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Chapter 22: Click, Click
After completing the investigation of the Earl’s Mansion Secret Realm, Mu Huiyue and Xiang Xun reunited to exchange their findings.
Xiang Xun’s side wasn’t much different. A few rooms on the second floor had also exhibited the strange texture reminiscent of unfinished models—more so than on the first floor, in fact.
Other than that, neither of them found any further valuable information.
Neither Mu Huiyue nor Xiang Xun were experts in Secret Realm archaeology, so after a few speculative guesses, they decided to leave things as they were. All they could do was record everything as thoroughly as possible and leave the higher-ups at the Bureau to make sense of it.
Once their notes were complete, the two of them headed to a room at the far end of the second floor, where the exit of the Secret Realm connected to the outside world.
Following Xiang Xun’s suggestion, Mu Huiyue carefully placed the azure Eternal Flower into her Beast Space and recalled her skeletal companion. She adjusted her wristband to the “Mental Calibration Mode” in preparation for departure.
“It’s now up to the Bureau’s Executors to take over,” Xiang Xun remarked, reviewing the data recorded on their wristbands. “They’ll have to verify the true nature of this Secret Realm, along with its stability during its flicker phase. Do you think this place will enter a full ‘Descension’ phase, Mu Huiyue?”
Entering the Descension phase would mean a stable connection had formed between the Secret Realm and the physical world. Eventually, it would fuse entirely, becoming part of the planet itself.
Mu Huiyue shook her head. For some reason, she had a strong intuition that this Secret Realm didn’t belong to the current flow of time.
“Yeah, I think so too,” Xiang Xun agreed. “Usually, the Secret Realms that fully descend are more nature-based. Ones like this, with a historical or cultural theme, have only started appearing more frequently in recent decades, and even then, the cases of fusion are incredibly rare.”
Xiang Xun pulled his scarf up, covering half of his face. “That’s why it’s a good idea for us to take the ‘Azure Eternal Flower’ out early.”
“Are you sure it’s okay for me to take it?” Mu Huiyue asked.
“Well, it’s one of the perks of being a Secret Realm investigator, after all. Besides, this is your first Realm—you might have some deeper connection to it. The flower’s attributes even align with Ellen’s. Even if we report it to the Bureau, it’ll likely be given to you as a reward anyway. And our boss, Aluo…”
Xiang Xun hesitated for a moment, coughing. “I mean, our supervisor at headquarters isn’t exactly a stickler for formalities. Whatever we can streamline, we should.”
Mu Huiyue nodded, and together they stepped into the room at the end of the corridor.
A sudden sense of weightlessness overwhelmed her, followed by a rush of wind in her ears. The next thing she knew, she felt the cool night air, and Redfeather Eagle’s broad wings caught her, setting her down securely on its back.
Xiang Xun sat up front, slouched, with his long scarf fluttering in the wind. His exhausted demeanor had returned, making him look every bit like the worn-out office worker from before.
“I’ll give you a ride back,” Xiang Xun said in a hoarse voice, sounding as if he had been screaming for hours. “You handle the report. I’m no good at that stuff.”
Mu Huiyue found it hard to reconcile this tired, disheveled version of Xiang Xun with the energetic young man he had been inside the Secret Realm.
And then there was the flower mantis…
“?” Xiang Xun turned his head, noticing the silence, and shot Mu Huiyue a confused glance.
“Oh, nothing…” Mu Huiyue quickly looked away. She felt a bit nosy but couldn’t suppress her curiosity. “I just realized—you have more contracted beasts besides Hana, don’t you?”
After all, the flower mantis seemed like the type to want her Beast Master all to herself. But if Xiang Xun had competed in the national tournament, it meant he must have had at least one more contracted beast, in addition to Hana and Redfeather Eagle.
Hana, known for her hostility toward anyone close to her master, being okay with sharing the bond with another beast… That was surprising.
“Having just one beast usually isn’t enough to win in competitions,” Xiang Xun said, stroking Redfeather Eagle’s crest. “There are too many limitations due to their attributes, and it’s difficult to manage other tasks. In that sense, Hana is surprisingly reasonable.”
“Coo…” Redfeather Eagle let out a low cry, silently grumbling.
