Balen looked at Aris and said, "When your sister comes back, tell me. I want to talk to her about this cub."
"Yeah, Aris, I also want a monster cub. Can you ask your sister about this? Please."
"I want one too, I want one too."
After hearing their mentor's words, Aris's friends also asked her for help in getting a monster cub.
Aris felt that she could not hide the truth for much longer. Otherwise, they might really go to her sister to look for one.
She lowered her head in embarrassment and spoke in an apologetic tone.
"Actually… this cub wasn't given by my sister. And it's not a monster cub. It's called a Mystic Beast."
The room went quiet.
Everyone stared at Aris.
"…What did you say?" one of the girls asked.
"It wasn't given by your sister?"
Aris hugged Snow Pup tighter and nodded slightly. She felt embarrassed for lying to them.
"I bought it myself… from a store in the city. The owner said it was a Mystic Beast, not a normal monster cub."
Balen's eyes narrowed.
"A store?"
"Yes, a Mystic Pet Store," Aris said softly, remembering that strange store.
"The owner said Mystic Beasts are different from monster beasts. They can grow stronger and be trained like partners. They're stronger than monster beasts of the same level."
Her friends looked at Snow Pup again, this time with completely different eyes.
"You mean… this thing wasn't found in the wild?"
"You bought it… from a store?"
"That means… there are more like it?"
Excitement spread through the room. Aris's friends grew excited. They also wanted a powerful beast like that. Even if they had to spend money, they did not mind.
Balen crossed his arms and fell into thought, then said,
"A store that sells beasts capable of restraining Tier 2 monsters… that's no ordinary shop."
He looked at Aris.
"Tomorrow, you will take me there to see it."
Aris swallowed and said, "…Yes, Mentor."
Aris's friends also chimed in, saying they wanted to go too, and Aris promised she would bring them along.
If Raeshan knew Aris was bringing potential customers to his store, he would be overjoyed.
"What nice customers. I will give you a discount in your next life."
Next day, Silver Lake City.
Inside the Mystic Pet Store, Raeshan was watching his partner, Lumidra Spryte, absorb essence from a yellowish glowing stone known as a Yellow Stone. It was a Light-attributed stone.
This stone was expensive. He had only managed to buy three of them for nine gold coins.
If you're wondering where this poor soul got the money, let me explain.
He had sold one Mystic Beast to Aris for one crystal, which could be exchanged for one hundred gold coins (1 Crystal = 100 Gold Coins).
However, his capitalist system took a 90% cut and left him with only ten gold coins.
Thus, Raeshan the poor soul became a system slave.
Raeshan sighed while looking at Lumidra. Because he did not have Mystic Beast food, he had to feed this little cutie a Yellow Stone instead. Yellow Stones were the cheapest Light-type essence stones, but their price was still too high for him.
"I have to sell more Mystic Beasts to get out of poverty," he muttered.
At that moment, the store door opened and a group of people walked in. Raeshan looked toward the entrance and spotted a familiar face.
Aris, her friends, and their mentor entered the store. As soon as they stepped inside, Aris's friends and her mentor began looking around the interior of the shop.
After seeing that there was nothing in the store except a counter, a flash of disappointment rose in their hearts. Doubt also appeared in their minds.
"Does this empty store really sell powerful beasts… or did we come to the wrong place?"
Aris's friends and mentor looked at her. One of the girls asked in a low voice,
"Aris, did we enter the wrong store? There's nothing here."
Aris replied, "You don't need to worry. We're in the right store."
Raeshan had already noticed them when they entered. When his eyes landed on Aris, he was slightly surprised.
"It's her again…"
Lumidra Spryte floated back to his shoulder and curled its fluffy tail around his neck. The glowing orb at the end of its tail dimmed as it finished absorbing the Yellow Stone.
Raeshan quickly put the remaining stones away and straightened his posture.
"Welcome to the Mystic Pet Store," he said.
Balen stepped forward and looked around the empty shop.
"This is your store?" he asked calmly.
"Yes," Raeshan replied. "How can I help you?"
Aris walked up to the counter, holding Snow Pup in her arms.
"This is the store I told you about, Mentor," she said. "I bought Snow Pup here."
Balen's gaze fell on Snow Pup. His eyes narrowed slightly.
"…So this cub came from your shop."
Raeshan looked at Snow Pup and nodded.
"Yes."
Balen then looked at Lumidra Spryte on Raeshan's shoulder.
"And that one?"
"Ohh... this is my partner," Raeshan said. "Lumidra Spryte."
Aris and her friends were stunned by Lumidra's cute and chubby appearance.
"So cute…"
That was the shared thought of the group of naive young girls.
One of them asked, "Can it fight too?"
Raeshan nodded. "Yes."
Balen carefully observed Raeshan and his Mystic Beast.
"It just looks like a harmless baby dragon… can it really fight like Aris's beast?" he thought.
Lumidra Spryte noticed Balen's gaze on both her and her master.
A trace of dragon pride surged in her eyes.
How dare these unknown people stare at her master like that?
She lifted her head and shot an unfriendly glare at Balen.
It was as if the little dragon was warning him: If you try anything funny, you will die.
When Balen met Lumidra Spryte's cold stare, his expression changed slightly.
He then looked at Raeshan again, this time much more seriously.
He no longer treated him as an ordinary shop owner.
***
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