Chapter 210: Business, Breeding Beasts

"Mr. Blackstone, I know this is a strange idea, but could you please help me with this last favor?" Luke said.

Mr. Blackstone replied, "Luke, you want me to establish a herd solely for the purpose of forging beast armor... What species do you want?"

Luke didn’t know that; his idea was still just a seed, but there was no doubt that some characteristics were considered necessary.

Characteristics like...

"A strong species, also agile, also with endurance, and intelligence..."

"What about cooperation?" Mr. Blackstone said. "You need a species capable of working together in groups."

"Yes, that’s very important," Luke agreed. "Do you have any ideas?"

Mr. Blackstone said, "I have two options that fit this. Ants or monkeys."

Lin Moon whispered in Loki’s ear, whatever she whispered made him reiterate and give Luke three choices instead of two.

"Ant species. Monkey species. Lizard species. What do you suggest?"

Ant species are very strong, and they cooperate very well with each other. Those strong mandibles and their antennae... so productive.

Monkey species can be considered similar to humans because their proportions are similar to those of humans, so when it comes to handling things, monkeys are better than ants.

Lizards like heat, so they are very durable in the workshop.

Luke remembered the salamander from the Hunter’s Carnival... In the tent of the Ember Knights Guild which he consulted... that salamander was very useful to the blacksmith, thus forging his perfect insect metal-enhanced spear...

These are all very good choices, which is why Luke didn’t choose one of them.

"Can I have the three? The role of the ants will be transportation, labor, and assembly. The role of the monkey race will be forging, hammering, and mechanics, while the role of the lizard race will be furnaces and melting."

"You are very enthusiastic, Luke," Mr. Blackstone noted, a smile appearing on his face. He seemed pleased to see Penelope’s son so happy, but he had to remind Luke that things are easier said than done.

Luke scratched his head and replied, "Yes, I had thought about this idea before, it looks great, so now that I know it’s a possibility, I’m very optimistic.

"Mr. Blackstone, I know we have to worry about the cost of breeding these beasts artificially, but just give me a month, and my workshop will return twentyfold."

Mr. Blackstone placed his hand on Luke’s shoulder.

"Luke, this isn’t about the cost. The key is how we pass on the knowledge of forging beast armor to these creatures. Not just one, but hundreds?"

"Yes. Blackstone Corporation does not endow beasts with talents; we merely mimic a beast and breed it," Lin Moon said, adjusting her glasses.

She tried to lecture Luke, thinking his ideas were too big and impractical.

However—

Luke replied with a smile, "Don’t worry about that part. Trust."

********

The journey of breeding beasts is not easy.

There is a thin line between biology and magic, but when you try to cross that line, it becomes extremely dangerous.

Fortunately, due to collaborative efforts, innovative humans like Blackstone Corporation have been able to cross this line.

They have bred many beasts for sale, and some are specifically bred for certain organizations. Soldier Ant Supply Bureau... Busy Bee Supply Hospital... Watch Dog Supply Bureau... Social Butterfly Supply Children’s Schools.

Therefore, Luke’s own won’t be a problem. He wants ants? He will get worker ants. He wants monkeys? He’ll get handy monkeys. Does he want lizards? He will get fire lizards.

Blackstone Corporation already has Worker Ants, and their level is Primal 2.0.

Since Blackstone Corporation had Worker Ants, there was no need to breed them anymore because their DNA and everything else were ready to use. What’s left to do was to multiply the Worker Ants to reach the number Luke wants.

As for the Handy Monkeys and Fire Lizards, Blackstone Corporation placed an advertisement to find summoners with beasts that closely matched their needs.

Seven summoners responded to the call within an hour because Blackstone Corporation promised to pay them for their time.

These summoners had no hope that their beasts would reach any combat level, so as long as they could make money through their beasts, they would respond to such a call.

These summoners had mentioned different kinds of monkeys and lizards, such as Tree Macaque, Spotted Gibbon, and Rock Marmoset as monkeys, and Cave Geckos, Sand Lizard, and Red-scaled Lizard as lizards.

Among these, five were unsuitable because the Tree Macaque was too small to handle tools, the Spotted Gibbon was too light for hammering, the Rock Marmoset was too jumpy to stay still, the Cave Gecko could not abide strong heat, and the Sand Lizard was too sluggish.

However, the other two were well-suited to the roles of "Handy Monkey" and "Fire Lizard."

The Capuchin Monkey, with its robust fingers and powerful grip, and the Red-scaled Lizard, which favors dwelling near fires.

Consequently, Blackstone Corp employed them.

After being informed that it was breeding time, Luke planned to go to the Blackstone Corporation headquarters the next day.

When he arrived, with Loki’s permission, he entered the VIP area and encountered the two summoners whose beasts had been used as prototypes.

At this moment, they were hurriedly being guided by security toward a car, but Luke noticed the complex expressions on their faces, perhaps because their summoned beasts looked very exhausted after the process.

In fact, they had to wrap them in blankets and carry them, because the biological magic process that Blackstone Corporation used to deceive their DNA would temporarily disrupt the Tether between the summoner and the summon until it healed.

"Everything actually has a price," Luke pondered, so he thought he shouldn’t feel sad. According to him, the situation could have been worse than just the weakening of the Tether.

Imagine if the bond betwixt the summoner and the summon were to be broken permanently?

Luke entered the biggest Beast Shop in the city, looking around.

He saw that Glow Toad from his last visit, and the Ice Gecko too. No one restricted him from walking wherever he wanted, checking out all kinds of species.

Meanwhile, in the VIP parking lot, another car came to a hurried stop, and two bodyguards jumped out and opened the door.

A girl stepped out, well-protected by the guards.

The girl had black hair and purple eyes, wearing sleeves and a skirt that reached her thighs, but she compensated for the skirt with black hose and knee-high boots.