Beast Tamer: I Can See Evolution Paths

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"A pet beast evolution professor who doesn't want to be a beast master isn't a good breeder.", Jessica nodded heavily, speaking in an absolutely certain tone, "Brother Asher is also very talented in pet beast breeding."

"Unfortunately, he's not willing to study it in depth."

The students from the combat department who were defeated by Asher, "..."

'FU*K'— This was their truest inner thought!

Cursing and grumbling!

'Damn it!'

'The heavens are just too unfair!'

———

"Alright, that's it for today's lesson.", After finishing the last lecture of the day, Iris clapped her hands, signaling everyone to look in her direction.

Iris: "I have some good news to share with you all."

Students: "?"

Not very convinced.

The boys and girls sitting below all looked pale.

Especially some of the male students.

At first, when they discovered that their professional course teacher was a beauty—a stunning beauty at that—each of them had entertained some wild fantasies.

But then...

Once class started, Iris first bombarded their brains with various specialized knowledge and theories, then interrogated them, conducted spot checks, and used her sharp tongue to strike at their nerves.

Whenever they failed to answer due to not paying attention in class or not reviewing properly, or if their thinking wasn't quick enough, Iris would look at them with a doubtful gaze and follow up with lines like, "Asher already self-studied these knowledge points ages ago."

"Compared to Asher... never mind, I shouldn't compare you to Asher. That would be unfair to him."

And so on.

Even though Asher wasn't in class, the class was filled with stories about him.

Asher was just one step away from becoming every teacher's "ideal student" in the pet beast evolution department.

Well...

Since Asher was also their student, he didn't really count as someone else's kid.

In short... any wild fantasies were crushed to dust.

Any tiny ripples of admiration in their hearts were thoroughly shattered by Iris's reality checks. Even thinking about that face made them shrink away.

"Now that it's been more than two months since the semester started, I believe everyone has gained a deep understanding of our major.", Iris said expressionlessly in the silent classroom.

It didn't matter if they didn't speak, she could speak for them, "In order to help you better experience the difficulty of being a researcher and deepen your understanding of this course, I have arranged a group assignment."

"[Hypothetical New Evolution Pathway for the Red Flame Hound with Theoretical Support]"

Students upon hearing this long topic name, "?"

"Teacher… we're only freshmen. Freshmen! Are you sure we can handle this?", Their expressions shifted from confusion to panic, and finally to shock.

It wasn't that they lacked effort.

Their teacher was just too cruel.

"I think you'll be fine.", Iris calmly observed their collapsing expressions, "It's not like I'm asking you to actually create a new evolution path for the Red Flame Hound—I'm not that unrealistic."

'Hmm? Hmm? Hmm?"

Below, some students' eyes began darting around, their minds overflowing with sneaky ideas.

Iris didn't even need to look to know what they were thinking.

Planning to slap together a half-baked evolution path and bluff their way through?

"You must provide a clear theoretical foundation—what starting points you chose, why you chose this evolution method, and if resources were used, you must justify their usage.", Iris's words shattered their thoughts of half-heartedly faking the report.

As the dismissal bell rang, Iris gracefully uncrossed her long legs, dusted off her clothes, and stood up, "As long as your theoretical argument convinces me, you'll get a high score. Otherwise, you know what's coming."

"Alright, class dismissed. Divide into groups freely. I expect your results in my inbox within a week."

"I will also allocate half a day for you to present your findings. You will have to face my questions and critiques in person.", Iris made it clear.

That's right.

She was going to tear apart their work face-to-face.

If they couldn't explain themselves properly?

Heh.

Then get ready for a failing grade.

Mournful wails filled the classroom.

Some pleaded, "One week isn't enough, teacher! Give us more time—how about a year?"

Some cried out, "Teacher, we really can't do it! We just can't!"

Iris, who was about to leave, paused for a moment. She adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses and glanced back at her suffering students, "Is this assignment really that hard?"

