Unserious Beast Tamer

Oh, it couldn’t fly in the first place.

Now trying a sand bath for the first time, the Velvet Sparrow felt like it had opened the door to a new world.

Simply turning its body over, it felt lighter than before!

After a thorough wash, wouldn’t it be able to fly up to the sky?

Having tasted the benefits, the Velvet Sparrow began to eagerly roll around in the bath sand on its own without Xu Ran prompting.

Rolling and rolling-

Seeing the little critter’s enthusiasm, Xu Ran suddenly smiled, then turned to start prepping for the second step in the process.

It’s insufficient to only use bath sand for cleansing.

The Velvet Sparrow’s down was slightly dry, and not smooth enough on the surface, it needed further care and beautification.

So…

Very soon, Xu Ran appeared with a bowl.

In the bowl was a light pink, jelly-like substance.

“Okay, okay, stop rolling around.”

“Tweet!” (Okay!)

The Velvet Sparrow stopped its motion, rolled its body around so that its front was facing upwards, and then gave a somersault to stand up in the tub.

After shaking its body a little, the remaining bath sand in its feathers was easily shaken off, and compared to before the care routine, the Velvet Sparrow now looked much cleaner, without any grime stuck to its feathers.

“Tweet?” (What’s next?)

At the sight of the bowl in Xu Ran’s hand, curiosity and anticipation filled the Velvet Sparrow’s eyes.

“Treatment,” Xu Ran replied with a hint of a smile on his face.

This was the first time he had to explain such procedures to the pet beast he was grooming. In the past, it was the Beast Masters of the pet beasts who asked the questions, and he would clarify their doubts.

“Your down is a bit dried out and split. That’s because you’ve been washing with water frequently before – too frequently, in fact. That often prevented your plumage’s natural oils from doing their job. This gel here can moisturize your down and make it smoother.”

What a marvelous human.

The Velvet Sparrow gave Xu Ran a surprised look.

All it took was one glance, and Xu Ran could tell it had been washing with water.

But… washing frequently?

The Velvet Sparrow pondered on this.

Did a once-a-day bath actually count as washing too frequently?

The grooming humans give Transcendent Beings is way more comprehensive than what’s done in the Beast Field!

Having had previous experience, the Velvet Sparrow now believed in Xu Ran’s words without question. It willingly approached him, closed its eyes, held its head up high, and waited for Xu Ran’s next move.

Seeing the obedient Velvet Sparrow, Xu Ran nodded with satisfaction, then used a soft brush to apply the gel evenly on the down of the Velvet Sparrow’s body, making sure each and every feather was thoroughly moisturized and cared for.

Each follicle on the Velvet Sparrow sprouted over ten down feathers.

As Xu Ran brushed the gel over it, the slight ticklish feeling followed from the down to the follicles, and then from one follicle to another, combining to create a ticklish sensation that grew tenfold, becoming crisp and intense.

The Velvet Sparrow’s eyes, which had been closed, couldn’t resist peeking at Xu Ran.

This unprecedented sensation made the Velvet Sparrow twist its body involuntarily.

It felt so relaxing-

So, was this what grooming was all about?

As the area covered by Xu Ran’s gel application expanded, the ticklish sensation from the previous area hadn’t completely subsided before the next appeared.

The Velvet Sparrow’s body ceased its writhing, replaced by a slight shivering.

It felt as if its body was becoming increasingly light, as if the open sky itself was beckoning it. It seemed like a simple flap of its wings would allow it to actually fly up high.

A melancholic low hum was squeezed out from the throat of the Velvet Sparrow.

“Tweet??? ”

“Click-”

The door to the grooming room opened. Boss Cat, who had been sitting with his eyes closed in the rest area, quickly opened his eyes and stepped out to look at the grooming room.

In Xu Ran’s palm was a pure white small Fur Ball, without a hint of other hues, whose two feathers on top of its head turned from white to blue, appearing adorably beautiful under the sun.

The only unchanging feature was its bright sapphire eyes, which were as deep as the ocean.

If the Velvet Sparrow’s most attractive feature before was its eyes, then now, its soft, silky down was equally captivating.

“The grooming is complete,” Xu Ran smiled, gently setting down the Velvet Sparrow, “Given its appearance, I imagine it’ll find a suitable Beast Master pretty soon, right?”

