The silkworm fell into deep thought.
It had been online for nearly a month, broadening its horizons through the internet and learning many common-sense facts about human life from the book *Elf Etiquette* written by senior Bard. It was no longer an elf easily fooled.
After careful analysis, it concluded that having a minion to boss around was indeed nice. It gave off a sense of prestige. Since Su Hao was being so kind, it decided to forgive him for past grievances.
Several days after starting the job, Su Hao rushed to the Spirit Nurturing House every afternoon after school. He stayed in the break room, letting the silkworm interact with the little fire crow. The little fire crow was aloof, but the silkworm was already a cultured elf—couldn't it handle a "naive" fire crow that had just entered its growth phase? Sure enough, in just a few days, the silkworm had struck up a friendship with the little fire crow. The little fire crow occasionally responded with a "caw-caw," though it remained silent most of the time.
"Phase one complete!" Su Hao observed from the monitoring room, sneaking a peek. The silkworm was just an entry point; the key, of course, still relied on him, Su Hao. The detailed information about the little fire crow flashed before his eyes again, including its preferred food types.
"There's nothing a meal can't solve. If there is, then two meals." Compared to wood-type elves, fire-type elves were trickier to raise, and this little fire crow was especially picky. Su Hao started ordering some special ingredients online and bought a few spiritual items from the Green Shade Supermarket.
...
Days passed, and Su Hao's life didn't change much. If anything, he had more freedom. Instructor Xiong no longer assigned him mandatory training. When he read other books in class, Old Chen didn't mind at all. He'd earned the treatment of a true top student. He also gained many admirers.
"Su the Great, my little Rolling Stone moves too slowly and always ends up as a target. What should I do?" "Your development direction is off. Little Rolling Stone is an armor-stacking elf—tankiness is the key. If you really need mobility, try the Roll move. Your little Rolling Stone now meets the conditions to learn it." "Su the Great, why hasn't my Vine Vine been climbing the防盗窗 lately? It used to love wrapping around it to sunbathe." "Check the weather forecast more often. It's been sunny nonstop lately, and we're training on the field all the time. Hasn't your Vine Snake had enough sun?" "Su the Great, why won't my Little Stone Elephant eat meat? I prepared a lavish meal, and it didn't even look at it." "...Do you have some misunderstanding about Little Stone Elephant?" "Su the Great..."
In no time, Su Hao became more authoritative at school than Old Chen and Old Gu, second only to Instructor Xiong. But Su Hao felt Instructor Xiong's authority came purely from iron-fist warnings. Answering classmates' questions didn't bother him—it was just a sentence or two. But, could you guys ask something more professional? "As expected, my overly outstanding self always feels out of place in this class."
...
Saturday, Su Hao held court at the Spirit Nurturing House. He no longer had high hopes for customers—whatever came, came. Last night, when he logged into the Spirit Master Alliance internal marketplace, the status of "Improved Charge" after submission had changed from "Not Reviewed" to "Under Review." Results would come in a day or two. As long as Improved Charge could be listed on the Spirit Master marketplace, with a little accumulation, buying the little fire crow wouldn't be a problem.
Unexpectedly, not long after he sat down, the receptionist downstairs brought up a client. It was a middle-aged man with a Fluffball. "You must be Young Brother Su, right? I came specifically to consult you today after hearing about you. My surname is Wang." "Brother... Wang." Su Hao almost called him Uncle Wang, but thought better of it—that would make him seem immature. "I heard about you from my cousin's neighbor's second nephew..." Uncle Wang said. Su Hao paused, then realized it might be the Spirit Science classmates spreading the word. An City reputation +1. The uncle even called him the brightest genius at An City No. 1 High School. 'This... why are you spouting the truth like that!' Su Hao, being a low-key person, quickly got to the point. "Brother Wang, your Fluffball is probably near its spiritual power limit but stuck at the last step, right?" "Exactly, exactly! No wonder you're a certified Spirit Nurturer—you saw it right away." Su Hao thought for a moment, then his fingers began tapping on the keyboard, quickly drafting a cultivation plan and printing it out. "Brother Wang, look. Your Fluffball's main issue is that its spiritual power is stuck at 99 points, but it's very close to 100. Through Method A and Method B, supplemented with Material C, you can boost its last bit of spiritual power, allowing the elf to compress its energy and break through to the entry level."
Middle-aged Old Wang blinked, taking the still-warm plan in his hands. "This... that's it?" He suddenly felt the money wasn't well spent. Too perfunctory! Su Hao slapped his forehead, reading the expression. He still lacked experience. When clients paid a Spirit Nurturer for a cultivation plan, the minimum fee was three thousand yuan—how could he just scribble out a plan like that? At least he had to put on a show. "How about this, Brother Wang? Let the elf come over for a check-up." Su Hao called over a staff member and opened the door to the adjacent examination room. Inside were instruments that could test spiritual power, physical strength, and detailed data like height and fur length. Su Hao thought he wouldn't need them, but now he realized—without these expensive machines, how could Spirit Nurturers charge so much? "Run a full check-up on this Fluffball." It was free anyway. The staff, in a series of operations Su Hao couldn't follow, completed the examination on the Fluffball. The report printed out immediately. Su Hao glanced at it and handed it to Uncle Wang. Uncle Wang looked at it, then compared it repeatedly with the plan Su Hao had just written. His expression shifted from surprise to shock, then to awe. The data on the elf was exactly the same! No—the elf data in Su Hao's... Su the Master's plan was even more detailed than the check-up sheet. Uncle Wang was both stunned and ashamed. He had indeed sought out Su Hao specifically for a consultation. But it wasn't because of any genius reputation. There was only one reason: it was cheap. As a newly appointed junior Spirit Nurturer, Su Hao's consultation fee was the lowest. If he had enough money, the Fluffball wouldn't have been stuck at 99 spiritual power due to "nutritional deficiency." Uncle Wang looked at Su Hao. Su Hao smiled without speaking, letting the silence say it all. He opened his mouth, finally muttered a word of thanks, and left with the Fluffball. Su Hao figured he might have just developed a long-term client... right?
"Guno~" "Guno guno~!" Suddenly, he heard the silkworm's familiar cry. Turning around, he saw the goose-yellow figure had somehow climbed to the third-floor window, tapping on it and calling to him. Su Hao froze. "What? My order has already arrived?" "And you signed for the package? How did you sign for it?" Su Hao stared, dumbfounded.