Chapter 311 - You’d Make a Better Dog

Lu Ran had three Treasure-grade amplification cards, originally meant for level-boosting. However, with the arrival of the Peak Arena and the upgrade of his Kinship skills, it was obvious that he had to use them differently.

He retrieved the Rhino Blood gifted by the Swordgrass Clan from his storage. Just this Rare-grade Rhino Blood alone could likely awaken the Longleaf Swordgrass’ intelligence, but Lu Ran decided to go all out.

“Amplify.”

In the next instant, the Rare blood surged to Treasure grade. At moments like this, Lu Ran appreciated how fair Limitless City was. At least it didn’t have some 50% success rate nonsense.

If he were running Limitless City, he definitely wouldn’t be so generous. He’d allow players to amplify any resource by paying crystal coins but with a chance of failure. Failure would either drop the resource’s grade to Common or outright destroy it. Wouldn’t that be a better crystal coin sink than transfer fees or entry tickets?

With the amplification complete, the Rhino Blood inside the container churned like molten iron. Lu Ran immediately laid the swordgrass flat on the ground.

“

Rawr!

”

Sudden Death King peeked over with one eye open. Despite the brutal training earlier, it hadn’t truly passed out and was just resting. The same went for Captain Doofus.

Since the swordgrass was about to awaken, Lu Ran resummoned Captain Doofus and the Winter Sword Spirit from their contract cards. Their new battle comrade was about to be born, so it was worth witnessing.

“

Woof!

”

Captain Doofus was still in its Winter Sword Spirit fusion state, its body glowing with icy blue light. It stared at the swordgrass, and soon, a flash of wisdom appeared in its eyes.

Captain Doofus grinned, sticking out its tongue. It had already imagined itself in Sword Spirit fusion—its tail coiling around the swordgrass while it carried the Broken Horn of the Divine Deer in its mouth—a picture of absolute dominance.

“Divine Deer above, bless us.”

Lu Ran felt a little nervous after spending a Treasure amplification card. He just hoped the swordgrass would awaken with decent strength, at least enough to justify the investment.

He slowly poured the Rhino Blood over the swordgrass.

Soon, a fierce sword intent erupted from the swordgrass, spreading outward. The sheer intensity forced Lu Ran and the others to step back. As the sword intent continued to surge, the swordgrass absorbed every last drop of the blood, vibrating as it floated into the air.

“

Woof!

”

Captain Doofus was the first to sense the swordgrass’ life force swirling within the surrounding winds.

[Species: Longleaf Swordgrass]

[Attribute: Grass, Metal]

[Species Rank: Superior King]

[Level: 25]

[Skills: Grass-Wood Sword Intent, Sharp Metal Sword Intent (Applies razor-sharp cutting power to any weapon, capable of slicing through all things.)]

The swordgrass’ details appeared before Lu Ran. Ordinary Longleaf Swordgrass had purely Grass attributes, but this one had gained the Metal attribute. It was most likely due to the Treasure-grade resource.

Additionally, like the Sword Spirit, the Longleaf Swordgrass had mastered sword intent right away. Its talent was remarkable.

“

Awooo!

”

Lu Ran was thrilled, but Captain Doofus was even more excited. Seeing its swordgrass growing stronger, it rushed forward, barking wildly.

“

Woof, woof!

”

Swordgrass: “

Grass~!

”

“

Woof!

”

“

Grass, grass.

”

“What the hell are you two even saying? Shut up.”

Watching Captain Doofus and the swordgrass actually communicate left Lu Ran speechless.

Damn it. Since when did grass talk like that? The Sword Spirit was already weird enough, but this swordgrass is just as strange. If all three of them get together...

“

Rawr!

”

It wasn’t just Lu Ran. Even Sudden Death King found this disturbing.

“Stop it!”

Lu Ran couldn’t stand it anymore. He forcefully separated them, and then turned his gaze back to the swordgrass. It seemed confused as it had only just awakened. Luckily, plants retained faint memories of their past even before gaining intelligence.

“

Grass...

”

It stared blankly at Lu Ran, vaguely recalling his daily care.

“Forget it, you’ll adapt in time. For now... welcome to the team.”

Lu Ran smiled, placing a hand on the swordgrass’ hilt and the other on Captain Doofus’ head.

Let’s form their contracts first.

[Species: Sword Domain Dog]

[Kin: Winter Sword Spirit, Longleaf Swordgrass]

This was an elite setup. Even legendary familiars might not get this treatment.

