Beast Taming: Starting From Zero Chapter 6: Fire Fang Dog

The Fire Fang Dog soon faded away, vanishing into the shimmering star formation.

In that moment, the empty pages of the Beastmaster’s Codex within Qiao Sang’s mind ignited with light, and a vivid, lifelike depiction of the Fire Fang Dog manifested upon them.

Simultaneously, the once-blank section of the Codex began to fill with detailed data:

Name: Fire Fang Dog

Attribute: Fire

Level: Beginner (63/1000)+

Skills: Bite (Beginner 73/100)+, Charge (Intermediate 133/500)+, Fire Fang (Beginner 1/100)+

Points: 0

Qiao Sang stared at these straightforward, easy-to-read lines as they appeared before her.

She was completely stunned.

This wasn't right. According to her knowledge, the Codex was merely a medium for contracts and a storage dimension for pet beasts. It was never supposed to function like this kind of system.

However, Qiao Sang couldn't be entirely certain of her memories, given that the body's previous owner was a struggling student with significant gaps in her education.

Pushing down her rising excitement, Qiao Sang performed the summoning seal for the Fire Fang Dog.

A second later, a white star formation materialized on the floor, gathering starlight into a solid form. The Fire Fang Dog emerged, its expression full of energy.

“Yap!” the Fire Fang Dog barked, greeting Qiao Sang.

Thanks to the bond of the contract, Qiao Sang could easily perceive her pet beast's desires.

It wanted to experience entering the Codex once more.

With an indulgent smile, Qiao Sang traced the seal to recall the Fire Fang Dog back into the Codex.

The moment it vanished inside, the Fire Fang Dog began barking again, pleading to be released.

Qiao Sang gave in. As the Fire Fang Dog reappeared, its red tail wagged with pure joy.

“Yap!”

Chuckling, Qiao Sang sent it back into the Codex again.

Then, she summoned it out once more.

The Fire Fang Dog blinked its dark, round eyes.

“Yap!”

Qiao Sang’s grin faltered slightly. Though she hesitated, she returned the creature to the Codex one more time.

When it came back out, the Fire Fang Dog stared at her with eyes brimming with eager anticipation.

“Yap!”

Qiao Sang: “...”

When Ye Xiangting walked back in, she was met with the sight of her daughter frantically forming seals, repeatedly pulling the Fire Fang Dog into the Codex and then popping it back out.

Confused, Ye Xiangting asked, “Sang Sang, what on earth are you doing?”

Qiao Sang answered with a stony face, “I’m playing.”

---

Qiao Sang didn't head straight home after departing from the Hanggang Pet Beast Base; instead, she detoured to the Hanggang Beastmaster Center.

Alliance laws dictated that any pet beast contracted by a Beastmaster had to be officially registered at a Beastmaster Center within seven business days.

In this modern age, one couldn't simply bond with a pet beast and raise it at home without oversight.

Registration was mandatory; failing to do so meant the pet beast was classified as unregistered.

Cities inhabited by humans strictly forbid the entry of wild extraordinary creatures.

If an unregistered pet beast is discovered, the Inspection Department will treat it as a wild threat and seize it.

Aggression from wild extraordinary creatures toward humans is a frequent occurrence.

In fact, the news is often filled with reports of people being mauled by these wild entities.

To protect the public, particularly those whose brain domains have not yet awakened, the Alliance has enforced a total ban on wild extraordinary creatures within city limits.

However, these creatures come in many forms, each wielding mysterious abilities.

While beast-type extraordinary creatures are simple to track, entities like ghosts or spirits are notoriously difficult to detect if they choose to remain hidden.

Because of this, the Alliance founded the Inspection Department specifically to manage such threats.

Since the Hanggang Beastmaster Center was just a short distance from the Pet Beast Base, it was a practical stop to make before going home.

At the crossroads where they parted ways, her mother—who was perched atop her Faithful Owl—headed off to handle her own business, leaving Qiao Sang with the family’s Fat Dove for transport.

When Qiao Sang finally reached the Hanggang Beastmaster Center, it was already 11:32 AM, with only twenty-eight minutes remaining before the midday closure.

Unlike the registration for brain domain testing, which only had a single service window, there were 16 windows dedicated to general information registration.

Qiao Sang grabbed a queue number and sat down to wait.

The Fat Dove stood like a silent guardian beside her, while the Fire Fang Dog curled up in her arms, its eyes darting around as it took in the new environment.

"Number 06556, please report to Window 12."

"Number 06556, please report to Window 12."

Qiao Sang checked her ticket: 06557. She glanced at the clock—it was 11:52 AM.

It didn't look like she would be served before the break.

"Number 06557, please report to Window 12."

Since 06556 hadn't appeared, they moved directly to Qiao Sang's number.

Quickly standing up while cradling the Fire Fang Dog, Qiao Sang felt she was having a lucky day.

At Window 12, a young man with a buzz cut was processing the paperwork.

“Hello, how may I assist you?”

Qiao Sang slid her info card across the counter. “I’m here to register my pet beast.”

The clerk scanned the card. After a brief pause, he said, “I’m sorry, but our records show you aren't a registered Beastmaster yet. You can't register a pet beast without that status.”

Qiao Sang blinked in surprise. “Then I’ll just register as a Beastmaster first.”

The young man replied, “I'll need your brain domain certification for that.”

Since this was her first time, Qiao Sang hadn't realized that document was a requirement.

“I don’t have it with me,” Qiao Sang admitted, feeling helpless.

She held up the Fire Fang Dog. “Doesn’t having this prove I’m a Beastmaster?”

The clerk checked the time on his monitor—11:58 AM. “No, it doesn’t.”

“But why not?” Qiao Sang asked, puzzled.

An irritated female voice interrupted from behind her. “Are you finished? If you don’t have your papers, get out of the way.”

Turning around, Qiao Sang saw a girl dressed in the uniform of the Union Beastmaster High School.

The girl shot Qiao Sang a condescending look. Her eyes were narrow and slanted upward, giving her an arrogant air that made others feel small.

When Qiao Sang didn't immediately move, the girl shoved past her and presented her own ticket to the clerk.

“I’m number 06556, I’m actually before her. Take care of mine; I just need to update my pet beast’s stats.”

Qiao Sang scowled but began to step back. Even though the girl was incredibly rude, Qiao Sang knew she was missing her own documents anyway.

The buzz-cut clerk, however, denied the girl’s request. “If you aren't here when your number is called, you have to get a new one.”

He then slid Qiao Sang’s card back to her.

“Beastmaster registration needs official proof and a photo for the files.”

Precisely at 12:00 PM, the clerk flipped the 'Closed' sign at the window and smiled. “We are now closed for the lunch hour. Please return this afternoon.”

He immediately stood up and left his post.

Neither girl had finished their business, but Qiao Sang wasn't bothered; it was only a minor detour for her.

The high school girl, however, was fuming.

“This is entirely your fault! I’d be done by now if you hadn't been wasting time.”

Qiao Sang turned to walk away.

A hand reached out to block her path.

“Hey! Didn't you hear me talking to you?”

Qiao Sang looked around in confusion and asked, “Are you actually speaking to me?”

“Who else would I be talking to?” The girl’s slanted eyes flared with rage.

Just then, a few bystanders walked past them in silence.