Chapter 21 - Siblings Meeting
"Um..."
A group of police officers stood around, bewildered by the bizarre scene.
What's going on here!? Luo Shang was stunned. Even the police dog beside him was stunned. Luo Shang had expected a beastmaster capable of subduing a transcended tiger to contract with a fierce beast like a bear.
But what did he see?
A husky?
Huskies were unruly and weak. They weren’t even good police dogs, so how did this husky manage to turn a fierce tiger into a kitty?
"Officers! You’re finally here."
Lu Ran realized that special departments like the military and police were aware of the black cards. There was too much to handle for the relatively few beastmasters, and the Xia Empire’s Beastmaster Alliance was still made up of mostly regular people.
"Is there anything else you need my help with? Something urgent came up," Lu Ran asked.
After an earlier conversation with her, he was in a hurry to check up on Fang Lan but never had a good opportunity to leave.
"I'm Luo Shang. We’re very grateful for your help! Lu Ran, right? We’ll take over from here. Once everything’s sorted out, we’ll come to thank you personally," Luo Shang said.
Luo Shang didn't dare to slight someone like Lu Ran even though he appeared to be just a student. Powerful beastmasters could easily hold high positions within the alliance. If Lu Ran was an official, he could even outrank Luo Shang himself!
He could not keep someone like that here without knowing more about them.
"No need for thanks!"
Lu Ran was delighted to be able to leave. He glanced at Captain Doofus and said, "Let’s go."
Before he left, he told the officers, "The kitty’s teeth and claws have been removed, and one of its legs is broken, so it shouldn’t be dangerous anymore. I'll leave it to you guys..."
"Roar!!!"
The northeastern tiger growled angrily.
Kitty!? You’re the kitty! Your whole family are kitties!
The police silently exchanged glances.
Meanwhile, the tiger and the massive police dog silently quivered before Captain Doofus’ intense presence. Only when Lu Ran and Captain Doofus were out of sight did the tiger relax from its cowering curled position.
Those two demons are finally gone...
I still can’t be too relaxed, though, the tiger thought, looking at the guns aimed at it.
***
Fang Lan had returned home to the Far River District of Green Sea City.
She was laying on the sofa in her pajamas with a facial mask, trying to relax her tense nerves.
Ahh…Finally home.
But when she looked at Lu Ran’s messages, all thoughts of relaxation were replaced by intense vexation.
Lu Ran: !!!
Lu Ran: You were chosen too?
Lu Ran: I wasn’t intentionally ignoring you. I was selected two hours before you messaged me, so I was already in the Secret Realm.
Lu Ran: Are you back?
"Hmph, what bullshit!"
Fang Lan had immediately informed Lu Ran when she was selected, only to find out Lu Ran had been chosen even earlier but hadn’t bothered to tell her.
She was so ready to pick up where they left off during their earlier conversation and give him a piece of her mind.
Ding.
Lu Ran arrived with an appropriately apologetic expression.
Fang Lan’s family had several houses. Since she raised so many animals, it was inconvenient to live with her parents, so she now stayed at her own separate place.
"Lu Ran! Come in."
When Fang Lan saw Lu Ran looking sorry in disheveled clothes, she forgot her carefully prepared lecture.
"Okay."
Lu Ran patted his chest for good luck and entered.
In the living room, they stared at each other in silence until…
"I won’t hold it against you for not telling me,” Fang Lan said. “I already know what you’ll say. You thought I’d be worried, that I wouldn’t believe you, and that I wouldn’t let you try. Am I right?”
"Erm…" Lu Ran shuffled his feet awkwardly.
"But in the future, you must tell your family about any dangerous situation."
"I just didn’t expect so many black cards to pop up," Lu Ran replied. "Who knew that we would be chosen one after another… I really was going to tell you once I got out. Besides, you didn’t tell your parents either."
"I can’t believe you’re talking back! Anyways, you contracted that husky, right!?" Fang Lan demanded.
She stood up and pressed her hands on the table while glaring at him. “What rank did you get in your beginner’s trial?”
Perhaps it was their sibling bond, but they both believed the other could easily pass the beginner’s trial.
"S. Captain Doofus is very strong now. We can team up with you for the future secret realms."
Lu Ran didn’t hide what he had achieved from Fang Lan. But sometimes, the truth was the hardest to believe.
"What!? S rank!? How is that possible…?"
Fang Lan was stunned.
“Is Captain Doofus a Champion species?”
"No, he’s just an Intermediate-Transcendent."
"Then, how did you get S? Little Blue is a Superior-Transcendent species, and we only got a B!"
