Chapter 170: World Shifts

Back to the present, after inspecting the Merging Incubator and seeing it hadn’t even been touched—probably because the corrupt administrators didn’t understand what it could do—Terrence felt a wave of relief wash over him.

He turned to Stan, who had been standing at attention, patiently waiting for instructions.

"You need to rest," Terrence ordered gently. "We have an important task tomorrow. The city administration has a few things to explain to us."

Stan was caught off guard by how Terrence framed it. He hadn’t expected his master to be so bold as to directly confront the city administration, an entity with massive political backing across multiple territories.

Still, if his master wished to challenge them, Stan would support him without a single word of complaint.

"Understood, my lord," Stan replied with a low bow.

With that, the rest of the staff was dismissed to rest for the day.

CHIME!

The shop’s front door chimed as it swung open. Terrence hadn’t expected any guests at this hour, but as he peeked toward the entrance, he quickly smoothed his expression.

"Oh... you two have come," Terrence said, looking at Filmos and Trillo, both of whom had clear anxiety written across their faces. "Won’t Nair be angry at you two for coming here without her?"

Filmos took a step forward, his hands fidgeting nervously. "Sir, can we talk to you about your beasts? And about what happened while you were gone?"

Recalling no apparent issues with his shop’s inventory, Terrence nodded calmly.

’What about it?’ Terrence thought. ’Was there some kind of open conflict because of the high-tier beasts I sell? Well, I can’t blame people for fighting over them, but I thought I already handled the issue of buyers trying to monopolize my merchandise.’

He pulled out two chairs from a nearby table. "Have a seat."

Terrence sat across from them, maintaining a light, casual tone as he checked in on their day, trying to put the two visibly stressed young tamers at ease.

However, Trillo was obviously shaken by something far deeper. Terrence picked up on his uneasy body language, the tight jaw, the restless shifting, and the constant glances toward the door.

"What is it?" Terrence asked directly. "Are you worried about something?"

Trillo leaned in, his voice dropping to a low murmur. "Sir... do you really not know what’s happening outside? About the Anti-Nustra Legion?"

Terrence grew interested. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, genuinely clueless about what they were about to reveal.

In the past few months while he was away on his catching expeditions, he hadn’t kept up with the broader political climate or societal shifts. As a result, he was out of the loop regarding the Anti-Nustra Legion’s recent movements.

Ever since he took down the Lee Family, Terrence had deliberately stepped back from playing the righteous vigilante. He had detached himself from public affairs to shed that exhausting persona, and to be honest, it had given him a much-needed peace of mind. He was no longer bothered by the corrupt or evil actions of outside factions.

He simply didn’t care anymore; he had given up on being a hero.

Yet, hearing that his shop’s products might have disrupted the regional balance brought a fresh flicker of curiosity.

"Sir, the Anti-Nustra Legion has been actively collecting your beasts," Trillo asked, looking directly into Terrence’s eyes. "Are you okay with that?"

Filmos flinched slightly at Trillo’s bluntness, but kept quiet.

Terrence shook his head, though he wasn’t entirely surprised by the revelation.

"Well, there’s a reason why I established the strict one-beast-per-customer rule with no repeat purchases," Terrence explained calmly. "It was precisely because the Anti-Nustra kept trying to monopolize my merchandise. I dislike their methods, but at the end of the day, they are still paying customers—not my enemies."

Trillo nodded slowly. "I understand that part, sir. I really do..."

Filmos couldn’t hold back any longer. Troubled by his own heavy thoughts, he spoke up, his voice trembling slightly.

"I have to thank you for changing my life, sir. But to be honest, my life has changed in both good ways and bad ways. I lost my parents... actually, I don’t even know where they are right now. On top of that, the Anti-Nustra Legion is actively targeting me because of the beast I bought from you."

Filmos stopped there, deliberately leaving out the part where he had been framed for murder.

Terrence listened in silence, processing the heavy information. Why hadn’t anyone reported this to him earlier? Why was he only hearing about this now from these two novice tamers?

He let out a heavy sigh, raising a hand to rub his temples as a headache began to form.

’This is bad...’ Terrence thought, his brow furrowing deeply. ’I can’t openly make an enemy out of the Anti-Nustra Legion when they’re one of my primary sources of revenue. They routinely send operatives just to purchase from my shop. But at the same time, I can’t just ignore this. Innocent buyers are getting dragged into the crossfire.’

Terrence felt as though he were staring at a massive wall, unable to easily move forward.

The immediate threat from the corrupt city administration was still unresolved, and he couldn’t rashly launch a full-scale attack against them without a solid long-term plan or reliable backing.

One potential move was to negotiate a temporary ceasefire with the local authorities or relocate the business entirely. Nara City wouldn’t be a bad location, especially since he had already accumulated a significant amount of regional contribution points there.

However, since tamers who purchased from his shop were now being labeled as "Enemies of Nustra" by major factions for disturbing the peace, there was a high chance Nara City wouldn’t readily welcome his establishment either.

Terrence leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling as he realized he had a critical decision to make.

As Terrence listened to the two of them talk, he began to realize just how much the world had shifted since he first opened his beast shop. Part of him felt a quiet sense of pride knowing he had made such a massive impact, yet that pride was tarnished by the unintended consequences.

Some events unfolded for a reason, but there were lines beyond his control. Certain matters were no longer his concern. In truth, ever since he had abandoned his relentless hunt for the remnants of the Lee Family, he had started considering a quieter life, one focused simply on breeding and selling beasts.

Beasts were reliable companions. Without them, he would have perished long ago. Even putting the Beast Supplier System aside, he couldn’t deny the fundamental truth that beasts and humans needed each other.

Because of that belief, he felt a responsibility to provide trustworthy creatures to the right people. But if chaos spread because of his work, shouldn’t he take responsibility and intervene?

’No... I threw away my naive sense of righteousness,’ Terrence thought, biting his lower lip as he stared out through the glass doors. ’That so-called justice brought me to death’s door, and I refuse to go through that again. Hunting the Lee Family was the absolute final straw.’

Outside, the sky was rapidly darkening. Terrence turned back to look Filmos dead in the eye.

"Do you want a far more powerful beast?" Terrence asked, a flicker of hesitation lacing his voice.

After all, he was offering an SSS-Rank creature.