The next second.
The familiar feeling of weightlessness struck once again.
Asher: "?"
'It can work like this too?'
'A teleportation set right at the intersection?'
'Who would even do something like this?'
After the dizzying sensation faded, Asher's feet found solid ground again.
This time, even without opening his eyes, he could tell that the scene before him was brightly lit.
Opening his eyes… As expected, but also unexpectedly, Asher did not see any living beasts.
However, when he tilted his head and listened closely, the "thump thump thump" of a heartbeat in his ears became even louder.
Asher: OK
All in all, he had chosen the right path.
It's just that on the road to the truth, he would always either get lost or run into obstacles.
Totally normal.
This was absolutely normal.
Another room.
Brightly lit.
Before analyzing the source of the light, Asher instinctively scanned the room.
At a glance, he estimated it to be over 200 square meters, filled with towering bookshelves arranged at intervals.
'Clearly, this is a library—or maybe a personal reading room?'
'Something along those lines.'
Asher casually picked up the nearest book, wanting to flip through it and see if there was any useful information recorded inside.
However.
The moment he lightly touched it—before he could even lift it—the book started crumbling. A slightly bigger movement, and all the books nearby, made from an unknown material that was neither paper nor bamboo or wood, also began shaking precariously.
Asher: "…"
Whoosh!
Like a retractable spring, Asher swiftly retracted his hand.
He dusted off the bit of residue on his fingers and pretended nothing had happened.
The destruction of these obviously priceless books and documents… had absolutely nothing to do with him.
"…What a pity," Asher muttered softly.
He was afraid that if he spoke any louder, this library's two-thousand-year-old books would instantly turn to dust.
But judging by their current condition… forget reading, Asher reasonably suspected that the moment this tomb was opened and these books made contact with the outside air, they would vanish like seafoam in the sunlight.
Asher shook his head.
He bypassed the tall bookshelves.
Since he couldn't read the books, his attention shifted once again to the source of the light.
Two thousand years.
The library's lights were still on.
'What kind of energy source is powering them?'
'What principle is at work here?'
Asher wasn't a science fanatic—he was just purely curious.
After circling around, Asher found a bookshelf ladder that didn't seem very sturdy.
After some thought, he placed Cat-Worm on the ground.
Hesitating for two seconds, he also set Little White Snake down.
Now, only Little Raven, who could fly, and Little Jellyfish, who could float, remained by his side.
The main goal was to lighten his load.
Cat-Worm: *Angry*
"Meow!
"Meow! Meow!"
'Not heavy!'
'The dragon is not heavy at all!'
'Not bringing the minions is fine, but you have to take this dragon along!'
Asher gave Cat-Worm a look.
"Some things don't need to be said out loud. We both know what's up, right?"
Cat-Worm: ╭(╯^╰)╮
Heartbroken.
Sad.
Temporarily severing ties with the beastmaster for three minutes.
Asher calmly patted both Cat-Worm and Little White Snake on the head before grabbing the ladder and climbing up.
Unlike the books that crumbled at the slightest touch, the ladder revealed an unexpected surprise the moment Asher stepped onto it—Huh? Its quality was much better than he had imagined.
Extremely sturdy.
Asher even felt like he was stepping on steel plates.
Solid as a rock.
One step, two steps, three steps… Steady with each movement, Asher finally reached the ceiling and could touch it with his hands.
He poked here, prodded there—most parts were incredibly solid and unmoving.
Until his fingers pressed against a special spot, where the ceiling felt slightly loose. That was when Asher knew he had found the right place.
He pushed.
He lifted.
It opened.
Before the ceiling panel could fall, Asher caught it with both hands.
As he gazed at the intricate mechanical structure now exposed, his expression was one of surprise—mixed with a sense of reason.
Reasonable.
Very reasonable.
Ever since he first saw the mechanical gear structure, shouldn't he have expected this?
However, unlike the rusted, unusable unknown machinery, the lighting system's mechanism was more complex—and still had a power source.
After removing the ceiling panel, Asher could see the gears inside still turning slowly, making faint "clack-clack" sounds.
Up close, the sound was very distinct.
But Asher had only just realized—
"Ah…", He showed a look of sudden understanding.
