With just a few words, the two had already agreed on a time.
Whether it was Asher or Professor Jorge, neither of them were people with procrastination.
No matter what the matter was, the main principle was the faster the better.
Since it was confirmed to go over.
The two directly set the time to tomorrow morning.
Professor Jorge, satisfied, put away his phone and let out a long breath.
Looking at the message sent to him by the beast tamer stationed in the forbidden land of Thousand Springs City on the phone, Professor Jorge revealed a gratified smile.
"Hua Hua ah…", Professor Jorge looked at the photo placed on the table in front of him.
His wife, himself, and the three Noise Flowers.
That was the already passed, never-to-return time.
But the pet beasts his wife left behind could still stay by his side, and that was enough to make him feel comforted.
———
On the other side.
Asher quickly finished discussing with Professor Jorge.
He looked toward the other end of the call, still connected with Vicky.
["Feels like you're quite busy,"] Seeing Asher finally look up, the quietly waiting Vicky then dared to speak.
["Just now your expression looked super serious, I was so scared I almost didn't even dare to breathe."]
Asher smiled, "Not that exaggerated."
Then Asher spoke.
"Forbidden land of Thousand Springs City, I'm going over once, do you want to go together?"
["Eh?"]
Vicky revealed a surprised and shocked expression, as if he didn't expect Asher to say this.
"Just right."
"Coincidentally."
"Not very busy, if you want to go together, that's fine too."
Asher did a three-in-one reply, briefly explaining the situation.
"…That's basically the matter, I'm going over this time to take a look, also to see how the Nightmare Flower that left and came back is doing, whether it can control itself well."
"After all, it's a beast without a contract restriction, we should still be a bit cautious in this aspect."
What Asher didn't say was.
Good thing this kind of case happened in Thousand Springs City.
If it were changed to Star City or Clove City, those more special and sensitive places…
Better not speak of it.
["Eh…",] Hearing Asher say this, Vicky was clearly tempted.
He stretched out a hand to rub his chin, looked like he was pondering, ["I'll go."]
Thought for not even three seconds, Vicky decisively made the decision.
Anyway, he had originally wanted to invite Asher together.
At the start, if Asher wasn't interested, then so be it, he wouldn't say much.
But now Asher clearly looked super interested. Even turned around and invited him. Not agreeing would be too pretentious.
Vicky wasn't that kind of person.
"Then just buy the ticket and ask for leave, can't say how long it'll take, after all it's to contract a suitable pet beast."
Hearing Asher's words, Vicky nodded repeatedly.
———
Asher bought a ticket for the earliest morning flight, and the arrival time in Thousand Springs City was just right.
As soon as he landed.
He saw Professor Jorge and Vicky were already waiting for him.
Asher: "?"
"How did you two come together?"
Asher looked somewhat surprised at Professor Jorge and Vicky.
Not that he said so. These two really looked like they were not from the same layer of people at all.
Plus, excluding Asher, these two didn't know each other at all okay.
Yesterday the time was a bit rushed, and Asher also didn't specially connect the two in private.
Originally planned for them to get to know each other today.
"Hehehe," Vicky quickly walked to Asher's side, face carrying a big carefree smile.
"Isn't this just a coincidence."
Vicky winked at Asher, "Knowing that you were on the earliest flight this morning, I came early to wait for you."
"Didn't expect Professor Jorge to see your name and just came over."
"In just a couple of exchanges, we got acquainted."
Asher: "..."
Asher didn't want to think about under what circumstances Professor Jorge saw his name and took the initiative to "acknowledge kinship" with Vicky.
Asher decided to skip this topic.
"It's good that you two met in advance," Asher smiled and said, "Then today it'll be the three of us together."
As he spoke, Asher smiled and greeted the professor next to him, "Professor Jorge, it really has been a long time."
"Isn't it so," Professor Jorge also smiled and looked at Asher and said.
Unlike Asher's simple sentiment, Professor Jorge's gaze at Asher was more complex.
How to say…
Clearly more than a year ago, when the two met, he was just an ordinary pet beast professor.
Asher was also quite ordinary, at most could be considered a slightly well-known rising star.
Otherwise Professor Jorge wouldn't even be able to make an appointment with Asher.
