"Alright." Qiao Sang nodded without hesitation.

Lately, she had been doing missions or treating terminally ill patients late at night, so her sense of time was already different from most people.

To her, anything before 3 a.m. wasn’t late.

"Then I’ll get going. The earlier you go, the earlier you’ll get back." Pirite said as he casually flagged down a taxi.

No. 350, Facang Street… Qiao Sang looked at the address on the mission details page and tapped to navigate.

"Beginning navigation…"

The voice prompt rang out as Gangbao flapped her wings and was about to press the lightweight miniaturization bracelet.

Seeing this, Qiao Sang quickly called out, "Wait!"

"Gang Slice?" Gangbao stopped and turned to look at her, puzzled.

Qiao Sang said, "Let Yabao do it."

Gangbao: …

So... she thinks I'm too hard to ride.

In just one second, Gangbao understood exactly what her beast master was thinking.

"Yap!"

Yabao, on the other hand, simply thought he was chosen because of his speed. Full of fighting spirit, he grew larger, determined to give his beast master a ride she wouldn’t forget.

His eyes glowed blue as he used telekinesis to place Qiao Sang on his back.

Then, pushing off with all four limbs, he left a red streak in the air as he shot upward.

---

Ten minutes later.

Facang Street.

On both sides of the road were colorful standalone villas, each with shining floor-to-ceiling windows and small front gardens, elegant and cozy.

Qiao Sang climbed down from Yabao, straightened her wind-blown hair, and rang the doorbell at No. 350.

With the chime, the front door opened.

A blonde, blue-eyed woman in her 40s with slightly high cheekbones poked her head out.

"Who are you looking for?"

Qiao Sang introduced herself: "I’m the beast master who took the mission. I contacted you earlier."

The woman glanced at Qiao Sang and Gangbao, then her gaze settled on Yabao. She stepped aside.

"Come in."

Qiao Sang took off her shoes and stepped inside.

At that moment, the woman noticed her backpack and frowned slightly.

Still carrying a schoolbag? She’s way too young…

But curiosity about the fire-type pet won out, and she suppressed her judgment: "What kind of fire-type pet is that? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it before."

Though she didn’t know the name, the color and flame wings made it obvious he was fire-type.

"It’s called Fire Qilu. It’s a pet from Blue Star." Qiao Sang answered.

"Yap!"

Yabao let out a cry as a greeting.

Blue Star’s pet? The woman’s eyes lit up, her attitude softening. She gestured to the sofa: "Have a seat."

Qiao Sang sat down on the couch.

The woman settled into a nearby armchair and, still eyeing Yabao, said, "To be honest, 11 beast masters have already come for this mission, and none could melt the Flame Ink Gold."

Qiao Sang responded, "My Fire Qilu has several fire-type skills that have reached the Ultimate level."

The woman paused, clearly surprised, and her tone became warmer: "The more proficient a fire skill is, the higher the temperature it can produce. But if the high heat comes only from proficiency, and not the pet’s natural flame temperature, it still might not be enough. Two of those 11 beast masters also had pets with Ultimate-level fire skills."

By now, Qiao Sang had been studying at Yulianton University long enough to catch up on a lot of theory, so she understood what the client meant.

To raise the temperature of a fire-type skill, besides proficiency and high-level skills, it also depended on the pet’s innate racial traits or the use of temperature-enhancing materials during training.

If two fire pets had the same race and skill proficiency, the one who had used heat-boosting materials would produce higher-temperature flames.

If the two pets were of different races but had equal skill proficiency, then the pet whose race naturally generated hotter fire would have the upper hand in battle.

Yabao had mainly focused on training his proficiency, he hadn’t taken many materials to boost his flame temperature… Qiao Sang said: "My Fire Qilu has a high-level fire skill that’s reached Ultimate level."

That truly shocked the woman.

An Ultimate-level, high-tier fire skill… from such a young beast master? It just didn’t compute.

She hesitated, then asked, "It’s not one of those fire skills with explosion effects, right?"

Not Illusion Flame… Qiao Sang quickly reviewed Yabao’s skill list in her head and replied, "No."

"Mind telling me which skill it is?" The woman asked, still cautious.

"Illusion Flame." Qiao Sang answered.

"Wait here!" The woman didn’t say anything more. She grabbed her phone and briskly walked over to the window to make a call.

A minute later, she returned and headed to the open kitchen to make coffee. As she worked, she said: "I just had someone bring over the Flame Ink Gold. I usually work outside, so I don’t leave something that expensive at home."

