Chapter 48
The first class in the morning was the history of mysterious beasts.
The teacher stood at the podium, a page-turning pen in hand, spitting out words. "Today, we're going to talk about the catastrophic beast tide that happened 16 years ago. Considering your ages, many of you were just born then, so you probably don't have any memories of it."
"But for people of my generation, the scenes are still vivid in our minds. Many of us still have nightmares about them at night. Everywhere we look, there are mountains of corpses and seas of blood."
The teacher pressed the remote control and a set of pictures popped up on the teaching screen.
Although the image has been blurred, you can still vaguely see the collapsed high-rise buildings and the messy streets after the devastation. The ground is covered with gravel and debris, which is miserable and desolate.
"This beast tide was led by seven dark beast kings. According to incomplete statistics, over a thousand second-level profound beasts participated in the battle. They broke out of the alien dimension in batches and at one point, they captured three counties and cities. Later, they were suppressed by heavy human firepower, and their offensive momentum slowed. This gave us an opportunity to reverse the situation."
"But for high-level profound beasts above the second level, especially the Beast King, human firepower is not enough to break through the profound energy barrier surrounding them. If we really want to drive them back, we still have to rely on real swords and guns to fight."
"It was a truly bloody battle. Our predecessors, using their still-unskilled beast taming techniques, fought desperately to protect the people. Ultimately, although humanity repelled the beast tide, it came at a terrible price. Countless beast tamers perished on the battlefield. Of the 32 strongest divine beast masters of the time, fewer than 10 remained after this battle."
"However, it was also from that time that experts discovered a more effective method of spiritual contracting. The incubation industry and training system for contracted profound beasts gradually became well-established, and the profession of beastmaster ushered in a wave of major breakthroughs..."
The teacher was very engrossed in his lecture, and Xia Muqing was also listening with great interest.
Although she knew the general background of the game, she still had to fill in many specific details by attending lectures.
Next to him, Xu Ling hung his head and yawned for the eighteenth time.
"I'm so sleepy, I'm dying of sleep," she muttered softly. "I took Nightthorn to the Botanical Gardens last night. We didn't go back until 8pm, right when they closed. My feet are almost worn out."
"Hey, Mu Qing, why are you listening so carefully? The beast tide has been over for so many years."
Xia Muqing tapped her pen on the textbook: "What if they come back again?"
"Come back again... not really?" Xu Ling pondered. "The Beast Tamer industry has been booming over the years, and the number of newly promoted Divine Beast Tamers has broken through triple digits. If they dare to come again, wouldn't that just be right in our line of fire?"
On the podium, the teacher also talked about the recent battle situation: "Mysterious beasts are still mysterious beasts after all. Although they have powerful bodies, they lack the combat wisdom of humans."
"Over the years, we have not only completely sealed off the entrance to the alien dimension, but have also pushed the front line deep into the alien dimension. Currently, humans have divided the alien dimension into 12 safe zones, covering an area of 900,000 square kilometers. The dark beast kings in these areas have been expelled, and they can now be used as the main base for resource collection, profound beast cultivation, and address exploration."
"But it should be noted that this part..."
The teacher picked up a pen and drew a circle on the map on the screen.
"Zone 13," he said gravely, "the buffer zone, the frontline zone, the combat zone."
"This area has a unique magnetic field, giving birth to many powerful profound beasts. It's also extremely exclusive, forming a natural barrier between us and the wider world. The contracted profound beasts we cultivate on Blue Star generally experience adverse reactions such as nausea, dizziness, and vomiting when they enter this area, significantly reducing their combat capabilities."
"Area 13 is vast, but even if we endure the adverse reactions, our beastmasters can still form a team to explore. As for the areas beyond that—"
The teacher drew a larger circle, starting from area 13 and extending beyond the screen.
Then little by little, paint the area black.
"These places have yet to be explored by humans. Or rather, all the adventurers who have tried to go deeper have never returned alive."
"We still don't know what's there. Of the Dark Beast Kings that led the invasion, the three that survived happened to lead their troops into this area and haven't been seen in the past 16 years."
