The two finalized their sponsorship terms and signed a contract akin to a betting agreement.

It was a simple magical contract that Lancelot, as a fifth-level mage, conjured out of thin air with ease.

As Laurent touched the magical rune, all the details of the contract appeared in his mind.

Lancelot’s willingness to sign such an agreement showed his utmost sincerity.

Laurent, without much suspicion, signed the contract. The moment he pressed his handprint onto it, he felt a peculiar force binding him, which was likely the effect of the contract spell.

With the tension in the air finally dissipating, Laurent invited the other four members of the adventuring party to rest inside the small house.

When the shield knight Lenart led a few large warhorses into the yard, Laurent eagerly rushed over.

"These are warhorses that only fifth-level knights are qualified to own, right?" Laurent asked, stroking one of the horse’s cheeks.

"Yes. But you don't need to treat them so gingerly; these are actually exotic beasts, just subdued in a special way to serve as mounts. No matter what you do to them, they won’t react," Lenart replied as Lancelot took the reins and tied up the lifeless-eyed warhorses.

At that moment, there was some commotion outside. Laurent peeked his head out and saw their neighbor, Jessie, animatedly pointing at his yard and speaking to the patrol knights.

Lancelot noticed too and waved his hand, signaling Lenart to deal with it, while he turned and entered the house.

Clearly, the patrol knights, whom Ruth had regarded as saviors, were of little concern to the great knight.

Laurent followed behind, calling his mother out and asking her to go reassure Jessie.

For Jessie to have brought the patrol team so quickly showed how concerned she was for their family.

Meanwhile, Stephanie and Estelle were in the house, watching from a distance as the young cub, Little One, stealthily snuck out from a crack in the door.

Little One also noticed the two unfamiliar two-legged beings, standing still and warily watching them. Though motionless, the small blue flames on its tail were steadily growing more intense, casting a radiant glow in the darkness.

Just as Laurent was about to intervene, Lancelot stopped him with a hand.

"Don't go over. Let me see what it does," Lancelot said with interest, wanting to observe the temperament of the beast pet.

Laurent gave a helpless glance at the white-haired knight and reluctantly watched the scene unfold.

Little One first eyed them warily, but then sensed that the two-legged creatures who usually fed it, as well as the one who had just left, were nearby. From what it could sense, the two seemed calm and posed no threat.

As for these two unfamiliar two-legged beings, though it had never seen them before, if they were allowed into its territory by its own people, they likely posed no threat either.

Little One gave Stephanie and Estelle a glance, maintaining its softly burning flame, and then walked along the wall towards Laurent.

Lancelot turned his head and asked Laurent, "So these beast pets aren't just capable of attacking exotic beasts? They can attack humans too, right?"

Although such a setup would ensure the beast pets were safe around humans, it would greatly diminish their utility.

"Of course not, but they don't attack without reason. Liuli Flame Hounds are very stable in temperament. Unless they feel threatened or receive an order from their master, Little One won’t attack proactively," Laurent explained in a low voice.

Lancelot nodded. He then secretly transmitted a message to Stephanie and Estelle: “Stephanie, project some hostility towards this little one. Let me see its capabilities.”

Stephanie nodded and, without making a sound, stared at Little One as a dark, ink-like thread began to gather in her hand.

Little One’s steps hesitated for a moment as it approached Laurent, then continued forward as if nothing had happened.

While advancing, its tail suddenly conjured a fireball about the size of a basketball, flinging it without warning towards Stephanie.

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“Ah!” Stephanie gasped, and beside her, Estelle moved swiftly to block the fireball with her hand.

Meanwhile, Little One, in a feinting maneuver, fired the fireball and immediately leapt up, leaving a trail of flames on the wall as it dashed towards the two women, blue fire blazing from its mouth.

The sequence of actions was as smooth as flowing water, and for a moment, the young hound executed an unbelievable mid-air trajectory.

