"Wait a moment, your pet is in compartment 407. The treatment is complete, but the anesthetic effects will last a while longer. Let it rest here before leaving—it's better that way." Inside the store, Tilan sat calmly at the front desk, skillfully addressing the customers coming to collect their pets.
After this customer went to the nearby lounge to wait, another customer holding a gray koala stepped forward.
"This customer, are you saying this koala hasn't been eating recently and seems emotionally low? Alright, please wait a moment. Let's conduct a basic checkup first to see if there's a physical issue."
"Regarding the snake venom serum you asked about, it's ready now. If your pet bites another organism in the future, you can use this for quick detoxification. It's stored in the toxic pet zone in the back. Follow this big spider over there, and you'll find the Breeder Wu Suoga for further assistance." Yet another customer had arrived, and Tilan directed them to follow the Shuang Rong spider to retrieve the medication.
"This big spider is quite impressive. I've never seen one like it before. Is it part of the store's collection or someone else's?" The customer retrieving the serum was full of curiosity.
"Oh, it's my companion, although it occasionally gets a little naughty." Just as Tilan finished her sentence, the big spider raised its front legs with a faint hiss, expressing its protest.
"Hahaha, looks like it can understand, doesn't it?"
The hours passed leisurely, and when the clock struck 3 PM, a faint sound came from one of the side rooms.
Suoga rubbed her groggy forehead as she slowly sat up from the bed, her eyes filled with confusion as she looked around. Several seconds passed before she gradually began to process her surroundings.
"This is... the pet hospital?" She recalled the events before she had passed out, noting the furnishings in the room—it appeared to be the staff break room within the pet hospital. The space was small but well-equipped.
As she was piecing together her memories, wondering how she should ask questions and explain herself, the young store employee she had seen earlier pushed the door open and entered.
The other girl was dressed in an ash-gray Gothic dress, with a retro style that complemented her fine figure, long black hair, and strikingly violet eyes. She looked like a character straight out of poetic legends. Yet, this was just a pet hospital. The dramatic entrance seemed like an illusion, and standing in front of Suoga was just a peculiarly dressed ordinary girl.
After a moment's hesitation, Suoga finally spoke.
"Did I pass out? How long did I sleep? And what even happened back then?"
"One question at a time." The girl stepped closer, stopping by Suoga's side.
"You fainted at the time—I don't know why. If you'd like to confirm, you can check the surveillance footage. It happened at 11:43 AM, and now it's 3:02 PM. You've been asleep for just over three hours."
Feeling both embarrassed and irritated about her sudden collapse, Suoga didn't want to lash out at the girl in front of her, especially since she didn't seem to deserve it.
"Sorry for causing you trouble. Where is my lizard? I think I should leave now."
"The lizard... well, I had the clinic's doctor examine it, and they said it had major issues, especially due to improper advancement practices that led to a lot of complications. If you truly want it to recover, I suggest letting it stay at the hospital for some additional treatment."
"Is it really that bad?" Suoga was instantly skeptical, suspecting this might be a ploy for the hospital to scam money.
"It's usually timid, and its progression took a long time to achieve—it wasn't sudden. Why would there be such severe problems?"
"Uh, did you guide it on how to progress properly?" Tilan thought for a moment and asked.
"Supernatural creatures also need to learn. They're not born knowing how to cultivate their Sequence or raise their Rank. Their instinctive methods of progression are often crude. Reaching Sequence 4 alone is difficult, and going beyond that requires training. Whether through demonstrations from their kin, guidance from a Breeder, or reading and understanding human-written texts, they need some form of education."
"In the natural environment, animals that can self-advance to Sequence 6 are extremely rare. Unless they are extraordinarily talented or exceptionally smart, they can't break past these limits."
After listening to the girl's explanation, Suoga finally grasped the complexities of the situation. Up until now, she had believed supernatural animals instinctively knew everything about advancement.
"In large animal communities, they often learn and mimic one another, so humans don't need to intervene. However, urban pets lack same-species groups to learn from and, in these cases, a Breeder's guidance becomes critical." Tilan lightly pressed her chest, where a badge symbolizing her role as a Breeder was fastened, its design resembling a handshake between human and animal—a symbol of mutual friendship.
"I'm not in the mood to listen to all this right now." Suoga shook her head and prepared to stand up and leave.
"Let me make it clear: I didn't ask you to treat it previously, and I don't have the money to pay for anything now. If you're trying to force me into anything, I can always call the police."
"Relax, I'm not looking to profit from the treatment fees. Regarding the lizard's medical expenses, just put it on my tab." Tilan shook her head.
"You?" This made Suoga feel puzzled.
"Do you remember what happened before you passed out? You tried to grab my arm but couldn't, and when I touched you, I felt something unusual at that moment," Tilan said, cutting straight to the point.
"That… must've been your imagination. I haven't been sleeping well these past few days. I was rushing and fainted—that's all." Suoga didn't want her secrets to be exposed through this situation.
"No, no, no. You weren't just saying the situation was severe at the time—you mentioned helping a friend, being short on money, and you looked utterly exhausted as well." Tilan waved her hand dismissively.