Before the students could answer, Iris nodded and casually added, "Actually, it's not too bad. Back when Asher—"

"Stop! Stop! Stop, teacher, please don't continue!", A female student made a painful expression, raised her hand in a 'pause' gesture, and spoke with a sorrowful face, "Teacher, we've long since recognized the massive gap between us and Asher. Please, can you also acknowledge the differences between people?"

"We really don't have Asher's brain. What you assigned is impossible for us."

'Really impossible!', The surrounding students, both male and female, nodded frantically.

Whether or not Asher could do it, they didn't know.

But they definitely couldn't.

"...", Iris glanced at the students who had mastered synchronized responses. Under the female student's desperate, expectant gaze, she finally relented, "Fine then… how about half a month? Half a month should be enough, right?"

"Don't push your luck, though. This report really isn't difficult."

"It's just a matter of gathering a little more data. Delaying further is pointless.", Iris cut off their hopes of negotiating for more time, "Do your best. The group assignment scores will be factored into your final grade."

With that, Iris truly left, leaving behind a classroom full of devastated students.

"Damn it… half a month still isn't enough! I'm just a regular person."

"I've realized something—being in the same year as Asher means that, in any pet beast evolution-related class, the teachers will inevitably use him as a benchmark… But how is that fair? I don't deserve this!"

"You can't just put me next to an dragon and assume I'm also a dragon. Maybe I'm just a speck of black pepper meant to garnish the dish?"

"If we can form groups… can I just invite Asher into ours?"

The classroom went silent for three seconds.

Then everyone nodded.

"That's a great idea."

"One person's strength can crush ten."

"Absolutely perfect."

"Now we just have one last problem—where do we find Asher, and how do we convince him to carry us?"

Everyone looked at each other.

Forget it, forget it.

Dreaming is nice, but one must recognize when they're dreaming.

Most groups were formed within dormitory units—there wasn't much choice since they weren't all that familiar with others.

Emanuel also teamed up with his three dormmates.

"I'll gather information on Red Flame Hounds. You three will analyze and integrate the data. I'll write the content, Jacob will handle the PPT layout and animations, Alex will compile the data, and in the end, Emanuel, you'll do the presentation," their dorm leader Jerry, a massive, muscular man nearly two meters tall, assigned the tasks.

After confirming their roles, the team got to work.

Meanwhile, in a different corner of the dorm…

"Why the hell does Asher get to chill while we suffer through this nightmare?"

A certain someone grumbled… yet again.

Emanuel made an OK gesture, "Brother Jerry, you've handled the hardest parts—data collection and writing the content. We'll take care of analysis and the rest of the PPT, no problem."

The scholarly-looking Jacob adjusted his glasses, "Just like Emanuel said, no problem."

"Fine, fine…", Alex , nicknamed "Stone," looked annoyed, "We have to integrate and analyze, then write the data. Why is there so much work?"

Jerry and Jacob glanced at him but said nothing.

Stone kept grumbling, "Compared to us, Asher has it way too easy."

"No classes, no attendance, and he doesn't even have to do this damn assignment. Why can't I have it that good?"

As he spoke, Stone crossed his legs and shot his dormmates a mischievous look, "Seriously, don't you guys think that woman and Asher might have a—"

"Alex, you're an adult now. You need to take responsibility for what you say.", Emanuel's expression darkened, his brows furrowed as he cut Stone off mercilessly, "What you just said is pure rumor-mongering."

Stone froze.

Seeing that Jerry and Jacob weren't even looking at him, clearly disapproving of his words, he awkwardly sat up straight, "I was just talking nonsense, just nonsense."

Emanuel rolled his eyes, not bothering to comment.

Talking nonsense?

Wasn't it just jealousy toward Asher?

Emanuel couldn't even be bothered to respond.

———

The dormitory at Bluewind University was quite nice.

It wasn't brand new, but at least 80% new—four-person rooms with upper bunk beds and lower desks, plenty of space, a private bathroom, and a small balcony. There was even air conditioning, making it a top-tier setup.