Estelle crushed the fireball with one hand. Seeing Little One lunging towards them, she reacted quickly, twisting her body to block the hound with her other arm.

Little One performed a second jump mid-air, narrowly evading Estelle's hand and pounced directly towards Stephanie.

As a pure control mage, Stephanie’s physical reflexes were nowhere near those of a knight or a rogue.

When Little One charged, Stephanie was indeed caught off guard—not because her abilities as a fifth-level mage were weaker than those of a third-level exotic beast, but because in a real battle, mages wouldn’t allow physical combatants to get so close.

Especially in such an indoor setting, a mage’s advantages were severely diminished.

Moreover, the “Shadow Rope” in her hand had strong corrosive power, so she couldn’t risk using it to harm the valuable little creature, leaving her defenseless.

So, in Little One's eyes, when compared to Estelle—who was quick to react and agile—Stephanie, wide open and unguarded, naturally became the prime target.

However, just as Little One’s icy-flamed fangs were about to bite into Stephanie, a glowing shield abruptly formed in front of her.

Little One bit down fiercely on Stephanie's personal shield, determinedly breaking through it, and just barely managed to penetrate it.

The shield flickered for a moment, and from the point where Little One had bitten down, an icy blue flame spread. Within five seconds, the flames surrounded the entire shield, and with a crisp sound, the shield shattered into pieces.

Stephanie was genuinely stunned. Beside her, Estelle held Little One by its front limbs, stopping the snarling and fireball-throwing hound, and looked at the shield fragments that dissolved into light particles with a complex expression.

“Stephanie, were you tricked?” the half-elf asked, dodging a fireball from Little One’s tail and frowning.

“How could I be?! I got this shield from my senior brother in exchange for many magic crystals!” Stephanie’s mouth fell open in disbelief.

It was a third-level shield—ordinarily, not even a fourth-level exotic beast could break through it so easily!

To have it shattered in one bite... wasn’t that a little too disrespectful to her shield?

She had exchanged over a dozen crystals with her senior brother specifically to get it for this mission!

For a control mage like her, an instant-cast personal shield added a significant layer of security.

Usually, the twin shield knights in their team could ensure that exotic beasts wouldn't get close to her. The shield was just a precaution.

She never expected it to break so easily!

“How... how is this possible!”

Stephanie grabbed the growling and low-hissing Little One, meeting its gaze in disbelief.

Laurent jogged over, picked up Little One, and cradled it in his arms.

“Hey! Be careful...” Stephanie started to warn him but then saw that the previously aggressive Little One, now whimpered and burrowed its head into Laurent's arms in an aggrieved manner.

Lancelot, holding Little Seven, walked into the room and, with a smirk, mercilessly mocked Stephanie, “To have your so-called personal shield broken by a second-level beast pet... Stephanie, you should reflect on yourself.”

Stephanie pouted angrily, staring at Little One’s behind in Laurent’s arms.

“There’s definitely something off! What exactly is that blue flame?”

Laurent sat down, pulled Little One out from his arms, and carefully pried open its mouth to check. Only when he saw that all the little baby teeth were intact did he breathe a sigh of relief.

Judging by his actions, it seemed he was worried the little pup might have damaged its teeth on something it shouldn’t have bitten.

Stephanie felt a sharp pain in her heart, aching over the loss of her shield.

"That's a skill of the Liuli Flame Hounds," Laurent explained to a very dejected Stephanie. "It melts things from the inside. I suspect it bit through your shield and then broke it down from within."

He then added in a low voice, "It’s not Little One's fault; it's usually very obedient. It attacked because you showed hostility."

Noticing Stephanie’s heartache, he was concerned that the shield she lost might have been a single-use, expensive, and irreplaceable item.

Hopefully, she wouldn't make him pay for it!

He couldn't afford that!

Laurent, feeling guilty, tried to deal with Stephanie while sneaking glances at Lancelot, who was immersed in petting Little Seven.

If the white-haired knight hadn’t held him back earlier, Laurent would have already stopped Little One, and none of this would have happened.