Fang Lan was confused. According to Sister Gu, she was a rare genius, and her spider familiar had a high compatibility with her. It was no worse than starting with a tiger or lion.
If Lu Ran’s Captain Doofus was also a Superior-Transcendent species, she could understand his high rating, but an Intermediate-Transcendent species…? How had he achieved such a high rating?
“Species Rank doesn’t mean everything. There’s one thing Species Rank doesn’t cover: comprehension," Lu Ran said as he sat on the sofa, crossed his legs, and poured himself a glass of water.
"Captain Doofus is highly perceptive. After a few battles, it easily understood energy infusion. With some combat training, it quickly became able to infuse energy into objects. When it comes to energy utilization, it crushes those wild monsters. Is an S-rank rating that strange considering we fought for an entire day?
“I’ve always said that Captain Doofus has great combat potential. Now you believe me, right? Looks like you don’t know much about Limitless City and beastmasters. If you have any questions, I can answer them," Lu Ran offered, smiling smugly.
At Lu Ran’s arrogance, Fang Lan snapped.
"No need! I just wasn’t used to the beginner trial at first! When we get a chance, let’s have Captain Doofus and Little Blue faceoff in Limitless City’s arena."
"Sure," Lu Ran agreed immediately. He also wanted to see how powerful a Superior-Transcendent Species like the Great Xia Wolf Spider was.
Lu Ran was surprised that Fang Lan’s familiar was a Superior-Transcendent Species. But upon further consideration, its Species Rank and high compatibility with Fang Lang made sense given Fang Lang’s long history with crawlies.
According to the Basic Beastmaster Manual, those chosen by black cards interacted regularly with animals, either professionally or as pet owners. The higher the compatibility between the beastmaster and their pet, the greater the pet’s potential after the initial contract.
Lu Ran saw Fang Lang still staring at him and chewing on her lip even after he had agreed to the spar.
"Is there something on my face?" he asked hesitantly.
"You got an S-rank... I thought my rating was high," Fang Lan muttered, still brooding. She had always excelled over Lu Ran in everything. She couldn’t help but feel frustrated now that the roles had suddenly reversed.
Lu Ran chuckled. "It’s okay. Initial ratings don’t mean much. If beastmasters also have tiers, you’ll surely become a Beastmaster Queen."
"At least you’re not entirely clueless!"
"By the way, did any officials invite you?" Lu Ran asked suddenly.
"Yes!"
"Did you agree?"
"Of course... why wouldn’t I? Didn’t you?" Fang Lan asked.
"Not yet," Lu Ran replied.
Fang Lan brightened up. "Guess who I met in Limitless City? Dr. Gu! Gu Qingyi. It turns out that she was also chosen as a beastmaster. You definitely don’t know everything she shared with me. I accepted her invitation, and she said she’d contact me later to discuss the specifics..."
"Gu Qingyi? Who's that?"
Lu Ran felt the name was familiar but couldn’t place it.
"A young and beautiful doctor from Mystic University. Well, forget it. You only care about huskies and bugs. Anything between you and beauties is fiction," Fang Lan said dismissively.
Several of her female classmates had secretly asked about Lu Ran, but Lu Ran was never interested. Maybe that was fine. She felt many girls were only interested in Lu Ran’s family assets!
"What!? I like beauties too!"
Lu Ran couldn’t let that comment pass. He, too, was a teenager with the occasional romantic fantasy, but events like family misfortune and superpower awakening understandably derailed them.
"Is Dr. Gu reliable?" Lu Ran asked, worried that Fang Lan was just being used.
"Of course! She’s a first-generation beastmaster who entered Limitless City three years ago. I heard her beginner’s trial rating was SS, which is even higher than yours!"
Lu Ran was incredulous. "A first-generation beastmaster? Really?"
"That’s what she said."
Lu Ran’s jaw dropped. A first-generation beastmaster with an SS beginner rating?
White Dragon had mentioned that only thirteen first-generation beastmasters were still active. Was this Dr. Gu one of them?
Fang Lan met Lu Ran’s doubtful expression evenly. "What?"
"It’s a shame that while you immediately ran into a first-generation expert in Limitless City, I only met… Well, I guess they’re okay."
"I can introduce you to Dr. Gu. She said that I’m a rare talent with my B. She’ll be even more interested in someone who got an S! Then we’ll be her two top super-generals, a perfect combination! And from what I hear, the alliance is keen on developing fourth-generation beastmasters—"
"We’ll be a BS combo?" Lu Ran teased.
Fang Lan’s cheeks puffed up.
"Shut up! Or I’ll shut you in the dark room with my crawlies for a night."
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