The identities of a Pet Beast Professor and a Beast Tamer are really incompatible.
Asher threw the problems he needed to worry about onto Professor Desmond to worry about, and he continued to research the extraordinary creature called the Golden Silkworm as much as he could.
———
Another three days passed.
The Thousand Machine had been successfully produced.
But over on Professor Desmond's side, there still wasn't a good solution figured out.
And at this moment, even worse news arrived, ["Branlow City has detected that the Tier 9 Golden Silkworm seems to have already awakened and entered an active phase,"] Professor Hubert looked at Professor Desmond and Asher who were standing together and spoke with a serious expression.
["On your side…"]
Professor Hubert didn't really want to continue asking.
All in all, from the beginning, it had only been four or five days since they entrusted this matter to Asher.
What could they expect? They hadn't figured anything out in half a month before.
"There is one method."
"But there's a certain risk involved. It requires the trust and cooperation of the Beast Tamers in Branlow City," In the end, Professor Desmond still frowned and proactively took responsibility for the matter, saying so.
Professor Hubert: "?"
Time was tight.
Couldn't care about too much now.
Out of trust in Professor Desmond and Asher, Professor Hubert didn't overthink it.
["Just do it the way you say,"] Professor Hubert looked at the two of them seriously through the screen and said.
["I know. Since it's a method you two are willing to speak of, it must be somewhat feasible."]
["Then let's give it a try."]
Compared to the potential threat posed by a Tier 9 Golden Silkworm, what's the harm in trying boldly once? Seeing this, Professor Desmond gave Professor Hubert a thumbs-up, "As expected of you, really able to step up at a time like this."
Professor Hubert chuckled, "Alright, don't flatter me."
"I'll back you on this matter. Just take your method and carry it out."
Both Professor Hubert and Professor Desmond had the same thought, it was they who had proactively come to Asher, seeking a solution.
Then they couldn't let Asher shoulder the potential risk in between.
No matter what.
The opinion and method proposed by Asher were out of goodwill.
They wanted to protect this goodwill of Asher.
Sensing the thoughts of Professor Desmond and Professor Hubert, Asher showed a helpless smile on his face.
"No need for that…", Thinking of how they were trying to bear the burden for him.
"Actually, you can trust me a little more."
"I think this method has a good chance of working," Asher said helplessly.
Before Professor Desmond could speak, Professor Hubert seriously said to Asher, ["It's not that we want to flatter you, take on responsibility to gain your favor or something like that."]
["But just like you said, before the battle starts there's no way to prove it, that means there is risk."]
["We can't wait until something happens before we think about how to avoid the risk."]
["We must be prepared from the beginning that there is a risk, and be mentally ready to face it."]
This preparation, also serves to a degree to avoid that if something really does happen, Asher gets implicated because of it.
Professor Desmond opened his mouth.
Then shut it again with a gloomy look.
'Damn it!'
'Everything I wanted to say he said it already.'
'Can't you leave me a little highlight moment?'
Professor Hubert chuckled happily.
That's not his problem.
Asher looked at the two professors, with their silent exchange of glances across the screen, and his heart relaxed a little.
No matter what.
He accepted this goodwill.
"Then should we set off now or…?", Asher asked.
The smile on Professor Hubert's face faded slightly, becoming serious again.
["I've already contacted Branlow City, someone will come to pick you up,"] Professor Hubert said.
Asher thought for a moment, then nodded.
Given the current situation in Branlow City, citywide alert wasn't overreacting.
Without permission, it's impossible to pass through Branlow City, including its airspace.
Who knows what accidents might happen.
What if that Tier 9 Golden Silkworm suddenly goes berserk?
As long as there's a warm-blooded lifeform, whether human or animal, it can become their egg-laying chamber.
Those consequences are unimaginable.
Even the eggs of ordinary Golden Silkworms are extremely hard to extract, let alone the eggs of a Tier 9 Golden Silkworm?
