Chapter 116: Filial Piety Leads to Strength! Planning a Trip to Dragon Valley and Male Nanny Asher?

After handing the pet egg to Asher, Daryll took out a small briefcase.

He opened it.

Inside was a full array of crystals emitting powerful energy waves, various high-grade herbs, and three differently colored reagents.

"These are...?",Asher asked.

"This is a dragon-type pet egg.",Daryll pointed to the pet egg in Asher's hand.

Asher was somewhat surprised.

'A dragon-type pet?'

"Dragon-type beasts are the most protective of their offspring among all beasts. Would they really entrust their eggs to humans for incubation?",Asher instinctively weighed the pet egg in his hand.

'This heavy feel... so this is the unique texture of a dragon-type beast's egg.'

"Indeed...",Daryll smiled somewhat helplessly,"But this pet egg was not bred by the beasts in our park. It was accidentally discovered in a forbidden area, seemingly abandoned."

Discover a powerful creature?

Kill it.

Discover a young one or a pet egg?

Bring it back, tame it.

It's all about practicality.

"Initially, we thought this was a pet egg abandoned because it was too weak or for some other reason... but after abandonment testing, we found that it emitted the energy waves of a dragon-type beast."

A dragon-type beast's pet egg!

This is even rarer than a dragon-type beast.

Dragon-type beasts will regard the first life form they see after birth as their closest kin. If a beastmaster can personally hatch a dragon-type pet egg, it's equivalent to having a dragon-type pet that treats the beastmaster as its parent.

Low chance of rebellion.

High obedience.

The only problem is... how to steal their eggs from dragon-type beasts that are especially protective after giving birth.

This is a serious issue that requires careful consideration.

Otherwise, you might get killed in the process.

A dragon-type pet egg that was abandoned... Asher felt that this world was so fantastical.

'Oh.'

'This is already a fantastical world.'

"Flood Dragon University's prize... is quite clever.",Asher nodded, speaking seriously.

A dragon-type pet egg, something priceless and hard to come by.

Yet this pet egg was obtained by chance.

With just this move, Flood Dragon University has made the beastmaster who ultimately receives this prize feel extremely grateful to them.

"Hehe.",Daryll chuckled foolishly, then quickly coughed and straightened his face into a serious expression,"Dragon-type beasts require a lot of companionship and guidance after birth. We are an incubation center, not a breeding house. If we don't find a beastmaster for the little one, taking care of it would be a significant task for us."

Might as well find a beastmaster for this pet egg.

Cost-effective.

Win-win.

And gain the gratitude of a potentially powerful beastmaster in the future.

Flood Dragon University: 'Everything in the plan is so perfect.'

'...If it weren't for the incident with the Night Wandering Bird earlier.',Daryll sighed.

Yesterday, when he brought Asher to collect the reward, he had already thought about the tone and expression to use when telling Asher that this was a dragon-type pet egg, and then put on a calm, unperturbed expression to harvest Asher's gratitude.

Who would have thought... changes come faster than plans.

The appearance of the Night Wandering Bird almost caused the situation to spiral out of control... Fortunately, the brakes were applied in the end.

But Daryll's previous plans were ruined.

Forget about seizing the opportunity to harvest Asher's gratitude, the priority now is to ensure that Asher's impression of Flood Dragon doesn't drop to negative.

"These crystals are all dragon-type, very suitable for supplementing the energy of dragon-type younglings during their infancy and growth period, allowing the younglings to grow healthier.",Daryll first pointed to the pile of crystals, then shifted his finger,"These high-grade resources are suitable for most dragon-type pets, you might find them useful."

Asher glanced at them.

Among a pile of mostly unfamiliar materials, he only recognized the Dragon Heart Grass, which can purify the bloodline of dragon-type younglings not born from dual-dragon pairings, after all, cross-species egg-laying, with one being a dragon-type beast, isn't uncommon, right?

"And these three reagents are?",Asher's gaze fell on the red, blue, and yellow test tubes.

"These three reagents are products independently developed by our Flood Dragon University research center.",seeing Asher's gaze on the three reagents, Daryll's voice became excited, and his expression gradually filled with pride,"This is the result of collaboration among many breeders, pet evolution professors, and various high-end talents."

