Beast Tamer: I Can See Evolution Paths

Looking at Asher's information and recalling the matter of Old Rothschild and Ancestral Dragon's evolution into Dragon King, Charlotte instantly understood Asher's identity.

Then came a wave of guilt and fear.

'Damn!'

'I almost caused a huge problem!'

"You damn artificial idiot instead of artificial intelligence!", Charlotte, realizing her mistake, still couldn't help but curse at Thousand Machine, "What's wrong with Asher's data? Every figure matches perfectly!"

["Beep—"]

["Based on Asher's achievements, Little Thousand believes he does not belong in the newcomer category."]

Charlotte: "..."

*Cursing nonstop!*

'Artificial idiot!'

'This is an artificial idiot!'

She wanted a refund.

But a refund was impossible.

To secure the right to use this Thousand Machine, the people on the 18th floor nearly fought with other floors, especially the 16th floor's [Department of Financial Approval for Various Fund Movements], also known as the Finance Department.

Charlotte forcibly pressed her philtrum, took a deep breath, and barely kept herself from fainting.

She couldn't faint.

Fainting was not an option.

If she passed out now, who knew when she'd wake up again?

Jasmine, standing nearby, opened her mouth but ultimately didn't persuade Charlotte to rest.

'Sigh!'

It was the end of the year.

All departments were running around like crazy—it was normal.

She turned to make Charlotte a life-saving cup of coffee and then returned to her office.

"Phew—alive again.", After taking a sip, Charlotte visibly revived, "This is the new limited edition from Harmony Group this year, right? The one with the mental soothing agent?"

"Thanks, Dear Jasmine~" Charlotte winked at Jasmine.

"I just finished my work and came to keep you company. Hurry up and get this done—don't make such rookie mistakes again.", Jasmine sighed helplessly.

Charlotte nodded repeatedly.

Who wouldn't agree.

"Asher…", Charlotte scrolled the mouse, staring at Asher's profile and his ID photo on the screen.

There was no trace of youthful arrogance on Asher's face.

Instead, there was a calm composure uncharacteristic of an 18-year-old.

"A Level 3 Researcher… Is this qualification easier to obtain than I thought?", After reviewing Asher's achievements over the past year, including his title as a Beast Professor, Charlotte rubbed her chin and turned to look at Jasmine.

"Judging from his achievements, Asher is probably the most impressive one among them, right?"

"In terms of years in the field, Asher should also be the shortest.", Thinking of Asher's age, Charlotte nodded to herself, "'The Dia's Beast Evolution Professor Award' was originally meant for new Beast Evolution Professors who met the achievement standards within the age limit. Giving this award to Asher shouldn't be controversial, right?"

"If someone has an issue, they can battle Asher and see if they're as badass as he is."

18 years old.

Thinking back to what she was doing at 18… Oh, right, she had already been guaranteed admission to Jade Dragon.

'No problem, then.'

Jasmine agreed with Charlotte's words, "Asher's achievements are indeed astonishing. From the initial discovery of the Honeybug's evolution path, he has been rising non-stop, even solving the 'Sunflower' mystery and researching the evolution paths for Holy Light Sunflower and Nether Sunflower."

"Not to mention…", Jasmine paused.

"Hmm… Old Rothschild's Ancestral Dragon evolving into Dragon King?", Although Jasmine didn't finish her sentence, Charlotte instantly got her meaning.

No choice.

The buzz around Asher was overwhelming lately.

Even though Charlotte was in Star City, working at the Beast Alliance Headquarters' 18th floor, where she practically never left her office unless it was time to clock out, she still heard discussions about Asher from the strangest corners.

Most were doubts and criticisms.

The kinder ones said Asher was young and should experiment more.

The harsher ones accused him of reckless behavior with no basis.

And the most extreme ones… were one step away from calling him a foreign spy. *Cough cough.* There weren't many of those, but there were always a couple of brain-dead individuals.

Their reasoning? That Asher was sending Old Rothschild and Ancestral Dragon to their deaths, using this method to weaken country's power, so that before the next beast tide, Soren would already lose a general.

[TL/N: 'Soren' is the country they live in]

To this, Charlotte just wanted to say, If you lack brains, go get some supplements.'

