Unserious Beast Tamer

They found it hard to imagine how they would be laughed at and ridiculed by other Beast Masters if they contracted with such a Fire-tailed Bear and took it back with them.

"See, I told you the Pet Beasts at Green Bud all have issues." The youngster who hadn’t had a chance to express his opinion earlier let out a sigh of relief and then shrugged at his father.

"This..." The father was at a loss for words and could only shake his head, "Then let’s take a look at the next one..."

"No need to look further!" The boy waved his hand impatiently, "We might as well check out the nearby Wind and Cloud Base, where the Pet Beasts are pretty decent."

"All right." The father nodded and followed his son toward the exit.

Soon, in the entire living area of the Fire-tailed Bears, only Xu Ran, who spoke calmly, and Song Xuan, who was looking down and taking notes, remained.

"Although the Elemental State tail of the Fire-tailed Bear is very small and cannot be used as a means of attack, it serves a special function which is to help the Fire-tailed Bear sense the temperature of the surrounding environment, thereby indirectly sensing everything around it."

"This is considered a unique little ability of the Fire-tailed Bear besides its Talent Skills, but very few people realize this and actively help them develop it."

"If it’s never developed, the fire tail of the Fire-tailed Bear will become dull and insensitive, no longer able to use this ability."

"And the way to develop it is very simple, that is, to frequently expose the tail to relatively strong stimuli until this ability is completely solidified."

Xu Ran’s voice paused slightly, "Their current action of rubbing their tails against the Rock Wall is aimed at this."

"I see." Song Xuan, having finished taking notes, revealed an expression of realization, "No wonder..."

She stopped before finishing her sentence.

"No wonder what?" Xu Ran turned his head curiously to look at Song Xuan, only to find Song Xuan staring blankly in a certain direction.

Following Song Xuan’s gaze, Xu Ran’s face took on a surprised expression.

He saw a Fire-tailed Bear that was somewhat different from the others.

While the other Fire-tailed Bears had been active, this one hadn’t shown up. Now, as the other Fire-tailed Bears began to rub their tails, it stepped out, sat on a nearby boulder, and with both paws propped against its head, enviously watched its companions.

On its backside, it had a small tail different from the other Fire-tailed Bears—a tail of pure flesh and blood, not in the Elemental State.

Though its fur bore the same flame color as the other Fire-tailed Bears, it looked so out of place.

"What is this?" Xu Ran looked at Song Xuan in surprise.

"Number Six is a mutated Fire-tailed Bear," Song Xuan spread her hands, "It doesn’t have the characteristic flame tail of a Fire-tailed Bear, so it’s quite withdrawn, a bit of a loner."

Number Six was the nickname of this Fire-tailed Bear.

The Pet Beast Breeding Base reserved the right to name the Pet Beasts, allowing the Beast Master who took them away to give them a new name based on their own preferences and ideas.

"Based on what you just said, rubbing their tails is the way Fire-tailed Bears develop their special ability," Song Xuan sighed softly, "Perhaps because it has no fire tail, Number Six can’t develop its ability."

"Is that so? Well, that would indeed... Eh?" Xu Ran was about to say something when he suddenly saw Star walking step by step toward Number Six, the Fire-tailed Bear.

"Boss Xu, what is your Pet Beast doing?" Song Xuan asked with a puzzled look.

"It’s fine, let it be," Xu Ran shook his head and chuckled, probably understanding what Star was thinking.

Perhaps, in Number Six, it saw a glimpse of its former self.

"Let’s give them a moment to make friends."

-----------------

"Xi Lu?" (Aren’t you going to rub tails with your buddies?)

Star’s voice echoed in Number Six’s ear.

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Number Six jumped up, then after seeing Star, settled back down in its place.

"Luhou~" (You’re that human Beast Master’s Pet Beast, right?)

When it came out, Number Six had already seen Xu Ran and Song Xuan not far away, and it remembered the three Pet Beasts behind Xu Ran.

Noticing the inquiring look in Star’s eyes, Number Six shook its head in irritation.

"Luhou~" (I don’t have a fire tail, rubbing it would be useless.)

It responded dispiritedly and then turned its head away, clearly not wanting to continue discussing a topic that upset it.

Since its youth, it had been different from its fellows. Every time they rubbed their fire tails, it was left out, leading to frequent feelings of loss and increasingly becoming a loner.

Whatever, no fire tail, so be it!

Humph!

Looking at the defiant Number Six, Star’s eyes flickered with complex emotions. It gently tapped the other with its hoof and let out a soft neigh.

-----------------

"As the shell expands, the Flame Melting Turtle will gradually grow and become larger, which is an inevitable process it must go through."

"However, the shell of the vast majority of Flame Melting Turtles expands much quicker than their physical growth, resulting in overly heavy shells that severely impede their movement and normal life."

"Therefore, Flame Melting Turtles, kept as Pet Beasts, often need to go to the Foster Shop for Washing and Protection to remove those excessive sedimentary rocky shells," Xu Ran’s voice paused, "what these Flame Melting Turtles are doing right now serves a similar purpose."

"It may seem like frolicking, but it effectively removes the overly sedimentary material at the edges of their shells, keeping them in a better physical condition."

As he said this, a smile appeared on Xu Ran’s face, "If the Pet Beasts at your base were all so easy to take care of, the workload for Washing and Protection would decrease a lot; I’d have to give you a discount."