When he placed the soil he had dug from different locations together for comparison, he was shocked to discover, 'Huh?'
'Hmm? Hmm? Hmm?'
'How is this like mixing cocktails?'
'Even the colors have different shades?'
Asher opened his mouth, wanting to call for Peter.
The next second.
His vision went black, and in a daze, he heard someone calling his name.
"Wu—", The Swamp Monster let out a piercing, long cry.
Peter was the first to react.
This was an alarm call that the Swamp Monster would only make when facing extreme danger.
Peter abruptly turned to look in the Swamp Monster's direction while his mind raced.
'What can make a Tier 7 Swamp Monster feel threatened?'
'What exactly is here?'
Then, Peter looked behind him, his pupils shrank violently.
"Where's Professor Asher?", Peter's voice carried a hint of panic and frustration.
'A whole person—just gone?'
'How did he suddenly disappear?'
The other six Beast Tamers, hearing the commotion, hurried toward Peter's location, only to find that he was alone.
"Professor Asher…?"
They exchanged bewildered glances.
As if they couldn't comprehend the situation before them.
Then, they carefully looked at Peter.
Professor Asher had been with Peter but had vanished inexplicably… To put it bluntly, they felt a tiny bit relieved.
At least it wasn't them who disappeared with Asher.
Otherwise, this…
Peter's expression shifted repeatedly. He clenched his fists tightly, quickly regaining his composure, his voice turning ice-cold, "Level 2 Alert. We're heading back now."
Level 2 Alert was the highest level of alert that could be issued within a city.
Once activated, it meant the city was facing a danger no less than a large-scale beast tide.
"Isn't a Level 2 Alert a bit exaggerated…", The Beast Tamer of the Flying Cloud Tiger hesitated but was immediately met with Peter's utterly frigid gaze.
"A living, breathing person disappeared right before our eyes," Peter let out a cold laugh, curling his lips mockingly.
"I, a Tier 8 Beast Tamer, a Ace-ranked Beast Tamer, didn't even notice. Isn't that enough?"
The Flying Cloud Tiger Beast Tamer and the others instantly fell silent.
Indeed.
No one wanted to be next.
A Level 2 Alert was absolutely necessary.
———
[On the other side]
Asher felt as if he had just used Phantom Shift, or maybe been transported by a Portkey¹.
That legendary feeling—like a hook yanking his navel, stuffing him into a washing machine, and spinning him around 360 degrees without any dead angles.
Sour.
Utterly sour.
Perhaps Asher was suited to be a magician. The moment he landed, he realized he could still stand steadily.
Asher mentally gave himself a thumbs-up.
'Nice.'
After regaining his senses, he finally took in his surroundings.
Asher's eyes widened slowly.
'This is…'
'A mountain?'
Instinctively, Asher hugged the Little Raven and the Cat-Worm in his arms.
The little white snake coiled tightly around him, trembling slightly.
The little jellyfish had directly hidden in his hair, not even daring to expose a single tentacle.
"What… what's going on?", Asher stammered.
It wasn't that he had never seen the world before.
It was just that the sight before him was way too shocking.
The surroundings were identical to the Red Soil Forbidden Zone within the mist. Except now, the mist was gone, as if a gust of wind had blown it all away, revealing the world's true appearance.
Looking closer—
'Oh, come on.'
The once barren, empty land now had a towering mountain rising from the ground.
Soaring into the clouds.
Stretching for thousands of miles.
No end in sight at the peak.
No end in sight along the range.
Asher took a deep breath.
"Did I just run into a ghost?"
["I'm afraid not,"] A voice came from the phone in Asher's pocket—it was Angel.
Hearing Angel's voice, Asher was momentarily stunned.
Hadn't they agreed that Angel would never speak when there were outsiders around?
So…
Asher finally calmed down, realizing his current situation.
There was no one else around.
"Wait a second?", Asher suddenly remembered something, "I was just transported… It should be teleportation, right? Why didn't the defense system activate?"
It wasn't that he wanted to nitpick.
It was just that after forming a cooperative partnership with Angel, Angel had assured him that in times of crisis, a protective shield would be activated to ensure his safety.
Of course.
Compared to staying alive, explaining the fuzzy little ones would be a minor issue.
["Teleportation posed no danger. Angel detected no malice. Activating the shield in this situation would have been ineffective and might have negatively impacted you."], Today, Angel's tone was particularly normal.
Angel didn't seem to mind Asher's questioning at all but instead analyzed calmly and rationally: ["If danger arose upon landing, Angel would have immediately activated the defense."]
Asher wanted to facepalm.
He lowered his head.
'Oh!'
'Still holding two little ones.'
The Little Raven and the Cat-Worm looked up at him.
"You two are fine?"
They shook their heads in sync.
'Nope.'
'Feeling great.'
'So energetic we can even dance for you right now!'
Asher: "No need. Save your energy. I don't even know where this place is."
The suddenly missing mountain.
And the mountain that had suddenly appeared before him.
Asher suspected he might have encountered something paranormal.
Of course, paranormal was impossible. Instead, he probably stumbled upon something… well, unusual.
"Angel, do you know what's going on?", Now that no one else was around, Asher freely asked.
["Insufficient data. Unable to determine."]
'As expected.'
"Alright, then I'll head toward the mountain… Sounds reckless, but I can't just stand here and wait for death, right?", Information and the situation could only be uncovered through active exploration.
With four pet beasts at his side.
And Angel's abundant energy ensuring his safety in case of true danger.
Asher wasn't too worried.
"Well then… let's go," Saying so, Asher took a step forward toward the mountain.
Whether it was dangerous or not—only by going could he find out.
He wasn't naive enough to think there wouldn't be any danger.
