“Lumiya…”
He muttered hoarsely, lowering his head to look at his arms.
The small golden dragon was curled up, the Heart-shaped Ruby Collar rising and falling gently with her breaths, golden scales scattering fine sparkles in the sunlight.
No doubt about it, this was the familiar Lumiya.
But last night’s dream was unreasonably clear.
In the dream, there was a blonde girl with golden eyes just like Lumiya’s, her whole body exuding a faint fragrance, leaning dependently in his embrace.
The sensation felt so real, as if it wasn’t a dream at all, and there was still a lingering itch on his neck as if touched by her hair.
Lin Xing rubbed his throbbing temples, curling his lips in self-mockery.
Even in his dreams, he was starting to let his imagination run wild.
He reached out to gently pinch Lumiya’s tiny paw, sighing to himself.
Clearly, he’d been single for too long—he was actually fantasizing about his own Contract Beast turning into a beautiful girl.
If Zhao Kai found out, he’d definitely laugh at him for half a year.
While he was lost in thought, Lumiya in his arms suddenly opened her eyes.
The golden vertical pupils were full of alertness, not the least bit drowsy from sleep.
In fact, she had already awakened when Lin Xing turned over.
Taking advantage of the moment before he opened his eyes, she had quietly shifted back from her human shape.
She absolutely couldn’t let this fool discover her ability to shapeshift.
She still remembered what Lin Xing had said just after stepping out of the Contract Gate—
“Human-shaped Contract Beast.” “Become my wife.” Hah! As if!
Lumiya saw Lin Xing staring blankly.
She nudged his palm with her head, letting out a soft whimper from her throat.
But inside, she was silently complaining.
This fool is still spacing out. Did he notice anything?
Look at that silly face—he must be thinking a bunch of nonsense.
Lin Xing was pulled back to reality by her movement. Looking at Lumiya’s obedient appearance, he suddenly recalled some information he’d seen in the Library.
High-level Contract Beasts could assume human form once they reached a certain rank, and a Rare Item like a Shapeshifting Crystal could speed up the process.
Lumiya was an SSS Potential Unknown Dragon Species—she would definitely be able to transform even faster.
A surge of motivation welled up in his heart.
He used to think the Shapeshifting Crystal was too expensive, but now, remembering the golden-haired girl in his dream and looking at the Lumiya in his arms, he quietly clenched his fist.
He had to save up enough Magic Crystals as soon as possible and buy the Shapeshifting Crystal!
“Awake?”
Lin Xing smiled as he stroked Lumiya’s head, his tone filled with tenderness.
“Today, I’ll take you to eat the limited Meat Bun at the cafeteria, then we’ll head to the Library to look up information about Shapeshifting Crystals. Let’s try to save enough Magic Crystals to get you a crystal soon!”
Hearing this, Lumiya’s golden pupils lit up.
Limited Meat Bun?
She liked that.
But Shapeshifting Crystal?
That thing was useless to her—she’d long since mastered the ability to shapeshift.
Still, seeing how serious Lin Xing looked, she cooperatively swayed her tail and pawed at his sleeve, pretending to look expectant.
Seeing this, Lin Xing became even more determined and hurried to wash up.
Once they’d gotten ready and arrived at the cafeteria, they made it just as the first batch of Meat Buns came out of the steamer.
The piping hot buns filled the air with a rich aroma. Just one bite, and the savory juices burst out.
Lumiya crouched by the tray, nibbling at the Meat Bun Lin Xing handed her, golden eyes filled with satisfaction.
“Eat slowly, no one’s going to snatch it from you.”
Lin Xing laughed, wiping the oil from her mouth, while taking a big bite of his own Meat Bun, calculating in his mind.
If he remembered correctly, the top few spots in the Bounty Hunt event could choose their own Rare Item as a reward!
After breakfast, they headed straight to the Library.
Lin Xing found the Advanced Beastmaster Transformation Guide in the Beastmaster’s Supplies Zone and turned to the page about Shapeshifting Crystals, reading carefully.
“Shapeshifting Crystals for Contract Beasts come in low, mid, and high grades. Low-grade Transformation Crystal can assist dragon and beast type Contract Beasts below level five to begin shapeshifting, requiring the consumption of 100 Low-grade Magic Crystals; Mid-grade Transformation Crystal can stabilize the transformed state, requiring 500 Low-grade Magic Crystals…”
“100 pieces, huh…” Lin Xing stroked his chin. That should be within the selectable reward range.
Lumiya lay sprawled across the page, glanced over the text, and snorted inwardly in disdain.
At that moment, Lin Xing’s Communicator rang.
It was a message from Little White.
“Lin Xing, let’s go shopping for some Augmentation Equipment this afternoon!”
Lin Xing replied immediately: “Sure! Meet at the Academy gate at 2 PM?”
“No problem! By the way, remember to bring some Repellent Powder—the forest bugs are vicious!”
Little White’s message came quickly, along with an adorable Snowball emoji.
Lin Xing smiled and put away the Communicator, then patted Lumiya’s head.
“This afternoon, we’ll go shopping with Little White, and maybe find some equipment suitable for you.”
