Beast Tamer: I Can See Evolution Paths

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Old Rothschild chuckled at Asher, then turned around and rolled his eyes at the Ancestral Dragon King, "Don't you like resting? Then keep resting for me."

'Don't come out and cause trouble just when I am about to know the specifics!'

Ancestral Dragon King: "..."

*Aggrieved*

But didn't dare to speak.

The little white snake hid in Asher's collar, its golden pupils wide open, staring straight at the Ancestral Dragon's direction with its lidless big eyes, fearless like a newborn calf unafraid of a tiger.

The Ancestral Dragon, realizing it was being watched by the little white snake, "..."

Humiliating.

Utterly humiliating.

The Ancestral Dragon shifted its gaze from Asher to this little thing.

Noticing this, Asher silently reached out and pressed down the little white snake's head. The little white snake popped back up by itself, and Asher pressed it down again…

"Professor Asher, you haven't explained why Dragontooth refuses to evolve.", Old Rothschild's mouth twitched at the scene, but in the end, he decided to pretend he saw nothing and got straight to the point.

The little white snake wouldn't cooperate, so Asher let it be.

Being stared at by the Ancestral Dragon—perhaps it might even help the little white snake grow braver.

"Let's talk in detail… The Ancestral Dragon King's prerequisite evolution condition should be related to you, Old Master.", Asher remained calm, not even furrowing his brow.

"Related to me? Does it need my cooperation?", Old Rothschild was puzzled. He turned to look at the Ancestral Dragon, his gaze full of confusion, "If it needs my help, as long as Dragontooth asks, I'd definitely agree without hesitation. What's there to refuse?"

"Unless…", Old Rothschild paused, but he was still missing the crucial clue.

"Someone will die.", Asher said.

Instantly, everyone fell silent.

They all turned to Asher with shocked expressions.

Even the Ancestral Dragon King, who had been glaring at Asher, withdrew its gaze, curling back into a giant dragon pancake, peacefully coiling on the ground with its head resting on its belly. Its tail… Well, its tail was still tightly hugged by Aeron, unable to be retracted.

"Who will die?", After a long silence, it was Old Rothschild—one of the involved parties—who finally spoke.

He leaned on his cane, quietly looking at Asher.

Asher, however, was looking at the Ancestral Dragon King, whose tail was being hugged by Aeron.

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[Pet Beast: Ancestral Dragon (King Attribute)]

[Attribute: Dragon]

[Species: High-level, High-tier]

[Level: Seventh-tier, Advanced]

[Skills: Dragon Roar, Dragon's Howl, … Dragon Dance, Dragon God Dive, Dragon Dance Burst Light Wave]

[Evolution Possible*]

[Bloodline: Unawakened]

[Talent Skill: Unawakened]

[Evolution Path: Ancestral Dragon → Jargon Dragon King]

[Evolution Method: Prerequisites Met

Uncontracted Ancestral Dragon: Challenge and defeat all Dragon Kings within the designated area.

Contracted Ancestral Dragon: Sever Bonds (Kinship 0/2, Binding Link 0/1)

Ancestral Dragons meeting the evolution requirements will automatically receive corresponding evolution inheritance.]

[Instinct Buff: Ancestral Dragons that meet the evolution conditions will enter a berserk state, with their bloodline and talent skill about to awaken. Instinct will drive them to evolve into a stronger Dragon King form—evolve or die buff activated.]

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After seeing this evolution method, Asher's expression turned blank.

So Asher didn't step forward immediately. He was analyzing, pondering… Sever Bonds, when carefully interpreted, basically meant the Dragon King had to devour its master, right?

The more Asher thought about it, the more he felt that was exactly the case.

Asher: "..."

Not only must it devour its master, but also slay its kin. And because the prerequisites had already been met, there was now an additional instinct buff on its body, making it impossible for the Ancestral Dragon to resist what came next.

Evolve or die.

A choice between two options.

