Luo Lin, walking ahead, placed a silver coin into the groove on the copper skin book's cover, unlocking the next talent: Absolute Loyalty.
As the coin disappeared,
“Absolute Loyalty” under the dog's portrait on the inner page lit up, and a faint glow emanated from it, falling once again into the black dog’s body to empower it.
At that moment, the black dog’s gaze towards Luo Lin also softened.
The tail, which had never wagged before, now trembled slightly.
Luo Lin observed these details and quickly scanned the copper skin book.
He found new text appearing below the lit-up talent.
— Early Stage. Absolute Loyalty (Lit)
— Intermediate stage. Sharp Steel Teeth: Easily bites through bones, requires 2 silver coins to light.
— ??
Easily bites through bones.
Luo Lin’s heart stirred with excitement; this talent was truly exhilarating.
It was clear that with the investment of money, the dog's talents were also increasing in rank.
However, he couldn't light it up in a hurry.
He had to first test whether this dog was truly Absolutely Loyal and obedient.
“Laotie, you’re a bit overconfident this time,”
Fen Shao still followed from a distance.
The dog’s size looked even more robust than his own, and he always felt it could knock him to the ground with one paw.
Even with a muzzle on its mouth, he didn't dare to get too close.
Getting bitten by a dog would be troublesome, but that didn't stop him from speaking, “If this dog really had Telepathy with people, that hunter wouldn't have brought a dead chicken to settle scores with the dog merchant.”
“We always have to try,”
Luo Lin put away the copper skin book, stood still under the trees, and looked around to ensure no one else was present.
Only then did he tie the dog leash to a small tree.
Maintaining a safe distance, he stood in front of the black dog and pointed, “Sit.”
Woof.
The black dog tilted its head, looking at the human who was raising his hand and pointing.
After a slight hesitation, it pressed its body back and squatted on the ground, symbolically wagging its tail.
It seemed to be giving its new owner some face.
“Oh, maybe that was a coincidence.”
Fen Shao, standing ten meters away, didn't find it particularly surprising.
Luo Lin pointed again, commanding, “Stand up.”
Woof-awoof.
The black dog immediately stood up, wagging its tail vigorously.
“Oh, hey, this guy looks interesting.”
Fen Shao showed some surprise on his face when he saw the dog actually obeying his friend’s command.
Luo Lin’s heart was also filled with joy.
It seemed that the money spent on unlocking Absolute Loyalty was not wasted.
He then raised his hand and made a circular motion in the air, “Roll over.”
Woof.
The black dog gave a soft bark, as if contemplating the meaning of the command; after a moment of thought, it lay on the ground, rolled over in place, and then stood up again.
“Oh my, this guy can really do it.”
Fen Shao immediately exclaimed.
He had never imagined that this dog could understand and obey so many commands; it didn't seem that stupid.
“Sit.”
Luo Lin gave the command.
After the black dog sat down, he bent down and squatted in front of it, reaching out to untie the muzzle from its mouth.
He wasn't worried about being bitten, as one end of the rope was still tied to the tree.
The moment he untied it, he immediately retreated to a safe distance.
The man and the dog looked at each other.
Luo Lin picked up a short wooden stick from the ground, threw it over the black dog, and simultaneously gave the command: “Catch.”
Woof.
The black-brown terrier lifted its head, its dark, bright eyes watching the falling stick.
Seizing the opportunity, it immediately exerted force, its hind legs pushing off the ground to leap up.
It precisely bit the falling wooden stick.
“My goodness, Laotie, you’ve found a treasure.”
Fen Shao clapped his hands excitedly.
Now he was beginning to suspect whether the hunter and the dog dealer had made a mistake.
How could this dog be stupid?
It was simply a precious gem!
“Sit.”
Luo Lin pointed his finger, slowly approaching.
Cautiously, he reached out and rubbed the dog’s head; the latter initially recoiled slightly, but visibly relaxed when touched by its owner, half-closing its eyes and baring its teeth in enjoyment of the head rub.
While being rubbed, the black dog also twisted its neck, rubbing the top of its head against its owner's palm in response.
There was a feeling of Telepathy.
“Laotie, be careful, don’t let it suddenly turn fierce and bite you.”
Fen Shao reminded his friend, but his body was pushed forward by curiosity.
He also wanted to examine this dog closely.
“I need to give you a name.”
Luo Lin rubbed the dog’s head and thought for a moment, “You are the first dog I bought with money, and also my first dog in this world, so you’ll be called… Little Black.”
Woof.
Little Black seemed to understand, wagging its tail vigorously, as if accepting the name.
Its body rubbed against its new owner’s arm even more.
Luo Lin untied the leash from Little Black’s neck and pulled the short wooden stick from its mouth.
He turned and threw it into the distance, simultaneously pointing forward and giving the command: “Little Black, retrieve it.”
Woof.
Little Black leaped, covering a great distance, its sturdy four legs pushing off the ground, kicking up a layer of dirt.
Its sharp eyes fixed on the still-falling stick, and it ran after it at full speed.
“Oh my goodness, oh my goodness.”
Fen Shao watched Little Black follow the command, find and retrieve the wooden stick, and he couldn't help but shake his head and clap in admiration: “Amazing, truly amazing, this guy is definitely not a stupid dog, Laotie, you’ve hit the jackpot! If you sell it now, you could get at least 3 silver coins. With a cost of 1 silver and 60 copper, you’d earn 1 silver and 40 copper; even the best merchants in town would be ashamed.”
Woof.
Little Black turned its head, baring its teeth and glaring at Fen Shao.
