Moreover, perhaps because the phone had become the vessel for the Angel... for whatever reason, Asher couldn't use his innate skill to check on the Angel's condition.
Asher: *Give up, smash it, whatever happens, happens.*
Who would have thought...
The Angel would wake up so quickly on its own?
Thinking this, Asher couldn't resist his curiosity and poked the ugly big eye on the phone screen.
Angel/Ugly Big Eye: "..."
[Before answering your question, could you please stop what you're doing?]
Asher: "Hmm? So you can feel my touch through the phone screen? What exactly are you now?"
As he spoke, his poking motion didn't stop.
'I mean, this is easy to understand, right? Seeing a desktop pet that's ugly-cute, slightly adorable, just sitting there on the phone screen, who could resist poking it? Holding it down and shaking it around on the screen?'
That's the essence of raising a desktop pet.
Angel/Demoted Again to Ugly-Cute Little Thing: "..."
Originally the size of a single app icon, the Angel suddenly expanded to fill the entire screen.
The eyes surrounding the Angel became more distinct.
They stared unblinkingly in Asher's direction.
Asher: "..."
Stopped moving.
A bit disgusted.
Even though he had already seen the Angel's true form, had even communicated face-to-face with it, seeing every detail so clearly on the phone screen again still gave Asher a slight sanity loss.
"You've pushed all my app icons into the corner," Asher retracted his finger, glancing at the poor little app icons squished together at the bottom of the screen like a pile of discarded trash. He righteously said, "This is unacceptable."
[As long as you agree, the Angel can have full access to your phone, becoming your most excellent personal assistant and intelligent companion.]
[No matter what operation, the Angel will complete it for you.]
Asher: *A bit surprised, but not much.*
From the moment the Angel moved into his phone, Asher had suspected its intelligence level.
The fact that this thing could even ask for his permission before accessing his phone gave him a slight sense of comfort.
'Hmm!'
'Looks like there won't be a Terminator incident.'
"Alright, alright, we're getting off track," Asher tried to refocus, pulling the conversation back to the main point, "First, tell me how you woke up."
"I mean, you were in pretty bad shape before you went into dormancy, right?"
(Durability: 0.1%)
How good could the situation possibly be?
Yet from their conversation just now, Asher could tell, the Angel seemed completely fine.
Thought process clear.
Powerful abilities.
Even though it had downgraded from a physical, Mythical-level beast to a mobile AI, the Angel still possessed formidable power.
'It can detect eavesdroppers nearby just through the phone,' Asher clicked his tongue in his mind.
'That's no weak ability at all.'
[Understood, the Angel will answer your question.]
The Angel blinked, and then the smaller eyes orbiting around its central big eye blinked as well.
Asher held firm.
[The Angel awakened by absorbing stray energy sources in the air, replenishing a small amount of energy. It took nine days to charge up 2%, allowing the Angel to barely boot up and communicate with you.]
Asher: "?"
'That sounds a bit convoluted.'
But Asher simplified it in his mind.
"…So basically, there's an energy source nearby that you can absorb? And you absorbed a tiny bit through air particles, which let you power on again."
[That is a valid interpretation.]
"So the energy source you mentioned... it wouldn't happen to be the cause of this [Corruption] incident, would it?", Asher seriously doubted he was overthinking this.
Nine days.
Exactly the length of his time at sea.
And if there was anything Asher didn't know about, it was the source of the [Corruption].
[Corruption? Do you mean the changes that occur when energy enters other beasts? That terminology is acceptable. The Angel will record your naming convention.]
Asher rubbed his forehead.
His head ached.
Really ached.
He needed to have a good chat with this Angel to clarify the information he was missing.
But overall, the Angel's awakening was a good thing for him.
As long as the Angel couldn't harm him, having an AI like this was quite useful.
Asher was about to say more—
The Angel on his phone screen flickered twice, [Detecting the approach of another human lifeform. The Angel will automatically enter standby mode.]
[You can wake the Angel anytime in a safe environment.]
Making sure Asher saw the message, the screen flashed.
