Chapter 312: Beast Taming
"How's everything going on your end?" Wu Heng continued to ask.
"What do you mean?"
"Any injuries? How many people did you take with you?" Wu Heng asked directly, still feeling a bit skeptical about her reliability.
Philipa lowered her voice and said, "No injuries. Six pirates came with me, and you've got five skeletons left. We're a bit short on crew, so I'll recruit more sailors later."
It seemed things were going smoothly.
Judging by her tone, there weren't any major losses.
"Stay safe and send any intel you get. I've set up skeletons to monitor the radio and will get back to you."
"Got it. By the way, when can I come back?" Philipa asked.
"Once the pirate business is done, I'll arrange for your return."
"Alright!" Philipa agreed, then continued, "How's my mom doing?"
"Don't worry, I got her out. She's staying in the guild dorms for now."
"Oh, are you going to sleep with her?"
Wu Heng often joked with the women around him, but this kind of talk from Philipa felt a bit off.
He responded sternly, "Don't use that pirate talk with me."
"Tch! Got it!"
Ending the conversation, Wu Heng instructed the skeleton to continue monitoring the radio.
He then went upstairs to rest.
......
He slept upstairs until 4 PM.
Andviel returned from the guild, and Minnie brought Shanaila over for dinner.
After dinner,
the group sat in the living room chatting.
Shanaila smiled warmly, though she occasionally glanced at Wu Heng with eyes full of affection.
Even Minnie and Andviel noticed her looks and teased her about it.
Shanaila's face remained flushed throughout the evening.
After chatting for a while,
Minnie whispered, "Master, Sister Shanaila invited me to stay at her place tonight. Is that okay?"
Wu Heng glanced at Shanaila and said, "Is that really a good idea?"
"It's fine. I don't have many friends and get bored alone. I'd be happy if Minnie could keep me company," Shanaila replied with a smile.
Since both agreed, Wu Heng didn't object. He said, "Just be careful while staying there. If you break anything, we can't afford to pay for it."
"What are you talking about!" Shanaila rolled her eyes at him.
Minnie cheered happily, quickly gathering her things before linking arms with Shanaila and heading next door.
Wu Heng then took Andviel to the courtyard for training.
After they finished training, he held the fox girl in his arms as they headed to the room. "Looks like it's just the two of us tonight."
"Yes." Andviel's cheeks turned slightly red as she pressed tightly against him.
......
Night fell.
In Shanaila's room,
Minnie rolled around on the bed, saying, "It's not as comfy as my bed."
Shanaila chuckled, unconcerned.
"Seriously, the mattress is from Master's hometown. It's super soft and comfy," Minnie said while lying on her side, emphasizing her point.
"Softer than mine?"
"Not just softer, it's bouncy too! You can jump on it like a trampoline," Minnie said, patting the bed. "Come stay at my place tomorrow. It's really soft."
The thought of staying next door made Shanaila's heart race.
"What nonsense are you talking about? You're staying here. We're both women, but your place is a man's house. What if someone sees?"
"Who cares, as long as we're happy."
They changed into their nightwear, and Shanaila stared at Minnie's lingerie, saying, "I've never seen a corset like that before."
Minnie giggled and said, "It's lingerie from Master's homeland. It's for wearing under clothes. It's super comfy."
"The material does feel different."
"Try it on. If it fits, I'll give it to you," Minnie said with a smile.
As the president of the First Merchant Guild, it was strange yet amusing to hear a maid offer her a gift.
"Alright, I'll give it a try."
Shanaila took off her silk nightgown, revealing her soft, full figure.
Minnie showed her how to wear it.
But soon, it became clear the corset wasn't big enough.
"Sister, you're too big for this size. I'll ask Master to get you a larger one tomorrow."
"No way! You can't tell him that."
"Why not? Master likes you, and with your great figure, he'll definitely like it."
Shanaila raised an eyebrow. "He likes curvy women?"
"Yeah, just like you—big and soft," Minnie teased as she gave her a playful squeeze.