It was the heartbeat sound that had been overwhelming his senses, dulling his perception of other noises. Luckily, it wasn't a big problem.
He glanced at the ceiling panel in his hands.
No way to put it back. Oh well.
It didn't affect the room's automated lighting system anyway.
So, Asher climbed back down the ladder—still holding the removed ceiling panel.
Before he even landed properly, Cat-Worm shot toward him like a tiny cannonball—whoosh! whoosh! whoosh!
Asher dodged.
With those two horns on Cat-Worm's head, if it rammed into him… that would be bad. Really bad.
Swiftly twisting his body, Asher narrowly avoided Cat-Worm's angry charge.
Cat-Worm: "?"
Anger UP↑
Before Cat-Worm could regroup for another charge, Asher quickly bent down, scooped it up, and began stroking its back, smoothing down its fluffed-up scales.
"Don't be mad. I didn't do it on purpose. Forgive me, okay?"
Asher blinked, his expression sincere.
Cat-Worm: "…"
╭(╯^╰)╮
It huffed and turned its head away, refusing to look at him.
Little Raven, perched on Asher's shoulder, shot a contemptuous glance at Cat-Worm.
'Mad?'
'Then stop acting all obedient and quietly lying in the beastmaster's arms!'
'Move aside!'
Cat-Worm: 'No!'
If it weren't for Big Sis' lingering authority, if it had been Little White Snake or Little Jellyfish instead, Cat-Worm would've stuck out its tongue in defiance.
Little Raven: 'Heh!'
'Daring to defy the bird?'
'Prepare to be beaten!'
Before the situation could escalate, Asher held down Cat-Worm's head with one hand and scooped up Little White Snake with the other, effortlessly diffusing a brewing family conflict.
"There's nothing valuable here. Take a photo, and let's move on."
They left.
Great.
A maze.
Another maze.
Asher once again followed the loudest heartbeat and picked a path.
And then…
As expected, he got teleported to yet another completely random place.
No coffins in sight.
Instead, he had entered a chamber filled with discarded machines—his second room like this.
Now, he was in what seemed like a battle arena.
Why?
Because on the wall paintings, he could vaguely recognize the shapes of a Black Crow and a Hurricane Eagle.
Asher stroked his chin.
"Coincidence?"
Otherwise, why did both beasts take the form of birds?
And perhaps it was just Asher's imagination, but he felt that the black crow was drawn in a way that made it look even cooler and more lifelike than the Hurricane Eagle.
Of course.
The mural had endured two thousand years, becoming faded and weathered, and artistic styles had changed over those millennia… Asher, not being a professional artist, just had a subtle feeling—so subtle that even he wasn't sure if it should be classified as intuition.
Asher: 'Whatever, not a big deal.'
'The real problem now is…'
He couldn't find the source of the heartbeat.
When he arrived at the library, it felt like he was very close to it.
When he reached the battle hall, it still felt just as close.
Just how close was it?
Sorry.
He had no idea.
It was just a continuous "thump thump thump—thump thump," pounding in his eardrums. Other than communicating with his contracted beasts, Asher found his reaction to external sounds duller, less sharp than usual.
Asher thought for a few seconds.
He pulled out an item from his pocket—Lucky Four-Leaf Clover.
As the saying goes—when luck isn't enough, let items make up for it.
He chose to go all-in on luck.
After all, spending money was the ultimate power move.
And sure enough.
Back at the entrance, the same series of forked paths lay before him, offering a myriad of choices.
Asher: (・∀・)
Choose?
What was there to choose?
He wasn't choosing anymore.
He handed over the power of choice to the item in his hand.
A lucky item had to pick the correct path for him.
The next second—
The complete purple-grade item, which in theory could be used four times, had all four leaves of the Lucky Four-Leaf Clover badge lighting up at once.
Whoosh!
The world spun.
Time and space twisted.
Asher found himself standing before a massive, pitch-black door.
It took him quite a while to stabilize himself, using the nearby wall for support, though his head still felt dizzy and heavy.
His Little Raven, Cat-Worm, white snake, and tiny jellyfish all huddled around him in concern.
The Little Raven raised its wing and gently rubbed Asher with the soft red feathers underneath, radiating a faint warmth that helped him recover quickly.