"The red reagent is suitable for beasts of all attributes. After consumption, the training effect within ten to fifteen days is doubled, the brain undergoes a certain degree of deep development, and the speed at which pets learn new skills or master skills will increase by a level. The specific effects vary on different beasts."

"The blue reagent is suitable for dragon-type, special-type, and light-type beasts. After consumption, it can quickly alleviate mental frenzy, trauma, and other adverse states, allowing the pet to quickly calm down and return to normal."

"The yellow reagent is only suitable for dragon-type beasts. After consumption, the beast's soul will enter a peculiar state, and the pet has a certain chance to awaken special bloodlines within its body or innate skills, with a not low probability of success or failure."

The preciousness of the three reagents also increases in order.

Among them, the red reagent has the widest application range, acting on the body. Asher speculated that this should be prepared for Little Raven; the blue reagent limits a certain application range, but its effect is on the pet's spirit, a level more precious than the red reagent, this should be prepared for Cat-Worm; and the final yellow reagent, the most precious one, is temporarily only usable by dragon-type pets, its effect on the soul, this is definitely prepared for the unborn youngling in the pet egg.

Asher: "..."

'Very thoughtful.'

'Very beautiful.'

'Provided that—Cat-Worm is not dragon-type, and Cat-Worm is not special-type or light-type.'

"Thank you.",even so, Asher still accepted this goodwill.

After all, they really mean well.

Seeing Asher accept this apology gift, which is no less precious than the pet egg as a competition prize, Daryll finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It's not that Flood Dragon University overly values Asher, it's just that... the value Asher has shown, whether in pet evolution or as a beastmaster's hard strength, is impossible to ignore.

They didn't intend to specially flatter, but they also didn't want to make enemies.

These gifts can be considered as an early investment.

Thinking this, Daryll handed Asher a special access card, printed with the iconic Flood Dragon divine bird pattern of Flood Dragon University.

Asher,"?"

"This... is a student card, right?",Asher looked uncertainly at Daryll.

Daryll smiled and said,"Yes, this is our school's student card. With this, you can enter and exit Flood Dragon University at any time, and also enjoy all facilities open to students at Flood Dragon University, just like Flood Dragon students."

"This incident with the pet egg was indeed our oversight, giving you a bad impression."

"For this, the school's academic affairs office worked overnight to produce this student card, hoping you can visit Flood Dragon more in the future, hoping you can see the true face of Flood Dragon."

Daryll spoke earnestly and righteously.

As if there wasn't a trace of their own selfishness in this.

Asher thought for a moment, then accepted the student card.

No reason to refuse.

He is indeed quite curious about Flood Dragon University.

If there's a chance, he would like to visit more.

After more than half a day, Jade Dragon found out about this news: "?"

'What?'

'You Flood Dragon play so dirty?'

'Secretly giving Asher one of your school's student cards?'

'What's the difference between this and Asher being a student of Flood Dragon University!'

Asking Asher to throw away the student card is definitely impossible.

Jade Dragon: 'Just a student card? You can give, I can give too!'

'What?'

'Reason?'

'The reason is... to refuse unfair competition.'

Felter and Dexter led the combat department freshmen of Jade Dragon University, eagerly welcoming Asher to come and spar with them again.

Flood Dragon: "..."

'Shameless Jade Dragon!'

Jade Dragon: 'Same to you.'

———

"Wow!",Seeing Asher returning fully loaded, June, who was playing games in the hotel room, exclaimed,"Didn't you go to collect the reward you didn't get yesterday?"

"Looking at you with both hands full and almost unable to hold more, one would think you went on a big shopping spree."

"Pretty much, that's how it ended up.",Asher said calmly.

Ivy: "?"

Vicky also peeked towards Asher's direction.

"Hey hey hey! Catch it! This plate is about to fall.",Seeing her gaming buddy run off, June hurriedly shouted at Vicky, who quickly retracted his head, then occasionally glanced towards Asher.

"How many prizes did Flood Dragon University prepare for you... so generous?"