This scared the latter into scrambling up a distant tree, where he said tremblingly, “You brute, I’m your owner’s good friend, you can’t be so fierce to me.”
Luo Lin squatted in front of Little Black.
He took out two silver coins and inserted them into the copper skin book’s groove in his pocket, unlocking the Sharp Steel Teeth talent.
On the inner page, the four lit-up characters again shimmered with a faint glow, falling into Little Black’s body to empower it.
Luo Lin took out the copper skin book and glanced at it, discovering new text appearing below Sharp Steel Teeth.
— Intermediate stage. Sharp Steel Teeth (Lit)
— Intermediate stage. Telepathy: Can achieve deep spiritual communication with the nurtured dog through eye contact. Requires conversing with the nurtured dog ten thousand sentences, and spending 2 silver coins to unlock and light.
— ??
Telepathy.
Luo Lin smiled and rubbed Little Black’s head.
This talent was truly good; he could teach the dog more things it couldn't do.
However,
Having just bought the dog and unlocked two talents, he now only had 3 silver and 15 copper left.
It seemed he would need to earn more money in the future.
Otherwise, it would be difficult to support himself and Little Black.
It would be even harder to supply the copper skin book’s consumption.
The prerequisite for earning and saving money was to escape his current status as a serf.
Currently, there were three known ways:
The first was to flee to a free city-state, where the slogan “The air of the city makes one free” existed; as long as one resided there for a year and a day, one could become a free person.
However, free city-states were scattered across the southern part of the continent.
For a serf to escape from the north to the south, not to mention bandits, wild beasts, and slave traders along the way,
If they stepped into another noble’s territory, they would either be captured and returned to their original place, or left to continue farming.
The second was to buy freedom with money, which would require several years, or even longer, of not eating or drinking to save enough money for redemption.
The third was a special permission from the lord, requiring exceptional contributions.
It seemed that accompanying Dorn Knight on the expedition was an opportunity.
“Laotie,”
Fen Shao was still hanging in the tree, “Are you sure it won’t bite me? I don’t want to stay in this tree forever.”
“I’m sure.”
Luo Lin rubbed the dog’s head and conversed with it, “Little Black, listen, without my command, do not bite anyone or anything else, understand?”
Woof.
Little Black wagged its tail and panted.
It was a response, but its gaze was still fiercely fixed on Fen Shao.
Clearly, in its eyes, besides its owner,
Any living thing was a potential threat.
“But…”
Luo Lin’s gaze turned sharp, and he said firmly, “If anyone or anything else threatens you, you must counterattack immediately.”
Woof.
Little Black’s eyes became fierce.
Luo Lin smiled and rubbed the dog’s head, then picked up a thicker wooden stick and presented it to Little Black, “Bite it in half.”
Woof-awoof.
Little Black opened its mouth and bit down, its upper and lower jaws clamping together fiercely.
That thicker, dry wooden stick snapped in two with a crunch.
“Oh my goodness, this guy’s teeth are really sharp.”
Fen Shao had initially wanted to jump down from the tree, but after seeing this scene, he hesitated again.
He hugged the tree and asked worriedly, “But, you’re going on an expedition with Lord Dorn the day after tomorrow, and you’re not allowed to bring a dog. Don’t tell me you want me to raise it for you. To be honest, I like it, but its ferocity scares me.”
“I’ll take it with me.”
Luo Lin stood up and walked forward, Little Black following closely by his side.
Next, he needed to unlock Telepathy as quickly as possible and train Little Black.
That way, it could follow him better.
Fen Shao, stuck in the tree, looked at the man and the dog, still finding it incredible deep down.
The dog that the dog merchant and the hunter couldn't handle was so obedient with Laotie.
Could Laotie be a legendary witch? Could he talk to animals?
No, Laotie was a man.
They had peed side by side together.
Besides, he had never heard of male witches in this world.
It seemed Laotie was a natural hunter. Hmm, perhaps he would become a free hunter in the future.
That would truly be a stroke of luck.
He collected his thoughts, realized his friend and the dog had walked far away, and quickly jumped down from the tree, shouting, “Wait for me, you guy who got a dog and forgot his friend!”
Upon returning home,
Luo Lin took off the dead chicken from his waist, started a fire to boil water, and plucked the feathers from the dead chicken.
At the same time, he conversed with Little Black, fulfilling one of the conditions for unlocking Telepathy: conversing with the nurtured dog for ten thousand sentences.
“Your fur is very nice.”
“Your claws are also very sharp.”
“Tell me what you’re thinking?”
“You can’t pee randomly.”
“Good doggy.”
When Luo Lin started, he thought ten thousand sentences would be so simple.
But as he kept talking, he no longer knew what to chat about, so he simply started talking nonsense.
Anyway, nonsense was still talk.
Mainly, he felt that Little Black was also enduring it.
Yes, having someone babbling next to you was quite annoying.
Therefore, that dead chicken became a powerful tool to entice Little Black to respond.
He would ask a question, and if it barked softly in response, he would give it a piece of meat.
Of course, when feeding Little Black chicken, the bones were removed as much as possible.
Little Black, as a dog, probably never expected its owner to talk so much.
And as if talking a lot wasn't enough, after every sentence, its owner also required it, the dog, to respond.
A hunting dog never imagined that one day it would become a companion dog for conversations.
If its ancestors were watching, they would say it was neglecting its proper duties.
Until dawn the next day,
Luo Lin, who was sleeping while hugging Little Black, was still mumbling in his dreams.
Little Black, as a dog, dreamed of its owner’s jumbled words.
What Little Black didn't expect even more was that after its owner went out to work for a day and returned, he came back to continue chatting with it.