Shanaila quickly covered her chest, "Stop it! Let's go to sleep."
"Okay!" Minnie crawled into bed.
......
The next day at the guild,
Wu Heng stopped by the front desk to claim the merit reward for killing the leader of the Iron Barrel Pirate Crew.
He glanced at the skill books and available items again.
His eyes landed on a robe.
[Arcane Reflux Silk Robe]
(Description: Increases movement speed and reduces spellcasting costs for the wearer.)
The item seemed quite good.
Currently, Wu Heng was wearing the [Robe of Silence], which he obtained after killing a Level 16 necromancer.
That robe boosted casting speed and provided resistance to external interference.
However, Wu Heng's casting speed was already decent, and his spells weren't primarily attack-focused. He mostly summoned skeletons and used spells with side effects.
Speed wasn't as important to him.
Reducing movement speed and casting costs felt more suitable.
"I'll take this one," Wu Heng said.
"Understood, Deputy Steward," the staff member replied as they registered his selection.
Wu Heng stored the robe and headed toward the office.
......
Just as he approached the door,
he saw Orin and Andviel talking in front of it.
"What's going on?" Wu Heng asked as he approached.
"Deputy Steward," Orin greeted him with a small dwarf bow.
Andviel explained, "Captain Orin wants to give me a tamed beast."
Hearing this, Wu Heng looked over at the dwarf again.
In Orin's arms was a small, white-feathered owl, no bigger than the palm of a hand.
It looked young, its big round eyes filled with curiosity as it gazed at them.
Orin explained, "We acquired this beast during a mission and thought Miss Andviel might like it since she doesn't have a tamed beast yet."
Andviel was a Forest Ranger, a branch of the ranger class.
"Can you control a tamed beast?" Wu Heng asked Andviel.
She glanced up and said, "I can."
"Then take it. Captain Orin is being thoughtful," Wu Heng said.
The dwarf smiled and said, "See? The Deputy Steward agrees. No need to be shy. It's just something we picked up on a mission. If you don't want it, I'll just sell it. It's not worth much."
Dwarves were known for their bluntness, and Orin's words made it sound like if she didn't take it, he'd toss it away.
"Thank you, Captain Orin," Andviel said, taking the small owl into her arms and gently stroking its feathers.
"Come inside and have some tea before you go," Wu Heng invited.
"I wouldn't want to impose!" Orin rubbed his beard but followed them inside anyway.
......
Andviel brewed tea for Orin.
Then she sat nearby, casting the Beast Taming spell on the small owl.
Beast Taming was a skill used by rangers, beastmasters, and similar classes to bond with their tamed beasts.
It allowed communication and, more importantly, the ability to share vision and coordinate in combat.
It was a highly useful skill.
Wu Heng glanced at Andviel, noticing how much she liked the little owl.
Her face was full of affection.
Turning his attention back to Orin, Wu Heng asked, "I haven't seen Sheila Grey around lately. Where is she?"
Sheila Grey, the elven deputy steward with a strong sense of justice, hadn't been around for a while.
Orin sipped his tea and said, "Deputy Steward Sheila took two squads off the island to hunt pirates. Headquarters gave us quotas, and there's pressure on everyone."
So, she'd left the island?
No wonder she hadn't been around.
"Have you met the island's governor?" Wu Heng asked.
"I haven't, but I've heard he's a powerful Level 18 professional, though he used to be a pirate, so he doesn't have much prestige."
This wasn't new information.
Wu Heng had heard similar stories at the Ecow Kingdom port.
It wasn't a secret.
But as the island's governor, it seemed no one had ever seen him in person.
"Does he not live on the island?" Wu Heng asked again.
"I'm not sure, but it seems like nobody's ever seen him around."
Wu Heng nodded, indicating he understood.
They continued chatting about pirates for a while.
Orin didn't stay long and soon returned to his squad's rest area.
......
Wu Heng looked over at Andviel.
She was beaming with joy, holding the little owl and gently rocking it back and forth.
It was clear she was very fond of her new tamed beast.