"This is just a competition organized unilaterally by Jade Dragon and Flood Dragon, if it were a larger-scale competition, would the rewards be even richer?"

Saying this, Vicky started to fantasize about Asher making a fortune just by competing.

Asher: "..."

"You're overthinking, not to mention whether I would participate in these competitions, just the rewards Jade Dragon and Flood Dragon jointly offered... most competitions can't compare."

A million-dollar prize, a dragon-type pet egg, a spot in the high-end mall... only Jade Dragon and Flood Dragon have the foundation and connections in the circle to play like this.

Other universities?

No way.

And whether they have the credibility to gather so many recommended students from various schools is another question.

In the next few years, Jade Dragon and Flood Dragon probably won't play this game again... or maybe they will?

"Over," June looked at the failed cooperative game, silently said, then her eyes gloomily looked at the culprit of the failure, Vicky, who didn't cooperate with her in washing dishes and serving food.

Vicky's eyes "whooshed" back,"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, shall we start over?"

"Go away, I'll play with Ivy," June snuggled up to Ivy: "My compatibility with Ivy must be high!"

Ivy smiled, took another game controller from Vicky, looked back at Asher and said,"The competition is over, how many more days are you planning to stay in Star City?"

"Shall we go out for a stroll this afternoon, buy some souvenirs or something?"

"I'm in!",June almost raised her hands and feet in agreement.

Vicky looked uninterested,"Ah... I'd rather go find Comrade Scar, plan the cultivation route for my Little Drogo with him."

June shot a glare at Vicky.

'Such a killjoy!'

"This pet egg is probably going to hatch in the next couple of days, I'll head back after it hatches.",Asher patted the pet egg in his arms,"Don't want it to hatch halfway on the road, that would be a bit awkward."

'If the little one's first sight upon hatching isn't me...',Asher would also be a bit upset.

"OK!",June made a gesture to Asher.

Ivy nodded, no objections,"Just in time, the results will take some time to come out, no rush to fill in the wishes, it's good to stay in Star City for a few more days."

"Then you guys keep playing, I'll go back to my room to incubate the egg.",Asher said calmly amidst Vicky's "quack quack" laughter that sounded like he was raising ducks, then turned and carried the pet egg back to his room.

Awkward?

As long as he's not awkward, no one can make him feel awkward.

Entering the room.

Asher looked left and right, then placed the pet egg in his arms on the bed.

The next second.

Little Raven and Cat-Worm, who had long been unable to resist coming out, emerged from Asher's spiritual sea pet space, a bird and a cat standing on the bed, pressing the spring mattress into a small dent, curiously looking around the pet egg.

Little Raven: (.-`ω-)

Little Raven turned to look at Asher.

'Beastmaster! Beastmaster! Is this your egg?'

Asher facepalmed.

"Teacher Daryll's words earlier, you didn't listen at all, did you.",Asher said helplessly.

Little Raven curiously tapped the pet egg with its wing, making a "thud thud" sound, then tapped it a couple more times.

Seeing this, Cat-Worm immediately joined the egg-tapping team, using its short legs to tap the round pet egg in front of it.

Cat-Worm: ('ω')

"Meow! Meow!"

'Feels so good!'

'This egg is a dragon egg, right?'

'Great!'

'This will be Little Beauty Dragon's little brother from now on!'

Little Raven heard this and thought,'how can this be!'

'My little brother is about to have a little brother?'

Little Raven: =v=

'Decided.'

'This is also Bird's little brother!'

'The dragon's little brother is also Big Sister's little brother, don't compete with Bird for little brothers!'

Asher hadn't said anything yet, watching these two little things about to divide this egg into their little brothers, Asher's expression was both amused and helpless.

"What, not jealous anymore?",Asher said with a smile,"Weren't you quite resistant to having a third treasure in the family before, why are you looking forward to it now?"

"Your hearts change quite fast."

Little Raven: ╭(╯^╰)╮

Cat-Worm: ╭(╯^╰)╮

Having spent a considerable amount of time together, the two little ones' expressions were equally disdainful.

'Different, different, pets are different from pets.',Little Raven pointed at the egg on the bed.

'Little brother.'

'Can be educated from birth.'

'Must respect Big Sister!'

