Chapter 123: Lending a Hand

It would be a lie to say she wasn't touched. Lei Hang was the first friend Shen Duo had ever met who treated her with such genuine kindness without asking for anything in return.

She had already heard news of Lei Hang’s advancement to the Heaven Tier back at the Mercenary Guild. Now, looking at him closely, his aura was truly different. Shen Duo was genuinely happy for him.

She was not one for sentimental affectations, and besides, their current situation truly required the help of the strong.

"Then many thanks, Brother Lei."

Shen Duo recounted the things she had seen and heard since leaving Luo City, though she carefully omitted her ability to tame magical beasts.

Feng Jun’s expression had remained somewhat grim. Seeing Shen Duo speak to Lei Hang with such earnestness and warmth, his brows knit tighter and tighter.

That evening, they found a random inn in Lorkadan to rest. Eleanor had a permanent place to stay in Lorkadan, but she avoided it for fear that the investigative teams from the Zhou and Shen families might track her down.

Once Shen Duo returned to her room, she considered visiting the other plane, but upon remembering that Lei Hang and Feng Jun were both present, she dismissed the idea.

The next morning, the group first visited the address Wei Dong had left for them. To their disappointment, the location was guarded only by an elderly doorman. After leaving a message with him, Shen Duo’s party departed.

Lorkadan was a vast and magnificent city. For the past two days, they had heard no news of the investigative teams from the Shen or Zhou families.

This time happened to coincide with the biennial recruitment season of the Joslin Academy. The capital of the Cass Empire, already bustling, was now even more clamorous with voices.

As Shen Duo, Lei Hang, and Feng Jun walked casually through the streets, they could clearly see many luxurious carriages and young spirit masters. Most of these people came from surrounding small nations and minor families.

Although the Joslin Academy was secretly half-controlled by the Zhou family, it could not diminish the academy’s century-old reputation as a prestigious institution on the continent.

Because of the recruitment season, Eleanor had become extremely busy. She had returned to her beast-taming shop in Lorkadan yesterday, and the batch of magical beasts she had transported from the Zhou family's main city had already arrived.

The strength of the practitioners coming to join the Joslin Academy varied; some talented youths from small families were already high-level Great Spirit Masters.

Consequently, Eleanor’s business was booming. A Great Spirit Master could equip themselves with a magical beast, and those with financial means would never be stingy when it came to improving their combat effectiveness.

Even though Eleanor’s prices were astronomical, no one cared. Some wandering spirit masters were even willing to spend decades of savings to have Eleanor tame a beast to their liking. During this period, Eleanor was making a fortune.

Today, Shen Duo and her companions had come to Eleanor’s shop to help.

Last night, Eleanor had received word from Linghu Yu; he had been delayed by matters at the Joslin Academy and would likely be unable to meet with Shen Duo for another two days.

Turning past the auction square in Lorkadan and following East Street straight ahead, they reached Eleanor’s shop.

At that moment, a long line stretched out in front of the shop, curling all the way to the doors of neighboring businesses, much to the annoyance of a nearby food shop. Annoyed as they were, the owner of the food shop dared not say a word. There was no need for Eleanor to step forward; the queue of spirit masters would likely drown the owner in spit before she even had to speak.

Seeing the situation, the three of them twitched their lips in silence.

A shop apprentice moving beast cages in front of the store saw them and quickly set down his work to welcome them. He was a young lad with messy flaxen hair and freckles, but his eyes were bright and sharp. This was Linton, an apprentice taken in by Eleanor. He had seen Shen Duo in the Zhou family’s main city and knew these were the honored guests his teacher had invited today.

"Shen Duo, you're here! Teacher has been talking about you all morning. Come in quickly!" Linton smiled, revealing a dimple on one cheek, which made him look quite innocent and cute.

Soon, the group wove through the crowd, walked through the spacious lobby, and arrived at the backyard.

As they passed, they drew the gazes of many in the queue. Over the years in the mercenary corps, Lei Hang had developed an imposing, high-and-mighty demeanor. At this moment, he made no effort to restrain his Heaven Tier aura, exerting noticeable pressure on those around him.

He was even more eye-catching.

Initially, those who didn't know why they were there assumed they were cutting the line and were ready to complain. However, upon feeling the aura radiating from Lei Hang, they swallowed their words back down. No one dared to stop them.

Shen Duo rubbed her forehead in silence. It seemed she would have to find a time to teach Lei Hang about the virtue of keeping a low profile.

When they met Eleanor, she was directing her staff to move a small golden Behemoth into its designated room. Only at Linton’s reminder did she turn to see the three of them, her eyes filled with pleasant surprise.

"I’m just glad you’re here. I’ve been busy since yesterday and haven't even rested for an hour. I’m absolutely exhausted!" Eleanor, who usually prided herself on her appearance, hadn't even changed her long dress. Her curly hair was somewhat disheveled, and there were dark circles under her watery eyes—she truly hadn't rested in a long time.

