Chapter 126 - 126 109 Departure

126: Chapter 109: Departure 126: Chapter 109: Departure “Lu Ping’an is looking for me? He wants to go to the Secret Realm in West Entrance County? That irredeemable city?” Upon hearing this news, Lei Huoren made an unwavering decision in an instant. “That Secret Realm… let him take my broken-spirited sister with him, forget it, I’ll talk to him myself.” Thus, the idle cat that stayed in Lei Huoren’s dorm, occupying his meal card and watching his VIP videos, was kicked over to Lu Ping’an. Accompanying it was another cat. “Hello, Little White?” “Hiss!” Little White Cat on the cat’s head, facing Lu Ping’an, raised its fur and let out a threatening sound. Lu Ping’an tried to touch the cat’s ear, but the cat directly bared its teeth and showed its claws in threat. “Well, Little White still doesn’t like you, meow. It says you’re scary, meow… What are you touching me for!” Not wanting to force the cat, Lu Ping’an just casually stroked the ear of the cat below. Well, great hand-feel, although a bit spoiled, this cat still feels amazing. “Hiss, meow!” As this cat also tried to threaten and show its claws, Lu Ping’an just lightly said one sentence. “Pay up.” Alright, everything calmed down, and Lu Ping’an even threw his luggage over, happily gaining a mumbling porter. The geographical distance to West Entrance County is not too far, but it is still the neighboring province. The morning bus, if all goes smoothly, would arrive in the afternoon. Boarding the train, collapsing in the seat, having nothing else to do anyway, Lu Ping’an chatted with Lei Shuiyun. “How’s your recent cultivation progress? Have you mastered the Runner’s second Abnormal Ability? Shrink Land is excellent.” “…Why are you like my brother, meow? I’m very busy!” At this point, Lu Ping’an instantly understood, being busy = not having time to do anything important. “Busy sleeping, playing with cats, and watching cartoons… forget it, have you at least started your second profession as a Beast Tamer? This shouldn’t be difficult for you.” “How did you know, meow!” The cat’s fur bristled again, but Lu Ping’an nodded in satisfaction, at least it wasn’t completely useless. The difficulty of becoming a 0-tier Beast Tamer is actually quite subtle. In essence, it’s the same as becoming a 0-tier Gardener, as long as you “tame a contaminated animal and establish a mental connection with it.” However, unlike the Gardener who can’t cheat (?), this contaminated animal can either be a contaminated animal you find and tame (quite difficult) or one you raise and then contaminate. Failed? You can always find another animal, and animals generally have a higher tolerance for contamination. After being tamed by professionals for a long time, their success rate is much higher than that of Mortals. With Lei Huoren’s help, plus the “cat”‘s cat-like communication ability, it wasn’t difficult for Lei Shuiyun to become a Beast Tamer. It’s just like a 0-tier Gardener, a 0-tier Beast Tamer has no combat power to speak of… “Heh, even if you didn’t tell me, I would have known, meow. You got it from the ‘Investment’, this is an invasion of privacy!!” “So, you don’t want today’s ‘Investment’?” “I want…” Nonchalantly patting a BUFF, Lu Ping’an, who had brushed his daily cat-petting achievements, felt increasingly relaxed. “Humph, I also know that you haven’t given me a BUFF lately, meow, just because my Beast Tamer experience doesn’t give you any profits.” “…You say that as if you’ve really tamed beasts. If you’re able to tame one for a day after the test, I’ll waive a week’s worth of BUFF fees for you.” The cat opened its mouth but said nothing in the end… The scoundrel in front of it would really spend a few hundred dollars to forge a contract to test lies, just to bully without any benefit to itself. The cat felt exposed and lost face, and became somewhat anxious. “Admit it, you just despise the poor and love the rich, preferring the new to the old, meow.” “Yes, you have no skills yet you still have the nerve to complain?” “You actually admitted it! Even calling me unskilled! I…” After a long pause, she couldn’t find any words to threaten Lu Ping’an, and instead, his laughter made her fur stand on end… The cat begrudgingly squatted down to eat noodles, feeling sulky. After brushing the daily cat-teasing achievements, Lu Ping’an nodded in satisfaction, thinking this is life. “By the way, can you swim? I heard there’s water in that Secret Realm.” Lu Ping’an asked casually and got a stiff Meow in response. “You can’t be serious, you can’t swim but still dared to come along, who gave you that courage?””Don’t judge people with prejudice. Although cats don’t like water, most of the cats can actually swim, meow!” “All cats can? Oh, can you?” The girl tilted her head, suddenly appearing to be interested in the scenery