Old Rothschild's Ancestral Dragon decisively chose the latter.

Death.

It resisted staying by Old Rothschild's side, refused to eat, refused to leave with Old Rothschild. A dragon, stubbornly remaining in Dragon Valley, using its weakened state to suppress the negative effects brought by the buff, afraid that if it let its guard down, it might harm Old Rothschild, harm his family, harm its own family.

The Ancestral Dragon's previously uncontrollable bad temper now made sense.

It wasn't intentional.

It simply couldn't control itself.

"If it evolves, Old Master, you will die. If it doesn't evolve, the Ancestral Dragon will die.", Asher sighed.

A light breeze passed through, and after Asher's words, no one spoke.

Shock.

Astonishment.

Incredulity.

The urge to question.

It sounded far too shocking… but… but…

Everyone turned to look at the Ancestral Dragon, whose head was buried in its belly. Just from its lifeless posture, it was clear that Asher wasn't making things up, nor was he exaggerating to cause panic.

They still had that much judgment.

Precisely because of this, they became even more silent.

"The bloodline of Dragon-attribute beasts has always been unique. Old Master, your Ancestral Dragon, upon meeting the evolution requirements, experienced partial bloodline awakening, allowing it to receive the evolution inheritance and understand what needed to be done to evolve further.", Asher mixed truth with fiction, combining book knowledge with the Ancestral Dragon's condition to weave a flawless, believable explanation.

"I'm not sure about the Ancestral Dragon's evolved form, but the most likely outcome… should be a Dragon King."

A Dragon King.

Different from beasts with the King Attribute.

Creatures with the King Attribute only had the potential to become kings, capable of intimidating others of their species to some extent.

A Dragon King was the true king among Dragon-attribute beasts. In the absence of other kings, it could even command an entire dragon-species beast group.

The birth of a Dragon King was rare.

Not all Dragon Kings expanded into the human world. Most established their own dragon territories in forbidden lands.

Ten thousand dragons obey.

The living dare not approach.

In past beast tides, only once had a Dragon King joined the battle.

The sky was covered with attacking Dragon-attribute creatures…

Even recalling it now, it remained a nightmare.

Fortunately, at that time, a Beastmaster on the human side also had a Dragon King pet.

Only then did the beast tide not become a one-sided massacre like the most tragic beast tide a thousand years ago.

Lady Katherine once mentioned that Dragon King, "As far as I know, when the Flame Dragon evolved into the Flame Dragon King 518 years ago, it didn't require such an unreasonable demand… uh, this kind of absurd requirement."

"Humans and beasts have coexisted for 1,200 years. Even now, there are still many beasts we haven't fully studied. Unknown evolution paths, unknown abilities—aren't these common?", Asher's tone remained calm, "Let alone Dragon-attribute beasts."

"Few Beastmasters contract Dragon-attribute pets."

"Even fewer pet evolution professors have the chance to study Dragon-attribute creatures and produce results."

Thus, the Ancestral Dragon's unique evolution method and requirements weren't incomprehensible.

Old Rothschild fell silent.

"I... Dragontooth wants to evolve. What exactly needs to be done? Kill me with its own hands?", Old Rothschild stared fixedly in Asher's direction and asked, "Is it because the contract between me and Dragontooth is a kind of shackle for a beast like Ancestral Dragon?"

Old Rothschild had more or less figured it out.

"I'm not too sure about the specifics either.", Asher shook his head.

The key points were enough to be mentioned.

Revealing everything would be too shocking.

Asher turned to look in Ancestral Dragon's direction, "Or, Master, you can ask Ancestral Dragon itself. At this point, it should be willing to say everything, right?"

Although its head was buried in its belly, Ancestral Dragon, who had been listening to the conversation between Asher and Old Rothschild with perfect clarity, "..."

'I am a real dragon.'

'And you, human, are really a bastard.'

'Is this something to discuss?'

'I just didn't want to talk, which was why I was lying here waiting for death!'