The Cat-Worm, white snake, and jellyfish obediently stayed by his side, watching the Little Raven's actions before mimicking them… though in terms of body temperature, they couldn't compare.
Listening to the heartbeat pounding in his ears like war drums, Asher's thoughts suddenly drifted—
'Interesting.'
'All four of my contracted beasts…'
'Other than the Little Raven, which barely count as a warm-blooded creature, the rest are all cold-blooded?'
Not only did they feel cool to the touch, but their textures were also the kind that most people wouldn't be able to handle.
Asher chuckled.
He let out a deep breath, and the intense vibration in his eardrums became slightly more bearable.
Straightening up, Asher looked at the massive iron door before him.
Now, he was sure.
The beast producing the heartbeat was right behind this door.
Open it?
Asher hesitated.
Before coming here, he had been intensely curious—the kind of curiosity that burned fiercely.
But now, with the truth right in front of him, so close that he could reach out and touch it, his mind filled with a whirlwind of thoughts.
This beast that had lived for over two thousand years—what state was it in?
Was it alive?
Half-dead?
Hostile toward humans?
Or was it in deep slumber?
Would pushing open this door be like breaking a seal, unleashing a demon from its bottle?
A mess of chaotic thoughts flooded Asher's mind, but… his hands honestly pressed against the massive door.
Ahem… Asher coughed lightly in his heart.
How should he put this?
Yes, he was worried.
But on the other hand…
From the rooms he had encountered along his previous mistaken paths, he had already gained some understanding of this ancient tomb. Combining that with everything he had seen so far, Asher had a hypothesis.
He wasn't completely certain, but it should be close.
If his guess was correct, then whatever was behind this door… shouldn't be too dangerous…?
CREAK—HUM—
The ancient door, unopened for two thousand years, let out an ear-piercing sound the moment Asher placed his hands on it.
Surprisingly, pushing it open wasn't as difficult as he had imagined.
Hands on.
Apply force.
The door opened.
The instant it opened, a beam of light scanned Asher from head to toe.
Asher stood still.
It wasn't that he didn't want to dodge, but…
Even though he had prepared himself mentally, he was still startled by what stood at the entrance.
That was…
An angel.
The first word that popped into Asher's mind was this.
At the center stood a massive eye, larger than Asher himself. Clearly not a living thing, it was constructed with mechanical structures, half-open, carrying a hint of grogginess.
Suspended around it were six concentric rings of floating eyes. Each ring had numerous eyes—some large, some small. The biggest was about the size of an adult man's fist, while the smallest resembled a human eye.
Even though these eyes were mechanical, their shapes were eerily similar to human eyes.
And they were all staring at him.
Just staring at him.
An overwhelming sense of horror and unease crept over Asher.
He closed his eyes.
Took a deep breath.
Thank god.
No stench.
No scent of blood.
Instead, he could faintly smell pine resin and machine oil.
Asher: '…So this thing uses lubricant, huh?'
Maybe he was going a bit crazy, but Asher still had the presence of mind to crack a cold joke to himself and his beasts.
The Cat-Worm and white snake, both frozen in fear: "?"
'You call that a joke?'
'It's not funny at all!'
'Not even a little!'
Asher: :)
Seeing that the Little Raven wasn't afraid and that the jellyfish was just happily floating around, Asher mentally poked the Cat-Worm and white snake in his spiritual sea.
"Want to go back to the Beast Taming Space?"
"If you're scared, I'll send you back."
Cat-Worm: "!"
'Fur—no, scales bristling!'
'What a joke!'
'How could this dragon be scared?'
'Impossible!'
'Absolutely impossible!'
The Cat-Worm put on an imposing act, though it never moved or made a sound, only communicating with Asher through its eyes and spiritual connection.
The white snake didn't want to go back either.
Unlike the Cat-Worm, it just burrowed straight into Asher's clothes.
White snake: 'If I can't see it, it doesn't exist.'
Brave yet cowardly.
As if being close to Asher gave it the courage to face anything.
White snake: 'Being a little coward for a few minutes isn't embarrassing! Not at all!'
The Cat-Worm hesitated.
It glanced at Asher's chest, eyes flickering with temptation.
Maybe… it should burrow into his arms too?
