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Even though Abella was mentally dazed, she still did not miss the battle between Asher and Lucy.
As for the battlefield... well, half of the research institute had already been blown apart by the evolved Sky-Shaking Bear. After cleaning up, it became a ready-made open space, eliminating the need to find a dedicated venue.
"After reconstruction, we can prepare a dedicated battle arena here. In the future, we might need to evaluate the combat strength of evolving pet beasts."
Asher and Lucy stood opposite each other, while Abella, Julian, and others stood at a distance.
"Although I really want to say that I have high hopes for Professor Asher, when it comes to battles..."
Even after a night's rest and a change of clothes, Julian was still dressed in a rigid three-piece suit, his aura of a well-dressed scoundrel perfectly displayed.
"Her public image and personality may be fake, but as a Rank Seven Beast Master, her strength is real."
Though he didn't want to admit it, in Julian's eyes, the outcome of this battle was beyond doubt.
At most, it was just a matter of whether Lucy would hold back or whether Asher would end up looking a little less miserable.
Then again, considering how Lucy's intelligence quotient practically disappeared when she engaged in battle...
Alright, no need to think further.
Just hope that Professor Asher is a broad-minded person who won't get so humiliated by losing a battle that he becomes enraged and then… cough, cough.
Asher glanced in Julian's direction.
Julian: *Honest, disciplined, brain-empty*
He really didn't think of anything just now.
"Are we following the standard competition procedures?", Lucy rested one hand on her hip, a bright and energetic smile replacing her usual icy demeanor. She lifted her chin slightly, her light amber eyes shimmering in the early morning glow.
"That's too slow. This is just a casual battle for fun. Let's do one-on-one," Asher shook his head.
Following official competition procedures meant fighting until one side's pet beasts completely lost their ability to battle.
Lucy didn't know Asher well and assumed he only had three pet beasts, so suppressing them wouldn't be difficult.
But Asher himself... well, he had a rough idea of his own capabilities.
Whether he was strong or not was one thing.
Sometimes, winning wasn't just about overpowering the opponent—skillful use of abilities could lead to unexpected outcomes.
"One-on-one. I have three pet beasts, and you also choose three. We'll fight three rounds randomly."
Each round would be a single match, and once a pet beast was used, it couldn't be brought out again, win or lose. This sped up the competition significantly.
Lucy had no objections to the battle format.
She had confidence in her own strength, so she was willing to let Asher decide the rules.
However, Julian seemed to catch something from Asher's words.
"Hmm... Professor Asher is quite confident in himself," Julian adjusted his glasses, a white reflection flashing across the lenses as he spoke meaningfully.
Having fought Asher before, Abella more or less guessed what Asher was getting at.
"..."
'Come to think of it, Just based on the strange powers Asher's pet beasts possess, if he isn't taken down in one go, who knows how long the battle will be dragged out? Unexpected surprises aren't out of the question either.'
With that thought, Julian and Abella exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with mutual sympathy.
Julian: 'This girl must be really close to Professor Asher, right? She has so much faith in him... She's definitely going to be heartbroken when he loses. Ah! Lucy, you're so wicked!'
Abella: 'Hah! You still don't understand Asher well enough. He is the true master of unpredictability. I just hope Movie Queen Lucy won't develop psychological trauma from battling him.'
Of course, what Abella and Julian thought as spectators wasn't important.
After careful consideration, Lucy didn't blindly overestimate herself. She carefully analyzed the situation and selected three pet beasts to battle Asher.
The first round.
Asher and Lucy released their chosen pet beasts simultaneously.
"I believe in you! You got this!"
Asher waved his hand grandly. The cat-like caterpillar waved its six tiny legs and scurried forward faster than any other pet beast on the field—until it found itself face-to-face with a massive turtle over ten meters in size.
Giant Turtle: "Ah~"
'Hello, little cat cub.'
The massive turtle was entirely blue, resembling a small floating island. It stretched its long neck forward, peering down at the tiny creature before it that had a similar color scheme.
Cat-Worm: "..."
"Meow! Meow!"
"Meow?"
'Damn it!'
'What little cat cub?'
'I am an almighty and omnipotent dragon cub—no, wait! A mighty great dragon!'
