Chapter 188: Asher – This Color, This Shape, It’s Totally an Orleans Roast

The tense atmosphere suddenly relaxed.

Asher and Little Raven looked at each other.

Hmm…

Asher quickly caught the feather that was still drifting in the air and, with a swift motion, stuck it back onto Little Raven.

"Let's just pretend we didn't see anything."

Little Raven: (╬◣д◢)

'Is this something that can be ignored?'

Seeing that Little Raven was about to make a fuss, Asher hurriedly patted Little Raven: "Calm down. Maybe in a little while, all your feathers will grow back?"

Little Raven: *Skeptical*

Although doubtful, Little Raven still looked at Asher with a gaze filled with expectation.

╭(╯^╰)╮

'The Beastmaster speaks!'

'The bird listens!'

As for whether the bird believes it or not…

Little Raven's sharp eyes locked onto Asher, full of both intensity and threat.

Asher: "Ahem."

"Look...", Asher deliberately dragged out his words, but he wasn't just speaking nonsense, "When did you start losing feathers?"

"It started right when we arrived in Crimson City, didn't it?"

Then… in this confusing and suffocating atmosphere, another feather gently floated down from Little Raven's body.

"Maybe it's because of this secret realm!", The more he spoke, the more confident Asher became, and his expression grew increasingly calm and composed, "As long as we figure out what's going on with that Three-Legged Golden Crow, what connection it has with you, and whether some kind of energy is affecting you… maybe you'll grow out new, beautiful feathers."

Little Raven: "!"

'Makes sense!'

'Believes it, just a little!'

'Let's go, let's go, let's go!'

Little Raven's gaze at the faint outline of the Three-Legged Golden Crow in the "sun" above became increasingly fervent.

Little Raven tilted its head.

'Hmm… can I say that, actually, when I saw what seems to be a corpse of my kin, I felt nothing at all?'

'Not sad in the slightest.'

Likewise.

Not particularly happy either.

The shock and emotional turmoil from seeing that corpse and silhouette weren't even as intense as hearing from its Beast Tamer that its feathers might grow back.

Little Raven instinctively snuggled against Asher's chest.

'Forget it.'

'No need to overthink.'

'As long as the feathers grow back, everything will be fine!'

With that thought, Little Raven regained its spirited and proud demeanor, looking utterly excited.

Asher gave Little Raven a pat and continued heading toward the "sun"—the mountain peak.

The "sun" hung high in the sky.

Asher stood at the summit.

The area at the top of the mountain was far more spacious than Asher had imagined.

But… Asher looked left and right and found nothing.

Trees, trees, and more trees.

No caves.

No secret realm.

No inheritance.

Nothing at all.

Asher silently typed out a question mark in his mind.

"What? So after that Three-Legged Golden Crow died, its projection remained in the sun of this secret realm? Just for decoration?"

'Pretending to still be alive?'

'Unless it was waiting for a new Three-Legged Golden Crow, there is no reason for this.'

["Is there a possibility that you've already seen what the Three-Legged Golden Crow left behind?"], The Angel spoke, not expecting Asher's thought process to go off track so quickly.

Asher: "..."

Ahem.

Instinctively overlooked it.

The elephant in the room was completely ignored.

Asher held Little Raven in both hands and looked toward the "sun" in the sky: "Wanna give it a try?"

'The secret of the Red Soil Secret Realm must be within the "sun". Or rather, the Three-Legged Golden Crow inside it.'

Little Raven stood on Asher's arm, its golden-red eyes locked onto him, glowing like molten lava. Confidence surged within them.

'Go!'

'Must go!'

'The bird fears nothing!'

'…Actually, the bird doesn't sense any danger.'

But to keep Asher from worrying, the originally flamboyant Little Raven awkwardly added another sentence.

It flapped its wings a few times against Asher's arm.

'The bird will be right back.'

'Beastmaster, just wait!'

'Maybe the bird can even bring you out of here!'

Hearing this, Asher smiled: "I believe in you. Go ahead."