Emanuel had been very satisfied with his university life after seeing the dorm.

Until he met his three roommates.

Jerry—anyone seeing him for the first time would assume he was part of a gang. Some might even imagine he had a dragon tattoo on his left and a tiger on his right while riding a ferocious beast.

In reality, Jerry had indeed awakened the potential of a Beast Master. He was the only one in their dorm who had.

Jerry was generous and outgoing, making him the natural dorm leader.

Jacob—a guy who looked refined and actually was, plus he was a neat freak. Emanuel's evaluation: great researcher material.

A bit nitpicky, but overall, acceptable. Emanuel could tolerate all kinds of quirky classmates.

Except for the last one—Alex/Stone.

Emanuel felt that ending up as Stone's roommate was probably the result of eighteen lifetimes of bad karma.

He admitted that, as an 18-year-old male university student, there were certain lonely, quiet nights when his mind wandered to some inappropriate fantasies… only to be followed by emptiness and regret.

But damn it, who constantly talked about such things? Who went around evaluating every woman they saw, thinking this one wasn't good enough, that one was too ugly—like he was picking concubines?

Worst of all, after seeing their course instructor, Iris, Stone became convinced that she—yes, she—had fallen for him at first sight.

The other three roommates, including Emanuel: "?"

Shouldn't there be some self-awareness in dreams?

After three days of listening to this nonsense, the most nitpicky and sharp-tongued of them, Jacob, finally snapped.

"Have you looked in a mirror? You think Iris has a crush on you? If all the men in the world were wiped out except for you, she'd probably rather hide in a mountain forest than spare you a glance. Do you have any sense of your own looks?"

"Of all people, you think she'd pick you? Is Asher not handsome enough? Is he not smart enough? Or did Iris just say one less 'Asher' in class today, making you think you had a chance?"

"Even a toad wouldn't be as delusional as you."

Emanuel and Jerry couldn't help but give Jacob a thumbs-up.

Stone finally shut up.

They thought that would be the end of it—that Stone wouldn't dare spout such nonsense in front of them anymore.

But sometimes, some people just defy expectations.

Stone stopped obsessing over Iris.

He started ranting about Asher instead.

For most of his complaints, they just put on headphones or focused on their own work, pretending not to hear.

But today…

"Ever heard of respecting teachers and valuing harmony?", Emanuel looked at Stone calmly, "Spreading rumors about Asher all day long—aren't you tired? We sure are. Instead of wasting time, why not help us finish the group project? OK?"

"I—I was just venting. This assignment is so hard. Why can't I complain?", Stone's face turned red, clearly embarrassed.

Jacob couldn't even be bothered to roll his eyes, "What's hard about it? Tell you what—pick any one of our tasks, and we'll switch."

Stone shut up.

The others had even harder tasks. He definitely didn't want to swap.

He was just complaining to get others to badmouth Asher with him and vent his frustration.

The four of them got to work.

Researching was the most tedious and difficult part, but Emanuel and Jacob didn't push all the burden onto Jerry—they helped too.

"Stone didn't come?"

"Good. Don't want to hear him whining about Asher."

"For real. I don't get it—why does he fixate on Asher? Did Asher offend him?"

"Nope. I'm pretty sure Brother Asher doesn't even know Stone exists. In our class, he probably only knows me.", Emanuel puffed up his chest proudly, grinning smugly.

Jerry and Jacob: "…"

The two of them smacked Emanuel's shoulders from both sides.

"Shut up, kid. We're already jealous enough."

"Damn it! I want to know Asher too… I fought him twice, but my little lion beast could barely beat his Jade Silver Snake. But after he got that weird cat-dragon thing… sob sob sob…", The towering two-meter-tall man shed real tears, "And I don't know if it's my imagination, but even that little white snake is getting harder to fight…"

Couldn't even imagine what a few months would do.

Jerry got more depressed the more he thought about it.