Before it could act, Asher reached out and covered its eyes.
Now was not the time to make trouble.
If pretending not to see was the solution, then fine.
A hand outstretched—problem solved.
Asher made sure to stay silent as he activated his innate skill and looked at this... difficult-to-name being. For now, he decided to call it "Angel" in his heart. This beast (probably an beast) caught his gaze.
The panel displayed its information.
Asher's pupils trembled even more violently.
'Wh-hat the fuc*ing hell is this?'
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
[Pet Beast: Ultimate Weapon (?)]
[Attribute: All Attributes]
[Breed: Mythical]
[Level: Ninth Tier]
[Skills: Insight—Judgment—Verdict—]
[Ultimate Form]
[Integrity: 1% (Zero means automatic annihilation)]
[zizizi——]
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Asher: "???"
Asher: "!!!"
The simple word "shock" wasn't enough to describe his current state.
'F***! Holy s***!'
'What the hell is this? Ultimate Weapon? All attributes? Mythical breed?'
'Ninth-tier power?'
'So this isn't an ancient tomb but an ancient research facility? laboratory? weapons factory? w̶e̶a̶p̶o̶n̶s̶ f̶a̶c̶t̶o̶r̶y̶?̶'
Asher felt he needed to pinch his philtrum to stay conscious.
It wasn't that he was weak—
It was just that the scene before him was far too shocking.
Asher: 'A time machine—oh, wait, I don't need a time machine.'
By the time he snapped out of his blank-minded shock, fifteen minutes had passed.
During this period, the little white snake had been quietly and obediently nestled in Asher's arms.
The Cat-Worm cat, unable to resist its curiosity, peeked out from Asher's hand, sneaking a look through his fingers at the "Ultimate Weapon."
Timid but playful—that described the Cat-Worm cat perfectly.
The Little Raven and little jellyfish, on the other hand, hovered protectively on either side of Asher.
The Little Raven's golden-red eyes were locked onto the... angel, ultimate weapon, beast.
Compared to the Little Raven, the little jellyfish was much more relaxed, circling lazily around Asher's head.
The Little Raven merely glanced at the little jellyfish and let it be.
The kid wasn't scared.
Let it play if it wanted to.
At least it was well-behaved.
No big deal.
As long as it was manageable.
Asher focused more intently on the details. He just wanted to understand what this "Ultimate Weapon" really was...
Fortunately—
For whatever reason, when he clicked on the question mark, he found the answers he wanted.
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
[Ultimate Weapon: Originates from the "Ultimate Weapon" project. The ancients discovered the great upheaval of this world—the decline of mysteries, the fading of the alchemy era, the loss of power in gemstones and metals. A new ruler would be born in this land, and humanity would face bloodshed and upheaval.
Alchemists, using mythological tablets they had acquired, combined their peak skills and collective efforts to create the Ultimate Weapon to fight the new ruler. However, due to various reasons, the project was not as perfect as imagined...]
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Asher: "?"
'Wait!'
He felt like he'd learned a lot, yet at the same time, nothing at all!
Asher rubbed his forehead.
His brain had absorbed too much information at once, making it hard to digest.
But the most crucial part—
'This damn thing is a cliffhanger!'
"What do you mean the project wasn't perfect? What was imperfect about it? At least explain it properly!", Asher couldn't help but complain aloud.
In the silent environment, his voice stood out starkly.
[Ultimate Weapon]—which Asher preferred to call Angel, since it looked more like one—half-opened its drowsy eyes.
All its pupils simultaneously locked onto Asher.
Asher's body stiffened. He had no time to react.
His pet beasts, however, were already on high alert, their fur bristling.
The Little Raven flared its wings with a "whoosh": "!".
The Cat-Worm cat poked its head out of Asher's arms: *bared teeth*
The little white snake coiled around Asher, its golden eyes staring intently at the Ultimate Weapon: *glare*
Only the little jellyfish remained relaxed, slowly contracting and expanding, even curling a few of its long tentacles into different shapes.
Little jellyfish: *Tentacle forms a question mark.*
Still the little jellyfish: *Tentacle forms an exclamation mark.*
Asher: "..."
The tense atmosphere was completely ruined by the jellyfish's symbols.
For some reason, Asher suddenly didn't feel scared anymore.
