Chapter 341 - 237: And What I Can Do as an Editor...
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[Er Shang]: I get it now. Basically, you lost a competition against your brother and feel like your family looks down on you.
[Wu Bao]: Yeah.
[Wu Bao]: It’s not really that they look down on me. They still love me a lot.
[Wu Bao]: It’s just that I worked so hard for so long, but the result was still disappointing. I’m just a little disheartened.
Typing out line after line in the chat box, Wu Bao felt a sense of relief, as if he’d just finished surgery.
Wu Bao obviously couldn’t admit he was a Pet Beast, so he changed the morning’s events into a story about a Pet Beast Battle between him and his older brother. Of course, the process and outcome were more or less the same.
’Turns out, when you’re feeling down, just pouring your heart out to someone really does make you feel a lot better... whether or not they can solve your problem.’
After a moment’s pause, messages from Er Shang began to arrive, one after another—
[Er Shang]: Everyone has things they’re good at and things they’re not. From that perspective, it’s inevitable that someone will be better than you in a certain area.
[Er Shang]: But I don’t think you really need to be upset about this kind of thing.
[Er Shang]: After all, you’re not a real Beast Tamer. You’re just a Beast Taming enthusiast who buys and raises Pet Beasts, right?
[Er Shang]: So Beast Taming isn’t really your field. You don’t have to take it to heart.
[Er Shang]: Your story is well-written, you have plenty of readers who recognize your spirit and are willing to pay for your work. That’s more than enough.
[Wu Bao]: But they don’t know what I’m doing either...
[Er Shang]: You didn’t tell your family you started writing this book, did you?
[Er Shang]: Afraid your results wouldn’t meet expectations, afraid it would flop, and you’d let down your family’s support and attention?
[Wu Bao]: Yeah.
’Mostly, I’m just afraid of the utter embarrassment...’ Wu Bao added internally.
[Er Shang]: But your results are actually quite good, aren’t they? This attempt was a success.
[Er Shang]: And even if they weren’t good, so what? For someone your age, just daring to innovate is the greatest success.
[Er Shang]: So, don’t worry so much. Just keep writing.
[Er Shang]: I’ll be here to witness your success!
[Wu Bao]: ...Yeah!
Even through the screen, Wu Bao was moved to tears by his editor’s words.
’Though I’m not sure what Er Shang meant by "someone your age"... Maybe it just means I’m still young?’
’Right, no need to sweat the small stuff. I have to keep writing, if only so I don’t let Er Shang down!’
[Wu Bao]: By the way, Boss, my current follower count...
[Er Shang]: It’s at eight thousand right now. Next week you’re skipping straight to the third round of recommendations. You get a strong feature this week, and then it’s onto the Sanjiang list before going premium.
[Wu Bao]: What about the small banner and splash screen promotions... any chance of getting those?
[Er Shang]: Haha, as long as you keep writing well, you’ll definitely get them.
[Er Shang]: Don’t worry about the promotions. You just focus on writing a good book!
[Wu Bao]: Yes, sir!
...
After finishing his chat with Er Shang, Wu Bao could feel the blood boiling with passion in his veins again.
That’s right. What doesn’t kill him will only make him stronger!
Su Mao’s voice came from the kitchen, "Time to eat, my Treasures!"
"Coming, coming! Let’s go, Wu Bao?"
"Woof!" Wu Bao refused, then pulled the garage door down. He was sealing his heart with concrete and shutting out the world.
’Twenty thousand words tonight! If I don’t finish, I’m a dog!’
Outside the garage, Su Zhi and the two "Treasures" stared at the closed door, completely bewildered.
"What’s... wrong with Wu Bao?"
"Woof woof," Yu Bao chuckled. He figured Wu Bao was hiding away because of the beating he gave him this morning.
’No worries, it’s not a big deal. Time to eat first!’
"You’re pretty carefree... Well, we’ll go eat first. Wu Bao, if you get hungry, remember to come out!" Su Zhi said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. He gave Yu Bao a light flick on the head and went back to the house.
Shan Bao, however, stared at the garage, blinking thoughtfully.
’Big brother Wu Bao... really does have a secret!’
After dinner.
"Woof woof woof!" Yu Bao circled around Su Zhi.
"Alright, alright, I get it..." Looking utterly exasperated, Su Zhi pretended to plug his ears before grabbing Yu Bao’s head and giving it a vigorous ruffle.
"I swear, you were hoarding a pile of points before and refused to use them, and now you want to spend your new ones before they’ve even warmed up."
Su Zhi shook Yu Bao, torn between laughter and tears. "And so a generation’s King Bi falls. Is this a perversion of a dog’s nature, or a new low for morality?"
"Woof woof." Yu Bao waved his paws, putting on a profound expression.
’Before, I was just playing weak to catch my opponent off guard, taking the psychological route. Now, by openly adding points, I’m going for the invincible protagonist route.’
"You really know how to put on a show..." Su Zhi laughed and let go of Yu Bao.
[Pet Beast: Yu Bao (Yu Dian Farm Dog)
Power: 1.20
Agility: 2.26
Intelligence: 3.14 -> 3.20
Constitution: 1.42
Perception: 3.70 -> 3.84]
[Real-time Energy Value: 5200]
Su Zhi clicked his tongue and nodded. "That Perception is insane. It’s almost breaking the 4.0 mark... At this point, if I mixed two pots of dirt together, you could probably sort them back out, couldn’t you?"
"Woof," Yu Bao said, lifting his chin confidently.
’What’s so special about two pots of dirt? With my current Elemental Perception and Control Ability, even if you baked that mixed dirt into a brick, I could still break it back down into two separate pots of dirt.’
Su Zhi’s eyes lit up. "You’re that good? Then you must have awakened your new Core Skill, right?"
Until now, Yu Bao had only been using his pre-evolution Core Skill, Thick Earth Blessing.
The Core Skill of a Yu Dian Farm Dog, however, was called Yanhuang Blessing—an advanced version of Thick Earth Blessing.
While receiving a stronger boost from Earth Element Energy, the Fire Element Energy within the Yu Dian Farm Dog’s body would also be activated. A massive amount of Fire Element Energy would be compressed to its absolute limit, forming a thin "Fire Robe" on the surface of its body. Any object touched by this Fire Robe would instantly burst into flames.
This was an extremely powerful Enhancement Skill. It not only provided the Yu Dian Farm Dog with a higher level of Defense Power, but it also turned it into a literal hot potato, increasing its offensive deterrence!