Stop spreading useless rumors behind people's backs.

"Haha!", Thinking of this, Charlotte slapped her thigh and burst out laughing, "This reminds me of when the news of Old Rothschild's Ancestral Dragon evolving into Dragon King came out. Those gossipy idiots—oh man, their faces were priceless!"

"I almost laughed myself to death."

"There were even people who insisted it was fake, that it was a hoax, and it couldn't possibly be real."

"Then they turned around and saw the official Bluewind University homepage featuring a large announcement with a photo of Old Rothschild and his evolved Ancestral Dragon!"

"HAHAHAHA! Just remembering it makes me laugh!", Charlotte collapsed onto her chair, shaking with laughter, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

Jasmine glanced at Charlotte, who had completely abandoned any professional image. She wanted to say something, but in the end, she couldn't hold back her own laughter.

Alright, fine.

It really was pretty funny.

Asher's face-slapping speed was just too fast.

Within just a few months, right when the controversy peaked, the tables completely turned.

"Then it's settled—Asher.", Charlotte waved her hand decisively, "Among all the applications from different regions, there's definitely no one with a higher title than Asher. Giving him the 'Dia's Beast Evolution Professor Award' is absolutely fine."

Just as Jasmine was about to finalize Asher's documents—

["Alert, alert."]

Thousand Machine's voice rang out from the computer again.

["Level 3 Researcher Asher's achievements require verification. Little Thousand cannot grant approval."]

["Please review other applicants' information to prevent omissions or errors."]

Charlotte: "..."

"You're a beast! A living entity! Not an actual AI! Can you fix your brain and be a little smarter?", Charlotte rolled her eyes at the computer, exasperated to the limit.

["When Thousand Machine enters the local network for work, its identity automatically converts to artificial intelligence. Little Thousand has independently studied AI-related knowledge. Please trust in this AI's learning ability."]

["Please review the information of other researchers and select ten candidates, including Asher."]

Charlotte fell silent, her teeth grinding—she just knew this little artificial idiot was designed to torture her.

"Categorize all Level 5 and Level 4 Researchers.", Charlotte sighed.

Fine, fine.

No shortcuts, then.

She had to go through them all.

Three hours later—

"What the hell is all this nonsense?", Charlotte slammed the table.

Not exaggerating—

It really was a mess.

There were some provinces where the so-called Beast Professors had done nothing significant, just assisted in minor tasks. Their labs had achievements, but these people had nothing to do with them—yet they still got submitted.

What was this?

Just extra work for her.

"The 'Dia's Beast Evolution Professor Award' has always been about quality over quantity.", Charlotte exhaled sharply, her eyes sharp with determination, "This award has gone unawarded for five years now. If Asher hadn't appeared this year, I wouldn't have hesitated to reject all applications and leave it vacant again."

Thinking so, she firmly selected Asher's application and attached his profile.

Preliminary approval passed.

As for the final review?

Ah.

Let the big bosses worry about that.

Although Asher didn't know about these things, awards or no awards, none of that was the point for him.

The point was that his talent skill index had now recorded Ancestral Dragon's new evolutionary form—Jargon Dragon King.

Asher sat casually at a street stall, holding a Little Raven in his left hand and a Cat-Worm in his right. The now elongated little white snake had draped itself from Asher's wrist around his neck. Since they were indoors and Asher wasn't afraid of the little white snake, he didn't force it to move elsewhere.

Then, Asher skillfully flipped through the index and found the page for Jargon Dragon King.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

[Jargon Dragon King's Gratitude: Dragon King Essence Blood*]

[Jargon Dragon King's Gift: Dragon King Beam*]

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Asher was a little surprised.

Previously, whenever his pet beasts evolved, they would only gift him a single skill related to their attribute as a sign of gratitude. But unexpectedly, Jargon Dragon King had given him two things, one of which was essence blood.

This thing…

Even without opening it, Asher could already tell—it was absolutely extraordinary.

No hesitation.

