The pet shop looked the same as always. Nie Yan found his way toward Collinson past rows of cages inhabited by all kinds of pets. “Beast Tamer Collinson, I have a request for you,” Nie Yan said. He had no idea how to get to the backroom Guo Huai had mentioned. As he looked around, he spotted a small door hidden by a few cages. It bore a sign that read “personnel only”. He couldn’t simply walk in all willy nilly. He would ask Collinson for permission first.
“I’m willing to serve,” Collinson said respectfully.
“It’s like this. I’ve recently captured a Violet Eye Dragon. I need your help to tame it,” Nie Yan said.
“Great Prophet, bring the Violet Eye Dragon to me, and I’ll help you tame it.”
Nie Yan shook his head. “I’m afraid I can’t do that due to some special circumstances. Please, could you come to Okoron with me? I promise to reward you generously.”
Collinson made an awkward expression. He pondered for a moment before asking, “What level is this Violet Eye Dragon you caught?”
“It’s a full grown adult, a Level 200 Variant Lord.”
Collinson sucked in a cold breath of air, an incredulous expression on his face. “My apologies, Great Prophet, but that’s really hard to believe. Are you sure it’s a Level 200 Variant Lord? In the entire Righteous Faction, only a few people, like Jebiah the Great, have such high level pets. If I may ask, how did you capture it?”
“Sorry, I’m afraid that’s a secret,” Nie Yan replied. He wouldn’t easily reveal how he caught the Violet Eye Dragon, even if the other side was an NPC.
Seeing Nie Yan’s displeased expression, Collinson trembled in fear. He quickly apologized, “I didn’t mean to offend! Please forgive me for overstepping my boundaries! Great Prophet, with my Beast Tamer rank, it will take me at least three years to tame a Level 200 Variant Lord.”
Nie Yan knitted his brows. The estimated time was far longer than he expected. Even though a Level 200 Variant Lord would still be extremely powerful in three years, he had no intention of waiting that long, to say nothing of how long it would take to tame all seven. By then, the dishes would already be cold.
“That’s too long. Is there any other way?” Nie Yan asked, hopeful. Thanks to his own status, Collinson wouldn’t dare to hide anything from him.
“Great Prophet, if you would like to speed up the taming process, you’ll need to find a higher rank Beast Tamer. I can recommend you someone. My master Hall, he can do it. He’s a Grandmaster Beast Tamer. With his help, it should take only six months to tame the Violet Eye Dragon,” Collinson said.
“Where could I find your master?” Nie Yan asked. This master was likely the mysterious NPC Guo Huai mentioned.
“Please follow me,” Collinson said.
Nie Yan followed behind Collinson. They entered the small door Nie Yan had spotted before. Behind it was a long, winding corridor that led to a back room.
The back room was quite small, with only a few tables and chairs. In the corner sat an NPC in ashen robes. He looked around 60 years old with a slim build. Even though he had a full head of white hair, he still appeared hail and hearty. Nie Yan’s eyes fell on the silvery-white insignia on the NPC’s shoulder. This was the mark of a high rank Beast Tamer. Since the profession was fairly hard to train in, Grandmaster Beast Tamers were extremely rare existences.
Nie Yan could sense magic fluctuations coming from the old man. It was of the fire element and that of a Magister. A Grandmaster Beast Tamer and a Magister, Hall’s status intrigued Nie Yan.
Nie Yan inspected Hall.
When Hall noticed Collinson and Nie Yan, his face darkened.
“I told you. Without my explicit permission, no outsiders are welcome here,” Hall said. He was displeased with Collinson bringing strangers to the back room.
“Master, this is the Great Prophet Nirvana Flame. He predicted the demonic beast invasion of the Hilton Stronghold and saved countless lives. He came here today to ask for your help,” Collinson said, choosing his words carefully.
These words got a reaction. Hall appeared to be moved. “Great Prophet, please excuse my rude behaviour just now.”
Nie Yan smiled. “No offense taken Sir Hall. It’s my fault for turning up without notice and disturbing you.” He was a bit skeptical. Hall’s reaction was a bit excessive.
“No, no.” Hall shook his head, his voice trembling. “Please listen to me, Great Prophet. I hail from the Hilton Stronghold. When the invasion happened, I was in Calore for important business. Both my wife and children were back at home. When word of the invasion reached my ears, it was already too late to rush back. I hated myself that I couldn’t be there, to protect them. So when I learned you prophesied the attack, giving the stronghold enough time to prepare… I can’t begin to express how grateful I am. You saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of residents, my wife and children included. From the bottom of my heart, permit me to express my deepest gratitude.”