Ancestral Dragon was itching to pounce on Asher and fight him right then and there.

But whether it was Aeron, Old Rothschild, or even Greg, who was walking toward Ancestral Dragon, none of them gave it the chance.

Three generations of the Rothschild family surrounded Ancestral Dragon.

Greg and Aeron silently stared at Ancestral Dragon, applying moral pressure with their gazes.

Compared to Asher, Ancestral Dragon, who actually had a conscience, "..."

Silence.

Once again, silence.

For the first time, Ancestral Dragon realized—being a dragon, one shouldn't have too much of a conscience.

Just feeling the condemning gazes of Greg and Aeron on itself made Ancestral Dragon's scales itch layer by layer—it had personally raised and taken care of these children, and now they were looking at it with such eyes. Ancestral Dragon simply couldn't handle it.

"Old friend, I think we need to have a good chat this time.", Old Rothschild leaned on his cane and walked to Ancestral Dragon's side.

His wrinkled hand, looking as if it was merely a thin layer of skin wrapping around bone, gently rested on Ancestral Dragon.

If Ancestral Dragon were to speak, this hand wasn't even as large as one of its scales, and theoretically, it shouldn't be able to cause any harm at all.

But Ancestral Dragon just felt that from the point where Old Rothschild's palm touched its dragon scales, a strange itch and pain spread throughout its body.

"Grrrrr..."

'Old man…'

Ancestral Dragon tilted its head, revealing a massive dragon eye, staring fixedly at Old Rothschild.

Old Rothschild, long accustomed to Ancestral Dragon, showed no trace of fear. He simply looked calmly at his old friend.

"Professor Asher just now—what he said was all true, wasn't it?", Old Rothschild chuckled lightly. Combining Asher's words with Ancestral Dragon's behavior over the past month, he had already figured out the truth, "Once your evolution begins, it cannot be stopped. Between killing me and dying yourself, you chose to die."

Ancestral Dragon remained quiet.

Not denying Old Rothschild's words was an admission.

"Did you ever ask me before making this decision?", Old Rothschild raised his hand and lightly slapped Ancestral Dragon's body.

It wasn't that he didn't want to use force.

It was just that… he couldn't break through Ancestral Dragon's defenses.

If he hit too hard, the only thing breaking would be his own hand.

So he might as well go lighter—just enough to get the message across.

Ancestral Dragon, being very cooperative, lowered its head and let out a soft sound, as if it was in pain.

'Beastmaster, you're too violent.'

Ancestral Dragon's brow ridge slightly arched, as if frowning, expressing its grievance.

However, to Asher, Jessica, and Anderson watching from the side…

Hmm.

Grievance? Not at all.

Intimidating? Absolutely.

That look… It was as if Ancestral Dragon was about to launch an attack at any moment. Moved?

No, no, no.

No one dared to move.

That gaze carried far too much menace.

Clearly, it wasn't just the humans who felt threatened by this look. Even the two pet beasts in Asher's arms thought the same.

Little Raven: *Huffing*

Cat-Worm: *Huffing*

They couldn't win.

They dared not challenge it.

Otherwise, they would have definitely given this big guy a lesson.

The little white snake coiling around Asher's collar, "?"

The little white snake looked at Little Raven and Cat-Worm's identical expressions in confusion. As it watched, it suddenly understood.

Little White Snake: *Huffing*

The key was to blend into the family.

Asher, who happened to glance down and see this scene: "..."

Once again, he reached out and pressed the little white snake's head back into his collar, "You'd better go to sleep."

This kind of situation wasn't suitable for children.

He felt that watching too much of this would lead to bad habits.

Little White Snake: OvO

The little white snake peeked around.

'What?'

'The beastmaster wouldn't let me watch openly?'

'No problem.'

'Then I will watch secretly.'

But its every move was completely within Asher's grasp. Observing the little white snake's actions, Asher, "..."

Learning good was as difficult as climbing the heavens.