Maybe this wasn't as terrifying as it seemed?
The Angel was staring at him, but it wasn't doing anything.
Asher's gaze shifted to the panel's [Integrity: 0.6% (Zero means automatic annihilation)]
Asher: "?"
'If I remember correctly, wasn't it 1% just now?'
'Why did it drop by 0.4% in the blink of an eye?'
'Had the Ultimate Weapon done something? Just by looking at me?'
Asher wasn't sure.
He looked at it again.
It dropped from 0.6% to 0.4%.
At this rate...
This Ultimate Weapon, the culmination of countless alchemists' wisdom, was about to be completely damaged, fall into hibernation, or even disappear?
Asher felt it was a pity.
'But also... maybe that is fine?'
He really couldn't imagine what kind of shockwaves the discovery of a man-made Ultimate Weapon would send through society.
Would humanity see it—see them—as a living being or a lifeless machine?
Asher didn't know about others—
But in his eyes, in his ears, what stood before him wasn't a cold, inanimate Ultimate Weapon.
It was a living, breathing Angel.
With that thought, Asher sighed.
What he thought didn't matter.
This Angel—this Ultimate Weapon—was nearing its end.
Asher shook his head.
Less than 1% of its life remained...
Repair? That was something modern humans and Beast Tamers simply couldn't accomplish.
Asher looked at the Angel with regret, witnessing the slow fading of its life.
Just as he was about to close his innate skill panel—
An unexpected event occurred.
The soft, faintly glowing white interface that only he could see suddenly turned an icy blue.
A line of text appeared, framed in a box, flashing in front of Asher:
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
[Detected an intelligent AI lifeform available for reception. Bind and receive?]
[Yes] [No]
(Note: Once bound, the intelligent AI lifeform cannot attack, harbor malice, or deceive the holder.)
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Asher: "?"
'A pie from the sky, straight into my bowl?'
'And an intelligent AI lifeform… Wait a minute!'
'The panel never mentioned this!'
Asher ranted internally about how a bunch of alchemists had somehow created an AI spirit, but without hesitation, he pressed [Yes].
'Yes, yes, yes—definitely yes.'
'An AI spirit... Even though I have no idea what it can do, it looks powerful!'
'Collect!'
Those many eyes blinked at Asher.
Being stared at was fine, but when they blinked—
Hiss—Goosebumps shot up all over Asher's body.
Chest, back, arms, thighs—nothing was spared.
It was truly the kind of non-human creepiness that sent shivers down his spine.
The next moment—
The enormous Angel within his vision slowly dissolved into silver stardust.
In the blink of an eye—
The Angel vanished completely.
Asher looked at his panel.
Nothing.
Asher: "?"
'Where is the Angel?'
Where was the big Angel he had just received?
["Hello, may I ask, are you looking for me?"]
A muffled, robotic yet polite voice came from—
Asher's pocket.
Asher: "?"
A dull, somewhat mechanical but still very polite voice came from the direction of Asher's pocket.
Asher: "!"
Asher swore, he really didn't want to keep getting startled, but this ancient tomb had far too many things that made him jump in shock.
So many that Asher didn't even want to speak.
Fine then.
Whatever.
Asher reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
Yes.
The moment he heard that voice, Asher immediately realized it had come from his phone.
The reason?
Because the voice was exactly the same as the audiobook voice pack he used on his phone.
It sounded completely out of place.
He swiped open the screen.
Unlocked it.
And then, in his phone, he saw something the same size as an app icon… [Ultimate Weapon].
Still in its original form.
Many eyes.
So many, many eyes.
Layers upon layers of eyes.
Scaled down proportionally, it wasn't as terrifying as when it was huge. The Cat-Worm and the little white snake both curiously poked their heads over to look at the icon on Asher's phone, their expressions showing a bit of eager excitement.
"Ultimate Weapon? You can talk, you have consciousness, and you understand the current situation?", Asher bombarded the angel in his phone with a flurry of questions, "The most important question right now—can you change your voice? This voice is just..."
Unfamiliar.
Jarring.
Weird and unsettling.
["Current power is insufficient to support this operation."]
The Ultimate Weapon's voice rang out, full of the same dissonance that made Asher feel like he was listening to an audiobook.
