Chapter 31: Clack, Clack, Clack, Clack

On the second floor of the study, the light was dimmer, and shadows enveloped nearly every visible corner.

In this murky environment, the little skeleton thrived, gliding along the contours of Mu Huiyue’s shadow, from the walls to the ceiling.

Mu Huiyue paused for a moment to think before summoning Baiya, her white-toothed pet, from the beast space.

The dark-element cloud hound shook its fur in the shadows, stretching its body luxuriously in a big yawn, clearly feeling quite at home.

“Wang woo?” Baiya wagged its long tail, a bit confused about why the beastmaster had called it out.

“Clack, clack.” Ellen manifested from the ceiling, jumping down to provide a brief explanation to Baiya about their current situation.

From the moment they entered the study, Ellen sensed a swirling mass of intense emotions enveloping the place.

Most of it consisted of warm and joyful memories—a longing to always be together and a determination to protect the study with all their might, mixed with a profound sense of frustration and guilt that was hard to articulate.

The lingering emotions of the dying were immense in Ellen’s perception, like a whirlpool covering the area around the study. With the resonance of the spirit-beast, the “Smoke and Ink Pages,” this emotional vortex had grown lasting and strong, remaining unbroken even six months after the passing of its owner, Lao Luo.

This was why Mu Huiyue had asked Luo Yin why she felt the Smoke and Ink Pages were disappointed in her; Ellen had not sensed any similar feelings within the swirling emotions that filled the study.

“Clack, clack.” (So, our current mission is to find the source of these whirlpools.)

The little skeleton raised a thin finger bone, earnestly explaining to the white cloud hound.

“Wang woo?” (The source?)

Baiya tilted its head in confusion.

Mu Huiyue crouched down and gently patted its fluffy head.

The cloud hound possessed a keen sense of smell, inhEllent to canines, and as a dark-element beast, Baiya could perceive emotions more accurately than other extraordinary creatures.

In a moment of inspiration, Mu Huiyue decided to let Baiya try to combine both its natural instincts to find the source of the emotional turmoil in the study.

After hearing the beastmaster’s words, Baiya began to grasp the idea, its smoky tail unfurling as it lifted its head.

“Wang woo!” (I’ll do my best!)

It closed its eyes, relying entirely on its sense of smell, slowly moving toward what it believed to be the most significant emotional disturbance.

Mu Huiyue and the little skeleton followed closely behind Baiya, step by step.

The little cloud hound eventually stopped in front of an inconspicuous small door. This door led to an attic above the second floor, only half the height of a regular room.

The attic door was quite small, making it difficult for Mu Huiyue to squeeze through with her height.

She opened the door to reveal a space cluttered with scattered books and albums, giving it an empty, neglected appearance.

Baiya’s little paws perched on the attic doorframe as it tilted its head and sniffed carefully, then shook its ears in disappointment.

“Wang woo…” (I can’t find a more specific location…)

The Smoke and Ink Pages were likely hidden under the effect of an invisibility skill. This C-rank mental-type ability could completely conceal the user’s form and presence, making it challenging to detect even with modern sensing equipment unless voluntarily released.

Since Baiya had narrowed it down to this area…

Mu Huiyue pondered for a moment, then pulled out a mental-type attribute fruit from the beast space and placed it on the wooden floor of the attic.

She wasn’t sure what the Smoke and Ink Pages’ diet consisted of, but a fruit of the same type should hold some appeal.

Before long, she heard a soft rustling sound, like the wind flipping through pages.

Suddenly, the mental-type attribute fruit lifted slightly, piece by piece slowly disappearing as if some invisible little creature was feasting on it.

The little skeleton’s shadow had already slipped beneath the attribute fruit, but Mu Huiyue shook her head, signaling Ellen to return to her side.

Once the fruit was entirely consumed, Mu Huiyue and her two pets waited in silence, careful not to disturb the still-invisible Smoke and Ink Pages.

After a while, sensing that Mu Huiyue wasn’t about to leave and that it had truly enjoyed the delicious fruit, the Smoke and Ink Pages voluntarily dispelled its invisibility, appearing on the attic floor.

It was a thick, hardcover book, about the size of an A6 sheet, yet ten centimeters thick—a hefty tome resembling a brick.

On its cover was a finely detailed eye design, while two thin legs resembling bookmarks extended from the bottom of the pages, and two delicate arms sprouted from the side, intertwining in a somewhat hesitant manner.

“You must be the little book,” Mu Huiyue crouched down and gently touched the book’s cover.

As her wristband detected a new extraordinary being, it displayed its information in the beast encyclopedia.

