Beast Taming: My System is Bugged

Chapter 354 - 341: 40 Million?

After the initial excitement, Gu Ming remembered the Source Light Space Stone stashed in his villa at the school.

The thought sobered him.

The modification surgeries for the Mysterious and Dark Attributes were basically out of the question, and he had no intention of wasting the Source Light Space Stone on any other procedure.

"Teacher Tang, I acquired a Space Stone from another source. It should be suitable for a Light Attribute modification surgery," Gu Ming said.

Teacher Tang’s expression remained unchanged. He didn’t seem to think a Space Stone acquired by Gu Ming would meet his standards, and his tone was flat as he said:

"Materials suitable for surgery aren’t so easy to come by, especially for a non-standard modification technique like mine.

"I have specific requirements for my surgical materials. I’ll have to inspect it myself to know if it’s suitable."

"In that case, may I borrow the Sealing Bag from the office? I’ll bring the stone here for you to inspect," Gu Ming said, pointing to a small, rune-covered bag in the office.

The bag was designed specifically to seal valuable items, preventing their auras from leaking out and attracting the attention of thieves.

Although law and order in human cities were quite stable, if such an important object were to appear on the streets and be spotted by someone with malicious intent, it would inevitably lead to trouble.

Law enforcement might not be able to arrive on the scene immediately to handle the situation. It was always better to be cautious.

Teacher Tang nodded. With his usual unshakable composure, he turned his attention back to studying the Foundation Establishment Platform inside Ah Ji.

Watching Teacher Tang’s intense focus on his research reminded Gu Ming of Teacher Zhong from the Duomu Dragon Pharmaceutical Company.

Since Gu Ming’s workload under Teacher Tang wasn’t heavy, his main task for the day was simply to familiarize himself with the lab equipment.

So, Gu Ming immediately took the rune-covered Sealing Bag, left the company, and went to his villa to retrieve the stone before returning.

Ah Ji remained at the company to be studied, and Lu You stayed behind in the office to help watch over him, so neither of them came along.

When Gu Ming returned, he saw that Ah Ji seemed perfectly fine, just as always.

Gu Ming secretly used his Divine Sense to communicate with him, asking what Teacher Tang had done while he was away.

After hearing the details, Gu Ming breathed a sigh of relief.

’It seems Teacher Tang really is a researcher, through and through.’

During that time, all he had done was draw some blood for analysis.

Other than that, he had the Profound Celestial Beast Ghost Soul possess Ah Ji to give him a massage, strengthening his body’s digestive capabilities.

"Teacher Tang, I’ve brought the stone. Would you take a look?"

"Alright, let me see."

As he spoke, Teacher Tang took the Source Light Space Stone from Gu Ming. He gave it a cursory glance, his usual flat expression showing no change.

But an inspection that should have taken only a few seconds stretched on as he repeatedly turned the Source Light Space Stone over and over, examining one side after another.

He kept turning it over and over, and this continued for a full five minutes.

Even Lu You, who was standing nearby, could tell that Teacher Tang must have discovered something uniquely profound about it, something he couldn’t identify at a glance and needed more time to carefully appraise.

Meanwhile, several lines of text flashed through Gu Ming’s mind:

「Eight-star Beastmaster Tang Tianyi has repeatedly confirmed that this is an exceptionally rare Source Light Space Stone, possessing immense potential for Space expansion and perfect habitability for the Light Attribute.」

「The original plan was for a spatial organ modification technique. It now appears the two procedures can be combined.」

「However, a stone of such high quality has given him a new idea for an experiment.」

"I’ve never seen a stone like this before, but in theory, it can be used for both the Space Coordinate Technique and the Light Vein Construction Technique."

Finally, after a full seven minutes had passed, Teacher Tang spoke. His tone was certain, but his expression remained as placid as ever.

Lu You was surprised. ’Is this stone so rare that even Teacher Tang is seeing it for the first time?’

Ah Ji proudly puffed out his chest. This was something from his home; to have it acknowledged by an expert was an acknowledgment of his home as well.

