After Fatty An had recounted the entire course of events—omitting the part about the Cultists, of course—both An Hou Nian and An Tianyou fell into a deep silence.
For a moment, they were at a loss for words.
Both men were so shocked they were nearly numb. Their heads were buzzing, and they couldn't even organize their thoughts, let alone speak.
'A high school student researched the evolution method for a Koi Carp and successfully evolved it into a Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon with Dominator Level Potential?'
'Even novels wouldn't dare to make up a story like this.'
Yet here it was, this unbelievable story being told so brazenly by their own son and grandson.
They were confident that, given their authority, the little brat wouldn't dare to spin some wild tale.
If he did, they would tan his hide.
In other words, all of this was very likely true!
'Their grandson's classmate, Li Qian, has truly figured out the evolutionary path from Koi Carp to Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon!'
"Could you two at least react?"
Seeing his father and grandfather completely stunned and looking a bit lost, Fatty An felt a small surge of pride.
In truth, his own reaction back at the pond, when he learned of Li Qian's true goal, hadn't been any better than his father's and grandfather's.
In fact, it had been even worse!
"If everything you've just said is true..." An Tianyou looked at his grandson, his tone cautious as he began to speak. "Then your classmate, Li Qian, is indeed a tremendous opportunity for our An Family."
"You brat, you've finally made a valuable friend this time!"
While sighing emotionally, An Tianyou couldn't resist adding a little dig, which made the corner of Fatty An's mouth twitch.
"However, this matter is far too important. We're still a bit uneasy just taking your word for it..." An Hou Nian and his father, An Tianyou, had fought side by side in the business world for years. A true father-son team, they had long since developed a perfect rapport. Understanding his father's unspoken point, he continued with a meaningful tone.
He didn't finish the sentence, but his meaning was already perfectly clear.
'Seeing is believing!'
Even if it was their own son's account, they had to verify it for themselves.
This matter was simply too important!
If it was confirmed to be true, they wouldn't just be investing in the Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon project, but in Li Qian himself!
They would need to form an unbreakable bond with him, much like the one between many renowned Breeders and the powerful groups that backed them.
In reality, the An Family had long wanted a slice of the massive "breeding" pie, but they had always struggled to find a Breeder with sufficient skill to partner with.
If Li Qian truly possessed the demonic talent their son and grandson described...
...then for the An Family, it would be a godsend.
"After everything that happened last night, neither of us slept well. I'm guessing he's probably resting right now..."
Fatty An nodded, not at all surprised by his father's and grandfather's caution. "Alright, I'll give Qianzi a call later. If he's okay with it, I should be able to take you to see for yourselves tomorrow."
"Good. I'll leave this matter in your hands. Grandpa can rest easy."
An Tianyou shot his grandson an approving look. "You must build a good relationship with this little brother, Li Qian!!"
Hearing this, Fatty An's face fell instantly.
He understood why his grandfather would call him "little brother, Li Qian," but it still made his stomach churn!
'If you're already calling him your brother, then what am I supposed to call him?!'
...
Li Qian slept until evening. By the time he woke up, his parents were already home from work.
Seeing his father watching TV in the living room and his mother bustling about in the kitchen, Li Qian decided not to immediately bring up what had happened the previous night.
'I'll tell them after dinner.'
With that thought, he pulled out his phone. A new message immediately caught his eye.
"Your personal Federation account was credited with 10,000,000 Federation Coins on May 12, Federation Calendar year 3411, at 14:05. Current balance: 10,005,130 Federation Coins!"
'I didn't expect that guy, Liu Changfeng, to be so impatient!'
Shaking his head, he didn't dwell on it. Li Qian went to the living room and joined his father, Li Chengyang, in front of the TV.
"How did your trip to Yunlan City go? Did you get everything done?" Li Chengyang asked casually, his eyes still on the television.
Li Qian nodded. "Everything's taken care of."
Li Chengyang didn't ask about the purpose of his trip to Yunlan City, and Li Qian had no intention of explaining just yet.
Before long, his mother, Han Yuqing, brought their dinner to the table.
Li Qian shoveled a few mouthfuls of rice and said with deliberate casualness, "Dad, if I remember correctly, your Beast Taming Talent is Earth-affinity, which gives a power boost to a Pet Beast's Earth Element Skills."
Without pausing, he continued, "I remember you saying that your Land Bear has already reached Tier Seven Elite, which is close to its species limit. When are you planning to evolve it?"
"And what about your second Pet Beast? It's been put off for so long. Isn't it time to start thinking about it?"
Li Qian had wanted to bring these things up for a long time, but since he previously lacked the ability to help his father, he had kept quiet to avoid upsetting him.
But now that he had figured out the evolution path from Koi Carp to Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon and had just come into ten million, it was time to put these matters on the table.
Li Chengyang didn't seem to pay much mind to Li Qian's words. "I work on a construction site. Having the Land Bear to help me is more than enough."
"Whether it evolves or not doesn't make much of a difference to me."
"Besides, if the Land Bear evolves into a Mountain Giant Bear, the cost of raising it would increase dramatically."
"As for a second Pet Beast... I don't think I'll be considering that anytime soon."
Li Chengyang said it all so lightly, but Li Qian knew the heavy weight behind every single word.
It wasn't that he didn't want to evolve his Pet Beast, or that he didn't want to form a contract with a second one.
At the end of the day, it was because their family's financial situation simply didn't allow for it.
In fact, it wasn't just his father, Li Chengyang; his mother, Han Yuqing, faced a similar problem.
His mother Han Yuqing's Beast Taming Talent is Wind and Water affinity.
Her Talent provides a decent boost to both Wind Element and Water-type Pet Beasts. Logically, since her Gray Bean Dove had already reached Tier Three Elite, she could have formed a contract with a second Pet Beast long ago.
The only reason she still had just the one Gray Bean Dove was, again, because of money.
Li Qian continued to shovel down his rice. At the same time, he pulled a bank card from his pocket, onto which he had just transferred five million Federation Coins from his personal account. "There are five million Federation Coins on here. You can consider it part of my payment for the trip to Yunlan City."
"With this money, you and Mom shouldn't have to worry about the cost of evolving the Land Bear and Gray Bean Dove, or about forming a second Pet Beast Contract, ever again!"
Li Qian said this nonchalantly, but to Li Chengyang and Han Yuqing, his words struck like a thunderclap, making their heads buzz.
CLATTER... CLATTER!
Both of their chopsticks fell from their hands!
Their faces were filled with expressions of shock, astonishment, and utter disbelief!
Finally, his mother, Han Yuqing, was the first to react. She walked over to Li Qian, reached out, and felt his forehead. "You don't have a fever... so why have you started talking nonsense?"
Seeing this, the corner of Li Qian's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.