On hearing Xu Ran’s words, Boss Cat scratched his head and looked at the Velvet Sparrow, an expression of helplessness on his face.

Despite enjoying the little fellow’s company, Boss Cat naturally hoped that the Velvet Sparrow would find a good home. Over the past few days, he had made attempts to introduce the Velvet Sparrow to Beast Masters in need of a Contract Pet Beast.

Those Beast Masters did indeed love the Velvet Sparrow, they really wanted to make a contract with it.

But the Velvet Sparrow wasn’t interested, even a bit resistant, to that idea.

Therefore, finding a suitable Beast Master for it wouldn’t be as easy as it seems.

The freshly cleaned Velvet Sparrow also shook its head vigorously.

Because it couldn’t tell where it came from, it had to pretend to be a stray pet beast, but it absolutely couldn’t have a contract with a human Beast Master!

The Velvet Sparrow looked up at Xu Ran, quickly changing the subject.

“Chirp-” (Human, your grooming skills are excellent, I’ll come here every day!)

“Everyday…” Xu Ran’s mouth twitched slightly, “Didn’t I mention before, grooming shouldn’t be too frequent. Considering your situation, if you’re not especially dirty, grooming once every twenty days should be enough.” “Chirp?” (That long?)

The Velvet Sparrow looked disappointed.

Having to wait twenty days to take a bath and bask in that wonderful sensation was quite a letdown.

Boss Cat who was standing to the side glanced at Xu Ran and then looked at the disappointed Velvet Sparrow. He raised a paw to scratch his chin, his expression thoughtful.

“Meow-”

He patted Xu Ran’s shoulder, pointed at the Velvet Sparrow and then pointed at the shop.

“Huh?”

A look of astonishment graced Xu Ran’s face, “You want me to keep it?”

“Chirp?” (Let me stay here?)

A similar look of astonishment appeared on the Velvet Sparrow’s face. It hadn’t expected Boss Cat to suggest such a thing. Even though it enjoyed its time here and had fun spending two days with Boss Cat, it felt somewhat reluctant to part with him at the moment.

“Meow, meow-”

Boss Cat motioned for the Velvet Sparrow to help with the translation, then strung a series of words together.

A moment later, Xu Ran understood his meaning.

“Did you meet this Velvet Sparrow just these past two days?” He stroked his chin and glanced at the Velvet Sparrow, “Before meeting it, all the other stray pet beasts had already found homes so you no longer had any obligations.”

“Next, you want to change your lifestyle, so you hope that I can keep the Velvet Sparrow and help it find a suitable Beast Master in the future?”

“Meow-”

Boss Cat nodded.

He had been trying to find a Beast Master for the Velvet Sparrow these past two days also because of this reason.

He had already planned to start a new life, but unexpectedly ran into this little fellow. Naturally, he had to make sure it was taken care of before he could feel at ease.

The Velvet Sparrow who had been acting as a translator and listening to their conversation looked at Boss Cat, its gaze filled with more reluctance and even a bit of guilt.

It turns out, the big guy was being held back because of it.

“Since that’s the case, let it stay then.” Xu Ran nodded.

Even if he agreed just for Boss Cat’s sake, this was a favor he had to carry out.

“Meow!”

Boss Cat nodded excitedly, opened his waist pouch, and was about to take out some money.

“Hey, hey, no need!” Xu Ran shook his head vigorously and grabbed Boss Cat, “You’re still living in a human city, you’re going to need money.”

“Meow-”

Boss Cat glanced at the price menu on the wall and seemed hesitant.

Indeed, boarding fees were quite expensive.

Starfire Foster had been grooming stray pet beasts for free, which already made it feel a bit guilty. If it doesn’t pay for boarding the Velvet Sparrow, it’d feel even worse.

“Chirp!” (You don’t have to pay, I’11 pay for myself!)

As it watched the man and cat arguing, the Velvet Sparrow suddenly spoke up.

It looked at Xu Ran, contemplated for a moment, and then spoke.

“Chirp!” (You’re a Beast Master, right?)

“Indeed.” Xu Ran nodded and released Boss Cat, “Actually, you don’t even need to pay.”

The Velvet Sparrow shook its head.

It didn’t like taking advantage of people!

Even though it didn’t have any money, it had something else.

“I’ll tell you a secret about the evolution of transcendent beings in exchange!”