Chapter 82: The Truth-Detecting Rabbit Dog! Asher: Are You Sure You Want It to Learn How to Talk?

After Asher agreed to Professor Jorge's request, a stranger quickly sent him a friend request.

Looking at the profile picture of a colorful morphing device, Asher silently typed a question mark in his heart.

It wasn't that he enjoyed labeling people… but would a proper person really use such a profile picture?

Hard to say.

After adding the contact:

SWOOSH SWOOSH SWOOSH—

[Professor Hugo: Halo! Little Professor Ash, right? It's really not easy to add you as a friend. Uncle Jorge keeps nagging me, saying I absolutely cannot cause you trouble. Tch! Am I that kind of person? Obviously, I won't listen to him. How about we set a time tomorrow to meet up and chat?]

Before Asher could react, a whole chunk of messages came through.

[Professor Hugo: A bar? Oh, oh, oh, I heard you're underage. Man! Today's young geniuses are truly incredible. Thinking about what I was doing at your age… sleeping in class, eating after class, and chasing after girls after school…]

[Asher: Let's just meet at your lab.]

[Professor Hugo: Tch, tch! Little Professor Ash, don't rush. We need to discuss how to split the credit for this discovery, don't we? I've waited over two years; I don't mind waiting another ten days or half a month. Let's talk first, talk first!]

[Professor Hugo: Ah! I just thought of a good place! Let's go to an internet café… oh wait, underage kids can't go in…]

Asher: "…"

The corners of Asher's forehead twitched slightly.

This guy… just from the text, he seemed like someone who naturally invited a punch.

It was hard to imagine how someone as proper and rigid as Professor Jorge could know this person, let alone be friends with him.

Asher couldn't figure it out.

At that moment, the messages from the other side continued to pour in non-stop, like a chatty loudspeaker.

[Professor Hugo: Library? No, no, too quiet. Amusement park? Two grown men going there might be misunderstood. You don't have a girlfriend, and my girlfriend might get suspicious. Park? Nope, same reason… Ah, this is so difficult.]

[Asher: Tea house.]

[Professor Hugo: Tch! Young people don't drink tea. Let's go to a coffee shop instead. It's settled! See you tomorrow morning, Little Professor Ash.]

After saying that, the other side instantly went quiet.

Asher already had a vague sense of how difficult this person would be to deal with… A chatterbox. A chatterbox who loved to talk to himself.

It seemed like he would ask for your opinion before making any decision.

But in practice? Asking was just a formality. He would still do whatever he wanted, completely ignoring what you said.

[T/N: A person who asks for advice but doesn't follow it— Askhole]

This kind of person…

Asher rubbed his temples.

Was it too late to call Professor Jorge and refuse now?

Thinking about it, Asher sighed.

"Forget it… just hold on for a bit. Once I finish this last collection, I can temporarily wrap up my research on new evolution paths for pet beasts," Asher consoled himself.

———

The next day.

When Asher arrived at the agreed location, he saw a man dressed in an extremely… flamboyant, peacock-like outfit wildly waving at him from a seat near the café entrance.

The man's striking golden hair and overly handsome face attracted the attention of passersby.

Some even ended up entering the café, indirectly boosting its customer flow.

"This way, this way!"

"Little Professor Ash, over here!"

The café wasn't very crowded, but the man's enthusiastic greetings and odd way of addressing him immediately drew the attention of everyone inside.

Although Asher considered himself an extrovert, at that moment, he felt the introvert gene buried within him awaken.

Forget entering the café;

He wanted to cover his face and turn around to leave.

This was embarrassing.

Really embarrassing.

Asher held it together.

Dignity over embarrassment. As long as he acted more composed than anyone else, he wouldn't be the one feeling awkward in the end.

Expressionless, he walked calmly into the café, stopping in front of the man dressed like a flamboyant peacock. Looking down, he said coldly, "Professor Hugo Watson, Professor Jorge's friend?"

"Yes, yes," Professor Hugo nodded, a mix of astonishment and admiration in his gaze, as if he hadn't expected Asher to handle this so smoothly.

