Astral Pet Store (WN)

“This is the place!”

“Hello, are you an employee? Huh… you’re the boss?”

“Were the ten Class A Vast Sky Thunderous Dragons really sold at your place? Why were they sold rather than auctioned?”

“Young boss, please look at the camera here. With all due respect, may we know the family backing you?”

“Boss, why did you sell so many Class A Vast Sky Thunderous Dragons in one go? You didn’t advertise them in advance either. Didn’t you suffer a huge loss?”

“Boss…”

Su Ping had just completed the deal with Cleo when he was surrounded by the reporters.

What is going on?

Su Ping blinked his eyes speechlessly.

He didn’t expect that selling ten mid-level aptitude pets would attract that much attention; it wouldn’t have happened on the Blue Planet.

It wasn’t because the locals of the Blue Planet had seen better, but their available testing devices weren’t as advanced as their counterparts in the Federation. Those who had bought or trained pets in Su Ping’s place knew that the pets were very strong, but they didn’t know how strong the pets were exactly, which didn’t encourage a faster dissemination.

After all, the descriptions such as “very good” or “very strong” were quite subjective, whereas Class A aptitudes were objective and unified in the Federation; it was very special to Rhea’s locals.

“Boss, your shop has sold so many Class A pets. Is it because a four-starred master trainer is supporting your shop?”

“Boss, we had never heard of your shop before. Is it a branch of a major chain from another planet that intends to compete with Rhea’s local corporations?”

After hearing the reporters’ assorted questions, Su Ping had to raise his hand to interject, “Silence.”

He spoke quietly, but his voice was intimidating and commanding.

The noisy reporters were quickly silenced. They were naturally awed and fearful, as if a more advanced lifeform were looking down upon them.

“There’s indeed a master trainer in this shop. As for competitions, this shop only does its own business and is not interested in competing with anyone.”

Su Ping added calmly, “This shop will sell and train more Class A battle pets in the future. Be on the lookout for them if you’re interested.

“You’re welcome to return and report about them too.”

With that, Su Ping ended while looking at the reporters, “Please continue with your own affairs. Business hours are over.”

It would be a huge waste if he didn’t take advantage of the free reporters to promote his shop.

As for the Class A aptitude… He was simply talking in a way that other people could understand.

He considered himself more or less a master trainer. After all, he could train the highly regarded Class A battle pets.

Once he thought of that, Su Ping drove the reporters out of the shop.

“Boss, let’s chat for a while longer!”

“Boss, it’s barely noon, and you’re already closing your shop?”

“Will you open the shop in the afternoon? Boss, what are your business hours?”

“Boss, will more Class A pets be available as you said? Is it true? Care to tell us more details?”

The reporters—who hadn’t even reached the Ocean State—were pushed out of the shop by Su Ping with astral power.

“Soon there will be more details available for you. As for business hours, sometimes it’s morning, sometimes it’s afternoon, depending on when I’m free.”

Su Ping replied to some of the questions while shoving the reporters to the door; he then waved his hand before he turned around and got back into the shop.

The reporters were left dumbfounded outside the shop.

Business hours are completely random?

What kind of shop is this?

…

The brown-haired young man who had bought the first dragon was right outside; he had a wretched looking face when the reporters were gathered outside of Su Ping’s shop.

He had been covertly lurking in the area because he wanted to find out what would happen.

The shocking incidents that happened later had completely stupefied him.

All of the pets were Class A!

Ten Class A Vast Sky Thunderous Dragons appearing at the same time was a horrifying matter.

He remembered how he had a chance to buy all of them, but he ran off because he feared that Su Ping would ask for his pet back. If he hadn’t run out, he might have been able to buy all the pets!

The young man felt like vomiting blood when he thought about it.

The only thing that made him feel slightly better was that, since the shop had sold that many Class A dragons at once, they were probably uninterested in taking back the one he bought.

Therefore, he still had a chance to visit Su Ping’s shop later.

…

“Is it true?”

“Damn it, who will possibly come to our shop in the future?”

“This shop has been here for years. Why can’t I remember a thing about it? It was never popular; how did it become so good all of a sudden?”

The Stars Pet Store was absolutely empty, except a few employees and their manager.