No wonder she had asked so many questions. She must’ve been worried about wasting another attempt… Qiao Sang nodded slightly.

"I understand."

Soon, the woman returned with two cups of coffee.

Qiao Sang accepted one with thanks.

But before she could take more than a sip, the doorbell rang.

The woman got up and opened the door. Outside stood a man in a bodyguard uniform.

He handed over a metal box without saying a word and turned to leave.

The woman closed the door, lifted the metal box, and gestured to Qiao Sang: "The Flame Ink Gold is here. Let’s go outside."

So efficient… Qiao Sang thought, took another sip of coffee, then followed her to the backyard.

The metal box had a password lock.

The woman entered the code, and the box opened to reveal a golden-red, fist-sized chunk of metal.

So this is Flame Ink Gold… Qiao Sang couldn’t help thinking about her unlimited card.

If only her card hadn’t expired, she wouldn’t need to take on missions for materials like this...

She shook off the thought before her heart could ache.

The woman didn’t take the metal out but simply placed the open box on the ground and nodded: "You can begin."

Qiao Sang looked at the box hesitantly.

"Won’t it get damaged?"

The woman smiled: "The box is made from flame-retardant metal, fireproof. Just go ahead."

Relieved, Qiao Sang nodded at Yabao: "Use Illusion Flame."

"Yap!"

Yabao stepped forward, opened his mouth, and fired a stream of invisible flame into the box.

Because the range was small, there wasn’t an immediate noticeable rise in temperature.

However, it was clearly visible that the Flame Ink Gold was now distorted and warped.

That kind of distortion only occurred under intense scorching.

The woman, seemingly aware that Flame Ink Gold couldn’t be melted so quickly, began chatting: "Do you mind if I ask why you contracted a pet from Blue Star?"

"Because I’m from Blue Star." Qiao Sang replied.

An immigrant? The woman was momentarily stunned, but then seemed to realize something. She looked at Gangbao with interest and asked, "Is that one also from Blue Star?"

She clearly doesn’t follow the news... Gangbao and Yabao had both been trending on Chaosu Star before. Qiao Sang kept her expression calm and answered, "It’s called Steel-Slash Giant Falcon. It’s a pet from Chaosu Star."

The woman frowned, her gaze falling on the lightweight miniaturization bracelet on Gangbao’s claw.

"What’s the base form of Steel-Slash Giant Falcon?"

"It’s Little Steel Falcon." Qiao Sang replied.

The woman stared at Gangbao in disbelief, scrutinizing her again and again.

"Since when did Little Steel Falcon have an evolved form?"

Qiao Sang coughed lightly and said, "Just a few months ago. She evolved through bond evolution."

Bond evolution for Little Steel Falcon?

At that moment, the woman finally realized this black-haired girl in front of her might not be ordinary. After a pause, she suddenly said: "My son studies at Zhizhou University, researching how to push pets beyond their limits. Steel-Slash Giant Falcon is a new form, so her next evolutionary path should still be unknown. Maybe my son’s research could help her evolve to the next stage. Want me to give you his contact? You two could talk about it."

As she spoke, her eyes flicked over Qiao Sang’s face and the school backpack she carried.

"Maybe you two will be schoolmates in the future."

Qiao Sang hesitated slightly.

"I’m currently a student at Yulianton University."

A strange silence fell over the area.

Qiao Sang instantly picked up that the task client no longer wanted to talk.

Time passed slowly.

Inside the metal box, the Flame Ink Gold continued to burn.

"Yap…"

Yabao stared at the Flame Ink Gold. Seeing that it had only melted a little after such a long time, he couldn’t help but open his mouth and add another blast of Illusion Flame.

As expected, it’s hard to melt… Qiao Sang thought silently.

"Yap!"

Yabao, impatient as always, turned to his beast master and cried out, suggesting whether he should just use his ultimate move.

If you use Lava Purgatory or Meteor Rain, the client’s house will burn down... Qiao Sang complained inwardly, but outwardly she soothed him:

"No need. The Flame Ink Gold is starting to melt. Let’s wait a bit longer."

"Yap…"

Since his beast master said so, Yabao could only hold back.

At last, the woman spoke again: "If your Fire Qilu had been trained to increase his fire-type energy temperature regularly, combined with an Ultimate-level Illusion Flame, he should’ve been able to melt Flame Ink Gold much faster."

