Chapter 91: Chapter 89: Intermediate Spirit Garden
Great Black became famous in a single battle.
A big black dog in the Meridian Passage realm was simply unheard of!
Early in the morning, many bold individuals traveled from afar just to catch a glimpse of Great Black.
And what they saw was Great Black diligently dragging corpses into the sea to feed the fish.
Well then!
A Meridian Passage dog had to clean up the bodies of those it killed!
As word spread, Jiang Zuo raked in another huge wave of Beast Taming Reputation.
Jiang Zuo really made a killing on reputation this time.
He had already warned everyone that he had a Meridian Passage guard and disliked fighting and killing. When Great Black was killing the intruders, he had even spoken up to stop it from going on a rampage.
The persona of a young master from a Beast Taming Clan who disliked conflict but possessed exceptional Beast Taming skills was now firmly established.
In just one morning, Jiang Zuo gained over five hundred Beast Taming Reputation.
Including what he had earned over the past few days, his Beast Taming Reputation skyrocketed from over four hundred to more than eleven hundred.
And it would likely increase a lot more in the afternoon.
It couldn’t be helped.
Taming a Seated Mountain Eagle that could carry a person was one thing.
Many people wouldn’t pay it too much mind.
But a big black dog in the Meridian Passage realm? That was truly astonishing.
It was hard not to be impressed.
No one had ever heard of anyone else capable of such a feat.
Although some people thought the dog was tamed by his clan and not a display of Jiang Zuo’s own ability, many more were swept up in the excitement and didn’t care either way.
As for those who had planned on inviting Jiang Zuo to raise eagles for their gangs, they were all incredibly relieved.
’If I’d been a little more impulsive and actually gone through with it, I’d be a dead man by now.’
The various gangs on Fire Mist Island had completely changed their attitudes, warning their subordinates not to provoke Jiang Zuo under any circumstances.
...
After Great Black’s show of might, things quieted down for Jiang Zuo.
However, it was impossible for things to become completely peaceful.
With Jiang Zuo’s Beast Taming skills and a Meridian Passage dog like Great Black, he was the definition of a powerful backer to cling to.
The would-be plunderers were gone, but countless more now wanted to pledge their allegiance to him.
Eventually, Jiang Zuo got tired of it, built a large fence, and had Great Black patrol menacingly. It even had to injure a few people.
Only then did the people trying to seek refuge with him gradually stop appearing.
「Two or three months later.」
His Beast Taming Reputation had mostly stopped increasing, but by now, it had reached over 1,700.
’I can upgrade the Pet Beast Spirit Garden,’ Jiang Zuo thought.
The requirements to upgrade the Pet Beast Spirit Garden from Basic to Intermediate were: 1,000 Beast Taming Reputation, 100 Beast Soul Power, and 1,000 low-grade Spirit Stones.
The Pet Beast Spirit Garden has been upgraded to Intermediate!
—Pet Beast Spirit Garden (Intermediate) (0/10): A decent Pet Beast space that automatically generates a small amount of Spiritual Qi each day.
Upgrade Requirements: 5,000 Beast Taming Reputation, 500 Beast Soul Power, 50,000 low-grade Spirit Stones.
’An Intermediate Pet Beast Spirit Garden!’
’It can actually generate Spiritual Qi on its own?’
’Although it says the amount is small, and it probably won’t be much, having some is a thousand times better than having none!’
’From now on, Xiaoqing can go inside every day to absorb Spiritual Qi. As long as it accumulates over time, Xiaoqing will be able to grow slowly!’
Jiang Zuo was overjoyed at the sight.
Xiaoqing’s difficulty in growing had always been his biggest headache.
After all, if Xiaoqing could continue to grow, it would provide him with a huge attribute bonus.
Now, Xiaoqing finally had a chance to grow.
’Damn! Upgrading from Intermediate to Advanced... I could accept the ten-fold increase in Beast Taming Reputation and Beast Soul Power, but the required low-grade Spirit Stones jumped by nearly fifty times!’