The Angel that had occupied his entire phone screen shrank back into a small icon.
The app icons, previously squished into a corner, neatly returned to their original places.
Asher glanced at them.
The Angel had even cleaned up his background processes and rearranged his most-used apps for better accessibility.
Asher: "..."
'This AI is really considerate.'
"Hahaha, Professor Asher, are you sunbathing all alone here?", Before the person arrived, Muller's loud voice echoed from a distance.
Muller, acting like an energetic weed, waved both hands vigorously at Asher, "Professor Asher, wanna go diving and catch some fish?"
"Who knows, you might even run into some beasts for your research."
After spending the past few days together, if nothing else, Muller had gotten way too familiar with Asher.
Even Sophia and Tuco couldn't hold him back.
Asher looked at the water. He initially wanted to refuse, but in the end, he didn't reject outright, "Not today, I'm not prepared. But I'll give it a try sometime."
"Got it!", Muller slapped his sun-darkened chest with a loud smack, "Professor Asher, whenever you're interested, just call me! I'll make sure you're safe!"
Asher chuckled.
Even though he was carrying a massive secret, a secret that, once unraveled, could solve the entire issue, he remained patient, moving at his own pace, unhurried as ever.
After a tiring day, returning to his cabin, The gentle rocking of the boat no longer felt foreign. Asher had already adapted to it over the past few days.
Finally, Asher pulled out his phone again, "Come out."
Tapping the screen, the Angel's icon expanded with a "whoosh," once again filling the entire display.
Having experienced this before, Asher was now accustomed to the Angel's little quirks.
"Let's continue our conversation from earlier."
"You said something about an energy source, what's the deal? And this whole [Corruption] thing, how does it happen when beasts absorb that energy?"
[The energy source comes from beasts attempting to evolve toward their awakened bloodline's true form. If they succeed, their bodies undergo energy transformation.]
Asher: "?"
Such a short sentence, not a lot of words, but a huge amount of information.
'Evolving toward their awakened bloodline's true form?'
Asher immediately thought of Little Raven's [Three-Legged Golden Crow] bloodline.
'If that's the case, then…'
'Wait.'
Asher suddenly remembered the Angel's rank, 'Mythical.'
'Could it be that Mythical referred to this?'
His face remained calm, but his mind raced with possibilities.
'The evolution path of mythical creatures... This is really...'
"So... has a beast in the ocean successfully broken through toward the mythical bloodline?", Asher's voice was somewhat low.
No wonder Asher was so shocked.
It was truly...
Unimaginable.
A beast of mythical rank had actually appeared in the ocean, with strength beyond estimation?
If that beast had successfully broken through and completely transformed into a mythical creature, would it do anything to humans?
[No, it failed to break through.]
Just as Asher was getting lost in his thoughts, Angel's speech bubble appeared in front of him.
Six words.
Directly shattered all of Asher's previous concerns.
Asher: 'I was worried for nothing.'
'But in any case, this is good news.'
"It failed to break through... then your awakening...", There was some doubt in Asher's gaze.
Something didn't add up.
Angel's words before and after didn't quite connect.
[Although it failed to break through, part of its energy was still transformed into mythical creature energy under the dense bloodline enhancement, which is the energy that Angel requires.]
'Got it.'
'Breakthrough failed.'
'It died.'
'But it can still be put to use.'
At the same time, Asher seemed to understand the origin of [Corruption].
"According to what you're saying... mythical creature energy and beast/stellar energy are different," For Asher, a transmigrator who had experienced the information explosion of another world, this was easy to understand.
It was like cultivating immortality.
The moment you transform from a mortal into an immortal, the power within your body undergoes a fundamental transformation, this is both a qualitative and an energy upgrade.
That unknown beast, which failed its upgrade and died, had part of its energy upgraded, while another part remained unchanged.
The upgraded part... was usable by Angel.
What about other beasts?
[Corruption], it was caused by those beasts coming into contact with, ingesting, or consuming mythical energy.
[Yes.]