Learning bad happened in an instant.

In fact, it didn't even need to be taught. Just watching a few times was enough.

Asher sighed.

Hearing Asher's sigh, Anderson instinctively looked over and saw Asher playing with his pet beasts.

Anderson: "?"

'Seriously?'

'Are the young people nowadays this calm?'

Ever since hearing that Ancestral Dragon had the potential to evolve into a true Dragon King and learning about its harsh evolution conditions, Anderson's heart had been continuously surging with excitement.

'Dragon King!'

'That is a Dragon King!'

Among human beastmasters, only one truly possessed a Dragon King-tier pet beast—the Flame Dragon King Beastmaster mentioned earlier by Lady Katherine.

A Dragon King-tier pet beast in a beast tide could bring immense benefits and convenience to the human side.

If in this era, in their country, another Dragon King-tier beastmaster could emerge, then for at least a century… alright, looking at Old Rothschild's age, for at least ten years, there would be no fear of beast tide threats.

Then Anderson thought about Ancestral Dragon's ridiculously problematic evolution method and let out a long sigh.

"Devouring one's master… No wonder no Ancestral Dragon has ever evolved into a Dragon King. Who would have thought of such an evolution condition?", Anderson said softly, shaking his head with a pained and helpless expression.

"Most beastmasters have deep emotional bonds with their pet beasts. If a beastmaster dies, those pet beasts wouldn't even return to being wild beasts. They would rather die than attack a human."

"Let alone devour their master while their master is still alive…"

'Sigh!'

Anderson shook his head.

The evolution of Ancestral Dragon was impossible.

Moreover... Anderson cast a sorrowful gaze in the direction of Ancestral Dragon. Old Rothschild's Ancestral Dragon probably wouldn't survive either.

"Indeed, such an evolution method is really...", Ms. Katherine, standing beside him, nodded in agreement. Halfway through her sentence, she paused, then changed her tone and continued, "First, it must contract with a beastmaster, and after contracting a beastmaster, it must personally kill the beastmaster. It's not hard to understand why an evolved form of Ancestral Dragon has never been discovered."

"Wild Ancestral Dragons cannot meet the evolution conditions, while contracted Ancestral Dragons would rather die than harm their beastmaster."

Sighs and lamentations.

Asher: "?"

"Wait a moment?", Asher paused, "Who said that wild, uncontracted Ancestral Dragons cannot evolve?"

WHOOSH!

All eyes turned to Asher once again.

Even Old Rothschild and Ancestral Dragon, who had been communicating, turned their gazes toward Asher.

"Professor Asher, what do you mean by this?"

"Professor Asher, do you have an idea?"

"GRRRRR—?"

'Is there another way to evolve?'

Asher let go, and Little Raven flapped its wings, flying to hover behind Asher. He took a few steps forward and approached Ancestral Dragon.

Seeing Asher's actions, Old Rothschild considerately stepped aside to give him space.

"Hmm... Theoretically, there should be a way.", Asher calmly reached out to touch Ancestral Dragon's tail and limbs. The previously irritable and resistant Ancestral Dragon didn't dare to move at all. Without Old Rothschild even needing to speak, it obediently let Asher touch it as he pleased.

Under the expectant gazes of the others, Asher thoroughly examined Ancestral Dragon, even climbing onto its back and touching every spot he wanted to.

Ancestral Dragon, who had been suppressing its anger and letting Asher stroke it, "..."

"Grrrrr—"

'Human!'

'Enough, right?'

'Hurry up and speak after you're done touching!'

'What other evolution methods are there?'

Before Asher could speak, Old Rothschild smacked Ancestral Dragon, "Weren't you so tough? You managed to go over a month without eating, drinking, or moving, so what's the big deal about letting Professor Asher touch you?"

"Stay still and wait quietly."

After speaking, Old Rothschild looked up at Asher, who was standing on Ancestral Dragon's back, and gave a fawning smile, "Professor Asher, do you need to touch more? No problem, touch as much as you like! I guarantee Dragontooth won't get mad."