Asher clicked on the two asterisks one by one.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

[Dragon King Essence Blood: A rare blood sample taken from beneath the Dragon King's reverse scale. Unique and unobtainable unless willingly gifted by the Dragon King; restricted usage: Can only be used by Dragon-type beasts or those with Dragon lineage. The former can significantly enhance their strength upon consumption, while the latter may experience a chance of activating, refining, or mutating their bloodline to an unknown extent (five drops).]

[Dragon King Beam: Jargon Dragon King's strongest skill, capable of shaking heaven and earth, moving ghosts and gods (its power may be weakened depending on the strength of the pet beast using it).]

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Asher: "!"

Both the Dragon King Essence Blood and the [Dragon King Beam] left Asher utterly astonished.

The former was perfect for the little white snake—so perfect that Asher even suspected that Jargon Dragon King had specifically prepared it for the little white snake.

The latter… was also quite suitable for the little white snake.

The skill's description was somewhat vague.

But just the phrase—Jargon Dragon King's strongest skill—

Asher wouldn't dare underestimate it.

If he taught it to the little white snake, the little white snake wouldn't be able to fully unleash its power just yet.

If he taught it to the Cat-Worm…

Asher: ◉⁠‿⁠◉

He hadn't forgotten the reversal buff that came with the Cat-Worm.

Who knew what kind of bizarre effect the skill would have once given to the Cat-Worm? Asher didn't want to waste such an obviously badass skill like [Dragon King Beam].

After some thought.

Asher's curiosity about the Dragon King Essence Blood won out.

He took out a drop.

It was golden-red, shaped like a droplet, about half the size of his palm, and resembled a dazzling gemstone as it rested in his palm.

Strangely enough.

This drop of blood did not flow.

Asher reached out and pinched it.

It had a uniquely soft and resilient texture, slightly bouncy in a way that was hard to describe—just… very fascinating.

"It kinda looks like the color of your eyes, Little Raven.", Asher chuckled as he lifted the essence blood and held it beside the Little Raven's eyes for comparison.

Even though both were golden-red, the difference was still noticeable when placed side by side.

The Little Raven's golden-red eyes radiated vitality and energy, like the unyielding brilliance of the blazing sun. Wisps of golden mist swirled upward, carrying an indescribable sacred beauty.

The golden-red Dragon King Essence Blood, while solid enough to be held, still showed faint signs of internal liquid motion when tilted. The red hues were more dominant than the gold, exuding a strange and eerie beauty characteristic of blood.

The Little Raven bumped its head against Asher's hand, staring unblinkingly at him with its golden-red eyes.

╭(╯^╰)╮

'Hmph! Just a mere drop of dragon blood.'

'How could it possibly compare to a bird.'

Little Raven: *Brimming with confidence and pride!*

Asher: "…"

He could tell that the Little Raven found the dragon blood beneath it.

Asher then waved the essence blood in front of the Cat-Worm.

"Meow!"

"Meow! Meow!"

'Take it away! Quickly take it away!'

'This dragon despises it!'

'Where did this intruder come from?'

'Unforgivable!'

'This territory belongs to THIS dragon!'

'THIS dragon's domain!'

Asher fell silent again.

'Damn!'

'The Cat-Worm doesn't even have a Dragon attribute yet, and it is already trying to claim its own dragon domain?'

"Hmm?", Just then, Asher felt a slight itch on his neck. When he lowered his head, he met the little white snake's beautiful, dignified golden eyes. The little white snake was staring at the drop of Dragon King Essence Blood in Asher's hand, its gaze somewhat dazed.

"Do you want to eat it?", Asher waved the drop of Dragon King Essence Blood in front of the little white snake, an exasperated yet amused expression on his face.

How should he put it?

Was Dragon King Essence Blood a good thing?

Definitely.

No doubt about it.

One of the highest-grade resources among high-grade resources—one of the rarest existences.

After seeing that Jargon Dragon King had given him five drops of it, Asher had even worried about what to do if his three little guys fought over it. Who would've thought…

The Little Raven and Cat-Worm rejected it for completely different reasons, and even the one who should have been most interested—the little white snake—looked… a little confused.

Hearing Asher's question, the little white snake hesitated, cautiously flicking out its tongue toward the dragon blood.

'A lick.'

'Just a taste.'

And with just that one small lick… the little white snake suddenly went limp.

Asher: "!"

