others in LuJia Village, he was 100% certain that a creature like the divine deer existed.

Otherwise, where did the divine deer antler come from?

As for the idea of transmitting dreams, Lu Ran was half convinced.

Dreams are indeed unreliable, but he himself had experienced prophetic dreams before, so he couldn’t completely dismiss the idea.

So, could his awakening of superpowers and ability to have prophetic dreams be related to his background in LuJia Village, being influenced by the power of the divine deer?

“Are there any records on which type of dreams are the most common?” Lu Ran asked.

Little Wu shook his head. “No…”

“Lu Ran, do you believe in the divine deer?” Lu Bing asked curiously. She felt that Lu Ran seemed to take the legend of the divine deer more seriously than the young people in LuJia Village.

The younger generation in LuJia Village had long since stopped believing in such legends.

“If it were in the past, I wouldn’t believe either, but now you’ve seen the changes on the Blue Star. Who dares to say there weren’t supernatural beings in ancient times?” Lu Ran smiled.

“But let’s drop it. It’s too old, no point talking about it now.”

At this moment, Lu Ran had a new idea. Pet beasts have various abilities and traits. In the future, he would definitely contract a reconnaissance-type pet beast and merge it with a search-related trait.

He could use it to trace the divine deer, just like a dog tracks scents, using the divine deer antler as a clue to see if it could find any other traces of the divine deer on the Blue Star.

At this moment, Lu Ran thought of Manager Ying.

It seemed to have Time-based skills, which could be used to search for people.

Hmm… I should also get a Time-based pet beast in the future. It might be really handy.

“Why are you all here? I remember that LuJia Village is near the mountains…” Lu Ran suddenly thought about whether the rural LuJia Village might face any dangers with the revival of spiritual energy.

“Have the nearby mutated beasts caused any harm to LuJia Village?” he asked anxiously.

But as soon as he asked, he realized he might be overthinking it. After all, the number of beastmasters in LuJia Village was comparable to that in some large cities…

“Oh, that.” Lu Bing smiled. “Actually, the large fierce beasts around LuJia Village have long been gone. There are only some wild boars left. LuJia Village has already shifted towards the livestock industry.”

“We have to thank this revival of spiritual energy, too. Many families in the village have a habit of raising hunting dogs. Because of this revival, many hunters who aren’t beastmasters now also have supernatural beings as partners. Though there were some accidents during this transition, the benefits outweigh the downsides overall.”

“Now, LuJia Village is well-armed from top to bottom. Those wild boars can’t do anything to us.”

“…” Lu Ran wore a strange expression. As expected from a village of hunters.

“Anyway, let’s add each other as friends. I’ll also give you my real contact information. If you ever need my help, don’t hesitate to reach out,” Lu Ran said.

“Sure!”

Afterward, they found a place to finish the lunch they had missed earlier. Until they parted ways, Lu Ran watched the group from LuJia Village as they left, his expression gradually softening.

That meal… he finally managed to get it. If possible, he could help out LuJia Village in the future.

A village with a totemic tribe background like this wasn’t going to have a simple path ahead.

Since they shared the same roots, LuJia Village wouldn’t stand idly by if he faced difficulties in the future.

Most importantly, he held the divine deer’s heirloom. Even though his mother called it a family treasure, Lu Ran always felt that holding such a treasure and not doing something for LuJia Village might go against the original intention of the divine deer leaving the antler behind.

Perhaps the divine deer left the antler in the hope that the person possessing it would help protect LuJia Village?

“Sigh, if I had the energy, I would go back to the village, run for village chief, and lead everyone to prosperity. We’d become the number one village in the era of beast taming.”

Lu Ran shelved that thought for now. The most pressing concern was to prepare for the upcoming breakthrough secret realm. All other ideas could wait until he gained more strength.

At this moment, Lu Ran glanced at his communications and noticed two new messages.

One was from Pluto and the other from Master Lin.

Lu Ran remained silent for a moment. While chatting and having lunch with the folks from LuJia Village, he had already learned about the brief, tumultuous love-hate relationship that had unfolded between him and Pluto in just half a day…

He didn’t really know what to say about this unfortunate guy.

Pluto’s message read: [Are you… coming back to Infinite City No. 5?]

Pluto’s tone was almost palpable through the message, as if he was grinding his teeth in frustration.

Lu Ran replied: [Probably not.]

He chuckled. For the trait crystals and beast taming skills he needed next, Infinite City No. 3 had everything he could hope for.

Even though he didn’t achieve an SSS rating in the abandoned research institute secret realm, he’d already gotten all the valuable loot from there. It felt unnecessary to continue, especially since, apart from the boss drops, the area was so barren that it offered no additional resources to gather.

Now, his only goal was to make money!

After replying to Pluto, Lu Ran checked the message from Master Lin.

Master Lin had heard about the divine beast leaderboard incident and also knew that Lu Ran seemed to have successfully obtained and fused a trait crystal on his first try. Curious, he’d immediately sent an inquiry.

