Chapter 16 - The Rainbow Slime and the Weird Bird

Feicui Long knew he had to leave, but before doing so, he leaned towards Reiko, taking her by the waist and pulling her close. Their lips met in a passionate, deep kiss that made time seem to stop. Their tongues intertwined in an intimate dance, while his hands moved down to rest on the perfect curves of Reiko's backside, firm and shaped like the sweetness of a peach.

Reiko, surprised at first, quickly took the initiative. With a defiant look and a playful smile, she reached down, decisively touching Feicui Long's "great friend." This made him tense for an instant, feeling the heat between them becoming almost uncontrollable.

The kiss, although they both enjoyed it, had to be broken. They gazed at each other, slightly panting, cheeks flushed, and a sparkle in their eyes that revealed everything they wanted to say but couldn't express in words at that moment.

Feicui Long took a deep breath and, with a smile full of emotion, bid farewell:

"Well, Reiko, see you later. We'll meet again another day."

Reiko looked at him, still feeling the warmth of his hands and the tingling on her lips, and replied in a soft but determined voice:

"Alright, take care. But... could you accompany me when I go to the temple of the Emerald Dragon God of Space and Time?"

Feicui Long nodded firmly, approaching one last time to caress her face.

"Of course, why not? For my woman, I'd do anything."

…

Feicui Long left Reiko's house and entered the UIDNCGM. Just as Reiko had told him yesterday, someone was waiting for him. It was a member of the union who guided him to a room similar to the one in the UMIARH, with the same artifact at the back. Apparently, they called it a space dispatch station.

The assistant carried out the same procedure and handed everything to him in a special spatial bag. This time, it was different from the one given to him at the UMIARH. If the one from the UMIARH was of a higher quality, prioritizing function over appearance, this one was entirely different. It was very beautiful, made from the pelts of space dust rabbits, and bore the symbol of the UIDNCGM.

The space dust rabbit was a beast from the elemental realm of the "spatial" attribute, though it actually had no control over it. It was only thanks to the dust motes that it could perform "jumps," which was its greatest ability. It had nothing else, but its pelt was highly useful for these types of bags, giving them great aesthetic value, especially due to the natural inscriptions formed by the space dust motes. He had to admit it was truly beautiful.

As for its contents, they were very similar to those given by the union, except that it lacked tools, and the books were about creatures from all clans. There were also maps, and the crystals were only 25, with just 3 essences. The rest was the same: energy stones, money, etc.

He was somewhat satisfied. It was less than what the UMIARH had given him, but something was better than nothing. Just as he was about to leave, the union member stopped him and spoke, "Sir Feicui Long, please don't leave yet. You still have to choose your first creature. The union gifts a creature to tamers and summoners, while the other two receive kits that can help them. Since you are a special case, you can take two creatures and both kits. In fact, those with more than one ability can also do so, depending on how many abilities they possess."

Feicui Long paused, curious, and said, "Alright, I suppose you'll be the one guiding me, right?"

The member shook his head and pointed at a girl who was also a support member. It was obvious that she held a higher rank than this man. She was a goblin girl, greeting him with great familiarity, though he personally did not recognize her.

Feicui Long followed her and listened as she spoke, "Alright, young master Feicui Long, the lady has assigned me to be your guide. Currently, we have three zones within the creature distribution building for members."

The union member continued her explanation, "The first is only for apprentices and those who passed the exam or the standard evaluation with average talent. The second is for children or relatives of mid to low-rank direct members, as well as those who obtained medium to high scores or talents. The third is for children or relatives of high-rank or superior members. It is also designated for people with very high talent, exceptional affinity, or multiple abilities, especially those with the Sovereign Quartet."

As they passed through different rooms, the union member continued her explanation, "The first zone contains very basic creatures, most of them being slimes or beasts from the elemental realm. The second zone has slightly rarer and variant creatures, along with mutated creatures, but of the more common types. Lastly, the third zone contains the rarest variants and mutations, as well as more exotic and unique creatures. Even so, everything remains within an acceptable range for the union, as these are supposed to be starter creatures."

Knowing that this might be misinterpreted by Feicui Long, she clarified, "By the way, the mortal races union is the one that imposed this policy in all UIDNCGM branches. This particular union does not have many direct members, as it relies mainly on abilities, and these are difficult to learn. To encourage members to invite their relatives or close ones, they ensure that the basic creatures are slightly better."

Feicui Long nodded. For a moment, he thought Reiko's father was promoting nepotism, but it seemed the union was simply short on members in the UIDNCGM.

…

Soon, they arrived at a room that appeared to hold the kits for golem and puppet creators as well as necromancers. He could choose between several types, including the most expensive ones.