The latter, who was a partly-bald middle aged man, looked terrible.

The ten Vast Sky Thunderous Dragons that had been shipped to Su Ping’s shop the day before had shocked the entire street. They felt a lot of pressure, being the other pet store on the street, so they reported the matter to HQ, which arranged for a B+ Vast Sky Thunderous Dragon to be shipped to them overnight.

He had intended to attract all the customers who had gotten word of the ten dragons in the other shop; this could potentially bring them a massive profit!

Little did he expect that all the dragons would be Class A pets!

He had been crushed and then scrubbed against the ground!

The manager felt like killing himself right then. Not just his shop; all the other pet shops in Woffett had been eclipsed and their business would be affected.

His shop had obviously taken the greatest hit, being on the same street. It was almost a nuclear attack!

The manager couldn’t contain himself any longer and burst into an outrage.

“Damn it! We must do something, we can’t just be waiting to die!

“Move! Move! Attract more customers on the street right now! What are you doing here?

“Contact HQ and talk to the PR department. Let’s claim that the other shop sells and trains flawed pets. Go!”

He would lose his job if the show went down.

Even if he was transferred to another shop, his position wouldn’t be as high.

All the employees were frightened by their boss’ anger and quickly got to work.

Soon, the employees of the Stars Pet Store peddled and appealed to the customers on the street again.

Even though the same B+ Vast Sky Thunderous Dragon wasn’t as attractive as before, some customers were still attracted to it.

Even though they were regretful for not having gotten their hands on a Class A pet, they were still happy to buy a lesser one.

Some customers entered the shop soon after.

Most of them had been to Su Ping’s shop.

They then booed once they heard that the B+ dragon would cost five hundred million.

The Class A dragons in the other shop were only sold for four hundred million. Even the Fate State ones didn’t go for more than a billion!

Huh… The dragon is being sold for five hundred million here? That’s too crazy!

The manager felt like his head was exploding as he heard the boos and complaints.

That is just the market price!

It was actually even several hundred million lower than the regular price!

He might as well just quit and go home if he were to sell the pet for four hundred million.

He definitely thought that the other shop’s prices were too low!

He was trying to do business. He didn’t know what the other shop was planning!

Selling ten Class A pets at such a low price was almost like a huge charity event!

Even if it was meant to attract everyones’ attention, it wouldn’t be easy to earn the hundreds of billions that had already been lost!

The manager could only cry in silence when he thought about his lunatic competitor, but he didn’t have another choice. He had to try to talk sense into the customers, but everybody was still mocking and laughing at him.

…

“Boss, I came for my pet. Are you here?” a clear voice said, then Filius walked into Su Ping’s shop.

He was slightly surprised, as all the reporters and the passersby were talking about Class A dragons. Are they real?

“Yes.”

Su Ping was cleaning the shop. He was going to close and start the training sessions.

Seeing the young man arrive, he said, “Your Green Alligator has been trained.”

“Really?” Filius was quite skeptical. Is it really possible to train a pet in a day?

Without further ado, Su Ping asked Joanna to take his pet out.

“That door will take you to the test room; you can give your pet a try. Feel free to use any skills without worrying about damages, as the walls are reinforced,” said Su Ping.

Filius looked at Joanna with a much more solemn expression. She then frowned, making him realize it was rude of him to stare at her, plus she was there with her pet.

He lowered his gaze, only to see a pair of sharp and brutal eyes that were obviously showing dissatisfaction.

They hadn’t seen each other in a long time, yet its master didn’t check it first. The Green Alligator was deeply heartbroken.

“Huh?”

Filius instantly noticed that the Green Alligator definitely seemed to be much stronger. The vibe it released was more profound and better hidden. Although it had approached him, it seemed to be sneaking, ready to go on a rampage anytime.

It does seem stronger, Filius thought.

Joanna turned around and left like a cloud after she finished arranging her pet’s training.

Filius felt relieved and looked down at the Green Alligator. He thought for a moment and said to Su Ping, “Boss, I’d like to test it.”

“Be my guest.”

…

Ten minutes later, Filius returned to the lobby.

His eyes were glowing with excitement.

He didn’t see Su Ping on his way out. He looked around, only to find that he couldn’t sense anything behind the walls and could only give up.