“Reasonable, my talon! She knows exactly which ones could threaten her place in his heart and which ones are just ‘workhorses.’ I’m in the latter group. Xiang Xun could contract ten more like me, and she wouldn’t bat an eye.”
“I see,” Mu Huiyue said, oblivious to Redfeather Eagle’s inner complaints. She found Xiang Xun’s explanation convincing.
The relationships between Beast Masters and their beasts were indeed complex.
…
Once they returned from the Secret Realm, Mu Huiyue quickly compiled the investigation report and uploaded it to the Bureau’s mission board via her wristband.
The Secret Realm of the Earl’s Mansion wasn’t a true historical ruin—it only spanned the size of the mansion itself. Other than providing some archaeological evidence, there wasn’t much of value to be gleaned.
Xiang Xun and Mu Huiyue’s hunch was spot on. The day after they left the Realm, before the Bureau’s Executors from Changning City could even arrive, the entire Secret Realm vanished without a trace.
No one knew when, where, or how it might reappear next.
With the report verified, Mu Huiyue was officially recognized as a Secret Realm investigator, her ID now proudly displaying a small, shiny “E” ranking.
This D-rank Secret Realm exploration was a joint effort between Mu Huiyue and Xiang Xun. Once she gains the ability to explore Secret Realms independently, her investigator rank will naturally increase.
Even as an E-rank investigator, Mu Huiyue now had access to most of the Bureau’s database records. For her, it was like stepping into a new world. The database held an abundance of knowledge on beast taming that couldn’t be found in textbooks. Excited, she took a break from school and spent several days at home, engrossed in the database without rest.
Within the database, she found detailed records on the Little Skeleton species, though there weren’t many training programs for them. Worldwide, there were very few examples of Little Skeletons being raised as battle pets. Most training plans focused on rapidly evolving them into more advanced forms like Bone Soldiers.
Mentions of Little Skeletons were usually tucked into broader discussions of dark-type pet training programs.
While browsing several research reports, Mu Huiyue stumbled across a familiar ID: “Don’t Crush My Smoke.” She recalled seeing this name on an external forum when she was searching for the right diet for Little Skeletons. The person had provided the correct answer back then.
For one of their reports to be included in the Bureau’s database, it was clear this “Don’t Crush My Smoke” was a professional researcher. Still, Mu Huiyue didn’t expect someone with such a casual username to publish official research reports.
Intrigued, she clicked on the link related to “Don’t Crush My Smoke” and changed her approach, diving into the topic from the angle of dark-type skills. Sure enough, she found some interesting information.
Several of Ellen’s current skills had higher-level counterparts. As long as it was trained extensively before evolving, Ellen would have a high chance of unlocking those advanced skills after evolution. If everything went well, Ellen could evolve into a Bone Soldier with two B-rank skills.
For pets that mastered the dark-type skill Shadow Merge, another potential training method was mentioned. While Shadow Merge appeared to allow the user to blend into shadows, in reality, the skill involved the user slipping into a subspace covered by shadow energy. This explained why Ellen had been able to hide the Eternal Flower’s petal within the shadows.
Familiarity with this subspace was key to advancing the Shadow Merge skill. Placing resources of the corresponding attribute within the shadows could help the pet accelerate this process and enhance its potential.
The recommended resource was high-quality dark-type crystals, but Mu Huiyue had an even better alternative—the Azure Eternal Flower.
The Azure Eternal Flower was a dark-type resource rated between B and A levels. It was said that what preserved the flower in time wasn’t the passage of years, but rather intense emotions. As long as the emotions infused within the flower remained, the flower would endure for eternity.
The older the Eternal Flower, the more potent the energy it contained, turning its color toward a deep, dark blue. It was a perfect dark-type energy crystal.
Most Eternal Flowers recorded in history were imbued with negative emotions, filled with extreme obsessions. Using them recklessly could affect the temperament of a pet.
This was understandable. Only emotions powerful enough could survive the test of time, keeping the flower intact for so long.
However, the flower Mu Huiyue had found was different—it didn’t seem to carry much negative energy. When she touched the petals, she felt a strange, warmth-like sensation, despite it lacking any real warmth. Ellen’s feedback was the same.
With that assurance, Mu Huiyue gave Ellen the Azure Eternal Flower along with the remaining petals. The little skeleton tucked the flower into Mu Huiyue’s shadow, its favorite spot aside from the training field, and the perfect place to work on mastering Shadow Merge.