The Island Turtle was an extraordinary beast with both Water and Ground attributes, perfect as a transport creature.
Whether in rivers, lakes, seas, or on land, it had remarkable mobility, and in aquatic environments, its defensive capabilities were particularly outstanding. It was an ideal companion for Beast Masters dwelling near water.
"My Island Turtle is already at Rank Six Advanced. With just a bit more opportunity, it could break through to Rank Seven. And your..."
Lucy proudly introduced her pet beast's strength, then paused, unsure of how to describe the cat-like caterpillar.
After all, its appearance was...
Unique.
Truly one-of-a-kind.
Her gaze swept over the two tiny dragon horns on the Cat-Worm's head.
"This must be a Dragon-type pet beast, right? Is it Rank Three Advanced?"
"Relax, it's Rank Four Advanced," Asher stated the Cat-Worm's actual strength.
A flash of surprise flickered in Lucy's eyes.
'Rank Four Advanced?'
'A Dragon-type extraordinary beast?'
That was astonishing.
The strength of a creature's bloodline directly influenced its growth rate. Look at Vicky's Dragon Lizard—it was merely a dragon-variant, yet breaking through Rank Four was nearly impossible for it.
By theory, the early growth of a true Dragon-type should be much slower.
But Lucy's surprise lasted only a moment.
Whether it was Rank Three or Rank Four, it didn't make much difference against a Rank Six Advanced Island Turtle.
'Meh—'
Either way, it wasn't a match for her powerful, highly defensive Island Turtle.
Asher immediately saw through her thoughts.
His lips curled into a faint smile.
Losing was one thing. But being underestimated from start to finish—what should one do in that case?
Of course, make full use of creativity. Even ants could bring down an elephant, let alone the far stronger Cat-Worm.
For physical attacks, it had [Blade of Destruction], capable of piercing the Island Turtle's defenses.
For mental attacks, it had [Mental Guidance], capable of bypassing defenses and directly attacking the spirit.
A dual-pronged approach.
Winning… well, that didn't happen.
But Asher didn't lose either—he managed a draw.
Lucy, caught off guard by Asher's unconventional tactics: "?"
Julian, equally stunned: "?"
Even Abella, who had been prepared, at most only knew that the Cat-Worm had a skill called [Blade of Destruction], which could ignore defense and deal a heavy strike. But what was that skill that caused mental damage?
"If you aren't prepared in advance, in a situation where both pet beasts have similar strength, just one hit could cause the opponent's pet beast's condition to plummet straight down to a terrible level," Abella furrowed her brows, her expression serious, her eyes fixed on the Cat-Worm in the field without blinking.
She hadn't expected this.
'How long has it been?'
The Cat-Worm had become even stronger than when it fought against her before.
Even the Tier 6 Advanced Island Turtle hadn't been able to gain an advantage against it.
Thinking about her evolved Violent Bear… ,'Oh! Asher has already named the new evolved form "Sky-Shaking Bear".'
Sky-Shaking Bear was undoubtedly strong in terms of power and physical resistance, but what about attacks targeting the mind?
Abella didn't dare say, she wasn't sure.
But deep inside, she had a vague feeling… that the Sky-Shaking Bear wouldn't fare well against mental attacks.
"This… this, this…", Julian, who hadn't mentally prepared himself, was even more shaken by Asher's displayed strength. He looked through his glasses with a complicated expression at Asher, who was lying down hugging the Cat-Worm, and murmured, "Using a Tier 4 Advanced pet beast to fight a Tier 6 Advanced Island Turtle to a draw… Damn, is this something a normal person can do?"
"No," Abella very cooperatively answered for him.
Julian: "…"
'Well, thanks a lot.'
"But there was some cleverness involved. If Miss Lucy had known in advance about Asher's pet beast's skills, this wouldn't have ended so easily in a draw," Abella added.
Julian sighed.
That was indeed true… but shouldn't the gap in level, strength, and experience between Asher and Lucy be considered?
Even if Asher had taken advantage of a loophole, the fact that he successfully executed it showed his capability.
"I underestimated you," Lucy finally began to see Asher as a true equal opponent.
