Chapter 61 - 60: Tower of Gratitude
Ding-dong, ding-dong.
The continuous ringing of the doorbell echoed in Bai Qi’s ears while he was busy, yet his attention remained focused on the Rune Dictionary in his hand, showing no intention to get up and answer the door.
“Alpha, go get the door.”
Clank clank.
(Understood, Master.)
Alpha obediently nodded, and with a shimmering flash, he went to the door and opened it, revealing a gigantic griffin standing at the entrance.
“Um, hello, is your master home?”
Looking at Alpha, who was as imposing as an Ice Warrior, Lv You asked somewhat uncertainly.
Clank clank.
(Master, someone is looking for you.)
Alpha communicated Bai Qi telepathically, then started to study the griffin standing in front of him.
More accurately, he was examining the griffin’s wings.
(This strange bird, it seems stronger than me.)
Alpha’s ribs twitched unconsciously, as if he wanted to fly like the griffin. At that moment, Bai Qi finally walked out and seeing Lv You, he was somewhat puzzled.
“I don’t recall ordering something recently?”
Scratching his head awkwardly, Lv You said, “I’m not here for a delivery today. President Qin asked me to escort you to Undead Hill.”
Undead Hill?
Has the Thirteenth Bureau’s three-day exploration priority expired?
Bai Qi’s eyes lit up as he quickly dashed back into his house to store his two pet beasts in the Beast Control Space. After quickly packing up a few items, he came back out.
“Shall we start our journey now?”
“Um, sure.”
Lv You nodded, feeling a bit puzzled.
Didn’t the president say that this guy is oblivious to the concept of time? He seems okay to me.
Bai Qi mounted the griffin, which immediately extended its wings. With a few flaps, they took off and shot toward the direction of Undead Hill.
“In addition to delivering packages, Lv You, you seem to also work as a chauffeur… uh, a door-to-door pick-up service?”
Lv You nodded and remarked, “I had no other option, Gale Wing is a Lord-level Creature. The materials needed to train it are so abundant, I have to take on extra jobs to afford it.”
An inspiring youngster!
Bai Qi looked at Lv You admiringly, remembering how he himself used to rack his brains over earning money.
In contrast, he seemed to have lost that fighting spirit now.
Sigh, money does corrupt!
Gale Wing was fast. It didn’t take them long to arrive near Lamentation Tower.
Lv You landed Gale Wing steadily, “I can only drop you off here. It’s a restricted area ahead and I can’t get any closer.”
“Alright, thanks for the ride.”
The sight of Lamentation Tower was so close, Bai Qi quickly rushed towards it.
Thanks to the long-term “training” from the Evolution Egg and the feedback from his two pet beasts, Bai Qi’s physical stamina had considerably improved.
If it were his former world, he could have broken all Olympic records in minutes.
In no time, Bai Qi arrived at the bottom of Lamentation Tower. Seeing him, President Qin instantly came forward and said, “You’re here faster than I expected. It seems getting someone to pick you up was the right call.”
So, is that how you see me?
Bai Qi remained silent, looking at the unchanged Lamentation Tower around him, asking, “Where’s the next tower? I don’t see it.”
“Tower of Gratitude is interconnected with Lamentation Tower. It’s right beneath your feet.”
Hearing Bai Qi’s question, Yi Yu also came over, “I apologize, but the people we sent to explore have not yet exited. It may take some time for you to wait. As compensation, we will inform you about the first floor.”
Just the first floor? That’s stingy.
Bai Qi nodded, exchanging no further words with Yi Yu.
If Old Qin, a cunning fox who had lived several decades longer than him, didn’t want to get too involved with Yi Yu, Bai Qi certainly wouldn’t push his luck.
If he got targeted by Yi Yu, even if Evolution Egg could now be used in the Beast Control Space, there was no guarantee it wouldn’t slip up.
He didn’t want to be sliced up for research like a lab rat, or be caged like a laying hen.
Yi Yu noticed Bai Qi’s distance, maintaining his smile, he no longer attempted a conversation, silently waiting for the Thirteenth Bureau’s exploration team to return.
Whoosh!
Finally, when Bai Qi was getting slightly bored, a man dressed in a warrior outfit and wielding a pair of hammers appeared before the gate.
“Xusheng, how did it go?”
Seeing the man appear, Yi Yu asked in a low voice.
Li Xusheng shook his head, “There were too many Rune Puppets on the fifth floor, I couldn’t break through.”
Yi Yu nodded, pointing to Bai Qi, he said, “This is Bai Qi, the one I told you about. Share with him the situation about the ferocious beasts on the first floor.”
Li Xusheng nodded and walked over to Bai Qi. But when he was about to speak, he saw Bai Qi with a haggard face, looking as if he had suffered a huge blow.
Fifth floor? The fifth floor?!!
Do you have any idea how many first-time rewards I missed by five floors?!!
Bai Qi thumped his chest in pain. Only after noticing Li Xusheng approaching did he come back to his senses.
“Thirteenth Bureau special task force member, Li Xusheng, Third Stage Beast Master.”
“Beast Master Association member, Bai Qi, Second Stage Beast Master.”
After briefly introducing themselves, Li Xusheng began to explain the situation of the first floor.
“The first floor has three Hellfire Sword Demons. Their offensive capabilities are just decent – as long as you break them down one by one, you’ll be fine.”
That’s it? Just that?
Bai Qi listened carefully but the story never continued. When he saw Li Xusheng closing his mouth, he became sure of his guess.
“Well then, thank you.”
Even if it wasn’t much helpful, at least he now knew about their number which was still a piece of information.
“No need.”
Li Xusheng shook his head, looked at Bai Qi’s extended hand, hesitated for a moment and his double hammers suddenly disappeared. He quickly reached out, skimming shake Bai Qi’s hand and was off.
Crack.
In just a fleeting moment of their handshake, the Evolution Egg suddenly cracked a few times. The progress of the Bronze Egg immediately grew by fifteen percent.
[Name]: Evolution Egg (Bronze Egg 25%)
[Condition]: Activated
Is this guy a pet beast?
Bai Qi looked at Li Xusheng with some surprise.
It was rumored that once the pet beast evolved to Seven Stage Legend, it gained the ability to transform into a human form. Was the Thirteenth Bureau so extravagant that they sent a Legendary Ferocious Beast to climb the tower?
Bai Qi’s gaze caught Li Xusheng’s attention. The neutrality on Li Xusheng’s face was instantly replaced by hostility. At that moment, President Qin stepped in. “He is the descendant of a Beast Master and a Legendary Pet Beast. He hates being treated like a freak so, unless you want him to beat you up, it’s best to stop looking at him that way.”
Bai Qi suddenly understood. Feeling remorseful, he waved at Li Xusheng, before swiftly heading towards the entrance.
If a Third Stage Beast Master like Li Xusheng could only reach the fifth floor, this Tower of Gratitude must be challenging.
He better hurry up and climb the tower. If he missed out on the rewards for being the first to clear it, he’d be miserable..