King of Beasts

Chapter 24: The Age of National Beast Taming

After a while, Lu Ran received another call from Xiaobailong.

“Lu student, I’ve found out that the Alliance is indeed planning to establish a Beast Taming University.”

“Right, right,” Lu Ran laughed.

Your bushy-browed and big-eyed Xiaobailong is not as well-informed as I am.

“Yes, it seems that the Beast Taming University is indeed more suitable for young beastmasters like you… Also, my position might change in a while. I’m going to be doing recruitment work for the university, so if you have any questions then, you can contact me.”

Lu Ran was surprised, but replied, “No problem. Oh, about the registration…”

“Oh, that. Leave me your mailbox, and I’ll send you an electronic form later. Just fill it out, attach the front and back photos of your ID card and send them to me. That way, you won’t have to make a trip out.”

“Great, thanks for the trouble.” Lu Ran was naturally happy to hear he could spare himself the outing.

On the other end, after hanging up the phone, Xiaobailong straightened his tie. As a seasoned professional, he had a pretty clear idea of what Leader Zhao meant.

Now that he knew Lu Ran would be attending Beast Taming University, the old leader took advantage of his remaining energy to send Xiaobailong to work at the university office.

It was partly a promotion and partly to continue building a good relationship with Lu Ran.

This way, even if the old leader was transferred elsewhere, he could still maintain a connection with a promising talent like Lu Ran, creating an additional pathway.

Conversely, the regret of not having personally discovered and recruited a potential talent like Lu Ran seemed insignificant.

“Ginger is still the spiciest, huh. Compared to that, the Medicine Pavilion Guild’s Ginger is quite lacking,” Xiaobailong mused.

Meanwhile, after hanging up the phone, a smile appeared on Lu Ran’s face.

“What are you laughing at?” Fang Lan asked.

“I’m laughing because Dr. Gu really seems to be a big shot. Brother Xiaobailong has always been keen on pulling me into the official circle, but the moment I mentioned Gu Qingyi’s name, he immediately dropped the subject. He probably thinks I have a close relationship with Dr. Gu and that I’m one of her people.”

“Now, with Dr. Gu not knowing me and the officials thinking I’m one of Dr. Gu’s people, they won’t bother me anymore. I can enjoy some freedom for a while.”

Fang Lan rolled her eyes and said, “I was wondering why you kept mentioning Dr. Gu, you’re really scheming.”

“I just don’t like being managed by others, and school offers more freedom. Plus, I was telling the truth; it’s probably their own imaginations running wild…” Lu Ran said, “Well, now all that’s left is to wait for the announcement from Beast Taming University.”

“I need to level up quickly; maybe I can become a teacher by then. When that happens, I’ll make you the class president,” Lu Ran joked.

Fang Lan: ???

“Why don’t you just become the principal.”

…

At eight in the evening.

By this time, the vast majority of people had already put down their work and studies, turning to rest and entertainment.

In this era of the internet, compared to watching TV to relax, people exhausted from a day’s work prefer to hold their smartphones and scroll through various short videos and thrilling white novels, seeking brief pleasure for their brains.

However, on this particular evening, everyone’s smartphone, across various apps, simultaneously received a notification.

There were video apps, news apps, and almost all types of apps had a pop-up.

The content of the news was very eye-catching.

Live broadcast! The lost super ancient civilization—did another super civilization exist on Blue Star in the ancient times?

The format of the broadcast was an expert interview, with one host and two experts.

In the living room, Lu Ran and Fang Lan were watching while eating takeout.

Initially, Lu Ran was curious about how the officials would explain the existence of Infinite City, but he soon found amusement in the situation.

It turned out they were using this approach. Indeed, compared to alien civilizations and unsolved mysteries, this method was easier for the public to accept, especially since Xia Country itself has many mythological histories.

The content of the live broadcast roughly stated that three years ago, international expedition teams discovered a mysterious relic in Antarctica, which contained information about a lost super ancient civilization.

In ancient times, Blue Star was filled with spiritual energy, and under the nourishment of this energy, every creature possessed terrifying power, capable of moving mountains and overturning seas.

Humans have existed since that time and, in order to survive better, they invented the art of beast taming. Through the power of beast taming, they strengthened themselves.

The beast taming civilization went through a long period of development and reached its zenith. However, due to unknown reasons, the spiritual energy of Blue Star suddenly disappeared, and the supernatural faded away.

Mythical creatures became ordinary animals, and humans began to devolve because they no longer adapted to the environment of Blue Star.

In order to preserve the ember of civilization, this beast taming civilization, with its last strength, built a city in a different space—Infinite City, a projection connecting to the history, with the intention to pass down the beast taming system.

The relic discovered by the international expedition teams was the mechanism that opened the legacy.

Currently, the inheritance system of the super ancient beast taming civilization has been activated and begun to select inheritors on a large scale in the modern era.

“Damn, is this for real?” Many who were lying on their beds watching the live broadcast were taken aback by the content.

They subconsciously thought this was some kind of spoof broadcast, but after seeing the official media certification mark, a bunch of people were immediately bewildered.