Lu Ran replied: [Everything went smoothly, thanks to you, Master Lin! Now that General Ha’s strength has greatly increased, we’re off to work off our debt! If there are any rare minerals you urgently need from the novice secret realm, you can commission me.

By the way, Master Lin, can you forge exquisite-level weapons?]

Master Lin responded quickly: [You’ve got some insane luck, getting it right on the first try…

As for exquisite-level weapons, unfortunately, my limit is forging rare weapons. Currently, there’s only one person in the country capable of forging exquisite-level equipment.

And most of what this person forges are gear and tools for beastmasters…]

It’s rare for a forgemaster to have experience forging weapons for pet beasts. At most, they forge armor for them. You’re lucky to have met me. Even among the forgemasters of equal fame to mine, they mostly specialize in forging equipment for beastmasters or pet beast armor. Forging a sword for a dog, for example, is not their forte.

If you want to further upgrade your weapon, you have two options: either approach that first-generation big shot and ask him to explore this field or become an exquisite-level forgemaster yourself.

So kid, you might as well come and learn forging from me. You can’t always rely on others.]

It seems Master Lin’s skills truly stand out, considering he was recommended by those cat-eared maid intelligence dealers.

Lu Ran previously hadn’t realized that most forgemasters lack experience in forging weapons for pet beasts, making it evident that Master Lin indeed had quite a broad range of expertise.

Lu Ran felt a headache coming on. General Ha’s species talent appeared powerful, but finding a suitable, strong weapon seemed challenging. Does even the top forging master in Xia Country lack the relevant experience?

Unless he becomes a forgemaster himself, does he have no other way to acquire a formidable weapon than seeking solutions in other beast taming civilizations within breakthrough secret realms?

…

Green Sea City.

After Lu Ran left, the “sudden death king” was forced to fight alongside the other six of The King’s Seven Beast Generals.

As they say, confidence is built from repeated battles.

In his first few fights, sudden death king treaded cautiously, fearing for his life and feeling constantly on the brink of death.

But as the battles went on, he discovered…

None of his opponents could even scratch him!

After facing dozens of enemies, it became clear that none of them could break through his defense!

With each victory, his confidence grew, and even a coward started to feel invincible.

Lu Ran’s strategy of fortifying him first, then letting him fight on his own, proved remarkably effective, quickly reshaping the sudden death king’s personality.

The dark crow and Ice Bird, who were out on duty together, looked at the sudden death king with renewed respect.

Throughout the journey, they had become utterly convinced of his strength.

Not far away, in the wild mountains.

Sudden Death King was confronting a horde of mutant rats that had snuck over from the neighboring city.

His tail was grounded, allowing him to stand upright, making himself appear taller. His body was encased in a tangible blue Thunder Spike Armor, looking like a valiant warrior.

Sudden Death King gazed at the rat horde with a blank expression.

Just a bunch of rats…

“Wow ka…,” thought Sudden Death King, but old habits die hard. His body unconsciously reacted, raising both claws in a gesture of surrender.

“How frightening… Could you please show some mercy and avoid entering the territory of Green Sea City? Our waters shouldn’t mix,” the dark crow on a tree translated Sudden Death King’s body language.

However, facing a seemingly cowardly Sudden Death King, this group of mutant rats felt threatened but wouldn’t retreat so easily.

“Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!” At the mutant rat king’s command, a mass of blood-colored giant rats charged at Sudden Death King.

Previously, such a large-scale attack would have terrified Sudden Death King to death. But the confidence built from dozens of victorious battles made him understand that with an impenetrable defense, he was invincible.

To this day, other than that dog, Sudden Death King hadn’t encountered a creature capable of breaching his defense!

“Wow ka… So troublesome, seems like we still have to fight?” the dark crow continued to fill in the thoughts behind Sudden Death King’s expression.

The mutant rat horde was about to swarm over Sudden Death King!

But in the next moment, the scene of him being gnawed to bones didn’t happen.

Instead, the advancing rats recoiled instantly, like in a chain reaction. Each rat that collided with Sudden Death King turned black and twitched before collapsing in flashes of light.

As for Sudden Death King… inside the Thunder Spike Armor, he remained unharmed.

“Wow ka…” Sudden Death King showed a look of relief, his tail grabbing a rat… spiking the voltage, then flinging it away unconscious.

“It’s a pity, such a torrent of attacks. If my armor couldn’t withstand them, I’d definitely be finished. But alas… Have you ever been struck by lightning?” the dark crow continued his narrative.

By now, the rat horde had fled in panic, completely terrified.

“No wonder he’s the Thunder Dragon General!” Although she could also handle these rats, she’d never dare to let them come so close and attack her like that.

Move over for the impressive Thunder Dragon General!

Nearby, the Ice Bird guarding the tea plant swallowed nervously. Terrifying, just like that Erha. Is this the strength of King Lu’s generals?