The display window featured models of various contract beasts, each with a detailed description.
Ke Xin, sensing Lu Fei’s confusion, explained, "The contract beasts sold in the store are forcibly captured by the Beast Taming Corps. Although they have been tamed, they still pose a danger of injury. Therefore, the shops keep them in special, free-roaming spaces. Customers only get to see their physical forms when they express interest."
Lu Fei nodded as if suddenly enlightened, then turned to ask, "And what is this Beast Taming Corps you speak of?"
Ke Xin replied, "Well... the Beast Taming Corps is a bit like the mercenary tamers of the Beast Tamer Association, only they are a civilian organization."
Lu Fei mused that this was akin to one being an independent entrepreneur while the other worked for someone else.
Just then.
A middle-aged woman, of a voluptuous build, emerged from the contract beast specialty store.
"My, my, such handsome young man and beautiful young lady, come in and take a look!"
Lu Fei turned his head, his expression peculiar.
He had heard such a welcoming cry on television before, from the madams of brothels. "Oh, my lord, the girls here are so lovely, all newly arrived!"
"Shopkeeper, do you have any recommended contract beasts?" Lu Fei inquired.
The middle-aged woman smiled coyly, "Come in and browse, I guarantee you'll be satisfied~"
As she spoke, she winked at Lu Fei.
Lu Fei shivered. He wasn't susceptible to such overtures, but the power behind the proprietress's glance was no less than a bolt from the blue.
Following that, the two entered the store with the middle-aged woman.
The proprietress was extremely enthusiastic. Pointing to a contract beast model with three tails, she introduced, "This is the Tri-tailed Phantom Cat. Don't let its petite size fool you; in a real battle, it's incredibly fierce. Its abilities are on par with a B-class contract beast!"
Lu Fei, listening to the proprietress's flowery description, felt no inclination to purchase. He was indifferent to this particular contract beast.
Conversely, Ke Xin beside him seemed excited. "When I was choosing my first contract beast, I was choosing between the Tri-tailed Phantom Cat and the Shadowless Cat. Brother Fei, why don't you get a Tri-tailed Phantom Cat?"
Lu Fei pinched the bridge of his nose, thinking, *Xin Xin, if you buy things like this, the proprietress will want to worship you.*
As expected, the proprietress immediately said, "Indeed! Handsome sir, look how discerning your girlfriend is!"
Upon hearing this.
Ke Xin's face turned crimson. Her hands fidgeted as if unsure where to place them, and she murmured so softly that only she could hear, "Not yet."
Lu Fei gave the proprietress a somewhat helpless look.
"Proprietress, before you started selling contract beasts, were you perhaps a matchmaker?"
The middle-aged woman's expression immediately changed, a mixture of surprise and joy.
She exclaimed excitedly, "Oh! This handsome young man is so perceptive!"
Lu Fei curled his lips, too lazy to engage in further banter. He had just guessed randomly and surprisingly hit the mark.
He then walked further inside on his own.
He spotted a model of a contract beast that was tall and resembled an ape, but with a horn on its head.
The proprietress promptly introduced, "This is the Golden Horned Ape. Although it only has one evolutionary path, its initial form has already reached B-class rarity. If it evolves into the Immovable Golden Ape, it will be a contract beast comparable to S-class rarity!"
"Initial form?" Lu Fei muttered softly, searching his mind but finding no related memories.
He couldn't help but think how inadequate the original owner's knowledge base was.
After a moment of silence, Lu Fei asked, "Proprietress, what do you mean by initial form?"
The proprietress paused for a moment but quickly resumed her enthusiastic and eager expression. "This handsome sir is such a joker. Of course, the initial form is the lowest grade of a contract beast. When a contract beast evolves, it becomes an evolved form. Of course, some contract beasts have secondary evolved forms."
Lu Fei nodded and said, "How many times can a contract beast evolve at most?"
When Lu Fei asked this question, the proprietress's expression shifted to one of mild displeasure.
*Do they not teach you such basic knowledge in school? You're such a slacker!* the proprietress thought inwardly.
She subtly shifted her gaze, using a feather duster to wipe the dust off the model. "Generally, contract beasts commonly possess two evolutionary paths. However, there are some special existences. For instance, the initial form of the Infant Wolf can evolve into the Heavenly Mandate Beast, the Heavenly Mandate Beast can undergo secondary evolution into the Four-Winged Heavenly Mandate, and the Four-Winged Heavenly Mandate can ultimately evolve into a third-stage evolved form, the Eight-Winged Heavenly Mandate!"
Lu Fei frowned slightly. "Does this mean that the more evolved forms a contract beast has, the stronger it is?"
The proprietress waved her hand. "Of course not. Some contract beasts are incredibly powerful even if they only have one form."
Her voice trailed off as she contemplated what example to use.
After a moment, her eyes lit up with sudden inspiration. "Have you heard of Master Chu Huainan, who recently visited our Cang Town Beast Taming Academy?"
Lu Fei's expression turned strange. Yes, he had certainly heard of him, and they were on quite good terms.
Lu Fei nodded.
The proprietress's eyes shone with immense admiration. She excitedly continued, "Master Chu's renowned contract beast, the **Qiong Qi**, is a contract beast with only one form. However, its combat power far surpasses that of many contract beasts with three evolved forms!"
"Hiss..."
Lu Fei couldn't help but gasp, recalling the fragrant chunks of meat over the campfire.
To conceal his awkwardness, Lu Fei walked towards the back of the display window, attempting to lose the proprietress.
However, the middle-aged woman followed him.
Every time Lu Fei paused, she would tirelessly introduce another one.
After browsing for about half an hour, the proprietress had introduced no less than a dozen types of contract beasts.
But Lu Fei had not been impressed by any of them.
Lu Fei's gaze settled on a contract beast model that resembled a large eagle. This particular contract beast seemed somewhat familiar.
"Handsome sir, you have excellent taste. This contract beast is called the **Silver Crested Eagle**. It is an evolved form of the **Silver Spotted Eagle** and is an A-class rarity contract beast!"
The proprietress said mysteriously, "Handsome sir may not know this, but A-class rarity contract beasts possess exclusive traits. The Silver Crested Eagle's exclusive trait is **Tempered Armor**, which can negate a portion of incoming damage!"
Lu Fei's eyes lit up. He had focused on this contract beast because it strongly resembled the one he encountered during his battle with Chen Lei, and he wanted to confirm. He hadn't expected the proprietress to mention a new term: "trait"!
"How much is this **Silver Crested Eagle**?" Lu Fei asked.
After browsing all evening, he was finally asking about the price. The proprietress took a deep breath and said seriously,
"Very affordable, only 1 million!"