"You don't need to call me Professor Hugo Watson. You're younger than me; just call me Brother Hugo." Professor Hugo beamed, his golden hair making him look like an overly friendly golden retriever.

Asher nodded and sat across from him. "Let's talk about your problem and how the credit for my help will be divided."

Though Asher didn't care much about credit, he couldn't appear indifferent, or his help might seem too cheap.

By clearly defining the terms, unnecessary trouble could be minimized.

"You're a straightforward guy, Little Professor Ash." Professor Hugo gave him a thumbs up, then leaned closer with a conspiratorial look. "Before we discuss terms, can I ask how you solved Old Jorge's problem?"

"I also heard he submitted a report to the Alliance, requesting to release Hua Hua back into the wild."

"You don't know how shocked I was when I heard about it."

"Hua Hua! That's Hua Hua! Old Jorge's precious darling! His pampered little princess! And he just released her into the wild?"

"I can't believe it!"

As he spoke, Professor Hugo shook his head in disbelief.

From his words, Asher could tell Professor Hugo and Professor Jorge had a pretty close relationship.

But seeing the age gap between them—Professor Hugo seemed around 25 or 26, while Professor Jorge was in his late 30s or older—he couldn't help but wonder how they became friends.

Curious, Asher asked, "Brother Hugo, are you and Professor Jorge close? You seem to know a lot about Hua Hua."

Sitting up straight, Professor Hugo sipped the sweet-smelling white liquid in his cup, then looked shocked as he replied, "What? We're so close, and Old Hugo didn't properly introduce me to you?"

"I can't believe it."

"He didn't. He just said he'd recommend his friend to me," Asher replied honestly.

"Ah… my heart is broken." Professor Hugo put down his milk, dramatically clutching his chest with an exaggerated expression. Then he pulled out his phone and started typing furiously. "I have to complain to Old Jorge."

Asher silently watched him.

'Go ahead. Keep acting.'

At this point, Asher could tell Professor Hugo had a flair for the dramatic.

Good thing was, after venting via text, Professor Hugo seemed a bit more normal.

Drinking his milk again, Professor Hugo said to Asher, "I'm Old Jorge's younger-but-closer buddy. Age gaps can't affect true friendship…"

Under Asher's "you're kidding, right?" gaze, Professor Hugo chuckled awkwardly.

"Tch, no sense of humor at all. Fine, fine. The truth is, it's a convoluted story… Old Jorge got drunk once, hit me with his bike while crossing the road, and we hit it off right after—best buds since then."

"Great use of idioms. Don't use them next time," Asher said sincerely.

Now he understood.

Maybe Professor Jorge felt guilty for possibly injuring Professor Hugo's brain, which explained his tolerance and their "friendship."

"Bet you're criticizing me in your head," Professor Hugo said confidently, staring into Asher's eyes.

Asher: —_—

"Hehe, I bet you're cursing me in your heart." Professor Hugo stared into Asher's eyes, speaking confidently.

Asher: 'You really don't need this kind of excessive confidence.'

"Isn't that obvious? Have you even listened to how many plot holes there are in your story?" Asher picked up the milk Professor Hugo had ordered for him in advance, took a sip, and then put it down.

Sweet.

Too sweet.

Asher had no doubt that this glass of milk contained a lethal amount of sugar.

Professor Hugo, on the other hand, looked puzzled when he saw Asher take just one sip and set it aside. "Hey, hey, hey? You're not drinking it? Minors should drink more milk, you know. It'll help you grow taller in the future."

"Especially someone like you, Little Professor Ash, who overuses their brain all the time. I'm not making this up; people like you are the most likely to stunt their growth due to mental exhaustion."

As he spoke, Professor Hugo quickly tossed two more sugar cubes into both Asher's and his own milk.

Now, Asher could finally see clearly—the excessive sugar in Professor Hugo's glass had made the liquid so thick it was almost viscous.

Disgust was written all over Asher's face.

'No, no… I'm getting dragged off topic again by this guy.'

Asher immediately tried to steer the conversation back to the main point—they were here to discuss how to divide the results.

