Chapter 1 Eyes Unblinking

Killing a hyena that couldn't even be considered a mutated beast didn't require him to blink, and his heart remained utterly calm.

Zhou Jing casually grabbed a large handful of weeds and wiped the blood off his hands. Suddenly, he felt a shift within him, and he noticed that the [Item Analysis Function] on the Apostle interface had lit up.

He glanced at the panel information, and a description of the item popped up.

[A clump of bloodstained grass]

[Type: Plant, Weed]

[Rarity: Ubiquitous]

[Description: Common wild grass, stained with blood from who knows who wiping their hands. Can be used to stave off hunger if you don't mind.]

[Crafting Value: Extremely low, can be used for medicinal purposes, weaving, kindling...]

"I'm not cattle or a horse; who would eat grass for no reason?"

Zhou Jing mentally scoffed, playing with the grass as he tested the [Item Analysis Function].

This auxiliary function could directly display information about an object. In addition to a brief description, it could also query more detailed parameters, such as weight, density, volume, and so on.

It not only allowed him to quickly understand unfamiliar items but also provided a unique advantage in manual manufacturing, directly achieving the level of an eighth-grade fitter with precision comparable to a machine.

"This function is perfect for a technician. In this world of hand-crafted black technology, it's simply a divine skill."

Zhou Jing was full of novelty, grabbing grass, grabbing soil, and even not letting the hyena's corpse off the hook, messing around with everything around him before finally stopping after a while.

His nostrils twitched as he smelled the scent of blood spreading. He didn't stay where he was. He identified the direction of the sun, strode forward, and opened the panel to check his current attributes.

[Star Realm Apostle: Bill (Number 003)]

[Attributes: Physique 18, Resistance 14, Perception 10, Spirit 7, Energy 0]

[Aptitudes: Knowledge [Blue], Pharmacology [Blue], Eloquence [Dark Green], Crafting [Green], Affinity with Nature [Green]...]

[Talents: [Thirst for Knowledge], [Apothecary]]

[Auxiliary Functions: [Pet Function], [Item Analysis Function]]

"The starting attributes and aptitudes of Apostle Number Three are much better. Plus, I've roughly figured out the situation in this world, so early development shouldn't encounter too many difficulties... At most, I need to learn the language. Although there's no skill to enhance it, I've basically mastered the northern dialect of the Terra Empire. I've deliberately spoken a large number of words, so everyday phrasing and sentence construction shouldn't be a problem. This time, I can also learn the southern dialect, especially since I have the eloquence aptitude."

"It shouldn't be far from here to the royal capital. First, I'll find Jason to see what form the placement of the Apostle takes. Later, I'll find a way to become a pharmacist's apprentice in the royal capital."

Zhou Jing calculated his plan as he walked.

The Number Three Star Realm Apostle, Bill, was taking a technical route, and one of his life goals was to "establish a monopoly-level industry." His biggest competitor was actually the lord, and the larger the city, the harder it was to accomplish. The royal capital was the most difficult.

The reason for deploying here was that he had no plans to pursue a life goal in the short term. He came to the royal capital to learn knowledge... To make money, you had to have a skill first.

Ideally, he could join the Imperial Workshop, but he had asked Jason, and most of the Imperial Workshop's apprentices were cultivated from a young age. External recruitment only accepted elites with advanced apothecary skills.

Fortunately, the royal capital was prosperous, and there were many pharmacy shops. He could find a teacher from the common people, as long as their level was decent. Relying on his own aptitudes and advantages, he could quickly master the skills once he had a foundation.

"As an outsider, it's not that easy to become someone's apprentice. Pharmacists won't easily impart their means of making a living, so I'll have to pave the way with money... It seems I'll have to borrow some money from Jason."

Zhou Jing was pondering silently when suddenly his ears twitched, and he heard a creature approaching from the side. He turned to look and spotted another hyena in the grass.

There really are a lot of wild beasts around here... It's also a coincidence that mutated beast hunters only hunt mutated beasts. These kinds of wild beasts aren't their targets, and they wouldn't make a special trip for them.

Therefore, wild beasts occasionally appear in the outer suburbs of the royal capital, threatening the residents or pedestrians of the attached towns. Usually, it wasn't until ordinary hunters or guards were dispatched that they were wiped out.

The hyena-like beast bared its teeth and growled in its throat. It didn't immediately pounce but circled Zhou Jing warily, tentatively approaching him from behind.

