You call this beast taming?

Evolve into Arcanine?

Wen Zhixu already had some understanding of these two systems.

It doesn't care about Golden Retrievers or Poodles; it only cares about its own opinion, not yours.

However, the system's "main quest" made him realize that he had not only obtained a "Fire Stone" but also the move "Dawn"!

I just don't know if Erliang can learn it....

As for "side quests," that's exactly what he wants to do now.

Never mind, let's try the "Fire Stone" first!

Fire Stone: An evolution stone that allows certain Pokémon to evolve, containing a large amount of fire-type energy.

Here, take it.

Pushing the orange-yellow "Fire Stone" in front of Erliang, Wen Zhixu put down his chopsticks and stared at the little guy, watching how it was going to use it.

Normally, touching it should trigger evolution, but Golden Mane Dog isn't Growlithe, and Wen Zhixu didn't know how to use it, so he simply left it to the little guy's biological instincts.

How will it be used?

Two pairs of eyes darted around, gazing at the alluring stone. After receiving Wen Zhixu's permission...

"Awoo!"

A hungry tiger pounces on its prey!

Creak, creak—

The incredibly hard "Fire Stone" rubbed against Erliang's not-so-sharp teeth, making a sound.

Wen Zhixu: "..."

It really is the most primal biological instinct...

Is it useless?

The two ounces did not appear to have changed at all.

Watching the little creature, which had regained some energy after eating, struggle against him, Wen Zhixu sighed and pried it out.

"Huh?" Erliang stared longingly as the "Fire Stone," covered in saliva, was taken away, looking utterly pitiful.

Ok?

Just when Wen Zhixu felt useless, he suddenly paused.

Beast Taming Space!

He keenly sensed that his beast-taming space seemed to have become slightly warmer.

it works?

Try bringing the "Fire Stone" close to Erliang again and sticking it to it.

next moment.

The warmth in the Beast Taming Space became even more pronounced.

really!

Is it absorbed through contact, not through biting?

Erliang seemed to have noticed the change as well. It squinted its eyes and showed a comfortable expression.

At the same time, Wen Zhixu vaguely caught a glimpse of crimson in the two ounces of golden hair.

Fire energy!

Two-Liang hasn't evolved yet. If we train him to have Fire-type attributes at this stage, then later...

Nobody knows the outcome.

After all, even the wealthiest person wouldn't choose to invest massive resources in developing a Golden Mane Dog's secondary attributes.

"Erliang, you will become unique one day!" Wen Zhixu vigorously rubbed the little guy's head, but unfortunately there was too little flesh and the fur was not fluffy, lacking the texture of being pinched and flattened.

"Waaaaah!!"

Erliang held the "Fire Stone" and nodded repeatedly.

It doesn't know what "unique" means, but it understands that if Wen Zhixu says it's okay, then it's okay!

Even if not for its own sake, it must be done for Wen Zhixu!

After rubbing his head, Wen Zhixu looked at his dirty, sticky body, which he didn't know was caused by, and finally couldn't stand it anymore.

bath!

He grabbed Erliang by the back of the neck and carried him into the bathroom.

Before long, accompanied by Erliang's "wailing", murky sewage kept flowing out of the clean white bathtub.

About half an hour later.

"call--"

Lying in the bathtub together, Wen Zhixu let out a long sigh. Erliang fluttered his short limbs, kept his mouth tightly closed, and struggled on the surface of the water to keep himself from sinking.

Instead of "swimming" in the lake to avoid being discovered by my mom, we decided to take a bath together.

He rested his head on his pillow, making plans for the future.

He is currently facing several troublesome issues:

1. Debt. Although he was scammed, he is currently no match for those loan sharks in society, so he has a large sum of money to repay, and the sooner the better.

2. Food. Now that a contract has been formed with Erliang, as a beast tamer, I definitely need to find a way to make sure Erliang eats the food that pets should eat. Fortunately, we currently have the "Fire Stone," which can make up for some of the lack of nutrition.

3. Mom. Things have already escalated to the school level. Although Lao Wang has been appeased for now, knowing his personality, he'll definitely tell Mom, and then...

4. Tuition fees. This is the least urgent matter right now. University? He needs to get through the terrifying college entrance exam first!

So, all things considered, he currently has only one major task – to make money!

"Two ounces, two ounces."

Wen Zhixu picked up the fluttering little thing. "If you could be cute and charming, you'd be a purebred puppy. You could easily snag a few rich people's canine pets, and maybe the two of us could just lie down and relax..."

Erliang blinked twice, looking bewildered.

It struggled twice and fell back into the water, then pounced on Wen Zhixu, licking his cheek with its tongue when he wasn't looking.

Acting cute?

Is that so?

"Alright, alright, stop fooling around." Wen Zhixu felt a tickle on his face and said with a smile.

Seeing this, Erliang became even more excited.

"Wait, wait a minute!"

Suddenly, Wen Zhixu sat up in the bathtub.

"Woo woo~~" Erliang laughed, not understanding why, and licked it again.

"Drool...drool! It's hot!"

...

Ten minutes later.

