"Mother, although it looks like a cat and is indeed a feline, it should actually be a cheetah."
Lin Ke spoke with certainty.
Lady Fulon nodded, "Mm-hmm, I know. You must like this little cat, right? I'll buy it for you as a birthday gift!"
...From the look on her face, it's unclear who the gift is really for.
And madam, could you please listen to what others are saying? This isn't a cat, it's a cheetah! A cheetah!
Lin Ke felt a wave of exhaustion. He wondered if Viscount Azanen perhaps liked this kind of style with the ladies.
"What's wrong, don't you like it?" Lady Fulon pinched Lin Ke's cheek.
"I like it." Lin Ke's eyes darted around, but no matter what he saw, he couldn't feel that "lucky" bloodline resonance anymore.
At this point, the two guards' leaders also arrived, with Baron Puxin just a few steps behind them.
The surrounding hunters and adventurers originally kept their distance from nobles like Lady Fulon and Lin Ke.
Once Baron Puxin arrived, they distanced themselves even more, and even the number of people in the shop decreased significantly.
"John, we want this little cheetah. Mother and I will go upstairs first; you take care of the registration and then come up."
Seeing Baron Puxin, Lin Ke withdrew his gaze coolly and instructed John.
As he mentioned going upstairs, he felt his blood pulse again.
Oh, so it's upstairs.
Lin Ke immediately dragged Lady Fulon towards the stairs and asked the female shopkeeper, "Sister, can we go up and take a look?"
"Of course, little young master, but I'll need to personally accompany you upstairs, as there are some dangerous magical beasts up there."
With fewer people around, the shopkeeper had a bit more time.
She locked the money drawer, pocketed the key, gave the staff a quick instruction, and took them upstairs.
"Wait a minute, I want to go up and see too." Baron Puxin approached with a smile.
He had just been asking John and the shop staff about their purchases.
Upon hearing it was Lady Fulon's purchase, he generously had the staff note it on his own account.
"Lord Sangdir, you're here!" The female shopkeeper seemed to notice Sangdir only then and quickly acted with a look of trepidation.
"Mmm, I'm taking Lady Fulon and them up to have a look, so you don't need to come along." Baron Puxin waved grandly and headed straight up the stairs, smiling as he turned back to invite, "Lady Fulon, Young Master Lin Ke, please."
The female shopkeeper said nothing, bowed, and retreated.
"Thank you, Baron Sangdir." Lady Fulon felt Baron Puxin's enthusiasm but found it hard to refuse.
Meanwhile, the guard captain whispered in Lin Ke's ear, "The baron said he merely wants to entertain his sister-in-law on his own turf."
His own turf... Lin Ke sneered, quickly stepping in between Lady Fulon and Baron Puxin.
Meanwhile, Puxin's son snorted lightly, "How old are you?"
Lin Ke couldn't be bothered to respond.
Yet Puxin's son continued speaking to himself, "I'm already seven years old. Just two days ago, I got a job as a [Scholar]. I'm now a professional. I only awakened a year ago～"
Lin Ke was deeply shocked by his talent, and it showed in his reaction.
Even John needed just under ten days to successfully get a job. How did Puxin's son manage it?
It's terrifying!
Seeing Lin Ke's shocked expression, Puxin's son smiled smugly, "You must be a [Knight], right? Father says you fools..."
"Enough, Galicia, I do not permit you to excessively flaunt your talent, even if your talent shines like the stars, it is still Azanen's glory that brought it."
Baron Puxin reprimanded lightly, then smiled at Lady Fulon, "I apologize, madam, Galicia is still a child, I often teach him to be humble."
Lady Fulon gently shook her head, said nothing, but looked slightly surprised at the slick-haired Puxin's son.
Among the professionals she'd encountered, aside from Garoce's group, there were just the three of Lin Ke and his companions.
She only knew that John, who got a job the slowest, took a full seven or eight days.
How could this child have such poor talent?
Seeing the surprise in Lady Fulon's eyes, Baron Puxin couldn't help but smile wider.
As for Lin Ke, he guessed that the news of him and John becoming professionals might not have been released yet.
After all, the purchasing team from Azaenn Castle had just arrived in town recently.
And everyone knew that Young Master Lin Ke's birthday was still many days away.
"Creak, creak..."
So, with expressions of smugness and surprise coupled with pity, the group arrived on the second floor.
The second floor was much quieter, with a strong person guarding the entrance, and not a single customer inside.
The guard saluted Baron Puxin upon seeing him and then stepped aside.
"This is virtually the place with the most magical beasts in the whole city."
Baron Puxin familiarly explained to Lady Fulon, pointing inside.
The cages here were larger and more spacious, with some runes flowing on them. Lin Ke recognized some ancient words among them, specifically "sturdy," "silent," and the like.
Nathan's script was divided into ancient and common text, somewhat akin to seal script and simplified characters of his previous life.
"Whoa! What a terrifying snake! I once saw something similar when playing with Garoce on another plane!"
Lady Fulon exclaimed in surprise, pointing at a snake at the far end.
Lin Ke looked over; it was a pitch-black large snake coiled into a serpent formation in the cage, flicking its tongue.
A wooden plaque in front of the cage read: Water Poisonous Snake, Tier 3 Magical Beast, bloodline inclined towards coldness and ice, can be used to sign servant contracts, for experiments, or culinary purposes...
And below this introduction was the price.
Seven hundred gold coins!
Lin Ke's pupils contracted.
Magical beasts are so expensive!
"...So overall, this Demon Snake is pretty good, but my family already has a Tier 2 Demon Snake... Alive, contractible magical beasts are the most precious ones."
Baron Puxin boastfully explained next to him, but most of his talk was about how amazing his own snake was.
Yet, Lin Ke gleaned some information from it.
It turns out that only live magical beasts are so expensive.
But that makes sense; many magical beasts gain a certain level of intelligence once their bloodline is awakened.
Most proud magical beasts wouldn't sign master-servant contracts with weak humans, finding it better to die instead.
So, some captured beasts, which already have the contract etched into their soul and only await the buyer's blood signature, become highly priced.
A Tier 3 magical beast valued at seven hundred gold coins—it feels like highway robbery!
"Mother, I want to go to the third floor and have a look."
Lin Ke looked around, finding no resonance with any magical beast here, and could only move up.
"Little Lin Ke, this might make things difficult for the shop...
The female shopkeeper was still on the first floor, and Lady Fulon felt a bit embarrassed but didn't want to refuse Lin Ke.
"No problem! If Young Master Lin Ke wants to go to the third floor, it's this shop's honor!"
Seeing Lady Fulon's furrowed brow and her difficulty, Puxin's eyes lit up, throat moving as he swallowed a huge gulp of saliva.
Like a wart pig eyeing a delectable water lily.
With Puxin the wart pig vouching, Lin Ke couldn't be bothered to do more than pull Lady Fulon up.
On the third floor, it was all eggs.
"It's here!"
Lin Ke's intuition told him there was treasure here!
ps: Seeking monthly and recommendation votes.