"Meow Meow!"

'And respect this Dragon!'

'Good food must be given to Bird/Dragon first!'

'No competing with Bird/Dragon for Beastmaster's affection!'

Little Raven and Cat-Worm: You say a word, I say a word, couldn't be more coordinated.

"Is this me contracting a pet or you guys finding a nanny for yourselves.",Asher said with a wry smile, before Asher could say more.

The pet egg, which had been lying quietly on the bed, suddenly shook slightly.

A boy and two pets: "?"

The three breathing beings in the room were all stunned.

They all looked at the pet egg on the bed, Asher also leaned in closer, Little Raven and Cat-Worm made way for him to get the best viewing spot.

Stare—

Just as Asher was about to think that seeing the pet egg shake was his illusion, the pet egg shook again, this time more vigorously, and before Little Raven and Cat-Worm could react, it hit both of them.

Then it quieted down again.

Little Raven: "?"

Cat-Worm: "?"

The two little ones, who had been quite arrogant just now, were dumbfounded.

'No way?'

The pet egg... this egg heard what they were saying, and understood what they were saying, right?

Otherwise, why would it retaliate like this.

'Yes!'

'It's retaliation!'

Little Raven and Cat-Worm glared fiercely at this "future little brother" who was already "rebellious" before even being born, their golden-red and chaotic eyes filled with a murderous aura.

'Disaster—the designated little brother is rebelling!'

"You two, that's enough.",Asher said with a mix of amusement and helplessness, knocking on Little Raven's head with a bent finger, then on Cat-Worm's head, and finally, under the pitiful gazes of both, gently tapped the shell of the pet egg.

Feeling Asher's gentle tap, the pet egg swayed left and right, as if expressing dissatisfaction, or perhaps cooing at Asher.

Asher was surprised and couldn't help but be curious—'are all pet eggs so spiritual just before hatching?'

'It's still an egg.'

'The little creature inside, of unknown species, seems a bit too clever.'

Unfortunately.

Asher's talent skill couldn't penetrate the eggshell to see what kind of beast was inside.

But... it will be clear once it hatches.

No matter how troublesome, can it be more troublesome than Cat-Worm?

Thinking of Cat-Worm, Asher turned to look at Cat-Worm with his talent skill, focusing on the line of text: [Evolution Path: Can be chosen based on attributes, not fixed (the more attributes, the more evolution paths available)...]

"The more attributes, the more evolution paths available...",Asher rubbed his chin,"But Cat-Worm currently only has three attributes, does that mean Cat-Worm's attributes can be increased?"

Thinking this, Asher looked at Little Raven again.

Compared to Cat-Worm.

Little Raven originally had two attributes, and after evolution, it had three attributes, but Little Raven was a special case.

'What about Cat-Worm?'

'Another special case?'

"These two evolution paths don't seem very satisfying, so how to add attributes to Cat-Worm."

Asher wasn't very satisfied with Cat-Worm's current evolution paths of "Poison + Dark = Black Phantom" and "Fairy + Dark + Poison = Ender Dark Dragon," his current goal was to find a suitable evolution path for Cat-Worm.

After some research, Asher found a special category on Cat-Worm's panel—[Add Attribute]

By synthesizing five skills of the same attribute on Cat-Worm, Cat-Worm will learn a new skill of this attribute and possess this attribute.

Asher: "..."

Asher's gaze towards Cat-Worm gradually filled with murderous intent.

Cat-Worm: "?"

Cat-Worm: *Shivering*

Cat-Worm: QwO

"Meow! Meow?"

"Meow! Meow! Meow?"

'Beastmaster... this look is scary...'

'What did Dragon do wrong, Beastmaster is looking at Dragon with such a terrifying look~'

"Be normal, I don't want to harm you.",Asher picked up Cat-Worm, placed it on his lap, and started kneading it like dough, Cat-Worm didn't dare to resist, could only kick its six legs, with a look of despair on its face.

Cat-Worm whimpered pitifully while Little Raven actively approached Asher, curiously looking at him and then at Cat-Worm.

'Second Treasure dead, First Treasure shall rise?'

Asher: "..."

'Good grief.'

