Chapter 70 - Unifying the Animals of Green Sea City
"Who are you calling king? Shut up!" Lu Ran's mouth twitched.
"Huh?" The crow was puzzled. Weren’t you the one to tell me to call you that? Now you want to deny it? I’m not stopping!
However, the crow wasn't the only one to recognize Lu Ran. The armored cricket, cloaked in metallic energy, was also staring at Lu Ran. It instantly recognized him as the man who had kidnapped it.
In its youth, the cricket had already been crowned the king of the rear mountain in Red Leaf Park. This man had discovered its talent and abducted it. At first, the cricket thought its life was over.
To its surprise, however, Lu Ran treated it to delicious food and drinks, and even taught it how to fight. In a short period, its combat abilities improved significantly, making it unrivaled among crickets. Winning the title of Insect King in the Insect Fighting Tournament came easily.
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Despite this, crickets were naturally solitary creatures and preferred not to socialize unless it was mating season. They didn’t live with others of their kind, let alone other species. When crickets met in the wild, they usually ended up fighting because competition for resources and mates was fierce. Cricket fighting capitalized on this instinct. Often, these battles ended in death.
The cricket king retained only fragments of its memory of Lu Ran, as its intelligence had been quite limited at the time. Still, it knew that Lu Ran had treated it well and that its current fighting prowess was thanks to his training. Without Lu Ran, it would have been difficult to attain the title of king among crickets.
Most importantly, after teaching it to fight, Lu Ran had returned its freedom. The cricket king reminisced about its days fighting alongside Lu Ran and let out a hiss, wondering if Lu Ran was here to vie for the dandelion or if he had come looking for it.
"Your intelligence has improved quite a bit," Lu Ran remarked, seeming to mock the cricket king.
"Chirp————!" the cricket king raged.
If you want this, I can give it to you as a payment for training me. If you came for me, however, I can't go with you. I have seven wives to take care of now.
Lu Ran: ?_?
Is that why you always wanted to return to the wild?
Everyone watched as Lu Ran and the cricket silently communicated. Unfortunately, no one could understand what the cricket was saying and uncover the details of their conversation.
While they were communicating, Lu Ran's gaze shifted to the resource that had attracted the three fierce beasts.
[Name: Life Dandelion]
[Grade: Rare]
[Description: Consuming can increase regenerative ability.]
It was actually a rare resource!
Lu Ran's eyes lit up with amazement. He had been grinding through secret realms for over half a month and only managed to obtain a rare resource after defeating a public realm boss. The only other one he had ever received was gifted by Dr. Gu.
Rare resources truly lived up to their name—they were incredibly difficult to find. Lu Ran never imagined he would stumble upon one randomly in the mountains of Green Sea City.
This was just the early stage of the reappearance of spiritual energy, and treasures seemed to be cropping up everywhere.
No wonder the three ferocious animals were so drawn to it. Consuming this dandelion could significantly enhance their survival capabilities.
"I think you all should stop fighting. This isn’t something that can be divided into thirds. Why not just hand it over to me?" said Lu Ran reasonably, taking into account the advice he had received from the crow and the cricket.
The red-banded snake and the nearby police were both stunned by his proposal.
Hisst!!!
The red-banded snake widened its eyes. Immediately afterward, the crow spread its wings fiercely and rose into the air. The cricket, too, turned to face the snake and opened its steel jaws, clearly prepared to fight. If they couldn’t have the dandelion for themselves, they would rather give it to Lu Ran.
The crow appeared to realize something and addressed the cricket.
"Caw! So you’re also one of the King’s generals!"
The red-banded snake and the police were once again left bewildered.
What was going on? Lu Ran had simply gone for a stroll, and now, two of the three beasts fighting over a rare resource had turned around to side with him. They were even fighting on his behalf! What in the world?
This world was far too absurd.
Lu Ran suddenly recalled something the one-eared white cat once said: “In Green Sea City, even if a pig fell from the sky, it would have to take the surname Lu!”
Although Lu Ran maintained an innocent expression, the current situation made him look like the bad guy. All he wanted was to resolve the dispute peacefully.
Had he recognized the red-banded snake, the resource would have been his without drama. The snake had evolved into a powerful creature, and the Green Sea officials had not previously detected it because it roamed freely in the wild.
Lu Ran mulled it over and decided to speak to the red-banded snake rather than resort to violence.
"Can you do me a favor? I really want this resource. Would you let me have it?"