The guide pointed to a few in particular, "This one here is among the most expensive and rarest. It contains an energy stone core, along with special materials to craft a customized black steel core, as well as instructions for creating personalized cores, among other things. And this one, in turn, is just as rare as the previous one but for necromancers. It contains a soul energy crystal essence, an undead energy pearl, a vial of death aura, along with an instruction manual for creating personalized undead, as well as other items. I can assure you that there are currently no better ones than these two. Only a few come close, but I don't think they are worth it, especially because the manuals in these two range from beginner to advanced level and were written by experts from the astral soul realm union."

Feicui Long grabbed them without hesitation, not for the manual but for the soul energy crystal essence and the energy stone core. These were very valuable things, the rest was just a bonus.

Then, they walked down a hallway that had three doors, each leading to the three areas described earlier. The guide entered with Feicui Long through the door at the very end. Curiously, the doors were made entirely of an energetic material, an energy glass refined from a type of energetic sand that he couldn't identify. However, its transparency allowed him to see that there were many creatures inside the two rooms, all in small enclosures. Since they were all young, it didn't feel like they had too little space.

Inside, the guide explained further, "This third area is subdivided into several zones. The first one contains the least rare and powerful creatures and is reserved for the relatives or close ones of high-ranking members, as well as those who hold high ranks in the union's rankings. Groups that are in the top 10 can take a beast from this zone for their new members. Those ranked between 11 and 50 can only take one per year, and those in the top 51 to 100 can take one every five years. Of course, to be fair, they receive more allocations in the second area."

Feicui Long scanned his surroundings and observed with curiosity the great order that this room had. It contained interesting variants, and they were only in the first subdivision, he wanted to see what lay beyond.

Then, she pointed to another subdivision, "The second subdivision is for those who already hold rankings. For example, the leader of a group or those in the individual ranking can take a creature from this zone every three years. Likewise, the relatives of the highest-ranking union members can take one if they join. It is also where those with a high score, exceptional talent, and strong affinity can claim theirs."

As they neared the end, she spoke again, "This is the third and final subdivision. It is reserved only for those with the highest scores, those with incredible talent and affinity, those who possess multiple abilities and have exceptional talent, or those who own the Sovereign's Quartet. Though currently, you are the only one who has entered for three of these reasons. Additionally, those who place first in competitions organized by the UIDNCGM or the union itself can also obtain a creature from here, if the competition is special enough, of course, since not all would be worthy of this prize. Those who place second or third, or those who win competitions that do not qualify for this reward, may receive one from the previous two subdivisions or even from the second area and its subdivisions."

Feicui Long nodded in satisfaction. The mortal races union truly knew how to promote competitiveness and encourage strength growth. It was no wonder they continued to sustain mortal races despite the overwhelming disadvantage they faced. However, a sudden doubt crossed his mind, so he asked, "You know, I noticed that you have a lot of creatures, but most of them are beasts. Where do you get so many young ones?"

The girl guiding him replied, "It's simple, we bring them from the beast sanctuaries."

Feicui Long was in a state of shock. He was the Dragon God and the Supreme Dragon Sovereign, both of whom, in the end, were part of the Beast Clan, even though the Dragon Clan had been created earlier. As such, he had full knowledge of what a Beast Sanctuary was. It was a place rich in energies or a specific type of energy, also abundant in laws or a single one, filled with a great number of resources and possessing a kind of calming aura for the Beast Clan. This aura soothed the wildest instincts in savage beasts or those that had not yet awakened intelligence equal to or greater than that of a human, but it was also capable of calming even those that had already reached such intelligence or had awakened it.

Because of this, many types of beasts could coexist in these areas, even carnivorous and herbivorous ones, without killing each other. And despite what it might seem due to the immense size of some beasts, an energy beast did not actually consume much food since most of its sustenance came from the energy it absorbed from its surroundings. These areas made it so that carnivorous beasts had almost no need to devour other creatures and, even more so, encouraged them to shift their focus to other living beings, such as plants. After all, carnivorous energy beasts could digest plants, unlike regular animals, they simply avoided them due to their taste. Likewise, herbivorous beasts were also capable of digesting meat but refrained from it for the same reason.

However, the true importance of these areas lay in their role as breeding grounds, as their very nature increased the survival rates of young beasts. This did not mean that beasts could not reproduce outside these areas, considering that most were actually born elsewhere, but those born in a sanctuary fared much better. They were safer, grew faster and became stronger, making them incomparably valuable within the Beast Clan.

In fact, this was the very reason his brother had named this world "Beast Sanctuary," because his dream was to turn it into precisely that. And he had succeeded in his time, although now it could no longer truly be considered one. At its peak, this world allowed beasts to live in peace and expand throughout the universe.

Moreover, these areas were not exclusive to this universe, they had existed since the creation of the Beast Clan. Curiously, they were also known as a nursery or paradise for beasts.

