King of Beasts

Manager Ying?

“Of course, I trust Manager Ying’s strength, but will she really be willing to protect me…”

Lu Ran felt doubtful about the suggestion… Wasn’t she always very busy managing an intelligence shop?

Wouldn’t she be very occupied?

“If it were a normal situation, you’d probably owe a huge debt just to get her protection…” Gu Qingyi chuckled.

No way… owe debts again? Lu Ran’s face turned bitter.

“But your situation is different.”

Gu Qingyi picked up the phone brought by the vampire Count and said, “As an intelligence dealer, what do you think interests her the most?”

“Information,” Lu Ran replied.

“Exactly. The Stone of the Other Shore is such significant information that she’d be thrilled to explore it with you. Moreover, as Dr. Gu mentioned, acquiring the Stone of the Other Shore might unravel the secrets of Infinite City. This secret is something nations have been trying to uncover for three years, and that includes Manager Ying. She’s immensely curious about Infinite City, which is why she entered into a contract with someone just to get a peek.”

“And now, there’s an additional investigation route she wouldn’t want to miss,” Gu Qingyi said cunningly. “You might even get her help for free.”

Lu Ran was shocked, “!!!”

Dr. Gu is quite devious. How did I not see this before?

“Then, Manager Ying it is?” Lu Ran said. Having a powerful being skilled in Space as a bodyguard was a rare privilege.

But Manager Ying didn’t seem too fond of dogs, Lu Ran thought as he glanced over at General Ha, who was looking confused.

Is it my fault?

“Let’s go to your house. I’ll contact Manager Ying now,” Gu Qingyi said as she collected a pile of death revival beast taming skill cards, keeping one aside and handing it to Lu Ran.

…

At Lu Ran’s Home.

Before Manager Ying arrived, Gu Qingyi continued to chat with Lu Ran. She suggested, “Although necromancy is still a taboo attribute in many countries, if you want to learn this skill, now is indeed the best time. After all, necromancers now have an additional way to level up.”

“Do you mean mutated beasts in the wild?” Lu Ran asked as he took a homemade beverage out of the fridge for Dr. Gu.

Before the revival of spiritual energy, necromancers had to hunt beastmasters to accelerate their leveling up. But now, after the spiritual energy revival, the number of supernatural beings far exceeds that of beastmasters, and extraordinary souls are abundant in the wild.

Under these circumstances, there’s no need to hunt beastmasters anymore. For necromancers, isn’t this the best era?

“True, but the biggest issue with necromancy is that consuming souls affects the minds of both the pet beast and the beastmaster, eventually turning them neither human nor ghost. So, if you want to practice necromancy, it’s best to wait until your beast taming level is higher. Additionally, the choice of pet beast is crucial; it’s best to choose a pet beast with strong willpower.”

“Countries have considered deeply researching necromancy, but haven’t found a good starting point. Now, though…” Gu Qingyi held up a black card, saying, “Your parents sent you hundreds of skill cards that can mass-produce necromancers. You should hand them over to the Xia Country authorities. After some time, Xia Country should be able to establish its own necromancer army.”

“For now, don’t overthink things. Focus on your growth. Your parents’ matters, the matters of The Other Shore, and the death dragon—I will personally investigate these. Your current focus should be on the upcoming breakthrough secret realm and the Freshman Tournament in over a month!” Gu Qingyi encouraged.

“Thank you, Dr. Gu…” Lu Ran smiled wryly. He was fortunate to know Dr. Gu; otherwise, the impact of these matters would have been as devastating as when he learned of his parents’ death a few years ago.

“No need to thank me. Alright, she’s here.” Gu Qingyi said, looking towards the balcony.

Space ripples flickered, and a beautiful leopard cat covered in golden spots appeared in the room.

Seeing her, Lu Ran was noticeably stunned.

Gu Qingyi explained, “Manager Ying has many forms, all of them cats; perhaps this incarnation was closest to Green Sea City.”

“What’s going on… Summoning me all of a sudden, what is this important intelligence?” Manager Ying looked at Lu Ran and Gu Qingyi sitting on the sofa and asked in confusion.

“Ying, you’re here!” Gu Qingyi greeted with a smile upon seeing the cat. “Lu Ran has gotten entangled in a major event that involves a legendary item and the secret of Infinite City’s descent. I thought you might find it interesting, so I invited you. Would you like to investigate with him?”

Lu Ran was stunned; he hadn’t expected Dr. Gu’s skill with words to be so impressive. She managed to imply that Ying should act as his bodyguard without directly stating it.

“Him?” Manager Ying was visibly surprised. She couldn’t comprehend how a newcomer like Lu Ran could be involved in such an SSS-level intelligence about a legendary item and the secrets of Infinite City.

“Lu Ran, share your recent experiences with Ying,” Gu Qingyi suggested.

Lu Ran nodded and glanced at the phone on the table that recorded his mother, Lu Yunxiu’s, message.

…

A moment later.

“I knew The Other Shore was searching for a legendary item!!! But I didn’t expect your parents to have uncovered a key clue to finding it!”