While Mu Huiyue was busy studying, Ellen was hard at work in the training arena, honing its skills and battle techniques.
The encounter with the flower mantis still haunted Ellen. If the mantis hadn’t held back, Ellen knew it wouldn’t have stood a chance at protecting its beloved Beast Master, no matter how hard it fought.
Determined to become stronger, Ellen wanted to reach a level where it could secure every victory for Mu Huiyue and protect her no matter where they ventured.
Fueled by this drive, Ellen ascended to the sixth tier of its juvenile stage.
During dinner, Mu Huiyue, as usual, asked Ellen how it was doing and was surprised to learn it had leveled up.
She wasn’t entirely sure about the growth rates of ordinary pets, but in Changning’s top beast-taming high school, most students with pets at the tenth juvenile tier had been partnered with them for over a year. Mu Huiyue had barely been contracted with Ellen for two weeks, and yet it had already progressed from the fifth to the sixth tier.
Ellen’s own hard work was certainly a factor, but the effect of the experience fruit also couldn’t be overlooked.
Click, click.
“I’ve learned something new,” Ellen said.
The little skeleton finished off the last bit of stew, then jumped down from its chair and moved to an open area. With a flick of its hands, it summoned a long leg bone.
Gripping the leg bone like a sword, black, viscous liquid spread across the bone and over its hands, gradually enveloping the weapon.
This liquid was the same as the inky black substance that had appeared on Ellen’s body during the encounter with the flower mantis.
The dark liquid churned for a while before solidifying, turning the leg bone into a jet-black blade with a metallic gleam. Its power seemed far greater than before.
“What’s this?” Mu Huiyue quickly pulled up her wristband’s pet encyclopedia.
“You’ve learned a new skill, Ellen!” Mu Huiyue exclaimed.
The Steel-type skill Bone Fluid was a technique that strengthened bones with internal energy, hardening them to the level of carbon steel. It was typically mastered by extraordinary creatures with exoskeletons.
While it was theoretically possible for a skeleton-type creature to learn this skill, records of Little Skeletons mastering Bone Fluid were extremely rare. However, evolved Bone Soldiers were known to possess it.
Although the Bone Fluid skill was only rated as D-rank, it had the potential to evolve into the higher C-rank steel-based skill, Calcification. This would significantly enhance Ellen’s combat and defense capabilities, making it a highly promising skill.
What made Bone Fluid even more special was that it was one of the few skills that could alter or add status effects. This meant Ellen could combine it with other abilities, like its Bone Strike, amplifying the power of multiple skills at once.
Most offensive skills couldn’t be used simultaneously. For example, Ellen couldn’t activate Bone Strike and Ghostfire at the same time. Even though it had trained hard to reduce the activation time of its skills, true multitasking was still out of reach.
But Bone Fluid was different. Whether it was used to strengthen its leg bones and increase the impact of Bone Strike or to fortify its entire body for better defense, the skill could enhance future physical attacks just as effectively.
The fact that Ellen had mastered this skill on its own was a testament to its current bone health and strength. Clearly, those daily doses of Booming Milk and Physical Enhancement Fruits were paying off!
“You did amazing, Ellen,” Mu Huiyue said with a proud smile as she patted the little skeleton’s head. “This opens up so many more strategies for us.”
She grinned, realizing she’d been out of school long enough. “I think it’s time I went back to school. You must be getting tired of training alone, right?”
When Mu Huiyue mentioned the school’s selection tournament, Ellen perked up. It hesitated for a moment, glancing at its bony fingers as if wrestling with something in its mind. Then, it made a slow, clicking sound.
“Click, clack…” it muttered. (There’s something else…)
Mu Huiyue paused, surprised to see Ellen this hesitant. She decided to listen carefully.
“Clack, clack, clack…” (During training, I realized… for the selection tournament and future battles… Huiyue should contract a second beast as soon as possible.)
“Clack, clack.” (Huiyue’s beast space is so vast, and even if it hasn’t upgraded yet, it can handle another contract.)
Mu Huiyue was taken aback by the suggestion.
For most students, the awakening period lasted between ages 15 and 18. Some of her classmates, who had awakened earlier, already had over two years of experience and could contract two or even three beasts by now. Having a second beast gave a significant advantage, not only improving the Beast Space’s feedback but also allowing for more versatile battle strategies.