'Trying to usurp the throne now?'

"Stop imagining nonsense. I'm just figuring out how to plan this guy's future training route.",Asher roughly ruffled Little Raven's head, scattering all its wild thoughts.

"This family would fall apart in minutes without me.",Asher complained,"Can't you all just get along peacefully?"

Little Raven: ×

Cat-Worm: ×

Asher: '...So this is the legendary 'Filial Piety Leads to Strength'?'

"...Right now, I just hope you won't be a troublemaker.",Asher stroked the pet egg's shell with a tone full of blessings.

He then began operating the system panel.

The principle was simple: synthesizing five different skills of the same attribute into one that would grant Cat-Worm a corresponding new attribute. Among all the skills Asher had drawn, the fire attribute had the most complete set of five mastered skills.

Quickly selecting [Flame Bite], [Fire Strike], [Fireball], [Thermal Energy], and [Smoke Screen], Asher synthesized them and taught them to Cat-Worm.

After a blinding white light faded...

Cat-Worm's attribute column now displayed an additional [Fire Attribute].

Its original "Fairy + Poison + Dark" had gained a "+ Fire".

Checking the new skill Cat-Worm learned left Asher with mixed feelings:

[Flame Shield: Engulfs the user in flames without self-damage. Reduces ice-attribute skills by 80%, creates peculiar effects against water-attribute skills, and automatically counterattacks melee strikes. Lasts 3 minutes (upgradeable)]

Asher rubbed his chin.

"Pretty practical skill. Basically turns you into a living flaming hedgehog, huh?"

'Burn whoever touches you.'

Patting Cat-Worm's head approvingly, Asher then checked its evolution paths again. As expected, two new routes had appeared:

[Fire + Dark = Netherflame Monarch]

[Fire + Fairy = Blazing Spirit]

Asher: "..."

Alternating glances between Cat-Worm and the new options, he mused,"Hmm... Kinda edgy. Not sure what they'd look like evolved..." Already imagining chuunibyou-style flamboyant designs.

'Well...'

'Let's wait and see.'

More attributes meant more evolution options. There'd surely be one suitable for Cat-Worm. These two could be set aside for now.

Moreover, Asher felt a spark of curiosity—'if Cat-Worm collected all attributes... Could it become legendary?'

'Ahem!'

'Worth experimenting.'

Attribute expansion simultaneously boosted Cat-Worm's combat capabilities—a cost-effective plan. Thus, Cat-Worm's evolution journey transformed into an attribute-collecting quest.

While waiting for the egg to hatch, Asher explored his premium mall account.

"So many goodies...",The dazzling array of rare beasts, priceless materials, and elite breeders/professors listed made his head spin.

Forcing down his shopping urges through sheer willpower, he prepared to close the page.

'These are amazing...'

'But irrelevant to current needs.'

Just before exiting, a scroll revealed a familiar pet name: [Seeking Breeders & Evolution Professors for Dragon Valley Expedition]

Asher: "?"

Dragon Valley?

Instantly intrigued, he skipped other listings and clicked.

'Well now.'

'An acquaintance.'

The poster was none other than Aeron's father, Greg Rothschild...

"Old Rothschild's Ancestral Dragon refuses to eat/drink and won't leave Dragon Valley... Need to determine the cause?",Asher muttered.

"Ancestral Dragon..."

Suddenly, inspiration struck.

'Could it be...'

'Evolving?'

When Asher previously saw Aeron's Baby Dragon, he knew Ancestral Dragon had a higher evolution form. He hadn't pursued it then.

Now Ancestral Dragon showed abnormalities, coincidentally catching Asher's attention.

If Ancestral Dragon was truly evolving,'Could I leech its dragon attributes and skills?'

After all, as Old Rothschild's pet, Ancestral Dragon must know at least a dozen skills—70-90% being dragon-type wouldn't be surprising.

Glancing at the dragon-obsessed Cat-Worm in his arms and the dragon-attribute egg on the bed...

'Hatchlings need to learn skills too.'

'Dragon-types naturally learn slowly.'

'Without cheats, it'd take years to mature.ç

Asher: 'Perfect opportunity. Just need to grab it.'