“The death dragon is one of the four creator divine loongs in the beast taming world. It’s among the top-tier entities, even within the legendary species.”

“The Stone of the Other Shore related to it? If it’s a legendary-level secret, it might indeed help us further uncover Infinite City’s mysteries!”

As Gu Qingyi had predicted, Manager Ying was very surprised after watching the entire video.

It was crucial to understand that currently on Blue Star, no beastmaster had ever cultivated an overlord species, let alone a legendary species. The highest level of resources controlled by beastmasters was only epic level.

Now, being involved with legendary beings and items was indeed incredibly significant intelligence.

However, Manager Ying wasn’t easily fooled. After her initial shock, she furrowed her brow and suspiciously glanced at Gu Qingyi and Lu Ran.

“Wait a minute, this kid’s background is so sensitive, and his parents are high-ranking members of The Other Shore. Even though they are also victims, Qingyi, you’re not trying to make me his bodyguard, are you? Considering his identity, trouble is bound to follow him…”

Gu Qingyi blinked innocently and said, “Huh?”

“Come to think of it, Lu Ran does seem to need some protection. Manager Ying, while you’re investigating with him, could you also keep him safe as well?” Gu Qingyi pondered, looking adorably contemplative.

Manager Ying rolled her eyes. After some deliberation, she said, “I suppose it’s doable, given how interesting this intelligence is.”

“Next, I’ll open a branch of my cat-eared maid café in Green Sea City and settle down here.”

“Thank you.” Gu Qingyi smiled, knowing that Manager Ying was willing to do her a favor. She made a mental note of this gesture.

“By the way…” Manager Ying now turned to Lu Ran.

“I can be your bodyguard, but only as a bodyguard. We will share any intelligence about The Stone of the Other Shore, but don’t expect to get other information from me for free.”

“Of course not.” Lu Ran clasped his hands together in gratitude. “I’m already very thankful to have your protection, Manager Ying.”

“I’m not that kind of person!”

“Are you planning to contract a necromancy pet beast in the future? Otherwise, how do you plan to find The Stone of the Other Shore?” Manager Ying queried.

“Honestly, you need to choose wisely. You can’t just contract any mutated beast and then convert it to necromancy, right? Its potential would be too low.”

“Since your mother’s message mentioned having a powerful necromancy pet beast, you must select an impressive one.”

“I have a better recommendation. Do you want to hear it? Since it’s related to our cooperation, I won’t charge you for it.”

“What is it?” Both Lu Ran and Gu Qingyi looked at her curiously.

Manager Ying explained, “As you know, the video mentioned that in ancient times, Blue Star had a group of supernatural beings. They were immensely powerful, with some even serving as totems for human tribes. However, as they became less adapted to Blue Star’s environment, they gradually vanished.”

“Most of these beings went into slumber, and I was among them.”

“But unlike the others, I was fortunate. I was relatively weaker back then, so my need for supernatural energy wasn’t as great. Coupled with the fact that my true form is a ‘nine-tailed cat’ with nine lives, I managed to awaken in modern times.”

“But those beings are different. Their lives withered and decayed over the long ages. Many of them should be long dead by now.”

“Even with the resurgence of spiritual energy, reviving their withered forms would be nearly impossible unless they encounter some extraordinary circumstance,” Manager Ying continued.

“We might be able to find those ancient creatures that have barely survived, slumbering somewhere, still clinging to a thread of life… By offering to convert them into a necromancy form and extending their lives, we could entice them to become your pet beast!” Manager Ying suggested.

“The ones who have survived until now are all formidable beings. If you can contract their souls, you wouldn’t need to fear anything from The Other Shore. You’d quickly gain the strength to rival the first-generation beastmasters.”

“Really?” Lu Ran was ecstatic. He immediately thought of the divine deer. If a pendant of the divine deer was that powerful, contracting a totemic creature of similar strength, even in its soul form, would be immensely formidable.

“Manager Ying, why haven’t you mentioned this before?” Dr. Gu was also slightly taken aback. This piece of intelligence was indeed explosive—a quest to find and contract the remnants of ancient beings…

“Because even I don’t know where they’re all slumbering,” Manager Ying shrugged. “This is just a hypothesis, aimed at helping him quickly obtain a powerful necromancy pet beast.”

“Securing recognition from a legendary item is surely no simple task… A strong pet beast is a must.”

“Next, I’ll send out avatars to slowly search. If we’re lucky, we might find one. If not, we may have to settle for training a common necromancy beast.”

“Moreover, to contract such beings, your own strength can’t be weak, or they’ll be difficult to subdue,” Manager Ying turned to Lu Ran and observed, “Apprentice… level 1… Your level is too low. Do you have confidence in becoming a level 3 beastmaster within six months?”

“Six months? I’ll be a legendary level beastmaster by then,” Lu Ran joked. Talking with Manager Ying and Dr. Gu had indeed lifted his spirits.

From the side of the sofa, General Ha and Sudden Death King clapped in unison. “As expected of our beastmaster! Such lofty ambitions.”

Manager Ying and Gu Qingyi: ???

Are you okay?