"Yap…"

Yabao’s ears perked up as he thoughtfully stared at the warping Flame Ink Gold under the Illusion Flame.

"He hasn’t really done any specific fire-temperature training." Qiao Sang said.

"You should consider starting it."

The woman suggested. She glanced at Yabao and added, "I’ve never seen other Fire Qilu before, but this one seems young and talented. Looks like he can handle the training."

"Yap!"

Yabao turned and called out firmly, his gaze determined.

He wanted to train!

Qiao Sang thought for 0.1 seconds, then nodded.

"Got it."

She smiled at Yabao.

"You’ll start training as soon as we get back."

"Yap!"

Yabao instantly lit up with excitement.

The Flame Ink Gold burned for over an hour before it fully turned into a golden-red liquid.

The woman, clearly satisfied, weighed out ten grams of the molten metal and handed it to Qiao Sang in a glass container.

"This is your reward."

"Thanks." Qiao Sang took it and headed toward the door to put on her shoes.

Just as she opened the door, she suddenly remembered something and turned back with a sheepish smile.

"Mind leaving me a five-star review?"

The woman blinked, then smiled: "Of course."

Qiao Sang stepped outside, waved her hand, and returned the sleeping Yabao to her beast master’s codex. She glanced silently in the direction where Gangbao was waiting.

Now you remember me, huh…

Without saying a word, Gangbao slowly expanded back to full size.

---

The next day, at sunrise.

Despite having worked all night, Qiao Sang woke up on time.

After a quick wash, she headed to the living room.

Teacher Pirite hadn’t gotten up yet. Only the vice principal and Gangbao were busy in the kitchen.

Qiao Sang pulled out a chair at the dining table and sat down. She suddenly thought of something and asked: "Vice Principal, are there any potions that can increase fire-type energy temperature?"

Liu Yao was pouring energy pills into a tray as he asked, "Planning to give them to Yabao?"

Qiao Sang hummed in agreement.

Liu Yao thought for a moment, then said: "There’s the Heat-Boosting Potion, Fire Cultivation Potion, and Fire-Washing Potion. These three are the most common ones on the market. But Chaosu Star is different from Blue Star. From what I’ve seen, here on Chaosu Star, only the Fire-Washing Potion is available under that name."

Fire-Washing Potion… Qiao Sang pulled out her phone, opened the browser, and searched: "Fire-Washing Potion price."

Soon, the page loaded with answers.

[Depends on grade. The most basic F-grade Fire-Washing Potion is 10,000 alliance coins, E-grade is around 30,000, D-grade 50,000, C-grade 100,000, B-grade 200,000, and A-grade is not openly sold, only available to selected clients.]

Yabao’s a General-level pet, so at the very least he needs C-grade. 100,000 alliance coins to boost all fire-type skill temperatures… not unreasonable… Qiao Sang mentally calculated as she read.

Just then, Liu Yao added: "These potions come in sets of 10 per treatment course, and it takes at least three courses to see results."

Ten per course… One course costs 1 million coins… Three courses… 3 million?!

No wonder she hadn’t noticed other fire-type pets suppressing Yabao’s fire skills before. Everyone must’ve been reluctant to spend that much.

Qiao Sang quickly did the math, and the familiar ache of wallet-related pain stabbed at her.

"So expensive…" sShe muttered aloud without meaning to.

Liu Yao paused and turned to her: "I can actually make Fire-Washing Potions myself. If we buy raw materials and make them, we might save a good amount. It’s just that some materials have the same effect but different names between Blue Star and Chaosu Star. I’ll need some time."

"No need." Qiao Sang quickly said.

"I was just saying it casually. I treated three patients last night, I already made enough money to buy them."

The vice principal had been cooking daily, making energy pills, and caring for both humans and pets without taking time for himself. She couldn’t bear to trouble him further.

Liu Yao chuckled and went back to work.

3 million coins isn’t a small amount. If it can be saved, who wouldn’t want to?

But he understood Qiao Sang wasn’t willing to bother him.

It was best to save money where she could. She only had one month left at Yulianton University, this was the time to spend her points.

Thinking that, Qiao Sang opened Yulianton’s official site, logged into her account, went to the mission release section, and typed: [Urgently seeking 30 bottles of Fire-Washing Potion, the higher the grade, the better.]

-----

T/n: Sorry for not updating dear readers😭. It was my damn mind playing with me. I actually thought that I already uploaded the chapters. I only realized I didn't even published the damn posts when I opened blogger🥹