He immediately caught the little white snake in his hands, while the Little Raven and Cat-Worm hurriedly gathered around.

Little Raven: ∑(△｀）?

Cat-Worm: ∑(O_O;）

Their expressions were identical—utter shock.

They even flapped their wings and little legs, trying to check on the little white snake themselves.

But, listen.

The little white snake was now part of their family, their future little brother.

If the little brother was in trouble, could the big bosses just ignore it?

Of course not!

"It's fine, it's fine.", Asher, looking at the little white snake's noodle-like body and the Cat-Worm's six tiny legs that couldn't hold anything, quickly stopped their antics.

He flipped the little white snake over to check.

Hmm…

Couldn't tell if it was dead or alive.

Its body was ice-cold, its heartbeat was barely detectable, and when he checked its nostrils… probably still breathing?

Asher glanced at the drop of essence blood in his hand again.

The smooth, gem-like bottom now had a small notch in it, yet strangely, the remaining blood hadn't spilled out—it simply looked like a chipped gemstone.

"The little white snake probably ingested the Dragon King Essence Blood, and the energy was too intense for it to absorb all at once, so it passed out.", Using his talent skill, Asher confirmed that the little white snake was fine before storing the now-chipped Dragon King Essence Blood in a special container.

Since it had already taken a bite, it wouldn't hurt to take a few more.

Asher was extremely curious to see how the little white snake would change after fully absorbing the essence blood.

Little Raven and the Cat-Worm glanced at the little white snake.

Then at each other.

After triple-checking that the little white snake was still breathing and hadn't actually died, they finally looked away.

'Hmm.'

'Should be fine.'

'Probably!'

'No big deal.'

Asher smiled and rubbed their heads, "Since when did you start caring so much about Little White Snake?"

Little Raven lifted its head with a humming sound.

'This isn't about caring.'

'This is the dignity of being the big boss!'

The Cat-Worm also nodded repeatedly at the side.

'Dignity! dignity!'

Having laughed enough, Asher started his journey of ten consecutive draws—tonight, he had to drain the skill pool of the Jargon Dragon King.

With the accumulated recognition conversion from other beasts he had painstakingly saved over the past half a year, drawing from a dragon attribute skill pool should be an easy feat, right?

.

.

.

[Three hours later]

Asher: (⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠)

Who knows if the pool was emptied or not?

But his brain was definitely drained.

As for skill allocation—he could think about it later. Right now, what he needed was a deep sleep to comfort himself, convincing himself that everything that happened tonight was just a dream. Otherwise, how else could he explain only getting fewer than eight dragon attribute skills after a hundred ten-draws?

Where did the rest of the dragon attribute skills go?

Asher: *Reject reality, deny reality, escape reality*

———

"Over here! Over here!", June waved at Asher excitedly, her ponytail bouncing up and down as she jumped, "Busy guy! It was so hard to get you to come out!"

June hugged Ivy's arm and pouted at Asher, acting cute and complaining.

Then, her gaze swept over the two people behind Asher.

Jessica, though sporting short hair, was still clearly a girl—a handsome one at that.

June puffed up her cheeks slightly and was just about to complain again when Vicky suddenly rushed toward Asher with teary eyes, "Wahhh! Brother Asher, have you abandoned me, your useless little brother, now that you have new underlings?"

Asher: "..."

Asher swiftly took a step back, narrowly avoiding Vicky's embrace.

Seeing this, Vicky still wanted to chase after him, planning to wipe his fake tears and snot on Asher's clothes. But Asher took three steps back with a fake smile, silently staring at Vicky with a gaze that carried both a smile and a hint of murder.

Vicky's footsteps came to a halt.

"Haha…", Vicky's warning signals were blaring at full force, "Brother Asher, are you… in a bad mood?"

Vicky cautiously poked his head in Asher's direction and asked.

Asher: "...A little. But it's not a big deal. I just need a moment to recover."

Vicky, ever understanding, immediately flashed an "OK" hand gesture at Asher.

As mutual friends, Asher took the time to introduce everyone.

June and Ivy curiously looked at Jessica. Jessica smiled brightly and approached them, and soon, the three girls of similar age quickly hit it off. However, since their only common acquaintance was Asher, all their conversation topics revolved around him.

