But even this wasn't enough for Asher.
He was progressing—no, evolving—in an even more exaggerated direction.
At this moment, Iris had a ridiculous thought flash through her mind.
'Could Asher actually be some kind of shapeshifted, super-intelligent transcendent being? Otherwise, how could he possibly be this much of a genius?'
Iris held her forehead, her expression a mix of emotions so complex that words could no longer describe them.
But she didn't think this was her problem. This was all because of Asher.
Asher.
A young man who always managed to surprise her in the most unexpected ways.
"Alright, alright…", Iris took a few deep breaths, finally accepting this shocking—yet absolutely real—news, "If this is really the case, then it wouldn't be strange for the school to let you graduate early and grant you the title of honorary professor."
"With your skills right now, what else can the school even teach you?", Iris looked at Asher and spoke from the heart.
Forget about what the school could teach Asher—Iris felt like she herself had nothing left to teach him either.
From the depths of her heart—Asher was simply born to study pet evolution.
Everyone thought so.
Everyone except Asher himself.
Asher: 'Calm down, calm down. Just basic operations, all basic operations.'
It's just that his golden finger was particularly useful.
Besides, compared to researching pet evolution—where answers were straightforward—Asher was much more interested in the challenge of being a Beast Tamer.
Becoming a powerful Beast Tamer—who could refuse that?
"I've told you everything I needed to. You can leave now," Iris waved Asher away impatiently.
Frustrated.
Sigh!
Watching such a promising seedling in her own field constantly wanting to jump into another—who wouldn't be annoyed?
More importantly, she couldn't even stop him.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Asher chuckled, "Professor Iris, don't worry. Even though I do want to become a Beast Tamer more, that doesn't mean I'll completely abandon pet evolution research. I can handle both."
"When I get tired from training and raising my pets, I can just do some pet evolution research to relax."
Iris: "..."
She gave Asher a look.
'Listen to yourself, kid. Does that even sound like something a normal human would say?'
'Who the hell uses pet evolution research as a way to unwind?'
Oh.
No one did.
Until now.
Because Asher would.
Iris waved her hand again.
'Go, go, go.'
"Alright, I'm leaving then," Without lingering, Asher turned and prepared to walk out of Iris's office.
From behind him, Iris's lazy voice rang out, "Next time you make a new discovery, let me know in advance if it's not too important. I am your mentor, after all. At least give me a heads-up instead of making me hear about your progress from others."
"Got it," Asher thought about it and found that reasonable. He nodded, "Next time, for sure!"
———
The end-of-term exams for the first-year students in Bluewind University's Pet Evolution major were finally over.
In seven days, they had taken 14 courses.
From Fundamental Theories of Beasts to History of Beast Evolution to Beasts and Human Development… and many more.
A whole series of core theoretical subjects, followed by electives.
Some days, they had three exams in a row; at the very least, there was always one.
"I'm fried, completely fried. My brain is burnt to a crisp."
As soon as Emanuel returned to the dormitory, he spread his arms out and collapsed straight onto his bed.
His vacant eyes stared at the ceiling, as if his soul had been repeatedly crushed, rubbed, and kneaded. His spirit had ascended to heaven, leaving behind only an empty shell.
"It's not just you—everyone's fried," Jerry, who returned a step later, glanced at the corpse-like figure sprawled on the bed. He plopped onto a chair, causing it to screech painfully against the floor—but no one cared anymore, "I think I'm going to fail today's Pet Evolution Theories exam."
At that moment, Jacob walked in last. Upon hearing the word "fail," he immediately stopped in his tracks.
"..."
"If you don't bring it up, we're still brothers," Jacob pushed up his glasses, barely holding onto his scholarly demeanor.
Yeah.
Under the crushing weight of finals week, there was no room for pretense.
Finals week.
Terrifying beyond words.
Not only were there exams.
There was also the looming threat of failing and having to retake courses.
The thought of failing even a single one of these 14 subjects—and having to come back next year for a retake—was enough to make them lose all hope.
They might as well just lie down and rot.
Three people slumped, sprawled, and drifted soullessly. The dorm was filled with an oddly harmonious aura.
But, as a four-person dorm, they were missing someone.
The reason?
Anyone in the know, knew.
Because of what happened at the start of the semester.
But Emanuel, Jacob, and Jerry hadn't expected the school to handle it so swiftly—immediate disciplinary action, expulsion, the whole deal.
Fortunately, this hadn't affected them much.
