Astral Pet Store (WN)
chapter-28

1

“…”

This price caught Su Ping by surprise.

This was to say that, in the future, every time he went to train a pet, he would have to pay 10 energy points first?

“I have to buy a temporary contract, chances to die, and opening up a cultivation plane also needs money. At this rate…” Su Ping’s mouth twitched. Was he being exploited?

He felt lucky that he didn’t go on with the breeding and kept the last hundred or so energy points. Otherwise, he would be unable to afford this trip.

“Will the temporary contract exert an influence on the pet’s real master when I use it?” While he could anticipate the answer to his question, Su Ping thought he’d better ask just to be safe.

“The temporary contract will be overlaid on the astral power contract, and will not affect the pet master’s contract, nor will it be noticed,” the system answered indifferently.

“Good.”

Su Ping chose to buy it when all concerns were cleared up.

When the energy was deducted, Su Ping saw a golden scroll appearing out of nowhere in the storage space floating on his sea of awareness.

After focusing his mind, the golden scroll fell into his hand.

The scroll used for the temporary contract was very soft, and Su Ping felt as if he were holding a cloud of mist. There was nothing rough on the paper.

“How does this thing work?” Su Ping tossed and turned it.

“Add a drop of blood from the person who will establish the contract and then stick it to the pet that is going to enter the contract,” the system answered.

Su Ping understood. He turned around and looked at the Lightning Rat who was hiding in the shades; he smiled, presumably in a way that would make him look harmless. “Come on, good boy.”

The Lightning Rat freaked out at once. That smile was so strange that it had to be from a nightmare.

Whoosh!

The Lightning Rat dashed away instantly into the pet room in the back.

Su Ping froze for a moment and immediately chased after the Lightning Rat.

The pet room had been cleaned and cleared out by the system, so the Lightning Rat’s hiding place was visible. The Lightning Rat was hiding next to the nursing pen of the Fanged Tiger. The former’s fur was covered with electricity as it menacingly showed its teeth at Su Ping.

Su Ping thought that the Lighting Rat was getting serious as he saw the hostility in its eyes.

This little thing was not an average Lightning Rat and Su Ping had no powerful battle pets to deal with it.

“Was that experience so horrifying…?” Su Ping mumbled to himself. He frowned and looked at the Lightning Rat for a while. The latter didn’t seem to loosen up for one bit. Maybe his presence would only make the Lightning Rat more nervous because he would be a reminder of that bitter memory.

After some thought, Su Ping closed the door and went back to the counter to have a look.

He saw a bottle of pet food: Thunder Particles.

They were taken from a plant that was like an ear of wheat, and there were dozens of them, each sold at more than fifty coins.

“The Thunder Particles are rich in thunder force and will explode in fire. Thunder Particles are food loved by pets of the thunder family…” Su Ping smiled a light smile and took out one Thunder Particle. Then, he bit his finger and smeared the blood on a corner of the contract.

Then, he went back to the betting room and opened the door slowly, only to see the Lightning Rat who was sprawled on the ground. It stood up at once and glared at him, highly alerted.

Su Ping didn’t go and disturb the Lighting Rat. He just placed the contract down on the ground by the door slowly and also placed the Thunder Particle in the middle of the contract.

Having done this, he closed the door. After that, he would have to wait.

While he waited, he didn’t plan on idling away. He opened the shutter door open and went back to business.

However, maybe because his store was too out of place, not a single customer came.

Bored, Su Ping began to search for the egg on the internet. He browsed through some major websites of pets but failed to find an egg that was the same. He did find a couple of similar ones, though.

“Sh*t, I cannot look at this section of advanced pets without signing up for a membership?”

“I’m supposed to pay?”

Su Ping closed the page in indignation.

He then switched to other smaller websites. However, not long afterward, the computer froze and crashed.

“Was I hit by a virus?” Su Ping was speechless. He unplugged the cable quickly, with the intent to restart the computer.

At the moment, he felt that outside of his consciousness came a line that was connected to him. At the same time, another consciousness carried over some happy emotions.