outside the window. Lu Ping’an sighed helplessly, seemingly giving up on curing the cat, muttering in his heart. “…These two landlubbers are going to a water mission, aren’t they just asking for trouble?” Yes, even though Lu Ping’an seemed calm, he wasn’t very good at swimming either, probably just barely staying afloat with a doggy paddle, completely unfit for actual combat. Soon, they arrived at the location, bought some firsthand information on the Secret Realm, and only after confirming that the Secret Realm had both water and land did the two of them breathe a sigh of relief. Everything was so rushed that they didn’t even get the official information from the Secret Keeper… But now, when the two got the information, they were still a bit confused. “Is this information reliable?” “Fifteen dollars a copy, do you think it’s reliable? But let’s make do with it for now. Didn’t you see how much they all charge? There should at least be some content in it.” They had to change trains, cars, and three-wheelers to get here, but as soon as they entered the abandoned city, they were surrounded by a group of burly men. “Wanna buy a guide? Confidential content and expert tutorials of the Secret Realm, the whole set for only 100.” “Simple and straightforward map drawing and strategy tips, only 40!” “Need a place to stay? Two hundred dollars a night for a private room, and free… uh, did you bring a girl?” These “locals” were overly enthusiastic, leaving Lu Ping’an and his party feeling a bit dizzy. But this was to be expected, as the place was deserted with no one normal living here; the only attraction was the Secret Realm. It was just before the Secret Realm opened, and the goals of both visitors and money-makers were clear. After saying that they “had someone to meet” and “booked a place to stay,” they still spent some money to buy an intelligence briefing, and only then were the two able to successfully break free. But after walking just a few steps and turning a corner, the scenery changed completely. “…It’s really desolate.” “A bit sad, meow.” Even though they knew it was an abandoned city, seeing the scene before them still evoked many emotions. Broken bricks and tiles were everywhere, as well as faint water stains and a covering of green vines on the ground. Birds were freely foraging in the trees, not even bothering to hide from people, and all the buildings had a layer of green on them. The decayed city no longer even had any unnatural aura. There were a few small fires here and there, and not far away, rats could be seen brazenly foraging at the bottom of the buildings. There were even more trees than houses, making the entire city feel like a serene wasteland at the end of the world. “Spirit Vision.” Lu Ping’an opened his other sight, originally wanting to see the rumored ghosts, but didn’t see anything. Instead, he saw the pillar of light in the distance. “Let’s go, that should be the Secret Realm over there. There should be a Church guarding it, let’s go find it…” But as they got closer and turned a corner, they came to the area before the Secret Realm and saw a different landscape altogether. “It’s a bit like Decadent Street behind the university…” Under the smoky black roofs were various barbecue stands, and vendors were shouting loudly not far away. Under the eerie neon lights stood even more eerie cloak-clad people, selling mysterious potions. Weapon shops, pharmacies, clinics, and temporary mercenary services were all showing labels that Lu Ping’an had seen before. It wasn’t so crowded that people were bumping into each other, but there were still hundreds of people as far as the eye could see. Perhaps only here in the entire abandoned city was there any sense of vitality, but the human presence seemed a bit excessive. More eye-catching, however, were the various groups of people shouting. “Three missing one. We need healing or support.” “Looking for an old stager who can lead the team.” “I can fight, heal, and scout. Looking for a team.” Even without listening to their increasingly outrageous soliciting, Lu Ping’an knew that anyone still recruiting teammates at this time was not going to be reliable. Those with a sense of shame simply displayed signs, while those with thicker skin shouted directly. What made Lu Ping’an laugh was the person shouting “One missing three, anyone will do!”, while three others were shouting “Three missing one, anyone goes!” — and those groups stood side by side, not even looking at each other. Even without thinking, Lu Ping’an knew that these people were all unreliable. “Lu Ping’an, Lu Ping’an! Look, meow, a 2-tier Healer is looking for a team! A rare support! And there’s a ‘combat ability beyond the third-tier’ melee looking for a group! Should we…” But apparently, someone… a cat, didn’t bring their brain when they left the house.