On the walls all around, one small hole after another had been carved out. Each of these holes was over a meter in diameter, and half a meter in, there was a grate made of steel bars as thick as eggs. Strange sounds came from within the holes—there were living creatures inside. “Is this where the guardian beasts live?” Henry Bennett pointed at the small holes and asked.

Old Grant nodded. “That’s right, our children live here.” He pointed to two small holes near the ground. “These are your and my living quarters.” Those two small holes were no different from the ones where the guardian beasts lived. Henry Bennett thought to himself that he would have to lower his head and stoop to crawl inside.

“A guardian beast keeper is the parent of the guardian beasts. There’s no difference between us and them.” Old Grant said with deep affection, “If you want to become a good guardian beast keeper, you must have the heart of a loving father.” Old Grant pulled Henry Bennett down to sit on the ground beneath the dome. “Let me talk to you about being a guardian beast keeper.”

“I’m afraid you don’t yet know how great our profession is. I’m not exaggerating—without guardian beast keepers, there would be no guardian beast warriors. The most prestigious profession on the continent isn’t actually the guardian beast warrior, but us, the keepers. It’s just that we don’t appear in public, and most people don’t even know this profession exists.”

“Remember this: a guardian beast keeper who doesn’t aspire to become a Beast God is not a good keeper—these are the words of the only Beast God-level guardian beast keeper in the history of the Divine Continent, Lord Morgan. This is also the motto of all keepers.”

“Just like the guardian beast warriors, keepers also have ranks. The lowest is the ordinary keeper, then above that are: Beast Attendant, Beast Scholar, Beast Master, Beast Minister, and Beast God. It’s said that the highest rank, Beast God, can cultivate level nine guardian beasts—do you know what the highest level of guardian beast warrior on the continent is right now? Level five. Why are the current guardian beast warriors so low in rank? It’s because there isn’t an outstanding keeper.”

“Right now, the best keepers on the continent are no higher than the Beast Scholar rank, and haven’t yet reached the level of faith that surpasses the temple, or the ability to raise the beasts’ level.” As Old Grant spoke, he looked a bit ashamed. “I myself have only just reached the Beast Scholar rank, and I’m still far from becoming a Beast Master.” Henry Bennett said nothing, and Old Grant sighed sincerely, “Child, you are the most suitable person I’ve ever seen to be a guardian beast keeper. As long as you study and practice diligently, your achievements will surely surpass mine—I will teach you everything I know. You must not let me down!” Henry Bennett nodded seriously. “Don’t worry, I will do my best!” For some reason, as Old Grant said these words to him, Henry Bennett thought of his mother’s expectant eyes. He couldn’t help but connect the two, even though the short old man before him was nothing like his gentle mother.

Not letting down those who have expectations for you—that’s what his mother once told him. With Buddha’s blessing, one day, I, Henry Bennett, will become a Beast God!

“Child, come here and take a look at the guardian beast, the Back-Blade Mantis, of our Heluo Temple.” Old Grant led him to a small hole, gently whistled, and after a rustling sound, a green mantis the size of half a person appeared at the entrance, waving its sharp twin blades.

“Clang! Clang!” The mantis’s blades struck the steel bars, sending up a shower of sparks. Henry Bennett was startled, and Old Grant quickly smiled and soothed it, “Ned, don’t be angry. He’s new here. You’ll like him.” Old Grant quietly handed Henry Bennett a hard object, signaling him to feed it to the mantis. Gathering his courage, Henry Bennett pushed the object through the bars. The mantis watched him warily for a moment, then with a flick of its blades, the object vanished from Henry Bennett’s hand.

Looking again, the mantis was now holding the object between its crossed blades, eating it with relish. Old Glenn chuckled and led Henry Bennett away. Henry Bennett asked, “What was that?”

“That was dried skin from a Gruya Mountain venom lizard. The venom lizard is the Back-Blade Mantis’s favorite food. But Gruya Mountain is controlled by an orc tribe. They worship their own shaman and aren’t followers of our Luo God. They’re unfriendly to us and often invade us. Otherwise, our children could eat more of this delicious food, but now we can only give it to them as a treat.” Old Grant led Henry Bennett to a strange stone. Henry Bennett had noticed it as soon as he entered, because the stone, taller than a person, stood alone under the distant dome. In this huge pit, it was the only thing on the ground.

“What is this?” Henry Bennett asked. Old Grant stroked the stone and said, “This is the legacy of our guardian beast keepers.” A wave of light faded away like rippling water, and the stone gradually began to glow. Shadows emerged from the stone, flickering and writhing like earthworms, forming words.