[Mythical energy has an irresistible allure for beasts seeking to break through their bloodline limits. However, ordinary beasts can only ingest a very limited amount of mythical energy, and their ability to absorb it is almost negligible.]
[When mythical energy exists within the body but cannot be converted into one's own energy, it begins to corrode the beast from the inside out, altering its brain structure and accelerating its demise.]
[Only mythical creatures can fully and without any side effects absorb mythical energy.]
Asher: "..."
A toxic delicacy. To eat or not to eat, that is the question.
Most of the beasts in the ocean couldn't resist choosing to eat it, even though the chances of being altered were high, they took the gamble. Who knew, maybe they'd succeed?
Fortune favors the bold.
Humans understood this principle, and so did beasts.
Thus, countless beasts threw themselves into absorbing mythical energy, only to be eroded by it, and then... the coastal invasion happened.
"...What did they attack the coastline for? Did humans provoke them?", Asher's expression was filled with helplessness.
Seriously.
Humans were completely innocent.
After all this, humans gained nothing.
Yet, they ended up being the unlucky ones.
Hugely unlucky.
[They weren't attacking humans. They just wanted to go ashore.]
[In the process, they encountered humans, felt threatened by them, and thus attacked.]
Silence.
Tonight's mood was one of deep contemplation.
Beasts of the ocean, wanting to go ashore?
Sure enough—
E̶v̶e̶n̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶a̶n̶o̶t̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶w̶o̶r̶l̶d̶,̶ ̶g̶e̶t̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶l̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶h̶a̶r̶e̶d̶ ̶p̶u̶r̶s̶u̶i̶t̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶a̶l̶l̶ ̶l̶i̶f̶e̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶m̶s̶.
"A disaster out of nowhere."
"Humans are just too unlucky."
Asher rubbed his forehead.
Only after completely understanding the situation could one see how absurd this whole affair was.
'Isn't it just a farce?'
The ocean's beasts causing a ruckus about going ashore, was it to occupy the land? To eliminate humans along the way?
Asher: 'Heh!'
The thoughts of oceanic beasts, after having their brain structures altered, were truly innocent and unpretentious.
"So now, as long as we deal with this mythical energy, we can stop the constant emergence of [Corrupted] beasts, right?"
Angel didn't speak, only blinked at Asher.
That was the idea.
Asher: "..."
'Oh, nice.'
'He has been waiting for me to reach here.'
"You want that energy."
[Yes.]
Angel did not try to hide its desire.
It wanted it.
Very much.
Although it was an artificially created lifeform, from the moment of its birth, Angel had existed as a living being, with a desire to live.
Unlike other beasts that simply grew stronger step by step, Angel needed energy to sustain itself.
Otherwise... it would end up like before, quietly falling into a slumber within Asher's phone, unable to perceive the outside world, no different from being dead.
"Alright."
[Angel can promise you...?]
[#￥...%*（!!￥##R`1]
Asher's voice and Angel's text appeared simultaneously.
Angel: ?
It glitched.
Angel blinked at Asher, then blinked again.
The originally rhythmic blinking, like human breathing, suddenly lost control. Its many eyes blinked frantically, each with a mind of its own.
Asher had to admit, this scene was deeply unsettling.
Even more unsettling than before.
But Asher couldn't help laughing.
He had understood the meaning behind Angel's last unfinished words.
Did this mean he had even managed to shock an artificial intelligence?
Of course.
It also proved that Angel wasn't a purely digital, code-based intelligent lifeform at its core.
It could bargain.
Which meant Angel was still a being of flesh and blood.
And if it had flesh and blood, it had emotions, it had weaknesses.
Asher kept his expression neutral, but inside, he grew more composed.
'Good.'
'There is room for negotiation.'
"What's wrong?", Asher blinked as well, smiling naturally, "Like you said, I need to solve this problem, and you just happen to be able to, and it benefits you too. What's wrong with me agreeing?"
Angel: [....]
["But based on human behavioral patterns..."]
For the first time in a while, instead of using text, Angel spoke through the phone again.
It wasn't Asher's imagination, he could hear clear pauses and hesitation, mimicking human thought patterns.