Using a Tier 4 Advanced pet beast to fight her Island Turtle to a draw…
Asher's ability in nurturing pet beasts was not to be underestimated either.
She had to get serious.
"Come out, Little Wyvern!"
"Little White Snake, go up."
The contrast in size between the two was striking.
On one side was a creature taller than Asher, with a streamlined, muscular body, silver-white scales covering its form, and a pair of large membrane wings that not only supported its flight but could even carry an extra person on its back.
On the other side was a creature that, even when standing upright, wasn't as tall as Asher. A slender, long body, only two fingers thick, also covered in silver-white scales—this was the Jade-Silver Snake.
Lucy: "?"
Julian: "?"
'Wait a minute.'
'Isn't this comparison a bit too cruel?'
They seriously suspected—
That the Little Wyvern didn't even need to attack. Just one heavy snore could blow the tiny, slender white snake away.
Little White Snake: (╬◣д◢)
'Damn it!'
It was angry.
Very angry.
Did they think just because it was young, they could bully it and assume it didn't understand their filthy human thoughts?
'NO!'
'Little Snake is very smart!'
'Little Snake can even speak English!'
Asher: "…"
This whole situation… Asher instinctively turned to look at Little Raven, who was perched on his shoulder, using its beak to carefully groom its feathers.
Little Raven blinked its large golden-red eyes.
Little Raven: ( ＿ ＿ )
'Do you think I'm that kind of bird?'
Asher: "…"
Just because he hadn't heard Little Raven's catchphrase in a long time, he decided to shift his gaze.
Then he looked at the Cat-Worm in his arms, which lay there weakly.
The Cat-Worm noticed Asher's gaze and tilted its head, looking at Asher with a pair of big, chaotic, innocent eyes.
Cat-Worm: ☆ v☆
'Look at this adorable Little Cat.'
'Little Cat wouldn't do anything bad!'
Asher continued to stare.
(个_个)
The Cat-Worm looked pitiful.
Cat-Worm: QAQ
"Meow-Meow!"
'Why did you believe Big Sister but not this poor, innocent, weak little Little Cat?'
"Shouldn't you have a little self-awareness?", Asher chuckled and flicked the Cat-Worm's head. Not hard, just enough to educate it.
If it wasn't guilty, when had the Cat-Worm ever admitted it was a cat?
Of course, Asher wasn't going to remind it.
He'd wait until the Cat-Worm made a mistake, then catch it red-handed.
Cat-Worm: *A sudden chill down its back*
The Cat-Worm obediently shut its mouth and stopped arguing with Asher.
Lying in Asher's arms, it immediately played dead.
'What?'
'What happened?'
'Little Cat knows nothing!'
This whole sequence took less than a minute. Lucy, standing across from Asher, clearly saw how the same dragon-type pet beast that had just fought her Island Turtle to a draw was now acting cute in Asher's arms.
Instinctively, her gaze shifted to the Little Wyvern not far away, and there was a deep envy in her eyes.
"Ah… so this is the difference between other people's little dragons and my own little dragon?", Lucy's expression was full of resentment, and her voice was even more resentful, "When the Little Wyvern was still a chubby Fortune Dragon, it liked to snuggle in my arms too. But ever since it evolved and entered its adolescent stage…"
"Rooaaar!", The Little Wyvern, currently staring affectionately at the Little White Snake, suddenly snapped its head back toward Lucy, roaring in protest.
'Stop!'
'Dignity!'
'Face!'
'Keeping up appearances in front of a cub is important, okay?'
Lucy: "?"
'Wait, what?'
'Is this really the same arrogant, prideful, image-conscious Little Wyvern I know—the one who will threaten to run away and refuse to fight over the smallest inconvenience?'
Lucy's gaze unconsciously shifted from the Little Wyvern to the tiny, almost unnoticeable Jade-Silver Snake in front of it.
Unlike the unidentifiable Little Raven and Cat-Worm, the Jade-Silver Snake was easy to recognize—it was a water-type pet beast.
At first glance, its silver-white scales looked quite similar to the Little Wyvern's.
But upon closer inspection, one could see that under the morning light, the Jade-Silver Snake's scales reflected a more colorful, gentle radiance.