"This is the most dangerous place in the alien space. We call it the restricted area."
…
After the class ended, the teacher packed up the lesson plan and walked out of the classroom, and the students stood up and stretched their muscles.
Xu Ling stretched out and felt much more energetic.
She stood up and patted Xia Muqing's desk: "Let's go out for a walk?"
"Okay," Xia Muqing responded as she took out her phone. "I got up late this morning and didn't even have time to check the messages—Oh my god!"
The dense message pop-ups on the phone are almost drowning out the program.
"What's going on?"
Xia Muqing quickly clicked on the "Adventurer's Home" and saw that 4 of the 12 questions she answered yesterday had been directly accepted, and the rest were answers that could not be verified in a short time, but were expected to be confirmed within a week.
The forum was in an uproar at this moment. Almost every new post had her ID and the discussion was in full swing.
[Bet placed, bet placed. Where did this "wealth-inducing treasure" boss come from? A. The Great Dome in Yandu, B. The Ivory Tower in Shanghai, C. The Vientiane Garden in Los Angeles, D. The Golden House in An City. Pick one.]
[First, rule out B's Ivory Tower. I know the Golden Dog was sent there, but it didn't solve the problem.]
[I'm coming too! Let's rule out C. The guy's language doesn't sound like someone from here, does it?]
[Just a quick aside: Why do big shots have to come from the four major research institutes? I think the research institutes in our province S are also quite high-quality. Who knows?]
[The person above, you're stupid! Apart from those research institutes backed by top universities and with their own entrances to otherworldly spaces, who else could have such insight?!]
[If you ask me, "Zhao Cai Jin Bao" must be a big shot. A mere PhD like me wouldn't be qualified to carry her shoes.]
[Boss, you're so mean, deliberately teasing us with trial accounts—but I like it. Boss, are you here? Click on your avatar to see the pinned Q&A post.]
【……】
The forum has not been so active for a long time. Many accounts that have been dormant for years have surfaced and are enthusiastically participating in the discussion.
It wasn't just about the identity of "Zhao Cai Jin Bao" that was being discussed, but also about the many ideas she had proposed yesterday. These novel ideas were like a veil of gauze paper, difficult to understand until it was revealed. But once revealed, everything became clear, and many difficult problems were solved with new ideas.
A group of talented people in the forum were like rain that had finally arrived after a long drought. They kept drawing inferences from one instance to another and applying what they had learned to other situations. Overnight, many factions were formed and the atmosphere of academic discussion was extremely strong.
This scene stunned Xia Muqing.
And her private mailbox, a mailbox full of private mailboxes - the top one is a thank-you letter from Professor Xuan.
After trying the treatment Xia Muqing provided yesterday, the Tibetan golden dog's physical condition showed immediate improvement. After just one treatment, it regained its spirits and was even able to stand up from its bed. This was precisely why Professor Xuan was so excited and chose to accept the answer directly in the middle of the night.
In this thank-you letter, Professor Xuan repeatedly expressed his gratitude with very respectful words. He also invited her to visit Shanghai if she had the opportunity, hoping that she could give lectures to the researchers in the "ivory tower".
Xia Muqing, a "rookie" who hasn't even taken the college entrance examination yet: "..."
I was so careless!
Xia Muqing didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
The forum users were very enthusiastic, and some of them looked as if they couldn't wait to dig out her family tree. Xia Muqing suddenly realized that she was too excited after discovering the business opportunity yesterday and wrote too many replies.
After some thought, she replied on the forum that many of her theories were still conjectures and needed extensive experimental verification, urging her followers to think critically and not blindly. At the same time, she also secretly resolved to only offer guidance and not directly answer questions.
Unless Xiaofeng can evolve to the second level quickly and become a divine beast master, then she will have enough power to protect herself?
Xia Muqing felt a little embarrassed to be recognized as a big shot by her fans. However, when she clicked on her personal score and saw the bright string of numbers, she immediately smiled happily.