Furthermore, Ah Ji realized that this Space Stone could be made into a Beast Taming Space. In a way, it was like his old home was being renovated. After all this time, he would be living in his home again. He couldn’t be more satisfied.

Gu Ming could also tell from the length of Teacher Tang’s inspection that he was very interested. Combining the two surgical procedures would likely be a first for the man.

Such a bold idea had probably been percolating in his mind for a long time, but he had never had the right materials to put it into practice.

Now, Gu Ming had brought him this Source Light Space Stone, which just so happened to meet the requirements to perform both procedures simultaneously. This couldn’t help but pique Teacher Tang’s interest.

But Gu Ming deliberately hesitated for a moment before asking, "How much would it cost to perform both procedures at once?"

He was hoping to get a discount, but he didn’t dare ask for one outright.

He was also wondering what the "new experimental idea" mentioned by the system was. ’Combining four procedures into one?’

But in reality, Teacher Tang was only at Six-star Peak; he seemed to only have the ability to combine two procedures.

"The most expensive component is the Space Stone itself. If you were to buy a material that meets my requirements, you would have to spend tens of millions at a minimum.

"Your stone is extraordinary, possessing two supreme Attributes simultaneously. So now you’ve saved that expense, leaving only the technical fee and the cost of standard materials."

With that, the price naturally dropped significantly.

Although the two of them were colleagues, talking about money could still strain the relationship.

But this was a surgical procedure; it couldn’t possibly be done for free.

Gu Ming breathed a sigh of relief and immediately asked Teacher Tang for the price.

Knowing Gu Ming was a student, Teacher Tang didn’t ask for an exorbitant amount, simply charging the standard market rate for a high-end, custom surgical procedure.

Specifically, forty percent of the total cost; under normal circumstances, he would have charged more.

A dual-Attribute modification surgery like Gu Ming’s could easily cost over one hundred million.

With the cost of the Space Stone waived, and only accounting for the technical fee and standard materials, the price at the bare minimum would be forty million.

Gu Ming’s heart skipped a beat.

His savings of a little over thirty million weren’t enough to cover it. He would have to ask his parents and dip into the family’s emergency funds.

They had bought and returned that Iron Gall Lone Dragon last time, and although they had paid a cancellation fee, after a few months of work, the Gu Family had slowly recouped the loss, managing to build up about ten million in capital.

In addition, Gu Ming had another few million in Teacher Zhang’s account, but that was currently inaccessible, so he couldn’t count it.

Asking his parents for the money was still a viable option.

"So, forty million?" Gu Ming asked cautiously.

"That’s right. If your family can’t afford it, you can take out a loan. The company offers that service as well."

Teacher Tang said in his usual, level tone.

He spoke as if this were a perfectly normal affair and had no intention of offering any further concessions.

Forty million for the technical fee was already very low.

If Four Five-stars Beastmasters were to ask him for the procedure, they would have to pay double that technical fee, even if they brought their own materials.

As far as he knew, ninety-eight percent of the company’s employees were in debt.

Only a tiny minority of Beastmasters were debt-free.

Such people were exceptionally rare.

Considering that not everyone liked to spend money they didn’t have,

he analyzed the situation from a purely rational angle, paused, and then added:

"Alternatively, you could wait until you’ve earned scholarship money to have it done. There’s no rush for the Beast Taming Space; it’s not an immediate necessity. Cultivating in the training rooms at the company or your villa is sufficient for now.

"You already have three Pet Beasts, so you’re quite competitive for your first year. You have a chance to contend for the top three in your grade."

Just as Teacher Tang had said, other than allowing a Pet Beast to live more comfortably, providing a Cultivation bonus to an Attribute Pet Beast, and holding more items, a Beast Taming Space didn’t directly increase a Beastmaster’s own strength.

But Gu Ming was different.

He felt uneasy just thinking about the pile of Spirit Stones sitting in his villa.

Those were Spirit Stones that had not yet appeared in the world, and he didn’t want any accidents to happen.