"I used to think I had talent for combat and even considered transferring to the Beast Master department… But now…"

His confidence was completely shattered.

All thanks to Asher.

"Rest in peace.", Emanuel patted their dorm leader's shoulder with a sorrowful expression, "I understand your pain. I'm even starting to feel lucky that I'm not a Beast Master."

At least he wouldn't have to suffer a double dose of Asher's talent.

Otherwise, he might have turned jealous and bitter too… Well, actually, that was unlikely.

Because that just wasn't his nature.

"But being in the same era as a genius like Asher… Tsk.", Jacob, who had been silent, shook his head, hesitated, then said nothing more.

Emanuel, however, could vaguely understand what he meant.

Asher's talent and achievements felt distant from their lives. If they weren't classmates, they might never have had the chance to interact with him at all.

Might as well make the most of it.

Maybe if they made an impression now, they could call in a favor in the future?

The three of them didn't discuss it further.

.

.

.

Half a month passed quickly. For inexperienced students, creating a well-reasoned evolution plan was no easy task.

This wasn't the old days when you could just throw a bunch of herbs and materials together and hope for the best.

They worked hard to make every step perfect, aiming for a high score.

And then…

"You wrote that 60% of pre-evolution Blazing Flame Hounds have the King attribute, but only 4% successfully evolve into Flame Hounds, so you concluded that the King attribute is a hindrance.", Iris sat below the podium, her expression a half-smile, "Interesting. This data is very interesting. Your theory… hmm, also very interesting."

She said "interesting" three times.

Both Emanuel, who was presenting, and his roommates immediately realized—this was not a compliment.

Iris used three consecutive "interesting."

Whether it was Emanuel, who was making the report, or his three roommates in the audience, they all noticed that what Iris truly meant was definitely not that.

WHOOSH!

Jerry and Jacob both turned to look at Stone, who was responsible for data compilation, "Are you sure your data is correct?"

"I… I just copied the data exactly from the materials you gave me.", Stone was sweating profusely, not directly answering, instead pushing all the responsibility onto Jerry.

At this moment, Jerry and Jacob also realized that the data Stone wrote was probably indeed problematic.

"Stop dodging the question and answer us directly. Is there a problem? Have you checked it or not?", Jacob frowned.

"What's there to check? I just copied it exactly from what you guys gave me.", Stone stubbornly insisted.

"The data is ridiculously wrong, and the final conclusion is laughably absurd.", Iris rested her chin on one hand, tilting her head slightly to look at Emanuel on the podium. The beauty, with cloud-like temples and a delicate face, exuded a lazy elegance, but unfortunately… no one dared to appreciate it.

The half-smiling expression on Iris's face, combined with her icy tone, made them feel as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over them from head to toe.

Their bodies felt cold.

Their hearts felt even colder.

"The correct data should be that the probability of a Red Flame Hound having the King attribute before evolution is 8%. Among the 8% that have the King attribute, 4% evolve into Blazing Flame Hounds, and the evolved Blazing Flame Hounds possess strength superior to most ordinary Blazing Flame Hounds.", Without needing to consult any books, Iris directly recited the correct data.

"60%... I really feel like laughing. How about I find you a hundred Red Flame Hounds? You don't even have to make them all evolve. Just give me back 60 with the King attribute."

"If you can actually do that, I'll personally recommend you to transfer to the pet beast breeding major. I guarantee you'll be the next Master Homer."

Emanuel's expression was awkward, his face pale.

Iris continued, "I can barely understand if you mistakenly wrote 6% as 60%—maybe your hand slipped and added an extra zero. But how did you manage to write 8% as 60%? Teach me?"

"Teacher, I didn't write this part of the data…", Emanuel instinctively tried to explain.

Jerry and Jacob were also ready to back him up.

Only Stone, who was actually responsible for the data and made the mistake, lowered his head and pretended to know nothing.