Meanwhile, Vicky and Aeron, whether due to similar temperaments or some other reason, also quickly became close. While Asher wasn't paying attention, the two were already walking shoulder to shoulder like old buddies.

"So, Brother Asher, why did you come out today?", Aeron asked, looking clueless.

Vicky: "Huh? I don't know either. The girls called me out, so I came!"

"Haha, I just happened to run into Brother Asher at the school gate, so I tagged along.", Aeron laughed heartily. Like Vicky, he grinned like a fool.

The three girls who had just overheard their conversation: "..."

June and Jessica exchanged a glance and saw the same speechless helplessness in each other's eyes—

What could they do?

Just tell them—what else could they do when faced with such silly companions?

"I told you already—we came out today to buy Asher's academic journal. Are you telling me you didn't listen to a word I said?", June rolled her eyes at Vicky.

Vicky: "Huh?"

"Academic journal? What academic journal?", Vicky blinked, still completely lost even after June's reminder.

On this point, Aeron was slightly more competent.

"Huh? Brother Asher wrote a paper? Which academic journal is it?", Aeron looked at Asher in shock, "If it were anyone else saying they got their paper published in a journal as a freshman, I wouldn't believe it. But if it's Brother Asher—no problem, not a problem at all."

"The Four Greats, I think? The name is a bit long, I don't remember, but we'll find out once we get there.", June blinked, "I've heard about this for a while now, and I've been waiting for it!"

"And this is a paper related to the recent hottest topic—Old Rothschild and Ancestral Dragon. Even if I don't understand it, I have to read it!"

As she spoke, June glanced at Aeron again, "By the way, you also have the surname Rothschild, don't you?"

Aeron was stunned.

'So, this journal is related to Dragon Dad's evolution?'

'Must read!'

'Absolutely must read!'

Just a second ago, he still looked like a fool. But in the next second, he straightened up, exuding the air of a prodigy.

Apart from June and Ivy, who already knew what they were here for, everyone else—including Vicky, Aeron, and Jessica—became deeply intrigued by Asher's latest academic paper.

But it wasn't just one or two people interested in Asher's paper.

It was a lot of people.

A whole lot of people.

'Beast Research of Soren' was a long-standing core journal of Soren, with a 153-year history.

Since its inception, it had maintained extremely strict standards for publishing and featuring papers, holding significant authority both domestically and internationally.

For nearly a hundred years, the chance of a new or junior Beast professor getting a paper published in 'Beast Research of Soren' was less than 1%.

Yet, this 1% had just happened—Asher's latest paper 'A Discussion on the Multiple Evolutionary Paths of Ancestral Dragon to the Dragon King Level in Beasts'.

After reading Asher's paper and making some format adjustments, Iris decisively submitted it to Soren's four major journals on Beast evolution:

1. Beast Research of Soren

2. Beast Studies

3. New Transcendent Research

4. Contemporary Research

The first two were century-old traditional journals.

The latter two were modern, energetic journals that dared to publish controversial papers.

Although all four were submitted, Iris knew—'New Transcendent Research' and 'Contemporary Research' had a higher chance of accepting Asher's paper.

But it didn't matter.

As long as either of these journals published Asher's paper, Old Rothschild's and Ancestral Dragon's challenge of the Dragon King would spread quickly in the field and beyond.

What Iris didn't expect—

Before 'New Transcendent Research' and 'Contemporary Research' responded, 'Beast Research of Soren' had already called, promising to feature Asher's paper in the most prominent position of their journal.

Iris: "!"

When she received that call, her shock was beyond words.

Although 'Beast Research of Soren' and 'Beast Studies' were both long-established journals, if one had to compare, 'Beast Research of Soren' held a higher status in the minds of most pet beast professors than 'Beast Studies.'

This was because the founder of was a student of Soren's first pet beast professor and was also an outstanding pet beast professor in their own right, with exceptional expertise in the research of beasts.

Their own professional competence was solid.

This ensured that the early papers published in 'Beast Research of Soren' maintained a high standard.

Over the years, the evaluation criteria had naturally changed from the beginning, but strictness remained strict, requiring strong expertise from the pet beast professor and high value from the paper itself.

