Kloster looked at Asher with an expression full of righteousness, "No need to explain so much. Whatever you're thinking, I already know."
In the end, it's just trying to ditch him.
Kloster swore, no matter what Asher said, he wouldn't listen.
This was the kind of strong willpower an official beast tamer should have.
Asher pressed his lips together.
Suddenly, he smiled.
Kloster: "?"
Kloster sharply sensed that something seemed wrong.
Before he could speak up to interrupt whatever Asher was about to say, Asher had already taken the initiative and said, "Mr. Kloster, how about I take a look at your pet?"
"Maybe…", Asher stopped just at the right moment.
Kloster: "..."
Kloster fell silent. Under the gazes of Vicky and Professor Jorge, Kloster trembled as he raised his hand and clutched his little heart.
A bit overwhelming. He needed a moment to calm down.
Even a badass officer… ah no, beast tamer, couldn't handle such a test.
If it weren't for the two outsiders, Vicky and Professor Jorge, standing there, Kloster felt like he really would've wavered.
Impossible to refuse.
"…Ahem!", Kloster cleared his throat with difficulty, his eyes looking full of inner struggle.
"Although… but… this…"
"Still can't!", Kloster gritted his teeth, spitting the words out through the gaps between them.
Asher laughed, "Alright, alright, no more seducing officials."
Kloster said nothing.
Say what? He really didn't know what to say at all.
"Well, here's the thing," After joking around, Asher adjusted his expression.
"I've gotten a bit of intel. It's complicated and dangerous."
"I can guarantee that nothing will happen with my pet."
"Also, he won't be following me deep inside, so no need to worry," Asher said this while glancing at Vicky.
Vicky chuckled and didn't say anything.
Vicky had a pretty clear idea of his own role.
He was just here to cling to a thigh.
What's the point of overthinking?
Just listen to everything Big Bro arranges.
Asher looked at Kloster, "If I bring you along, I might have to worry about protecting you."
Asher spoke from the heart. Every word turned into a sharp sword, fiercely piercing Kloster's little heart.
Professor Jorge also chimed in to back up Asher, "Alright, alright."
"Does Professor Asher still need you worrying about him?"
"If it really doesn't work, I'll have Hua Hua go with him."
Originally, Professor Jorge was just speaking casually.
But after he said it, his eyes suddenly lit up.
'Hey? That can work.'
Asher: '…No, that really isn't necessary.'
"No no no," Asher immediately raised both hands, waving off Professor Jorge's sudden enthusiasm, "Hua Hua's problem just got resolved. Professor Jorge, you better take Hua Hua back to rest."
Leave the rest to him. No need to create any more unnecessary accidents.
———
[Imperial Spire]
Dr. Veyl's lab, rarely, was knocked upon.
He opened the lab door. Dr. Veyl saw a face he was so familiar with, it made him annoyed.
"Veyl."
"Long time no see."
The man outside smiled and waved at him, greeting with a familiar tone.
Dr. Veyl's face turned pitch black. Just short of slamming the door shut right into that overly annoying face.
One stood inside the doorway, one outside.
One beaming with smiles. One with a sinister expression.
The standoff lasted for a long time. Until someone passed by and cast curious and puzzled glances at them.
Only then did Dr. Veyl take a deep breath.
He knew that continuing to stand off like this wasn't rational.
But…
"I finally came back this one time, Old Veyl. It's not too much to invite me in for a sit, right?"
The man outside the door had the same appearance as Dr. Veyl, a clear Soren face.
Even more surprisingly, when they stood together, there was even a slight resemblance between them.
But only when standing together could one notice that little similarity.
The man outside had much darker skin.
Bronzed skin paired with a muscular body built from years of training outdoors.
Totally different from Dr. Veyl, who spent his days buried in a lab, never seeing daylight, shrouded in a gloomy aura.
Unless someone was very, very familiar with both men.
Even if meeting them back-to-back, they wouldn't notice any similarity in appearance.
Dr. Veyl's face darkened even more after hearing his words.
His hand gripping the doorframe turned white from the pressure.
