Chapter 8: Moonstone
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The New World Department Store was the largest shopping mall for beastmasters in Haiping City. There were a total of eighteen floors and every floor was filled with things related to beastmasters and subdued beasts.
After parking the car, Jiang He and his parents took the elevator to the second floor. He wanted to take a look at the VR glasses first.
In order to efficiently train subdued beasts, the Li Technology company developed VR glasses. As a result, they made a fortune and became one of the largest companies in the country.
As soon as they entered the Li Technology store, a fat man wearing black round-rimmed glasses came up to Jiang He. He told him the prices and explained each type of product in detail.
"This is the ultra-thin type. They won't fall off even when used intensely. Furthermore, the built-in system is very suitable for training novice familiars. On the other hand, this one contains more than ten training methods. To name a few, there's body coordination, flexibility, speed, and short burst ability training. It's suitable to develop all aspects of a familiar.
…
The VR glasses seemed cool. They were somewhat similar to tactical glasses, but the silver border gave them a sleek look.
"I want the ultra-thin version with flexibility and speed training. Is that available?"
Jiang He did not take long to decide.
More training methods equaled more expensive.
Hence, Jiang He chose the most economical option.
Short burst ability and body coordination training were not needed for the time being.
Han Jiangxue also mentioned that Moonlight Elves only needed speed and flexibility training if they were at servant-level.
Once Ziyue broke through to warrior-level, the current VR glasses would become useless.
This was because it would grow bigger.
Jiang He's family owned a farm, so they were rather wealthy.
Despite that, there was no reason to spend money carelessly. As long as the item was suitable, it would be fine.
"Yes."
The fat employee nodded.
"How much?"
"There's a promotion going on. One set costs 3,000. If you buy two, it's only 5,000."
Jiang He compared the prices online. There was not much difference, so he decided to purchase from this shop.
Besides, if he encountered any problems in the future, solving it would be easier.
"Then I'll buy two!"
The other one was for himself.
After all, beastmasters also needed to train!
If they trained together, they could develop their relationship even further.
"VR glasses for Moonlight Elves need to be custom-made. It'll take about two days. Sir, please leave your address here. I'll mail it to you once it's ready!"
"Mom, I still need to buy other training resources. They might be a little expensive..." said Jiang He softly as they walked out of the Li Technology store.
He had to give his parents a warning beforehand.
The price of a Moonstone was not cheap.
"It's fine. I've already promised to use the refund money to buy whatever you wanted. My responsibility today is only to swipe my card. Just don't max it out, haha!"
Jiang He's father smiled and patted Jiang He's shoulder.
"Thank you... Dad!"
"Meow!"
Jiang He followed his parents to the sixteenth floor of the store. This floor was mainly selling rare stones and items.
The probability of finding a Moonstone was relatively high.
However, after browsing through several shops, Jiang He could not find it.
"Meow!"
Suddenly, Ziyue, who was lying on Jiang He's head, cried out excitedly. Its eyes also lit up.
Jiang He's gaze fell on the store next to him.
The store was actually modified to look like a fish tank. Inside, there were all kinds of beautiful and colorful fishes.
No wonder Ziyue was so excited.
"These are spiritual fishes from Beiyang New World. Handsome boy, why don't you buy two for your Moonlight Elf?" said a woman dressed in black silk while smiling. She was standing at the door of the store.
"They are artificially bred. Only the best from generation to generation were chosen. Hence, they no longer have the bloodline of extraordinary creatures. In other words, they're not much different from ordinary fishes."
Jiang He looked at the five-digit price of the spiritual fish. It was quite ridiculous!
Still, if he wanted to increase his pleasure points, it might be a good idea to buy them for Ziyue.
"Meow!"
The Moonlight Elf was very sensible. Her eyes became cold again, looking disinterested.
"Do you have a Moonstone?"
Jiang He went straight to the point.
"Yes. Please follow me."
The woman in black silk became very enthusiastic.
In a very inconspicuous corner, there was a dark stone. If a person looked carefully, they could see the surface of the stone emitting a faint fluorescent light.
The price was fifty thousand dollars. It was about the same as those on sale online.
"Can you give me a discount?"
"How about 40,000?"
"We had looked at other stores. They were also selling for 40,000. I'm sure you can go lower," said Jiang He's mother. Then, she gave her son a look.
Jiang He instantly understood.
"It's indeed too expensive. Other shop owners had said Moonstones are not easy to sell. I was just buying for my collection."
"40,000 is really cheap already," said the young woman as she gritted her teeth.
Jiang He's mother replied, "The other shop owner even gave us two buckets of high-grade cat food! Yours is too pricey. If it's 38,000, we'll buy it right away."
"Boss, 38,000 is too low."
"Forget it. We'll just look at other shops!"
Jiang He's mother pulled him along and they prepared to leave.
"Fine. 38,000. Cash or credit?"
Jiang He's mother was really skilled at bargaining.