“Now, I just need an elemental sword. Maybe even a mechanical lightsaber?”

Lu Ran didn’t know if he could expand Captain Doofus’ kinship further, but he was certainly looking forward to it.

After leaving the ruin space, he set off to find Dark Crow.

***

On the outskirts of the Divine Capital’s Ancient City, a fourth-generation beastmaster gazed up at the sky, her expression troubled. Above her, tens of thousands of crows circled. While taking photos, she scrolled through the Beastmaster Forum, searching for related posts. It turned out this phenomenon wasn’t limited to her area.

“Crows symbolize death and misfortune. That black dragon already has the nation on edge, and now crows everywhere are migrating and growing restless... Could this be a sign of impending disaster?”

“

Grrr...

”

As the beastmaster recorded the changes in the flock, her Golden Retriever suddenly turned and growled in warning. Startled, she followed its gaze, only to see a young man approaching, wrapped in a white scarf of unknown material.

As soon as she recognized his face, her eyes widened in shock.

Lu... Lu...

Lu Ran spoke calmly as he walked past. “The belief that crows represent death and misfortune is just a misconception. Those ideas are merely labels humans have imposed on them. In ancient times and foreign cultures, crows were actually seen as symbols of wisdom and good fortune.”

“You’re Lu Ran!” The beastmaster’s initial shock turned into excitement.

But hearing his explanation, her eyes twitched. “Lu Ran, I get what you’re saying, but if anyone else said it, I might believe them more. You have a crow as a familiar, and not just any crow, either. They’re the Curse Crow and Death Crow. Those aren’t exactly symbols of good luck.”

“

Ahem.

” Lu Ran cleared his throat.

Why is it impossible to convince her?

Just as he was about to continue explaining—

“

Caw! Caw!

” A sudden cry rang out from the massive flock above.

One of the crows seems to have noticed something. Then, it dove from the sky with overwhelming excitement.

“My King! My King! Why have you come all the way here? Is this an inspection?”

The giant crow shot downward, its loud voice making the nearby beastmaster freeze in confusion.

As the crow landed gracefully on Lu Ran’s outstretched arm, realization dawned in her wide eyes.

“Wait... could it be that this crow...”

Lu Ran nodded. “The crow migration isn’t some disaster omen. It’s just my familiar engaging in friendly interactions with its kin. This is happening nationwide, so there’s no need to worry.”

The beastmaster was stunned. She had never imagined that the nationwide movement of crows was caused by Lu Ran’s familiar.

“Let’s go.” Lu Ran turned to Dark Crow, ready to conduct the first phase of evaluation on its progress.

“

Caw!

”

Dark Crow nodded firmly, eyes gleaming with anticipation.

In the next moment, a sky full of crows swooped down, startling the nearby beastmaster. The swarm of black wings coiled and spiraled, as if ready to devour Lu Ran whole. And in truth, that’s exactly what happened. The black tide of crows engulfed him completely.

In an instant, Lu Ran’s figure vanished, leaving behind only a scatter of messy black feathers. By the time the crows dispersed, he was already gone, as if he had never been there at all. Above, tens of thousands of crows followed his departure, shifting in unison toward a single direction.

—I am a fourth-generation beastmaster & extraordinary record keeper. I specialize in traveling across the land, documenting extraordinary events... Today, I made a monumental discovery. Lu Ran’s familiar isn’t just commanding thousands of Transcendent crows. Judging by reports from across the country, the real number could be ten times that.

Also, Lu Ran once single-handedly cleared a Legion-type Legendary secret realm. Could it be that he’s forming a Crow Legion?

She stared at the dark wave retreating into the sky, mind racing. She wanted to report this information to the Beastmaster Administration Bureau but hesitated.

Will it bring unwanted trouble to Lu Ran? But then again... He made no effort to hide it from me. That means... he doesn’t care if people know.

“Regardless, one thing is certain. There may finally be a way to handle the black dragon crisis.”

***

Wealthy individuals from coastal regions had already begun fleeing to the imperial capital and Sky City. Even in the face of a looming crisis, they refused to believe the Dragon Palace could threaten these fortified locations.

For ordinary non-beastmasters, running was their only option. However, for beastmasters, they had Limitless City. Even in the face of an apocalyptic-level disaster, they had no reason to fear. In fact, some beastmasters were eagerly awaiting the black dragon’s arrival.

“May the world know peace~.”