Ancestral Dragon: "..."

Aeron couldn't help but snicker.

Ancestral Dragon couldn't do anything to Old Rothschild, and right now, it couldn't touch Asher either. But dealing with Aeron? That was a piece of cake.

With a precise yet gentle flick of its tail, Ancestral Dragon sent Aeron rolling across the grass. A slight push from the tip of its tail made him tumble a few more times.

In an instant, Aeron became covered in dust and weeds, "..."

"Picking the softest target, huh?", Aeron looked at Ancestral Dragon with a complicated expression.

Ancestral Dragon let out a justified heavy snort from its nostrils.

'Hmph!'

'What else?'

'If I doesn't pick the soft one, should I pick the one I can't beat?

'What a joke.'

Aeron grew even more frustrated.

Yet, he had no way to deal with Ancestral Dragon.

Ancestral Dragon: 'Heh!'

Loving the cub is one thing.

Teaching the cub a lesson is another.

After thoroughly enjoying his petting session, Asher jumped down from Ancestral Dragon, turned to Old Rothschild, and spoke with an expression of measured seriousness, "I have an idea, but I can't guarantee it."

"I suggest giving it a try."

Asher wasn't speaking casually—this was indeed an idea without guarantees.

"It's fine, Professor Asher, please speak. Even if Dragontooth ultimately cannot evolve, it doesn't matter. I just hope... just hope..."

'... that Ancestral Dragon can survive.'

That they can all survive.

That there is no need to make a choice between life and death.

Moreover, Ancestral Dragon was already prepared to accept death. If there was another way, no matter how dangerous or uncertain, why not try it?

"My thought is, since wild Dragon Kings exist, it proves that wild dragon-type beasts can evolve into Dragon Kings. Theoretically, wild Ancestral Dragons should also have such an evolution path, but it has not been discovered."

"Your Ancestral Dragon has inherited the evolution path of a contracted pet, but that doesn't mean it cannot attempt the evolution method of a wild Ancestral Dragon."

This was a bit convoluted.

But Old Rothschild immediately understood the meaning.

His eyes instantly lit up.

Ancestral Dragon's eyes also brightened.

'Hmm? Hmm? Hmm?'

'Is that possible?'

"I'm not sure.", Asher spread his hands, being very straightforward.

"After all, in theory, beasts don't inherently know their evolution paths. It is humans who research and discover them. Ancestral Dragon has inherited its evolution, but we can also help it discover another evolution method.", Asher's words reignited Old Rothschild's hope.

"Good, good, good!", Old Rothschild's face was filled with joyous smiles, "This is truly good news!"

"Wait.", Before Old Rothschild could get too excited, Ms. Katherine interrupted with a frown, speaking softly, "This makes sense, but there are two problems."

"One, do wild Ancestral Dragons really have an evolution path?"

"Two, if they do, what is this evolution path? What is the evolution method? If we start researching now, how long will it take? Will Old Rothschild's Ancestral Dragon even survive long enough for the research to bear fruit?"

Ancestral Dragon had barely resisted its instincts by starving itself.

But once it regained its energy... would it truly be able to control itself?

Hearing Ms. Katherine's words, the smile on Old Rothschild's face disappeared again.

Though harsh, she had a point.

Could his Ancestral Dragon really hold on that long?

"Hmm... I said I have an idea. We can try it right now.", Asher's words pulled Old Rothschild back from the brink of despair.

Anderson frowned at Asher, "Professor Asher..."

He wanted to argue but, remembering how accurately Asher had pinpointed Ancestral Dragon's issue, he hesitated.

...He had a feeling that if he misspoke, he might get proven wrong in the next second.

After thinking about it, Anderson silently shut his mouth.

"Say it, say it!", Jessica instigated from the side, his eyes shining brightly as he looked at Asher, "Grandpa Rothschild has his own judgment. Whether Brother Asher's words are reliable or not, Grandpa Rothschild can tell."