That was why Feicui Long, still in shock, asked, "H-how is this possible?"

In contrast, the guide responded kindly and calmly, "Well, it's simple. There are four main reasons why we have not gone extinct in this world. The first is the formation of the Emerald Dragon God of Space and Time. The second is the union. The third is the resilience and perseverance of the mortal races. And the last, the second most important after the Dragon God, is thanks to one of the factions of the Beast Clan."

The guide continued explaining, "About 50,000 years ago, more or less, the Beast Clan was still united in its faith in the Supreme God of Beasts. No one knows how or when, but someone managed to sow discord among them. Fortunately, they did not succeed in turning them all against us. The only thing they accomplished was dividing them into three factions. The first and strongest, comprising 50% of all beasts, is the neutral faction. These beasts left and abandoned their belief in the Supreme God of Beasts. They have several leaders who work together, and each one claims to be the heir of the Supreme God of Beasts."

Feicui Long at that moment felt a bit disappointed, his brother had done everything to ensure that the Beast Clan would prosper, and this was how they repaid him, discarding him at the first opportunity…

The guide did not notice this and continued, "The second faction was one that not only rejected him but also wanted to claim the inheritance for itself and, moreover, is completely hostile to the mortal races. Fortunately, only 25% of the beasts support it, while the remaining 25% are loyal to the Supreme God of Beasts and support his will to maintain the mortal races. They believe that if he decided to introduce them, it was for a reason, and that is why they cooperate with us."

Feicui Long felt a bit better knowing that part of them still believed in his brother. He also understood more why the mortal races had not been wiped out, especially considering that this world was mostly occupied by the Beast Clan.

The guide then resumed the explanation, "Now, the reason why we can take beasts from the sanctuaries is due to a special treaty we made. In exchange for being able to take a few beasts, we take responsibility for increasing the protection of these areas, providing them with resources we have, and giving them some food. This allowed the union to have five types of sanctuaries. The first category consists of those that are natural and controlled by beasts. These can belong to multiple races or clans or to a single one, or they may contain multiple energies or just one. In these cases, depending on who the owner is, we can only take beasts that voluntarily choose a companion or up to a limit set by the lord of the area."

The guide pointed to some examples on a map that was near a desk located at the boundary between subdivision three and two, then continued, "The second category consists of those that were created by beasts that dominate an area. In these, the requirements are the same. The third type is an area that has the potential to become a sanctuary and was discovered by the mortal races. According to the treaty, the limit can be higher in these areas, but since they are still natural, they must still have a restriction."

With that, the guide continued pointing out some sanctuaries as examples, "The fourth category consists of those restored by the mortal races. These are divided into three types: those that were restored because they were destroyed in the war of division of the Beast Clan, those that were devastated by a natural disaster, and those that were destroyed by the abuse of invaders. In this type, we can manage them freely because we were the ones who provided the resources for their restoration. The fifth category consists of artificial sanctuaries created by us. These are also divided into three types: those that were created in a pocket dimension or in a separate plane, those that were made in a natural or wild area, and those that are near a city. In this case, we can decide the limits we want according to the treaty. The only ones with a small limit are those in a pocket dimension or a different plane because their ecosystem is more delicate."

Feicui Long had to admit it, this union of mortal races had given him several surprises. He had never imagined in his wildest dreams that they would take the initiative to create beast sanctuaries in order to obtain tamed beasts and at the same time help the beasts of the favorable faction gain power. Because it was obvious, no one would build so many just to tame beasts, especially given the small percentage that tamers and summoners represent. The only other reason would be precisely to help them grow in numbers and thus change their situation more easily.

The guide made one last comment and said, "By the way, several of the creatures we have here also come from those sanctuaries."

Feicui Long was not surprised. It was normal for other clans to enter these zones, that's where the remaining food for the carnivores came from. The funny thing was that each clan had very similar zones, though with obvious differences, of course.

Having finished the explanation, the guide said, "Well, with that clarified, let's go to the last division so you can choose the two creatures you want."

Feicui Long followed her, passing by one creature after another. He saw several interesting ones, including many with dragon blood. Inwardly, he thought that if he didn't find anything more interesting, he would take those, because despite everything, in his current state, he was still the Supreme Dragon God, and it was his duty to watch over all dragons and dragon-blooded beings.

…

They continued browsing the selection until his eyes passed over a very special creature in an enclosure similar to the others. His gaze was immediately drawn to that tiny thing. It had a body that resembled a jelly of all colors, constantly shifting from one to another. He already knew the species from the sign on the enclosure, but he wanted to see more information, so he asked the guide, "Do you know if I can use my Third Eye to evaluate the creature?"

