Jiang Xing had already learned about the rewards that came with the Researcher title from his senior sister.
At that moment, he didn't ask any further questions. Instead, he curiously asked, "What about Mythical Pet Beasts from other regions? Are those an option too?"
Zheng Xiao nodded.
"Other than the God of Light from the Kingdom of Light, the Star God from the Nation of Stars, and the Nightmare God from the Eternal Night Kingdom... any other Mythical Pet Beast is fine."
The God of Light, the Star God, the Nightmare God...
These were all Mythical Pet Beasts recorded in history textbooks, figures generally regarded as leaning toward "lawful evil."
Unlike most Mythical Pet Beasts, which understood that Earth had originally been humanity's home and that they themselves were outsiders from another world—maintaining friendly relations with humanity and favoring cooperation between the two worlds to prepare for future disasters—
These few Mythical Pet Beasts belonged to the "only I matter" type.
They cared little about humanity and instead sought to dominate and occupy this new world.
Although their small numbers had led to them getting beaten up by other Mythical Pet Beasts and forced to behave somewhat better, they still hadn't changed their attitudes. They continued ruling their own territories and had never joined the World Beast Tamer Association.
The meaning behind Zheng Xiao's words was obvious—
As long as a Mythical Pet Beast was friendly, China could use the Beast Tamer Association to communicate with other countries and regions and trade for the corresponding divine beast blessings.
It would probably cost a lot more, though...
China had a vast population, enormous territory, and the largest number of Mythical Pet Beasts.
The Azure Dragon, Xuanwu, Phoenix, White Tiger, and Qilin—five Mythical Pet Beasts in total.
Together they covered numerous attributes, including wood-dragon, water-earth, fire-phoenix, metal-fighting, and wind-psychic, guarding the four corners of the land.
They could satisfy most attribute requirements on their own. There was little reason to seek help from afar.
Jiang Xing first ruled out the blessings that were easiest to obtain—the Azure Dragon's and the Qilin's.
Originally, he planned to choose the Phoenix, letting Inky broaden her horizons while he was at it.
But then he remembered that the system's "Keystone hint" had pointed toward Xuanwu's Water Blessing.
What if choosing a different blessing meant losing the Keystone function?
The words reached his lips, but to be safe, he changed them.
"I choose Xuanwu. Water attribute."
"Fire is clearly the most passionate and explosive power there is, yet every one of you picks water... Old Xu really corrupted all of you."
Zheng Xiao complained before summoning an orange winged fire dragon and taking Jiang Xing out of Beijing City.
In the blink of an eye, they arrived deep within the Bohai Sea, nearly 500 kilometers away.
He landed on an uninhabited island and pulled a conch horn from his robes.
Gently, he blew into it.
"Woooo~~"
An invisible force carried the sound deep into the ocean.
Moments later, the sea surged.
A colossal turtle shell, as large as an island, rose from the depths.
Behind it extended a black serpent that resembled both a dragon and a flood dragon, vast enough to blot out the sky.
It lowered its head.
Within its enormous eyes was neither coldness nor malice, only the boundless tolerance of the sea itself.
A voice echoed directly within their minds.
{Why have you summoned me?}
So this was how the authorities usually contacted Mythical Pet Beasts and communicated with them?
Experiencing a divine beast summoning firsthand and seeing Zheng Xiao's respectful yet formal attitude, Jiang Xing suddenly understood why Uncle Dragon had ended up as a lonely old dragon who couldn't even get a hot meal anymore...
The more polite and businesslike the relationship became, the easier it was for communication between humans and Pet Beasts to grow distant.
Even if Uncle Dragon wanted to say something, he'd probably feel too embarrassed to bring it up.
Of course, Jiang Xing could also understand why Zheng Xiao—and the government as a whole—treated them with such courtesy.
The only reason he had managed to break through that sense of distance with the Azure Dragon was because of the little Qilin and the opportunity created by the Fairy attribute.
But now, standing before the legendary Xuanwu and witnessing its godlike might and imposing presence firsthand—
Jiang Xing really didn't dare speak casually. He was worried about offending this godlike being.
Instead, Xuanwu looked toward him. Its gaze was gentle and warm as it took the initiative to speak.