Lu Ran stretched lazily while surrounded by clouds and gazing at the sky above him. Around him, a murder of crows flew in formation. Although the deadline he had set for Dark Crow hadn’t arrived yet, the flock had already surpassed expectations. Lu Ran’s Transcendent Crow Legion had now reached 100,000 members. And even this was far from its limit.

The total number of Transcendent crows across the nation was far greater, but Lu Ran wasn’t fixated on quantity alone. Quality was also important. Striking the right balance between quantity and quality was critical.

Over-collecting crows into one place would disrupt ecosystems, potentially causing an even greater catastrophe than the black dragon’s invasion.

At the same time, training and nurturing a massive flock required a lot of resources. Even just feeding them daily would burn through an absurd amount. Right now, managing even just 100,000 crows with only his resources was already giving Lu Ran a headache. Luckily, as the first official familiar legion in the nation, he would soon have access to national resources. ***

Green Sea.

It didn’t take long for Lu Ran and his familiars to return home. He was about to land in the Emerald Mountains. His next objectives were clear: first, he’d test how far his 100,000-strong crow army could push Dark Crow’s level. Second, he’d coordinate with the Beastmaster Alliance to secure investments to further develop the Transcendent Crow Legion.

Just as he touched down, a slow applause echoed from the depths of the forest. Lu Ran’s eyes narrowed. His gaze snapped toward the source.

A man in his early thirties with ordinary features emerged from the shadows, dressed in plain black casual wear.

“Who are you?”

Lu Ran’s stance shifted, ready for combat.

“Relax. My name is Shi Jialiang.”

The man smiled warmly.

Lu Ran replied bluntly, “Never heard of you. How about your Limitless City ID?”

Shi Jialiang scratched his head. “Uhh... I doubt you’ve seen it. I change my Limitless City ID frequently. But if I tell you my code name, I think you’ll recognize me. I’m the Twelve Zodiacs’ Xu Dog.”

“You’re Xu Dog?!” Lu Ran was stunned.

He had heard stories about Xu Dog from Zhu Kaixin and the others. He was a legendary police officer. His first familiar was a police dog. Before becoming a beastmaster, he was already a living legend in law enforcement.

When Limitless City first became known, he was quickly deployed overseas on classified missions. He frequently changed identities and Limitless City IDs, operating under multiple personas across different countries.

Among the Twelve Zodiacs, he was the most mysterious figure. He was one of Xia’s first-generation beastmasters and everyone knew his name, yet few had ever seen him. This was also Lu Ran’s first time meeting him. Even during the previous Twelve Zodiacs meeting, he and another member had been absent.

Shi Jialiang chuckled.

“You can confirm my identity with any of the other Twelve Zodiacs. I just finished handling things overseas these past few days and returned to see if I could offer any assistance. And, of course, to take a look at you.”

“What about me?” Lu Ran asked.

Shi Jialiang laughed. “To see your Crow Legion, of course. I attended the second Twelve Zodiacs meeting via video. The decision was made to grant you full access to national resources for your familiar legion, but there was one condition. No one told you?”

“Oh, that? I figured that was just for formality. So, Officer Shi, you came all the way here just to evaluate the strategic value of my crow legion?”

Shi Jialiang nodded. “Not just your crows. I wanted to evaluate you, too. I’ve told the old man plenty of times that I didn’t see the point of this whole Twelve Zodiacs system. He put me in the Xu Dog position, but my identity can never be public. All the other Zodiacs are national icons and public figures that inspire the people.

“But me? I’m just a shadow. No one even knows I exist. What’s the point? That’s why I kept telling him that since your first familiar is a dog, why not just let you take the Xu Dog title? At least, I wouldn’t be wasting a perfectly good spot. Honestly, I think you’d make a better dog than me.”

Shi Jialiang grinned, a hint of mischief in his expression.

“Excuse me? Rude much?” Lu Ran was taken aback.

“Come on, Professor Lu. Aren’t you even a little tempted? This is a real power position. You’d have direct authority over national resources. There are even a few national treasures you’d be able to get with this title.”

Lu Ran stared at him, speechless.

This guy had zero sense of decorum.

With a blank expression, he pulled out his communication device and dialed Dr. Gu. After a moment, the call connected. She confirmed that Shi Jialiang was the real deal.

Lu Ran raised his brows at him.

“Then why don’t you want the position yourself?”

Shi Jialiang became serious. “I have no interest in the Twelve Zodiacs. I’m more interested in the Chairman’s position.”

Lu Ran was stunned.

On second thought, you’re definitely more suited to being a dog.