Chapter 24 - The Era of Beastmasters
A while later, Lu Ran received another call from White Dragon.
"Lu Ran, I looked into it and discovered that the Alliance is planning to build a Beastmaster University."
"Oh yeah?" Lu Ran laughed.
Turns out that the wise White Dragon isn’t as well-informed as I am.
"Yeah, it looks like this Beastmaster University is quite suitable for young beastmasters like you. Additionally, my job may be going through some changes soon. I'm going to Beastmaster University to be a recruiter! If you have any questions when the time comes, you can contact me."
Lu Ran was surprised by the news but had to ask, "All right, but by the way, about the registration…?"
"Oh, right, that. Please give me an email address and I will send you a digital application later. You just need to fill it out, attach photos of the front and back of your ID card, and send it back to me. You don't have to go in person."
"Okay, thanks for your help."
Lu Ran was clearly happy to hear that he didn't have to go out.
After he hung up, White Dragon adjusted his tie. As a veteran in the workplace, he had an idea of what Chief Zhao was up to. Lu Ran's identity wasn’t simple; he even knew high-level executives like Dr. Gu Qingyi.
After he found out that Lu Ran would attend Beastmaster University, the senior leader used his authority to send White Dragon from his team to work at Beastmaster University. On one hand, it was to promote him; on the other, it was to allow him to get closer to Lu Ran.
With this, even if the chief was transferred somewhere else, he could stay in touch with a potential genius like Lu Ran and open another path up for himself. In comparison, the disappointment of being unable to personally discover and recruit a talent like Lu Ran wasn’t a big deal.
"Old ginger is indeed quite spicy. In comparison, Ginger from the Medicine Pavilion is quite inferior, huh?" White Dragon pondered.
On the other end, Lu Ran was grinning as the phone call ended.
"What are you smiling about?" Fang Lan asked.
"I’m smiling because Dr. Gu seems to be a big shot. Brother White Dragon always wanted to pull me into the Beastmaster Alliance, but as soon as I mentioned Gu Qingyi's name, he immediately stopped. He probably thought I had a close relationship with Dr. Gu and was Dr. Gu's subordinate.
"This means that while Dr. Gu doesn't know me, the Beastmaster Alliance thinks I'm Dr. Gu's subordinate, so they stopped caring about me. I can be free for a while."
Fang Lan rolled her eyes. "I was wondering why you kept mentioning Dr. Gu. You really have a lot of tricks."
"I don't like being ordered around by others, and school gives me relatively more freedom. I also only spoke the truth. I think they imagined quite a bit of the rest," Lu Ran replied.
"Anyways, all that’s left is to wait for the news of the Beastmaster University to be announced. I have to level up quickly. Maybe, that way, I can directly become a teacher. If that happens, I'll make you the class president," Lu Ran joked.
Fang Lan: (?_?)
"Why don't you just become the principal?"
***
It was now evening, and most people had already finished working or studying and begun enjoying some leisure time.
In this digital age, instead of watching TV to relax after a long day, most people preferred to watch short videos on their cell phones and scrolled through novels for some quick dopamine.
However, tonight, an alert simultaneously popped up on everyone’s cell phones and various apps.
What showed up was very eye-catching.
[Live Broadcast! Lost Ancient Advanced Civilization: Could There Have Been Another Advanced Civilization in the History of the Blue Planet?]
The live broadcast was a professional interview between a host and two experts.
Lu Ran and Fang Lan ate takeout in the living room as they watched. Originally, Lu Ran was still curious about how the government would explain the existence of Limitless City, but soon enough, he smiled.
It turned out that this was the format they chose. Indeed, compared to alien civilizations or unsolved mysteries, this was far easier for the public to accept. After all, even within the Xia Empire, there was a lot of mythical history.
The live broadcast revealed that roughly three years ago, expedition teams from various countries discovered a mysterious relic in Antarctica that recorded information about a lost ancient advanced civilization.
In ancient times, the Blue Planet was full of spiritual energy. Under the nourishment of spiritual energy, every creature had terrifying power and could move mountains and seas. Humans also existed back then, and in order to thrive, they invented the method of controlling beasts and strengthening themselves in the process.
After a long period of development, the beastmaster civilization reached its peak. However, due to unknown reasons, the spiritual energy of the Blue Planet suddenly disappeared, causing the transcended figures to fade away along with it.
Divine beasts became ordinary animals, and humans became weaker, no longer able to adapt to the environment of the Blue Planet. To preserve its legacy, the beastmaster civilization, with its last strength, built a city in another dimension: Limitless City. It was connected to projections of the past to pass on the beastmaster system.
The ruins discovered by the expedition teams of various countries contained the mechanism needed to open the inheritance. Now, the inheritance of the ancient advanced beastmaster civilization has been activated, initiating a large-scale selection of inheritors in the modern world.
"Damn, is this true?"
Many hikikomori watching the live broadcast from their beds were dumbfounded when they saw the contents of the live interview. At first, they assumed it was some kind of prank, but many people were suddenly confused after seeing the government-certified media logo.
"Professor Niu, it seems that the development of this beastmaster civilization was far beyond ours. How should we react to this news?" the female host asked the bull-nosed old man[1].
