Although the world of beast tamers looks peaceful on the surface, wherever there are people, there are shadows.
Before pet beasts became widespread, there were only human traffickers. But after the beast-taming society developed, a new profession emerged: Beast traffickers.
Those in this line of work are usually ordinary people or low-level beast tamers.
They don't dare venture into secret realms to capture pet beasts, nor do they target evolved pet beasts.
Even a pet beast that has evolved once is usually too large, and if a mid-level pet beast senses something amiss, any random skill they use could cause a huge commotion.
More importantly, even if these traffickers succeed, if the beast tamer of the mid-level pet beast is above E-level, the danger factor skyrockets.
Forcing a pet beast to break a contract is something they simply can't accomplish.
Thus, their targets are always small, easily deceived low-level pet beasts.
Of course, cases of beast trafficking are rare, and every time one occurs, it makes the news.
According to the trafficker's confession, he had staked out a training center for a month before finally targeting a lone fluffball pet beast that wasn’t escorted by its tamer.
He spent a fortune on fragrant fruits that are highly attractive to grass-type pet beasts, and, as expected, the fluffball grew close to him.
Eventually, using the lure of more fragrant fruits, he managed to coax the fluffball onto an unregistered long-distance hacker vehicle.
Due to the contract, a beast tamer would sense any unusual changes in their pet beast, so the trafficker had to keep the fluffball well-fed and content before the vehicle left the area.
Then, that very evening, a flash of white light occurred, and the fluffball evolved into a sweet flower puff.
But that wasn’t the end of it.
One minute later, as the sweet flower puff was eating the expensive fragrant fruit the trafficker had bought on loan, it suddenly vanished from the vehicle.
The trafficker was left dumbfounded.
He was only arrested later, learning that the fluffball's owner was a B-level beast tamer, and the fluffball was the fifth pet beast in their contract.
No matter where the fluffball wandered, as long as it remained in the area, the beast tamer could summon it back using their B-level beast tome.
Additionally, the now-evolved sweet flower puff had reported the trafficker’s existence in detail.
Upon learning the truth, the trafficker broke down in tears and swore to turn over a new leaf, promising never to engage in such activities again.
After this story made the news, many beast traffickers retired from the trade. Already a rare occurrence, pet trafficking cases stopped happening altogether for several months.
But Qiao Sang remained cautious.
After all, it wasn’t that beast trafficking no longer existed, only that fewer people engaged in it.
A small, valuable beginner pet beast like Crowned Cat, walking around the streets, exuding the aura of Alliance coins, could easily catch someone’s eye.
"The tamer of Crowned Cat must be quite bold..."
Qiao Sang sighed internally before asking, "Why is it specifically seeking out my Treasure-Seeking Ghost?"
"I recommended it." The receptionist answered.
"It wanted a beginner pet beast that could teleport as a sparring partner. Currently, only your Treasure-Seeking Ghost meets that condition in our club."
After gathering all the information about Crowned Cat, Qiao Sang entered Training Room 2.
There, sitting in the front row of the spectator seats, wearing a sunhat and sunglasses, was a pet beast gracefully eating the club's complimentary fruit.
Qiao Sang froze for a moment. If she hadn't known beforehand that this was Crowned Cat, she wouldn't have recognized it with the hat and sunglasses.
Crowned Cat turned its head at the sound, tilting it gracefully.
After a brief silence, Qiao Sang said, "Little Treasure, translate for me."
Little Treasure appeared, translating in real-time.
It didn’t say much, just introducing itself.
After confirming that Little Treasure could teleport, Crowned Cat pulled a phone from the bag beside it with its paw, turned on the camera, and aimed it at the training grounds.
Then, it removed the sunhat and sunglasses and gracefully walked to one side of the field.
Wow, it's even recording... Qiao Sang couldn't help but feel a deep respect for Crowned Cat's tamer. In a way, training a pet beast to this level wasn't easy.
Qiao Sang then focused on Crowned Cat, now fully revealed.
A large head, short limbs, a body covered in white fur, and purple eyes. Its small paws and ears were also purple.
Combined with its graceful curves, a purple hook-shaped tail, and the purple crown on its forehead, the overall impression was just two words: Elegance.
"Crown." Crowned Cat called out gracefully, signaling the start.
"Little Treasure, go ahead." Qiao Sang nodded at Little Treasure.
Little Treasure floated into the training field, disappearing from sight.
Qiao Sang watched Crowned Cat intently, not daring to be careless.
This battle was different from usual; without a beast tamer on the side to give commands, she couldn't react based on the opponent’s orders.
And as the sparring partner, she also had to provide advice during the fight.
Crowned Cat didn't panic when Little Treasure vanished. It stepped forward with its right paw, releasing a blue energy shield that expanded outwards, stopping at a radius of about 50 centimeters.
Qiao Sang paused, recognizing the move as a Mystic Guard, a defensive skill that envelops the user in a magical shield, protecting them from abnormal statuses.
It looked useful, but its fatal flaw was that it couldn't block abnormal statuses caused by special traits.
In short, for an opponent like Little Treasure, with its ability to phase through, this technique was useless.
After completing the Mystic Guard, Crowned Cat raised its head elegantly, as if saying: Come here if you dare.
Little Treasure reappeared, curiously approaching the blue energy shield.
He extended a small claw, poking at the glowing shield. The spot he touched rippled, and his claw passed right through.
Ghost Seeker tilted his head in confusion.
The next second, his entire body phased through the shield.
Little Treasure blinked innocently at Crowned Cat.
Startled, Crowned Cat's fur bristled, losing all its grace.
It had clearly never encountered anything before. Thɪs chapter is updated by novel~fire~net
Now it was Qiao Sang's turn to step in. She cleared her throat and explained:
"Your Mystic Guard can block interference skills, but it's ineffective against fast or specially-abled opponents."
"If Little Treasure had teleported close to you and launched an attack, you wouldn’t have even had time to release your shield before taking damage."
"Crown..." Crowned Cat stared blankly at Qiao Sang.
Seizing the moment, Little Treasure stuck out his tongue, ready to lick Crowned Cat.
Just 0.05 centimeters away, Crowned Cat leaped back and raised its right paw, signaling for a time-out.