Just the vitality and energy far surpassed those of eggs laid by ordinary Golden Silkworms.
Professor Hubert carefully instructed Asher a few more times.
His expression looked indescribably worried and concerned.
["Had I known earlier, I wouldn't have told you about this. I didn't expect now…"], Professor Hubert sighed.
Even Professor Desmond, who stood by Asher's side, couldn't refute Professor Hubert's words.
Indeed, had they known, would it have been better not to tell Asher about this?
Now Asher also wanted to go face the danger.
If something really happens to Asher… they would definitely be the sinners of this country's pet beast research field.
Looking at the exaggerated expressions on Professor Desmond and Professor Hubert's faces, Asher's mouth twitched a few times, "It's not that bad, really."
"Besides…", Saying so, Asher looked at his few pet beasts.
He trusted Little Raven's abilities.
And then…
"My newest contracted pet beast, yes, that mechanical-type beast, Angel."
"It has a skill with protective abilities."
Asher said half-jokingly and half-seriously.
Oh no wait.
What half-jokingly.
He was telling the full truth.
Just didn't reveal some key information.
"Even if I can't handle the Golden Silkworm then, Angel's shield can still protect me."
"At least I won't drag anyone down."
Asher winked at Professor Hubert.
'Give a little more trust?', Professor Hubert chuckled, his expression looking a bit more cheerful.
["That may be so… but you must still prioritize your own safety when the time comes,"] After thinking for a bit, Professor Hubert reminded Asher again.
["If I remember correctly, the two Ace-level Beast Tamers currently stationed in Branlow City are Peter Dew and Clyde May."]
[T/N: They were in Ch176 and Ch186 Red Soil City incident]
Asher was taken aback and blinked.
'Eh?'
Professor Hubert clearly remembered too, ["I heard you've had contact with both of them, right?"]
"Mr. Peter, sort of," Asher recalled the situation in Flame City last time and nodded, "But Mr. Clyde arrived later, so we didn't interact much. Only met once."
Not too familiar with either of them.
["No problem,"] Professor Hubert said, ["In the battle against the Tier 9 Golden Silkworm swarm, the main fighting force is those two."]
["As for you, just try to suppress the silkworm's reproductive issue."]
Asher nodded.
'Got it. I am support.'
There are people to tank the aggro in front.
As long as he does his job, he doesn't need to overthink the rest.
Professor Hubert tried to say everything he could think of, fearing that Asher might get into trouble.
Facing this overflowing goodwill, Asher could only accept it all.
'Fine, fine. Hearing a few more nagging words isn't a big deal.'
By the time the call with Professor Hubert ended, an hour had already passed.
Professor Desmond, beside him, patted his head, bringing his drifting gaze back to normal.
"You really are something," Professor Desmond looked at Asher with admiration and gave a thumbs-up.
Awesome.
Asher's expression didn't change much.
"I feel like my head is buzzing from all the nagging," Professor Desmond sighed with a frown, "I know it's goodwill, but this goodwill is a bit heavy."
His shoulders were weighed down.
Asher also patted Professor Desmond's shoulder, "You'll get used to it."
Professor Desmond seemed choked, "No way, I haven't gotten used to it all these years."
Saying that, Professor Desmond paused, "Then you take a good rest first, who knows when the people from Branlow City will arrive."
After speaking, Professor Desmond stopped disturbing Asher.
He gave the space over to Asher.
Asher turned and walked toward the nearby tea station.
Halfway there, Asher noticed a few heads sneaking around.
Asher: "..."
"What are you sneaking around for?", Asher stopped and looked to the side, "If you need something, just say it."
One person popped out.
Then another.
And another…
Asher looked at the figures appearing one by one like a train and his eye twitched hard.
"What? My work hours are for you guys to slack off?", Asher walked to the bar and poured himself a glass of mixed juice.