“Professor Niu, given this, it seems that the development of this beast taming civilization far exceeds ours. How should we treat it?” During the live broadcast, the female host asked an elderly man with a respectable appearance.

“This is an opportunity. We have always considered ourselves to be the life walking at the forefront of the world. Who would have thought that there was such a prosperous period in the super ancient times? We should actively make contact with and explore Infinite City, excavating the lost history. From the information we know so far, the various supernatural powers brought by the super ancient civilization could bring us huge changes in many fields such as medicine, transportation, and military.”

“Professor Ma, there has already been information online about many teenagers being selected by the black cards issued by Infinite City. However, according to existing intelligence, there are certain risks involved in accepting the ancient civilization’s inheritance. Do you have any advice for those who have been selected?”

Professor Ma, with a thoughtful look, said: “I believe the most important thing is not to randomly choose an initial pet beast. If one is not very confident, they should contact the officials as soon as possible. In turn, the officials should also promptly disclose the known trial secret realm information to increase the trial success rate for the selected individuals.”

“Although this is an opportunity, it is also very dangerous. I hope that those who have been selected will proceed with caution, and those who have not been selected should not be discouraged. They can try raising pets, which is an effective way to increase the likelihood of being selected.”

“Also! Be sure to treat the pets you raise with kindness! Care for them with all your heart!”

…

“That sounds reasonable,” Fang Lan commented while slurping up some spicy snail noodles.

“There’s nothing wrong with it, but it just seems too simple,” Lu Ran said while munching on grilled durian.

While eating, the two pondered whether the information released by the official sources was true.

Following the live broadcast, major media outlets also began to release various news items.

Reports such as “Fierce Beast Devours Owner” and “Beastmaster Trial Deaths,” which had not been previously released, sprouted up like bamboo shoots after a rain.

At the same time, experienced Beastmasters who had been selected a while ago started offering advice to newcomers.

This situation was not just happening in Xia Country; it was happening in every country on Blue Star.

The world was boiling over!

In less than an hour, the world seemed to have had a layer of fog lifted, ushering in a new era, dreamlike and fantastical.

Older people couldn’t readily accept this new reality because their worldviews were already formed.

However, the younger generation, deeply influenced by the internet, were ecstatic. It was as if they had been waiting for this day all their lives.

Which teenager doesn’t have a fantasy of being special?

Rather, the changes in the world right now were exactly what they had been looking forward to, as if this was the true face of the world.

Once the information about Infinite City and the Beast Taming civilization was released, the supernatural was no longer just a topic of discussion on a few forums. The gaming groups, resource groups, and class groups Lu Ran was part of all became instantly lively.

He first clicked into his class group to take a look, because it seemed someone was mentioning him there.

Yang Xishuai: Hahaha, no way, am I really the only one in our class who got a black card?

Yang Xishuai: [Image]

Yang Xishuai: Don’t be sad, guys. Once I become a big shot, I’ll definitely take you all with me. Ah, what to choose for my initial pet beast contract.

In the group chat, a lucky individual who had been selected was full of pride.

The others were a mix of envious, jealous, and bitter, as if they had just bitten into lemons.

Some were fawning over Yang Xishuai, looking for a pat on the back, while others offered less-than-stellar suggestions.

But at this moment, Yang Xishuai had eyes only for Lu Ran.

Yang Xishuai: @Lu Ran, just wait, I will avenge my grandfather.

Lu Ran: ?

What? How is that my problem? Who’s your grandfather?

Yang Xishuai: You took leave to participate in the Fighting Bug Tournament, huh? You even defeated my granddad. He couldn’t sleep all night. But it’s okay, I’m here! How about a contract with bugs as my initial pet beast? I feel like with infinite evolution, the bug species will be the strongest!

Lu Ran: ???

Damn, no wonder your name sounded so weird. You’re into cricket breeding? Shit, the old man who got second place that I beat, that wasn’t your granddad, was it?

Lu Ran quickly closed the group chat but then thought better of it and sent one more message.

Lu Ran: Contracting with bugs comes with risks. You might want to consult the official sources.

You want to challenge me with supernatural bugs… have some shame!

After that, he closed the group chat.

“Hahahaha.” Fang Lan was also peering into various groups and couldn’t help but laugh. “A fan of mine was also selected. He was confused when he got his contract card, and just as he was pondering over it, a giant southern cockroach flew by. He instinctively used his black card to shoo it away, and ended up contracting with the roach… Now, with an hour left before the trial, he’s panicking.”

“Ah, that.” Lu Ran said: “Generally speaking, cockroaches are tough little creatures. I feel… I feel like they might actually make it through.”

“Cough.” Fang Lan composed herself and said, “My fans are pet lovers too, so the chances of them being chosen by the black card seem pretty high. I need to gather and summarize some materials to share with them quickly.”

Lu Ran nodded and then yawned, feeling sleepy.

“You handle that; I’m getting sleepy. I’ll just crash here tonight. Make sure you keep those climbing pets of yours contained. I don’t want to wake up in the middle of the night to find spiders or centipedes crawling on me, thank you.”