Who would have thought—

Asher actually passed such rigorous requirements!

Without hesitation.

Iris agreed to 'Beast Research of Soren' and, upon receiving publication offers from 'New Extraordinary Research' and 'Contemporary Research,' she rejected them.

'New Extraordinary Research' was fine.

After being rejected, they simply hung up.

But 'Contemporary Research' was evidently very interested in Asher's paper, eager to publish it, and kept trying to communicate with Iris, even reaching out to Asher directly.

Asher: "Paper? What paper?"

Once finished writing, it was sent off.

As for publication, Asher didn't care at all and left everything to Iris.

So, 'Contemporary Research' had no choice but to go back to Iris again.

"I've made myself very clear. This paper has already been accepted by another journal. You all understand the ranking rules among the Big Four, don't you?", Iris said irritably.

"Professor Iris, we understand your stance, but please believe that Contemporary is truly sincere. We're willing to place this paper on the front page and print an extra run. What do you think? New Extraordinary surely didn't offer as much as we did, right?"

Front page.

Extra printing.

For pet beast professors publishing papers, these were great honors.

Unfortunately, Iris wasn't moved in the slightest.

"Why do you think I agreed to 'New Extraordinary'?"

One sentence.

Left 'Contemporary' speechless in shock.

'If not 'New Extraordinary', then who?'

Among the Big Four, aside from them and 'New Extraordinary', how could the other two possibly publish it—

"I agreed to 'Beast Research of Soren'."

Another sentence.

Made 'Contemporary' so shocked that they dropped their phone.

Along with their jaws.

'Beast Research of Soren'!

That was 'Beast Research of Soren'.

Iris didn't have a hobby of keeping things under wraps and letting Asher suffer a little before making a stunning breakthrough.

A tiger should reveal its fangs from the start.

She declared it outright.

And the news spread like wildfire—

A newcomer pet beast evolution professor's paper had been published in 'Beast Research of Soren'.

The news seemed to sprout wings, spreading rapidly among pet beast evolution professors and beast tamers.

Everyone's first reaction upon hearing the news: Impossible!

Fake.

This must be fake.

Then, when they learned Asher's name, they instantly fell silent.

Asher…

If it was him, then this matter really was hard to say.

The news that Old Rothschild and Ancestral Dragon had gone to challenge the Dragon King was widely known, and many had gathered to discuss it. In the end, they reached a unanimous conclusion—Asher must have bewitched them. Old Rothschild and Ancestral Dragon were definitely under Asher's spell.

But then.

In the blink of an eye.

Old Rothschild returned in high spirits.

Ancestral Dragon evolved into the new Dragon King.

Soren now had another Dragon King.

And finally, there was Asher… Damn, how on earth did he do it?

Alright.

Now they weren't the least bit surprised why 'Beast Research of Soren' would publish Asher's paper.

Dragon King.

A paper related to evolving a Dragon King.

Who wouldn't be interested?

No matter which journal it was published in, it would definitely be something everyone in the field would want a copy of.

Pet beast evolution professors wanted to understand Asher's thought process, to figure out what was going on in his brain.

Beast tamers wanted to see if their dragon-type pet beasts had a chance to evolve into a Dragon King.

Breeders couldn't help but be curious about how Asher managed to convince Old Rothschild to willingly challenge the Dragon King—and even win. Could they learn from it?

Asher: "?"

Regardless of the motivation or purpose.

The final result was— the latest issue of 'Beast Research of Soren' sold out immediately.

This type of journal, which maintained prestige and an elite aura, usually didn't have many individual buyers. Most purchases came from a fixed subscriber base.

If it weren't for national and alliance funding, as well as a solid internal structure and the journal's high price, these publishing houses would have been teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, struggling to break even.

'Beast Research of Soren', considering that beast tamers might purchase more copies this time, deliberately printed twice the usual amount.

Unexpectedly—

Ten minutes. Both online and offline sales were completely sold out.

Beast Research of Soren: "?"

What happened?

Who were they? Where were they?

Why did doubling the print run still result in a sellout?

"Reprint! Reprint!"

"Don't think about it too much, just keep printing!"

