Chapter 6: The Grand Summoning and a Hamster’s Fate

“Pfft, hahahaha!

Moon-moon, you’re going to make me die laughing so you can inherit your Huabei (TL Note: A consumer credit product offered by Ant Financial, similar to a virtual credit card), aren’t you?

Everyone else is desperate to summon a strong familiar, yet here you are, worrying about breeding issues.”

Mu Wanqing was laughing so hard she could barely stand.

Although her best friend, Su Liyue, was both the school’s top student and its campus belle, the things she said and worried about were often wildly different from ordinary people.

Su Liyue calmly smoothed the cuff of her mage’s robe.

“If I still had Huabei, I’d be the first to transfer my credit limit to you.”

Suddenly, she pulled a miniature hamster wheel from seemingly nowhere.

“Look, I’ve even prepared the exercise equipment.”

While Ye Xingchen possessed spatial abilities, catching a hamster would be trivial for him; however, considering hamsters were inherently weak and completely devoid of combat prowess beyond their cuteness, having Ye Xingchen handle it felt akin to using an anti-aircraft gun to swat a mosquito.

“Are you really planning to form a contract with a hamster?”

“Of course! All I need to do is get a wheel for it to run on every day! They’re incredibly easy to care for!”

‘It’s a joke,’ she thought. ‘Having already served as a high-level “poop scooper” (TL Note: A Chinese slang term for a pet owner, literally ‘poop scooper’, often used humorously to refer to someone who diligently cares for their pet) for a five-clawed golden dragon, why would I fear being a low-level one for a hamster?’

“B-but…” Mu Wanqing struggled to suppress her laughter.

“The familiar summoning ceremony is overseen by seven instructors! Last time, someone tried to cheat by summoning a cerberus, and the Transfiguration professor turned them into a watchdog guarding the gate for three days…”

“It’s fine, I have my methods; I definitely won’t be discovered! You can rest assured!”

As for her method, it naturally involved Ye Xingchen executing a spatial displacement; when the summoning array lit up, he would simply use his spatial abilities to swap in the prepared hamster.

After all, for someone who commanded the laws of space, it was as simple as moving a teacup from the left side of a table to the right.

“Alright then… I’ll figure out a way to get you a baby hamster in a bit.

But if you end up regretting it, remember to tell me, okay~?”

With that, Mu Wanqing laughed and ran off.

***

As the seventh chime of the crystal clock echoed across the academy, all third-year students stood in formation on the parade ground.

Seven instructors stood at the seven cardinal points of the summoning array, their wands tapping the ground, causing intricate magical runes to blossom beneath their feet.

The entire area became enveloped in a faint, iridescent shimmer.

“Here.” Mu Wanqing suddenly pressed a fuzzy ‘Spirit Ball’ (TL Note: A magical containment device, similar to a Poké Ball) into Su Liyue’s hand.

Through the transparent part of the sphere, a snow-white hamster could be seen happily munching on sunflower seeds, its tiny tail twitching with delight.

“I traded three portions of Ice Crystal Pudding and a junior student for it… But, Moon-moon, what if the instructors discover that Starfall Academy’s campus belle summoned a useless hamster later?” Mu Wanqing whispered.

Su Liyue squeezed the Spirit Ball, a faint smile playing on her lips.

“Don’t worry, they won’t discover anything~”

If they could detect it, they would surely be transcendent, ‘Immortal Cultivator’ level experts.

With a flick of Su Liyue’s finger, the Spirit Ball swiftly vanished into her sleeve, instantly swallowed by a nearly imperceptible spatial ripple.

Ye Xingchen’s displacement spell had been executed with such precision that not even a single magic rune on the hem of her robe flickered.

Mu Wanqing’s eyes widened.

“Wait, where’s the ball? You didn’t use an illusion to make it…”

“School rules state,” Su Liyue declared, raising an index finger with a serious expression,

“that using illusionary magic to cheat during familiar summoning is forbidden.”

She lightly raised her robe sleeve, revealing an empty wrist.

“Do I look like someone who would break the rules?”

Indeed, this magical display robe proved effective; outsiders had no way of discerning that she could conceal objects within a different dimension.

Not far from them, Ye Xingchen stifled a laugh behind his hand, almost choking on his own spatial power.

He had not only moved the Spirit Ball into an alternate dimension but also, on a whim, transferred a handful of sunflower seeds inside.

After all, a hamster wouldn’t rat him out.

The crystal bell chimed once more.

Students from four classes stood in neat formations on the parade ground, while the iridescent magic array was divided into two sections, alternately flickering with magical brilliance.

Su Liyue, Ye Xingchen, and Mu Wanqing’s class was assigned to the second group, allowing them to observe the summoning results of the first group.

“This is perfect; we can see what strange and wonderful familiars others summon,” Su Liyue murmured.

“Mm…” It was evident that a hint of anticipation flickered within Mu Wanqing’s nervousness.

As the summoning ritual commenced, the students present, following their instructors’ directions, began to summon their familiars.

Summoning a familiar was sometimes akin to opening a blind box; unless a specific familiar chose its master, most students would, like the majority of their peers, summon common familiars.

The results for the first group were quickly revealed.

As the instructors had anticipated, most students summoned standard familiars such as Wind Spirit Rabbits and Flame-tailed Foxes.

The occasional highlights were merely slightly rarer Silver-winged Owls or Rock-armored Pangolins.

‘It really is like opening a loot box…’

“Second group, prepare!” The instructor’s announcement brought a hush over the entire field.

Halfway through the second group’s summoning ritual, a lion’s roar, echoing through the very heavens, suddenly exploded forth!

Blazing waves of fire, accompanied by fierce winds, swept across the entire area.

Students raised their arms to shield themselves, as a colossal lion, easily three meters tall, hovered in mid-air.

From its burning mane, resplendent wind-wings unfurled, each beat stirring up scorching gusts of air.

“Heavens! It’s an Incinerating Winged Lion! A dual wind-fire attribute, epic-tier familiar!

The last time one appeared was twenty years ago, during the era of the Blazing Archmages!” An instructor exclaimed, his beard trembling with excitement.

Following the instructor’s outburst, the students on the parade ground erupted into fervent discussion.

“Oh my gods! Someone actually summoned an epic-tier Incinerating Winged Lion!”

“Indeed! They say it possesses both wind and fire attributes, capable of soaring through the sky and burrowing into the earth. As a familiar, it’s an undeniably powerful entity!”

“Who could be so incredibly lucky?”

The crowd instantly erupted.

Some students recoiled repeatedly from the intense heat waves, yet still craned their necks to peer over.

“It’s Chixiao from Class 3! The genius who burned through the entire firing range during the Flame Mimicry class!”

The Incinerating Winged Lion slowly descended into the center of the summoning array.

Chixiao raised a hand and pressed it against its lowered forehead, and immediately, a contract rune illuminated between the two.

The instructors exchanged glances of satisfaction; a familiar of this caliber often signified that its master possessed an exceptionally high potential for elemental affinity.

Faced with the clamor of the crowd, a nearby professor nodded in contentment.

It seemed a truly promising student had emerged.

While a familiar did not solely determine a mage’s strength, possessing a powerful one could significantly enhance a mage’s survival capabilities, and the familiar’s innate abilities also provided a natural advantage in combat.

Meanwhile, Ye Xingchen, observing the enormous lion, merely twitched his lips.

‘He wouldn’t even want such a massive familiar if it were given to him,’ he thought.

‘It’s practically a giant “poop-making machine.”

I’m sure it won’t be long before he learns what it means to be a versatile “poop scooper.”

Let the show begin.’