The guide smiled and said, "Of course you can, we're not going to force you to choose without knowing what you're picking. Besides, this is one of the few that still hasn't been evaluated like the others."

Feicui Long immediately activated the Third Eye. A crack began to open on his forehead, revealing a very peculiar eye. The Third Eye ability granted an extra eye with a vast range of capabilities, including evaluation and the ability to see illusions. It was a very rare and difficult ability to learn, as well as painful, since the eye had to connect to the brain, soul, spirit, mental realm, and the rest of the body, though only during the first time. In these past three months, he had decided to use it for the first time and activated it, as it was an extremely useful and precious ability.

That said, his Third Eye was very similar to that of a dragon, perhaps due to his special soul. Finally, when the eye focused on the slime, a status window appeared:

"Name: None – Sex: Female – Age: 15 days

Racial Clan: Magic Clan – Slime Clan – Species: Mystic Rainbow Slime/Prismatic Mystic Crystal Slime

Variant: Prismatic Mystic Crystal

Mutation: None

Bloodline: Mystic Rainbow Slime

Type: Leader – Rank: Knight – Grade: Divine

Special Soul: Soul of Prismatic Mystic Crystal Slime

Special Constitutions: General Special Constitution of the Prismatic Mystic Crystal Slime

Abnormal State: Scared

Cultivation Realm: Elemental Realm – Grade 1 – Initial Stage

Cultivation Path: Not chosen

Skills: Prismatic Mystic Crystal, Energy Adaptation, Mastery of the Four Mystic Energies, Mystic Absorption, and Changing Rainbow, .

Cultivation Techniques: None

Battle Techniques: None"

Feicui Long wanted to scream with joy. Of all the ones he had seen, though there had been interesting ones, the best had been the dragon-blooded ones. He hadn't expected to find a treasure here. Without hesitation, calming himself internally, he said, "I would like this slime here."

The guide looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

Feicui Long nodded without delay. Then, the guide let him enter the enclosure. Just as she was about to explain how to form a contract, Feicui Long crouched down and brought his hands together, taking out a new contract. The slime was hesitant, but Feicui Long gently picked her up and brought her closer. For some reason, this calmed her down a little, and she extended a kind of "tentacle" to touch the part where the other party had to sign, accepting the contract.

The guide's jaw almost dropped. It had been the simplest contract ever, so much so that Feicui Long didn't even have to use taming a single time, when newcomers usually needed to use it about five to ten times.

Satisfied, Feicui Long stored her directly, making the guide's eyes widen even more, as she hadn't expected him to already know how to use the spaces for contracted creatures either.

Feicui Long then looked at her and said, "Alright, we can go to the next one."

A bit dazed, the guide led him to continue looking at the other creatures, but internally, her heart was in turmoil. This proved that her lady had not been wrong in choosing a man.

...

Soon, Feicui Long found another creature that caught his attention. He had been observing them all with his third eye, but this one seemed curious. It was nowhere near as good as the slime, but it was certainly worth considering. Its status unfolded before him:

"Name: None – Sex: Female – Age: 21 days

Racial Clan: Beast Clan – Raven Clan – Species: Giant Raven with Black Steel Feathers / with Deep Darkness Obsidian Heart

Variant: Deep Darkness Obsidian

Mutation: None

Bloodline: Giant Raven of Deep Darkness Obsidian

Type: Civilized

Special Soul: Soul of the Giant Raven of Deep Darkness Obsidian

Special Constitutions: General Special Constitution of the Giant Raven of Deep Darkness Obsidian

Abnormal State: None

Cultivation Realm: Elemental Realm – Grade 1 – Initial Stage

Cultivation Path: Not chosen

Abilities: Black Steel Feather Rain, Deep Darkness Shot, Merging into Darkness, Obsidian Piercing Rain, Black Steel Armor, Shadow Decoy, Deep Darkness Obsidian Heart,

Cultivation Techniques: None

Battle Techniques: None"

It was certainly more common than the slime and less powerful, but it seemed interesting as a combat and exploration beast. Moreover, it was a civilized-type beast. Although it lacked the power and overall strength bonus that leader-type or wild-type beasts had, it had the same intelligence as a human, which was already a great advantage for him.

Feicui Long approached and said, "Come here, little one, sign the contract with me."

The raven, curiously, replied, "Little mortal, do you not fear me? I am three million years old!"

Feicui Long was confused and looked at the guide, who covered her face with her hand and said, "Sorry, this raven is a bit weird. I don't know where she heard that, but she keeps repeating it. I even thought she was a reincarnated being, but no, her soul is new."

Feicui Long found this quite amusing and definitely decided to take her. "Come on, if you accept the contract, I'll give you some good nuts."

The raven hesitated, staring at him for a while, but then approached and pressed her beak against the signature, sealing the contract.