"Trying to get at my rear?"

Zhou Jing subconsciously tightened his gluteus maximus, feeling a chill.

This kind of beast not only looked like an animal he had seen on Earth, but even its habits were similar.

Although he was a bit disgusted... it was perfect for experimenting with the [Pet Function].

Without another word, he turned and lunged.

The hyena was on guard and tried to dodge, but its speed was much slower than Zhou Jing's. In the next moment, its neck was pinned by a large hand and slammed to the ground.

"Wuwuwu—"

The hyena couldn't help but whimper in panic and struggle.

Zhou Jing controlled his strength and slapped the hyena twice, then gave it a kind smile.

"Little baby, lie down obediently and don't struggle, or I'll have to beat you to death."

He hadn't learned any technical taming methods.

But physical taming was something everyone was born with.

Whether it was due to his affinity with nature or fear, the hyena was indeed deeply moved.

Then it didn't dare to move.

Seeing this, Zhou Jing released his hand.

The hyena rolled over and sat up, tucking its tail between its legs and squatting on the spot, looking around and constantly licking its lips. From time to time, it pitifully glanced at Zhou Jing, wanting to escape but not daring to.

If it were a pet dog, it would be quite cute, but unfortunately, it was an animal he had seen on Earth... It looked ugly no matter how you looked at it, and it stank.

Zhou Jing suppressed his disgust, put on a smile, and opened his palm.

"That's right, let's shake hands and be good friends."

The hyena looked at the outstretched palm, trying to understand, lost in thought.

After thinking for a few seconds, it turned around, preparing to lay a turd in Zhou Jing's hand to provide him with food.

Zhou Jing: "..."

Hey! Demon, take this!

Smack!!

"Wuwuwu!"

Three seconds later, the hyena returned to its original sitting posture, shivering in front of Zhou Jing, with a large tuft of fur missing from its head.

"Paw," Zhou Jing said, his smile unchanged, his forehead bulging with veins.

The hyena fell into contemplation again.

In the end, the instinct for survival overcame the thought of biting him, and it hesitantly raised its paw, obediently placing it in Zhou Jing's palm.

At that moment, the panel reacted.

[Do you want to designate this beast as a pet?]

"Designate it and see," Zhou Jing said without hesitation.

Anyway, pets could be changed, so he'd make do for now.

[Designation successful... Current number of pets: 1/1]

[Pet: Spotted Hyena]

[Talents: Carrion Eating, Keen Sense of Smell]

[Advantage Tendencies: Teeth, Nose, Stamina]

[Skills: Biting Lv3, Rear Entry Lv3]

[Cultivation Potential: Extremely Low]

[Cultivation Level: 0]

[Affinity: 6/100]

[Training Level: 0/5]

[Overall Combat Power: First-Order]

"It's out," Zhou Jing said with joy, carefully exploring the pet panel and quickly getting a clue.

Talents were self-explanatory, no need to say more. Advantage tendencies were the prominent body parts and the direction it was good at. Targeted training in these directions could increase the level of related skills or learn new skills.

Cultivation potential represented the value and rarity of the creature, as well as the efficiency of increasing the cultivation level.

The cultivation level was increased through daily training, combat, killing enemies, and other activities, equivalent to a universal experience value, which could be used to increase skill levels, enhance advantage tendencies, strengthen a certain talent, etc., and was one of the most critical items.

Affinity was similar to favorability, capped at 100 points. The higher the affinity, the more cooperative the pet was and the more complex instructions it could execute, making training more efficient.

The training level was equivalent to the pet's "personal level." The maximum level varied depending on the potential. The higher the training level, the stronger the pet's basic attributes... The pet's specific attributes weren't displayed on the panel, but instead, the overall combat power was given, calculating skills, talents, attributes, and other factors to provide a current judgment of the combat power level.

The pet's overall combat power level was the same concept as a normal person's attribute level. The spotted hyena's overall combat power was first-order, meaning that its combat power didn't exceed the level of a first-order attribute.

"If I want to see specific values, it's not impossible. I just need to spend 10 Star Realm Points to detect it."

Zhou Jing nodded secretly, basically understanding the mechanism of the pet function.

He then looked at the hyena and found that after being designated as a pet, the hyena no longer fidgeted and tried to escape but still didn't dare to look him in the eye.

