NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 17 - The Next Home for the Thorn Bear
Chapter 17: The Next Home for the Thorn Bear
After deciding on the candidate, Li Chang’an still needed to see what skills this little rabbit had. After all, it was hard to find a suitable pet beast for him these days. The fact that this clever little rabbit could withstand Mao Mao’s aura during its awakening period was enough for Li Chang’an to take it seriously.
“Let me see what skills you have,” Li Chang’an said.
Upon receiving Mao Mao’s message, the little rabbit willingly displayed its abilities. Two wood-type energy blades cut through the nearby weeds, and a refreshing herbal scent rushed straight to Li Chang’an’s brain, instantly easing his mind.
“Leaf Blade, Grass Blessing,” Li Chang’an finally understood why the Thorn Bear’s mother had adopted this little rabbit.
Grass Blessing—a mid-tier wood-type skill, but its effects rivaled those of high-tier skills! It was one of the favorite support skills for artillery-type pet beasts and harmonizers.
[Grass Blessing]: Reduces fatigue and enhances mental recovery.
No wonder this Thorn Bear, with only its awakening period strength, had managed to plant a circle of thorny protective bushes around the forest. It turned out the little rabbit’s Grass Blessing had been assisting it. With this skill alone, Li Chang’an felt that using a contract slot on the rabbit was worth it.
After demonstrating these two skills, the little rabbit began to showcase its talent. It picked up a small wooden spoon, crushed some berries and grass in a stone pit, mixed them a few times, and finally sprinkled some spring water on top.
A miraculous scene unfolded before Li Chang’an’s eyes. He could actually sense a harmonious aura emanating from the mixture, as if these seemingly ordinary ingredients were meant to be combined in this way. Although Li Chang’an didn’t know what this talent was called, he knew he had stumbled upon a treasure.
However, he maintained a calm demeanor on the surface. He dipped his finger into the mixture, tasted it, and said to the little rabbit, “Not bad.”
Hearing Li Chang’an’s praise, the little rabbit shyly pulled down its leafy ears with its front paws, covering half of its face.
Mao Mao, who shared a mental connection with Li Chang’an, knew exactly how excited he had been moments ago. Seeing Li Chang’an now pretending to be indifferent, a rare flicker of emotion appeared in Mao Mao’s sky-blue eyes.
How despicable! Taking advantage of the little rabbit’s innocence, coaxing and deceiving it while pretending to be reluctant. So shameless!
…I like it!
Mao Mao imitated Li Chang’an’s demeanor, slightly tilting its head and nodding at the little rabbit, as if giving its approval. It seemed that the master and pet were cut from the same cloth—even the proud ancient dragon had been tainted by human cunning.
After the discussion, Li Chang’an left the forest with Mao Mao perched on his shoulder, the little rabbit in his arms, and the Thorn Bear following behind. The siblings rarely ventured out, so their tree hole didn’t contain anything of value. The Thorn Bear wanted to bring along some “treasures,” but Mao Mao “persuaded” it to leave them behind.
On the way back, Li Chang’an gave all the wood-type crystals he had to the Four Seasons Deer herd and left behind two servings of [Fresh Salad]. The Summer Flame Deer nodded at him and even offered him a shed antler, but Li Chang’an declined. Students weren’t allowed to take anything from the ecological park except for their contracted beasts.
Reluctantly, Li Chang’an turned down this “small treasure” and continued on his way. During the journey, the Thorn Bear devoured two of the remaining three servings of Fresh Salad, while the little rabbit, after finishing its portion, eagerly asked Li Chang’an to teach it how to make the dish. Li Chang’an promised to teach it once they returned.
He also learned that this Thorn Bear was the 23rd generation of its lineage. Its mother had warned it before her death to only go out and “have fun” after it had offspring. This was why the big, clumsy bear was so afraid of death. Li Chang’an once again underestimated the Thorn Bear’s intelligence. The fact that its mother had such a strong sense of continuing the family line showed that the Thorn Bear family possessed wisdom comparable to that of mature humans—a rarity among Thorn Bears, whose brains were only the size of walnuts.
Fortunately, there was signal in the ecological park. Li Chang’an used his phone to privately message the chosen candidate.
“Old Li, you owe me for wasting my time! You made me wait here for an hour—that’s not cool! At the very least, you owe me three barbecue meals,” said a muscular, dark-skinned teenager, slinging his arm around Li Chang’an’s neck and holding up three fingers.