He then remembered that there was a pet assessment shop nearby so he quickly went there. He found many people who were gathered outside of the establishment.

“Class A aptitude?”

“A Vast Sky Thunderous Dragon?”

Filius raised his eyebrows as he approached the place, listening to the topics being heatedly discussed by those present.

His expression was quickly changed for shock after listening for a while.

Filius stopped one of the passers-by and asked, “Are you sure it was sold at the shop over there?” He also made a pointing gesture at Su Ping’s shop.

“Of course! The Pixie Pet Store became famous today! Can you believe that they sold ten Class A Vast Sky Thunderous Dragons in a row?”

“Damn right. I’m still trying to process it. It feels like a dream.”

“It has never happened before. I don’t think this assessment shop has experienced anything like it before, haha.”

Everybody talked and laughed, obviously interested in the matter.

Filius was rather stunned.

Did Su Ping’s shop sell ten Vast Sky Thunderous Dragons with Class A aptitude this morning?

Oh my god, what did I miss?

Filius suddenly thought of his Green Alligator. Could it be that there really was a master trainer in Su Ping’s shop?

His heart pounded; he quickly squeezed through the crowd and paid for an assessment.

A few minutes later.

Wow!

Exclamations burst out of the assessment shop again. All the people who were still present looked at the rolling pillar with shock.

The readings had soared up to the purple area again!

Was it possible that another pet with Class A aptitudes had been detected?

“Damn, what day is today?”

“Another Vast Sky Thunderous Dragon? Didn’t the shop only obtain ten of them? Is this one from the old stockpile?”

“Which lucky son of a bi*ch bought this?”

All kinds of exclamations burst out of the crowd.

Filius was quickly angered by the jealous remarks, but soon found that more than one person was cursing. He could only turn a deaf ear to them while he stared at the testing pillar.

Soon, the readings in the purple area were gradually stabilized.

Several minutes later, a rating appeared on the pillar:

Class A!

Underneath the rating was the image of the Green Alligator.

The audience was shocked again, not expecting to see a real Class A pet again!

However, it was no longer a Vast Sky Thunderous Dragon this time, but a Green Alligator.

Filius was stunned while he looked at the results, feeling like his head had gone blank.

The young man was unable to wrap its head around it.

Class A aptitude?

How is it possible?

Is there something wrong with the device?

His Green Alligator only had a B- aptitude in the past, but then it became A!

That was a drastic improvement!

Filius felt somewhat dazed. He went for the assessment partly to find out the Green Alligator’s current aptitude and partly to see if the strength the pet showed in the test room would be reflected in the results.

Certain special drugs could significantly strengthen pets for a while, but they could bring about dire ramifications!

Such drugs could be detected in an assessment. Most dangerous and flawed training methods would leave detectable sequelae that could lower the rating. Even if the Green Alligator was ten times stronger than its peers, its aptitude would be lowered if it had taken any drugs!

The comprehensive conclusion was based on information drawn from many aspects.

The A rating meant that his pet had truly been strengthened, without any hidden flaws!

It had truly been strengthened thanks to the training!

Filius was too shocked to speak. He had only paid a hundred million to upgrade his battle pet to Class A. That was unbelievable!

“Another one. Fortunately, this isn’t a Vast Sky Thunderous Dragon.”

In another corner of the shop, Cleo and her cousin Lily were both amazed at the rating on the pillar.

The pillar seemed to be malfunctioning, as A ratings were all it manifested that day.

This pet can’t be from the shop over there, right? Cleo thought and became tempted. She instantly asked for the customer’s file and then greeted him.

“Hello.”

Filius was still stunned when Cleo approached him. She was slightly surprised and confused when she saw Filius’ look, attire, and especially the emblem at the end of his sleeve.

“Huh? Who might you be?”

“I’m the manager of this shop,” replied Cleo casually, “You must be from the Moreno family. Is this battle pet yours? Are you interested in selling it? I can purchase it for more than the going market price. This is my card.”

She offered a purple-and-gold card.

The card alone was worth tens of thousands of astral coins.

Filius’s pupils contracted the moment he saw the card, as it was only used by members of the Ryan family.

“Hello, I’m Filius.” He accepted the card and spoke with a somewhat fearful tone.