[Name]: Smoke and Ink Pages (Hardcover Form)

[Attribute]: Mental Type

[Species Rank]: Low-level Warrior

[Growth Stage]: Second-tier Mature

[Core Talent]: Travel Diary (C-rank Mental Type)

[Normal Hidden Energy Value]: 110,000 P

[Species Introduction]: A spirit entity born from the A-rank secret realm “Star Sea Library.”

The extraordinary being had five different forms discovered so far, each possessing unique core talents and skills.

Mu Huiyue remembered that the “Star Sea Library” was an A-rank secret realm in the Nova region that was still in its descent phase, not fully integrated yet. This meant that the Smoke and Ink Pages scattered throughout the Great Yan region were incredibly rare.

Hearing someone call its name, the hesitant Smoke and Ink Pages paused its movements. The eye design on its cover blinked, its gaze landing on the human girl before it.

Having directly consumed the delicious fruit offered by Mu Huiyue without so much as a greeting, it wondered if that was considered impolite by human standards…

The Smoke and Ink Pages glanced at the white-haired puppy beside the girl and the little skeleton hiding in the shadows, its bookmark-like hands nervously twisting together.

Should it apologize…? Or perhaps it should ask what the girl wanted?

Ellen emerged from the shadows, curiously observing the hardcover book before them.

He had initially thought the Smoke and Ink Pages would be in a small room designed as a mini shrine for honoring the deceased, given the presence of humans nearby. But it had chosen to hide in this tiny attic instead; it seemed the little dog’s nose was indeed more sensitive.

“Wang woo~” Baiya instinctively sensed Ellen’s praise and wagged its tail in acceptance.

“It was Baiya who found this place; it’s very impressive!” Mu Huiyue smiled, ruffling the little dog’s fur.

The little cloud dog stepped forward, sniffing the strange, thick book that sported tiny hands and legs.

The Smoke and Ink Pages took a nervous step back, the sound of rustling pages echoing in the quiet space.

“No need to be nervous; we just want to meet you.”

Mu Huiyue maintained her crouched position at the attic door, speaking patiently. “Ellen sensed an unusual depth of emotions, and we’d like to understand… why are you hiding from Ro Yin?”

She wasn’t sure how much the Smoke and Ink Pages could comprehend since she hadn’t contracted with it, so she had the little skeleton help translate.

From Ellen’s perception, it was clear that the Smoke and Ink Pages held a strong bond with both the beast master and her family, wanting to continue guarding the Smoke and Ink Study without feeling any disappointment towards Ro Yin.

Logically, it should be eager to form a contract with Ro Yin to keep running the study together.

So why was it avoiding her?

The hardcover book listened quietly, its cover’s eye drooping, and its bookmark-like hands fell down.

It emitted a soft rustling sound as it turned its pages.

“Ka-ta, ka-ta?” Ellen seemed a bit surprised, and the sounds he made grew more urgent.

The Smoke and Ink Pages slowly nodded.

Ellen turned around and explained to his beast master, “Ka-ta… ka-ta, ka-ta.”

Mu Huiyue’s expression mirrored his surprise as she listened.

The Smoke and Ink Pages refused to contract with Ro Yin… Could it be because, even if they did contract, it wouldn’t be able to help keep the Smoke and Ink Study running?

Its core talent skill, Travel Journal, allowed it to vividly present the scenes recorded on its pages in the reader’s mind. When paired with Ro Yin’s grandmother’s beast-mastering talent, Skill Induction, they could record learned skills on the pages and present them in detail through the Travel Journal. This significantly enhanced the understanding of these skills for the beasts reading the pages, enabling them to learn new abilities.

Originally, the Travel Journal contained instructional pages for over a hundred skills, representing the culmination of Ro Yin’s grandmother’s life work. This was the greatest asset that enabled the Smoke and Ink Study to establish itself as a prominent skill-teaching institution.

Ro Yin inherited her grandmother’s Skill Induction talent, and as long as she contracted with the Smoke and Ink Pages, they could continue using those skill pages, ensuring the study’s legacy.

That was how things were supposed to be, but shortly after the beast master passed away, the Smoke and Ink Pages discovered that its Travel Journal had completely vanished with the dissolution of their contract.

All those precious skill pages and the myriad memories created with the beast master seemed to have turned against it, and while the Smoke and Ink Pages wasn’t physically harmed, it lost its most important and valuable possession.

The loss overwhelmed it with sadness; even more tragically, it transformed into a blank Smoke and Ink Page. Even if it contracted with Ro Yin again, it could no longer help her run the study.

The life it had shared with everyone, the memories they had built together, would eventually fade away like its Travel Journal.

And there was nothing it could do about it.

The eye on the cover of the Smoke and Ink Pages drooped in despair.