But in the end, Dr. Veyl still stepped aside, letting the man outside in.
Then Dr. Veyl closed the door with a loud "bang."
"Looks like you've been living pretty well these days," The man seemed completely unaffected by the distaste radiating off Dr. Veyl.
His eyes scanned Dr. Veyl from top to bottom in the lab.
In terms of research equipment and funding, the Imperial Spire's generosity ranked among the top.
Dr. Veyl's face was cold, "Levy, our relationship isn't that good."
The bronze-skinned, muscular man, Levy, shrugged at those words and looked back at Dr. Veyl.
Hearing Dr. Veyl's blunt words, Levy wasn't embarrassed at all, instead continuing to smile and say, "Old Veyl, back in the day we were teammates climbing mountains, diving into oceans, sneaking around, stealing chickens, adventure squad buddies."
"No matter how bad our relationship gets, it can't be that bad."
"Shut up!", Dr. Veyl instantly cut off Levy's words, glaring at him.
"If you came here just for old times' sake, then there's no need."
"You can get out right now."
Levy shut up. He shrugged: "Alright, alright, no reminiscing, okay?"
Dr. Veyl's expression eased just a tiny bit, but still wasn't good.
"You don't want to reminisce, fine. But we can talk about something else," Levy switched the topic, "Come to think of it, we entered the Imperial Spire one after another."
"You chose to lock yourself in this tower, I chose to keep running around outside."
"But in a way, our choices lead to the same goal. We're both chasing the same purpose—"
Dr. Veyl: "Shut your mouth!"
Dr. Veyl slammed the table hard, looking at Levy with eyes that were nearly spitting fire.
Levy, this time, did not obediently shut up. He just chuckled softly.
"By the way."
"The news from Soren seems to have reached the Imperial Spire, right?"
"The evolution path of the Honey Bug? That's quite an interesting study."
Levy nodded as he spoke, "Unfortunately, the people inside the Imperial Spire have been arrogant for far too long. They don't take any of this seriously."
"They'll suffer a big loss in this field sooner or later, fall hard," As he said this, Levy nodded again, a look of full confidence on his face.
Dr. Veyl did not speak. But deep down, he couldn't help but admit—
Yes. He thought the same way.
And Levy, true to form from the past… their thinking always had some subtle overlap in certain aspects.
"Alright, enough about that," Levy waved his hand, turned around and found himself a comfortable spot to sit, not treating Dr. Veyl like an outsider at all.
Sitting wasn't enough, Levy even looked at Dr. Veyl, "I've been in here for quite a while now, how about a glass of water?"
Dr. Veyl said nothing. He walked to the water dispenser, took a disposable cup, filled it with water, and slammed it down in front of Levy.
'Drink it or don't. Don't drink, get out.'
His attitude couldn't be clearer.
Levy didn't continue provoking Dr. Veyl. He knew if he said one more thing, Dr. Veyl really would explode.
Know when to stop. That much he did understand.
"I'm preparing to go back to Soren," Levy finally stated the reason he came to see Dr. Veyl.
Dr. Veyl jerked his head back, eyes wide, with a look like he'd seen a ghost as he stared at Levy.
"Are you crazy?", Dr. Veyl's lowered voice carried unspeakable disbelief.
Levy shrugged, "Maybe so."
Saying this, Levy picked up the water Dr. Veyl poured, and drank it all in one go, "But whether I'm crazy or not, is it really that different?"
"After all these years… has life been any different from madness?"
Hearing Levy's words, Dr. Veyl went quiet.
"…Do as you please," In the end, Dr. Veyl didn't say anything else. No persuasion.
Their citizenships were no longer with their original country.
Calling them nobodies wouldn't be wrong at all.
As for how Levy planned to return, with what identity, and for what purpose… Dr. Veyl didn't care at all.
The things they did back in the day…
"If one day you can't reach me, just burn some paper and pour a glass of water for me when you think of it," Levy said as he stood up and patted the slightly wrinkled clothes on his body.
With big strides, he walked right out of Dr. Veyl's lab.
———
[On the Other Side]
"…Forget it," Kloster let out a long, slightly tired sigh.