"Even if there's danger, it's fine. I'll pull you back into the Beast Space the moment anything happens," Asher spoke seriously.

Even though doing so might cause some unknown damage to both him and Little Raven, compared to Little Raven's safety, Asher felt those risks were unimportant.

Protecting Little Raven came first.

Little Raven lowered its head and nuzzled against Asher.

Then, flapping its strong wings, it flew straight toward the "sun" without looking back.

Asher casually plucked Cat-Worm from his shoulder and held it in his arms.

Together, they watched Little Raven flying toward the "sun" with serious expressions.

No matter how confidently Little Raven spoke, Asher would still worry.

Soon, however, Asher realized… his concern might have been misplaced?

Uh…

Asher looked up at Little Raven, but as it flew closer to the dazzling "sun," his eyes couldn't handle the brightness, so he instinctively lowered his head and blinked a few times.

A few tears clung to his eyelashes, "So… did I just see that wrong?"

Cat-Worm blinked its chaotic little eyes, full of sympathy for Asher.

"Meow! Meow!"

'Don't deceive yourself, Beast Tamer!'

'You saw it right!'

'This dragon saw exactly the same thing as you!'

'Boss is losing her feathers!'

Yes.

While flying, Little Raven's feathers were shedding rapidly, from its head to its back, then its wings… More and more of its exposed skin turned flesh-colored.

Then, under the "sun's" radiance, its bare skin turned golden-red.

As if molten lava flowed beneath its skin.

Or like the essence of the sun itself.

But its appearance… for a split second, the words "Orleans Roast Chicken" popped into Asher's mind.

'Ahem!'

Not daring to dwell on the thought for even a second, Asher quickly shoved those words out of his head before Little Raven could sense them.

Otherwise Asher had no intention of experiencing what it meant to be a top-tier traitor.

He couldn't handle such a blow.

And as Little Raven flew, heading straight for the "sun" like a moth to a flame, did it notice the changes happening to its body?

Did it sense Asher's thoughts?

Both answers were the same.

No.

Not at all.

In Little Raven's perception, its body was undergoing an unprecedented transformation. Growing larger, becoming stronger, its blood, skin, and feathers evolving into something more powerful than ever before.

Little Raven's eyes shone brightly.

It flew even faster.

It was right there.

The Three-Legged Golden Crow was right in front of it.

"CHIRP—"

Little Raven let out a clear yet youthful cry.

And dove headfirst into the "sun".

In an instant—

Asher and Little Raven's vision went black.

———

"Sister Liana, are we going to die?"

"Can the Alliance really find us?"

"What the hell is this place…"

"I regret it… I never should have trusted that damned old man from the start. The Red Soil Forbidden Zone was already…"

Amidst the scattered voices of men and women, a powerful and commanding female voice spoke up, silencing everyone, "Shut up."

Liana's past authority and her own strength successfully made everyone obediently close their mouths.

Only then did she continue, "Stay quiet, conserve your strength. Only this way can we hold out as long as possible until the Alliance finds us."

The others gradually quieted down.

Liana squinted, trying to make out the expressions of those around her.

Unfortunately.

The place they were in was pitch black, as if they had been forcibly locked in a small dark room.

They couldn't see anything.

A strange energy enveloped them, distorting their sense of time.

And most importantly… their contracted beasts in the spiritual sea and beast-taming space couldn't be summoned.

Otherwise, some of them did have fire-type beasts.

In a place this dark, a little light would at least bring some reassurance.

As for lightning-type beasts… best not to mention them.

They could provide some light, sure, but at the cost of randomly sacrificing a teammate. Unless things got truly desperate, Liana didn't really want to use them.

But she also knew deep down that everyone was nearing their limit.

Their group of seven had accepted this mission.

President Vincent had offered an extremely generous reward. If they managed to complete the job, they would earn more than double their annual income.

People risk their lives for wealth, just like birds for food.

An unchanging truth since ancient times.

They knew there was great danger involved, but after discussing it, everyone agreed that the risk lay in the time-consuming process of exploring the mountain range. It would require them to invest a lot of time and effort.

