âPhew- Thatâs better!â Upon hearing Xu Ranâs words, Meow let out a slight sigh of relief, extending her fair and smooth little hand to gently pat her chest, the ripples spreading from her puffy maid apricot in synchrony, âThat scared meâ¦â
âYou keep this up and Iâm the one whoâs going to die of fright.â Xu Ranâs lips twitched again, âAlright, Iâm giving you a few hours off, go take a break!â
âAlrightâ¦â Meowâs eyes lit up and just as she was about to respond, she saw Xu Ran raise a finger to his lips. She obediently nodded, covered her mouth, and quietly left the grooming room.
Xu Ran nodded in satisfaction.
Although she still wasnât exactly formal, Meow was at least much more normal in her speech and behavior than Teacher Tony.
Upon further consideration, her strange voice wasnât her fault, it must be the systemâs doing.
Yes, itâs all the systemâs faultâ¦
[You have a new system task]
Reading the text that suddenly appeared before his eyes, Xu Ran sucked in a sharp breath.
Itâs all because the system is too serious!
With a mix of excitement and eagerness, Xu Ran opened the task panel.
The panel was left blank after he had completed Main Task 3, with no new main tasks immediately appearing.
At the time, Xu Ran was so shocked by the addition of three new store clerks that he didnât have a chance to focus on this issue.
Now, the long-awaited Main Task 4 appeared before Xu Ran.
However, upon reading the descriptions for Main Task 4, a strange expression that was hard to describe appeared on Xu Ranâs face.
[Main Task 4: Spread and Multiply
Task Description: Please host successfully open branches in four different Second Level Towns, Branch Popularity should reach over 50% to be considered successful. This task is stage-based and the rewards will be distributed in stages.
Task Reward: System Skill Upgrade Command xi, System Upgrade Experience +600]
[Current Stage Task: Successfully open branches in two different Second Level Towns.
Task Progress: 1/2
Stage Task Reward: System Clerkx31
âWhat isâ¦â After reading the new main task, Xu Ran couldnât hold back a gasp.
This task seemed somewhat different from the previous tasks.
Main tasks could also be stage-based.
However, considering the task content, Xu Ran found it reasonable.
After all, with every new branch he opened, he needed three System Clerks to maintain the original shop. The task would be impossible to complete if the system didnât provide new clerks along the way.
Subsequently, Xu Ran looked closely at the current stage task.
Half of the task progress has already been achieved, no doubt, Xieyun City was also included.
So, he only needed to open a branch in Monster Wooden City, reach over 50% popularity, meet the corresponding requirements, and complete the current stage task. He could then get three System Clerks in preparation for opening a new branch.
Xu Ran rubbed his chin.
Although the system didnât show the next stage task, he could guess it already.
It would simply be open a store, get three clerks, until all four branches met the requirements to complete Main Task 4.
Next, Xu Ran turned his gaze to the final reward for Main Task 4.
His eyelids twitched slightly.
Wow, itâs actually this thing.
He exited the task page and fixed his eyes on his personal panel.
[Host: Xu Ran
Contract Power: Third Stage
Contract Pet Beast:
Ziyun [View Details]
Star [ViewDetails]
Cancan [ViewDetails]
System Skills:
[Plucking Fur (B Level)] (500/500) (Use the System Skill Upgrade Command to complete the upgrade)
[Drug Application (B Level)] (2000/2000) (Use the System Skill Upgrade Command to complete the upgrade)
[Pranks (B Level)] (2000/2000) (Use the System Skill Upgrade Command to complete the upgrade)
System Upgrade Experience: 700/2000]
During the first main task, Xu Ran had already upgraded all three system skills to the B Level. After such a long time, at the thriving Starfire Foster Care Shop, Xu Ran had already maxed out the experience of all three skills.
However, these three skills didnât upgrade to A Level as he expected but instead a new line appeared.
He had thought that the System Skill Upgrade Command was a piece of equipment won through a lottery draw, which was likely a red item due to its rarity, so he temporarily extinguished the idea of breaking through to A level system skills.
He never expected this to actually be a system reward?!
Moreoverâ¦
âYouâre just giving me one?!â Xu Ran felt his breathing becoming more labored.
So opening four branches, he can only upgrade one system skill, right?
What a dog system!
Muttering a curse in his heart, Xu Ran turned to look at the three little ones, who were gazing at him curiously, a realization hitting him that he had voiced his thoughts out loud.
âItâs nothing,â Xu Ran shook his head, âLetâs wait for the Qin siblings to come first.â
He set aside the issues with the main task for the moment.
No matter what, the systemâs guide to open branches coincided with his own thoughts, so he didnât resist it.
The more branches he had, the more revenue he would earn. Each branch would continually provide him with pleasure value and various resources, it was a complete win-win for him.
As for the upgrade of system skillsâ¦
He could always finish the main task later if necessary.
As Xu Ranâs thoughts churned, the Qin siblings, who had departed before them but arrived later, entered the Grooming Room under Meowâs guidance.
Seeing Xu Ran standing at the Care platform and preparing for grooming, the siblings let out a small sigh of relief.
The moment they saw Meowâs reception, they almost thought they had been tricked by Xu Ran.
âIâll go first!â
Qin Yue pressed down her eager to jump Qin Can, and first summoned her own pet beast.
Qin Can looked aggrieved at being pushed to the corner of the Grooming Room by four general stage pet beasts, seething in silent anger.
That darn elder sister!
âOkay.â Xu Ran nodded slightly, looking at the four excited General Stage Pet Beasts.
âWho wants to go first?â
âRoar-â
With a fervent and exciting roar, the Earth Roaring Rhino slightly shook his head, his gaze still somewhat confused.
His fantastically robust limbs seemed to have lost their power. He barely stood up with a bit of a stagger, taking several steps before regaining his stability.
Sensing his refreshed state, exhilaration surged through Earth Roaring Rhinoâs eyes.
With his current condition, he could progress a few ranks on the Defense leaderboard for Leadership Stage Pet Beasts!
Thinking of this, the Earth Roaring Rhino glanced at Cancan who was standing not far from Xu Ran, compared to its huge size was miniature, and it couldnât help but shrink its head a little.
This guy is the current number one on the Defense leaderboard.
In front of it, his defense power was like a little brother.
For a moment, the overbearing attitude that had just emerged in Earth Roaring Rhino calmed down and returned to its previous calm demeanour.
âAlright, all seven pet beasts have been groomed.â Wiping his hands with a damp towel, Xu Ran looked at the satisfied Qin siblings, âHow do you feel?â âThe effect is still best when Boss Xu does it personally.â Qin Yue chuckled, satisfiedly looking at the four General Stage Pet Beasts surrounding her, âBoss Xu, we will look for you next time for grooming.â
âAlthough Meow is somewhat special, its grooming technique is not worse than mine.â Xu Ran shook his head slightly, and then paused, âNext time you come, Iâm afraid you wonât find me.â
âBecause in a few days, Iâll be leaving Xieyun City for another place, and Iâm not sure when Iâll be back.â
âHuh?â The faces of the Qin siblings, who were still excited moments ago, turned gloomy.
âTry to see the bright side.â Xu Ran chuckled lightly, âIsnât it nice when Meow doesnât speak?â
âOr you can choose to let Teacher Tony come here for groomingâ¦â
âNo, I think Teacher Meowis very good!â Qin Can shook his head vigorously, his expression becoming firm, âSo next, Iâll leave my pet beasts in Teacher Meowâs care!â
âThatâs right!â Qin Yue nodded in agreement.
Compared to Teacher Tony, Teacher Meow is way better!
The subsequent new system clerks are no longer described in detail.