At the school level, the selection tournaments were one-on-one. But at the national level, past years had seen tag teams and even multi-beast battles, where having more contracted beasts was a game changer.
With the national rankings just three months away, most people thought it was too late for her to contract a second beast due to her late awakening. However, Mu Huiyue’s unique beast space gave her an edge to potentially close the gap.
If she was going to contract a second beast, sooner was definitely better. It would give both her and Ellen time to adjust and train with their new companion.
Mu Huiyue had been mulling over ideas for her second contracted beast for a while, but she hadn’t expected Ellen to bring it up so soon.
“Looks like you’re excited to meet a new partner?” she teased, resting her chin in one hand and poking at the shadowy little skeleton with the other. “I thought you’d be the jealous type. I was worried about how to bring it up to you.”
After all, the first contracted beast always had a special place in a Beast Master’s heart. They spent the most time together and were given the full attention and care of the Beast Master during their early stages. It wasn’t uncommon for first beasts to get upset when a second companion arrived, with some even running away from home in protest.
Balancing relationships between beasts was one of the most important lessons for a Beast Master.
Mu Huiyue genuinely cared about Ellen’s feelings, so she hadn’t mentioned a second contract until now.
“Clack… clack…” Ellen shuffled its feet, suddenly shy, its skeletal toes turning inward in an awkward stance. It seemed embarrassed about its hidden emotions.
“Clack, clack!” (I mean… sure, I might get a little jealous…) Ellen admitted sheepishly.
But then it straightened up, speaking with more determination. “But I care more about winning battles with Huiyue! I love the feeling of victory when we fight together!”
Ellen’s mind flashed back to the fearsome Praying Mantis that had nearly overpowered them in their last match. It had no desire to hold its Beast Master back. Being overprotective would only stifle her potential. Helping Mu Huiyue grow stronger and achieve her dreams was its top priority.
Being chosen as her first beast was already a gift of fate for Ellen.
There was no doubt that the first beast always had a special bond with the Beast Master. But at that moment, Mu Huiyue hugged the little skeleton tightly, rubbing her chin against its smooth skull.
How could a little creature be so thoughtful?
Sometimes, Ellen seemed more mature than she was—like when it comforted her after their battle with the mantis or when it brought up the idea of a second beast.
Still holding Ellen, Mu Huiyue sat back on the couch in a more comfortable position. “Alright then, let’s brainstorm together about our next teammate.”
In fact, Mu Huiyue had already set her heart on a particular beast for her second contract.
There was a type of extraordinary creature that had high potential, looked great, and had unique abilities. It could evolve into various forms, each with its own special attributes. What Beast Master could resist such an option?
The only barrier stopping most people from contracting this species was its high cost. But the largest breeding facility for these creatures just happened to belong to Mu Huiyue’s family. For her, getting one was as easy as a freebie.
That’s right—as soon as she learned about the Cloud Pup, Mu Huiyue had been smitten. Its potential was vast, its abilities were fascinating, and its looks were absolutely irresistible.
She shared her thoughts with Ellen, who stayed silent for a moment before making a soft, weak clicking sound.
“Clack…” (A Cloud Pup…) it murmured.
Before Mu Huiyue could comfort it, the little skeleton had already composed itself.
“Clack…!” (A Cloud Pup is perfect!)
The thought of becoming teammates and training together in battles excited it. One day, it vowed to overcome the dreaded X Fang skill entirely, transforming into a cool, flawless skeleton with no weaknesses!
Mu Huiyue chuckled. “Desensitization training for bite skills sounds like a good idea.”
“As for the elemental type, that doesn’t really matter. Even though I have a natural affinity for dark-type beasts, I don’t need to contract only dark types. What matters most to me is the beast’s own preference.”
“Clack clack?” (Like how I really like Huiyue, and Huiyue really likes me?)
Mu Huiyue smiled and nodded. “Exactly.”
The two continued to chat for a while, daydreaming about their future teammate and what they hoped for in a new companion.
Mu Huiyue planned to return to school first and focus on the selection tournament. Then, when she had a free weekend, she would visit the Cloud Pup breeding base nearby and pick the one she felt the strongest connection with to form her next contract.