"In this kind of matter, I can't argue with you, Professor Asher."
Kloster was truly exhausted.
The temptation was too great.
No normal beast tamer could resist.
That he could resist it, it was all thanks to his unyielding faith.
Yet Asher always had all kinds of reasons to pull out.
What could Kloster do?
Meanwhile, deep in Kloster's heart was a little unspeakable…
'Wuwuwu... I really want it!'
'Professor Asher's specially researching pet evolution path! Who can resist that?'
Asher smiled faintly.
"Professor Asher, you must take care of your own safety," Seeing that his suggestion was not accepted, Professor Jorge didn't keep pushing.
He didn't know Professor Asher that well. But he definitely wasn't the kind of person who liked being nagged.
A little concern is fine. Too much worry is unnecessary.
He still had that bit of trust in Asher.
"Don't worry," Asher made an "OK" gesture, no big problem.
Really no big problem.
And so… Kloster, Professor Jorge, and Nightmare Flower watched as Asher and Vicky entered the Forbidden Zone of Thousand Springs City together.
"Hiss—", Vicky walked beside Asher, muttering nonstop, "Feels chilly behind me."
"Those two people's gazes almost set me on fire."
Vicky looked at Asher and said.
'No wonder he's my big bro. Just awesome!'
'Look at those two! Totally no match for Asher, specifically in mouth jutsu.'
Asher chuckled.
"Can't set you on fire. Rest easy," Asher said with amusement, "Let's first help you find a suitable beast and get you one."
"Then I'll go deeper in on my own."
Hearing that, Vicky glanced at Asher, "What? You're not even taking your bro along?"
"Take what?", Asher looked at Vicky without a trace of anger, "What I told Mr. Kloster earlier wasn't a lie. The more people there are, the harder it is to manage."
"With just me alone, it's actually easier to handle certain things."
Mythic energy is a good thing. But only if you've got the stomach for it.
If you can't handle it… hehe, what's the difference from a lethal poison?
It's better to have some self-awareness.
Vicky: "..."
On that front, he was quite self-aware.
He was just a thigh-hugger. Obedient. Docile. That's his survival rule.
And then… Vicky witnessed a massacre-level slaughter by Asher's pet, crushing beasts in the Forbidden Zone of Thousand Springs City—
Ahem! That may be slightly exaggerated.
But the beasts encountered on the outer edge of the Forbidden Zone weren't even a match for Little Raven's one wing flap.
Add in the Cat-Worm, Little White Snake, and Little Jellyfish. Massive slaughter was really not an exaggeration at all.
"Awesome."
"Really awesome."
Vicky's eyes were glued.
Tears of envy flowed uncontrollably from the corners of his mouth.
He clutched Asher's clothes tightly with both hands, looking at Asher with pitiful eyes, "Bro, Dad! My real dad! Teach me!"
"Coach! I also want my pets to be this powerful."
Asher: "..."
Asher gave Vicky a look that said "all shame has been abandoned."
Vicky understood it.
But Vicky didn't think there was a problem at all.
Shame? What's that? Can you eat it?
For a beast tamer, trying everything to make your pets stronger is the real deal.
What's wrong with trying to make your pets stronger?
"Don't even think about it. You can't learn this," Asher had already read Vicky's mind.
No criticism needed. Made perfect sense.
But… this wasn't about whether Asher wanted to teach Vicky, it was that he simply couldn't teach him.
This time it was Vicky's turn to sigh deeply.
"Sigh."
"I knew it."
"Everything needs talent."
Vicky looked at Little Raven, Cat-Worm, Little White Snake, and Little Jellyfish in the distance with eyes full of envy and jealousy.
He was practically overflowing with envy. Fortunately, Vicky had a great attitude.
"Forget it," Vicky smacked his lips, looking like he was really letting it go, "Can't beat you, that's totally normal."
"As long as I can outrun and outwork everyone else, I'm the strongest."
Asher silently gave Vicky a thumbs up.
'That's a really good attitude.'
"Right," Vicky suddenly thought of something, his gaze curiously landing on Little Jellyfish.
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