Lancelot caught Laurent's resentful gaze and coughed twice, authoritatively changing the topic. “Stephanie, the unusual presence you mentioned earlier—was it these pet beasts?”

“Yes, the presence I sensed was them,” Stephanie replied seriously.

“That’s good, then. It’s all settled.” Lancelot could sense the life force himself, but he asked Stephanie to confirm as a precaution.

Once certain, he turned to the tall knight at the door and said, "Leon, head to the Third Outpost and see if everyone else has arrived. Tell them the mission is postponed, but it won't be for long. Those willing to wait can stay at the Third Outpost for further notice. If they’re not willing, refund their protection fees."

“Got it, Boss. I'll head over now.” Leon Risto nodded, turning to leave, and a moment later, the sound of a horse’s whinny gradually faded into the distance.

Lancelot turned to Stephanie and Estelle. “You two head back to the tavern. I’ll come find you tomorrow to discuss the follow-up.”

“We’re leaving, then. See you, handsome boy!” Stephanie had quickly recovered her composure, reverting to her playful demeanor. Before leaving, she winked at Laurent.

“Don’t mind her; Stephanie is a control mage, and they habitually... you know.” Lancelot explained to Laurent.

“Oh, by the way, you said you wanted to open a pet store. Have you decided where to open it?”

“We actually just went to check out a place today,” Laurent said, already treating Lancelot as a business partner, feeling that the latter had a right to know.

“I’ve rented a plot near the Fifth Outpost. There used to be an abandoned small town there, and I rented about 30,000 square meters at 100 gold a year.”

“There’s a lodge there, and after a bit of repair work, it can be used. So, soon enough, the pet store should be able to officially open. I plan to find a carpenter tomorrow to start the repairs.”

After hearing Laurent’s plan, Lancelot spoke up, “That’s easy enough. I’ll handle the house repairs. Tomorrow, I’ll have someone go there to fix it.”

“By the way, are you planning to live there, or is the pet store just for business?”

Laurent looked at Lancelot incredulously. “Of course I’ll live there! How could I leave my Liuli Flame Hounds alone?”

“Besides, renting that place already cost me my entire savings. If this house hadn’t already been paid for through the year, I’d consider returning it.”

“In that case, I’ll have them install a set of the Magic Council’s latest residential system there. It’s fully powered by magic crystals, and currently, only the Council and the Kingdom’s upper echelons have access to it.”

Laurent hadn’t expected such a pleasant surprise and accepted the offer without any qualms.

“Alright, tomorrow I’ll take you to see the place. As my business partner, you should at least know what our store will look like,” Laurent said.

“That makes sense. I’ll come find you tomorrow morning,” Lancelot nodded. “By the way, I’ll be taking this little one.”

He lifted Little Seven in his arms to show Laurent.

“You want to keep one?”

“Yes, you can deduct the cost from my share of the profits.”

“No, no, that’s not what I meant. You’re my partner; your needs for beast pets are a priority,” Laurent said. “But these Liuli Flame Hounds are still young, so they won’t be much help and will actually need your care. If you’re not in a rush, I suggest leaving it here. In three months, you can take it with you without affecting their bond with their owner.”

“Then let’s do it your way. But today, I want to take it with me for a bit. I’ll return it tomorrow. Having it will help me persuade the others,” Lancelot said after some thought. “Does it need any specific food or care?”

“No, just let me feed it before you leave.”

Laurent said as he began to prepare.

Feeding time for the twelve young cubs was always quite lively: twelve bowls lined up in a row, with twelve chubby little pups crouching beside them, munching happily.

That night, Lancelot took Little Seven and teleported from the Knight Order to the Magic Council, and from there to the Imperial Capital Church, spending over a hundred gold coins in teleportation fees alone.

Meanwhile, Laurent, after reassuring his mother and brother, slept soundly at home, completely unaware that his Liuli Flame Hounds were stirring up their first wave of frenzy in this world.