["You may address me as 'Angel.'"]
Asher felt a toothache coming on, "Can you hear what I'm thinking?"
["Please rest assured. After entering your electronic device, Angel is unable to detect your thoughts in any way."]
Asher wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he swore he could hear a trace of unexpected gentleness and consideration in that mechanical voice.
Asher fell silent.
Asher cursed under his breath.
Damn considerate.
Great.
So, after entering his electronic device, it couldn't detect his thoughts… which meant—before entering his electronic device, it could?
Asher finally understood why the [Ultimate Weapon]'s integrity had been visibly dropping at an alarming rate before—it had been scanning his inner thoughts.
'What was I thinking at the time?'
Asher tried to recall, but for a moment, he was at a loss for words.
'Thankfully… a lucky stroke?'
["There is no danger in the Alchemy Workshop. You may move around and explore freely. The most valuable item has already been obtained by you."]
["Energy is insufficient to maintain conversation. Angel will now enter a dormant state. Once energy is replenished, Angel will awaken again. I look forward to seeing you again."]
After answering two of Asher's questions, the phone returned to silence.
Aside from the addition of a tiny pet-like figure on the screen that could be dragged around but had no reaction—all its eyes tightly shut—everything seemed the same as before.
Only Asher himself knew.
It was different.
Completely different.
Not to mention that he had now collected Angel… Let's just call it that. Asher was slightly annoyed that [Ultimate Weapon] had scanned his thoughts, but at the same time, he could understand it. And he realized that the thing seemed to really like the name Angel.
The last thing it did before falling asleep was to finalize that name.
Since it might be a future companion, Asher naturally didn't mind giving it a more convenient and satisfying name for both of them.
"Mythical... Is there a level beyond the Ninth Tier?", Asher murmured.
That answer… wouldn't come anytime soon.
After leaving the sealed door of taboos, Asher was randomly teleported somewhere else. Taking a moment to look around, he thought, 'Hmm, this place looks kind of like a cafeteria.'
Although there wasn't any food left, it was a place where he could sit and lie down, so he decided to rest here for now.
Maybe he'd wait for his companions.
After all…
Like Angel said, there was neither danger nor benefits here.
The most valuable existence had already settled quietly into his phone.
As for the rest… this was just a pure alchemy workshop.
"Alchemy, huh…", Muttering the word, Asher couldn't help but feel a little tempted.
A Beast Master who doesn't want to be an Alchemist Professor isn't a good Beast Master, right?
Unfortunately.
The library—where, theoretically, the most important knowledge and historical records of alchemy should be stored—had zero protective measures for its books.
Two thousand years had reduced all the books to dust.
Completely unreadable.
Let alone uncovering the secrets of alchemy.
Asher studied Angel on his phone while waiting for someone to arrive.
Finally.
In the afternoon, Asher's little companion arrived—Evan.
"Hmm? There's someone here," Evan yawned as he was teleported in from some random labyrinth entrance, looking utterly drained, "Ah… I really don't want to move anymore. This teleportation system is so unfriendly to people who get motion sickness, air sickness, and beast sickness."
"I think I need a complaint form," Evan grumbled, slumped over, and spoke lazily.
Asher: "…"
"If you're feeling unwell, sit down for a bit, eat something, and rest," Asher said helplessly, "This should be a cafeteria. I didn't find anything particularly valuable. We can leave and check out another place later."
"Value…", Evan casually sat down beside Asher, glanced at him, and then slowly pulled out food from his backpack piece by piece, "Value… depends on how you define it. From a historical research perspective, this entire ancient tomb is immensely valuable."
"Though, it might not be what we originally thought," Evan spoke with certainty.
Asher immediately realized that Evan must have also figured out—this wasn't a Beast Master's tomb.
This was an Alchemy Workshop.
A workshop belonging to a group of alchemists.
Thinking about it, Asher rubbed his chin.
Come to think of it… he hadn't really come across much information about alchemy or alchemists in books or records before.
Let alone Alchemy Workshops.
It was as if human history only began with the battles between humans and beasts.
Before that… records did exist, but none of them mentioned alchemy.
Why was that?
Asher felt a mix of curiosity and confusion.
But now wasn't the right time to ask.
