My Pet Beast is Super Fearsome

Chapter 49: Chapter 49 Free Trade Zone (1/2)

“Ding~”

Shao Zifeng flicked the blade of the Tang sword in his hand, producing a crisp ringing sound.

The blade was straight and gleaming, with a narrow edge and a thick spine. Flipping the sword over, it reflected a chilling, harsh cold light. Shao Zifeng nodded in satisfaction, then turned to the young man playing games behind the counter and asked, “Is this the best knife you’ve got here?”

“Of course not.” The young man, not even lifting his head, moved his fingers rapidly across the screen. Then the screen turned black and white, and he cursed, “Damn it, freaking Yao, killed me ten times, face me in a solo if you dare!”

Putting down his phone, he looked up at Shao Zifeng and thought, huh? This handsome guy looks kind of familiar. His mood, already sour from being killed ten times by Yao, soured even further as he thought jealously, “You’re just a tiny bit handsomer than me. As long as I don’t look at you, you’re not as handsome as I am!” With this thought, the clerk quickly lowered his head and grumbled with his phone in hand, “All our Tang swords are mass-produced. Over there we have a Fuso sword crafted by a master, ‘Yokai Village Wife.’ Want to check it out?”

Glancing at the straight scabbard of the Tang sword in his hand and then at the somewhat curved Fuso sword, Shao Zifeng realized it wouldn’t fit either.

Shao Zifeng was puzzled. This clerk wasn’t fond of dealing with people, that’s one thing, but why did he look at him and then turn all gloomy, giving off an air of deep melancholy as if black energy was radiating off of him.

Shao Zifeng sheathed the Tang sword into its ‘Hidden Edge’ scabbard and tossed the original scabbard to the young man. After swiping his card, he turned and left, not wanting to stay around someone exuding so much negative energy.

The young clerk was startled, glancing at the corner where the training sword was sheathed in its scabbard. It was him!

…

Cradling the sleeping Qiuqiu, Shao Zifeng aimlessly strolled around the trading area. The excitement from the beast fighting arena was still roaring, as if the people here had endless passion to vent.

At the potion store, he had the Beast Doctor take a look at Qiuqiu’s condition. The conclusion was that there was nothing seriously wrong, just to buy some internal and external healing medicine for it.

Thinking back to the old doctor’s earnest advice, “Your dog-like beast isn’t simple, huh?” he couldn’t help but laugh. Good thing Qiuqiu was asleep, or it might have died from anger.

His recent experiences had taught him the importance of healing medicine. He stocked up on quite a few healing and nutrition products from the potion store just in case.

When he reached the far corner of the trading area, Shao Zifeng unexpectedly discovered a free trading zone, somewhat similar to a ‘black market.’

Many Combat Training Masters encountered all sorts of strange and curious things during their explorations in the wilderness. Some were ores containing elemental energy, some various herbs, and most were a bunch of unidentifiable items.

Of course, there were always those trying to pass off fish eyes as pearls, like the uncle who claimed his tape recorder contained a ‘Ghostly’ mutant creature, and those on the app selling the ‘White Emperor’s Holy Sword,’ making up weird and bizarre origins for their goods to scam people. If they managed to sell them, they profited, and even if not, they didn’t lose anything.

The trades here were spontaneous, allowing for payment in cash or barter. The platform didn’t guarantee any transactions, leaving buyers to face their own profits or losses. Naturally, even if you bought a fake, you couldn’t make trouble here; that was the bare minimum rule.

Stepping into the free trading zone, he barely saw a soul. Individual glass cabinets were neatly lined up on the silver-white floor.

The glass cabinets were rented out by the platform, which charged a fee for each use. After placing your items inside, as long as the person remained on the underground platform, they could go anywhere for entertainment. When a buyer took interest in an item, the seller would receive a notification to come for the transaction.

Shao Zifeng walked alongside the glass cabinets, curiously examining the goods inside.

Under each item was an electronic display screen with the seller’s description of the goods, the price, or the item they wished to trade for.

