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¹ Long Aotian (龍傲天) - A stereotypical name for overpowered harem protagonists in Chinese web novels. The name literally means "Dragon Proud Sky" and has become a meme representing arrogant young masters with incredible talent and multiple love interests. Used ironically here to mock the typical xuanhuan protagonist archetype.
Old Deng suddenly spoke up, his voice carrying excitement, "Captain, we really hit the jackpot this time, didn't we?"
The group had ventured into Qingyuan Forest countless times before, but never with this kind of luck.
"Yeah, I'd estimate we're looking at around five million Huaxia Currency," Zhou Shi calculated roughly, his eyes gleaming with the same excitement.
"Such a shame we didn't pick up an official quest from the Beast Tamer Association beforehand," Old Deng sighed with regret. "I heard the rewards include precious Huaxia Points."
Who could have predicted they'd actually manage to take down a Lord-level fierce beast?
This single expedition was worth four or five of their usual runs. Most beast taming groups were lucky to pull in a million yuan after half a month of risking their necks in dangerous territory.
That might sound like good money, but split among the whole team, a million yuan came down to just over a hundred thousand per person—and that was blood money, earned at the cost of constantly flirting with death. When you put it that way, it hardly seemed worth the risk.
But that was the whole appeal of this line of work: the uncertainty. Strike it rich by taking down a Lord-level fierce beast or discovering premium medicinal herbs and rare minerals, and you'd be set for months.
Out of their five million haul, the Ice Field Rabbit Lord made up the lion's share. Those azure eyes alone were worth two million.
Even that was on the conservative side, since the 'Ice Ball' skill wasn't universally useful—it only worked for water-attribute contract spirits. If they'd harvested something like 'Berserk' skills, the price would have been astronomical.
The team chatted excitedly all through the night, the sun rose before they even knew it.
At first light, they packed up and headed straight for the Spirit Suppression Army's base, not stopping to rest along the way.
Three days later, when that familiar little village came into view, everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.
After passing through the dimensional gateway, the group found themselves safely back on Blue Star, immediately feeling that comforting sense of home.
Sure, the air wasn't as fresh as Qingyuan Forest's, but at least they could walk around without constantly looking over their shoulders.
Whether it was the Steel Fanged Rat swarms, the Blood Tusk Boars, the Earth-shaking Bear packs that prowled at night, or the Ice Field Rabbit Lord itself—every encounter had been a brush with death. One wrong move could have meant serious casualties.
"I'll transfer everyone's share to your accounts," Zhou Shi announced. "Little Chen, that includes you!"
As a high-ranking executive at 666 Potion Company, Zhou Shi had the connections to get top dollar for their loot.
Technically, Chen Shu had only come along to get a taste of dimensional exploration, so he wasn't really entitled to any of the profits. But he'd been such a game-changer that the team naturally considered him one of their own.
"No need, Uncle Zhou. You don't have to be so formal..."
Chen Shu waved him off with a grin. "Besides, I already pocketed all the medicinal herbs we collected. You guys can split the money among yourselves."
"..."
The group exchanged looks of exasperation. Old Deng checked his backpack and found nothing but a single, lonely Level 2 Iron Core.
"Your timing is... impressively quick," Zhou Shi managed after a long pause. “Hands” he added under his breath.
The herbs were worth roughly three hundred thousand—not as practical as cash, but more valuable to Chen Shu since he didn't have a Potion Master license and couldn't buy ingredients from legitimate shops.
"Let's rest up tonight and head back to Nanjiang City first thing tomorrow!"
Zhou Shi declared. To celebrate their success, the group headed to a small tavern in town.
Chen Shu, however, quietly slipped away to the local Beast Tamer Association.
"You... you..."
The desk clerk's eyes went wide, her mouth hanging open like she could fit a whole watermelon in there.
On the counter sat a rabbit head, giving off an incredibly appetizing aroma that made her mouth water.
"What's wrong? Did you really think I was just messing around? Come on, process my quest completion already."
Chen Shu looked completely nonchalant—honestly, what a fuss over nothing—as he casually tore off a piece of rabbit meat and started chewing.
"This is really from an Ice Field Rabbit Lord?"
The clerk was still reeling with shock. Nobody in their right mind would try to fake a quest completion—that was a federal crime.
And this particular quest had been posted by the military. Anyone caught filing a false report would be looking at serious jail time.
The clerk took a small sample of the meat for verification, swallowing hard as the tantalizing smell hit her nostrils.
The results came back quickly.
Not only did the clerk return, but she brought along a soldier in full military uniform. The name patch on his shoulder clearly read 'Spirit Suppression'.
Immediately, every beast tamer in the hall turned to look, their faces filled with respect.
Unlike the regular soldiers stationed in Qingyuan Town, Spirit Suppression Army personnel spent most of their time in Alternate Dimensions and rarely emerged unless something major was happening.
"Nice to meet you! I'm Xie Shan!"
Xie Shan wore a slight smile as he extended his right hand.
"Likewise!" Chen Shu shook hands, then glanced at the rabbit head on the desk. "Want to try some, buddy?"
"..."
Xie Shan was completely thrown off his game.
He shook his head and said quietly, "This is definitely from an Ice Field Rabbit Lord. Could I see your ID? The Huaxia Points will be automatically credited to your account."
Chen Shu wiped the grease from his fingers and pulled out his identification card.
"You're only seventeen?" Xie Shan looked completely astonished, continuously sizing up Chen Shu.
Chen Shu blinked. "Don't I look it?"
I'm a piece of fresh meat too, aren't I?
Xie Shan remained silent, pulling out his communication device to report Chen Shu's ID number.
Within moments, he handed the card back.
"There you go. Fifty Huaxia Points have been credited to your ID. You can redeem them for resources at any government facility!"
Chen Shu nodded, surprised by how straightforward the process was.
Weren't they worried he might have just stumbled across the Ice Field Rabbit Lord's head somewhere? Actually, that was pretty unlikely—most fierce beast corpses got devoured by the killer's contract spirits.
"You can keep the rabbit head."
Chen Shu pocketed his ID and quietly made his exit, keeping a relatively low profile.
The clerk was still in a state of shock. A seventeen-year-old student had killed an Ice Field Rabbit Lord?
Most people only took that quest as a joke. How did this kid actually pull it off?
"Hey Little Xu, which restaurant made this grilled rabbit head? Pretty decent work, though it's a bit dry—must have been sitting around for a while."
Some of the other beast tamers finally approached. They hadn't dared eavesdrop on Xie Shan and Chen Shu's conversation, worried they might overhear classified information.
"You're eating the head of an Ice Field Rabbit Lord, of course it's good," the clerk said, rolling her eyes.
"Ice Field Rabbit Lord? Yeah right! If that's true, I, Long Aotian¹, will do a handstand while having explosive diarrhea!"
The mission hall suddenly filled with cheerful laughter...