Just as Asher was about to speak, Professor Hugo beat him to it. "Anyway, that's how I met Old Jorge and became such close friends with him. Naturally, I learned about Old Jorge's precious daughter."

"As for Hua Hua's evolution issue... I actually spent quite a bit of time researching it with Old Jorge before. But honestly, when there's no lead, there's no lead. We even took a few wrong turns in the middle. Later, due to personal reasons, I couldn't continue researching with Old Jorge."

"When I suddenly heard that Old Jorge had released Hua Hua and seemed to have found clues for Noise Flower's new evolutionary path… honestly, I was pretty shocked."

Professor Hugo kept switching back and forth between being serious and not.

Take this part, for example. Asher could hear the full sincerity in Professor Hugo's words.

It seemed that one reason Professor Hugo had asked Professor Jorge to introduce him to Asher was probably to inquire about Hua Hua.

"This matter... If Professor Jorge isn't willing to tell you, I also can't say much," Asher admitted frankly without revealing everything. "What I can tell you is that this was a decision made jointly by Professor Jorge and Hua Hua, and Hua Hua's lifespan issue has been resolved."

What surprised Asher a little was:

He didn't expect that after Professor Jorge returned, he would throw himself back into researching Noise Flower's new evolutionary path.

Asher had thought Professor Jorge would let go of this project.

Then again, it wasn't all that surprising.

After all, it had been four years of research.

Now that they'd grasped the most critical breakthrough point...

Even if they couldn't create another Nightmare Flower, writing up the results in a theoretical report might still contribute to Hua Hua's return.

This was Professor Jorge's painstaking effort as a father.

"Alright, with this assurance, I can reluctantly accept it." Professor Hugo nodded, then switched the topic. "Little Professor Ash, do you know about a beast called the Rabbit Dog?"

Asher thought for a moment. "It's a rare beast of intermediate high-level rank, difficult to breed. Even with joint support from the state and the Alliance, its population hasn't grown much. It's a dark-attribute and poison-attribute beast."

He recalled reading some descriptions and introductions about the Rabbit Dog before.

Beyond that, Asher didn't know much.

"That's right." Professor Hugo nodded, his face breaking into a pleased smile. "Little Professor Ash knows quite a lot. The Rabbit Dog's basic information should only appear in sophomore-level textbooks, right? Little Professor Ash truly is a genius."

"You're always ahead of others in academics!"

Professor Hugo gave Asher a thumbs up.

"I chose the Rabbit Dog as the subject of my pet evolution research because it has a very special ability—lie detection."

Huh?

Asher's interest was piqued.

"Lie detection? How does it work? Does it react when it hears lies, or does it have some other method?" Asher instinctively straightened his posture.

Although he didn't plan to pursue research on beasts, hearing about such an interesting creature immediately caught his attention.

"Lie detection… Well," Professor Hugo smacked his lips, looking a bit odd, "that's also the Rabbit Dog's way of growing stronger."

"Rabbit Dogs feed on truth as their mental sustenance, gaining power from it."

Asher: "?"

Another question mark popped up in his mind.

What Professor Hugo said sounded somewhat incomprehensible.

Professor Hugo seemed to notice Asher's confusion. "Let me give you an example."

"For regular pet beasts, you'd train them—train and train to make them stronger, right?"

Asher nodded.

That was the norm.

Even Little Raven, who had cheats, couldn't skip training.

Let alone other beasts.

"The Rabbit Dog is different. To strengthen it, you have to tell it truths that are closely related to you. For example, if you say, 'I like eating vegetables, but I don't like eating carrots,' the Rabbit Dog hears the truth, and its level increases a little."

Question marks seemed to pile up over Asher's head.

"…There's gotta be a catch, right? Otherwise, wouldn't it become overpowered in no time?"

Truths like these?

He could come up with a ton in a single day.

Telling the Rabbit Dog truths daily would surely send its strength skyrocketing.

"Exactly. The truth has to be about me—the Beast Master. Saying something like, 'I think the weather is nice today,' won't work."

"Moreover, as the Rabbit Dog's level increases, the truths required for its growth become more closely tied to the Beast Master's core and harder to express."