Nie Yan finally understood. No wonder Hall was so moved after meeting him. It turned out this NPC was from the Hilton Stronghold. His high Influence there took effect. With this relationship, asking Hall to help him tame the Violet Eye Dragon wouldn’t be a problem.
“Sir Hall, as a Great Prophet, predicting disasters and ensuring the safety of the inhabitants of this land is my duty,” Nie Yan said.
“You truly are deserving of your reputation, Great Prophet. Collinson mentioned you needed my help. Please do tell. Even if you need me to sacrifice my life, I won’t refuse,” Hall said, excitement thick in his voice.
“Sir Hall, please don’t joke like that. Your life is too heavy of a burden for me to carry.” Nie Yan chuckled.
Hall laughed in embarrassment.
“It’s like this. I’ve caught a Violet Eye Dragon. I’d like you to come with me to Okoron in the Abernathy Great Grasslands and help me tame it,” Nie Yan explained.
“A Violet Eye Dragon? Is it still an adolescent?” Hall asked in surprise.
“No. I caught a full grown adult, a Level 200 Variant Lord.”
Hall gasped. “Great Prophet, you truly are amazing. Few have ever managed to capture such a high level monster. In fact, to my knowledge, only Jebiah the Great and two elders have pets of this level. Taming a Violet Eye Dragon will take at least six months, maybe even longer. If you’re willing to wait that long, I’ll pack my bags right away and travel with you to Okoron.”
“That would be great. Thank you, Sir Hall. You’ve helped me a great deal,” Nie Yan happily accepted. The taming time had been reduced from three years to six months. This was a huge difference. At the very least, they could make use of the first Violet Eye Dragon in the war against Angel Corps.
“I’m willing to serve you, Great Prophet. No need to address me so politely either, or else my wife will scold me. Just Hall is fine.” An expression of fear flashed across Hall’s face.
Nie Yan chuckled. Since Hall insisted, he wouldn’t bother arguing.
“Please give me a moment. I’ll be handing over a few tasks to my foolish disciple,” Hall said. He turned to Collinson.
Nie Yan patiently waited. This was was a pleasant surprise for sure. He had secured himself a Grandmaster Beast Tamer without any problem, not to mention Hall was also a Magister. With a person like this residing in Okoron, the city had another powerful protector.
Hall instructed Collinson how to run the pet shop while he was gone. It turned out he was the owner.
“Master, don’t worry. I’ll carry out everything to the best of my ability,” Collinson assured.
“I issued three quests in the mercenary association. About 3,000 people accepted them. If they come by, tell them to come find me in Okoron.”
Nie Yan raised an eyebrow in surprise. 3,000 people had accepted his quests. They would all have to come to Okoron to turn them in.
“Hall, would you be interested in setting up a pet shop in Okoron? The city is just as bustling as Calore, with millions of players passing through every day as well as many large shops and an enormous auction house. The only thing we’re lacking is a pet shop.” Nie Yan attempted to persuade Hall. “If you’re willing to set up a pet shop in Okoron, I can provide you with a suitably large building, rent free.”
Hall rubbed his chin for a moment. “Let me go over there to take a look first. If the city is to my liking, sure I’ll open up another pet shop there.”
Nie Yan smiled. When Hall finished handing everything over to Collinson, the two headed to the transfer point and teleported to Okoron.
Nie Yan led Hall to the conference hall in the Asskickers United, where they kept the Violet Eye Dragon. When Hall saw the monster firmly bound in the cage, he couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. “Truly a work of art. The artisans who’ve made this have my praise.” Employing this kind of method to capture a Violet Eye Dragon was truly unprecedented.
“I’ll leave this Violet Eye Dragon to you,” Nie Yan said.
“Don’t worry, Great Prophet. I’ll help you tame it as quickly as possible.”
After leaving this matter to Hall, Nie Yan breathed a sigh of relief, another worry off his shoulders. Now all he had to do was wait.
In another week, he could capture the second Violet Eye Dragon. Nie Yan planned to do a quest in the meantime, when he received word that there was movement from Angel Corps. Guo Huai wanted him to hurry to the meeting room.
Nie Yan knitted his brows. Just what happened for Guo Huai to be so anxious?