Jerry and Jacob were furious, but at this moment, they were more worried about Emanuel, who was presenting on stage. The two quickly stood up to defend him, "Teacher, this data was mistakenly written by someone else in our group…"

"No need to explain to me.", Iris waved her hand, cutting them off. Her gaze briefly swept over Stone before returning to Emanuel on the podium, "I can guess what happened. But when you were reading out such erroneous data, did you not doubt it at all?"

"You all know how rare the King attribute is. Yet, when you saw '60% of Red Flame Hounds have the King attribute,' that didn't strike you as strange? If your teammates made a mistake, couldn't you use your own brain to think?"

"You trust your own work so much that you don't even have a sense of scale?", Iris spoke in a disappointed tone.

Emanuel was speechless.

Jerry and Jacob, who had wanted to defend him, also fell silent. Because… she was right.

If they had identified the problem in time, adapting on the spot would have been the right move.

"Alright, alright, there's nothing worth watching in your report anymore.", Iris waved her hand at Emanuel, who had only just begun presenting, "Come down. Let the next student go."

As she spoke, she swiftly wrote down their scores on the paper.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Jerry, 60

Jacob, 60

Emanuel, 60

Stone, 0

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Jerry, Jacob, and Emanuel were all dissatisfied with this score. Thinking back on the past half-month spent in the library and dormitory working on this group assignment, they had expected at least a "good" or even "excellent" rating. But in the end, they barely passed.

Judging by Iris's expression, she might have even been generous.

Compared to the dissatisfaction of the three, Stone was completely enraged when he saw his score.

"Why?", Stone no longer pretended to play dead. He jumped up, "Why did I get zero? They all got 60!"

He then pointed at Emanuel, "He didn't even finish his presentation, and he still got a score. Why do I get 0? I refuse to accept this!"

Jerry, Jacob, and Emanuel: "?"

They were bewildered.

'What?'

'Where does this guy get the audacity?'

They couldn't understand, but Stone thought differently.

"It was a group assignment! I completed all the steps assigned to me. Why is it that the others passed, but I didn't?", Stone kept arguing, acting as if Iris was in the wrong.

The other students around them looked at Stone with shock, confusion, and sheer disbelief.

Iris was visibly amused. She flicked her hair and looked directly into Stone's eyes.

For a long time, Stone had claimed that Iris had a thing for him, but at this moment, a chill ran down his spine. He couldn't stop trembling—not out of excitement, but sheer fear.

"You're funny. Very funny. You completed all your steps?", Iris shook the paper in her hand, "You mean these wrong numbers? Honestly, without you, the others could have scored higher. Giving you a zero is already me being kind."

"Otherwise, I'd just suggest you switch majors."

"If you can't even copy data correctly, what will you do when you enter a laboratory? Seriously, consider switching."

"If you don't want to, I can talk to the dean. As your subject professor, I have that authority."

Stone: "…"

The rest of the class: "…"

'Wow!'

No one expected Iris to go straight to suggesting expulsion.

That was shocking.

But… she had a point.

Under the stares of the entire class, Stone's face changed from pale to red to purple, like a swirling color palette.

"It was just one wrong data point. If we notice it, we can correct it. How is this such a big deal?", Stone still tried to argue.

Iris couldn't be bothered to talk to him anymore.

Instead, other students spoke up.

"In an actual lab, everyone is busy. Who has time to check your mistakes? If you mess up data, you'll slow down the entire research team. Worse, it could ruin evolution studies…"

"THIS IS NOTHING!", Stone shouted, "I just got one number wrong during the experimental phase. Even if something goes wrong, it's just a minor material loss!"

"Then what about Asher?"

"What theories has he even come up with? What papers has he written? He tricked Elder Rothschild into throwing his life away, but you don't talk about that!", Stone roared.

The classroom fell silent.

No one dared to speak.

Only the sound of Stone's heavy breathing could be heard.

Some students exchanged looks… How should they put it?

They didn't agree with Stone's actions, and they felt Iris was right. But when it came to Asher and Old Rothschild… they had their doubts too.