It must be because the affinity wasn't high enough.

"Well, it's a little ugly, but let's make do for now. I'll call you Little Black... uh, let's call you Little Black Number One. I don't think you'll live long."

Zhou Jing stroked his chin and casually gave it a name.

He got up and walked a few steps forward, then looked back and found that Little Black Number One had hesitantly followed, still looking fearful.

"Hey, this has really become 'starting with a dog'."

Seeing that the pet would follow, Zhou Jing stopped paying attention and went on his way.

After walking for a while, the person and the dog quickly arrived at the edge of the wilderness. The road was far away in sight, and following it would lead to the royal capital, Tarn City.

Zhou Jing was about to walk onto the road when he heard another rustling sound in the grass.

Swish, swish, swish...

He looked towards the source of the sound and saw three spotted hyenas wandering nearby had detected his scent and were rushing over in a frenzy.

Chapter 2 Little Black Number One's First Battle

"Seriously? Is the environment in the outer suburbs of the royal capital that bad now? Is this a hyena migration or something?"

Zhou Jing's mouth twitched, and he simply turned to face the enemy.

Soon, the three hyenas stopped not far away, facing Zhou Jing from a distance, circling and growling.

Little Black Number One seemed to be stimulated, took a few steps forward, stood in front of Zhou Jing, and howled a threatening warning at the three enemies.

The three hyenas paused, a little confused.

... What's going on? We're all hyenas. Why are you yelling at us?

Seeing this, Zhou Jing's eyes suddenly lit up.

That's right, pets seem to get experience from killing enemies.

"I've decided, Little Black Number One! Give me a one-on-three!"

Zhou Jing casually pointed at the three hyenas, full of spirit.

Little Black Number One couldn't help but look back at Zhou Jing.

Although it was just a dog, its eyes revealed a human-like disbelief, as if to say, "Are you serious?"

At this time, a hyena on the side saw a flaw in its turning action and suddenly rushed up.

"Here it comes, Little Black Number One, use Ram!"

What Ram? I don't know how!

Little Black Number One was still confused when it suddenly felt its body lighten, and it was actually scooped up in Zhou Jing's arms.

Before its dog brain could think it through, it realized that it was flying, actually being thrown out by a huge force.

Bang!!

Two dogs collided, resulting in one death and one injury.

[Your pet has killed an enemy, gaining 2 Cultivation Points]

"It works!"

Zhou Jing's eyes lit up.

He ran to Little Black Number One, who was struggling to stand up, in three steps and grabbed its dog leg without another word.

"Wuwuwu!"

What! Are! You! Doing!

In Little Black Number One's terrified howl, Zhou Jing directly swung it around.

The other two hyenas were frightened by this strange scene... Anyone who saw their kind being used as a weapon by the enemy would panic.

But they didn't escape. The two hyenas were caught up by Zhou Jing and smashed to death one by one with the "Little Black Number One Hammer," collecting heads.

Smack! Smack!

[Your pet has gained 4 Cultivation Points]

The results were remarkable. Zhou Jing looked at the three hyena corpses with his hands on his hips, nodding in satisfaction.

What's the matter? I really have a knack for taming beasts.

As long as I help it grind a little, won't it be able to quickly increase its pet strength? Wonderful!

Of course, the force is mutual.

Even if Zhou Jing used some skill, Little Black Number One was also seriously injured and on its last breath.

[Your pet's Affinity has decreased, currently at 1/100]

"Huh, it hasn't gone down to zero even like this? Are you a simp?"

Zhou Jing looked at Little Black Number One's miserable state, feeling calm and not at all sorry.

... This is a beast that wanted to get at his rear. If he wasn't strong enough, he would have already been castrated. How could he feel guilty? It was already good that he hadn't killed this thing.

"Okay, since you're not dead, I'll take you with me for now. When I've finished my studies, I'll heal you."

Zhou Jing shrugged, casually treating Little Black Number One's injuries, then carried it on his shoulders and continued on his way.

Little Black Number One's dog face was numb.

Please, just let me go!

...

After trekking for half a day, Zhou Jing, carrying the bleeding hyena, passed through one attached town after another under the strange gazes of passersby, and finally came to the Imperial Hunter's residence.

The Number Three Apostle, Bill, was an unfamiliar face and was stopped by the guards at the entrance of the residence.

"Who are you? What are you here for?"

