Chapter 11: Drumming Up Customers

Zhai Guangyi’s current top priority was to gain more Followers to complete the tasks given by the System and obtain more Skill Points.

The amount of Spiritual Power he needed to Level Up now was much greater than before. It had taken killing so many Wind Demon Panthers just to Level Up once. Now, he no longer relied on Leveling Up to grow stronger. It was better to invest in Skills or purchase some Blessing Power.

To expand the number of Followers around him, he first needed someone to help recruit more. Currently, the only one capable of doing this was Xiong Batian. Xiong Da and Xiong Er seemed to be doing who-knows-what all day, disappearing from dawn till dusk.

However, after the battle with the Wind Demon Panthers, they had grown much stronger. Their Levels had reached 17 and 18, and they should soon be approaching Level 20 for evolution. Frenzied Black Bears likely couldn’t evolve, but Thunder Battle Bears probably could. The next Blessing would go to Xiong Da.

Zhai Guangyi had previously misunderstood something: Blessing required Name-Granting. The name seemed to be engraved on the recipient’s Soul, and changing it would require re-Blessing.

So, Xiong Batian would have to remain Xiong Batian. He didn’t have the resources to rename her now anyway.

Regarding the issue of Followers, Zhai Guangyi came up with a plan. He instructed Xiong Batian that while hunting for prey, aside from the necessary needs for Leveling Up, she should minimize killing weaker Magical Beasts.

If she encountered weaker Magical Beasts, she could bring them to him. He would then decide whether to use Healing Fruit or Magic to treat their injuries based on the extent of their wounds.

This would spread goodwill, and he also demanded that Xiong Batian and the others refrain from bullying weaker Magical Beasts in the vicinity.

Xiong Batian was puzzled by Zhai Guangyi’s orders. In her mind, the lives of the weak were insignificant. Becoming stronger was all about dominating an area and freely choosing the weak as prey.

But faced with the Lord Divine Tree’s command, Xiong Batian didn’t dwell on it and carried it out very seriously.

As for communicating with Xiong Da and Xiong Er, it was all handled by Xiong Batian. Zhai Guangyi issued his instructions through soul communication with Xiong Batian, so Xiong Da and Xiong Er had no idea what was happening.

However, Xiong Batian’s communication with Xiong Da and Xiong Er was mostly through body language—either demonstrating what to do or resorting to punches. If one punch didn’t work, she’d throw another, until Xiong Da and Xiong Er complied.

Actually, Zhai Guangyi really wanted to tell Xiong Batian that the two little ones probably understood language. But in Xiong Batian’s mind, she still used the most basic methods of communication, so Zhai Guangyi didn’t interfere. The most important thing now was to gain more Followers.

In less than half a day, Xiong Batian returned carrying two small goats. Unlike Long-necked Sheep, these seemed to be ordinary goats.

The two goats trembled on Xiong Batian’s shoulders, their legs showing signs of sprains in various places.

Zhai Guangyi had heard that goats loved jumping off cliffs, though he wasn’t sure if it was true. But with customers here, it was time to start business.

For injuries like these, just one Healing Fruit would suffice. Zhai Guangyi immediately spent 10 points of Magic Power to generate two fruits.

But his treetop was too high now. If the fruits simply fell, they’d likely splatter into mush. So, very thoughtfully, he used his Wind Control Skill to lift the fruits and slowly lower them down.

In the eyes of the two goats, they were certain to die today. Having encountered a giant bear that had evolved into human form, and with their legs injured, today was the day they would become the giant bear’s dinner.

Xiong Batian simply placed them beneath the tree, and the two goats trembled as they lay on the ground, quietly awaiting their demise.

Then, a towering tree that appeared sacred suddenly dropped two fruits, as if blessed by a Heavenly God. Golden fruits descended from the sky, appearing incredibly holy and solemn.

Xiong Batian stood behind them, gesturing for them to eat.

The two goats were somewhat moved, never expecting to have a final meal before death. At first, they dared not eat, but under Xiong Batian’s threat, it seemed they could not refuse.

With nothing left to hesitate about, and given how enticing the two golden apples looked, they took a bite. The fruit was sweet and delicious, with juicy flesh. Instantly, their physical fatigue vanished, the pain in their legs disappeared, and their bodies felt filled with energy. Even their fear seemed to lessen significantly.

Seeing they had finished eating, Xiong Batian left directly, continuing to search for new customers for Zhai Guangyi.

After eating the golden apples and watching Xiong Batian leave, the goats observed their surroundings and found it seemed safe, with no bears in sight.

Apart from this strange towering tree, there was nothing else unusual. Feeling secure, they bolted and ran into the small grove.

Zhai Guangyi watched them dash into the woods and sighed inwardly. It seemed he couldn’t succeed all at once; he would have to keep trying. The road ahead was still long.

What he needed to do now was establish his reputation in this forest. As a harmless Spirit Tree, his name alone suggested friendliness—unlike certain Bone-Devouring Demon Trees, which were so evil.

By helping more Magical Beasts or animals, letting them know of Zhai Guangyi’s goodwill, they would naturally seek help whenever injured and come to support him. After all, the forest was still dangerous, and being in full health versus injured could lead to two very different fates.

Before long, Xiong Batian returned, carrying two wolf-like, dog-like creatures resembling Huskies—one large and one small. The smaller one seemed near death, while the larger one, though not severely injured, acted strangely.

“The little one is dying. I wanted to bring it to Lord Divine Tree for healing, but the big one wouldn’t let go. So I beat it up, but it still refused to release the pup, so I brought them both,” Xiong Batian responded coldly to Zhai Guangyi’s unspoken question, sounding somewhat aggrieved.

She had wanted to help save its child, yet it refused to accept Lord Divine Tree’s treatment. How foolish.

Zhai Guangyi was speechless. Snatching someone’s child right in front of them—of course it wouldn’t let go. Fortunately, at least the dog wasn’t beaten to death.

The little Husky’s injuries were severe, and it had already fallen unconscious, making fruit treatment ineffective. So, he would use his level 5 healing Magic.

A faint golden light began to emanate from the giant tree, enveloping the little Husky and wrapping around its entire body.

Seeing this, the big Husky held in Xiong Batian’s grip struggled frantically, barking wildly, trying to stop what was happening.

Tears had already welled up in its eyes. But in the next moment, the little husky was gently placed on the grass, hopping around playfully a few times as if celebrating its recovery, then barked energetically at the big husky a few times.

Seeing that the little husky was fine, the big husky stopped struggling, wearing an expression of gratitude.

Xiong Batian, seeing this, simply dropped the big husky on the ground and returned to the forest to look for new clients.

The big husky seemed to have taken quite a beating along the way, and Zhai Guangyi felt a bit apologetic. Xiong Batian’s business skills weren’t yet proficient, so he used Fruit-bearing again, sending down a Healing Fruit, and also gave the little husky a Growth Fruit.

Initially, Zhai Guangyi thought the Growth Fruit wasn’t very useful—even Xiong Batian didn’t eat it—but it seemed quite effective for younger creatures. Eating it regularly helped them grow faster. Xiong Da and Xiong Er now ate it every day, giving it a kind of Otherworld pure milk vibe.

Seeing this, the two huskies knelt on the grass, quietly eating the two fruits, their tails wagging rapidly.

“Ding, congratulations, host, for gaining 2 Followers and completing the task. Reward: one hundred Skill Points, one hundred System Currency.

The Follower task has been converted to a long-term task. For every 5 Followers acquired, reward one hundred Skill Points and one hundred System Currency.”

Hearing the System’s notification, Zhai Guangyi knew his method was effective. He hoped more of these grateful creatures would come along.