"Hiss——"
The red-banded snake flicked its tongue, clearly hesitating. It noticed the crow and the cricket were already following Lu Ran’s lead and seemed baffled by this turn of events.
It glanced at the dandelion, the temptation to devour it evident, but ultimately, it found itself in no position to gamble. After thinking it through, the red-banded snake fixed Lu Ran with a final glare before deciding to slither away.
Now, only the crow and the cricket king remained.
"That's a very sensible snake," Lu Ran said, pleased with its retreat. The snake seemed cooperative, which suggested dealing with it in the future might be straightforward.
However, Lu Ran suddenly noticed the nearby police staring at him with expressions of utter disbelief—they looked as though they had seen a ghost.
Lu Ran quickly explained, "What a coincidence! I used to feed this crow. As for the cricket, I once took it to participate in insect fighting competitions, so I’m very familiar with it as well."
Officer Luo was speechless. He glanced at the two fierce beasts that had been subdued so effortlessly. He didn’t even dare to utter a word. He feared that Lu Ran, the so-called king of Green Sea City, might make things difficult for him. Even the ferocious snake had to defer to Lu Ran. Whatever Lu Ran said went.
Whistle~.
The other beastmasters averted their gazes, pretending to see and hear nothing.
"Are you just going to let that snake go?" Officer Luo asked, frowning. "It’s a previously undiscovered beast. Considering its size, it might become dangerous."
"You can’t just kill it because it’s a beast. This is only the first wave of evolution. Many more transcendent creatures will undoubtedly be born in the future. It will be impossible for humans to eradicate them all. I think we should aim to communicate with them and establish good relations," Lu Ran replied.
"For example, take that giant turtle in Qingwu Lake. If it becomes the master of the lake, it could prevent the transcendent creatures there from running wild. While this approach might not be widely accepted right now, sooner or later, humans will have to learn to coexist with transcendent lifeforms—just like beastmasters and their familiars.
"Of course, I’m not saying the red-banded snake should be left entirely unchecked, but I’m not very familiar with it yet. Keep monitoring it for now, and I’ll come back to talk to it later."
For Lu Ran, the animal world wasn’t just about fighting and killing. He wanted to solve problems through communication whenever possible. This was distinctly different from battles in secret realms, where the creatures were mere projections and unable to communicate. In the real world, telepathy was a powerful tool.
"Kaw! Yes, show them who’s the king around here!" the crow exclaimed eagerly.
"Shut up!" Lu Ran snapped.
"Should I leave?" the crow asked.
"Wait. You seem to have a lot of minions. Spread them across Green Sea City to locate other highly evolved creatures like the red-banded snake. Once you find them, report back to me. Don’t worry—I’ll make sure you’re handsomely rewarded."
The crow nodded.
Lu Ran is such a hypocrite. He says that he isn’t the king of the Green Sea City, but he sure acts like one!
In comparison, the cricket appeared more aloof. Seeing that Lu Ran was about to take the dandelion and that the red-banded snake had gone, it silently turned around and left. Lu Ran did not try to stop it—he knew he would see it again sooner or later.
"Do me a favor as well. Try to take control of the insect world in Green Sea City and prevent them from causing chaos. Your strength should be sufficient."
"Chirp———"
The cricket hesitated but ultimately agreed.
After all, I’m the insect king. With that thought, it flew away.
Meanwhile, a sky filled with crows suddenly erupted from the forest.
"Lu Ran, what are you..." Officer Luo began to ask, but his scalp tingled in apprehension.
"Like I said, I plan to find all the highly-evolved animals in Green Sea City and visit them one by one. I’ll recommend that they stay away from human settlements and help maintain order in the wilderness surrounding Green Sea City."
Green Sea City was where Lu Ran currently lived, and he didn’t want it to descend into chaos following the revival of spiritual energy. While his capabilities in other cities were limited, he was determined to at least establish order in Green Sea City.
Officer Luo dared not say anything else. He understood. Lu Ran was about to recruit every notable figure among the wildlife and unify Green Sea City!
And you’re still insisting you don’t want to be the king of Green Sea City? If Lu Ran truly succeeds in recruiting all the transcendent creatures in the city...
Officer Luo shivered. Was this backup sent by the provincial capital really just a beastmaster? In all honesty, he didn’t know how to explain Lu Ran’s actions in his mission report.
***
Currently, Green Sea City could be considered a place where order had been restored relatively quickly. Although highly-evolved transcendent creatures were abundant, fortunately, there was someone familiar with them, capable of communicating with them.