Letting Old Rothschild challenge the Dragon King with Ancestral Dragon? Wasn't that just sending him to die?

Was that something a normal professor would suggest?

But they didn't dare say anything. The higher-ups had no objections. Old Rothschild himself seemed fine with it. His grandson was still in school and got along well with Asher.

What could they do?

Just watch.

But Stone had said it out loud…

"Comparing you with Asher?", Hearing Stone's words, Iris wasn't angry. She just revealed a scornful smile, "That would be an insult to Asher. You don't deserve it."

"Do you have Asher's solid achievements and discoveries to make others believe you? If not, shut up."

"I won't!", Perhaps it was out of desperation, or maybe he realized that today's mistake was even more serious than he had imagined, but Stone refused to back down. His head swelled, his neck thickened, and his face turned red with anger as he insisted on arguing with Iris, "Why should I shut up?"

"Achievements? What achievements? Those are all in the past! What matters now is the present."

"What Asher is doing right now is persuading people to die!", Stone got more agitated as he spoke. He even put one foot on a chair, waving both hands wildly, looking crazed and unhinged.

"He's a butcher, that's what he is!"

Stone poured out all the grievances he had held against Asher for so long, dumping bucket after bucket of dirty water on him. His insults became increasingly vile.

The more he spoke, the more exhilarated he became.

Especially when he saw Iris frowning but unable to refute him. He felt as if he had taken some kind of stimulant—invigorated and glowing with energy.

As he spoke, he couldn't help but bring up things from private conversations, "I knew it! You and Asher have an unusual relationship. You always say he's just protecting you..."

Other classmates: "!"

One by one, their eyes widened as they looked at Stone with shocked expressions.

Stone thought they were stunned by the revelation in his words and was about to press on when—

A gust of wind suddenly swept from behind him, directly knocking Stone, who had one foot on the chair, forward into a full-body sprawl.

"Who—", Stone angrily turned his head, wanting to see who had attacked him from behind.

Then, his vision filled with a terrifying figure—

A dragon—

A massive, colossal dragon!

"Whoa—"

The entire classroom erupted into chaos.

No one paid any attention to Stone anymore. They all rushed to the windows, craning their necks to look outside, eager to see the dragon more clearly.

The dragon was so enormous that even through the window, they could see most of its body as it loomed over the training ground.

"A dragon! A real dragon!"

"I've never seen this kind of dragon before. Does anyone know what species it is?"

"No idea! But judging by the size... It's got to be twenty or thirty meters long at least."

"So cool! Seriously, so cool! Look at the evenly distributed black armor on its body. Look at those shimmering scales! Dragons and knights—this is what dreams are made of!"

"It's a dream for women too, okay?"

"Wait... Two people just came out. It's two people, right? The dragon lowered its head. Someone's touching it? Damn it! I want to touch a dragon too."

"Uh...", Emanuel, who had run the fastest, felt all his earlier frustration from scoring only 60 points disappear in an instant. Then, he recognized the two people touching the dragon, "That looks like Brother Asher and Aeron Rothschild?"

The entire class fell silent for a moment.

Brother Asher?

Asher?

Aeron... That name sounded kind of familiar. No, not the name—the surname sounded familiar...

All the students turned in unison to look at Stone, who had just climbed back to his feet.

Aeron... Rothschild family elder... Rothschild...

Classmates: "!"

Iris placed her hands on the windowsill, standing by the window, looking at the extraordinary dragon outside, a genuine smile appearing on her face for the first time today.

"Right, what was it you were saying about Asher just now?", Iris didn't turn around, but as soon as she spoke, everyone knew who she was addressing, "Do you want to see for yourself? If watching through the window isn't convincing enough, I can ask and make sure you get a firsthand look. After all, even if you're going to die, you should at least die understanding why, right?"

Stone: "..."

Trembling.

His lips opened and closed, but no words came out.

"Let's go! Teacher, we want to see!", The other students spoke up for him.

What? Laugh at Stone?