“Did it eat the food?”

Su Ping was surprised for a moment. The second consciousness came from the Lightning Rat in the pet room. From the line of consciousness, Su Ping could sense the Lightning Rat’s current location. If they were too far away from each other, the line would be cut off and he would no longer sense the Lightning Rat’s presence.

Su Ping forgot about the computer’s glitch and went to the pet room. He opened the door and saw the Lightning Rat eating the Thunder Particle it held with both front paws.

The sudden appearance of Su Ping shocked the Lightning Rat who went back to its meal only after throwing a look at him.

With the power of contract, while the Lightning Rat still remembered that mean human being, the familiar feeling that came from the person made it impossible for the Lightning Rat to turn hostile.

“Little guy, time to go.”

Su Ping grinned. He picked up this little guy by its neck and went back to the counter. He placed the Lightning Rat on the counter along with the little skeleton and then went to close the shutter door.

“Cultivation window,” Su Ping summoned the function with a thought after he returned to the counter.

The cultivation planes window emerged in front of him with ghost-like glows, displaying many cultivation planes listed out for him to choose from.

“The best, the most expensive!” Su Ping moved to the column of “top” cultivation planes directly. The number of cultivation planes in this column was small in number but all of them were the best!

The lowest entry charge was 1000 energy points and the most expensive one would cost 10,000 energy points!

“Compared to this, the Thunder Cloud Realm would appear insignificant…”

Su Ping browsed the cultivation planes. There was a certain “Archean Divinity” that would cost 9000 energy points.

A certain “Realm of Asura” would cost 3000 energy points.

There was another “Medieval Land” that needed 5000 energy points.

“Tut-tut…”

Just by looking at the names of the cultivation planes, Su Ping could tell that those were amazing places. In particular, there was this Archean Divinity. It was the Divinity! Was it the place where deities lived?

Su Ping’s mind had been opened after he witnessed the marvels of the Thunder Cloud Realm. He would believe it if someone were to tell him that there were deities in the world.

“The length of stay in all of the top-level cultivation planes is for one day. If the length of stay surpasses a day, then either the host will be forcefully logged out, or he would have double the energy points deducted. If the length of stay is over two days, then three times the energy points will be deducted…”

Su Ping read the introductions. He had an idea. “You gave me a chance to visit any cultivation plane for five days. That can be used in those top-level cultivation planes, right?” He asked the system.

A moment of silence later, he heard the system’s gloomy voice, “Yes.”

Su Ping couldn’t help but snap his finger. He was about to jump up in excitement.

If he were to enter a cultivation plane like the “Archean Divinity,” he would have to spend forty to fifty thousand energy points for five days!

But thanks to his reward, it would be free!

“It is incredible to be able to stay in any top-level cultivation plane for five days with no strings attached!”

Su Ping was rejoicing with wild excitement. This reward was awesome!

It took him a long while to calm down but he was still worked up.

Wasn’t it a sure thing that he could finish the main quest if he stayed in any top-level cultivation plane for five days?

If he couldn’t finish the quest with such favorable conditions, then he would have to say that the main quest was not reasonable!

“It is a pity that given my current abilities, the harvest is limited when I go to such a top-level cultivation plane. The ticket’s value cannot be put into full play.”

Su Ping felt sorry. He could only walk along the edge in such a top-level cultivation plane. Any being from such a plane could easily give him a bashing.

“That being said, this is a chance that comes once in a blue moon. I must enjoy my days there, while I pick up some pet food along the way!”

Su Ping was quite satisfied with the reward this time. He wondered if he should call more people over to make trouble, so that more ad hoc quests like this could be triggered. On the other hand, he believed that the system would not let him exploit an advantage. Of course, that was part of a story to be told later.

Su Ping scrolled down the list several times. Taking the little skeleton into consideration, he soon selected a cultivation plane—Chaotic Realm of the Undead!

The energy points required to enter this cultivation plane were the same as with the “Archean Divinity,” at 9000 points!