"Some experiments showed that as long as you intend to hide something important from the Rabbit Dog, no matter how many truths you tell it, its strength will cap at the fifth-tier advanced level."

It was as if the Rabbit Dog knew you were hiding a crucial truth from it.

Without revealing it, the Rabbit Dog wouldn't improve.

Asher: "…"

Wonderful. Here's the catch.

In that case, every truth told to strengthen the Rabbit Dog would be a deep, honest dissection of the Beast Master's innermost self.

It would shift from simple truths about preferences to revealing deeply personal secrets.

For example, Asher.

Telling a pet beast that he was a reincarnator from another world?

Sorry.

Even if it was his pet beast, he couldn't do that.

"So, your research into the Rabbit Dog's new evolution is to…?",Asher hesitated.

Generally speaking, when professors research new evolutionary paths for beasts, they usually have some specific plans or hypotheses, not just random ideas.

"I want to see if an evolved Rabbit Dog can speak," Professor Hugo said earnestly.

Asher: '…This guy is truly something else.'

Making Beast Masters reveal their inner secrets to power up the Rabbit Dog was hard enough.

And after they'd bared their souls, thinking it wasn't a big deal, here comes Professor Hugo with a new evolutionary path that lets the Rabbit Dog talk—spilling every deadly secret out loud.

Asher looked Professor Hugo up and down, trying to figure out what kind of devil had crawled out of hell.

Professor Hugo seemed to catch Asher's gaze and gave him a big smile.

With his bright golden hair, Professor Hugo's face seemed to radiate light.

If Asher were a woman, sitting in his place, it might have been hard to resist such a perfect smile.

Asher: *Expressionless*

Oh.

Smiling like an idiot.

Charming?

Nope. Not at all.

"Little Professor Ash, do you think my idea is too far-fetched, or that I have bad intentions?" Professor Hugo asked with a grin.

Asher replied, "It's not far-fetched. Developing new evolutionary paths for pets requires researchers to use boundless imagination. If researchers themselves are too scared to imagine, finding new paths would be even harder."

He just thought Professor Hugo enjoyed causing trouble a little too much.

He simply thought that Professor Hugo liked watching the drama a bit too much.

Professor Hugo's eyes lit up instantly.

With his hair color complementing his expression, his bright eyes shone like a pair of high-wattage lightbulbs.

It was so dazzling that it was hard to look at directly.

"Moreover, even if this new evolution path is researched, very few people would dare let their Rabbit-Dog evolve in this direction, right?" Asher continued, "If that's the case, wouldn't all your efforts be in vain?"

There's another critical aspect to a new evolution path.

That is... once you've developed it, there must be Beastmasters willing to let their pets evolve in that direction.

Some evolution paths for beasts are chosen very rarely because of certain unique reasons.

So even if you manage to research it, what's the point?

To add one more page to the encyclopedia of beasts?

It's not easy for a Pet Evolution Professor to research a new evolution path. If the result ends up on a creature that nobody chooses, it would be a significant blow to the professor.

"Who says no one would choose it?" Professor Hugo responded, puzzled. "It's just about being able to talk; that's just one direction for the Rabbit-Dog's evolution."

As he spoke, Professor Hugo got even more animated.

Maybe because Asher didn't outright dismiss his idea as impossible, Professor Hugo began outlining the blueprint for his envisioned evolved Rabbit-Dog.

"Talking is just one of the new abilities after the evolution, but it's far from the Rabbit-Dog's only capability."

"In my imagination, the evolved Rabbit-Dog should not only distinguish between its Beastmaster's lies and truths but also discern the lies and truths of others."

"And upon hearing lies, its combat power would surge dramatically. Double! Triple! Explode!"

"Let me ask you this—if you had such a super-strong pet that could instantly crush the opponent's pet in a battle just because you uttered a lie, would you want it or not?"

"Talking would be just one tiny, inconspicuous ability among all of its powers."

Asher: "…You sure know how to dream big. But how can you guarantee that the Rabbit-Dog will acquire these abilities after evolving?"