If the Little Wyvern's scales were a cold, metallic silver-white…
Then the Jade-Silver Snake's scales shimmered with iridescent ripples, like white jade.
"Was the Jade-Silver Snake always this pretty?", Lucy was mesmerized by its radiant colors.
Hearing this, the Little Wyvern's face showed strong agreement.
'That's right!'
'This little one is just that beautiful!'
Lucy shuddered all over, instantly sobering up. She turned to the Little Wyvern with a look of disbelief, "Little Wyvern? Are you really my Little Wyvern? Are you sure you haven't been possessed by something?"
Little Wyvern: *Disdainful stare*
It turned away at lightning speed, refusing to look at her again.
Seeing the little dragon's look of disdain and its actions, Lucy wasn't angry. Instead, she looked relieved, gently rubbing her chest a few times.
"Phew—thank goodness, thank goodness. That disgusted reaction was so smooth—yep, still my little dragon!"
Abella: "…"
"After evolving, the little dragon should be a Lightyear Dragon Rider, right?", Abella watched the interaction between the person and the dragon not far away, feeling a little confused, "Aren't Lightyear Dragon Riders usually known for their good temperament?"
Otherwise, they wouldn't be rated as the top-tier flying mount among beasts.
Great temperament, fast flight speed, excellent riding experience—every aspect was as perfect as could be.
"Maybe… people raise their pet beasts in their own image," Hearing Abella's question, Julian showed a hesitant expression, as if he wanted to say more but stopped himself.
Abella fell silent again.
"I finally get it now… what it means to keep some distance from your idol's private life," Abella's gaze turned dark, and her voice followed suit.
Being too close… all the illusions and filters shattered completely.
Lucy had no idea that one of her little fans had just dismantled the thick layer of idol filters around her at lightning speed. Seeing that the little dragon was still the same little dragon she knew, she waved her hand, "Stand properly! We're preparing for battle!"
Lucy didn't think she had said anything unusual.
But as soon as the words left her mouth, the little dragon, which had been facing away from her with a look of disdain just moments ago, suddenly whipped its head around, staring at Lucy with wide, shocked eyes.
'What did you say?
'What are you planning?
'Prepare for what?'
'I didn't hear clearly—say that again!'
The little dragon's wings flapped twice behind it.
Lucy: "…"
She finally realized—something really seemed off. The way her little dragon was treating this little snake… wait a minute!
"Little dragon—you… you didn't actually mistake this little snake as your own child, did you?", Lucy blurted out. Her own voice startled her, let alone Julian, Abella, and the four staff members nearby.
Seriously?
A dragon-type little dragon mistaking a water-type Jade Silver Snake as its own child?
Was this some kind of new-age cold joke?
Everyone couldn't help but think this.
But as soon as they turned their heads, they saw how the little dragon treated the Jade Silver Snake—so good, unbelievably good.
If anyone dared to claim this was just the little dragon's natural good temperament…
Sorry, but Lucy would be the first to jump up and curse them out. No way. Absolutely impossible.
Lucy rolled up her sleeves, stepping forward, trying to reason with the little dragon. But the little dragon stubbornly turned its head away, looking at the sky, the ground, and the little white snake—anywhere but at Lucy.
"This is…"
'What exactly is going on?'
Asher hesitated, wanting to say something but holding back.
The little dragon refusing to fight the little white snake—Asher could understand that. After all, the little white snake had a "star of the clan" buff.
But this situation between the little dragon and Lucy…
It had nothing to do with him. He didn't do anything.
"Professor Asher, don't worry. This isn't your fault," Not far away, Julian saw the confusion on Asher's face. He raised his voice slightly, speaking in Asher's direction, "This is just the little dragon's rebellious phase."
Then Julian lowered his voice to explain to the others who had craned their necks, eagerly waiting for gossip, "Lucy's little dragon has a strong personality and cares a lot about its pride. But as for Lucy herself…"
To put it nicely, she was carefree and open-minded. She never let anything get to her. There was practically nothing in this world that could make her feel embarrassed.
If Julian hadn't been keeping an eye on her, filtering scripts and endorsements for her, Lucy would've accepted any role or brand deal as long as it wasn't illegal and paid well.