["At this point, I should be analyzing the pros and cons, offering reassurance, and convincing the human that I will not do anything harmful to them, only then can I obtain their consent."]
Angel fluently laid out this long statement.
Asher smiled.
"Aren't we friends?", he asked, pausing for effect, "Or perhaps, partners?"
"I thought you chose to come with me and entrusted me with the task of finding energy because you trusted me," Asher deliberately avoided mentioning his talent skill.
He focused entirely on persuading Angel, which had some emotional intelligence but wasn't very high and had little understanding of human cunning.
Angel: [?]
Was it because its main body was inside the phone, or was this just something Angel could do, its many eyes all turned into question marks.
It was all about... confusion and bewilderment.
'So this is what it feels like to be trusted and entrusted with feelings by a human...?'
It had never experienced such an emotion before.
Born as the "Ultimate Weapon," burdened with a mission, and then sealed away for various reasons— Until it met this human.
And received its first real name.
And was entrusted with genuine emotion...
["You're right, you can trust me. And I will not let you down."], Angel said in a mechanical yet steady tone, without the slightest pause, as if stating an undeniable truth.
Asher: *A nonexistent conscience twinged for a second.*
Then—
'Eh, whatever~'
'It's not like I am a bad person.'
'Isn't it true that there is no contract between us?'
Even if the Angel wouldn't harm him, after getting used to the world's rules regarding "contracts," Asher still couldn't help but overthink a little.
Fortunately, the Angel was far simpler than he had imagined.
Asher: *Confidently justified*
———
The next day, the yacht resumed its journey.
"Yes, this direction. Turn a little, a little more… Okay, okay, just like that. We'll stop here."
A few days ago, Asher was only making small adjustments to the route. But today, he went straight to the cockpit, making grand gestures and boldly changing the course.
Yacht pilot: "…"
'Control!'
'Control! Control! Control!'
The pilot repeatedly reminded himself: 'This isn't some clueless idiot pretending to understand things and making reckless demands. Professor Asher must have a reason for doing this.'
Perhaps due to repeated self-reassurance, combined with the fact that Asher's expression really made him look like he knew what he was doing… after enough orders, the pilot got used to it.
He even started thinking, 'This trip is meant to support Professor Asher's research anyway.'
'Professor Asher can do whatever he wants!'
Muller and Tuco, who occasionally came down to check the situation: "…"
"Wait, wait, wait!"
"When I tell you to listen to me while piloting, why don't you ever listen?", Muller, seeing how obediently the pilot followed Asher's instructions, jumped up and pointed at him, shouting, "Double standards! This is nepotism!"
The pilot rolled his eyes at Muller, "And who are you? Can you compare yourself to Professor Asher?"
"Yes, it's a double standard. So what? What are you gonna do about it?"
"If you've got so many opinions, pilot the yacht yourself."
Muller: "…"
This isn't about whether he can pilot it or not. This is clearly a matter of dignity.
Pilot: *Can't be bothered with you.*
Asher: "Cough, cough."
A little embarrassed.
But he really wasn't messing around.
The location he pointed to was precisely where the Angel detected the highest concentration of Mythical energy. Only after reaching this area could Asher extract energy.
Absorbing and converting energy from the air was inefficient and had extremely low conversion and absorption rates. It could only be used as an emergency measure.
Since Asher and the Angel had already reached an understanding and become good partners, they naturally had to use the most efficient method, going straight for the source.
.
.
.
The yacht continued for most of the day.
At precisely 1:10 PM, it arrived at the location Asher specified.
"We'll stay here for the night."
The pilot had no objections to Asher's decision.
'Okay.'
'Sure.'
'Whatever.'
'Professor Asher, you just keep researching.'
Faced with the pilot's look of complete trust, Asher felt a little guilty.
'Ahem!'
He turned and headed to the deck.
"Do you have diving equipment? Get me a set, I'm going down," Asher went straight to Muller.
Muller: "?"