"Of course, I'm not just spouting nonsense." When it came to his area of expertise, Professor Hugo suddenly seemed slightly more reliable. "I got the inspiration from the Rabbit-Dog itself; that's why I initiated this project. Little Professor Ash, you can trust me on this."

As he spoke, Professor Hugo patted his chest with loud thumps to emphasize his point.

"I'm quite interested in this evolution path you've described. So, when can you take me to see the Rabbit-Dog?"

"No rush, no rush!" Professor Hugo waved a hand dismissively. "We haven't even finished discussing the division of benefits yet."

"Little Professor Ash, do you have any thoughts on that?"

"Are you more interested in the results of the Rabbit-Dog's evolution, or the honor that comes with those results?" Asher pondered for a moment before asking.

Professor Hugo blinked and replied with brutal honesty, "Can I say I care about both?"

What could Asher do?

Say "no" and slam it in his face?

He glanced at Professor Hugo.

Great.

Just as expected—someone who would take an inch and ask for a mile.

"Right now, you're the one asking for my help. Got it?" Asher originally wanted to pick up his cup and posture a bit, but just the thought of what was in the cup stopped him.

He was terrified of accidentally taking a sip.

Crossing his arms, Asher leaned against the backrest of the booth. "It's up to you to persuade me."

Professor Hugo: "…"

From the moment Asher entered until now, this was the first time Professor Hugo had shown an utterly speechless expression, like Asher had caught him off guard.

He looked at Asher with a pitiful expression.

Asher sneered.

Not cute at all.

After seeing Little Raven and Cat-worm's pitifully adorable faces too many times, Asher believed no one could win him over with such expressions anymore.

Impossible. No way.

He was a cold-hearted man—a straight man.

"Fine, fine…" Professor Hugo muttered under his breath, "I thought I could still fool Little Professor Ash into making the first offer so I could bargain from there."

Asher sneered again.

"In the first publication, your name definitely can't appear, but for the second one, no problem," Professor Hugo quickly recovered from his grievance and became serious again. Asher wasn't surprised.

"But as for the final prize money, resources from the higher-ups, public acknowledgment... and so on, you can take over half, Little Professor Ash. How about that?"

Asher thought about it. It seemed acceptable.

In fact, professors like Professor Jorge, who were willing to sacrifice all honor just for results to save their own family, were a minority.

Most others negotiated for benefits or exchanged for honors.

If they valued tangible benefits more, the honors would tilt toward Asher.

And vice versa.

But expecting Asher to provide the key assistance while allowing Professor Hugo to reap both glory and money?

Asher wasn't stupid.

The Beastmasters asking Asher for help weren't stupid either.

Asher agreed.

It wasn't just a verbal agreement; they would need to visit the Alliance for formal documentation to ensure no disputes would arise later.

After all, Pet Evolution Professors were still human.

And humans—being humans—could have the kind of petty mentality that tries to take advantage or go back on their word.

No part of the official process could be skipped.

Alliance certification was swift, but it still required a full day.

After submitting their agreed terms on an A4 sheet, Professor Hugo threw an arm around Asher's shoulder with a cheerful smile and said, "Little Professor Ash, I can take you to my lab tomorrow. We've got time today; why don't we hang out and build some rapport?"

Asher brushed off his hand. "I have things to do. Forget it."

"Oh, come on! Little Professor Ash, it's your first time in Thousand Springs City, isn't it?" Professor Hugo said with confidence. "What could you possibly have to do? Do you even have any friends in Thousand Springs City?"

"I'll take you out. I guarantee you'll have a great time!"

Asher: …He just wanted to ask, what kind of "great time" was this guy talking about, and how serious could it possibly be?

Even if it were something serious, once it passed through Professor Hugo's glib tongue, it immediately sounded anything but.

It was a peculiar talent.

"My pet food is all gone; I need to buy more," Asher explained.

Who would've thought?

This trip ended up being longer than expected.

And with the unexpected opportunity to collect and document new beasts, Asher couldn't resist.

But he hadn't packed enough food for Little Raven and Cat-worm. Even his own change of clothes was limited to a single set, far from enough.

Asher planned to take some time to visit a nearby shopping center.