Because of the season, a cold drink in the hot summer is more refreshing, and the juice tastes crisper.
Asher gulped down more than half the glass in one go.
Then he looked again… at Levi, Eliana, Pierce, Chase, and somehow even Charlotte and Jasmine had gotten mixed in.
They all looked at each other, but no one dared to step forward.
In the end, it was Jasmine who walked toward Asher.
Frowning, Jasmine's already cold and elegant demeanor became even more icy and stunning.
"Professor Asher, the situation in Branlow City is very dangerous right now. Are you sure…"
Asher interrupted Jasmine, "Actually, it's not that dangerous."
"The Tier 9 Golden Silkworm swarm doesn't yet qualify as a full beast tide."
"The most troublesome part is just the Golden Silkworm's nature."
Reproduction.
Relentless, invasive reproduction.
Tier 9 battles are already intense, and you still have to be careful not to get even a scratch… that's the truly troublesome thing about Golden Silkworms.
As long as you can suppress this trait, a mere Golden Silkworm swarm.
Even if led by a Tier 9 Golden Silkworm, so what?
Jasmine was left speechless.
"I trust Little Raven's flames a lot," Asher looked at Little Raven, floating in the air beside Angel behind him, and said full of trust.
Little Raven: *Chest puffed out*
'That's right!'
'Birds are just that awesome!'
Little Raven didn't feel anything wrong with Asher's trust.
From the bottom of her heart, Jasmine, who actually didn't trust Little Raven that much, suddenly didn't know what to say next.
What could she say? What could she say?
Jasmine: *KOed*
Charlotte and the others all gave Jasmine a disappointed look.
'Say something more!'
'At least let Asher realize how dangerous the situation is!'
Jasmine looked to the sky and the ground.
'If you're so capable, go say it yourself.'
'Anyway, I am done.'
Charlotte: "..."
Charlotte quietly stepped back a bit.
'My eloquence isn't great, better let someone more talkative speak.'
Asher looked at Levi, saying nothing.
But that gaze clearly asked Levi: 'Got something to say?'
Levi: "?"
Levi turned around and saw that while he wasn't paying attention, all his companions had sneakily taken a step back.
Some even took more than one step.
Levi almost coughed up blood.
'Damn it!"
'These guys retreated without me! Now I have suddenly become the scapegoat!'
Levi really wanted to say he had nothing to say.
But…
"Well, Professor Asher…", Levi opened his mouth, then shut it again.
In the end, he gritted his teeth and said, "Even though you're very skilled in pet beast breeding, when facing a Tier 9 extraordinary creature, you're still not its match."
"How about we try a different method."
"Physical attacks are fine, but using indirect methods is much safer," Levi spoke strongly.
Asher didn't get mad at Levi's words.
"Why are you closing your eyes? I'm not mad," Asher said with a laugh.
"Huh?", Levi didn't react at first.
He quickly opened his eyes and looked at Asher, "Oh!"
Levi snapped out of it, and looking at Asher's smiling face, he couldn't help but show a silly grin.
Asher: "..."
'Are all my assistants idiots?'
Asher was starting to question this guy's intelligence.
But he still held it in.
"You're right, that's why I'm not going to solve the problem," Asher crossed his arms, "I'm just going to support."
Levi: "..."
'Oh?'
'That… actually kind of makes sense?'
'Compared to our Professor Asher, the one really doing the work must be the Ace Beast Tamer.'
'At most, Professor Asher is just there to tag along.'
Thinking this way, Levi nodded.
'Hmm.'
'Tagging along is good.'
'Tagging along is wonderful.'
'As long as there's no danger…', Thinking of the dean mother, thinking of the children in the welfare home, Levi let out a light sigh in his heart.
He still hoped Asher could stay safe and sound.
"Alright, everything that needs to be said has been said, disperse now," Asher waved his hand.
"Don't keep slacking off during working hours."
"Even if it's under the pretense of caring about your boss, it's still not allowed."