Its bookmark-like hands reached out, opening its body. It began to flip through the pages, each one blank as it went from the first page onward.

Mu Huiyue gently touched the empty pages, then helped close the book.

“Even so, if you keep avoiding her, Ro Yin will be heartbroken, you know?” the human girl said softly. “Even if you are a blank Smoke and Ink Page, she still wants to live with you.”

Ro Yin worried that the Smoke and Ink Pages was disappointed in her, while the Smoke and Ink Pages feared that Ro Yin would be disappointed in its emptiness. That’s why it had avoided her for so long and refused to form a contract.

Both the girl and the beast cared too much for each other, leading to their prolonged misunderstanding.

The eye on the cover of the book blinked, transforming into a teary shape.

“Ka-ta, ka-ta, ka-ta!” (You should have more confidence in humans! Ro Yin is the child you watched grow up!)

Ellen chimed in, emphasizing that while many beast masters contract with beasts purely for their power and convenience, there are also humans like Mu Huiyue who value the will and emotions of their beasts, willing to contract even with lower-tier elite races.

“Wang woo!” White Fang barked in agreement, adding that there are indeed beast masters willing to contract with beasts that have no potential for core talent!

“Would you like to meet Ro Yin?” Mu Huiyue asked, gently patting her two little companions. “Whether life in the study can continue or if Ro Yin is willing to contract with you… what outsiders say doesn’t matter; it’s better to confirm with her directly, don’t you think?”

The Smoke and Ink Pages widened the eyes on its cover, then revealed a determined gaze. Its bookmark-like feet stood up straight as it nodded vigorously.

…

Meanwhile, downstairs, Ro Yin was feeling increasingly anxious and restless.

Had Mu Huiyue found the little book? Would she be able to convey her feelings? Memories of the times spent with her grandmother and the little book flooded her mind, and since her grandmother’s passing, the once lively Smoke and Ink Study had grown ever more desolate…

Just as all these thoughts and memories became a jumbled mess in her mind, she was on the verge of giving up when footsteps echoed from the staircase.

She turned to see Mu Huiyue coming down from the second floor, holding a thick, hardcover book in her arms. In disbelief, she exclaimed, “Little Book!”

The Smoke and Ink Pages, in its hardcover form, spotted her as well. The eyes on its cover transformed once more into a teary shape, enveloped in a faint blue glow representing its psychic energy. It flew from Mu Huiyue’s hands, soaring through the air and landing right in Ro Yin’s embrace.

Ro Yin caught the long-missed Smoke and Ink Pages, pulling it tightly against her chest.

The young owner of the study broke into tears, taking a moment to compose herself.

Hearing from Mu Huiyue why the little book had been avoiding her, she couldn’t help but think, “For such a reason? Little Book, you really are a silly thing…”

Wiping her tears, she looked down at the hardcover book sitting on her lap, also shedding tears. Amused and exasperated, she said, “It’s such a pity that the diary left by Grandma has vanished… but why would I care if you’re a blank page?”

“The memories we’ve shared won’t disappear. Even if the pages are blank, we can create new memories together and gather new skills. That’s all that matters!”

The Smoke and Ink Pages responded with a series of soft rustling sounds.

The soft rustling intensified, and the eye on the cover wept even harder.

Though the eye was merely a painted design and couldn’t shed real tears, Ro Yin instinctively reached out to wipe away its imagined tears.

“Are you still willing to contract with me, Little Book?”

⅔ Dongming reminds you: The latest chapter of From Beast Tamer to Shadow King will be updated first on Penguin Novel, with no ads and free reading. Remember to visit qi exs.com for the latest updates!⅔

She asked softly.

The Smoke and Ink Pages nodded, and the eye on the cover transformed into a complex array of patterns, with a circular space in the center, awaiting Ro Yin to imprint her own beast master mark.

Ro Yin placed her hand on the book’s cover.

The array on the Smoke and Ink Pages seamlessly merged with her beast master mark, forming an entirely new pattern. A triple summoning circle manifested on the little book, and in the blink of an eye, it vanished from sight.

But Ro Yin quickly summoned it back from the beast master space.

The newly reborn Smoke and Ink Pages wiggled its tiny bookmark-like legs, perching happily on Ro Yin’s hand, its cover’s eyes smiling in a crescent shape.

It extended its slender little hands, opening up its body. The once-blank first page now bore a new record—an image of Ro Yin embracing the Smoke and Ink Pages, tears of joy streaming down her face.

Ro Yin gently traced the illustration, the traces of her tears still fresh at the corners of her eyes, but she couldn’t help but smile.

The image on the little book’s page blurred momentarily, then refocused, revealing both Ro Yin and the Smoke and Ink Pages with expressions of pure joy, beaming brightly.