———

[Rothschild Residence]

Within a ruggedly styled courtyard, the atmosphere was tense.

"Dad, Grandpa's Ancestral Dragon still refuses to come out?",Aeron frowned deeply.

Greg Rothschild nodded,"Local experts couldn't identify the issue. Grandpa's reaching out to top breeders/professors now."

"Many would jump at the chance to explore Dragon Valley while earning hefty rewards. Someone will come."

Aeron's worry lessened slightly. Hesitantly, he added,"Um... Maybe ask Brother Asher?"

WHOOSH—

Greg Rothschild's tiger-like eyes snapped to his son, startling Aeron.

'It's just Dad. He won't bite.'

'Calm. Stay calm.'

"Brother Asher's talented in pet evolution... His evolved talent lets him understand beasts. Even if he can't diagnose it, maybe communicate with Ancestral Dragon?"

"Communication isn't the problem.",Greg Rothschild said flatly,"Grandpa can communicate. Ancestral Dragon refuses to respond."

Aeron,"..."

'Oh... Right.'

"I considered inviting my destined rival, but he's too young. Give him a few years and he might solve this. Too early now.",Greg Rothschild sighed regretfully.

Aeron gaped, torn between facepalming and screaming.

'Destined rival?'

'How can you say that with a straight face?'

"Forget it. Your call.",Aeron waved dismissively,"Just hope Grandpa's dragon's okay."

"Thought dragon-types were longest-lived? This behavior's terrifying..."

Beep—

Aeron's phone chimed. His eyes bulged at the message.

"Who is it?",Greg Rothschild began lecturing,"As Rothschild's heir, you should maintain..."

"Dad! Asher messaged!",Aeron shoved the screen forward, reciting,"He asks if Grandpa's Ancestral Dragon has issues. Says he might help."

Greg Rothschild,"?"

A giant question mark hovered over his head like an NPC quest marker.

"Who told him?",Greg Rothschild accused.

"Dad! I just thought of contacting him today! Don't blame me!"

Seeing genuine hurt, Greg Rothschild relented. Meanwhile, Aeron was already rapid-fire texting.

"Asher saw the post on Premium Mall. He's interested.",Aeron announced, shocking his father.

'Premium Mall access?'

"Truly worthy of my rival! Stronger than imagined.",Greg Rothschild exhaled,"Schedule a meeting."

'Perhaps... Just perhaps...'

Asher: "?"

———

They set the meeting three days later.

Glancing at the egg likely to hatch soon, Asher planned to leave Star City afterward.

"Hurry up and hatch," he patted the egg—then froze.

'Now I get why they kept tapping it.'

The shell felt firm yet oddly pliant, like non-Newtonian fluid.

Addictive.

Another pat made the egg wiggle protestingly.

"I'll stop. Heed me—hatch already."

The egg shook affirmatively.

Yet by next evening, it remained intact.

Asher: "..."

'So yesterday's talk was ignored?',Poking the egg,"Why sway then?"

'Heard but disobeyed?'

The egg swayed again.

Asher facepalmed miserably.

'This unhatched rebel's gonna be a handful.'

Little Raven and Cat-Worm snickered nearby.

'We love you, Beastmaster.'

'But your misery is hilarious.'

Little Raven: ヽ(＾Д＾)ﾉ

Cat-Worm: ヽ(^.^)丿

'This is our love!'

"Filial! So filial.",Asher pointed at them and the egg,"Filial piety indeed."

'Why not just filially murder me?'

Suppressing an eye-roll, Asher's gaze suddenly lit up.

'Hmm...?'

Little Raven shivered, feathers puffing up defensively.

'Why that look?'

"Don't you trust me?",Asher clasped his hands mournfully,"No faith left?"

Little Raven's conscience twinged. Fluttering over, it cooed apologetically—

'Nooo~'

'Beastmaster best~'

Mid-coo, Asher suddenly hoisted Little Raven onto the egg.

"Perfect. Egg-hatching's in birds' DNA, right?"

Little Raven: (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻

'DNA YOUR FACE!'

Enraged, it flapped wildly at Asher.

"Careful! You'll crush it!",Asher taunted.

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