"Huh? Here? This place isn't even on the nautical charts we usually follow," Muller hesitated and looked at Asher, "How about I go down with Old Tuco first to check it out? We don't know how many beasts are in this area…"
"If Professor Asher, you just want to dive, maybe we should change locations…"
"Based on my analysis, the source of this abnormal energy is most likely around here. I want to go down and take a look," Asher cut him off.
Muller instantly shut his mouth.
Then, his face filled with utter disbelief, "Wait, Professor Asher, how did you even find… the source here?"
Thinking back over the past ten days…
Everyone had been at sea together, on the same boat. They weren't exactly inseparable, but they more or less knew what Asher had been up to.
And yet…
They felt nothing.
Sophia and Tuco's contracted beasts had even found new evolution paths.
Then, out of nowhere, Asher said he had found the source.
Muller: "???"
Muller wanted to crawl into Asher's head and see how his brain was wired. Otherwise, how could there be such a massive gap between people?
"No way. If that's the case, there's even more reason not to let you go alone! Let us handle it!", Tuco had just arrived on deck when he overheard the conversation, immediately speaking up.
Sophia also followed up from behind, "Yeah, take us with you!"
Asher: "…"
He appreciated the sentiment.
But…
"No," Asher refused.
"I can vaguely sense the source through my innate skill," Half-truth, half-lie.
Blame everything on the innate skill.
He, Asher, was just an ordinary Beast Tamer and Pet Trainer with no secrets whatsoever.
"You guys wouldn't be able to find it," That part was true.
After all, Asher had the Angel guiding him. The others didn't.
Muller, Tuco, and Sophia: "…"
"Then can we at least have our beasts accompany you?"
"Yeah, Spirit River Fish is strong, it'll keep you safe."
"Jade Maiden Fish and the others can protect you too!"
"My Banyan Fish isn't weak either, okay?"
The three of them exchanged glances and felt this was a good plan.
All their contracted beasts were water-attribute, perfectly suited for the ocean.
Even if they couldn't go, their beasts could, right?
Asher: '…This… is a bit tricky.'
"It's best if they don't," Asher sighed helplessly, "If the source is really down there and your beasts recklessly approach it, what if they also get contaminated…"
He didn't even need to finish.
The three of them shuddered.
They had fought countless corrupted beasts in the past few days.
They knew exactly what happened to them.
As trainers, none of them wanted to see their own beasts suffer that fate.
But Asher's safety…
"Trust me, I'll be fine," Asher struck while the iron was hot, "I'm a Beast Tamer, after all. If anything happens, I can summon my beasts to block it."
"You guys…", He thought for a moment, "You should stay on deck and keep an eye out. Drive away any nearby beasts to lighten my load."
Asher smiled.
The others, though still unsure, had to admit, he had a point.
"Fine… But please, Professor Asher, be careful!", Muller sighed helplessly, "If anything happens to you, it won't just be the Guild Master coming after me. For the sake of my own life, please protect yourself."
"Got it, got it," Asher chuckled.
'Fair enough.'
'If something does happen… President Robb will explode.'
And the Beast Tamer Guild Headquarters: "…"
'Hah!'
'Do we not exist?'
'We'd explode too!'
With Sophia's assistance, Asher put on the complete diving gear.
It was different from the somewhat bulky diving equipment Asher had used in his past life, which required carrying a huge oxygen tank.
Although most of this world's technological advancements were focused on the medical field, other areas hadn't been completely stagnant.
Changes were more subtle, blending into everyday life.
Without comparison and regular exposure, one wouldn't even notice these changes.
Take diving gear, for example.
Both the diving suit and the oxygen apparatus were thinner, more form-fitting, and lasted longer.
As for the exact principles behind it… Asher had no clue.
But on the packaging beside him, he saw that this diving equipment was developed based on the habits, characteristics, and abilities of various water-attribute beasts, produced in some kind of special environment with special equipment.
It could sustain a dive up to a hundred meters deep for about six hours.
Of course.
Most people couldn't even dive that deep, let alone need that much time.
This was just a way for the manufacturer to boast about their amazing product.
But…
Asher thought about how deep he might have to dive today.