In fact, with that troublemaker gone, the dorm had become even more peaceful.
And since dorm assignments were finalized at the beginning of the semester, even though they had an empty bed now, the school didn't assign anyone else to move in.
So they had a bit more space than other rooms.
Staring at the empty bed, Emanuel—still lying down like a salted fish—flipped over and continued basking.
"Hey? I just thought of something," Emanuel dragged out his words.
"Spit it out, fart it out, or scram," Jerry cut straight to the point.
"Where's Asher?"
That single question immediately captured the attention of the other two.
Both Jerry and Jacob turned their heads toward Emanuel in unison.
Seeing this, Emanuel smirked smugly.
He knew it!
No one could resist the power of gossip.
Not even their burly dorm leader or their refined, scholarly roommate.
"So, no one's seen Asher in any of the exam rooms these past few days, right?"
Emanuel, after wriggling for a while, finally sat up, wearing a conspiratorial grin.
"Why do you think that is?"
"Maybe… he was exempted?", Jerry's usually firm expression showed some uncertainty.
"Impossible," Before Emanuel could respond, Jacob rejected the idea outright. He adjusted his glasses, his expression serious.
"If Asher was excused from classes all semester, he would have to score outstanding marks in every subject to qualify."
"Bluewind University accepts geniuses, but that doesn't mean they let them do whatever they want."
Being a genius didn't mean skipping classes and exams.
What would be the point of coming to this school then?
Emanuel and Jerry nodded—Jacob had a point.
"Damn, scholars really do think things through," Emanuel gave Jacob a thumbs-up.
Jacob, unimpressed: "..."
"Use your brains, guys. Your heads aren't just for decoration—you're scholars too," Jacob rolled his eyes.
"But we still haven't answered the real question—why haven't we seen Asher?"
Asher…
Just thinking of that name made Jacob feel complicated.
The drama from the start of the semester was still fresh in his mind.
He knew Asher had done nothing wrong—he was simply envied.
And yet… Jacob couldn't help but feel a little envious himself.
Envying Asher's talent.
Jealous of Asher's achievements.
But what makes a person human is their ability to control their emotions and desires despite having them.
Asher's excellence is undeniable.
Asher is not just an overhyped genius with an empty reputation, but a true genius with solid, real achievements.
After feeling envy and jealousy, Jacob put these thoughts aside, adjusted his mindset, and set Asher as his goal, wanting to see if he could catch up to Asher's footsteps.
For example... the final exams.
Everyone was standing on the same starting line.
Asher didn't even attend classes much, so maybe—just maybe—if he studied properly, he might score higher than Asher this time?
Although exam scores don't mean much or change anything, they could at least provide a little psychological comfort.
And then... he found out that Asher apparently, maybe, possibly, didn't even take the final exams.
Jacob: "?"
"Maybe because Asher is special, the teachers arranged a separate exam room for him?", Emanuel, who had interacted with Asher a fair number of times—enough to be ranked in the top three of the class in that regard—rubbed his chin and speculated, "Hmm... to prevent Asher from cheating? Maybe the teachers wanted to test his true ability?"
"That makes sense," Jerry nodded enthusiastically in agreement.
Jacob didn't say anything, but deep down, he somewhat agreed with this explanation.
Until the last day before the holiday.
They were all ready to go home for the break and casually refreshed the school's official website before leaving.
And then...
"Wait? WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?", Emanuel's terrified scream pierced through the entire dormitory, even reaching the room next door.
"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU SCREAMING?", Someone from next door yelled.
But the three people in the dorm were too focused on staring at Emanuel's computer screen to apologize or argue back.
They were looking at the freshly posted, less than two-minute-old announcement on the school's website, featuring a photo of Asher and the news about Asher being awarded the title and position of Honorary Professor at Bluewind University.
The three of them exchanged glances, shock and disbelief evident in their eyes.
Wait.
What were they looking at?
"Are we sure… today isn't April Fool's Day?", It was clearly January, yet why did it feel like April already?
Otherwise, how could they be seeing such an absurd announcement on the school's official website, something that felt more like a prank?
Emanuel scrolled through the mouse wheel, carefully reading every word of the brief announcement, which had only a few hundred words and definitely didn't exceed a thousand.
"Why do I feel like... I suddenly can't understand my own native language?", Emanuel's voice was dazed, as if he were floating in midair, unable to find solid ground.
Jacob and Jerry, who had also read the announcement, had similarly bewildered expressions.