The Ryan family were the gods of Rhea. All the other forces had to lower their heads in front of that family.

“How about it? Do you plan to sell it?” asked Cleo straightforwardly.

Filius hesitated and said, “Well, I’m sorry, but this little guy and I have been together for a long time and we’re deeply bonded.”

Cleo instantly knew it was a no; the deep bond was just an excuse. Her keen mind could also glean that he planned to participate in the upcoming Pet Contest, all to bring hope to the declining Moreno family.

“Feel free to contact me if you ever decide to sell it,” said Cleo with a smile.

Filius nodded quickly.

…

Filius finally took a breath of relief after walking out of the assessment shop. Confronting someone from the Ryan family was too stressful; his family could be affected if he ever pissed her off.

I must find Boss Su immediately. If he trains my pets every day, won’t they all get Class A aptitudes? If so, I can easily win the Pet Contest…

Filius became excited as he rushed back to Su Ping’s shop.

“Boss.”

Filius saw Su Ping the moment he entered the lobby. He quickly called out to him, “Boss, I didn’t see you, so I took a walk outside. I was hoping you would train more pets of mine. Here they are…”

He didn’t say that he had gone to the assessment shop, fearing that Su Ping would be angered due to his expertise being questioned.

Of course, he had indeed suspected Su Ping’s expertise a moment earlier.

“Okay.” Su Ping wasn’t too enthused to see Filius. He said, “You’re late. The pet spots in this shop are already full. Come again tomorrow if you want to have your pets trained.”

“What?”

Filius was stunned by the reply. He asked with widened eyes, “They’re full?”

“Yes. There are no more openings left,” said Su Ping casually.

Filius was dumbfounded. He certainly wouldn’t accept that.

He quickly replied, “Boss, I can pay more money. How about two hundred million, no, one billion for each pet?”

Su Ping raised his eyebrows and looked at him, realizing that the guy had surely gone to have his pet assessed. He said angrily, “This isn’t about money. Besides, you think you can hire me to do your bidding by paying a mere billion?”

Filius was rendered speechless, but he knew that Su Ping was right.

To improve a B- Green Alligator to the A level was something that even a four-starred master trainer was unable to do. It might even be the work of a grandmaster.

“Boss, I know this isn’t about money. Can you just do me this favor?”

Filius instantly adopted a different approach and tried to appeal to Su Ping’s sympathy. “I’m about to participate in the Pet Contest. If you train my pets I will surely distinguish myself in the contest. I will tell everybody that my pets were trained in your shop during the award ceremony. It can work as a great for you.”

“It’s your contest. Why should I care?” snapped Su Ping, “Also, I have other people who can advertise for me.”

Filius was starting to feel anxious after being refused by Su Ping. He couldn’t help but add, “Boss, I’m begging you. What can I do so that you can help me train my pets?”

He couldn’t be any more regretful. Had he known the effects, he would have left his main pet for training instead of the Green Alligator he wasn’t planning on using.

“No need to beg me, and it’s useless even if you do,” Su Ping said indifferently, “If you want to train your pets, come early tomorrow.”

Stunned, Filius asked in delight, “Really? You’re willing to train my pets as long as I wait in line?”

“As long as you pay the money, why wouldn’t I?”

“Yes, sure, I’ll definitely pay you. In fact, I can give you the money in advance right now…”

“That’s unnecessary. This shop doesn’t accept down payments. All money must be paid up front. No appointments, no defaults!” said Su Ping coldly.

Filius was quite confused.

Su Ping ignored him and left.

Another person entered the shop at this moment and saw Su Ping turning around. She said with glittering eyes, “Boss Su.”

Su Ping turned back, only to find it was Mia.

“You’re back?”

“Yes.”

Mia said with a smile, “Someone just told me that you sold ten Class A Vast Sky Thunderous Dragons. Is this true?”

Su Ping nodded. “Yes.”

Filius’s pupils contracted when Su Ping personally admitted it. He regretted his decision the day prior even more.

“Boss Su, can you sell me one?”

When Su Ping admitted it, Mia’s eyes glowed even more brightly. She said, “Just name your price. I’ll try my best to raise the sum and give it to you.”

“You didn’t catch any?” Su Ping asked back.