'Mm.'
'Hopefully, this diving gear will hold up.'
'Hopefully, Angel will hold up.'
After moving around a bit to get used to the diving suit, Asher signaled to Sophia and the others, "I'm going in."
Under their uneasy gazes, filled with the urge to stop him and take his place, he leaped into the seawater with a splash.
Watching Asher wave one last time before plunging into the deep blue ocean, the three people on the deck let out sighs in succession, like a relay.
"Not sure if letting Professor Asher go down alone is the right choice…"
"He should be fine, right? Professor Asher looked pretty experienced. Maybe he has some diving experience?"
"But diving experience and searching for something underwater, in a potentially dangerous seabed environment, are—"
"If you can't say anything good, shut up!"
Sophia and Tuco simultaneously rolled their eyes at Muller.
'Do you even know how to talk?'
'This is not the time for bad omens!'
Muller: "…Alright, alright, fine, I'll shut up. That was my bad."
Halfway through speaking, Muller realized he had said the wrong thing again. So, after being interrupted, he uncharacteristically didn't argue back or get defensive. Instead, he sincerely said,
"Professor Asher will be fine!"
Sophia and Tuco: "…"
Was it just their imagination?
Or did his words sound even more ominous?
That in itself was a pretty impressive talent, wasn't it?
———
Ten meters.
Twenty meters.
Twenty-five meters.
Very soon, Asher reached his previous diving limit.
For an ordinary, non-professional human like him, this depth was already quite a challenge.
For a light interaction with marine life, this was deep enough.
Unfortunately.
The depth he needed to reach today was far beyond this.
Deeper.
Even deeper.
Asher struggled to reach into his pocket and touch the phone he had secretly brought down, even though he wasn't supposed to.
["Energy shield activated."]
Through the water, Angel's voice reached Asher's ears, carrying an unexplainable distortion.
Immediately after—
A bubble, large enough to completely envelop Asher, surrounded him entirely.
Asher tentatively removed his oxygen mask, "I can breathe."
["Yes, the shield can function in various extreme environments. The outermost layer of the shield, an invisible membrane to the naked eye, converts volcanic lava, deep-sea glacial ice, and other elements into nutrients suitable for human survival."]
This time, Angel's voice came through clearly.
What Angel didn't mention was that forming this shield consumed 1% of its energy. And to maintain the shield, another 1% would be drained every half hour.
If it weren't for the fact that they were approaching the energy source and the surrounding energy was abundant, allowing Angel to absorb an extra 3%, keeping this shield active would have been difficult.
Asher nodded in satisfaction.
You never know until you try.
After testing it himself… just like Angel said, there was no exaggeration. The effect was excellent.
He felt even more confident about what lay ahead.
Taking a deep breath, to ease the pressure of being immersed in the deep sea, Asher thought for a moment before asking, "Can I release my pets?"
Asher had to admit, the ocean environment really had an indescribable oppressive feel.
Even though he didn't have thalassophobia¹, being in such a setting for too long… it was still unsettling to some degree.
This fear was instinctual for humans.
It wasn't something the cute little fish, swaying seaweed, or colorful sea anemones could completely dispel.
Having his familiar pets by his side might help.
["You can."]
["I suggest releasing the pets named Little Raven and Little Jellyfish. The other two are unsuitable for this environment."]
Asher: "?"
Asher hadn't planned on releasing all his pets anyway.
The shield wasn't big enough for that.
But he had been thinking of releasing Little White Snake and Little Jellyfish.
Water attribute.
Marine creature.
A perfect fit.
But Little Raven and Little Jellyfish… what kind of pairing was that?
Little Raven, a bird-type beast, was good for land and air, but definitely not the sea.
Little Jellyfish, a marine beast, a mutant Box Jellyfish, had absolutely no overlapping traits with Little Raven.
The reason for this recommendation was…
["Because they can best resist the temptation of mythical energy and even attempt to absorb a tiny amount of its overflow without being corroded."]
Asher: "?"
Asher: "!"
"Little Raven and Little Jellyfish can do that?"