"Exactly. I feel the same way right now," Jacob stared at the computer screen as if he were witnessing an alien invasion, a planetary explosion, or a monstrous beast horde approaching... his mind was in complete chaos.
Otherwise, how could he possibly process:
["Due to Student Asher Snow's discovery of three new evolution routes for beasts, after careful deliberation and a comprehensive evaluation of his abilities, Bluewind University hereby grants him the title of Honorary Professor."]
Just this one sentence carried an immeasurable impact.
"Three new evolution routes for beasts...", Jacob stared at those words and repeated them in a dazed voice, "Why do I feel like I don't understand this sentence at all?"
What did this even mean?
In just one semester, Asher had researched three new evolution routes for pet beasts?
What kind of joke was this?
Did they think researching pet beast evolution was as easy as buying a cabbage from a roadside stall?
It was a serious task requiring extensive time, research, verification, and likely numerous failures.
And yet, looking at Asher...
Jacob's brain was in complete disarray.
As he was caught in this confusion, a sudden clarity emerged, "So the reason Asher didn't take the final exams was because..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but the other two in the dorm instantly understood what he meant.
Oh.
Why wasn't Asher in the exam rooms during finals week?
Because he used connections?
No, no, no!
Because Asher had directly gone from being a student like them to becoming the university's Honorary Professor.
Jacob, who initially had the ambition to chase after Asher's footsteps, completely gave up at this moment.
Nope. Not competing anymore.
There was no point in trying.
What was that saying again?
When someone is just a little better than you, you envy them, you get jealous, you slander them, and you want to surpass them.
But when someone is so far beyond you that they can only be admired—well, all those messy emotions just disappear completely.
They weren't even in the same league.
While he was still thinking about competing with Asher on test scores, Asher had already moved to a whole different level of achievement.
Even if they rode dragons, they wouldn't be able to catch up.
So what was there to be envious or jealous about?
Might as well go to sleep.
It was better to compare himself with his peers… oh, wait, Asher was also their peer.
Then it was better to compare himself with his peers—excluding Asher.
The guys from the next dorm, still waiting for an apology from Emanuel, Jerry, and Jacob, were rolling up their sleeves, ready to come over for a civilized discussion.
And then, they saw the three huddled in front of the computer.
The hot-blooded young men from the neighboring dorm immediately got the wrong idea, their minds jumping to all sorts of conclusions. One of them smirked mischievously, "Heh! heh! what are you guys looking at? Show your brothers, and we'll let this slide."
Emanuel, Jerry, and Jacob: "…"
But they didn't refuse.
In fact, Jacob and Jerry even kindly made space for them to take a look.
And thus, a new batch of people who got lemons(felt envious) was born.
"HOLY SHIT!"
And that was just the beginning.
Similar exclamations echoed throughout the dorm.
Anyone passing by might have thought they were playing some kind of relay screaming game.
In just a few hours, Asher's legendary achievement had spread throughout the entire freshman class of Bluewind University's Pet Evolution program. The news was even making its way to the sophomore, junior, senior classes—and other departments.
The first reaction from those in other departments who didn't know much about Asher: "?"
Are we sure this isn't a joke?
Where did this ridiculous news come from?
One look.
Oh.
Bluewind University's official website… damn! The official website?
That meant it couldn't possibly be fake.
Ever since Bluewind University's site nearly crashed due to an overload of visits after posting a photo of Old Rothschild and the Jargon Dragon King, it had undergone a massive upgrade.
Yet before even finishing one full semester, the site was experiencing another massive surge in traffic.
The school's IT staff, who were about to go on holiday but got called back for emergency reinforcements: "?"
Wait.
Doesn't anyone else need a vacation?
Great.
It's precisely because it's vacation time that people have the free time to pay attention to this.
Damn it!
They wanted a vacation too.
If this kept up… maybe they should just let the website crash.
It's not like it was a big problem anyway.
———
[Water Otter University]
"Tsk... The higher you go, the harder it is to increase combat power. How exactly did Asher manage it?", Sophia sat at the edge of the swimming pool, kicking the water absentmindedly, sighing, with a faint melancholy on his face.
Ever since she was knocked off the top spot on the combat ranking by a freshman named Asher, Sophia had never given up on training and nurturing her pet beasts.
From the Ice Mandarin Duck to the Longfinned Siren, then to the Twin-Headed Jade Constrictor and the Colorful Scaled Koi, Sophia spared no effort in strengthening her pet beasts. Among these four, the Ice Mandarin Duck showed the fastest progress.