Mostly because he wasn't that familiar with Evan.
If Professor Damien were here, that'd be great… or even Adam would do.
They were all researchers, so having a bit of curiosity was perfectly normal, right?
After resting for most of the day, Evan even took a nap before finally packing up and continuing the exploration with Asher.
That's when Asher learned—
The teleportation array at the entrance did separate them, but once they met inside, as long as they entered a teleportation array together, they wouldn't be split up again and would be sent to the same location.
By the afternoon of the next day, everyone had regrouped.
And they decided to leave first.
Because this underground tomb's true identity was far beyond their expectations.
Beast Masters, Breeders, and Pet Professors were not the right people to study this place.
Because this wasn't a damn tomb.
Chatolette: (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
"I must ask everyone to keep the matter of this tomb… Ahem, this two-thousand-year-old beauty, confidential," After coming out, Chatolette didn't even take time to rest before immediately making this request to everyone.
There was no confidentiality agreement signed.
The Beast Tamers, breeders, and pet professors who had participated in this operation all had high status. Even the Beast Tamer Alliance had to take their opinions into account to some extent. As long as things could be negotiated, they wouldn't resort to overly forceful measures.
"Of course."
"Don't worry, we know what can and cannot be said."
"I'll keep an eye on my students; they won't let anything slip."
Everyone gave their assurances, and Chatolette showed a grateful smile, "I sincerely appreciate the cooperation of all the teachers, seniors, and professors. It's getting late, so everyone should go back and rest first."
After a bit more small talk, everyone exchanged farewells.
Exhausted. Absolutely exhausted.
They had explored the tomb—ahem, the two-thousand-year-old beauty—for so long. Even though they had made efforts to rest, the mental and physical fatigue wasn't so easy to shake off. Besides, the inside wasn't exactly a great place for resting.
Since Asher had been invited by Professor Damien, he naturally went back with him to rest.
By the time he woke up, it was already the next morning.
The excavation work on the tomb hadn't stopped. At first glance, there were still plenty of workers bustling about, the scene lively and full of activity.
Asher stood at the entrance of the temporary camp and observed for ten minutes before noticing—there were fewer professionals from the Beast Tamer industry. The invited Beast Tamers, breeders, and pet professors were preparing to leave in batches.
Leaving together would be too conspicuous.
So, they were leaving separately.
Asher turned back inside, where Professor Damien had already thrown himself back into his previous research—optimizing the evolutionary path of the fifth beast over the past few days.
"Eh? Asher, you're here! Come, come, take a look at the evolution path I came up with," Professor Damien waved him over enthusiastically, his face brimming with joy, "I think this evolutionary path is particularly good. It saves a full ten types of intermediate resources compared to before."
Asher glanced at it, activated his golden finger, and immediately spotted the issue, "The fire-attribute energy requirement is met, but at the moment of evolution, it needs an energy source capable of igniting and sustaining a flame—it's not quite enough. There's a risk of evolution failure."
"Hiss—you're right, that is a potential risk. I'll think about it some more and see if I can improve it…", Professor Damien withdrew his hand and muttered to himself.
Asher found it hard to suppress his curiosity. Looking at Professor Damien, who was completely immersed in his research, he hesitated for a moment before asking, "Professor Damien, is there something about alchemy that makes it a taboo subject?"
"I feel like everyone is treating it like a secret that mustn't be spoken about."
Professor Damien paused his work upon hearing this and turned to look at Asher.
Seeing the young face and curious eyes, Professor Damien chuckled, "I almost forgot, Asher, you're still young. It's normal to be curious."
"Well… how should I put it…", Professor Damien glanced at Adam, who was also in the room, and after thinking for a moment, said, "It's not exactly taboo, but… the existence of alchemy is in a Schrödinger's state—it can neither be confirmed nor disproven. Do you understand?"
With a helpless sigh, Professor Damien continued, "Because of this, alchemy has always been in an awkward position, both in Soren and internationally."
Deny its existence? Yet every so often, they would come across ancient alchemical formations with various effects.
Acknowledge it? But aside from those formations, there was nothing else to prove the existence of alchemy.
And the effects shown by these formations… beasts could also achieve them.
So how could you definitively claim that this was alchemy?
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