In Locke, beast taming begins with a black pot.

Jiangcheng.

Second-hand elf shop.

The glass display window at the store entrance was filled with all sorts of unassuming elf eggs.

These elf eggs, even though they're covered in poop, are actually... likely dead for a long time.

Chen Xun was sitting next to the instrument that tested the activity of the Pokémon eggs. Every now and then, he would scrape a little powder off the eggshell, put it into a test tube, and then add the prepared active solution.

The moment the transparent active liquid comes into contact with the powder, tiny bubbles begin to float.

This is Chen Xun's unique technique.

It can detect whether the Pokémon inside the egg is alive.

A living Pokémon egg is priceless, while a dead Pokémon egg is nothing more than a dish on the dinner table.

The prices of the two are worlds apart.

The transparent active liquid suddenly turned white, and then began to turn green.

"Be careful..."

An old man stood behind him, watching Chen Xun's actions with trepidation.

"I bought this from the blind box market. If I get a green elf egg inside, I'll make a fortune!"

"Do you really expect to get a green Pokémon egg from the blind box market?"

Chen Xun scoffed at Old Man Han's gambling addiction.

In his past life, he had seen too many gamblers lose everything in the end.

But he doesn't care as long as they're willing to pay for the testing.

There are four levels of Pokémon eggs: white, green, blue, and purple.

Once Old Man Han's elf egg hatches to a [green] level, it will immediately be bought by a beast tamer who rushes over upon hearing the news, at a high price.

You can make hundreds of thousands just by reselling them!

Only sprites hatched from [green] sprite eggs possess skills that can help the Beastmaster in battle.

White-grade Pokémon eggs are usually sold as Pokémon, and the hatched Pokémon have almost no chance of evolving or learning moves.

Of course, there are also children of wealthy families who use legendary skill stones to imbue spirits with skills.

Chen Xun had only heard of it, but had never seen it.

There shouldn't be any nouveau riche in Jiangcheng.

Just then!

The active liquid, which had already begun to turn green, suddenly faded rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

It returned to its original transparent state in less than two seconds.

"Holy crap!"

Old Man Han cursed loudly.

He pushed past Chen Xun onto the testing table, staring intently at the transparent liquid in the test tube, as if trying to discern some color from it.

"That bastard Wang Mazi! I spent half a month's retirement pension on these eggs, and he dares to try and fool me with a dead one?"

The old man pointed across the street in the direction of the blind box market and cursed, "How dare he try to cheat me, Han Zhou! When I was a researcher in the Jiangcheng Beast Tamer circle, that Wang Mazi was still picking up empty feed bags thrown away by others at the entrance of the Pokémon Park!"

Chen Xun placed the test tube on the iron rack: "You insisted on gambling, so you can't blame anyone else."

After cursing for a while, Old Man Han felt his breathing become rapid, so he quickly went to the window and gasped for breath.

"Only you would believe Wang Mazi's claim that a rotten egg that's been sitting for half a month could be transformed into a purple legend."

Old Han's face turned red with embarrassment after Chen Xun's retort: ​​"What if I pull up a green one? I could resell it for hundreds of thousands!"

Seeing that the old man was still not giving up, Chen Xun continued to mock him: "Your probability is even lower than that of Jiangcheng Academy producing a genius with four spirit slots this year. You could use that money to buy two catties of pig's head meat for a treat, instead of giving money to Wang Mazi."

Chen Xun held out his hand to Old Man Han: "Pay up, two hundred for the testing fee, not a penny less!"

Upon hearing this, Old Man Han's momentum immediately deflated.

His face, which had just been angry, instantly transformed into a fawning smile; his change of expression was faster than flipping through a book: "Master Chen, please grant me two more days!"

Chen Xun pretended not to hear and put the test tubes and reagent bottles back into their bags one by one.

He wiped the countertop clean, picked up his faded coat draped over the back of the chair, and pulled it on: "You already owe two thousand yuan. If this keeps up, this run-down shop will be mine!"

"Wait a minute, I'll find out where Wang Mazi got those swindling eggs from."

Old Han seemed to have thought of something: "Didn't you always want to raise money to get an egg that could be hatched, preparing to become a beast tamer trainee?"

Chen Xun froze instantly.

Beast Taming Trainee.

These words seem to have a magical power.

Only by becoming a Beastmaster can one awaken their Spirit Gauge and possess their own Spirit.

Only then did he have the opportunity to enter the secret realm and uncover the truth behind his parents' disappearance.

Old Han continued to tempt him: "With your ability to detect things, you might actually be able to find a bargain."

"Where?"

Chen Xun became interested.

"Elf Junkyard".

Old Han didn't keep them in suspense: "We just dumped a new batch of garbage recently, and Wang Mazi got this batch from there."

"If I hadn't known this news, I wouldn't have gone to Wang Mazi's place to gamble on eggs. Even trash from the Elf Research Institute has great value."

Old Han sighed, "Others would just be lucky, but you're different. Your ability to detect liveness is more accurate than the old machines in the research institute. You can detect even the slightest bit of life in the egg."

Elf Junkyard.

Jiangcheng is known as a no-man's-land.

It's next to the secret realm's warning wall.

Not only were there homeless scavengers, but also black market merchants dealing in elf scraps, and even desperate black beastmasters hiding there.

But Old Man Han was right.

Others would go there to gamble with their lives and try their luck, but he was different.

Chen Xun turned around and glared at Old Man Han: "So you're too scared to go yourself, but you're pointing this dangerous place at me, hoping I'll walk the path for you?"

Old Han's thoughts were exposed, his face flushed, and he slammed his hand on the counter: "I only went because you're capable, kid. If it were someone else, forget about picking up the eggs, it's questionable whether they could even get them out intact!"

"You think just anyone can walk into that place?"

He pulled a crumpled piece of brown paper from under the counter and pushed it in front of Chen Xun. On it was a map drawn crookedly in pencil, with several winding routes marked.

"The research institute's abandoned site is surrounded by dead eggs and waste. Further in, there are defective experimental products. At the deepest point, next to the warning wall, the energy is so chaotic that it can turn a person into mincemeat. Just follow the line I drew and don't go any deeper."

Chen Xun lowered his head to study the map.

"That place has been piled up with elven waste for decades, and there's sluggish energy everywhere."

Old Han's expression was unusually serious: "As long as any living creature is detected to have elven energy, whether it's the spiritual power of a beast tamer or the aura of an elf, it will instantly detonate the surrounding energy. Let alone elven researchers, even if an elven scholar came, he would be torn to pieces if he went in."

His expression was grim as he spoke, clearly having learned his lesson: "Those who can make a living in there are all ordinary people like you, each one risking their life. Don't get into conflicts with anyone, just avoid them, grab what you can and leave."

"Wasn't it said that a Black Beastmaster was hiding there?"

Chen Xun was somewhat curious.

"Those scum?"

Old Han scoffed, "They have to seal their spiritual energy channels inside, making them even worse off than ordinary people, just barely clinging to life!"

Chen Xun deftly folded the map and stuffed it into his coat pocket.

He has to go in!

Next month is the Beastmaster Awakening Ceremony in Jiangcheng.

Without a spirit egg, even the conditions for awakening are not met.

The rift in the secret realm outside the city walls grows larger every year, and no one knows how long this steel gate can hold out.

He can't wait until the cracks burst open and he's not even qualified to pick up a weapon.

Thanks!

Chen Xun uttered two words, opened the shop door, and walked out.

Old Han's voice came from behind: "Kid, I've given you this map, so our score is settled!"

Chen Xun didn't turn around, he just raised his hand and turned into the alley.