With Lu Ran’s assistance, the city’s most powerful transcendent creatures were deemed non-threatening—for the time being. To everyone’s surprise, these creatures even took the initiative to help maintain public safety.
This allowed the authorities to save a lot of manpower and avoid direct confrontations. This, in turn, meant they could better maintain public order in the city. Regarding the situation in Green Sea City, Officer Luo eventually reported it truthfully.
Other cities were still focusing on the elimination and removal of powerful evolved beasts around urban areas as their primary strategy. He hadn’t heard of anyone else adopting a strategy like Lu Ran’s, trying to subdue transcendent creatures without contracts and aiming to coexist peacefully with them.
It wasn’t something he could leave out. Lu Ran knew his approach differed from that of other cities. While waiting for Green Sea City officials and the crows to provide more information, he called Dr. Gu to seek her opinion.
Leaning against a tree, he watched the police working in the distance as he waited for the call to connect.
I hope Dr. Gu has time.
Fortunately, Gu Qingyi picked up the call a few seconds later.
"Dr. Gu, this is Lu Ran!"
"I know. What’s wrong? Do you need anything?" Gu Qingyi asked.
"Yes. Is this about the global evolution?"
"Yes," Lu Ran replied. "Long story short, Dr. Gu, you know that I have a special ability. I can communicate with other creatures, so I know most of the wild animals in Green Sea City. I’m watching the news now. Most cities are maintaining stability by eradicating them, but in Green Sea City, I want to see if I can maintain order by communicating with them.
"I’ve already spoken with several transcendent creatures that have evolved the most, and we have a good relationship."
Gu Qingyi was silent for a moment.
"In theory, your approach is more long-term. From what we know about beastmaster civilizations, many transcendent creatures were integrated into human society to the point of being inseparable, to the degree where separation would completely disrupt the ecosystem. Even wild Overlord- and King-ranked species had a tacit understanding with human civilizations and generally avoided conflict with them.
"Right now, everything on Blue Planet is still in its early stages. There aren’t enough people like you or Spirit familiars capable of communicating with animals. With the communication barrier, each city can only resort to hard measures.
"It’s not that your way is wrong, but the current official’s way isn’t wrong either. "
Lu Ran thought about it.
"Then I..."
"Let me think about it. If you had the support of a senior beastmaster, your idea should gain traction. After all, the other worlds are prime examples. I will notify the Golden Hill Beastmaster Tower and grant you the authority to use Green Sea City as a testing site. Go ahead and give it a shot. As long as you can maintain stability and show results, this will count as a merit. At that time, I will request that you be rewarded.
"Are you confident? This won’t be an easy task. If you succeed, as the person in charge, you will become the undisputed beastmaster king of Green Sea City. The benefits will be enormous. You’ll have the ability to mobilize the human and animal resources of an entire city, allowing you to quickly narrow the gap between you and the previous generation of beastmasters. However, it will also come with significant stress and exhaustion."
"Damn." Lu Ran hadn’t expected Dr. Gu to be so straightforward.
Did this mean she supported him in unifying Green Sea City?
Lu Ran felt conflicted. He only wanted to maintain stability in Green Sea City. After all, he knew many of the animals there. He didn’t want any humans to get hurt, but at the same time, he didn’t want the animals to suffer either.
It would be a tiring job, but that was fine. He couldn’t expect to gain benefits without effort. As a new beastmaster, being put in charge of a city’s wild transcendent animals seemed like a reasonable responsibility. Lu Ran facepalmed, realizing he was getting pulled deeper and deeper into this role.
Still, Lu Ran felt a sense of relief after speaking with Dr. Gu. But before he could relax, his phone rang again.
It was Fang Lan!
"Wow~ Lu Ran, you’ve returned to Green Sea City? Hahaha, I am so powerful right now. I’ve conquered transcendent centipedes, venomous snakes, scorpions, and toads. I just need a gecko to complete the five poisons. Do you want to come with me? Let’s go catch transcendent creatures together! I want to catch a gecko!"
Lu Ran was speechless.
You sure are excited!
"Sorry, I don’t have time. I’m busy unifying the animals around Green Sea City. Don’t bring your venomous pets around and make my workload heavier. If I find a transcendent gecko, I’ll let you know. By the way, can you raise a red-banded snake above level 10? I found one while I was on a walk."
Rather than negotiating with the red-banded snake, it seemed better to have someone else manage it.
"Huh?"