And since she was a strong Beast Tamer, she never worried about safety.
When filming, she didn't mind hardships, exhaustion, or even looking ridiculous. After all, it was all about making money—nothing shameful about that.
In this regard… the little dragon was different.
Yeah.
Back when it was just a Fortune Dragon—a tiny little thing—there weren't many conflicts.
But after evolving into a little dragon, as it grew up…
For real—it got wings, and things got chaotic between them.
"Let them be. More experience will smooth things out eventually," Saying this, Julian waved his hand.
If an outsider like him got involved, things would only get more complicated.
Besides, every time the little dragon got mad, it never lasted long. Somehow, Lucy always managed to coax it back, and no one even knew how she did it.
You could say…
It was a talent in itself.
The talent… of a true master at dealing with relationships.
So—
"Another tie," As she said this, Lucy's face was full of frustration.
Early in the morning.
A simple warm-up match had turned into two consecutive draws.
Lucy didn't really care about winning or losing, but…
"This fight was so unsatisfying."
"Again!", She was getting fired up.
Warm-up?
Testing?
Sorry.
She had completely forgotten about all that.
She urgently needed a fierce, exhilarating battle.
Her gaze landed on the little black bird perched on Asher's shoulder.
She knew—this was Asher's last pet beast. Also, the strongest of the three.
This time, she would definitely have a satisfying fight.
"Go! Thunderstorm Flash!"
"Little Raven, it's your turn," Asher looked at the sky filled with flashing lightning, patted the little black bird on his shoulder.
Little Raven flapped its wings and took off.
It felt just as excited as Asher.
What?
Afraid?
That word didn't exist in the dictionary of the big sister boss.
Sixth-rank or seventh-rank pet beasts—so what!
A battle was about pushing one's strength to the limit.
———
[Star City]
[Beast Tamer Alliance Headquarters]
Late at night, President Robb was urgently summoned to Clove City. He caught the first morning flight to Star City, and as soon as he landed, he was rushed to the headquarters without a second's delay.
After going through the whole process, President Robb's brain was still in a fog.
Before he had time to rest, a dedicated staff member came to brief him, flooding his mind with an overwhelming amount of information about Asher and the Phantom Mist.
President Robb: "…"
"Wait… let me process this first…", President Robb weakly raised a trembling hand, making a pause gesture, "I feel like my brain is about to shut down. Give me a moment to digest all this information…"
Next to him, a staff member with dark circles under his eyes but an oddly energetic expression swiftly grabbed a passing pink Dream-Eating Cat and stuffed it into President Robb's arms.
"Brain not working? No problem! Wake up first, then we still have a lot of work for you, President Robb," The staff member smiled, his expression eerily calm, "Just one day. Once we sort everything out, you can rest."
And so could they.
•́ ‿ ,•̀
A chill ran down President Robb's spine. He immediately sat up straight, his eyes wide open.
"So your plan is…", President Robb hesitated, cautiously asking.
"To promote Professor Asher's title—skip Second-Level and First-Level Researcher, straight to National Professor, on par with Professor Damien," The staff member blurted out the official plan in one breath, "Also, to upgrade his security classification to top-secret, inaccessible to ordinary personnel."
"And establish a specialized research institute for him, ensuring a controlled research environment so that in the shortest time possible—"
"Wait, wait, wait," President Robb interrupted, waving a hand.
The staff member: "President Robb, is there a problem?"
President Robb: 'A problem? There are too many to count!'
With a headache-ridden expression, President Robb rubbed his forehead and said helplessly, "That is to say... have you considered Asher's wishes?"
The staff member was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly said, "Professor Asher's treatment in all aspects is guaranteed to be top-notch."
Money, power, fame.
As long as it was something imaginable, as long as it was something Asher wanted, the country would never be stingy.
All for the sake of quickly unraveling the mysteries of the Phantom Mist and, on that foundation, making further advancements.
"It's not about that," President Robb's expression became even more helpless. He just knew it...
'Sigh!'
'What is all this?'
As the person who interacted with Asher the most and had the most contact with him, while President Robb wouldn't claim to be a worm in Asher's stomach, knowing all of his thoughts, he still knew about seventy to eighty percent of them.