The guard routinely questioned, couldn't help but look at Zhou Jing... especially the hyena he was carrying on his shoulder.

What kind of style is this?

Zhou Jing politely said, "I just came to the royal capital to find a hunter I know. Can you help me report it?"

"Yes, who are you looking for? I'll have someone notify them," the guard nodded.

"I'm looking for Jason. Is there such a person here? He should be an Imperial Hunter now, right?"

"We have that person. Wait a moment," the guard agreed, not suspecting anything else.

He was just a messenger, and it was normal for hunters to know someone.

Zhou Jing waited, suppressing his uneasy mood. Before long, three figures walked out of the residence.

In addition to Jason and his inseparable Ross, Cole also curiously followed.

Zhou Jing paused... there were outsiders here, so he had to be careful.

It was his first time using another Apostle to contact a placed Apostle, and he wasn't clear on the mechanism yet, so he felt a little uncertain.

Soon, the three came to Zhou Jing.

"Jason, this is the person looking for you," the guard said respectfully.

Jason nodded, looking at Zhou Jing without speaking.

Zhou Jing blinked, tentatively said, "That... do you remember me?"

"I remember," Jason nodded.

"Is this your friend?" Cole asked curiously from the side.

Having been together for a few months, he knew little about Jason's past. Today was the first time someone had come to visit him, so he put down his training and ran over to accompany him.

Jason was silent.

"Yes!" Seeing this, Zhou Jing took over the conversation, "I came from out of town. I had some dealings with Jason before."

After saying that, he paused, and seeing that Jason didn't react, he tentatively continued.

"Do you remember? Once when you were hunting, you were injured and passed out in the wild. I found you, took you home to heal, and we lived together for a while..."

"Yes, I remember you."

Jason continued to nod, saying very little, but he didn't refute anything Zhou Jing said.

Seeing this, Zhou Jing's courage grew a little, remembering the characteristics of the new Apostle, putting on a mercenary smile, rubbing his fingers, and said with a hehe:

"You told me that there were many opportunities in the royal capital, so I came to the royal capital too, planning to get rich here. This time I'm looking for you because I want to borrow some funds..."

"How much do you want?" Jason asked calmly.

"Hehe, of course, the more the better!"

Isn't this taking advantage of kindness...? Cole looked at Zhou Jing's greedy face and felt a little disgusted, but as an outsider, he couldn't say anything.

He thought that Jason's friend was coming, so Cole followed out of curiosity. Now that he realized it was just someone shamelessly asking for money, he lost interest in watching.

"You guys talk first, I'm going back to training."

Cole greeted Jason, and after receiving Jason's nod in response, he returned to the residence on his own.

Seeing that the others had left, Zhou Jing finally put away the mercenary face he had deliberately made and pulled Jason to the side.

Jason didn't refuse, letting Zhou Jing lead him.

After walking to a secluded place where no one was paying attention, Zhou Jing finally breathed a sigh of relief and studied the situation of the placed Apostle. Before long, he had an idea.

As long as the Apostle he was personally controlling came into close contact with other placed Apostles, he could command them with verbal orders. This was basically the same as the follower function.

And when he came into contact with the placed Apostle, he could also read the other party's experience log, just like touching a follower.

But the difference was that Jason's performance to the outside world was still the placement plan, not as rigid and dull as a follower.

There was a sense between the Star Realm Apostles, which was reflected on the mini-map. In the same world, the Star Realm Apostles could see each other's positions on the map and could issue a call signal to make other Apostles move to their own location on their own, but they couldn't give detailed instructions from a distance... meaning that they could only call people over, but they couldn't remotely command others to do things.

During the descent, he couldn't directly switch the Apostles he was personally controlling. Only when he returned to the space for preparation before crossing could he re-select the body he would descend his consciousness into this time.

"Equivalent to a special follower with a high level of intelligence, capable of executing complex plans, usually independent, and completely obedient when in close contact..."

Zhou Jing felt happy.

Although he couldn't command the placed Apostles from a distance, and could only give verbal instructions like a normal person, it was already very useful.

After all, they were essentially himself, and the priority of obeying his own orders was higher than the placement plan.

This made many things easier...

Zhou Jing relaxed, and his mind immediately turned to a large number of uses. Then he smiled and said:

"Let's go, give me three hundred silver coins, and then help me get into the royal capital!"