Even so, after nearly two months of training, Sophia barely managed to raise her combat ranking score from 93,125 to 99,862 by the end of the year—an increase of 6,737 points, which was equivalent to the total combat power of one or two freshmen's pet beasts.
Before Asher appeared on the ranking, this level of improvement would have been impressive.
But now... With Asher's brilliance ahead, Sophia's little increase in combat power hardly caught anyone's attention.
Not that no one noticed.
It's just that most people didn't care.
After all, no matter how much Sophia improved, she was still struggling in the five-digit range.
Meanwhile, Asher, as the top ranker, had effortlessly broken into six digits, soaring directly to 110,000 combat power.
To this day, Sophia still had no idea how Asher managed to do it.
Or rather...
Was this even something a university student could achieve?
Sophia was puzzled.
Just as she was considering whether to contact Asher privately to see if they could have a friendly exchange, an unwelcome call came in.
Hang up.
It rang again.
Hang up.
It rang again.
After three consecutive hang-ups, seeing that the other party was still persistently calling, Sophia finally answered.
"Hurry up and talk. If it's nothing important, I'm hanging up," Sophia said succinctly.
"Have you seen the latest news about Asher?", Christopher's voice came through the phone.
Sophia remained expressionless, "Asher is researching pet beast evolution? As if no one knows that already."
The top ten rankers, after Asher took the number one spot, had all been keeping an eye on him, curious about what he would do next.
Would he challenge others to battles?
Would he venture into the Forbidden Lands for real combat?
Or perhaps, take on another leaderboard challenge?
If it was the last one, they might even get to watch.
However.
Asher proved them all wrong with his actions.
After topping the combat rankings, Asher showed no interest in other rankings. Maybe they didn't appeal to him. Instead, he simply turned around and started researching pet beast evolution.
The former top-ten rankers watching Asher: "?"
Wait.
Something felt off.
But when they thought about Asher's original major… Uh, it didn't seem that strange?
A group of Beast Tamers were left shocked, confused, dazed, and curious as they continued to monitor Asher.
Then, to their surprise—
Less than a week later, news reached them that Asher's research institute in NY City had been blown up by a massive beast.
The top ten Beast Tamers: "???"
In fact.
If only one person was confused, it might be their personal issue.
But when a lot of people were all confused, the problem could only lie with the person causing the confusion.
In less than a week.
A new evolved form had appeared in Asher's research institute. Based on the reports, it was suspected to be a new evolution of the Violent Bear—a newly evolved beast.
At this point, the word "shocked" was no longer enough to describe their emotions.
Although they were Beast Tamers and mainly focused on combat, without deep involvement in pet beast evolution research, they were aware of its significance.
They knew how difficult it was to discover a new evolution path for an beast.
Yet, why did it look as easy as drinking water for Asher?
After the shock came a new wave of calm.
Yes.
Since Asher was a professor of pet beast evolution, it wasn't surprising that he excelled even more in his primary field than in combat power. Right?
Not surprising at all.
The Beast Tamers could only console themselves this way.
Otherwise, what else could they do?
Nothing.
"If that's all you have to say, I'm hanging up," Sophia was about to end the call.
"Why are you always in such a hurry? No patience at all," Christopher clicked his tongue, sounding like he had no choice but to humor Sophia, "Fine, fine, I'll say it now."
"Asher has become an honorary professor at Bluewind University."
Before Sophia could even get angry at Christopher's attitude, she was already struck speechless by his news.
"...Honorary... professor?", She said the words slowly, finding them strangely unfamiliar, as if she had forgotten how to speak.
"That's right, honorary professor, specializing in pet beast evolution research."
Even through the phone, Sophia could hear the exhaustion and awe in Christopher's voice—something she rarely associated with him.
Christopher didn't know what Sophia was thinking. Hearing the silence on the other end, he rubbed his chin and said curiously, "I won't dwell on Asher's professional capabilities anymore."
Anyway, it was just shock after shock.
At this point, just hearing Asher's name was enough to numb his nerves.
"I'm just curious about one thing—can Asher still participate in the South Soren University League?"
Sophia froze for a moment, about to say "why not?" when she suddenly realized the problem.
Oh right!
The South Soren University League was strictly for enrolled university students. Graduate students and PhD students were not allowed.
So, what about an honorary professor like Asher?
Could he participate or not?
Asher had been a proper freshman when he climbed the rankings.