"First of all, Asher is not that passionate about the title and profession of a pet beast professor."
With just one sentence, the staff member was completely stunned.
Staff member: "?"
The staff member assigned to liaise with President Robb swallowed hard. His previously composed, elite demeanor now carried a hint of unease and nervousness, "Chairman Robb, you mean..."
He looked toward President Robb with eyes full of pleading, as if begging him not to say the devastating words.
President Robb: "..."
A little twinge of conscience.
"It's exactly as you think," But President Robb had no choice but to face the disappointment in the staff member's eyes, nod solemnly, and say bitterly, "Perhaps because he is too talented in the research of pet beast evolution, Asher has little interest in becoming a full-time pet beast professor who dedicates every day to diligent research on various beasts inside a lab."
"He is more inclined to climb another tower—one that cannot be reached to the top in a short time," President Robb's words struck the staff member heavily, "Based on Asher's own wishes, right now, he is far more interested in becoming a powerful Beast Tamer than in becoming an outstanding pet beast professor."
Staff member: "..."
Opened mouth.
Closed mouth.
This action repeated for several minutes, yet he still couldn't form a complete sentence.
Say that Asher is in the wrong?
But Asher has awakened the potential of a Beast Tamer and is qualified to become one. Why can't he choose to be a Beast Tamer?
Although they hadn't fully understood Asher's personal inclinations before, they knew that he was highly talented in both pet beast nurturing and pet beast battles.
They were aware of the results of the recent league match between Jade Dragon and the Flood Dragon Organization.
Even more recently, they were aware of Asher's ranking climb in South Soren.
But they never expected... Ahhhhhh!
The breakdown happened in an instant.
The moment they realized that all the previous arrangements and plans were going down the drain—because it had all been their wishful thinking—the staff member felt like losing his mind.
"Ahhhhh—", The staff member went insane.
Sleep was gone.
Vacation was gone.
Even his hair was about to abandon him.
Might as well have aliens invade Earth and start a farm—let the Evil Sword Immortal destroy the world—who even gave you a bag of rice—spicy sky forest.
President Robb watched the staff member clutch his head and collapse. He quietly hugged the pink cat in his arms, making himself look smaller and less noticeable... cough cough.
His conscience… hurt a little.
Meanwhile, the other headquarters overtime workers who heard the news, "..."
*Chaos unleashed*
———
The battle was intense.
The result... was completely predictable.
Though Little Raven put up a strong fight and could overpower low-level and some mid-level sixth-rank pet beasts, against the genuine seventh-rank mid-level pet beast Thunderstorm Flash, Little Raven was still... far from a match.
By the end of the battle, Little Raven's originally jet-black feathers, which could reflect iridescent colors under sunlight, had turned completely black—the color of charcoal.
Compared to the injuries on its body, which could be healed with a round in the treatment chamber, the loss of its feather's beauty was an even bigger blow to Little Raven.
Little Raven: o(╥﹏╥)o
*Crying*
It was just short of having a complete breakdown on the spot.
"Hahaha, Professor Asher, you really trained your pet beast amaz—cough cough cough," Lucy's laughter was still in her throat when she suddenly met Little Raven's big golden-red eyes. Her laughter was instantly stuck.
She choked on her breath and started coughing violently, her flushed face turning bright red.
As her brain finally cooled down, she realized… was this situation a little off?
Lucy stopped laughing.
She nervously twisted her hands together, her light amber eyes occasionally glancing at Asher, filled with guilt and hesitation.
"Um… Professor Asher, I...", Lucy, having come to her senses, realized she had gone too far.
Professor Asher was still just a first-rank Beast Tamer.
And yet, she got too caught up in the fight.
And even laughed happily in front of him.
Lacking emotional intelligence didn't mean having none at all.
Especially when she needed something, Lucy's survival instincts kicked in.
Julian, watching from the side, was dumbfounded, "Wait, so when she needs something, her intelligence and emotional quotient suddenly skyrocket?"
"I keep telling her to be more restrained, but she never listens?"
Flexible principles?
Julian: *Eye-opening, truly remarkable*
If he hadn't come out today, he wouldn't have known that there were still so many sides to someone he thought he already understood.