This teenager, who was a head taller than Li Chang’an, was named Bai Wenshan. His family ran a ranch, and he was known for his cheerful and enthusiastic personality. Li Chang’an and he got along quite well.
“Nonsense! I recommended this guy to you. You should be treating me to five barbecue meals, and it has to be from Old Wang’s Barbecue on Wuhuan Street,” Li Chang’an retorted, slapping Bai Wenshan’s hand away and holding up five fingers.
Bai Wenshan chuckled and said, “Alright, then I’ll have to see just how amazing this pet beast you recommended is!”
Li Chang’an smiled faintly. “It’s not exactly amazing, but it’s definitely something you won’t be able to resist.”
Bai Wenshan’s eyes sparkled with a hint of anticipation. He knew Li Chang’an’s personality well—he never spoke without reason. Moreover, given Li Chang’an’s family background, his judgment on pet beasts was unlikely to be off.
Li Chang’an pointed behind him. “There, that’s the pet beast I recommended.”
Bai Wenshan: “…”
A Thorn Bear? Are you kidding me?
Thorn Bears were decent, but aside from their lack of brains, they were strong in other areas. However, Bai Wenshan least wanted this type of pet beast.
The dark-skinned teenager’s face showed a hint of helplessness. “Is this a joke?”
Li Chang’an smiled casually and commented, “It knows how to play dead.”
Play dead?
Bai Wenshan’s expression turned serious. A ferocious bear that usually fought without regard for its own life actually knew how to play dead. This meant that even in battle, it retained a shred of rationality, unlike others of its kind.
Thorn Bears had decent evolutionary potential, with two king-level evolutions, each being a battlefield meat grinder. However, they all shared one flaw: they were prone to losing their rationality. A rational battlefield meat grinder was a terrifying prospect.
Bai Wenshan slightly adjusted his stubborn prejudice. This bear wasn’t entirely unsuitable for a contract.
Li Chang’an, sensing the teenager’s emotional shift through his mental energy, secretly smiled. Got you right where I want you.
Then, Li Chang’an signaled the Thorn Bear to demonstrate its [Thorn Totem] skill. A green thorn slowly grew from the ground, emitting a faint green light within a three-meter radius.
Bai Wenshan’s eyes lit up with excitement. He grabbed Li Chang’an’s shoulder and said eagerly, “Old Li, you must let me contract this Thorn Bear! I’ll treat you to five—no, ten meals at Old Wang’s Barbecue!”
Li Chang’an had known that once the Thorn Bear displayed its [Thorn Totem] skill, Bai Wenshan would be hooked. Bai Wenshan came from the Bai family, a prominent beast-taming family with close ties to the military. The Bai family was known for producing shaman-type pet beasts, and many military units in Z Province had at least one or two Bai family members.
Although the Bai family was rich in shaman-type pet beasts, with so many descendants, it was already a stroke of luck for each person to get one. Bai Wenshan’s father was a live-in son-in-law, but his mother was the sister of a core elder in the Bai family, so Bai Wenshan had a quota for a shaman-type pet beast. However, as a Bai family member, who wouldn’t want an extra shaman-type pet beast in their team?
Li Chang’an wore a faint smile, while Bai Wenshan’s excited expression faltered, like a wilted flower. “Go easy on me,” Bai Wenshan said.
Li Chang’an chuckled. “Just provide it with food and shelter, and find it a few wives in the future to break its family’s 23-generation single-line curse.”
Bai Wenshan blinked. “That’s it?”
“Of course. With the few coins in your pocket, you don’t even have a fraction of my monthly allowance.”
Bai Wenshan looked embarrassed. Although his mother was wealthy, it didn’t mean he was. He was indeed quite poor. The Bai family followed a military-style upbringing, adhering to the tradition of raising sons frugally and daughters lavishly. Bai Wenshan was so broke that being able to afford five barbecue meals was already the sum of his “savings” over the years.
Bai Wenshan grinned and punched Li Chang’an’s chest. “I owe you one.”
Li Chang’an rolled his eyes in response.
With Li Chang’an’s permission, Bai Wenshan eagerly approached the Thorn Bear, touching it all over like a creep. The big, clumsy bear retreated in fear, hiding behind Li Chang’an. It wasn’t until Bai Wenshan took out some low-tier spirit food from his bag that the Thorn Bear reluctantly allowed him to touch it.