Contract: Substitute Doll

Zhong Chenghuai went to buy the carcasses of ordinary beasts for Zhong Yi, while Zhong Ling held a water glass and looked at Zhong Yi with longing eyes, the surprise in her eyes still lingering.

But besides the surprise, a hint of restraint and trepidation also appeared in Zhong Ling's eyes.

Zhong Yi used to treat Zhong Ling like an older brother, but in recent years Zhong Ling has gotten used to being with the silly and naive Zhong Yi.

Now that Zhong Yi has regained her senses, Zhong Ling is worried that she might do something wrong that would annoy Zhong Yi.

Zhong Yi easily saw through Zhong Ling's thoughts. As someone who had been through it all, it wasn't difficult for Zhong Yi to understand a young girl's mind.

On the other hand, because of the Soul-Controlling Flower, Zhongyi's perception of the outside world has become clearer.

"Little Bell, if I remember correctly, your 14th birthday was 6 months ago. It's time to activate your Soul Foundation and try to awaken your innate Beast Taming ability."

"Tomorrow I'll take you to the Beastmaster Association for Soul Awakening."

While speaking, Zhong Yi gently reached out and rubbed Zhong Ling's head, helping to tame the few stray hairs sticking up on her head.

Zhong Ling's nose tingled again. This long-lost concern made Zhong Ling feel as if she had returned to her childhood, and the restraint that had just been born in her eyes was swept away.

As someone who was brought from the lower city to the upper city, even though Zhong Ling was very young at the time, she was aware of the dangers and cruelty of this world.

Over the years, running the shop with Zhong Chenghuai has also brought many troubles.

The principle that strength is the only way to solve problems has been deeply imprinted in Zhong Ling's heart.

Previously, due to Zhong Yi's dazed state, not only was Zhong Yi unable to go to the Beast Tamer Association to activate his soul foundation through the Soul Awakening Ceremony.

As a servant, Zhong Ling also had no such opportunity without the guidance of her master.

Zhong Yi's recovery filled Zhong Ling's eyes with fighting spirit, and she secretly resolved to become a strong person.

She was strong enough that as long as she could protect the young master and prevent him from being bullied or having any more accidents, that would be enough.

"Young Master, it's been more than ten hours since you fainted. You must be hungry."

"The therapist who came over also said you need to eat more nourishing foods, so I asked Da Lingdang to go buy groceries, and then I'll cook something for you."

As they were talking, a figure a head taller than Zhong Ling knocked on the door and entered the room.

Zhong Ling spoke to the male figure who resembled her by about 70%.

"Big Bell, go and buy more ingredients. Make sure the yellow croaker weighs over two pounds; the young master loves fish the most."

Zhong Ling clearly remembers Zhong Yi's previous tastes in her little head.

Upon hearing Zhong Ling's instructions, the male figure, who bore a striking resemblance to her, immediately set off for the market.

The moment Zhong Yi saw the figure, she recognized it as a very common type of demon spirit beast called a substitute doll.

A substitute doll is a type of beast that can be contracted without awakening a soul base. Simply dripping blood onto the substitute doll will form a contract with it.

The contracted substitute doll is essentially another body of the contractor, possessing a certain degree of autonomy and an intelligence equivalent to that of a human teenager around nine years old.

It can do many things according to instructions and is one of the three types of domestic beasts in the New Summer Federation that improve human life.

The beast-taming shop where Zhong Yi was located sold substitute dolls, with an uncontracted substitute doll priced at around 30,000 Federal Credits.

Before Zhong Yi awakened his soul foundation, he also planned to contract a substitute doll.

The substitute doll, a type of spirit beast, is quite interesting. Although it has no gender, it will undergo a gender change after absorbing the blood of its contractor.

Male contractors contract with female-looking stand-in dolls, like Zhong Ling's contracted stand-in doll which was gender-swapped into a male.

While Zhong Ling was in the kitchen cooking, Zhong Yi took a hot shower.

After taking a hot shower and changing into clean clothes, Zhongyi walked to the store's merchandise display area and looked around at the products.

The shop sells a wide variety of tamed beasts, but all of them are ordinary beasts.

Among the items on display, the seven or eight potted plant-themed beasts were the truly valuable ones.

Due to the harsh climate, the number of plants in this world is extremely scarce.

In the natural environment of the wild, various fungi and bryophytes occupy the ecological niches of plants.

The four pots of ice flowers on the display shelf are each priced at over 5 Federal Dollars.

Although the Ice Flower of the mortal beast level is only equivalent to an air conditioner placed indoors in hot weather.

However, if the Ice Flower is contracted by a Beast Tamer and nurtured and enhanced, it can become an ice-type beast with a certain combat power.

The other three pots of curly-leaf ivy are growing extremely lushly. Curly-leaf ivy is a productive plant, and the vines extending from each pot can grow four or five meters long every day.

Harvested twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening, these vines can yield nearly 30 jin (15 catties) per day. They are the best food for non-carnivorous mortal beasts.

However, in Zhong Yi's eyes, neither the curly-leaf ivy nor the ice flower is particularly valuable.

To increase the profits of the Beast Taming Shop, Zhongyi needs to find some tamed beasts that are worth training.

As the compiler of the game data for this world, Zhong Yi has a thorough understanding of the various evolutionary directions of the beasts.

There are many unique evolutionary paths, which I like to include as Easter eggs in the game.

These game easter eggs weren't discovered by many players during the game's operation, but now they can actually help Zhongyi.

Even before he awoke, Zhongyi had already figured out what exactly the figure in the golden-green robe that was imprisoned by the roots of the Soul-Controlling Flower was.

Zhong Yi knew very well what a Chosen One meant to a city or a federation.

Rather than playing it safe and slowly developing your skills, it's undoubtedly a better choice to reveal your identity and take the genius route.

The Chosen Ones are the foundation of a city. As long as one reveals their identity as a Chosen One, their safety can be guaranteed, whether in the Upper City or the Lower City.

After inspecting the shop, Zhongyi took a wooden box from the display case.

Open the wooden box, and inside is a delicate doll without facial features.

Zhong Yi reached out and touched the stand-in doll, feeling its incredibly soft and delicate texture, just like touching a real person's skin.

Zhong Yi pricked his finger, and a drop of bright red blood dripped onto the forehead of the substitute doll inside the wooden box.

Having absorbed the crimson blood that rolled from Zhong Yi's fingertips, the stand-in idol seemed to be activated, jumping out of the wooden box and rapidly expanding in front of Zhong Yi.

锺意今年16岁，身高有1米78，这具替身人偶逐渐变成了一个身高在1米7左右的女性模样。

It bears at least seven-tenths of a resemblance to Zhong Yi. If it weren't for its slightly wooden expression and movements, this stand-in doll would be virtually indistinguishable from a living person.