At this point, it all came down to the seller’s storytelling skills, to see who could spin the most outrageous tales, like…

[White Emperor’s Holy Sword]Description:…

Recognizing this familiar name made Shao Zifeng feel awful. Without looking back, he moved on to the next cabinet. These guys were really pushing their luck…

[Boss Chen’s Red Radio]Description:…

Trying to fool ghosts? Seeing the cabinet full of radios and tapes, Shao Zifeng’s mouth twitched slightly. It looked like it was all his acquaintances’ stalls.

With a dark expression, he was almost ready to turn around and leave the free trade zone.

Fortunately, the next few items looked more normal.

[Name]: Weak Elemental Ore

[Attribute]: Thunder

[Quality]: None

[Condition]: Damaged

[Description]: The most lackluster elemental ore, often leftovers from abandoned mines, with no value for use.

Protected under a special glass cover on the shelf, a pile of fragments no different from ordinary rocks was displayed. The clearly visible marks from mining were the first time Shao Zifeng had seen the legendary elemental ore.

It’s said that wild mutant creatures directly absorb the energy from elemental ores to enhance their strength, but this method is too crude and destructively slow, causing most of the energy to dissipate.

Therefore, after years of research, the nation refined the elemental minerals, combining them with some herbs to make energy potions, which not only maximize their efficacy but also include various flavors that pet creatures enjoy, greatly increasing the utilization rate of the elemental minerals.

Looking at the ores in the display, Shao Zifeng shook his head, pitying them for being of the lowest quality, practically useless. The advertisements on the screen were all bombastic, seemingly only intended to deceive newcomers.

Because of his laggy Golden Finger, he had been here for quite a while and had only just looked through most of it. It has to be said that although there were no particularly eye-catching items, the overall quality was much higher than that of the so-called ‘black market’.

Take, for example, the energy potion at this stall being sold for 1,000 yuan a piece, with a purity of only about 60%, diluting two potions to sell as three, but it was still much more honest than diluting one into fifty.

After kicking away Lai Si’er, who he once thought of as upright, he gave a thumbs up to the current stall owner, a paragon of industry integrity.

…

“Buzz~”

“Ying?”

Qiuqiu, who was sleeping, was suddenly awakened and curiously looked at the Elemental Egg in its arms, which was glowing.

After hesitating for a moment.

“Slick”

It sneakily licked it with its tongue, and its eyes lit up.

The Elemental Egg trembled, its light flickering urgently a few times.

Qiuqiu stealthily glanced at Shao Zifeng, and noticing that he hadn’t paid attention, licked it again, squinting its eyes like a little fox that had just stolen a taste of fish.

The weak and pitiful Elemental Egg trembled again, its glow becoming intermittent.

“Ying~”

“Tuantuan smells so good~”

Qiuqiu held the Elemental Egg tightly, occasionally giving it a lick, intoxicated.

The Elemental Egg had given up struggling, its dim light flickering like it was about to run out of power, on the verge of crying.

“Hmm, Qiuqiu, what are you doing?”

Qiuqiu, which had been licking contentedly, tensed up upon hearing Shao Zifeng’s voice, tightly hugged the Elemental Egg, and looked at him with innocent eyes as if to say, “I have no idea at all.”

“Stop it, hand over that thing in your arms to me.”

Qiuqiu reluctantly looked at “Tuantuan” in its arms, then at “Dandan” who was reaching out, gave it one more lick, and unwillingly handed it to Shao Zifeng.

It turned around in his arms, covering its head with a towel, not wanting to deal with him anymore.

Looking at Qiuqiu in his arms throwing a small tantrum, Shao Zifeng helplessly stroked it twice and then said, “This is going to be your partner in the future, you can’t bully it.”

Qiuqiu, enjoying the stroking, suddenly petrified upon hearing this.

A partner?

What kind of partner?

Like that dead cat competing for favor, that annoying brat?

Qiuqiu fell into profound contemplation about its life.

Glancing at “Tuantuan” in Shao Zifeng’s hands, trembling.

If ‘partners’ all smelled this good, it wouldn’t be so hard to accept after all.

Thinking this, teardrops glistened as they fell from the corner of Qiuqiu’s mouth…