"It's not about that," Asher glanced at Little Raven, who was nestled in his arms, pouting with grievance, then looked at Lucy, who was filled with unease. His face revealed a helpless smile.
"Little Raven losing is normal," If a fifth-rank pet beast could easily defeat a seventh-rank one, then there'd be no need for Little Raven to keep growing stronger. Smiling, Asher said, "Little Raven is just upset that its feathers don't look as nice anymore."
"Huh?", Upon hearing this, Lucy instinctively looked at Little Raven's feathers, "They all look black… doesn't seem that different."
Julian: "..."
Alright, alright.
Some people just can't handle compliments.
They were just praised moments ago, and now they were screwing up again.
Little Raven stared at Lucy with its golden-red eyes—once, twice... many times—before finally turning around, burying its head in Asher's chest, and pointedly showing its backside to Lucy.
Little Raven: 'Hmph! This bird will remember you and your pet beast!'
'Next time! We'll fight again!'
Asher was helpless.
'Fine, fine.'
If it wanted to hold a grudge this much, there was no point in comforting it. Let it be.
"Your opponent even has an eighth-rank pet beast. Just beating that seventh-rank one isn't enough—you also have to find a way to surpass that hidden eighth-rank beast if you really want revenge, got it?", Instead of comforting, Asher added fuel to the fire, giving Little Raven an even stronger enemy to fixate on.
Little Raven: 'Understood! Fully understood!'
Seeing Asher "motivate" his pet beast, Abella: "..."
Once again—impossible to learn, not even a little bit.
After this pep talk, Little Raven completely forgot about its dull feathers and focused entirely on getting stronger for revenge.
Asher patted his silly bird's head, smoothing down its standing tuft of hair—only for it to pop back up again. A faint smile appeared in his eyes.
Early in the morning.
A warm feeling in the heart.
A very good mood.
"Then next, let's discuss the evolution arrangements for Miss Flying Flower and Miss Wood Spirit," Asher switched topics.
In an instant, Lucy's train of thought was taken away, and she followed Asher's words, becoming excited, "Professor Asher, go ahead, I'm listening!"
"First and most importantly, you need to communicate emotionally with Miss Flying Flower or Miss Wood Spirit, deepen your rapport, and achieve true mutual understanding," As he spoke, Asher turned and walked towards the research institute, while Lucy followed closely behind.
"Then, there are some high-grade resources... I'll call President Robb later to apply, but the required types and quantities are quite large. The supply in NY City might not be sufficient, so we may need to report to headquarters...", One person spoke, while the other kept nodding. Lucy maximized her brain's agility, striving to remember every word Asher said so he wouldn't have to repeat himself.
Lucy: "High-grade resources? I have quite a few on hand. If there's anything we don't have but really need, I can purchase some myself."
Their voices grew more distant.
Until they entered the building and were completely out of earshot.
Abella, Julian, Chase, Sarah, his wife, along with the other two researchers, looked at the messy battlefield, then at the two disappearing figures...
"Feels like we've been forgotten."
"Isn't that completely normal? We were just here to set the mood in the first place."
"Hurry, hurry, we need to record Professor Asher's ideas!"
"And the written application report for new research topics—how can we let Professor Asher handle such trivial tasks?"
"Right, right, that's an important matter."
The four researchers had a strong sense of self-awareness as tools. They quickly adjusted their mindsets and then, one after another, ran toward the building, following Asher's footsteps.
After experiencing yet another round of speechlessness, Julian felt like his heart was about to be tempered into something indestructible. He turned to Abella, just about to complain, when he saw Abella moving.
"I'm going in too, to see if there's anything I can help Asher with," After all, Asher was her creditor.
Abella: 'People deep in debt must learn to have a keen sense of awareness, or else, who knows when these debts will ever be repaid!'
After giving Julian a brief nod, Abella left without looking back.
Looking left, looking right, and realizing he was the only one left, Julian silently typed out a question mark.
Seriously?
Is this the difference between people?
He had to revolve around work (Lucy) every day for money, always busy to the point of exhaustion.
And then look at Asher.
The entire world might as well be revolving around him.
Julian: *Wage slave heartbreak*
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