Wen Zhixu's cheek was slightly flushed as he used a hairdryer to dry his two ounces of hair.

It has to be said that after being washed and blown dry, Golden Retrievers really do look... adorable.

No wonder so many people like to keep them as pets; they have the goofiness of a husky, the roundness of a Bichon Frise, and a bit of an Akita's appearance.

It's really hard to associate it with a ferocious and powerful supernatural being...

But that's alright.

With that size... it won't destroy the house... right?

Rubbing the still slightly warm cheeks, Wen Zhixu picked up the little one.

You've only been using "Fire Stone" for a short time, and your saliva is already burning hot?

Is this the normal absorption rate for a pet?

"Waaah..." Erliang lowered his head, somewhat afraid to look at Axu.

"It's nothing," Wen Zhixu said with a smile, waving his hand. "This is nothing at all."

"Let's go, let's figure out how to make some money."

According to his memory, he took out all his savings from under his pillow in his room, a total of... 316 yuan!

Oh, there are even whole and odd amounts.

"Huh?" Erliang sniffed the money curiously and stuck out his tongue.

It smells bad!

"What do you know?" Wen Zhixu said irritably, then picked it up and sniffed it, revealing a look of rapture. "This is the best smell in the world!"

"Ugh..."

Oh...I understand...

With his "start-up capital" in hand, and taking advantage of the early hour, he left home with two taels of silver.

...

I went out of the house and found an empty space where no one was around.

Two ounces was too weak before, but now that it has filled its belly, it can try more.

I tried the "Fire Stone," and the effect was much better than I expected.

Then we should give the "Morning Light" move learning machine a try.

"Two ounces."

Wen Zhixu called out to the little guy, and at the same time, Erliang, who had become much more lively, looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Use the TM1000 'Morning Light'!" he thought to himself.

Morning Light: Restores the user's status based on the weather; the stronger the sunlight, the more status is restored!

hum-

Then, a soft white light emanated from Wen Zhixu's palm as he gently touched Erliang's head.

Knead and rub!

It feels so much better than before!

The white light came and went quickly. After receiving the system notification that the skill learning machine had been successfully used, he immediately said:

"Two ounces, how does it feel?"

"Huh?"

At this moment, Erliang looked bewildered and somewhat surprised, as if something had happened, yet also as if... nothing had happened.

However, the Beast Taming Space has already given Wen Zhixu positive feedback.

Learn a new skill!

"Give it a try, Morning Light!"

"Huh?"

Morning light?

Erliang seemed to sense something, stood up, and called out to the sun in the sky.

next second.

A white light emanated from its body, giving it a feeling of... being bathed in sunlight.

"Waaah~~"

Erliang squinted her eyes, feeling a warm and comfortable sensation all over her body, as if a continuous source of power was being injected into her, restoring her parched body.

Wen Zhixu nodded to himself as he watched this scene.

Holy Light Dog!

If I were to become a charlatan, I might actually make a fortune.

In fact, besides restoring his condition during combat, what he values ​​most about the skill "Dawnlight" is its role in training.

When you're tired from training, a burst of morning light will get you back in shape!

It transforms directly from Holy Light Dog into Plant Dog, maximizing photosynthesis.

Of course, a perpetual motion machine is impossible, since mental exhaustion cannot be recovered, and using skills will also consume a considerable amount of energy.

However, if one could improve their proficiency even further...

According to the book, any skill of any pet can be divided into five stages based on proficiency:

Beginner, Proficient, Expert, Master, Peak!

It takes into account factors such as release speed, effect, and self-consumption.

For someone like Erliang who has just learned Chenguang, their proficiency level is only at the beginner level.

"Huh?"

As dawn broke, Erliang looked at Wen Zhixu with a mixture of doubt and admiration.

It should be noted that it was classified as "incomplete" because it did not learn any skills from birth to the early and middle stages of the mutation.

The mutation period is the stage when pets learn basic skills.

Some exceptionally gifted pets may even awaken inherited skills during the mutation period!

And now, this pet, which was born "crippled", has suddenly learned a skill that it had never seen before?

"Two ounces, that's impressive!"

Wen Zhixu picked up the little guy by the scruff of his neck and said under its puzzled gaze:

"This skill isn't something everyone can learn. Not only did you learn it in no time, but you can also use it smoothly. You're a genius!"

"Huh?"

genius?

Are these two words related to it?

"Even if you don't believe in yourself, you have to believe in me."

Wen Zhixu believes in one thing: whether it's a person or a pet, to nurture them, you must first nurture their self-confidence.

Having confidence and lacking confidence are two completely different states.

"Awooo!!"

Two ounces of eyes lit up, they clenched their little paws and nodded vigorously.

I'm very smart!

I'm a genius!

"Let's go, this time we're really going to make some money."

In fact, it not only made Erliang more confident, but also made him more confident after learning that the system, although a bit silly, was useful.

"Huh?"

How do I make money?

The little guy looked very curious.

Wen Zhixu smiled and placed it on his head, then touched the "startup capital" in his pocket and said:

"Let's go...buy a pack of cigarettes first!"

Two ounces: "??"