After all…
Asher narrowed his eyes, looking at the mountain ahead.
This was a place that could make even the little white snake and the jellyfish tremble.
Asher entered the mountain.
———
Meanwhile, Peter led his group out of the Red Soil Forbidden Zone.
In and out—it hadn't even been an hour. At most, a little over thirty minutes.
Seeing them return, Jasmine: "?"
Madam Henrietta, who hadn't even made it to Crimson City yet: "?"
They both turned to Peter, ""What happened?""
Their brows furrowed.
'Something… seems off.'
All six Tier 7 Beast Tamers looked exhausted.
Peter, at the lead, wore a dark expression, his eyes simmering with rage.
Madam Henrietta had never seen Peter this grim and murderous before.
Her expression shifted. She sensed something was wrong.
Her eyes swept over the group.
Wait—
Madam Henrietta pursed her lips. She noticed the problem, "Where's Professor Asher?"
Jasmine glanced at the returning group and nearly choked.
'Asher is missing?'
At first, Jasmine thought Asher had returned with them but got separated midway or something else had happened.
But now that Madam Henrietta had spoken up and Peter still hadn't answered, Jasmine, who was far from slow, immediately realized something must have gone wrong.
"He disappeared right in front of me… well, sort of right in front of me," Peter's voice carried traces of anger as he gritted his teeth and said, "…Damn it!"
If he knew what exactly had happened, he definitely—
"Gone?", Upon hearing this, Jasmine felt as if someone had smacked her head hard.
Disappearing inside the Forbidden Zone… Jasmine suddenly thought of the missing members of the Red Soil Expedition Team. It had already been twelve hours, and there was still no trace of them.
If Asher ended up like them…
"I've already initiated Level Two Alert status. Something must have changed inside the Red Soil Forbidden Zone that we don't know about," As Peter spoke, he also informed Madam Henrietta and Jasmine about the vanished mountain.
To be honest.
If it weren't for Peter's strength and credibility, they would have even suspected whether he was using this as an excuse to cover up his own incompetence.
But looking at Peter's expression—
Alright.
With Peter's temper and proud nature, he would never do such a thing.
That left only one possibility.
Something had truly changed in the Red Soil Forbidden Zone.
"I understand your point," Madam Henrietta rubbed her forehead, "I agree with your decision. We have to take this seriously now."
This was a bit tricky.
"Then what about Professor Asher? Should we go search for him next or—?", Nia frowned and asked, "Alerts are fine, but we can't just avoid entering the Forbidden Zone entirely, right?"
"If we delay for too long…", Nia wasn't trying to stir trouble at this moment.
It was just that he feared if he didn't ask, people would assume they weren't going to deal with the Forbidden Zone for now.
"Rest assured, we won't leave Professor Asher in danger," Madam Henrietta stated firmly.
Peter also nodded forcefully, "I'll lead the team in myself when the time comes."
Asher had vanished right in front of him—he had to find him personally.
"I'm going too!", Jasmine declared resolutely.
As they were discussing, Madam Henrietta's phone suddenly rang.
Lowering her head, Madam Henrietta's expression gradually became strange.
"It's Elder Cavendish calling."
Peter: "?"
The other Seventh-Tier Beast Tamers gasped sharply.
'Elder Cavendish?'
How could they not know who that was?
Calling at this moment… Did that mean the situation in Red Soil City and Crimson City had already escalated to this level?
Even Elder Cavendish had to personally intervene?
Only Jasmine showed a slightly odd expression.
'I… might actually know why Elder Cavendish is calling.'
———
Asher glanced at the time on his phone.
A huge question mark popped up in his mind, "I feel like I've been walking for half an hour, so why hasn't the time on my phone changed at all?"
It wasn't just his imagination.
Earlier, when the Angel spoke, Asher had instinctively checked his phone, it was exactly 2:30 PM.
But now, after walking for so long, he realized…
Exploring and conquering this mountain range was far more difficult than he had imagined.
Asher had always thought that while training and nurturing Little Raven and the others, he hadn't been slacking off himself.
Right now, he was definitely no longer a mere office worker who got winded after running 800 meters.
Running five kilometers in one go… He would definitely be out of breath and sweating, but with his current stamina, he could definitely endure it within his limits.
Yet, looking at the distance he had covered—
Five kilometers?
Definitely not.
He could still see his starting point.
A cluster of small red wildflowers swayed in the wind there, extremely distinct.
But Asher already felt physically and mentally exhausted.
Not just physically, but also a strange mental fatigue.
It felt like… an incredibly long time had passed, and he needed to rest.
Checking the time again.
'What the hell?'
'Still 2:30 PM.'
["Sir, please do not trust your senses. Only five minutes have passed since you left."], The Angel's words confirmed Asher's suspicion.
But Asher had never expected—
'Five minutes?'
'Only five minutes?'
When he said half an hour, he thought he was being conservative. Based on how drained he felt, even an hour wouldn't have been surprising.
["Please do not trust your senses. From this moment on, your perception is unreliable."]
["Look back at the path you've walked. Your speed has not slowed down; it remains the same as usual."]
Upon hearing this, Asher took a deep breath.
That's right.
He looked back.
Calming himself down, Asher pressed forward again, hungry and exhausted.
And he was carrying four pet beasts with him.
It wasn't that Asher didn't want to store them in the Spiritual Sea Beast Space, but he had a strong feeling—it was best not to do that. Otherwise, something unpredictable might happen.
[[1] Portkey: A Portkey is a magical object enchanted to instantly bring anyone touching it to a specific location in Harry Potter World. In most cases, a Portkey is an everyday object that will not draw the attention of a Muggle. Travelling by Portkey is said to feel like having a hook "somewhere behind the navel" pulling the traveller to their location.]
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