No, no, no.

Stone wasn't worth their time.

They genuinely wanted to see the dragon up close—and if possible, even touch the extraordinary dragon-type creature!

———

"Grandpa!"

Aeron had just received a message from the Old Rothschild. He quickly grabbed Asher and ran out of the training ground.

Then, he saw it—

Majestically riding atop its newly evolved form, even more handsome, its body now a mix of black and white, with decorations resembling armor, dramatically increasing both its grandeur and magnificence—

The evolved Ancestral Dragon—

Jargon Dragon King!

Before Asher could react, Aeron's face lit up with excitement as he ran straight toward the Old Rothschild.

Seeing this, the elder's face broke into a broad smile. He spread his arms wide, ready to share a warm, familial embrace after so long apart—

Only to watch as Aeron dove headfirst into the arms of the Ancestral Drago—no, Jargon Dragon King.

Old Rothschild: "..."

Calmly, he coughed, withdrew his outstretched arms, and pretended nothing had happened.

Aeron didn't care what his grandfather thought.

He clung tightly to the evolved Ancestral Dragon, tilting his head up as much as he could. With the dragon's cooperation, they finally managed to look into each other's eyes.

"Dragon Dad... Ughh! I'm so glad you evolved!", Aeron barely managed to wrap his arms around the tip of its hanging wing.

Any other part?

Sorry.

The newly crowned Dragon King had more than doubled in size after evolution.

"Grrrr—", Jargon Dragon King lowered its head, letting out a gentle growl as softly as it could. But no matter how careful a colossal dragon-type extraordinary creature—especially a Dragon King—tried to be... The impact wouldn't be small.

"Ahem!", The Old Rothschild gave Aeron, who was wailing, and the anxious, confused Jargon Dragon King a look of disdain.

He cleared his throat, waiting for the Dragon King to turn its gaze toward him so he could offer some words of comfort.

But...

Neither Jargon Dragon King nor Aeron seemed to remember he was there.

Jargon Dragon King: *Beast Master? Forgot!*

Aeron: *Grandpa? Sorry, right now, only my Dragon Dad matters!*

"Congratulations, Old Rothschild, on Ancestral Dragon's successful evolution.", Fortunately, Asher stepped forward at this moment, easing the elder's awkwardness.

"Hahaha, it wasn't just my effort. Ancestral Dragon worked hard too. And we have you to thank, Professor Asher, for pointing us in this direction.", The elder looked at his revitalized, newly advanced partner with deep satisfaction, then turned to Asher, his gaze full of gratitude.

He was sincerely grateful for Asher.

Grateful that Asher had come to Dragon Valley back then.

Otherwise...

He dared not imagine what would have happened if he had lost Dragontooth—or if Dragontooth had lost him.

"From now on, Professor Asher, whatever you need, the entire Rothschild Family will stand by you. You are an honored guest of our family. Dragon Valley will be unconditionally open to you."

"I only offered a suggestion. The real work was done by you and Ancestral Dragon. There's no need for the Rothschild Family to owe me a favor... As for Dragon Valley...", Asher was a bit surprised.

He had expected gratitude.

Gifts, even a dragon, weren't out of the question.

A favor from the Rothschild Family? That was reasonable.

But Dragon Valley being unconditionally open to him? That, he hadn't anticipated.

The elder smiled, "This was Dragontooth's decision."

Asher looked at Jargon Dragon King.

The dragon met his gaze—no wariness, only respect.

Asher felt triumphant.

Jackpot.

He came for skills, but he got both skills and a favor.

Nice.

Today was a good day.

"Right, Grandpa, why did you bring Dragon Dad to our school!", After sticking close with Yargen Dragon King for a while and finally escaping the shadow of death, Aeron turned his head in confusion to look at Grandpa, "And this commotion... isn't it a bit too ostentatious?"

Upon seeing his own grandfather and the evolved Ancestral Dragon, Aeron was so excited that his mind was a bit unclear.

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