"Have you named it yet?" Wu Heng asked as he approached, gently stroking the owl's head.
The little creature was very docile, simply blinking its large eyes at Wu Heng without any sign of fear or aggression.
"Not yet. What do you think it should be called, Master?"
"It's your tamed beast, so you should pick a name you like," Wu Heng replied as he gave the owl another soft pat.
"Master, help me think of one!" Andviel, holding the owl in one hand, hooked her arm around Wu Heng's.
Wu Heng frowned in thought for a moment before suggesting, "Keep it simple and easy to remember. Something like 'Little White' or 'Puffy'—cute and easy to remember."
Andviel laughed, amused. "We're not puffy! Let's go with 'Little White.'"
She gently shook her hand, and Little White flew around the room.
It then landed back on Andviel's head, curling up.
The owl's white feathers blended seamlessly with Andviel's white hair.
With its eyes closed, you could barely tell the owl was there at all.
Andviel played with her tamed beast, while Wu Heng checked the time.
He bid farewell and left the guild, heading home.
......
Back at his residence,
Minnie was training in the courtyard. When she spotted Wu Heng, she immediately ran over and jumped into his arms.
Wu Heng caught her effortlessly, and she wrapped herself around him like an octopus.
"Master, I missed you so much!"
Wu Heng lightly patted her firm backside. "You make it sound like we haven't seen each other in ages."
"I missed you anyway."
Wu Heng carried her into the house, saying, "If you're bored, go visit Andviel at the guild. She just got a new tamed beast, a little owl."
Minnie, resting her head on his shoulder, suddenly tilted her head back to look at him. "An owl? Isn't that Wen Mansa's tamed beast?"
"Now Andviel has one too, and it's still a baby. It's really cute."
"I want to see it!" Minnie gave him a big kiss on the cheek before hurrying off to get dressed. She then grabbed a skeleton servant and rushed out the door.
......
Wu Heng headed upstairs to the third floor.
He went to check on the radio room.
The skeleton investigator was still seated at the desk.
The papers on the table were already filled with writing.
Wu Heng picked one up to read.
"Damn, the sea is so boring."
"Some crew members asked why I kept being taken out of the cell. Did they figure me out?"
"No worries. Fireblade killed them. Bodies fed to the fish. I ate the fish. No evidence!"
"Damn, this is so boring..."
Wu Heng frowned at the notes.
Is the radio for venting your frustrations?
He considered picking up the mic to warn her but thought better of it.
Replying now would only encourage her to keep rambling in the future.
It wasn't the wasted radio waves that bothered him, but the cost of paper and ink.
He left the room and headed to his study on the fourth floor.
......
Wu Heng poured himself a cup of tea and sat at his desk, contemplating his next steps.
Sending Philipa out to sea had gone relatively smoothly.
But that didn't mean the threats from the sea were over.
The mysterious letter remained unsolved, and the bounty on his head among the pirates was still at 200 gold coins.
"More pirate crews will come after me. I need to tighten security."
Pirates were reckless bandits willing to risk their lives for money.
More attacks were sure to come, and while he wasn't afraid of them, he was wary of sneak attacks.
Sipping his tea, he murmured, "And then there's Shanaila. We agreed on Level 15, so I need to speed things up."
His arrangement with Shanaila hinged on him reaching Level 15.
He was currently Level 12, and with the zombie world, leveling up wasn't an issue.
"Both the pirate threat and my promise to Shanaila depend on leveling up."
"I've been slacking lately. I need to focus more on leveling."
After pondering for a bit, he downed the rest of his tea.
Then he opened the portal and headed to the zombie world.
......
He emerged in the old factory dormitory room.
Wu Heng glanced out the window.
Survivors were busy constructing a wall, stacking red bricks with cement.
He left the room and had just reached the third floor
when Xiaoxiao's mother, Zhao Yanqiu, approached him and said, "There's a convoy from the auto repair shop with a message."
"What's the message?" Wu Heng asked.
"They'll arrive at the designated location around 3 PM today."
The convoy was on its way.
They were nearly half a day ahead of schedule.