Astral Pet Store novel - Chapter 154

Chapter 154 Arrival

“How popular is this place?”

Lan Lele was so awed that she couldn’t speak.

Su Yanying didn’t expect this, either.

Who could have known that the young store owner had not only become an advanced teacher in their academy, he also was a titled battle pet warrior!

They originally thought that Su Ping had pulled some strings, using the connection of that mysterious master trainer in the store as leverage to become a teacher. It came as a surprise to them that Su Ping had accomplished those achievements by relying on himself.

It was beyond their imagination that a titled battle pet warrior could be so young. Su Yanying remembered when she went to tell the good news to Su Ping when she won second place in the match. That recollection filled her with mixed feelings. She had to rely on the Lightning Rat to win second place. Compared to Su Ping, even Ye Hao the champion was not commendable, at all!

“Yingying, do you think he still remembers us?

“What should I do? I questioned him and argued with him. Who would have thought that this stingy person is a titled battle pet warrior? Look, wouldn’t those kinds of people, if they do exist, lose themselves in cultivation? Why would he spare the time to run a store here?” Lan Lele was mumbling. Su Yanying curled her lips. She never saw Su Ping’s cultivation but he was a titled battle pet warrior. What was there to say about such a freaky genius?

Su Yanying heaved a sigh inside. Wondering about him was of no use to her. She had shown up for a reason. The matches at the academy were over and their vacation was about to begin. The academy had signed those top students up for training in the barren areas.

Before she left, she wanted to have her pet trained by Su Ping again. This way, she would be more confident about going to the barren area.

She calmed herself down after the shock that came once she found out more about Su Ping. She was leaving for the barren area. Although Su Ping’s power was stunning, she believed that she would catch up with him gradually after training and fighting for her survival in the barren area. Su Ping had achieved the goal she also had sooner. Maybe, when she caught up with him, he would still be a titled battle pet warrior.

After all, the legendary warriors were still stronger than titled battle pet warriors. Natural endowments alone would not be enough. Luck was another important element. Many outstanding talents would remain stuck at the titled battle pet warrior stage for the rest of their lives, not because they lacked the ability; good fortune played an important part.

Su Yanying thought she would probably get lucky. A great talent takes time to mature.

At the store.

Su Ping was taking notes quickly.

“One hundred thousand!”

“Ten thousand!”

The transfers were being made. Su Ping would only pick up the pets after the money arrived in his account. He would take the pets to the pet room, close the door, and place them in the training space. He had no time to check his account. But since he had been paying attention that day, he was sure he had made a killing!

Another day of fabulous business!

Su Ping was not certain about the exact amount he had received. After all, many of the pets were of low-rank and the training fee was a mere ten thousand. Su Ping was wondering whether he should only accept middle-rank pets in the future.

If that were possible, he could make more money.

However, just as the thought popped out, the system struck it down. According to the system, the pet store should accept all pets. There should be no discrimination!

Su Ping argued with the system.

I’m not against any pets, only against the low price!

The system ignored his absurd argument and vanished after issuing a warning to Su Ping. There was nothing Su Ping could do to win an argument against this system. The system couldn’t be regarded as a lifeless, inflexible item. Sometimes, the system would get angry. For example, when Su Ping “praised” it…

On the other hand, the system couldn’t be regarded as a living being with a wide range of emotions. Sometimes, the system would be rigid. The system required energy points. So, what was wrong with wanting to make more money? Anyways, Su Ping’s proposal was rejected. He didn’t bother to think more on this front. He could never win against the system. Su Ping kept on writing down orders and collecting money like an emotionless machine.

An hour later…

Su Ping came out from the pet room once again. He saw that the line outside the store was still long, which left him stunned. At the same time, he felt sorry he had to let them go. He took a deep breath and revealed this painful news to those waiting in line. “No more vacancies. Come back tomorrow.”

He finished his words.

Those waiting started an uproarious din.

No vacancies?

Look at the time! How could that happen?

Many students were complaining unhappily. But some students didn’t regard this as a serious matter. Those students were just there to check Su Ping out. As for training? They were wondering, why would someone be stupid enough to trust his training? He was a titled battle pet warrior, not a titled trainer. Those were two completely different things!

The ones who assiduously went to visit Su Ping found those complaining ridiculous and silly.

I am the only one that can see the truth… Some students thought. They gave Su Ping a smile. Inwardly, they were comparing themselves to the other students who were complaining; they were so different and so calm instead.

Maybe, Su Ping would remember them better, since their actions were completely different when compared to the other stupid students?

That wasn’t bad.

“No more space?” Mixed in the crowd, Lan Lele and Su Yanying were stunned by the news.

They had been queuing there for a long time. Only a few people were in front of them; it would be their turn in ten more minutes or so. How could all the slots have been taken?

