Alluring Beasts

“H-Hello, good Sirs… Are you perhaps interested in this Flower-Twined Deer? I caught this one by using a technique to turn the ground into something a bit like quicksand. It is unharmed and in great health, that I am certain of!”

A vendor cautiously attempted to prop up the only beast he had to offer. He was clearly not an expert in beast-catching and was quite nervous since two people from the Elt clan had been looking at the deer and speaking to each other in low voices for a few minutes now.

Not only were Wenxiong’s black-coloured eyes a dead giveaway of their identities, but they were both openly wearing a chain necklace bearing the clan symbols. Edrick had received it recently, and despite him not asking anything, the backside of the insignia attached to the necklace bore his own one-horned hydra… Which was a nice touch.

So far, Wenxiong had basically been explaining the perks of this particular species of deer, as well as the good points of this particular specimen that was being sold.

First of all, Flower-Twined Deers weren’t fighters. They were prey animals–And amongst deer species, they were of rather small stature. They had a light build and long legs. They were built to run fast and for as long as possible through terrain that would be difficult for their predators to traverse.

However, despite not being much different from regular deer, they fell in the ‘beast’ category due to their potential to learn healing-based cultivation techniques, and for their talent in developing auras that could enhance their allies specifically, granting all sorts of boons.

A well-trained Flower-Twined Deer could be an invaluable asset amongst a team... But there lay the problem, according to Wenxiong, most cultivators sought to be strong by themselves, while those who used reinforcement, such a cultivators who used puppets, animated corpses, or tamed companions… Well, they probably wouldn’t have the means to invest in a purely supportive ally alongside the rest.

Support was greatly valued, but to the average person, it wasn’t worth it in most cases.

Of course, there was also the annoying mindset held by many that something that couldn’t be strong on its own wasn’t worth having around. Sadly, this was a mindset too many carried.

Wenxiong didn’t stop here, though. He said that the deer in front of them was pretty good because it was still young, thus easier and cheaper to train, on top of being simpler to tame. Also... It was a female.

“Flower-Twined Deer are quite pretty, don’t you agree? And as I am aware, they have very soft fur… But they aren’t that rare. If you want, you can easily get one, or even several, delivered to you intact, and even younger than this”

“They are also very easy to breed. Many people use them like cattle for their antlers when they shed, and also their milk, I hear”

Unfortunately, the poor vendor did not make a sale with the clansmen. However, Wenxiong still threw a coin his way. The beast tamer approved of the very neat manner in which the beast had been captured and brought to the market. It wasn’t common for untrained beast catchers to actually bring creatures in a good state.

“You see, Edrick, beast taming is something that can take someone in many different directions. Fools only think about the combat potential, but there are countless animals, beasts, monsters, and other sorts of creatures. They all have their qualities, specificities, and talents…”

“...I mean, most hunting dogs aren’t expected to kill the prey for their master. Many simply track them down, tire them out, or even merely bring back the corpse after their master dealt the killing blow. So there is no need to have tunnel vision about what is ‘good’ to tame and invest in”

“If you truly intend to go all the way and tame many creatures, it is best that you don’t lock yourself into a single niche. Some beasts may be strong, but they could very well be better suited as guards rather than warriors”

“I would recommend you get yourself a Flower-Twined Deer in the future, though. You are an Elt, after all. You have the resources to take care of one. It isn’t a good pick for now, though…”

Wenxiong stopped speaking. The two men took seats at the back of a little auction that was taking place directly on the street.

“I know this vendor quite well. He always tries to bring a few rare things” he commented as a raccoon-looking creature was brought on stage inside a cage.

Its fur was a bluish colouration, and whilst it had the body shape and tail of a raccoon, its head and snout were a bit unusually shaped. It somewhat resembled that of an ursine, but with human-like teeth.

“That’s a Goulcan. They have basically no combat power, but they are great as house pets... And you can train them to seek out specific items… They are mostly trained to find truffles. But technically, you can get them to find whatever they can eat…”

“... Beasts this small aren’t really my ‘thing’, but Princess sometimes wants to do it when she is in a very small form. What about you, Edrick?”

“I don’t care much for the size unless it genuinely makes things difficult”

“That’s a good philosophy to have”

They didn’t speak much of the Goulcan. It was another rather easily available beast, and one that was quite popular as well. Therefore, getting one from an auction wasn’t really cost-effective unless the individual in question had something special.

“Do you see this Goulcan, my fellows? Well, for my novelty hunters, you may take a closer look to check, but this Goulcan is actually a Duookois!”

“Oh… There are indeed quite a few collectors amongst beast tamers. I see why a Goulcan is here now” Wenxiong muttered to himself whilst stroking his moustache.

The ‘item’ of the auction was a pair of Pink-Faced Spider Monkeys.

“Very dexterous, they can perform work done by humans just fine for the most part. They have an affinity for agility-based cultivation techniques, and also… For charm-based techniques”

The latter was fairly obvious, as the monkeys–Both females–Were batting their eyelashes at the potential buyers.

“As you can guess, they are usually made to perform more bedroom-oriented jobs rather than anything else. They are sort of the ‘safe’ pick amongst beasts since they are so human-like in physique and even have human-like behaviour”

“Though, as an appreciator of the more bestial variety, I must tell you that they are indeed excellent partners. You wouldn’t believe just how comfortable and tight they are”

Anoteros nodded along as he listened to every word. It seemed like Wenxiong could recognise any creature at just a glance. Not only that, but he seemed to know detailed facts about most things they saw.

Still, even if there were definitely interesting things around, Edrick had yet to find anything that piqued his interest.