Jiang Xing had never expected that the moment Little Qilin got angry, the legendary Azure Dragon would immediately fold at lightning speed.
A moment ago, it had been releasing Dragon Might and interrogating them through its spirit. The next, it had turned into a doting uncle trying to soothe a child. It was practically one step away from pulling out a lollipop—
In fact, that was basically what it did.
In the blink of an eye, a roasted lamb leg appeared in the little azure dragon's claws, which it offered to Little Qilin.
"Roar~" (Come on, Uncle's treating you to something tasty. Don't be mad anymore!)
"..."
If Jiang Xing remembered correctly, that seemed to be one of the lamb legs he and Little Qilin had brought with them.
Did Mythical Tier Pet Beasts also possess Mythical Tier shamelessness?
Still, the little azure dragon clearly knew Little Qilin's weakness. Its nose twitched, a drop of drool appeared at the corner of its mouth, and it immediately started eating.
Like a whirlwind sweeping through fallen leaves, it polished off the entire lamb leg in seconds.
After the feast, Little Qilin's mood visibly improved, though it still puffed its cheeks and called out unhappily.
"Ah-li~" (I brought my friends here to play with you! I even brought you so much delicious food, and you still tried to scare them! You're awful!)
"Roar~" (Ah, come on, Uncle was just playing with you...)
The Azure Dragon looked rather embarrassed.
It had always been extremely close with Little Qilin and the Qilin couple—
After all, the Qilin couple were divine beasts that had successfully reproduced and produced offspring.
Once Little Qilin matured, they would become a terrifying divine beast group numbering three members.
When Mythical Pet Beasts shared that kind of trust and could confidently entrust their backs to one another, the power they could unleash together was far more than a simple one-plus-one equation.
As a result, even though the Auspicious Cloud Qilin wasn't among the strongest tiers of Mythical Pet Beasts, it was still highly intimidating.
On top of that, their innate gift was enhancing affinity and goodwill. They were naturally a lawful-good species and maintained friendly relationships with many Mythical Pet Beasts.
Little Qilin in particular was young, lively, and constantly visiting others, which had earned it the affection of many Mythical creatures.
The Azure Dragon was one of those who adored it...
Well, the fact that Little Qilin regularly brought gifts whenever it visited certainly helped.
As for why the Azure Dragon had revealed its true form and unleashed Dragon Might earlier—
It was simply because it had sensed a trace of evil power on the human Little Qilin had brought along.
Had there been a Beast Tamer contract linking Little Qilin to that human, the Azure Dragon might have suspected that some wicked Beast Tamer had used sinister methods to deceive Little Qilin into signing a contract against its will.
The Dragon Might had been released to determine whether Little Qilin was being mentally controlled.
Only after confirming that Little Qilin was completely unaffected, acting entirely of its own free will, did the Azure Dragon finally relax and start comforting the child—
Humans these days were hopelessly unprofessional.
Every day they came carrying all sorts of Mythical-grade resources to trade with it, yet not one of them thought to bring proper offerings.
Its mouth was practically going bland from boredom.
Surely it couldn't lower itself as a god and directly ask for tribute?
Back when it had been a deity in another world, it had never done such a thing.
This old dragon couldn't bring itself to lose face like that.
So when Little Qilin declared that it would never come back again, the Azure Dragon genuinely panicked a little.
Without Little Qilin occasionally bringing gifts to visit, what was it supposed to do? Go out and steal food itself?
That would be far too embarrassing for a dragon.
After spending quite some time coaxing Little Qilin and repeatedly promising that it would never target its friends again, the Azure Dragon finally managed to cheer it up.
However...
The Azure Dragon had not completely lowered its guard.
As a Mythical Pet Beast, its instincts could not be wrong.
There was definitely an evil power inside that human.
Perhaps the man had hidden it too well and Little Qilin hadn't noticed, allowing itself to be deceived.
Children were naïve. That was perfectly normal.
The Azure Dragon had to expose the truth and let Little Qilin see that human's true nature.
Of course, it had already tested things once.
Little Qilin wasn't mentally controlled, nor had it signed any contract. What existed between it and the human was nothing more than pure trust.
If the Azure Dragon acted recklessly, it could easily provoke Little Qilin's complete dissatisfaction and damage their relationship.
So it needed a different approach...
It spent some time eating with Little Qilin, then showed off a bit of its power in front of the Rainbow Dragon Hatchling, Inky, and the Giant Magnet Entity, drawing wave after wave of astonished reactions.
As expected, this act of actively playing with Little Qilin's friends made the little qilin extremely happy and completely dispelled its anger.
It was still Little Qilin's favorite Uncle Dragon!
Once the Azure Dragon had finally lowered its guard, it casually steered the conversation toward Jiang Xing.
"Roar~" (Little Qilin, how did you meet this human?)