After that, Jiang He bought himself a type of tea called "Empty Mountain And Fresh Rain". It also originated from the New World. The tea would help beastmasters calm their minds, thus, increasing their efficiency during meditations.
Of course, the price was not cheap either.
Two boxes of tea cost nearly ten thousand dollars.
This made Jiang He's heartache a little.
However, it was necessary.
Although being a beastmaster was one of the most profitable occupations, it was also the most expensive.
A lot of resources were required for both the beastmaster and their subdued beast.
Once that was done, he immediately went to the nearby market. The vendor was dumbfounded when he bought a fish of every type. He also bought a lot of dried fish.
Jiang He did not know what flavor Ziyue liked, so he just bought everything he could find.
This made Ziyue very happy. The poop-shoveling officer was treating it really well.
Pleasure points: 82%
A three percent increase.
When Jiang He returned home, he eagerly took out the Moonstone and stared at Ziyue.
'How do I use this thing?'
He went online to check the forums again.
Jiang He posted a reward of thirty points if anyone could help him. Soon, a certified beastmaster answered him.
Basically, the Moonlight Elf just had to directly touch it.
"Meow!"
Ziyue, who was standing at the side, could not wait to put her chubby little paws on the Moonstone.
Through their telepathic connection, Jiang He knew that Ziyue could sense the energy contained within the Moonstone. One of them was moonlight energy while the other was unknown.
The two types of energy were mixed together. Under such circumstances, it was difficult to absorb them separately.
Jiang He was rather confident about the unknown energy being the shadow energy. Still, he dared not let Ziyue absorb it directly. It might be wasted.
Moreover, there were no other cases of Moonlight Elves absorbing Moonstones.
"Meow!"
Jiang He was still hesitating, but Ziyue had already started to absorb the Moonstone's energy. It instinctively felt the energy was beneficial.
After the two types of energy entered the Moonlight Elf's body, they began to automatically sequence themselves and became two distinct beams of light.
The white moonlight energy slowly flowed into Ziyue's abdomen and was stored there.
Meanwhile, the black shadow energy began to gather at its forehead and was stored in the moon pattern.
Subsequently, the moon pattern turned much darker. The purple color became deeper as well.
"Ziyue, are you okay?"
Jiang He was a little worried.
"Meow?"
Ziyue patted her stomach, indicating that it should be fine.
"Crack!"
The Moonstone started to crack. Then, it instantly shattered into a pile of powder.
Chapter 9: Shadow Path
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Jiang He looked at the book of contracts. Ziyue's interface had changed a little.
[ Subdued beast ] : Moonlight Elf
[ Race ] : Cat Beast
[ Age ] : One year and three months old
[ Spirit affinity ] : 87
[ Spirit ] : Moonlight energy (392) - Shadow energy (32)
[ Physique ] : 156
[ Rank ] : Tier 3
[ Evolution path ] : Moonlight Elf - Three-tailed Civet - Nine-tailed Cat Emperor ]
[ Moonlight Elf - ??? - Shadow Path ]
[ Skill ] : Moonblade (proficient), Moonlight (proficient), Moon Prayer (proficient)
"Let's try to use shadow energy."
"Meow"
Ziyue tried to activate Moonblade using shadow energy but failed.
It tried to use this energy to release other skills as well. Unfortunately, it failed again.
"Maybe you need to learn a shadow attribute skill to use this energy."
Jiang He guessed.
"For now, the most important thing was to increase the pleasure points. That way, I can get another hint about the shadow path."
"Come and eat."
His mother's voice could be heard coming from outside the door. Jiang He decided to stop thinking and ran out with Ziyue.
When he looked at the dishes on the table, he was dumbfounded.
It was an all-fish banquet.
Braised carp, steamed crucian carp, sweet and sour fish, pickled fish, and so on.
Jiang He was already sick of them since he had to eat fish for every meal during his time in the valley. He thought that he could eat something else once he returned. Alas, that was not the case.
Still, he could only blame himself.
After all, he was the one who bought all the fish.
"Meow!"
Ziyue's eyes were blinking. It almost drooled. However, it wanted to leave a good impression. Hence, it forcibly held back itself.
"Mom, did you have to cook them all at once?"
"I don't know what Ziyue liked. You didn't tell me either. That's why I made all these."
Jiang He smiled and gave the Moonlight Elf half a fish and a bowl of fish soup.
It felt like he was introducing his girlfriend to his parents.
In the beginning, Ziyue only took a small sip.
"Meow!"
Pleasure points: 85%
An increase of two percent.
...
Pleasure points: 90%
An increase of five percent.
Pleasure points: 95%
An increase of five percent.
Pleasure points: 100%
An increase of five percent.
The pleasure points had risen to one hundred percent again.
Pleasure points (Stage 2) : 1%
An increase of one percent.
Pleasure points (Stage 2) : 2%
An increase of one percent.
Pleasure points (Stage 2) : 3%
An increase of one percent.