Eleanor’s shop in Lorkadan wasn't run by her alone. Linton, the young man they had seen, was also a beast tamer, along with several others. Otherwise, if she had to tame all these beasts alone, she would have worked herself to death.

"Even if it is the recruitment season, you don't have to push yourself this hard..." Shen Duo suggested sincerely. Given the scarcity of beast tamers on the continent, was there any fear of a lack of business?

Hearing this, Eleanor took a drink from Linton, finished it in one gulp, and sighed, looking at the three. "Do you think I want to? I know better than anyone that health is more important than money. If I ruin my body, what’s the point of making so much? But this isn't something I can decide on my own. It’s mandated by those people in the Beast Tamer Guild; I have no choice."

The nature of the Beast Tamer Guild was similar to the Mercenary Guild. Of course, there was also an Alchemist Guild on the continent, but due to the rarity of these two professions, the guilds were not as ubiquitous as the Mercenary Guild.

Shen Duo hadn't seen a single Beast Tamer or Alchemist Guild from the moment she left Sha City in the Bakra Empire all the way to Normans City.

Lorkadan, however, was the capital of the powerful Tianfeng Empire, and a branch of the Beast Tamer Guild existed there. The headquarters of both the Beast Tamer Guild and the Alchemist Guild were located in Karbas, the capital of the Cass Empire.

In Lorkadan, due to royal policy, beast tamers stationed in the capital were required to provide beast-taming services for students arriving to study at the Joslin Academy during the recruitment season.

And this policy happened to have the approval of the Beast Tamer Guild.

This regulation in Lorkadan was clearly intended to attract powerful individuals from various regions, creating a benefit for the city and the royal family, and showcasing the special treatment and generosity of the crown. The old men at the Beast Tamer Guild likely received quite a few perks from the royals to agree to it. After all, it wasn't them doing the hard labor.

Therefore, every two years during the recruitment season, these beast tamers were worked to the bone. Fortunately, this policy applied only to new Joslin students. No matter how talented they were, they were at most low-level Spirit Masters, and the beasts they required were mostly first-level Spirit Beasts. The beast tamers stationed in Lorkadan could still manage the workload.

But it was precisely because of this policy that Lorkadan was filled with powerful people, and the Tianfeng royal family was more beloved by the populace. The Joslin Academy was also a direct beneficiary. With a constant stream of high-quality students, even with half the academy controlled by the Zhou family, it remained a prestigious institution in every sense!

However, there was one relatively humane aspect: the Beast Tamer Guild did not mandate the fees charged for taming. For spirit masters without a certain financial background, obtaining a personal magical beast was still quite difficult.

No matter how good the policy in Lorkadan was, the beast tamers couldn't work for free, could they?

So that was the trick behind it; the Tianfeng Empire had managed to win over both the Beast Tamer Guild and various wandering experts in one fell swoop.

"Eleanor, is there anything we can help you with?"

Except for Feng Jun, no one here knew that Shen Duo was a beast tamer. Eleanor definitely hadn't called them here to help tame beasts.

Hearing Shen Duo say this, Eleanor finally smiled, though the smile seemed somewhat piercing.

"Xiao Duo, I will definitely remember the help you’ve given this time. If you have any needs in the future, just come to me. As long as it is within my power, I will certainly fulfill it."

If an ordinary person were to receive such a promise from a master beast tamer like Eleanor, they would have been excited enough to shout it from the rooftops. But these three remained extremely calm.

Feng Jun understood Shen Duo’s strength, and Shen Duo had no need for Eleanor to tame beasts for her. Lei Hang’s Flame Mercenary Corps also supported Ao Defan. Furthermore, all three were now at the Heaven Tier; the beasts they required were beyond what Eleanor could provide.

It was precisely because Eleanor sensed this that she spoke in such a way. Having spent years in Lorkadan, if she didn't have that much intuition, she wouldn't be close friends with someone like Linghu Yu.

Shen Duo and the others didn't mind Eleanor’s words and followed her into a massive room. As soon as they entered, they heard the roars of various magical beasts.

"This is our taming room," Eleanor introduced.

Walking up to several large cages and looking at the ferocious Silver-Backed Pangolins inside, Eleanor continued, "We don't have enough manpower. These Spirit Beasts are in the early stages of taming and are full of wild nature. The other beast tamers have already exhausted their mental energy, and the staff in the shop are generally only at the level of high-level Great Spirit Masters, so these Spirit Beasts are difficult to manage. I asked you here in the hope that you could help manage them."

That was it?

Shen Duo felt the task was far too simple. High-level magical beasts exerted absolute pressure on low-level ones. As long as she released Lou Jingbai to let out a few roars, these untamed beasts would surely listen obediently.

Eleanor was, of course, aware of such methods, but where was she supposed to find an obedient and docile Saint Spirit Beast? What was a mere trivial task for them was a major headache for her.

"Alright, I’ll leave it to you all," Eleanor said, thanking them repeatedly before hurrying out, clearly having many more things to attend to.