Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The Striped Gray Plate Spider gingerly shifted away the legs that were blocking its face. Two blood-red eyes were revealed that secretly observed Gao Peng carefully.
It struggled to remember, thinking with its not-so-large brain.
Then it remembered. This guy had tried to scare it at the stairwell by throwing a fireball at it!
A hostile expression appeared on the Striped Gray Plate Spider’s face.
Da Zi was quietly resting on Gao Peng’s shoulders. It was so long now that part of its body touched the ground even while it was on Gao Peng’s shoulders. Da Zi could sense the spider’s emotions.
It casually reached out with one of its fangs and tapped the Striped Gray Plate Spider, like an older brother reminding his younger brother what he should or should not be doing.
In the presence of a more powerful monster, the Striped Gray Plate Spider could only screech rapidly in protest.
Unhurriedly, Da Zi simply looked the spider in the eye and hissed once.
“If you wish, you can come along with me,” said Gao Peng as he stretched out his right hand in front of the Striped Gray Plate Spider.
The stairwell fell into silence.
After some hesitation, the Striped Gray Plate Spider slowly removed the leg that was blocking its face and placed it on Gao Peng’s palm.
The hairy spider leg was covered in backward hooks that were like pieces of steel wire. Because Gao Peng was being careful, all he felt was a ticklish sensation as they gently pricked the palm of his hand.
When Gao Peng finally headed out to the streets, there were two Familiars following him: a three and a half meter long centipede, and a spider the size of a millstone.
“Hey, bro, you gathering the five poisons to become the head of the Five Poison Sect?” A smart teen dressed in all seven colors of the rainbow was walking in Gao Peng’s direction and could not help poke fun at him after seeing the spider and centipede walking by his side.
“The sect hasn’t died out yet?” said Gao Peng, looking at the teen.
The smart teen did not seem to mind and chuckled instead. “You don’t understand. The thing about trends is that they are periodic. They come in cycles. Every trend will be popular during its time, but will gradually be eliminated in a few years. But after a few decades, it will regain popularity again. That’s what we call ‘retro.”
Gao Peng could not help but take a second look at this guy. A cultured smart teen… he was indeed different from the rest.
Seeing that Gao Peng had no intention to continue chatting, the smart teen immediately tried to make Gao Peng stay. He went up to him and spoke in a hushed voice. “Bro, it seems to me that you like poisonous stuff right? With your centipede and spider and all.”
“No, it’s just a coincidence that I’m raising two of the five poisons.” Gao Peng shook his head. He felt a little annoyed that this smart teen was so persistent in bothering him.
Da Zi sensed its owner’s annoyance and immediately went forward to threaten the smart teen. Its fangs were open wide with a cold glint coming off them. At the same time, its body surged with visible arcs of electricity. Although it could not exactly release electricity, it had no problem covering its body with it, making it look extremely menacing.
“Aye aye aye, don’t get agitated, don’t get agitated. I just have a few poisonous monsters with me. If you are interested, bro, I can sell them cheap!” the smart teen immediately said in a hushed voice.
Gao Peng was not interested in the poisonous monsters that he mentioned. Furthermore, there were more than enough Familiars in his home right now. Skull Ghoul Ape, Purple-Backed Electric Centipede, Striped Gray Plate Spider, and Levitating Jellyfish: a total of four Familiars.
The average person would not normally try to raise too many Familiars until the Familiars under their wing had matured and grown to a certain level. This was first and foremost because it cost too much money. It would be like getting an ordinary household before the cataclysm to raise a few large carnivorous beasts. The money spent on food alone would cause them to go broke.
Secondly, it was because raising Familiars also took up a lot of time and energy.
Many people believed that there were two different factions of people when it came to raising Familiars. Those belonging to the first would specially train only one or two Familiars and were termed as the “one with the Familiar” faction.
The other faction was the generalist faction, which would raise any type of monster under the sun.
Of course, all these factions were just a joke. In reality, there were no actual factions. Whether or not people raised a Familiar was usually purely based on a whim.
There were many who swore: “Even if I die, even if I have to jump off a cliff, I will definitely not raise another Familiar!”
And then after a while… would appear carrying a newly bought Familiar chuckling, “Hey, this new Familiar I just bought can even spit fire.”
But this was beside the point. Gao Peng was really not interested in any of the five poisons.
The smart teen, however, still had more to say. After all, with two of the five poisons by his side, Gao Peng seemed like a good potential client. From his experience in doing sales, as long as he was thick-skinned enough, success was usually only a step away.
Gao Peng lost his patience and said coldly, “Get lost!”
The smart teen unwillingly forced a smile, then turned away to look for other customers along the street.
Gao Peng headed to the store and bought some food, as well as some materials needed to evolve a Striped Gray Plate Spider.
Promoting its grade from normal to excellent should have been a simple matter, especially since it was just a little level 4 monster.
What Gao Peng was lacking currently was a tank, and although it seemed ridiculous to use a spider as a meat shield, Gao Peng had actually found an evolutionary pathway for a tank amongst the possible pathways for the Striped Gray Plate Spider.
After buying the materials and heading home, Gao Peng proceeded to establish a Blood Contract with the Striped Gray Plate Spider first. Although there was not much space left in his soul, establishing a contract with a normal grade, level 4 monster would be no problem.
But Gao Peng had planned things out already. After establishing the Blood Contract with the Striped Gray Plate Spider and quickly strengthening it, it would soon be able to provide him with plenty of Soul Power.
With the Soul Power that was being provided by Da Zi and Silly, he believed that he would be able to establish a Blood Contract with Dumby in no time. Dumby just had to put up with the current situation for a little while longer. He could not afford to promote Dumby any more, or else the Soul Power needed would just keep increasing.
Gao Peng felt that his decision to promote Dumby’s grade was actually one that was not worthwhile. He had been foolish then but he had to admit his mistakes so that he would not make the same ones in future.
Nobody was perfect. One just had to make sure that they did not fall in the same ditch twice.
The process of establishing the Blood Contract with the Striped Gray Plate Spider was a quick one. Perhaps because of Granny Chen’s recent passing away, Gao Peng felt a strong feeling of sadness in the consciousness of the Striped Gray Plate Spider.
Without much effort at all, Gao Peng had obtained the spider’s trust. It could have been because the spider was still grieving and Gao Peng had coincidentally come in to fill the void left behind.
After establishing the Blood Contract, Gao Peng was astonished to find that Granny Chen had never actually had a Blood Contract with her Striped Gray Plate spider. Perhaps this was simply something that the older generation persisted on not doing.
Gao Peng had chosen the evolutionary pathway of a Gray Armored Spider for the Striped Gray Plate Spider. Just from the name alone, one could tell that this was a species of spider with a strong defense.