If the Pet Beast Spirit Garden could be upgraded to Advanced, the benefits for Xiaoqing would undoubtedly be even greater.
But Jiang Zuo was left speechless when he saw the upgrade requirements.
The Beast Taming Reputation and Beast Soul Power could be dealt with over time as long as he stayed in the Mortal Territory.
But fifty thousand low-grade Spirit Stones were absolutely not something he could obtain in the Mortal Territory.
It would take who knows how long to gather that many low-grade Spirit Stones.
However, Jiang Zuo was just venting. He knew this was actually a good thing.
The more Spirit Stones required, the more Spiritual Qi the garden would produce after the upgrade.
If the concentration of Spiritual Qi in the Pet Beast Spirit Garden increased, Xiaoqing wouldn’t be the only one to benefit.
Jiang Zuo looked at the Pet Beast Spirit Garden again. Its area had increased fourfold, from the size of one soccer field to five.
Other than that, there were no other changes. The ground inside was still a barren wasteland.
’The Pet Beast Spirit Garden will definitely become more and more useful. I need to get as many good things inside it as possible.’
’Xiaoqing is idle anyway. From now on, when it’s not absorbing Spiritual Qi for Cultivation in the Spirit Garden, I’ll have it go scavenge for junk in the surrounding sea.’
Jiang Zuo decided to start planning for the Pet Beast Spirit Garden as soon as possible.
But before that, he summoned Xiaoqing and put it into the Spirit Garden.
Inside the Spirit Garden, Xiaoqing’s spirits lifted as it sniffed the Spiritual Qi in the air. It spun around happily a few times, then greedily began absorbing the surrounding Spiritual Qi.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t much Spiritual Qi in the Spirit Garden, and Xiaoqing was undoubtedly a glutton for it.
In less than an hour, all the Spiritual Qi in the Spirit Garden had been completely absorbed. They would have to wait for the next day’s production.
After that, Xiaoqing entered the Spirit Garden every day to absorb Spiritual Qi for its Cultivation.
Its long-stagnant attributes finally began to increase slowly.
Every few days, it would gain a point in either strength or a Physique Attribute.
It didn’t seem like much, but over the course of a year, that would add up to seventy or eighty attribute points.
Accumulated over time, it would be a very considerable amount.
Then, Xiaoqing began its daily routine of scavenging for junk on the seabed.
He called it scavenging for junk, but there weren’t many things that could catch Xiaoqing’s eye.
Jiang Zuo wasn’t in a hurry about it.
He had plenty of time. As long as there were good things on the surrounding seabed, Xiaoqing would find them sooner or later.
「Soon a year had passed.」
In the blink of an eye, it was time for the Seated Mountain Eagle auction again.
Compared to last time, more than twice as many people had come.
In front of the wooden platform, almost the entire square was packed with dense crowds, numbering three to four thousand people.
Before the auction began, the performance segment was, of course, indispensable.
Even though many people on the island already knew how skilled he was at Beast Taming, this was an opportunity to increase his reputation, so there was no way Jiang Zuo would skip it.
This time, Jiang Zuo even brought Great Black on stage.
With Great Black keeping order, this auction went even more smoothly.
In the end, of the three Seated Mountain Eagles, the Nuhai Gang bought one for a price of eleven thousand taels, and the Black Crocodile Gang took the second for twelve thousand taels.
The third was won by the Earth Dragon Gang for a price of fourteen thousand taels.
It was one thing for the Nuhai Gang to have bought two eagles over two auctions, but for a relatively small gang like the Earth Dragon Gang to also have bought two was somewhat surprising.
However, some people had already figured out the Earth Dragon Gang’s little scheme. They knew the gang was probably planning to ask Jiang Zuo for a refund and get his Seated Mountain Eagle for free.
But no one said anything. Instead, quite a few people were waiting to watch Jiang Zuo become a laughingstock.
Although Jiang Zuo’s fame had grown, it was impossible to make everyone respect him.
There were also many who believed Jiang Zuo was just lucky to have been born into a Beast Taming Clan.