...
Jiang He looked at the skyrocketing pleasure points. He was stunned.
Was the meal really that delicious?
Regardless, after reaching stage two, the speed at which the pleasure points rose had slowed down a lot.
Jiang He guessed that it was probably due to the level of his subdued beast. Ziyue was still servant-level. If he wanted the pleasure points to increase quickly during stage two, Ziyue would need to reach warlord-level.
If that was the case, he needed to provide it with as many resources as possible.
Jiang He was not a hoarder.
He rather spent his resources on practical usage.
Upon extracting, he received a few items.
[ Moonlight Barrier Fragment *1 (1/4) ]
[ Shadow Claw Fragment *1 (1/4)]
[ Moonlight Elf's Shadow Path evolution hint - Practice a shadow skill to the level of mastery (2/2) ]
[ Miniature moonlight energy pack (Could be used on Moonlight Elves) ]
There were two skill fragments, one hint, and one energy pack.
"If I want Ziyue to take the shadow path, it'll have to master a shadow-type skill..."
Jiang He looked at the hint thoughtfully.
Shadow-type skills were expensive and it would not be easy to master them.
Over the course of hundreds of years, the Beastmaster Supervisors had divided the mastery of skills into five stages.
They were beginner, proficient, expert, master, and grandmaster.
It was not easy to master a skill to the third stage when the subdued beast was still at servant-level.
'Perhaps I could borrow the power of the mutated book of contracts.'
Shadow claw was a shadow-type skill and Jiang He had already collected two fragments as a reward.
He really needed to increase the pleasure points as soon as possible!
"Meow!"
The Moonlight Elf let out a sound as if it was satisfied.
Ziyue had never eaten such delicious fish before!
At the same time, it felt a sense of guilt in its heart.
No!
If it continued to eat like this, it would lose the will to train.
"Eat! Eating will also make you stronger."
Jiang He said jokingly and laughed.
After that, he decided to use the miniature moonlight energy pack.
"Boom!"
The moonlight energy in Ziyue's body began to surge without warning.
"Meow?!"
'Did I really become stronger by eating fish?'
The little cat was shocked!
In a way, eating fish equals pleasure points, and pleasure points equal moonlight energy packs.
Hence, eating fish equals becoming stronger.
"Jiang He, you must have a drink with your father today. You're basically fulfilling my childhood dream by becoming a beastmaster. Back then, I was so close to condensing the book of contracts."
Jiang He's father said with a smile.
Not many people could become beastmasters. Only about one-tenth of the population succeeded. Therefore, becoming a beastmaster was something worth celebrating.
"Sure! By the way, there's still a week before school starts. I want to stay at your farm for a while."
Jiang He brought up the idea of going to the farm.
His father owned a piece of land in the countryside and he turned it into a farm. It was very spacious, hence, a suitable place for Ziyue to train.
There were very few places in the city suited for training. The plaza, park, basketball court, and so on were all dominated by the old ladies. Moreover, a hefty fee was required to access actual training. It was unwise to spend their money that way.
Jiang He preferred to spend his funds on resources and training equipment.
"No problem! I've neglected the place for a while because we have been searching for you. There are a lot of things to do. You should help out."
After dinner, Jiang He's parents watched the news on television in the living room.
Ziyue tried to pull Jiang He to the open space below the residential area. It wanted to practice its skills. However, Jiang He hugged it and sat on the sofa.
"This is your first day at home. Take a good rest!"
"Recently, the Regulatory Bureau had received a lot of reports from beastmasters about their subdued beasts disappearing. According to the police's investigation, the mastermind is most likely a poacher. Please pay attention to your subdued beasts when you travel. If you notice anything suspicious, report to the police immediately."
The television was broadcasting the various events that happened in Haiping Cty during these past few days.
A large portion of them was related to familiars.
After hundreds of years, they had been integrated into human life.
"Jiang He, you have to be careful too. If you encounter a poacher, go to a safe place and report them to the police."
Upon seeing the news, Jiang He's mother could not help but become a little worried.
"Yes, mother."
"Remember, your safety is the most important."
Jiang He's mother turned around and looked at the Moonlight Elf.
"Ziyue, you must not be rash and impulsive. Stay close to Jiang He."
"Meow..."
Ziyue nodded seriously and patted its chest, indicating that it would definitely take care of the poop-shoveling officer.
Once they were done watching the news, Jiang He's father brought out a crib that Jiang He used when he was a baby. After a little modification, it became the Moonlight Elf's crib. He also placed a thin blanket on top of it.
"Meow."
Ziyue felt very comfortable. It was definitely much better than the cold and gloomy cave.
Jiang He and his family were really caring.
Before establishing a contract with Jiang He, the Moonlight Elf actually felt rather anxious.
Now, that feeling was dispelled.
A warm sensation took place instead.
It was like a sense of belonging.
In a daze, the Moonlight Elf fell asleep.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
15 Power
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