"That's not a big deal at all." Professor Hugo waved it off enthusiastically. "Little Professor Ash, what species are your pets? I'll have someone order their food and deliver it straight to your hotel."

"Don't be polite with me; I'm doing this to win your favor."

Hearing this, Asher couldn't refuse.

Since Professor Hugo was so openly trying to please him, rejecting it would feel rude.

"Little Raven's food can follow the standard for Hua Bird species. Get more; Little Raven has a big appetite."

"And for Little Drag…" Asher trailed off, showing a troubled expression.

Cat-worm was registered as a Cat-Dragon in the Alliance records.

But where could a regular shopping center find food specifically tailored for Cat-Dragons, a rare extraordinary species?

Up until now, Asher had been feeding Cat-worm a mix of cat treats, cat food, and whatever he was eating.

Cat-worm always seemed to enjoy it.

"Get some food for cat-type beasts. If possible, throw in some dragon-type as well."

Professor Hugo: "?"

Hearing this, Professor Hugo's face showed a puzzled expression. "Little Professor Ash, how many pets do you actually have? It sounds like they eat a ton."

"Oriental Bird, cat-type, dragon-type…?" Professor Hugo gave Asher a slightly aggrieved look. "Little Professor Ash, do I really look like some kind of gullible fool?"

Asher couldn't help but laugh.

Without being told, he didn't feel it.

But now that Professor Hugo mentioned it… he kind of did.

"I have two contracted beasts. One is an evolved Oriental Peacock. Since it's a new evolutionary path, the diet is still based on the Oriental Peacock's requirements."

"The other is a new species of beast I encountered in a forbidden zone. It resembles a feline-type beast but also seems to have dragon bloodline traits… So, we'll tentatively go with that."

Asher briefly explained to Professor Hugo.

As Professor Hugo listened, his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

"Ohhh!"

"That sounds really interesting."

"Little Professor Ash, can you let me see your two contracted beasts?" As he spoke, Professor Hugo impatiently rubbed his hands together, his face full of eager anticipation.

Asher: "..."

Let me say it again: it's not that he's prejudiced, but this really feels like a natural talent.

The same action on someone else wouldn't seem odd, but once it's Professor Hugo, it somehow makes people... think too much.

"Aren't you supposed to take me to enjoy myself? Why are you now asking to see my contracted beasts?" Asher used Professor Hugo's earlier words against him.

Yet, Professor Hugo's face showed no trace of embarrassment. "Heh! That doesn't conflict at all!"

"But in that case..." As Professor Hugo spoke, his eyes suddenly lit up. He clapped his hands in excitement and exclaimed, "I know where to take you now, Little Professor Ash."

"I guarantee you and your contracted beasts will be satisfied."

Asher's curiosity got the better of him, and he couldn't resist following Professor Hugo.

And then…

Standing at the entrance of Thousand Springs City's largest beast-themed amusement park, Asher fell silent.

"You brought me here?" Asher pointed at the lively amusement park ahead, full of laughter and bustling with parents and children or young couples. His face was filled with a huge question mark.

Professor Hugo nodded. "No problem, right? Amusement parks are places both kids and contracted beasts love."

As he spoke, he pointed at Asher, "Kids."

Then he pointed at Asher's head, "Contracted beasts."

Asher's silence deepened.

He wanted to turn and leave, but he could feel the restless excitement of Little Raven and Cat Cat-worm in the mental beast space, eager to jump out.

Helpless, Asher stopped in his tracks and proactively released them before they leaped out on their own.

Little Raven promptly perched atop Asher's head, scanning the surroundings and instantly becoming the least conspicuous sight at the park entrance.

Many beast tamers had come to the amusement park, some accompanied by massive horse-like, elephant-like, or scaled beasts, making Little Raven—about the size of an eagle—look much less eye-catching.

Since Little Raven claimed the high ground on Asher's head, Cat-worm had no choice but to settle obediently in his arms.

"Wow! Mommy, look! What a cool big bird!"

"Mommy, I want a cat-dragon plushie like the big brother's. The horn on its head is so awesome."

"The bird is cooler!"

"But I prefer the big tiger that uncle has over there. It's so majestic!"

