Lu Fei listened intently, but the original host's mind held no relevant memories.
Ke Xin continued, "The academy has a dedicated Mission Hall where various bounty posters are displayed. Completing a mission will earn you corresponding rewards. However, first-year students primarily focus on their studies and rarely have time for these missions. So, we plan to undertake some missions during the upcoming winter break."
Lu Fei hummed in acknowledgment.
"Then what did you mean by affecting class division?" Lu Fei asked.
Ke Xin's soft voice replied again, "You must have heard about two major events at the beginning of next year's semester, right?"
Lu Fei looked at her with a puzzled expression.
Ke Xin didn't beat around the bush. "One is the Beast Tamer level advancement assessment, and the other is class division."
Lu Fei nodded slightly. He knew about the Beast Tamer level advancement assessment; Lin Yuansheng had mentioned it at the banquet. However, this was the first time he had heard about class division. He had previously assumed that achieving good results in the year-level beast taming competition would automatically lead to advancement to the second year.
"What are the underlying rules for the class division you mentioned?" Lu Fei inquired.
Ke Xin pondered for a moment. "You might not know this yet, but the second year actually has elite classes and regular classes."
Lu Fei was slightly taken aback. *So it's like dividing into advanced and regular classes...*
He was quite familiar with such divisions; after all, he had been a top student in the advanced classes during high school.
Lost in thought, Ke Xin continued, "The class division rules are mainly based on everyone's performance in the Beast Tamer level assessment. However, there's an additional scoring rule, which is taking on missions issued by the academy. If we complete relevant missions during the winter break, those scores will be factored in when it's time for class division."
"Of course, it's not a big deal if you can't get into an elite class during the first division. Starting from the second year, there will be an assessment every three months. During this time, students can still take on missions, and completing corresponding tasks will also earn them extra assessment points to prepare for entering an elite class."
Ke Xin finished in one breath, her tone as gentle as ever.
After listening, Lu Fei fell into his own contemplation. Given his current status, not only could he easily enter an advanced class, but he could also have the academy create a "Earth Class" specifically for him. He could propose it in the morning, and by the afternoon, Lin Yuansheng would likely have the class nameplate printed. Therefore, practical training trips that offered extra points didn't hold much appeal for Lu Fei.
However, Lu Fei had his principles; he disdained using connections!
Furthermore, his special status and treatment were all due to others looking out for Chu Huainan. Such superficial honors offered no sense of security. True peace of mind came from improving his own strength, making this trial trip quite necessary.
"Is this kind of training trip dangerous?" Lu Fei raised his eyes, feigning indifference, and immediately added, "I've always enjoyed danger."
Ke Xin's eyes sparkled with golden light.
"If we choose missions with lower difficulty, there's no danger at all," Ke Xin said.
Lu Fei breathed a sigh of relief; this answer met his expectations.
But he immediately heard Ke Xin add, "However, with your participation, we can choose missions with a higher difficulty level!"
Lu Fei's expression changed, and he wanted to wave his hand in refusal...
The steak on his plate suddenly lost its appeal.
The two chatted intermittently, with Ke Xin mostly leading the conversation, and Lu Fei casually chiming in.
It was the idle chatter from the next table that piqued his interest.
"I heard the beast contract equipment shop next door just got a new batch of equipment. Shall we check it out after dinner?" a girl at the adjacent table said.
"I think we should forget it. That equipment is too expensive; it's not something we can afford," the boy opposite her replied.
The girl pouted. "Hmph, you're just afraid I'll buy too much stuff!"
The boy was speechless.
"Heh, women are so troublesome..." Lu Fei scoffed, which was why he had resolutely remained single for over twenty years.
He wasn't interested in the squabbling of the young couple, but the beast contract equipment shop they mentioned caught his attention.
"Class monitor, can beast contracts also wear equipment?" Lu Fei asked.
Ke Xin nodded. "Yes, and there are various types of equipment. These items have different functions: some are for offense, some for defense, and some for support. They can significantly enhance a beast contract's combat power."
Lu Fei's eyes lit up. This was exactly the kind of thing he wanted to rapidly improve his strength!
After they finished eating,
"Let's go check out the beast contract equipment shop!" Lu Fei said as he stood up.
Ke Xin smiled happily, her lovely eyes narrowing into crescent moons.
Leaving the upscale steakhouse, the two arrived at the entrance of a beast contract equipment shop. It was only then that Lu Fei realized there wasn't just one such shop; the entire floor was dedicated to selling beast contract equipment.
After observing for a while from the hallway, they entered a shop that was doing the least business.
This shop had a minimalist decor, but it felt clear and organized. There were individual display counters spaced over a meter apart, giving it a museum-like feel.
Upon seeing customers enter, the shop owner, who had been engrossed in his phone, quickly stood up.
He said obsequiously, "Welcome to our little shop. What type of beast contract equipment are you two looking to purchase?"
Lu Fei stopped in front of a piece of beast contract equipment that was entirely dark purple and shaped like armor.
He glanced at the price tag and gasped.
"Fifty thousand!"
At this price, ordinary people simply couldn't afford it, could they? In his memory, he had only saved five thousand yuan from part-time jobs in a year. That meant it would take him ten years to buy a single piece of equipment!
Even after receiving compensation, his total assets still didn't reach two hundred thousand.
Seeing that the customer seemed interested in the armor, the shop owner quickly introduced it, "Good eye, young man. You immediately spotted this armor. This is our new product, the Amethyst Armor, crafted from the rare Amethyst crystal. Beast contracts can equip this armor once they reach Lv10. As for its functions…"
The shop owner paused, deliberately creating suspense, and chuckled, "Firstly, it can increase a beast contract's defense by 5 points, and secondly, it can increase a beast contract's resistance to all resistances by 5%!"
Lu Fei couldn't help but take another look at the Amethyst Armor, feeling a pang of desire.
But he was well aware of the unwritten rules of business; the more he showed interest, the less room he would have for negotiation.
So, he said indifferently, "We'll just look around first."
Lu Fei then moved to a piece of beast contract equipment shaped like a gauntlet.
"This is the Earth Gauntlet, increasing a beast contract's physical attack stat by 10 points and an additional 5% of its physical attack stat!" the shop owner introduced.
Lu Fei felt a surge of excitement. This could directly increase the brute snake's physical attack several times over!
It wasn't just Lu Fei who was moved. Unbeknownst to them, a chicken with a middle part and wearing overalls had stealthily escaped from the spatial ring.
Brother Chicken, upon hearing that its combat power could be enhanced, was instantly tempted. *Hmm, after equipping this, I won't be a chicken with no strength to even hold a chicken.*
The two looked at the price tag.
Forty thousand!
Lu Fei shook his head and moved on to the next piece of equipment.
"This is the Heartstring Lock, increasing a beast contract's intimacy with the Beast Tamer by 30 points, priced at twenty thousand!"
"This is the White Base Shield, increasing a beast contract's resistance to all resistances by 20 points, priced at sixty thousand!"
...
He browsed through almost the entire store but still hadn't found any equipment that seemed to offer the best value.
*This is a picky customer...* the shop owner thought.
He was starting to get a dry throat from introducing the items, but this customer seemed unsatisfied with the products, not showing any sign of favoritism throughout.
Just then, an inquiring voice was heard.
"Boss, what is this thing? Why isn't there a price tag?"