The entire 'Beast Research of Soren' team was overwhelmed yet quickly sprang into action.

Meanwhile, completely unaware of this storm, 'Beast Studies' only realized something was up when they saw 'Beast Research of Soren' scrambling, "?"

'What the hell?'

'Where's your integrity?'

'Weren't we all supposed to maintain our elite status and struggle with sales? Why did you bring in a young celebrity to boost circulation?'

———

"Wow—" June exclaimed in amazement as she looked at the crowded newspaper stand in University Town, "Why are there so many people? Whenever I pass by here, it's usually empty."

June looked left and right, finding the place packed.

"One copy of Asher's paper!"

"Boss, I want one too!"

"That Soren journal, right? Me, me, me! I'll take ten. I'm buying for my classmates."

June, standing at the entrance, hearing people scrambling inside, "!"

"Wait! I have to get a copy too.", June rolled up her sleeves and charged in without hesitation, "Boss, give me six copies!"

Left standing at the entrance, Asher, Ivy, Jessica, Vicky, and Aeron: "?"

"So… why do so many people want to read my paper?", Asher was full of question marks, his face full of confusion.

Jessica tapped away on his phone, quickly finding the reason, "Ah… turns out this news has spread widely among ordinary people too."

Saying this, he handed his phone to Asher.

Asher: "…"

Sure enough.

A quick search online revealed tons of related information.

The news of Ancestral Dragon evolving into Jargon Dragon King had been out for days.

Old Rothschild's official notice was still up on Bluewind University's website, accessible to beast tamers and ordinary people alike.

But perhaps because Dragon King had been absent from the beast taming world for too long, and Soren's three existing Dragon Kings rarely made appearances—never displaying hostility or friendliness during beast tides—ordinary people had gradually lost sensitivity to the term Dragon King.

Until yesterday, when a blogger discussed the topic online and made a one-hour explainer video proving the Dragon King's immense power from multiple angles.

If a human beast tamer possessed a Dragon King, how much influence could they wield in a beast tide?

Once the explainer was out.

At first, netizens were skeptical.

Thinking the blogger was exaggerating.

Then… when they did their own research and found that the blogger hadn't exaggerated at all, but had actually downplayed things… they went crazy.

Madness!

The netizens went crazy together!

'F*ck!'

'Why are we only finding out about such big news now?'

'Why isn't this great news announced nationwide?'

'Isn't this something worth celebrating across the country?'

'What?'

'The professor who researched a new evolution route for Ancestral Dragon is actually that rising genius, Professor Asher?'

And the journal issue containing his paper on Ancestral Dragon's evolution is about to be released?

Buy!

Must buy!

Not buying means you're not a true Soren citizen.

Not to mention, the name of this journal even contains the word "Soren," so it must be bought.

Just like that.

Without Asher realizing it… his name once again exploded on the internet.

Everyone was discussing it.

Everyone was rushing to buy the journal.

Never mind whether they could understand it or not, the only question was—are you buying or not?

Asher, after learning the full situation: "..."

His emotions were just a little bit complicated.

Before Asher could process and digest everything, June came charging out, her ponytail completely undone, proudly carrying six thick journal issues in her arms while others looked at her with envious gazes.

"Here, one for each of you!", June walked up to Asher and the others, proudly raising her chin as she shoved a brand-new, ink-scented journal into each of their hands.

"…You're amazing, sis.", Aeron was deeply shocked by June.

Jessica also gave her a thumbs-up, "Impressive, sis!"

"There were really that many people inside? Look at you, your hair's all messed up, and you still managed to grab six copies?"

Ivy walked over to June's side, took a comb and a hair tie out of her bag, and handed them to her, "Want me to fix your hair?"

"Sure."

June giggled, standing obediently while Ivy stood behind her on the steps and helped tidy her hair.

Then, her eyes sparkled with excitement as she looked at Asher and the others.

"Hmph! You think I'm just anybody? I said I'd get six copies, so I had to get six copies."

"Come on, come on, let's find a place to study Asher's paper together."

"Perfect timing! If we don't understand anything, we can ask Asher directly."

As she spoke, June's upturned, bright, peach blossom eyes landed on Asher.

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