A group of nearby kids was instantly captivated by Little Raven and Cat Cat-worm. They gazed at Asher's head and arms with eyes full of envy.

Some even mistook the uniquely styled Cat-worm for a new plush toy released by the amusement park, wanting one of their own.

Then, Cat Cat-worm shattered their dreams.

"Chirp!"

"Chirp!"

'Good taste!'

'Dragons are indeed this cool!'

'But Cat Dragon? No way!'

'It's a dragon! A dragon! Not a Cat Dragon!'

Cat-worm glared at the kid who called it "Cat Dragon" with its messy doodle-like eyes, chirping indignantly. Although it looked disdainful, its little mouth was already curling upward in pride.

Unfortunately…

The moment the child realized Cat-worm was alive, moving, and staring at her, she froze. A second later, she burst into tears.

"Waaaaaah—Mommy! The plushie came alive! It's so scary! Waaaah—"

Cat Cat-worm froze.

'Where is the promised coolness?'

'Why does being alive make me scary?'

"Chirp!"

"Chirp rawr!"

'The dragon is angry!'

'The dragon is super angry!'

Fuming, Cat-worm visibly puffed up like a balloon.

Seeing this, Asher chuckled helplessly. He patted Cat-worm on the back, feeling the smooth yet subtly scaly texture beneath his fingers. He had to admit that the little girl's fright was somewhat justified.

Thanks to the added charm of its meme-like expressions, Asher found Cat-worm adorably quirky, even alive.

But to a little girl, it was just a very goofy-looking plush toy that suddenly came to life.

Who could have imagined that such a goofy-looking creature could exist in the real world?

Given her limited knowledge of beasts, it was only natural that the girl was scared.

Hastily, Asher carried Cat-worm away from the kids' sight, hoping to avoid more crying fits and to comfort Cat-worm.

"Don't be mad; she's just a little girl. I think our Cat-worm is super cute."

Cat Cat-worm: *Pouting angrily*

'I'm a dragon!'

'A dragon!'

Asher nodded perfunctorily.

"Yes, yes, I know. Next time."

Perched atop Asher's head, Little Raven had witnessed the entire incident and was almost rolling with laughter—if only it wasn't sitting on Asher's head.

It spread its two-meter wings, radiating warmth as it playfully flapped them against Asher's face, shielding him from the cold wind while expressing its own desires.

'Beast Tamer, let's go!'

'The bird wants to play at the amusement park!'

Cat-worm's attention was also quickly drawn back to the amusement park.

"Chirp!"

'Yes, yes!'

'The dragon wants to play too!'

Asher could brush off Professor Hugo's suggestion, but when both Little Raven and Cat-worm showed such enthusiasm, what else could he do?

He had no choice but to agree and take them to queue up for tickets.

A good day always starts with disrupted plans.

Meanwhile, the true culprit, Professor Hugo, remained blissfully unaware of his misdeeds. Catching up to Asher, he laughed cheerfully, "How is it? Fun, right?"

"I knew it. No kid can resist the allure of an amusement park."

"None!"

Professor Hugo waved his arms excitedly as he shouted, attracting the attention of nearby onlookers once again.

Asher really wanted to speed up and put some distance between himself and Professor Hugo to clarify that they weren't together.

Unfortunately, Professor Hugo gave him no chance.

Professor Hugo enthusiastically threw an arm around Asher's shoulder and curiously touched Little Raven, still perched on Asher's head. "Wow… it's solid. Little Professor Ash, doesn't it feel heavy having it on your head?"

Asher gave Professor Hugo a look that screamed, I don't want to talk to you.

Heavy?

No.

It's the weight of love.

Still, Asher was starting to feel the strain. If he kept this position much longer, his neck was definitely going to give out.

"Little Raven, how about I hold you instead?" With one arm cradling Cat-worm, Asher extended his other hand to Little Raven.

Little Raven first shot Professor Hugo an intense glare, looking as though it wanted to peck his face.

In the end, it didn't do anything and obediently jumped into Asher's arms. It ignored Professor Hugo completely, focusing its gaze elsewhere.

Little Raven: Hmph!

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