It was almost evening. The sun shed its golden rays before it set, casting a long shadow behind Cao Yan.
Before leaving the association, Cao Yan went to return the two books and borrowed another two, "Everlasting Forest Survival Manual" and "The Face of The Known World", from the library.
As Cao Yan was about to enter the forest for 24 hours to complete his mission of capturing a demon pet, he had to read up on it first to get himself ready.
The association badge given to Cao Yan had storage capabilities. Although it did not have a large space, it was still convenient for him, as he could store the books there.
When Cao Yan returned to the shop, he saw two customers inside.
One of them was accompanied by the little sparrow, An Qing, but he kept glancing at Wang Li. His furtive actions made the little sparrow very unhappy.
The other customer was tall, big, and a little tan. He was saying something loudly, which no one could understand.
"Boss, this person appears to be a foreigner. He's such a boor. When he first entered, he didn't even know how to open the door and almost smashed it. We have no idea what he wants, and we can't understand him either. Thankfully the vix—your sister had the patience to listen to him."
The tall salesperson, Han Muyu, stood by the door. When she saw Cao Yan, she explained the situation to him softly and almost said Wang Li's nickname because of a Freudian slip. Under Cao Yan's glaring eyes, she blushed with embarrassment.
Therefore, one should never casually give others a nickname. Once you had a slip of the tongue, there went everything.
Cao Yan walked over and patted the strong man while telling Wang Li with a smile, "He wants to buy a large demon beast that can carry things. He doesn't need its level to be very high. What's important is that it must be capable and strong. He also said that you are the prettiest woman he has ever seen. You look like the moon forest goddess his village worships."
Wang Li was stunned. She was shocked that Cao Yan could actually understand the minority language of the man.
Next, Cao Yan started conversing with the man.
The moment he spoke, the other people in the shop were stupefied. It sounded just like the man's language.
Cao Yan had borrowed "Types of Languages in the World" from the association's library not too long ago. The new language he learned happened to be of use right now.
The little sparrow watched Cao Yan from close by with her eyes shining like the stars.
Yesterday, when the new boss took over this dying business, she thought he might be an idiot. Today, she was looking at him in a different light. He was no idiot. In fact, he might just be a genius. He was extremely good at making money. If there was anything bad about this new boss, it might be this vixen sister he had.
The boorish man, talking to the idiot-turned-genius, suddenly let out a thunderous laugh and nodded like a pecking chicken. One could easily tell that he was pleased as he followed Cao Yan to the counter where all the demon balls were displayed.
There were a total of 63 demon beasts on sale in the shop currently. Most of them were stage-one beasts. There were three stage-two beasts and only one stage-three beast.
Cao Yan knew the situation very well, as he had remembered it after one look.
He was currently introducing the man to the three stage-two beasts. One of them was the Pocket Armored Rhinoceros.
Cao Yan retrieved one of the demon balls from the display counter and held it in his hand. He then passed the man a small mirror.
This mirror was also a common item that could be found in demon pet shops. It functioned almost like a magnifying glass.
At the top of every demon ball, there would be a small "door" that would always be shut. It could be opened to check on the demon beast inside.
The man held the mirror and took a look at the demon ball. The demon beast in the space was magnified and presented clearly to the man.
The majority of the demon beasts were lazy. Staying in the demon ball would make them even more lethargic, so they would often sleep inside.
Of course, most demon beasts would continue to improve and level up even when they were sleeping. This was part of their natural gift.
The demon beast in the mirror was snoring, soundly asleep in the ball. Its body was more than five meters long and around two meters tall. It looked very much like a rhinoceros, but it had a large patterned armor on its back. There was also a ring of spiky bones around its thick neck, which would open and close like a pocket as it breathed.
This was a stage-two Pocket Armored Rhinoceros. It was a typical hardworking and robust demon beast.
After studying the beast, the man asked Cao Yan, "Is this Pocket Armored Rhinoceros a male or female?"
"Male. It's only half a year old, which is the best time to train and rear it. It is also very healthy," Cao Yan answered smoothly.
"That's great. I love male demon beasts. They are strong, and I can even use them for breeding." The man nodded and put the mirror closer to the demon ball to have a better look. After a while, he lifted his head and said, "It is a male indeed. Heh, this little fellow is only half a year old, yet its penis is already so big. I like it. Okay, I'll take it."
Cao Yan was stunned. So he spent all the time looking at that part? Shouldn't he consider the demon beast's feelings?
Usually, before a customer bought a demon beast, they would request to see the demon beast in the flesh, but the man just skipped this step.
A stage-two demon beast was quite expensive, and this Pocket Armored Rhinoceros cost 52 thousand. Including the price of a large spatial demon ball, the total sum would be 65 thousand.
However, the man paid readily and left in a jovial mood.
Once the man left, Cao Yan instructed the others to watch the shop while he brought Wang Li out. He had promised her that he would help her notify her family, so he could not go back on his words.
Wang Li lived in the southern part of Magic Metropolis. When the two arrived at her neighborhood, the sun had just set. The moon was hanging high in the sky, beautiful like a piece of art.
There were many ways in which people could travel around Magic Metropolis. After all, the level of civilization within the city was rather high.
The two traveled on a vehicle that moved along a track. This mechanism was invented by the Mechanics and was a little similar to the tram on Earth.
What baffled Wang Li was when they arrived at the southern area, instead of going straight to her house, Cao Yan brought her to loiter around crowded places.
Wang Li guessed that Cao Yan might have his reasons for doing so. Therefore, she followed him around without asking much.
"Do you have any item you always bring with you? You can pass it to your family so that they would believe us," said Cao Yan.
Wang Li took out a letter and the necklace with a white pearl pendant around her neck. "I wrote the letter last night. This pendant was given to me by my mother when I was young. I always have it with me. Once my family receives these, they would know that the letter came from me."
Cao Yan took the letter and the pendant. The pendant was made from ordinary material, but it carried the faint warmth and scent from Wang Li's body, making one feel a little tingle in one's heart.
The two were currently walking down a street in the southern area, with shops lining both sides of the street. Cao Yan brought Wang Li to a restaurant and chose a table by the window. "Are you hungry?"
Wang Li shook her head. An idea flashed across her mind, and she leaned forward, saying softly, "Did you get your demon pet that could turn into a shadow to go to my house?" Cao Yan had asked her for her specific address and even took a drop of blood from her just now. Wang Li didn't know what it was for at first, but now, she had some sort of idea.
After voicing her thoughts, Wang Li looked at Cao Yan intently with the hope of getting a positive reply.
Cao Yan glanced at Wang Li's bosom that appeared to be spilling out because of her position, making her blush. He said, "I thought you should have a chance to see your family, even if it's just from afar."
Cao Yan had indeed sent Eggy out, not just to deliver Wang Li's letter but to act as a tracking device.
He asked for a drop of Wang Li's blood so that Eggy could use her blood to accurately sense who was blood-related to Wang Li. Her family had to leave the house at some point in time. Eggy could tail them, while Cao Yan would use his spiritual connection with Eggy to get the location of Wang Li's family members. The reason he brought her here was to let her meet her family members, who were about to appear.
That way, they would not be detected, whether or not there was anyone keeping an eye on Wang Li's family.
Wang Li's heart raced. When Cao Yan motioned her, she turned her head to look out into the street.
A figure appeared from the street's corner. Her emotions, which were suppressed ever since she was kidnapped, turned into uncontrollable grievances because of the figure's appearance.
Tears started welling up in her eyes.