"Let's hear Brother Asher's idea first!"

Old Rothschild nodded. Indeed, that made sense.

"I'm just making a hypothesis; we can give it a try. If it doesn't work, we can change methods.", Asher said, "Instead of lying around and waiting for two months, why not use these last two months to cooperate with me and take a gamble? Maybe it will work?"

"Even if it doesn't work...", Asher's gaze shifted from Old Rothschild and Ancestral Dragon to Greg and Aeron.

Asher didn't say anything, but everyone present understood the unspoken meaning in his words.

If Old Rothschild's Ancestral Dragon's evolution failed, the research done over these two months would not be in vain.

Greg and Aeron would eventually find it useful too.

Old Rothschild laughed.

"Alright!"

"Let's go all in!"

"If it really doesn't work in the end...", There was a certain determination in Old Rothschild's eyes, "At my age, I've already lived long enough."

"GRRR—"

Hearing this, Ancestral Dragon used its big head to nudge Old Rothschild's waist.

"Dragontooth!", Old Rothschild angrily held his waist with one hand, almost getting knocked over.

"Snort—", Ancestral Dragon completely ignored Old Rothschild's reprimand.

'Old man, don't overthink things. Even if you die, it won't solve anything.'

The Ancestral Dragon, ready to fight again, was no longer holding back and immediately started lashing out.

'Want to die? Dream on. Do you really think that if the dragon gets rid of you, everything will be fine?'

'How could it be that simple! If it were just you alone, the dragon might consider it!'

'So don't overthink it!'

Old Rothschild: "..."

Old Rothschild and Ancestral Dragon stared at each other for a few seconds before they both turned their heads toward Asher.

"Professor Asher, go ahead, tell us your thoughts, and we will execute them."

Asher smiled slightly.

Great.

He had successfully persuaded them.

Seeing that Ancestral Dragon had a whole string of ten or twenty skills, three-fourths of which were dragon-type, Asher's eyes immediately lit up.

'Pluck! This must be plucked! Otherwise, it would be a waste.'

Finding such a suitable dragon-type beast again wouldn't be easy.

"Looking at Ancestral Dragon's evolution method... I think the key points are power and restraint.", Asher directly began his old skill of bullshitting. He wasn't entirely sure, but he had to try. If this opportunity slipped away, he would really be heartbroken, "Since Old Rothschild and Ancestral Dragon have formed a contract, the focus of evolution should be on restraint."

"But for an Ancestral Dragon without any restraints, the focus would naturally be on power."

"Ancestral Dragon needs to prove its strength."

Old Rothschild frowned, "Prove... strength?"

"It needs proof? Can strength even be proven?", Aeron got up from the grass, patted himself clean, and walked over, confused, "Strength is just strength!"

"No, strength is determined through comparison.", Old Rothschild, Aeron, Anderson, and Jessica all looked bewildered, except for Greg, who crossed his arms with a deeply understanding expression.

"By fighting and defeating even stronger opponents, one can prove they are stronger than those strong opponents. That is the proof of strength!",As he spoke, Greg's gaze landed on Asher, filled with burning intensity and excitement.

'Good, good, good! As expected of my fated rival! Even our thoughts on strength are same!'

The targeted Asher: "?"

Asher gave him a look of incomprehension.

'What? Why was he looking at me like that?'

Unfortunately, they were not on the same wavelength.

In his own mind, Greg had already imagined Asher as an equally battle-crazed rival.

Asher decisively ignored Greg's heated gaze and nodded at Old Rothschild, "That's about it. Challenge a stronger opponent—the Dragon King."

"Ancestral Dragon is afraid its rampaging energy will hurt you, so why not find a more suitable target to vent that energy?", Asher said calmly, as if suggesting Ancestral Dragon challenge the Dragon King was a normal and ordinary thing, nothing strange at all.