But with so much money on the table…

Even if they had to spend all their time on it, so what?

And then…

Then there was no "then" anymore.

The mountain moved slightly before their eyes. Then swallowed them whole in one gulp.

At first, they thought their lives were over.

But unexpectedly.

They woke up again.

Inside this pitch-dark space.

With no sense of time and no clue how to escape, everyone's emotions gradually worsened.

Some even whispered that it might have been better if they had just died back then…

THUD—

Just as Liana's mind was filled with chaotic thoughts, and she was even tempted to follow that train of thought further, a loud noise caught her attention.

"Everyone, don't move!"

Not only did Liana hear the sound, but the other six also heard it.

They quickly turned toward the direction of the noise.

Then they saw…

Light?

A flickering, burning flame.

And a human-shaped figure lying there.

They exchanged glances, their eyes filled with the same doubt.

'Wait—'

'Holy crap?'

'Someone else is unlucky enough to be thrown in here too?'

'Hold on!'

'Is this person here to find us and rescue us?'

The group, who had just been feeling a bit of schadenfreude, immediately discarded that thought and rushed toward the figure, eager to check on them.

If they were injured…

A glowing, multi-colored creature with twelve long, waving tentacles blocked their path. Even in this pitch-black environment, it emitted a soft, warm light.

Everyone stopped in their tracks.

"A beast?"

"Looks like… a jellyfish?"

"Can jellyfish float in the air?"

"Not really. Unless it's a short-term battle, most jellyfish still need a water-rich environment."

"Then this might not be a jellyfish. But whatever it is…"

They all turned to look at the figure on the ground.

That person must be a powerhouse.

They were absolutely certain in their hearts.

An hour later, when they were rescued, Asher still hadn't woken up. He was directly carried onto a Rock-Charging Ram and sent straight to the hospital without a backward glance. The team still hadn't fully processed what had happened.

"I thought we'd have to talk to him after he woke up, maybe even comfort him a little…"

"Didn't expect to get rescued just like that?"

"What the hell even happened?"

"It's really only been less than a day and a night? I don't know if it's just me, but it felt like a whole month had passed!"

"Either way, we're finally out!"

The members of the Red Soil Exploration Team all broke into broad, joyful smiles.

Liana, however, watched Asher's departing figure and the beast tamers around him. Who were clearly far more powerful than she was, and lightly pressed her lips together.

She thought she saw the contracted beast in his arms undergo a massive transformation in an instant.

When questioned by the Alliance members, she considered mentioning it, but in the end, she chose not to. [T/N: Wise girl]

———

Asher woke up to the smell of disinfectant.

As soon as he regained consciousness, he frowned.

'Disgusting.'

'This is an entirely different world, technology is advanced, so why do hospitals still have this same stench?'

"If you can frown and complain, your body must be doing pretty well."

At that moment, Jasmine's voice came from his side.

Asher's heart skipped a beat.

He was startled.

Turning his head and seeing a familiar face, he barely managed to breathe a sigh of relief.

Seeing Asher tense up and then relax, Jasmine swiftly sliced off the last piece of apple peel and cut the fruit into pieces.

"Tell me, what happened?", Jasmine pushed the plate of apples toward him.

Asher glanced at it, "Is this… a bribe or compensation?"

Saying so, he ate a piece.

Chew! Chew! Chew.

It wasn't that he particularly liked apples.

He was just thinking about how to explain what had happened.

How did he pass out?

Good question.

Asher was wondering that himself.

The last thing he remembered before blacking out was watching Little Raven charge toward the sun, while his mind drifted to thoughts of Orleans-style grilled… ahem, best not to think about that.

'There is no way Little Raven could have sensed my thoughts and decided to drag me down along with it, right?'

'No, no, no.'

Asher immediately erased that ridiculous idea from his mind.

'Impossible.'

'Absolutely impossible.'

He tapped his fingers on the blanket, considering whether to ask Angel—

'Uh…'

'No.'

'Maybe Cat-Worm, Little White Snake, or Little Jellyfish saw what happened in that final moment?'

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