"This is an opportunity. We have always believed that we were the most advanced lifeforms on this planet. Who would have thought there was such a prosperous period in the ancient times?
“We should actively contact and explore Limitless City to uncover the lost history. From what we know, the various supernatural powers brought by the ancient civilization could lead to groundbreaking innovations across many fields, including medicine, transportation, and military."
"Professor Ma, according to the internet, there are many young people who have been selected by black cards issued by Limitless City. However, according to the existing information, there is a certain risk in accepting the inheritance of the ancient civilization. What suggestions do you have for the chosen ones?"
"I think the most important thing for those selected is not to choose their initial familiar randomly. If you are not sure, you should contact the government as soon as possible. Conversely, the government should also publish the available information on beginner secret realms as soon as possible to increase the success rate of the chosen ones," Professor Horse Face[2] mused.
"Although this is an opportunity, it is also hazardous. I hope that the chosen ones can treat it with caution. Those who are not selected should not be discouraged. You can try raising pets. This is an effective way to increase the probability of being chosen.
"Additionally, be sure to treat your familiars well! Treat them with love!"
"That sounds about right," Fang Lan said while slurping some snail noodles[3].
"It makes sense, but their explanation seems too simple," Lu Ran said as he ate some roasted durian.
As they ate, they wondered if the official information was true. The live broadcast continued as major news outlets began to release various details.
Information that had never been released before, such as the beast that devoured its master incident and the beastmaster trial death incident, appeared like mushrooms after rain.
At the same time, many experienced beastmasters who were chosen a long time ago came out to give advice to the newcomers. This not only happened in the Xia Empire but also in every country on the Blue Planet.
The world was boiling with excitement!
In under an hour, a fog that covered the entire earth seemed to have cleared, and with that, a new era was ushered in. People felt as if they were in a dream. Older people couldn’t accept this change so quickly because their worldview had already taken shape.
On the contrary, young people deeply influenced by the Internet were ecstatic, as if they had waited over ten years just for today. Which teenager didn't have a childish dream?
They were looking forward to the changes in the world right now as if this was the true reality of the world to them.
Once the news about Limitless City and the beastmaster civilization was announced, not only did the forums heat up, but so did the game, information, and school group chats that Lu Ran had joined.
He opened his class group chat first because it looked like someone in the group was tagging him.
[Yang Xishuai: Lol, no way, no way. Could I be the only one in the class who got a black card?]
[Yang Xishuai: Picture.jpg]
[Yang Xishuai: Don't be sad, everyone. When I make it, I will make sure to take you all with me. Hey, what’s a good familiar to make a contract with?]
A lucky person in the group got chosen and was in high spirits. Others were envious and jealous. Their faces behind their screens were all very sour, as if they had just eaten a lemon. Some people sucked up to Yang Xishuai, while others gave him bad ideas.
Yang Xishuai, however, was only focused on Lu Ran at the moment.
[Yang Xishuai: @Lu Ran, just you wait. I will definitely avenge my grandfather.]
[Lu Ran: ?]
Huh, what did this have to do with me? Who is your grandfather?
[Yang Xishuai: You asked for leave just to participate in the Insect Fighting Tournament, and you beat my old man. You know, he couldn’t sleep all night? But that’s ok now that I'm here! How about I start with an insect type? I feel insects will be the strongest if they continue to evolve indefinitely!]
[Lu Ran: ???]
!@#$, why does your name sound so weird? Is Yang Xishuai raising crickets[4]? Damn, was that runner-up old man I defeated your grandfather?
Lu Ran quickly closed the group chat, but after thinking about it, he opened it again and replied.
[Lu Ran: Contracting insects is risky. I recommend consulting the government office.]
You want to use transcendent insects to fight against me? Have some shame!
He closed the group chat after replying.
"Hahahaha!"
Fang Lan was also browsing through her various groups and bent over laughing.
"One of my fans got confused after a black card appeared in his hand. Coincidentally, a southern cockroach flew over, and he subconsciously used the black card to shoo it away—only to accidentally contract the cockroach. There is still an hour before the trial, and he is freaking out."
"Ummm, generally speaking, cockroaches have strong vitality. I... I think they should be able to pass," Lu Ran replied.
"Ahem."
Fang Lan calmed down and continued, "My fans are a group that loves pets. I think the probability of them being chosen by black cards is pretty high. I have to quickly collect and summarize some relevant information to share with them.”
Lu Ran nodded and yawned. He was feeling a little sleepy.
"Go ahead. I'm a little sleepy so I'll stay at your place tonight. Keep an eye on those crawlies, and don't let them out. I don't want to wake up in the middle of the night and see spiders and centipedes crawling all over me. Thanks."
1. Niu 牛 means cow/bull and bull-nose was a derogatory name for daoists ☜
2. Ma 马 means horse so the author used a pun here to use his name to call him horse face ☜
3. Luosifen, or snail noodles, is a popular dish in Guangxi, China. They use snails for the soup base, and it’s known to be spicy and highly fishy ☜
4. Xishuai in Chinese is also a name for crickets ☜
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