"..."
Little Qilin's expression froze.
Because it had secretly stolen food and gotten caught by the owner?
That absolutely could not be revealed!
All this time, it had been bragging to Uncle Azure Dragon that those foods were offerings humans had presented to it. It had never dared admit that it had actually "stolen" them.
Uncle Azure Dragon was incredibly powerful and received offerings all the time, so he had never questioned the story.
If the truth slipped out now, its entire image would be ruined!
The Azure Dragon's heart tightened.
Little Qilin wouldn't even talk about how they met...
There was definitely something suspicious about this human!
At that moment, Jiang Xing stepped in to rescue Little Qilin with a smile.
"The first time Little Qilin and I met was at a banquet."
"The food I prepared earned its approval, so it accepted my invitation and agreed to stay by my side temporarily while helping me test more recipes..."
Little Qilin nearly burst into tears of gratitude.
Wuwuwu, Jiang Xing!!
You're the best!
That was way too close—it almost got exposed!
The Azure Dragon could also tell that Jiang Xing wasn't lying. Everything he said was true.
Still, that alone wasn't enough to eliminate its suspicions.
Following up on the topic, it asked curiously, "Roar~" (Are you a breeder?)
"No."
Jiang Xing smiled.
"I'm a Pet Beast scholar. I study under Dr. Xu and specialize in Pet Beast evolution research."
The moment those words were spoken, over half of the Azure Dragon's suspicion and vigilance vanished.
That was because, compared to Beast Tamers—among whom arrogant fools who dreamed of wielding divine power often appeared—the Azure Dragon greatly preferred Pet Beast scholars.
Especially modern Pet Beast scholars, who had long abandoned the dark research practices of the ancient Beast Taming world.
Instead, they explored the field of Pet Beasts through scientific and friendly methods.
Some of the knowledge and experience they accumulated could help Mythical Pet Beasts gain greater mastery over their own powers and even take further steps toward becoming stronger.
That was also why researchers could receive the Blessings of Mythical Pet Beasts.
If a Mythical Pet Beast wasn't willing, no amount of resources would convince it to grant a blessing.
Furthermore, the Azure Dragon knew of Dr. Xu. He was China's foremost Water-type researcher.
If Jiang Xing had become his student, he was unlikely to be a bad person.
At that moment, the Rainbow Dragon Hatchling flew up and patted its chest.
"Muu muu~" (That's right! I used to be just a little koi. Jiang Xing helped me transform into a true dragon!)
Inky spread its wings and proudly displayed its charm.
"Kree~" (I used to be an ugly waterfowl. Jiang Xing was the one who told me I could become a phoenix.)
The Giant Magnet Entity rubbed its now-full stomach with the magnetic blocks floating around it.
"Bzzt~" (Jiang Xing is really amazing...)
Feeling the sincere emotions and thoughts coming from the three Pet Beasts, the Azure Dragon's suspicion and wariness disappeared completely.
A human capable of such things, and recognized by both Dr. Xu and Little Qilin, could not possibly be a bad person.
As for the evil aura lingering around him...
He was a human researcher. Perhaps he had come into contact with something sinister during his studies.
Now that the Azure Dragon had lowered its guard and no longer doubted Jiang Xing's character, it simply asked directly.
Jiang Xing immediately understood the moment he heard the question.
No wonder Uncle Dragon had been looking at me so strangely.
So it really did smell the Fairy scent on me!
The nose of a Mythical Pet Beast is way too sensitive!
Still...
Now that the Azure Dragon had asked so directly, should he tell it the truth?
'Attributes aren't something I created. I'm just the one who discovered them.'
'Even without me, the Fairy attribute would still eventually come into existence.'
'Little Qilin is right here. It should be able to keep the Azure Dragon calm.'
'Besides, who says Dragon-types and Fairy-types are destined to be mortal enemies?'
After a moment of thought, Jiang Xing decided to take a small gamble.
He said, "Actually, I've discovered a new attribute."
"This attribute... is immune to Dragon-type attacks and can deal super-effective damage to Dragon-type Pet Beasts."
"I've named it—"
"Fairy."
This was the first time Jiang Xing had ever introduced the concept of the Fairy attribute.
Not at an academic conference.
Instead, he had found a legendary Mythical true dragon and chosen to break the news directly to its face.
Even Jiang Xing felt that this was an unbelievably bold move.
The moment the words left his mouth, the Rainbow Dragon Hatchling was stunned.
"Muu!?" (F-Fairy?!)
Immune to Dragon-type attacks and capable of countering Dragon-types?
Isn't that a dragon's natural enemy?!
Its cry had barely escaped before it was drowned out by thunder.
A dragon's roar, as loud as a crashing storm, shook heaven and earth.
"ROAR!" (EVIL!!)
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