{Human genius, I can sense the Azure Dragon's favor and the Qilin's aura upon you. Are you their chosen one?}
As Xuanwu's voice echoed out, the sea churned.
Countless streams of azure water power gathered together.
A deep-blue gemstone, shaped like a droplet of water, materialized out of thin air, rippling with surging Water-type power.
At the same time, sand and stone rose into the air as deep-brown Earth-type power gathered, condensed, and compressed.
It transformed into a dark-brown gemstone resembling solid rock, containing the steady power of earth.
The two gemstones flew out together and landed in Jiang Xing's palm.
"These are..." Not only Jiang Xing, even Zheng Xiao's eyes widened.
He had only provided enough resources for a single blessing. How had it become two Blessing Gems?
{The Azure Dragon and the Qilin have acknowledged you. They must have great expectations for your future.}
{I, too, cherish this planet and these seas. I do not wish for this world to repeat the mistakes of the past.}
{Humanity, continue growing stronger. I look forward to the day we can fight side by side...}
The ocean surged.
The island-sized turtle shell sank back into the depths of the sea.
Only its voice remained, echoing in the minds of the two men.
Zheng Xiao suddenly understood.
Compared to humans, these Mythical Pet Beasts possessed a far stronger sense of crisis.
Humans could only learn about the other world through ruins and historical accounts.
These beings had truly experienced it.
Some had even escaped from the apocalypse itself, personally witnessing the destruction of heaven and earth. They had never stopped being wary of the future.
That was why, upon meeting a human research genius like Jiang Xing—someone who had also earned the recognition of other divine beasts—Xuanwu had not hesitated to offer its power and forge a positive connection.
"Even though I'd heard the stories before, your appeal to divine beasts is still ridiculously strong," Zheng Xiao said with amazement.
"...Actually, it's all thanks to the little Qilin," Jiang Xing argued.
That's right.
Being favored by divine beasts was all because of a divine beast cub...
And why exactly had that divine beast cub taken a liking to you without even forming a contract?
Zheng Xiao merely smiled, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
"I understand. I understand. I won't go around talking nonsense."
"Still, if the country ever faces a crisis in the future, I hope you'll do us a favor and ask the divine beasts to lend a hand."
"A crisis?" Jiang Xing asked blankly.
Zheng Xiao sighed.
"Since ancient times, Mythical Pet Beasts have been unwilling to interfere in humanity's internal conflicts. Even destruction and reconstruction are no different to them..."
"To them, it's simply a matter of humanity changing leaders."
"But you know as well as I do—people don't all think alike."
"Even today, there are still ambitious individuals who dream of restoring the old dynasties. Some harbor ambitions that are even more outrageous."
"Compared to an apocalypse that may arrive someday, they're the threat right in front of us."
"Of course, we'll deal with those threats ourselves. But we can't guarantee victory one hundred percent of the time."
"If something completely unforeseen happens, we'd still hope the divine beasts could serve as our last line of defense."
Was Zheng Xiao talking about evil organizations?
Jiang Xing had always assumed they had been completely crushed and no longer posed any real threat.
Yet coming from the mouth of a Legendary Beast Tamer, they suddenly sounded far more dangerous.
Fortunately, he wasn't a Beast Tamer—
Jiang Xing was a researcher. Even in a critical moment, nobody would expect him to fight personally.
Calling on divine beasts and cashing in favors would already be the absolute limit of what he could do.
He had no need to worry about such things.
Jiang Xing quickly pushed the matter aside and tightened his grip on the two Blessing Gems, excitement shining in his eyes.
A perfect-quality Keystone had successfully fallen into his hands—
And it even came with a buy-one-get-one-free bonus!
On top of that, the gems granted immunity and affinity for two entirely new attributes, along with control over earth and water.
Feeling the heavy, powerful forces of water and earth flowing through him, Jiang Xing suddenly had a thought.
'Four attribute immunities, enhanced physical abilities, and elemental control...'
'So it turns out I've become the most overpowered buff package of all?'
…
Note:
Well, this is where the journey ends.
The original author hasn't updated the novel for a long time, and at this point it doesn't seem likely that the story will continue.
It's a shame; we never got to see where the story was ultimately headed, or how all the loose ends would have come together.
Thank you to everyone who followed the series, left comments, pointed out mistakes, and supported the project along the way.
Thank you for reading.
See you in the next series.