Lumiya gave a lazy “Mhm”, not caring at all about the equipment, but far more interested in what new snacks she might get.
At 2 PM, they gathered on time at the Academy gate.
Little White carried a pink backpack and hugged Snowball in her arms. Seeing Lin Xing, she waved excitedly.
“Lin Xing, I’ve got the supply list ready. First, let’s go to Beastmaster’s Home to buy supplies for our Contract Beasts, then to the Exploration Equipment Shop for a tent and a moisture-proof mat!”
Beastmaster’s Home was lined with all kinds of Contract Beast supplies.
The shelves were stacked with different flavors of Magical Canned Food, Energy Biscuits to boost stamina, and Herbal Ointment for minor injuries.
Little White picked up a can of blueberry-flavored Magical Canned Food and told Snowball,
“Snowball, you like this one—let’s buy two cans to bring along!” Snowball immediately rubbed her palm, his ice-blue eyes full of joy.
Lin Xing picked out a few packs of roasted meat-flavored Energy Biscuits, while Lumiya lay in his arms, pointing her paw at the top shelf stacked with Beef Jerky, golden eyes full of longing.
“You want this?”
Lin Xing smiled as he took down the Beef Jerky and checked the ingredients list.
“It’s made with Magical Cattle Tenderloin and even has a bit of Fire Attribute Magic Crystal Powder—should be just your taste.”
He dropped it into the shopping basket. Lumiya swayed her tail in satisfaction.
At least he has some taste.
After buying the Contract Beast supplies, the two of them went to the Exploration Equipment Shop to pick up some basic supplies.
Even though it was a school-hosted activity, the stingy Academy didn’t provide any equipment—they only restricted high-grade items to prevent overpowered students from bullying newbies.
But they could never have guessed there would be a Sovereign of the Sea of Clouds, capable of breaking the world’s rules, pretending to be a newbie just to fish for prizes.
After finishing their shopping, they lugged bags of supplies on their way back.
Passing by a Sweet Shop, Little White suddenly stopped, eyes shining as she gazed at the mousse cakes in the display window.
Even Lumiya’s eyes began to glow.
Lin Xing looked at the girl and beast, then decisively said,
“This looks pretty good—should we go in and try some?”
Both nodded like pecking chickens, their eyes nearly glowing with anticipation.
The three entered the Sweet Shop.
They ordered one slice of Strawberry Mousse and two slices of Chocolate Mousse.
Lumiya crouched on the table, watching as Lin Xing forked a bit of Strawberry Mousse and brought it to her mouth.
After hesitating a moment, she opened up and took it.
The tangy strawberry, mixed with creamy sweetness, was a whole new flavor compared to egg tarts!
“Tastes good, right?”
Little White smiled and said,
“All the desserts here are made with Magic Fruit. Next time, let’s try some other flavors!”
Lumiya immediately nodded, golden eyes full of expectation.
Back in the Dormitory, Lin Xing started organizing his hunting gear.
He stuffed the tent and moisture-proof mat into the bottom of his Backpack, placed the Repellent Powder and Thermometer in the outer pockets,
And packed the Energy Biscuits and Beef Jerky into Lumiya’s own Little Backpack.
He’d just bought it that afternoon. The golden Little Backpack was embroidered with a Dragon Motif—perfect for Lumiya to wear.
“Come, try this on.”
Lin Xing put the Little Backpack on Lumiya’s back, adjusting the shoulder straps to the right length.
Lumiya wiggled her body. The pack fit perfectly. She lowered her head to look at the strap across her chest and suddenly felt a bit…
Absurd? She, the mighty Sovereign of the Sea of Clouds, the one who could tear the sky asunder and destroy worlds, now looked this… cute.
Lumiya hesitated—should she reveal a bit of her battle style so Lin Xing would stop making her look so adorable?
Lin Xing lay on the bed, flipping through the magical beast information he’d sorted out earlier that day.
Lumiya lay beside him, her tail idly sweeping his arm.
“We’ll be going hunting in a few days. Nervous?”
Lin Xing patted her head, his tone tinged with anticipation.
Lumiya lifted her head, golden pupils filled with disdain.
But for the sake of her persona, she still nuzzled Lin Xing’s palm, as if comforting him, “Don’t worry. With me here, there’s no way I’ll let you get hurt.”
Lin Xing laughed, hugging her into his arms.
“With Lumiya around, of course I can rest easy.”
He closed his eyes, imagining himself placing in the top ranks of the hunt, successfully earning the Shapeshifting Crystal, and then Lumiya turning into the golden-haired girl from his dreams.
Lin Xing couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
“Heh heh~ Lumiya~ heh heh~”
???
Lumiya lay in his embrace, listening to his lecherous chuckle, a flash of irritation glinting in her golden eyes. What is this fool fantasizing about now?
Unable to endure it any longer, Lumiya pushed herself up, her tiny paws gathering strength on the bedding.
The next second,
Borrowing the strength from Lin Xing’s chest, she leapt lightly, tracing a golden arc through the air before landing steadily on the soft mat at the foot of the bed.
She even made sure to flick the covers hard with her tail before curling up into a proud little ball, facing away from him and refusing to give him another glance.