Didn't expect. Such a short time passed. Meeting Asher again… even the phrase "things have changed" wasn't enough to describe the changes that happened to Asher.
Only one word could be said, shocking. The kind of living legend.
However, Professor Jorge didn't have much of the desire-to-speak-but-stopped or envy or jealousy.
Only could say… back in the Hua Hua incident, Professor Jorge had already realized Asher's amazing qualities, and also knew that Asher would sooner or later shine brightly, becoming a star, a beacon, in the academic world of pet beast evolution research.
The only thing unexpected was. That this arrival would be so fast. So fast that normal people couldn't even react.
Those like Professor Jorge who had some contact and understanding of Asher could be considered psychologically prepared for it.
"Let's have breakfast first, then we go to the forbidden land?", Though Professor Jorge was eager to see Hua Hua. But Professor Jorge understood more clearly. In this in-between, he should first show good hospitality.
Professor Asher being willing to accept his invitation and come again was already a huge favor.
He couldn't be someone who didn't even understand this.
Asher nodded.
"Alright."
The main theme is not wasting time.
The breakfast in Thousand Springs City tastes pretty good.
Whether it was Asher or Vicky, both ate very satisfactorily, and Professor Jorge also forcibly suppressed his excited emotions, eating slowly.
When they sat in the vehicle heading towards the Forbidden Land, Professor Jorge's excited emotions finally slightly eased.
He turned his head and showed Asher an embarrassed smile.
"I let Professor Asher see a joke," While speaking, Jorge awkwardly rubbed the tip of his nose.
His gaze looked at the swiftly passing scenery outside the window.
"Actually... how should I say it?"
The closer they moved towards the Forbidden Land, the more complicated Professor Jorge's emotions became.
"Obviously, I already waited through more than a year, and during the time when Hua Hua wasn't here, I didn't particularly miss Hua Hua."
"Each day went as it should, after all, there were still two Quiet Flowers at home that needed my care."
Hua Hua is very important. But that doesn't mean the other two Quiet Flowers left behind by his wife weren't important.
Life, in the end, must go on.
"But, after learning that Hua Hua had returned, I suddenly couldn't wait even a single second, wishing I could rush to Hua Hua's side the very next second."
Jorge let out a long sigh.
Asher comfortingly patted Jorge on the shoulder, "That's nothing, it's just natural human emotions."
"When Hua Hua was outside, you could only worry about it from afar. No matter how much you worried, it was all just imaginary, without any tangible feeling."
"But a returning Hua Hua is truly right there, the feelings it brings are different."
"Just shows that Professor Jorge, you are a person of sentiment."
Listening to Asher's comfort, a slightly relieved smile appeared on Professor Jorge's face, "...Thank you. I really do feel much calmer now."
"Right now I..."
Professor Jorge's gaze outside the window seemed to leap past the long road and distance, as if Hua Hua was already right before his eyes.
When the vehicle finally stopped in front of the city wall of the Forbidden Land in Thousand Springs City, Professor Jorge couldn't hold it in anymore, he directly dashed out of the vehicle.
So fast, even Vicky, who was still sitting in the front passenger seat, didn't react in time.
Silently watching Professor Jorge rush out, Vicky finally turned his head to look at Asher in shock.
"Wait...?"
"Is Professor Jorge really an old man?"
"Why does it feel like his reflexes are even sharper than mine."
Vicky said loudly.
Asher chuckled.
"Isn't that perfectly normal?"
Vicky: "???"
'Is it? For real?'
He was having an existential crisis here.
Asher smiled and didn't explain to Vicky. He patted the dust from his clothes and walked down.
Let Vicky struggle with that himself.
Although Professor Jorge had rushed ahead like a trailblazer,
In reality, he still couldn't see the Nightmare Flower immediately.
After all... They were still inside the city wall, weren't they?
The Nightmare Flower, being a beast without a beast tamer contract, couldn't enter the city on its own.
Professor Jorge had to first meet with the Tier 5 official beast tamer stationed in the Forbidden Land of Thousand Springs City.
"Professor Jorge, you're here," A beast tamer who looked about the same age as Professor Jorge revealed a familiar smile upon seeing him.
Clearly, these two knew each other.