They had waited for so long for nothing!

The two girls looked at each other. They found no words to describe their feelings.

In the old days, they go to the store at any time and there wouldn’t be a line. As it currently was, not only they had to wait in line, they stood and waited for nothing! “This is insane!

“In the old days, there was no one when we came here. But it’s full now!” Lan Lele complained in a low voice.

Su Yanying produced a forced smile. “I knew it. Once people learned about this place, it would instantly become popular. I was right. Alas…”

Su Yanying felt worse when she remembered how she had no money when she had the chance to train her pets here.

Lan Lele pouted. She stopped complaining. After all, Su Yanying’s Lightning Rat had been trained there. Su Ping himself was enough to attract customers. Besides, the effect of the training offered was appealing. In the old days, people just didn’t know and were easily scared away by the high prices and the shabby storefront.

Right then, to get a training spot had become difficult.

As time moved on, the slots in Su Ping’s store would be much sought after!

“Let’s come back tomorrow at an earlier time,” Lan Lele suggested. Su Yanying heaved a sigh and left.

People gradually wandered off. Su Ping apologized once again and closed the shutter door.

He didn’t expect his service would sell so well, either. All the spaces were full when it was still quite early. “I must upgrade the store soon, because the demand will only become greater from here on.”

Su Ping rubbed his forehead.

The training space and all the nursing pens in the store were full.

Su Ping bought another 25 elementary nursing pens later. Currently, he had 50 nursing pens in total, the most the pet room could handle.

Fortunately, the nursing pens were small and the spaces inside the nursing pens were independent to the exterior. Otherwise, it would be impossible for the small pet room to house the 50 nursing pens.

At the moment, he had nearly one hundred pets to be trained. Only after the store was upgraded could he buy more nursing pens and upgrade the training space.

“Making money with private tutoring is not fast enough. I must make money now. What is the quickest way?” Su Ping sat by the counter with a worried look on his face.

Apart from making money as soon as possible to upgrade the store to obtain more spaces, Su Ping wanted to enhance his cultivation as well.

He had been trying his best and the progress in the Chaos Star Chart was fast. However, to reach the fifth rank, there was still a long way to go. After he reached the fifth rank, his dummy would be able to train more pets at one time. Su Ping felt he had too many things on his plate. He considered those matters and was completely at a loss as to how to achieve them. All of a sudden, he slapped himself on the head. Why didn’t he go and train the pets while thinking? He took the Inferno Dragon, the Dark Dragon Hound, the Purple Python, and two other middle-ranked pets he picked up with him and entered the dragon king’s heritage ground.

He could train the other two pets of his customers in addition to his three pets.

Soon, it was midnight. Su Ping entered the dragon king’s heritage ground again and again. Every time he returned, he would take two different pets to be trained with him and switch another batch of pets to be trained by the dummy. This way, in an hour, he could have seven pets trained.

When he came back to the store for another round, he heard a knocking on the door. He looked up and realized it was late at night, which scared him. He never went home at such a late hour and he had forgotten to contact his mom. She was surely worried.

Su Ping felt vexed. He tried to find out who was outside.

It wasn’t his mom, but Su Lingyue.

Su Ping was confused. What was she doing there so late? Was she checking up on him by mom’s request? He shouted “coming” and then stored away the pets that had finished training.

As for the Dark Dragon Hound and the Inferno Dragon, they were too large so they stayed in the contract space. The Purple Python could move about for a bit in the store. However, it was approaching the end of its teenage years and was about to reach adulthood. The Purple Python was over twenty meters long and close to three meters wide. So, the Purple Python had to curl up in the aisle. There was little space for it to wander around at will. Su Ping took care of the Purple Python. After everything was ready, he opened up the door.

It was Su Lingyue, just as he sensed.

As the door was opened, Su Lingyue stuck her head inside at once. “Why didn’t you turn on the light?” She was astounded.

Su Ping took a moment to realize that, since his vision was not hindered by darkness, he didn’t even notice that he had left the lights off.

He found the switch to turn the lights on and asked, “What are you doing here?”

Su Lingyue stepped in slowly. She looked around and smelled blood in the air. Some vicious pets had been there before.

She put the meal box on the table and said, “Here. Mom told me to bring this to you.”

“Seriously?”

Having a meal delivered was not something he had expected.

Su Lingyue snorted. “I did know that the store’s business would certainly be very good today. But why didn’t you tell mom? I had to tell her that.” Su Ping was relieved to hear her words. “Was mom worried?”

“No. I explained your situation to her.”

“What did you say?”

“Hmm. Just that the store is doing well. As for your role in the academy, I didn’t tell her. You do that.”

Su Ping felt he could breathe again. It wasn’t his intention to hide information on purpose. The explaining part was too bothersome.