’Otherwise, how could someone so young be so capable?’
The news that the three Seated Mountain Eagles had been sold for an even more astonishing price quickly spread across Fire Mist Island again.
However, compared to last year, he didn’t gain nearly as much Beast Taming Reputation this year.
A month after the auction ended, Jiang Zuo had only gained a little over three hundred Beast Taming Reputation.
Jiang Zuo knew this was normal and wasn’t worried.
This was always meant to be a long-term endeavor.
Besides, compared to his time in Red Fox Town, his current rate of gain was much faster.
「Soon, another year passed.」
The third batch of Seated Mountain Eagles went up for auction.
This time, the Nuhai Gang and the Iron Palm Gang each bought one. The Earth Dragon Gang, however, failed to win any.
The final prices were similar to the last auction.
It was difficult for the prices to rise any further. After all, the various gangs needed to maintain their cash flow and couldn’t invest too much at once.
「More than half a year after the third auction.」
On this day, Lu Shengchun came to find Jiang Zuo, bringing a few core members with him.
"Brother Qianhai, the Seated Mountain Eagle our gang bought two and a half years ago flew away quietly last night. I hope you’ll honor your promise and give us a refund."
Lu Shengchun said to Jiang Zuo with a smile, handing over a fake Wooden Token he’d had prepared for over two years.
"No problem, but..."
"But? But what! Don’t tell me you’re looking for an excuse not to refund the money!"
Before Jiang Zuo could finish, Lu Shengchun bristled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"Gang Leader Lu, don’t be anxious. I didn’t say I wouldn’t refund it. I certainly will, just not privately."
"How about tomorrow? Come to Huowu Town tomorrow, and I will refund the money to you in front of everyone."
Jiang Zuo said patiently.
"Tomorrow... that works. Tomorrow it is!"
Lu Shengchun thought for a moment and didn’t dare to push it too far.
Although the Earth Dragon Gang wasn’t afraid of one Meridian Passage dog, as long as Jiang Zuo refunded the money and let them get a Seated Mountain Eagle for free, they didn’t want to offend him.
The next day, news spread quickly.
It was said that the Seated Mountain Eagle the Earth Dragon Gang had bought in the first year had flown away, and Jiang Zuo, in front of many people, had refunded the entire twelve thousand taels of silver to the gang, not a single coin less.
Refunding twelve thousand taels of silver instantly established Jiang Zuo’s image as someone who kept his word.
Hearing this, many people contributed another batch of reputation to Jiang Zuo.
Jiang Zuo was perfectly clear about what the Earth Dragon Gang was doing.
But for the time being, the Earth Dragon Gang was helping him earn reputation. So, Jiang Zuo let them think they had gotten away with a huge freebie and feel smug about it, taking no action against them.
Soon, it was time for the fourth Seated Mountain Eagle auction.
It had been a full three years since the first batch of Seated Mountain Eagles was auctioned.
So far, apart from the one from the Earth Dragon Gang that had "run away," all the others were still with their owners.
The Earth Dragon Gang had likely gotten a taste for it. In this auction, they once again paid a high price and won their third eagle.
Half a year later, the Earth Dragon Gang came to find Jiang Zuo again, claiming that the Seated Mountain Eagle they had bought in the second auction had also run away.
Without a word, Jiang Zuo refunded their money again.
This time, even a complete fool could see that the Earth Dragon Gang was maliciously seeking refunds to get free Seated Mountain Eagles.
"It seems that Qianhai has no way to deal with the Earth Dragon Gang’s tactics."
"Maybe we can learn from them!"
"Exactly! Why can the Earth Dragon Gang do it, but we can’t? This time, we’ll compete with them!"
The Earth Dragon Gang’s repeated success made many other gangs green with envy.
A Seated Mountain Eagle wasn’t actually that useful to them, but if they could get one for free, why wouldn’t they?
And so, without any surprise...
...half a year later, the fifth batch of Seated Mountain Eagles sold for an unprecedentedly high price!
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