"Old Kloster," Professor Jorge nodded to him and then turned to Asher and Vicky behind him, taking the initiative to introduce them.
"This is Professor Asher and his friend, Vicky."
"This is Kloster, an official Tier 5 beast tamer stationed in the Forbidden Land of Thousand Springs City."
Upon hearing this, Kloster looked at Asher in surprise, "So you're Professor Asher?"
"I've heard so much about you, truly honored."
As he spoke, Kloster extended his hand toward Asher, looking at him with reverence, and there was even some indescribable excitement and enthusiasm in his eyes.
Vicky, watching this from the side, had a bit of confusion in his eyes.
What? Admiration, sure, that's understandable. But why the excitement and enthusiasm?
Vicky scratched the back of his head. Even after thinking about it, he still didn't ask.
Maybe if he kept watching, he'd figure it out?
Asher smiled and shook hands with Kloster.
"That Nightmare Flower...", Asher hadn't forgotten the purpose of today's visit.
The Noise Flower.
The Nightmare Flower.
Seeing this, Kloster immediately brought the topic back on track.
"Yes, the Nightmare Flower," Kloster nodded and led Asher's group into a nearby lounge.
Through the large windows beside them, one could clearly see the outside situation, without affecting their observation of the Forbidden Land at all.
While pouring tea for Asher and the others, Kloster began talking about the events of a few days ago.
"At that time, I was truly shocked."
"A beast with strength at Tier 8, almost Tier 9, suddenly appeared outside the Forbidden Land, who wouldn't be nervous?"
That was a beast coming from inside the Forbidden Land, with strength at Tier 8 approaching Tier 9.
That kind of power wasn't something ordinary Tier 9 pet beasts could easily handle.
If it really came to a fight.
They Tier 5 beast tamers might not lose, but it definitely wouldn't be pretty.
They'd have to pay a big price.
Just when everyone was especially tense, Kloster looked at that bizarre-looking beast that he had never seen before.
And somehow... He suddenly felt a sense of familiarity.
As if... he had seen it somewhere before?
Kloster trusted his instincts.
It probably wasn't just his imagination.
He really had seen it.
But when they searched through the beast records and the encyclopedia, there was no entry for such a being, so where exactly had he seen it before?
Kloster wouldn't call his memory great.
Luckily, when he focused on recalling, Kloster still managed to trace the clue from his memory.
Yes, he had seen it.
Professor Jorge, Jorge, someone with whom he had a moderate relationship, a professor of pet beast evolution research, had once shown him this beast.
They even had a brief chat about it.
His own pet's brand-new evolution form.
Unfortunately, due to the circumstances and case being highly unique, it couldn't be replicated.
Thinking back, Kloster's eyes again showed a puzzled emotion.
'Wait? According to what Professor Jorge had said, this... Nightmare Flower?'
'That's what it is called, right?'
Should've been one of a kind.
Why did one show up outside the Forbidden Land?
Anyway, thinking to give it a try, and if not, to get some intel about the Nightmare Flower's weaknesses from Professor Jorge, Kloster contacted Professor Jorge.
And then...
"Didn't expect that was the same Nightmare Flower you told me about before."
"This is really... a blessing in disguise," As he said this, Kloster nodded.
True happiness.
If they could avoid it, they didn't want to get into conflict with beasts either, avoiding unnecessary sacrifices and injuries.
If you can live well, why make things hard for yourself?
As Professor Jorge listened, his facial expressions went through many changes.
Once Kloster finished, only then did Professor Jorge let out a long breath.
"Thank goodness, thank goodness," Professor Jorge patted his chest as he spoke, "Good thing you contacted me."
If he hadn't made contact...
Professor Jorge really couldn't imagine what might have happened.
That would have been just too...
"Hua Hua's condition at the time was special, and I didn't have any intention of publicizing it," Jorge sighed.
Back then, the reason he talked about this with Kloster was purely coincidence.
Because at that time, Asher had just started becoming famous.
Kloster knew that Professor Jorge had contact with Asher, and so he asked him about it.
While chatting, Professor Jorge simply mentioned a bit about the Nightmare Flower.
After he said it, Professor Jorge had even felt a bit of regret.
Didn't expect...
Professor Jorge really didn't dare imagine.
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