["Yes. Little Raven's awakened Three-Legged Golden Crow bloodline is strong enough to handle it, and Little Jellyfish as well."]
"But that doesn't make sense. Little Jellyfish hasn't even awakened its bloodline yet, and its evolution path is still—"
["Based on Angel's analysis, there are still abilities in Little Jellyfish that you haven't fully discovered."]
Asher: 'Understood.'
Once they got back, he was going to squeeze every last bit of potential out of Little Jellyfish.
Little Jellyfish, whose dream was to eat and sleep all day: "?"
Asher released Little Raven and Little Jellyfish.
Little Raven: o(Д)っ
Little Jellyfish: ヽ(°▽°)ノ
For Little Raven, who had always lived on land, diving so deep into the sea was a complete shock. It flapped its wings in a panic, ready to go all out.
"Calm down, calm down," Asher quickly hugged Little Raven, stroking its feathers through the thin, cool diving suit.
This new sensation snapped Little Raven back to reality.
Little Raven: o(^｀）o
'Uncomfortable.'
'But since it is my Beastmaster, I will endure.'
Asher: "…Wow, thank you so much for your generosity, my lady."
Little Raven: ╭(╯^╰)╮
'No problem.'
'This is what a bird should do.'
After calming down, Little Raven instantly understood what was going on.
After all, it had been aware of Asher's conversation with Angel before diving in.
It was just that suddenly appearing in an unprecedented environment had caused a slight moment of stress response.
Little Raven: 'Don't bring it up again!'
'The bird has no embarrassing history!'
'The bird is perfect!'
Asher: ◉‿◉
The photo had already been taken by "Angel."
How could such a memorable moment be missed?
Unfortunately.
The naive Little Raven had no idea of human cunningness, nor that it was being toyed with by both a human and an artificial intelligence working together.
Little Raven: >_
Unlike Little Raven, Little Jellyfish felt differently.
Arriving at the seabed, for Little Jellyfish, was like returning to its happy homeland… Oh, wait, not really. Its memories of its homeland weren't pleasant or joyful at all.
Being by Asher's side, eating and drinking happily, was much more enjoyable.
Little Jellyfish: 'Today is another day of super loving my Beastmaster!'
'My Beastmaster is the best Beastmaster in this world!'
Soft and sweet, just like a stuffed candy, Little Jellyfish happily circled around Asher, constantly using its eight tentacles to mimic a flower-scattering gesture.
From time to time, it even stuck itself to the edge of the protective shield, as if wanting to slip outside of it.
"No," Asher only said one word after seeing this, and without needing any explanation, Little Jellyfish immediately stopped its dangerous action and obediently clung to Asher's side.
Little Jellyfish: 'Beastmaster, look at me! I'm super obedient!'
Asher chuckled and patted the top of Little Jellyfish.
In a place where Asher couldn't see, the Angel on the phone screen blinked…
'If I had a physical body, will my good friend be willing to pat me too?'
Angel remained quiet, saying nothing.
But this thought took root in Angel's heart.
"Let's continue descending."
After a wave of interactions filled with love with his little cuties, fully recharged, Asher took a deep breath and spoke to Angel.
Yes.
Continue descending.
However, this next phase of descent would no longer be controlled by Asher, but entirely by the power of Angel.
For Angel, this was also an energy-consuming task.
But Angel didn't really mind.
Energy, as long as there was enough, was fine. Besides, weren't they heading to replenish it right now?
The protective shield continued descending at a seemingly slow but actually submarine-like speed.
50 meters.
100 meters.
200 meters.
500 meters.
This depth had already exceeded most submarines known in Asher's previous life.
Going even deeper…
"Increase the speed, it's fine. You don't have to worry about my physical condition. Your protective shield is very reliable."
Asher couldn't see Angel, but his voice carried determination and a resolve to burn all bridges.
"Maintaining the shield and driving the descent both consume your energy, right?"
"Let's make this quick."
"Let's try to get your energy fully replenished!"
[[1] Thalassophobia: Fear of deep water]
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