The crowd fell silent, each person draining their wine cup with a sense of bewildered resignation.
Shock!
Speechless!
Their worldview had crumbled!
The esteemed Ten Elders, yielding repeatedly to an impetuous newcomer?
Two individuals, separated by over fifty years, becoming sworn brothers? If the media got hold of this, it would immediately become headlines across the entire Beast Taming Continent!
They could already envision the headlines: "Fifty-Year Age Gap! Elder Chu Huainan's Unrelated Twin Brother!"
Some even began to question Lu Fei's identity. This boy, an orphan since childhood, could he possibly be Chu Huainan's own grandson???
Lu Fei's mouth hung slightly open, staring at Chu Huainan in complete silence.
The supporting cast snapped back to reality, quickly adding fuel to the fire.
Chen Zhanpeng was the first to speak. "Little brother Lu Fei..." As he began, he immediately realized the misstep. With Lu Fei's current status as Chu Huainan's brother, what right did he have to address him as "little brother"? He carefully considered his words, and after a long pause, managed to stammer out, "Elder Lu..."
Huh?... Lu Fei painstakingly twisted his neck, his expression a complex mix. He was startled by Chen Zhanpeng's address.
Chen Zhanpeng also found the address a bit strange, but it was insignificant. What mattered was appeasing these two magnates. "Heh heh, since Elder Chu wishes to become sworn brothers with you, I think this occasion is perfectly fitting. Why don't you propose a toast? Then this good deed will be sealed."
Can I refuse...? Lu Fei's heart was heavy with a complicated mixture of emotions.
Lin Yuansheng immediately chimed in, "I second President Chen's suggestion. Why wait for another day when today is so opportune!"
Others followed suit, saying, "This intergenerational friendship will surely become a beautiful tale on the Beast Taming Continent!"
Lu Fei's body felt a prickling heat, as if he were being roasted over a fire.
He secretly glanced at Chu Huainan, only to find the elder wearing a faint smile. Chu Huainan didn't seem to be joking about acknowledging him as a brother.
Lu Fei sighed deeply.
If Chu Huainan hadn't said so much to him today, Lu Fei might have agreed to become his disciple without a second thought, and this situation wouldn't have arisen.
However, his life was on the line. Lu Fei dared not be careless.
But now, with the atmosphere at the scene having reached such a fever pitch, refusing would truly be ungrateful.
Lu Fei exhaled a breath of helplessness, slowly rising to his feet.
He stepped back from his chair, raised his wine cup, bowed deeply, and performed a grand kowtow.
"Elder Brother, I bow to you!"
The old man's entire body trembled.
He hurriedly stood up and quickly walked to the young man's side, helping him to his feet.
"Good, good, good!"
A brilliant light flashed in Chu Huainan's eyes, a joy that emanated from his very core.
After completing the ceremony and seeing the elder's genuine smile, Lu Fei also smiled.
He felt a sense of immense relief, momentarily forgetting the numerous dangers that still lay ahead.
...
The banquet concluded, and the attendees dispersed.
Lu Fei returned to his dormitory.
After the day's competition, the Beast Taming Academy officially entered its winter break, meaning the communal dormitories had become single-occupancy rooms.
Lying on his bed, Lu Fei tossed and turned.
In just a few short days since his arrival, so much had happened that he couldn't digest all the information at once.
Lu Fei meticulously replayed events one by one, searching for a way to return to his original world.
"Aidas's clues are too complex and layered; I can't even touch them now..." Lu Fei rubbed his temples, a headache forming.
Just then, a sharp voice cut through the air.
"Old Lu, aren't you going to open this?"
Brother Ji had emerged from his backpack at some point, holding a scroll.
Seeing the scroll in Brother Ji's hand, Lu Fei was initially taken aback, then his face lit up with joy. He took the scroll and examined it from top to bottom.
If Brother Ji hadn't reminded him, Lu Fei would have almost forgotten about this item.
Aidas had told him that he had encountered someone over a thousand years ago who might have come from the same place as him. Aidas had then given him this scroll, so it was highly probable that it was left by that person!
Lu Fei eagerly wanted to open the scroll and see what was written inside!
With one hand pressing the scroll's tie, his heart pounded!
"Slither..."
Lu Fei untied the ribbon, and the scroll unfurled like a released seal, slowly opening. Instantly, the scroll, as if imbued with life, emitted a dazzling radiance!
Simultaneously, several lines of text appeared on the scroll!
Lu Fei focused his gaze and was instantly stunned!
His neck shot forward like a turtle's head, stiffening!
The scroll was written in a string of peculiar characters.
胒犸哋，覀煳哋渁那嘟芣湜渁，洤湜荖ふ蓅哋汨，唻溡恏恏哋，特庅哋冋芣厾孒！！！
Mars language... Lu Fei gasped for air.
This was a unique form of writing popular among those born in the 80s and 90s in his original world. It was said that back then, if your QQ signature didn't feature a few lines of Mars language, your youth was incomplete!
Lu Fei, born in the 2000s, hadn't experienced those flamboyant "Shama Te" days, but he had a fondness for Mars language. Thus, seeing this text now was like seeing his native tongue.
Lu Fei continued to scroll down.
The content below was also written in Mars language.
"It's roughly June, 2032. Don't ask why it's 'roughly'; I counted the days on my fingers."
Lu Fei paused slightly.
Damn it... Not only is he chuunibyou, but his math is also bad. It's only 2022 now. How did you calculate it to 2032... Lu Fei muttered.
Continuing to read.
"Tomorrow I'm going to fight these bastards. Of course, I don't want to, but these bastards said if I win, they'll send me back. They even played the emotional card and morally blackmailed me, so I had no choice but to agree."
"I don't know if I'll make it back alive from this trip, so I'm writing something as a memento, at least to prove I was here."
"But on second thought, some things shouldn't be seen by the people of this world, so I decided to write it in Mars language, which I've practiced for years; perhaps someday, some unlucky soul like me will transmigrate here, and this will be a survival guide for them."
Lu Fei's expression shifted, turning somewhat grim.
Who are you calling an unlucky soul... Considering you left a guide, I'll forgive you... Lu Fei mumbled.
Continuing to read.
"This world is called the Beast Taming Continent. Frankly, it's a place where everyone is involved in raising beasts. I used to work with animals, so I'm very familiar with it; but here's a piece of advice: don't be reckless before you awaken your Beast Taming talent!"
"P.S.: Heh heh, I naturally possess the Beast Taming talent, and it's a unique one. Want to know what it is? I won't tell you! La la la..."
Lu Fei's cheek twitched slightly.
I also naturally possess the Beast Taming talent, and it's a unique one too. What makes you so smug... Lu Fei scoffed at this kind of malicious humor!
After finishing the prank, this unknown transmigrator pioneer continued to the main topic.
"To survive here, becoming a Beast Tamer is the prerequisite. After years of exploration, I've found that becoming a top-tier or even titled Beast Tamer is incredibly easy!"
"The only difficulty is that it's too expensive. Raising a single contracted beast has already emptied my entire fortune, and I've even fallen into a situation where I'm working for my contracted beast. I'm saying this to remind you not to miss any opportunity to get rich!"
Why didn't you say so earlier... Lu Fei began to regret not extorting more from Zhou Nanfeng, but then he reconsidered; there were still plenty of ways to make money!
Many ideas began to surface in his mind. For example, many inventions from his original world didn't exist in this one. If he invented a few and applied for patents, wouldn't he become rich? Thinking of this, Lu Fei's expression gradually calmed.
He continued to read, and his previously calm expression turned ashen once more.