Old Rothschild and Ancestral Dragon: "..."

Man and dragon exchanged glances; they really wanted to say: 'What high expectations! You have such high expectations for us!'

Challenge the Dragon King?

Now?

Wasn't the gap between an ordinary dragon-type beast and a Dragon King... more than just a little?

"This is the only method I can think of.", Asher didn't care about Old Rothschild and Ancestral Dragon's shock and spoke plainly, "Break and rebuild; if you don't break, you won't establish. That's about it."

"Moreover...", Asher's gaze fell on Ancestral Dragon again, "Ancestral Dragon is now stuck at the evolutionary threshold. One step forward is the Dragon King; one step back is death. Its body's instincts might make it less afraid when facing the Dragon King."

Asher's tone was uncertain.

But this instinct buff... should be useful, right?

Whether it works or not, they had to try.

"Alright!", Old Rothschild agreed immediately.

He took a deep breath, his expression somewhat heavy. Challenging the Dragon King... sounded a bit too crazy. Extremely crazy.

But just as Asher said.

One step forward was the Dragon King, one step back was death.

Then what was there to fear?

They weren't even afraid of death.

Why be afraid of a Dragon King?

Just do it!

Asher gave Old Rothschild a thumbs-up: "That's right, just charge ahead!"

"Then we'll head back first and study how to challenge that Dragon King.", Old Rothschild leaned on his cane with both hands, his face carrying a contemplative expression, "There are only three wild Dragon Kings within our country's borders, all recorded. We'll carefully study which one is the easiest to deal with, and we'll challenge that..."

Before Old Rothschild could finish speaking, Asher paused.

Aeron, who had been paying close attention to Asher, leaned over, "Brother Asher, did you think of something again?"

Aeron looked at Asher with his bright, sparkling eyes, filled with admiration.

'Awesome!'

'As expected of my brother Asher!'

As long as it's related to pet beasts, no matter how difficult the problem, it could be easily solved in his brother Asher's hands.

Old Rothschild, who had been deep in thought, also looked towards Asher.

"Uh...", Asher gave Old Rothschild an awkward but polite smile.

Old Rothschild's eyelids twitched wildly, and he quickly reached out to press down on both of them, "Professor Asher, do you... have something else to say?"

"Yes.", Asher nodded, "That is to say, is there a possibility that instead of picking which one to fight, you just fight all three?"

In Old Rothschild's eyes, Asher's smile looked like that of a devil.

The last trace of stiffness in Old Rothschild's smile disappeared completely, and his hands gripping the cane trembled violently.

'What?'

'What did you just say?'

"My head feels a little dizzy.", Old Rothschild lowered his head, holding his forehead, his voice filled with pain, "I think I must not have slept well."

Otherwise, why would he be hearing such devilish news.

Asher smiled.

"Dad, stop avoiding it. It's exactly what you heard—every Dragon King must be fought.", Greg stabbed his own father in the back from the side, "Actually, I'm quite interested... fighting a Dragon King..."

Greg's eyes grew increasingly bright.

Old Rothschild, who already had a headache and now had his son making things worse, "..."

A surge of anger erupted, and he smacked Greg on the head.

"SHUT UP!", Along with an angry roar, the fire in Old Rothschild's heart was finally vented. He turned back and glared fiercely at Ancestral Dragon, "Dragontooth, let's go! We're going to study battle tactics right now!"

"It's just three Dragon Kings, isn't it!"

"Watch us smash them to pieces!"

"GROWWWR—"

Ancestral Dragon sulkily followed behind Old Rothschild, responding energetically.

'Yes, yes, yes.'

'Smash them, smash them all.'

'Completely smash them!'

'The dragon would cooperate!'

'The dragon promised to cooperate!'

Anderson and Mrs. Katherine, who had been forgotten like background props: "..."

The situation changed too fast—they didn't even have a chance to interject.

Moreover...