Asher said with a face like a ruthless boss.
The others: "..."
'Got it, got it, got it.'
'We are now working for capital.'
While walking, Eliana, who had not spoken, was still thinking, 'Is it possible to come up with a chemical method to counteract the Golden Silkworm?'
'Physical suppression is still a bit too dangerous.'
Not to mention whether it can be developed or not. Even if it could be done, it would still take time, and right now, the thing they lacked most was time.
———
[Branlow City]
"Huh?"
"The professor from pet beast research proposed another method to suppress the reproduction of the Golden Silkworm?", Peter, who had already arrived, had a face of surprise, and a bit of distrust.
"Is that true?"
"It's not like the Golden Silkworm hasn't been studied before, all these years and no progress, and now suddenly there's progress at this critical moment?"
He questioned Professor Hubert and Professor Hubert's assistant during the communication.
Taking advantage of the fact that they were far away and Peter on the other end of the call couldn't hear, Professor Hubert's assistant quietly complained.
["Good thing Professor Desmond isn't here, or these two similar personalities would definitely start arguing."]
Professor Hubert opened his mouth.
In the end, Professor Hubert silently nodded.
Although... He didn't want to deny it.
These two were both geniuses with extremely self-assertive personalities.
Want them to have a proper conversation together?
The odds of Mars hitting Earth tomorrow is probably greater.
["Please rest assured, Ace, this wasn't entirely developed by our national research institute alone,"] Professor Hubert said good-naturedly.
"Huh?", Peter's skeptical voice got even louder.
"It wasn't developed by you?"
"Then it's even less believable!"
"If the national research institute couldn't come up with it, who else could?"
"Is it really reliable?"
"Is it really not just some quick scheme to cheat for funding and fool us with a sloppy answer?", When Peter talked, it was like a machine gun. RATATATATA!
He didn't give Professor Hubert any chance to react or explain.
With his already slow personality, Professor Hubert couldn't even find the chance to explain: "..."
So Professor Hubert just stared blankly, occasionally sipping a mouthful of berry water from his thermos, quietly listening to the firecracker-like barrage of sound from the phone.
What?
Saying he was being disrespectful?
It wasn't that he didn't want to be respectful.
It's that Peter on the other end of the phone didn't give him the chance.
Professor Hubert's expression was so vacant.
Finally, Peter finished talking.
Peter noticed there was no sound on the other end of the phone.
"Hello?", Peter pulled the phone away a bit and looked at the call screen.
'Hmm, not disconnected.'
"Hello hello hello!", Pulling the phone back closer again, Peter shouted into it a couple more times.
'Non-smartphones really are like this…'
Beside him, the mild-mannered Clyde looked quite helpless.
"Maybe it's Professor Damien?", Clyde interrupted Peter, who still wanted to keep rambling, and proposed a very high possibility.
Among the two lead professors at the national research institute, both were first-level researchers.
If you had to say someone who was definitely above them in ability, it would definitely be Professor Damien.
However…
Thinking of this, Clyde rubbed his chin.
'I have heard that Professor Damien is currently in seclusion studying a new subject?'
'Professor Hubert and Professor Desmond can actually get in touch with Professor Damien under such circumstances?', Clyde felt like he was missing something.
The old-style mobile phone's audio pickup was quite good.
That was also the only advantage of this phone.
Hearing a different voice from the other end, Professor Hubert swallowed his berry water before slowly speaking.
["It wasn't old Professor Damien, the old professor hasn't been reachable these past few months, we didn't have a way either."]
That was the part Professor Hubert hadn't mentioned to Asher before.
Actually, at the very beginning, back when they were dealing with the two nations, the one they initially wanted to find was Professor Damien.
But Professor Damien… was in seclusion.
Unreachable.
Right after that, a member of Professor Damien's work team recommended Asher to them.
Professor Hubert and Professor Desmond: "?"
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