The reward points for the mission are one thing, and the other is for other users to view the reply content. Although the latter is only 1 point each time, there are more than tens of thousands of registered users in the "Adventurer's Home" forum.
Even though more and more people participated in the discussion later and the replies were inevitably leaked, the number of buyers in the initial period was enough for Xia Muqing to make a fortune.
At least in the short term, she won't have to worry about the nutritional supplements and training costs for the three mysterious beasts.
Xia Muqing smiled happily. Xu Ling looked at her curiously and came over to rest her head on her shoulder. "What are you looking at? What are you looking at? Why are you smiling so happily?"
"Well, that's perfect!" Xia Muqing opened the forum and shared the URL. "I'll recommend something good to you..."
…
The calls for "bringing in wealth and treasure" in the forum are getting louder and louder, but even if the account is unblocked, Xia Muqing plans to wait a while before responding.
The main reason was that this ID was so popular that she felt unsafe. Furthermore, she only knew about content related to games and illustrated books, and wasn't a well-rounded, flawless veteran, as some on the forum had speculated.
She had almost finished screening all the old posts with high rewards and easy answers yesterday.
But "Adventurer's Home" is indeed a good place. Now that she has plenty of points, Xia Muqing can also check other people's replies, constantly absorb other people's wisdom, and learn to make up for the parts that she is not good at.
From time to time, the team area and exploration area would post the latest discoveries on the alien space front. The first-hand information collected by these adventurers was also of great help to Xia Muqing in broadening her horizons.
In addition, Xia Muqing also plans to spend 1,000 points to exchange for a level three resource from the Beastmaster Association.
This time, her goal was very clear, which was to select some nourishing and therapeutic resources to try to help the little caterpillar repair its damaged roots.
Another benefit of the "Adventurer's Home" forum is that you can check the remaining amount of resources online, deduct points online to make reservations, and then go to the Beastmaster Association building to pick them up, which greatly saves time on on-site selection.
Originally, the trial account did not have this permission, but the administrator was misled by the voices of the forum yesterday and really thought that "Zhao Cai Jin Bao" was a hidden boss. While lifting the 30-day reply limit for her, some small permissions were also unlocked for her.
Perhaps they also want to rely on generous points and exchange resource rewards to attract "Zhao Cai Jin Bao" to answer more questions?
However, permissions for high-difficulty tasks are still locked. After all, knowledgeable bosses may not be good at fighting, and administrators are also responsible for the personal safety of "Zhao Cai Jin Bao".
Xia Muqing pulled up the list of level three resources and carefully read through it line by line. Meanwhile, Gale Dog and Koi Fish kept huddled nearby, staring eagerly.
The little hurricane dog remembered the bowl of blue goo that had given it such a profound enlightenment, as if all the meridians in its body had been opened up. It scratched its chin with endless aftertaste: "Awoo..."
It's so delicious, I wish I could have another bowl...
The little koi caressed the dragon pill hanging around its neck, recalling the day it brought it out from the Beastmaster Association and the excitement it felt when it sensed the aura of a true dragon within. It also flapped its tail fin with envy, "Gurgle, gurgle!"
If only I could get another dragon pill!
Xia Muqing flipped through the list and shook her head with a smile: "You're overthinking it. How can such good things happen every time?"
"And this time, we're specifically treating Xiao Zi, so we're only using healing and nourishing resources. Don't worry about it."
The little caterpillar lay on the koi fish's head, raised its head blankly, and waved its two small antennae back and forth: "Ah, ah?"
It had very little consciousness left, and now it was like a three-year-old child, just laughing and smiling foolishly along with Xia Muqing, not understanding at all how important the opportunity before it was that could allow it to be reborn.
The Swift Dog and the Koi Fish looked at the little caterpillar with complicated expressions, and after a moment they both sighed deeply.
Alas, fools have good luck.
Just at this moment, Xia Muqing's eyes were also locked on a line of small words.
After looking through the pictures of the actual item and the description of its origin, she touched the screen with her fingertips and decisively clicked the redemption button.
"That's it!"
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