Looking at Old Rothschild, who had been downcast but was now full of energy, and Ancestral Dragon, who also seemed revitalized, the two of them didn't know what to say.

As for smashing the Dragon Kings... they really didn't take those words seriously.

Are Dragon Kings that easy to beat?

What Old Rothschild needed to do next wasn't something ordinary people could help with.

Anderson and Mrs. Katherine naturally couldn't stay, so they left first.

Jessica stayed a few more days, but since the results of the college entrance exam were about to be released, she had to go back to fill out his application, so she also left first.

To better monitor the situation of Old Rothschild and Ancestral Dragon, Asher temporarily stayed at the Rothschild family residence.

In the end, only Asher and Aeron remained.

Oh!

And Greg, who occasionally popped out from some random corner.

Although Asher didn't say it, he was indeed somewhat avoiding Greg... If asked why, it was because Greg's gaze made him feel uneasy. Asher had absolutely no desire to find out what kind of image he held in Greg's heart.

"Don't mind my dad. Just treat him like a moving potted plant.", Aeron, completely understanding Asher's feelings, patted his shoulder and said in a sympathetic tone.

Asher: "..."

'Great!'

He was already getting the feeling that this entire family might not be mentally stable.

"I wonder how Grandpa and Dragon Dad are doing.", As he spoke, Aeron began to sigh, "Three Dragon Kings... all have to be challenged..."

"Flame Dragon King, Bone Dragon King, and what's the last one?", Asher asked.

He had wanted to ask this earlier when Old Rothschild mentioned them.

From books, Asher only knew of two Dragon Kings. One was the Flame Dragon King left behind by a Beast Master over five hundred years ago. After that Beast Master died, the Flame Dragon King returned to the Forbidden Land, never actively approaching the human world. However, whenever a beast tide came, it would lend a hand. But no human could hope to approach it.

Then there was the Bone Dragon King.

When Asher first heard this name, he immediately pictured a skeleton and thought it was some kind of strange undead creature.

But that wasn't the case.

Aside from its long, bone-whip-like tail, the Bone Dragon King had flesh and blood over the rest of its body.

The "bone" in Bone Dragon came from the weapon that this beast possessed. In short, it was an indescribable supernatural being.

And the last one...

"Oh, oh, oh!", Hearing Asher's question, Aeron was momentarily stunned, then revealed an enlightened expression, "It's normal that you don't know, brother Asher. The last Dragon King is... rather special."

As he spoke, Aeron nodded.

'Special?'

Before Asher could ask, Aeron continued, "The Multi-Crystal Black Dragon King is the only one among the three Dragon Kings that does not have a pure dragon attribute."

Asher was puzzled.

"Not a pure dragon attribute? That doesn't seem right."

A Dragon King is a Dragon King.

It should have a pure dragon attribute.

Thinking of this, Asher glanced at the little white snake coiled around his wrist, sleeping soundly.

Well... now that he thought about it, the little white snake wasn't a dragon attribute either, but a water attribute.

But judging from its evolution path, it should gradually evolve from a flood dragon into a true dragon. Its biological traits would shift from a snake to a dragon, and its attributes should also change accordingly—from water to dragon.

After all, its final evolution was labeled as [Silver Dragon King].

Only a pure dragon attribute could become a Dragon King.

So what was going on with this Multi-Crystal Black Dragon King?

"The Multi-Crystal Black Dragon King is a mutated Dragon King. I'm not exactly sure of the details, but it definitely isn't a pure dragon attribute. Instead, it has Dragon + Dark + Light attributes, making it the only known supernatural creature with three attributes."

Aeron spoke in an awed tone, "Three attributes!"

"I can't even imagine—if I could have a pet beast with three attributes, how happy I'd be as a little boy."

Asher: "..."

Well.

Asher glanced at Cat-Worm, who was leaping around the Rothschild family courtyard, and Little Raven, who was dashing back and forth, and fell silent for a moment.

'Three attributes... actually aren't that rare, are they?'

Aeron: "?"

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