Zhou Ran quickly connected the Honor Recorder, and the list reappeared shortly thereafter.
"Outer City West Alley, Storefront No. 104, requires 2 million Honor Points." Zhou Ran selected the store next to his own and immediately clicked to purchase.
Transaction in progress...
Transaction completed. The shop has officially been transferred to Zhou Ran's name. The deed will be delivered by 5 a.m. tomorrow. Please ensure you receive it.
At this moment, Han Chengyong, Ou Chen, and the others had also completed their Honor Points exchange and walked in.
"I must say, Mr. Lin, you're really dedicated to your business. You actually spent 2 million Honor Points to buy a shop. What a waste, what a waste!" Li Feng laughed.
"I'm happy with it. Mind your own business, hehe." Zhou Ran didn't think much of it. Why not take advantage of getting a shop for free?
"Alright, it's almost dawn. We've been up all night. Let's go back and rest," Han Chengyong said.
Zhou Ran nodded hurriedly. Though for a beast tamer, staying up all night was no big deal, his mother was waiting at home. He hadn't returned all night, and he felt like he was going to get scolded...
Zhou Ran couldn't help but recall that back on Earth, he had snuck out at night to play, forgotten the time, and ended up getting scolded upon returning. Terrifying, absolutely terrifying...
"Everyone, we still need to wait for the team members, so we won't be descending the mountain with you." Ou Chen bowed his fist and said.
"Alright." Zhou Ran and Han Chengyong nodded and said, "Until we meet again."
"By the way, regarding the compensation, once we're done with our tasks in a couple of days, I'll contact you. I heard that you lost an eighth-tier Dragon Horse Beast and a seventh-tier Flame Spirit Monkey during this treasure hunt. Don't worry, I'll handle it. I'll make sure you're satisfied." Ou Chen said to Han Chengyong and the others.
Han Chengyong and Su Heng behind him nodded hurriedly. They believed that given Ou Chen's status, he would never go back on his word.
Before leaving, Ou Chen walked over and exchanged contact information with Zhou Ran.
"This is our treasure hunting team's base in the inner city. If you're interested, I'd very much like you to come visit. I'm sure you'll find it interesting." Ou Chen smiled at Zhou Ran.
Zhou Ran naturally took a small business card and looked at the name on it: Shenghui Treasure Hunting Team...
Was this another attempt to lure him in? He really was too charming...
"I'll come if I have time," Zhou Ran said as he put away the business card.
He also handed over his own shop's business card. He couldn't miss any opportunity to advertise. Getting rich was just around the corner.
Ou Chen quickly took the business card. When he saw the name of the shop, he was greatly surprised. He was actually the owner of a breeding shop. However, the shop's sign was so funny. "Ruan Ruan Pet House." Oh my god, that's so silly.
Zhou Ran didn't notice Ou Chen's expression and quietly followed Han Chengyong out.
Once they reached the camp's perimeter, Zhou Ran took out the spacetime box and placed the spacetime stone in a hexagonal notch on the front of the box.
The box flashed with golden light and opened instantly, sucking in the nearby mountain-sized magic stone vein.
"Done!" Zhou Ran quickly closed the box. The Spatial Stone on the hexagon dimmed slightly. It seemed that opening it one more time would render the Spatial Stone ineffective—it was indeed a one-time-use item.
Soon, everyone descended the mountain and boarded the armored vehicle again, speeding off.
...
7 a.m., at the entrance of Sunshine Community.
"Lin brother, I'll see you off here. Until we meet again." Han Chengyong said to Zhou Ran.
"Oh, I forgot to return this Star Spirit Mirror to you." Zhou Ran suddenly remembered, took it out of his pocket, and handed it to Han Chengyong.
"Haha, keep it as a souvenir." Han Chengyong smiled wryly.
"Um... Alright, thanks." Zhou Ran felt a bit awkward. He had been using it since he borrowed it and had forgotten to return it, but he had to admit that it worked really well with the Pet Identification Device.
After bidding farewell to Han Chengyong and the others, Zhou Ran walked through the community, feeling incredibly conflicted. He hadn't gone home all night, and he didn't know if his mother was worried. At this hour, she probably hadn't woken up yet.
Soon, Zhou Ran arrived at his front door, carefully opened it, and stepped inside.
"You finally decided to come back!" Wang Qian's voice echoed from the sofa as soon as Zhou Ran entered the room.
"Which breeding session would last an entire night? Tell me the truth." Wang Qian sat on the sofa, speaking seriously.
"I… I… Mom, you didn't stay up all night, did you?" Zhou Ran said in shock.
"How could I sleep? You didn't come home all night. What if something happened to you?" Wang Qian said angrily.
It's important to note that on Blue Sea Star, nights are usually very dangerous, with many wild beasts roaming around. In Wang Qian's eyes, Zhou Ran was just an ordinary person. If something happened to him, he wouldn't even have the strength to protect himself.
Zhou Ran stood quietly by her side, not saying a word. He never expected his mother to wait up for him all night. If he had known, he would have sent her a message first. He felt incredibly guilty.
He then whispered, "Mom, can I tell you a secret?"
"Hm?" Wang Qian responded with a puzzled "hmm."
"Actually... I never told you, but I've awakened my star power." Zhou Ran finally gathered the courage to speak.
As soon as he finished, Wang Qian jumped to her feet, her face filled with shock. "You... you've awakened? Goodness! Let me see."
She immediately grabbed Zhou Ran's wrist and sensed a distinct fluctuation of Star Spirit Power.
Zhou Ran quickly used his mental power to suppress the Star Spirit Power to the level of a one-star Beast Tamer. After all, if his mother found out that he had gone from an ordinary person to a four-star Beast Tamer in just a few days, she would be terrified.
"A one-star Beast Tamer, that's great! You little rascal, you've been hiding this from your old mom." Wang Qian said, both surprised and delighted.
"I awakened it a while ago, but I wasn't sure until last night when I went to confirm it with my old teacher." Zhou Ran explained.
"That's wonderful! Although you missed the optimal age for awakening Star Spirit Power, it's still a good thing that you awakened. Come on, come on, Mom will take you to buy a beast right now. What kind do you want?" Wang Qian was extremely excited, pulling Zhou Ran's hand and heading toward the door.
"Wait, Mom, actually... I already have a beast." Zhou Ran saw his mother's actions and couldn't help but feel a bit teary-eyed as he spoke slowly.
"Huh? You have one? Quickly summon it for me to see." Wang Qian said excitedly.
Zhou Ran hurriedly called out to the system in his mind: "Can you help me transform the Liu Ying Huan Yue Dog into the form of a Star Wolf Dog?"
"Sure." The system replied promptly.
After receiving the response, Zhou Ran swung his right hand, and a light gate appeared. A Husky-like Liu Ying Huan Yue Dog ran out, looking at its own form with a helpless expression.
Why do they always have to make me so small...
It's so frustrating...