But in less than one semester, he had become an honorary professor at Bluewind University.
His eligibility for the league suddenly became a very delicate question...
———
Asher himself hadn't even thought about this yet.
No one around him had either.
At the moment, he was busy dealing with a barrage of messages from his friends—including June, Ivy, and Vicky from neighboring Radiant University, as well as classmates from Bluewind University.
The closest ones, of course, were Aeron and Jessica, sitting right across from him.
In the cafeteria.
It wasn't mealtime yet, so there weren't many people around.
Asher sat in a seat partially hidden by a large pillar. Unless someone walked right up to him, they wouldn't be able to see his face clearly.
A safe spot.
"This cruel and heartless world... I don't think I can survive anymore," Aeron lay on the table, mumbling into his arms, his phone beside him.
"My grandpa called me as soon as he heard about your achievements, spent half an hour praising your brilliance, and then started lecturing me like crazy," he complained, shooting Asher a resentful glance.
It was tough.
Really tough.
He already considered himself excellent.
Yet, he still had to endure his family's intense expectations.
And it was a double dose of it.
Just thinking about it made a pained expression appear on Aeron's face.
Before Asher could say anything, Jessica, sitting to the side, rolled her eyes at Aeron, "You think that's bad?"
"Grandpa Rothschild and Uncle Greg at most just express their expectations for you. After all, your field and Asher's field aren't the same—different industries are like separate mountains," Jessica took out her phone, showed it to Aeron for a second, then shut it off entirely. The screen was black.
"I don't even want to turn it on right now."
"If I dare turn it on, my family will call or text me nonstop, twelve hours a day. It's either motivational speeches or more motivational speeches, with endless talks about 'CP-ing' me," Jessica rolled her eyes so hard they almost reached the ceiling, "There's even some so-called genius from who-knows-where, telling me to use my identity as a classmate to get close to Asher and see if I can uncover some of Brother Asher's secrets or figure out the key to his greatness."
[T/N: 'CP'- Couple Pair]
"They even suggested using a honey trap?"
"Me: ???"
"Are you serious? Are you actually serious? If you're fine, then go back home and raise your kids. Study something useful. What year do they think it is? Can't they put some normal thoughts in their heads?" As she got more worked up, Jessica slammed her hands on the table so hard her voice nearly hit the ceiling.
A few scattered people nearby turned their curious gazes toward them.
Fortunately, there was a large pillar blocking the view, so no one saw Asher.
They only saw Jessica and Aeron, one looking furious, the other looking defeated. They quickly lost interest and looked away.
"Hahahaha!", Aeron, who had just been slumped over, suddenly sat up straight and slapped the table as he let out a thunderous laugh. "Damn, sis, your family's imagination is way wilder than my grandpa's or my dad's."
Old Rothschild just wanted Aeron to improve a bit more.
Greg, as a father, pressured himself more than he pressured his son. At most, he just nagged Aeron a little, telling him to work harder and strive to surpass Asher. If he couldn't, that was fine—his father would surpass Asher himself.
The real pressure came from being nagged too much. Aeron was simply overwhelmed.
But now, seeing Jessica's situation, Aeron suddenly felt that his grandpa and dad were actually quite nice.
Yes, yes.
Just like this.
Keep it up.
Jessica, understanding the look in Aeron's eyes, nearly rolled her eyes into the back of her head.
Anger.
Pure anger.
"Hmph, a honey trap, huh? Even if you actually tried, Asher wouldn't fall for it," Aeron had no sense of restraint and insisted on adding fuel to the fire. He even dragged Asher, who had been content as a spectator, into the conversation, "Right, Brother Asher?"
Asher: "…"
"I think as long as you guys are happy, that's all that matters," Asher calmly picked up the lemon water on the table and blocked his mouth with it, blinking as if he was too busy drinking to speak.
Aeron and Jessica, now feeling ignored: "…"
Alright then.
They ignored Asher again and continued their argument.
Asher, meanwhile, sucked on his straw, listening to their voices in the background while his mind drifted to other thoughts.
He was somewhat surprised about being promoted to Honorary Professor.
Not because he thought he was unworthy.
But because… whether it was the evolution routes of the Violent Bear, Miss Flying Flower, or Miss Wood Spirit, none of them could be widely applied or verified. They were all one-time occurrences.
They could be considered his research results.
Or they could be seen as mere coincidences.
In the past, due to the difficulty of verification, some of Asher's achievements had been partially concealed.
Or sometimes, he would receive messages from above, explicitly telling him to wait.