“Anyways, when did you start cultivating?” Su Lingyue turned around and looked into Su Ping’s eyes.

Su Ping raised his eyebrows. He had opened up the meal box. “Just recently,” he answered.

“Which idiot are you trying to fool here?” Su Lingyue was fuming at the mouth. “I’m not the one throwing the idiot word.”

“You!’

Su Lingyue bit her teeth in hatred. Why did her brother have to be so mean?

On the other hand, it was utterly strange that Su Ping had not bullied her after he had become strong. For this reason alone, Su Lingyue had a better impression of Su Ping and was less hostile when dealing with him.

Even though… every time this guy spoke, she would be hopping mad.

“Are the pets being trained by you?” Su Lingyue asked. Su Ping buried his head in the food, pretending that he didn’t hear. Veins were starting to pop on Su Lingyue’s forehead. She took some deep breaths and changed the subject. “How long will the training take? I saw it once. It was fast. Can you train my Snowball here?”

Su Ping raised his eyebrows. He looked at the meat in the bowl, paused for a second, and answered, “Why not?”

“Really?” Su Lingyue didn’t expect that Su Ping would agree to help her. “But I have to charge you,” Su Ping added. The surge of joy in Su Lingyue vanished into thin air. “How much?” She frowned.

“That charcoal of yours is of the middle rank, right? Then, one hundred thousand,” Su Ping replied. Su Lingyue glared at him. “That is the same price you told everyone else!”

“That’s right,” Su Ping admitted readily.

Su Lingyue was enraged by how Su Ping could say that so naturally. At the same time, she sensed some strange feelings, as if she was feeling uncomfortable, wronged. The emergence of such feelings was unacceptable to her. She lashed out at him, “The store belongs to our family. I am half an owner. How dare you ask me to pay?” “Since you are the owner, then train it yourself,” Su Ping talked back.

He was thinking about providing the service for free, for the sake of dinner, but the system wouldn’t allow it.

Anyone that requested services at the store had to pay the fee, with no discounts whatsoever.

That was where the system was inflexible. The system was probably worried about things becoming complicated if personal connections were mixed with business.

Su Lingyue found no words to reply.

She pouted.

A few minutes later, she told Su Ping, grumpily, “So be it.”

Su Ping was surprised. “Where did you get so much money?”

“I did some part-time jobs, of course,” Su Lingyue said angrily, “I didn’t ask mom for money. Don’t think of me as you, living off our parents…”

Halfway through her sentence, Su Lingyue stopped because she remembered things were different. He was no longer living off their parents. Rather, he was the backbone of the family. The fact that she had to stop her sentence made her even more furious. She snorted and turned her head away.

“Good for you.” Su Ping had a better view of his little sister.

Su Lingyue said proudly, “You must train my pet well. The training has to be as good as what you offer to other people.”

“Naturally,” Su Ping answered without thinking

Su Lingyue didn’t expect that Su Ping would answer so quickly. She looked at him from the corner of her eye. He was still eating. Those words were spilled out casually so they had to represent his real thoughts. The anger in her disappeared. She got up. “Okay, I have to go now. When can I leave Snowball with you?”

“Tomorrow,” Su Ping said. The store was packed. He had no place to keep Snowball at the moment.

Su Lingyue nodded and headed to the door. “When are you going back?”

“I won’t go home today.” Su Ping looked at the time. Since it was already late, he thought he just might as well work through the night.

Su Lingyue gave him another look but said nothing and left.

Su Ping closed the door afterwards. Having had a hearty meal, Su Ping went back to the dragon king’s heritage ground with his three pets and another two he had picked out to continue exploring the land.

With their effort, over 60 areas had been explored.

Soon, the night passed. The night before, there was a time when Su Ping was completely worn out. He picked a desertic cultivation site, with a bleak environment and without any beasts. He slept for more than ten hours. When he went back to the store, less than an hour had passed. He resumed his exploration.

At the break of dawn, he heard some footsteps. Someone approached the door and stopped.

Su Ping supposed they were surely customers. But he didn’t move to welcome them. Since he still had enough energy, he went back to training again.

Several hours passed.

At around nine in the morning, the streets had become quite lively and noisy.

Some elders were out, shopping for groceries. Toward the end of the street where Su Ping’s store was, a large number of young people were standing in line.

Some recurrent customers took the lead to start the queue and some new customers followed after them. “Is this… Mr. Su’s place?” An expensive car with a license plate of the upper town area was parked on the street outside the store.

Xu Kuang and Xu Yingxue got out of the car at the same time.

He double checked the address in astonishment. The No.88 building of that street was a pet store?

The address Mr. Su gave him was that pet store?!

Puzzled, the siblings looked at each other. Then, another luxurious car pulled up next to them.