But this time was different.
Whether it was the special treatment, the rewards, or anything else, everything had come at an unusually fast pace.
After leaving Iris's office, Asher called President Robb.
Unlike with Iris, the call went through easily, just like always. He had a smooth conversation with President Robb.
Everything seemed perfectly normal.
Asher pondered for a while and decided to put the matter aside for now.
From any angle, the current situation was entirely in his favor. The environment was pleasant, the people around him were good, and his only real concern was keeping his golden finger ability a secret. Other than that, nothing else mattered too much.
Ultimately, the most important thing was still getting stronger.
Getting stronger was the top priority.
———
When President Robb left Star City, he was in a daze.
You couldn't blame him.
The generosity—the sheer generosity—when the officials and the nation worked together on something was just overwhelming.
"From now on, no matter what research topic Professor Asher wants to pursue or how many rare resources and materials he needs, there will be no restrictions. The alliance and the authorities will provide unlimited support, with no upper limit," Elder Cavendish, the highest-ranking official in the alliance, conveyed their decision to President Robb.
Elder Cavendish's eyes remained closed, but as he faced President Robb, President Robb could clearly feel that every thought in his mind was being laid bare under Elder Cavendish's scrutiny.
"Of course, we will make this arrangement appear reasonable on the surface. Headquarters will distribute these resources directly to the NY City Beast Tamer Alliance, and you will handle the allocation."
President Robb wanted to keep a straight face, but he couldn't control his excitement.
What was this?
This was NY City soaring alongside Asher.
For the first time, President Robb truly felt how incredible it was to have a genius in his city.
This wasn't just an ordinary rise.
With Asher, NY City was about to take off.
If it were up to him, he'd turn Asher into NY City's golden idol, a lucky mascot, and worship him with incense every day.
Fortunately, logic told him—cough cough—he couldn't do that.
That would be too much.
A little enthusiasm was fine.
But for now, he would just enjoy the excitement.
With a head full of unanswered questions, President Robb arrived in Star City and then returned to NY City, brimming with enthusiasm.
Seated on the plane, looking down at NY City—small, not particularly famous—he felt an overwhelming excitement he couldn't share with anyone.
NY City was about to become great, all thanks to Asher.
———
"Achoo—"
As Asher listened to Aeron and Jessica's heated debate, he suddenly sneezed.
Aeron and Jessica instantly stopped arguing and turned to look at him, "Hmm, someone must be talking about Brother Asher."
"Probably someone important or something significant? Otherwise, Brother Asher might be sneezing all day," Jessica said seriously.
"You're right," Aeron, for once, didn't argue. He gave a thumbs-up, looking very supportive.
Asher, suddenly the center of their mutual agreement: "…"
"You guys have vented enough. Now, how about you go home and find your own moms?", Asher set down his empty glass, the straw he had bitten flat.
At that moment, Aeron scooted closer, "Brother Asher, um… my grandpa wants to invite you to our house for New Year's. Can you… consider it?"
"He really, really wants to thank you," Aeron blinked, looking pitiful, "If you don't agree, I won't be able to explain it to him!"
Jessica, who was beside them: "!"
'Good grief!'
'Devious!'
'Cunning!'
'Despicable!'
Why didn't she think of inviting Asher home for the New Year?
More than one person knew that Asher was an orphan.
Asher's friends and those who paid attention to him all knew about his orphan status, but in daily life, no one ever brought it up—it wasn't necessary.
Asher's excellence was evident to all.
Whether Asher was an orphan or not had no impact on his brilliance.
At most, during the holidays, when others missed their families even more, things would feel particularly lonely on Asher's side.
But casually inviting Asher home for the New Year… this kind of thing wasn't easy to bring up.
Thinking of this, Jessica couldn't help but shoot Aeron another contemptuous look.
'Damn it!'
Because of the matter with Old Rothschild and Ancestral Dragon, the Rothschild family did indeed owe Asher a favor—a big one at that.
Using this excuse to invite Asher to spend the New Year at the Rothschild family was not only completely reasonable but also made them seem even closer to Asher.
Jessica was already considering—if Asher really agreed, should she shamelessly tag along as well?
After all, she really didn't feel like going back to the Homer family.
Aside from the old man, the others always managed to come up with thoughts that no normal person would have.
"Let's forget about this year. I've already decided where I'm going for the New Year."
Unexpectedly, Asher smiled, shook his head, and rejected Aeron's invitation.
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