After a pleasant conversation, both of them revealed satisfied expressions.
"Pleasure doing business with you," Asher smiled.
Rosa laughed... Dying of laughter, she couldn't laugh at all.
She took a deep breath.
Rosa was reflecting on how she ended up here. Initially, she wanted to negotiate a cooperation deal, ideally pressing for the lowest possible price, and if that wasn't feasible, then at least a moderate price. Yet, step by step, she ended up here.
She glanced at the agreement between the two.
It was completely her making concessions.
She had given a substantial amount of various resource attributes.
The only thing she could be relieved about was that the Red Soil City Beast Tamer Alliance had a sufficiently deep foundation.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to meet Asher's demands.
Fortunately, in the end, she still obtained a certain quantity and size of the red mineral from Asher. One large and two small pieces.
'It should be enough for research, right?', Rosa thought uncertainly.
Then, she took another deep breath.
'No, no, no.'
She must succeed in the research. As long as there was even the slightest possibility, she could turn this red mineral into the next flagship product of the Red Soil Forbidden Zone.
Asher might not have seen through all of Rosa's thoughts, but at least he had a good idea of what she was planning.
He silently lit a candle in his heart for the newly appointed president of the Red Soil City Beast Tamer Alliance.
It wasn't that he deliberately tricked her or anything.
It was just that...
"I have to say in advance, this red mineral might only be found near that special spatial mountain range," Asher hadn't hidden his experiences, so Rosa naturally understood what he was implying.
"It's fine," Rosa waved her hand and carefully put away the three pieces of red mineral.
"As long as it's confirmed to be valuable and is indeed found within the Red Soil Forbidden Zone, that's enough," Hearing Asher's sincere words, a faint smile finally appeared on Rosa's face.
Asher: "..."
'Alright.'
'Got it.'
To be honest, he really didn't want to understand the thoughts of these black-hearted merchants.
———
"You seem quite busy here," Jasmine looked at Rosa, who left Asher's hospital room in high spirits after getting what she wanted. She found it amusing as she walked in and spoke.
Asher waved his hand, "Just a normal business deal, nothing special."
Jasmine: "..."
A pet beast professor collaborating with the newly appointed president of the Red Soil City Alliance. This news alone would sound outrageous to the average person.
But that wasn't why Jasmine was here.
"You're almost fully recovered. You can leave at any time," She was here to inform Asher.
Previously, Red Soil City had been locked down, making entry and exit difficult.
Now, things had finally returned to normal.
Jasmine was worried that Asher might be eager to return, so she came to let him know.
Unexpectedly, Asher's expression remained extremely calm, showing no sign of urgency.
Jasmine: "?"
"Wait a minute."
"Aren't you forgetting something?"
Asher also looked at Jasmine with a confused expression, "Am I?"
Asher blinked.
"Recently... I don't think I have anything going on?", As he spoke, he suddenly had a look of realization.
Before Jasmine could feel relieved, she heard Asher continue.
"Oh, I remember now. That Beasts Nurturing Competition is about to officially start, right?", Asher nodded, "I have a friend participating. I promised to go watch."
Unexpectedly, with everything that had happened, the Fourth Legion's matters plus the Red Soil City situation, he had spent nearly a month here.
He had probably missed the preliminaries.
He wasn't sure if Ivy had made it to the official competition.
Jasmine fell silent again.
The atmosphere was filled with awkwardness.
Of course.
Asher himself didn't feel a shred of awkwardness.
What?
Awkward?
Not at all.
In fact, he felt great. Absolutely great. Couldn't be better.
He was ready to summon his Lightyear Dragon Rider at any moment, then pat his backside and head home.
"...You really don't take your own matters to heart, do you?", Jasmine sighed helplessly, "Did you forget? Your award ceremony is in less than a month."
Asher froze for a moment.
Then, he actually showed another look of realization.
"Oh, right."
'The Newcomer Award!'
Asher nodded. But his expression showed far less excitement compared to when he remembered his friend's competition.
Looking at Asher, Jasmine felt a bit helpless.
What could she say?
Seriously, what was she supposed to say to someone like Asher?
"At least prepare a speech in advance," Jasmine sincerely suggested.
Asher's eyes were once again filled with confusion, "A speech...?"
"What's that? Why is there a speech?"
"Isn't it just a prize and a certificate? Shouldn't that be the end of it?"
Hearing Asher's words, Jasmine truly felt suffocated.
"Professor Asher, have you not looked into the Diaz Beast Evolution Professor Award at all?"
Asher gave Jasmine a look that clearly said, 'Isn't that obvious?'
Jasmine pressed her lips together.
She closed her eyes, then opened them again.
'Don't be angry. Don't be angry.'
'Why get angry over this?'
'It wasn't like I don't know what kind of person Asher is. At most, his thought process is just a bit... bizarre.'
'But geniuses often have all sorts of bad habits.'
Compared to others, Asher was relatively normal.
At least, he was normal most of the time.
After repeatedly reassuring herself, Jasmine's expression returned to indifference.
Yep.
Not surprising at all.
Still, she carefully explained the process to Asher.
"Very few Beast Tamers receive this award."
"Even though the award exists, they don't necessarily give it out every year. If there's no suitable candidate who satisfies the judges, they can leave it vacant."
"For example, before you, it had already been vacant for several years."
"And the award ceremony is a huge event, attended by over a hundred media outlets. Some formalities simply cannot be skipped."
After some thought, Jasmine decided not to tell Asher.
At the award ceremony, he would also be promoted to a Level 2 Researcher.
Whether Asher cared about it was one thing.
Giving him a little surprise was another.
Unaware of Jasmine's thoughts, Asher touched his chin after hearing her explanation, "Eh, sounds kind of troublesome."
Jasmine was done trying to reason with him.
But she couldn't help but think, 'If Asher goes in unprepared, with his usual attitude...'
Suffocating.
She could already feel it.
"By the way," Before Jasmine could change the topic, Asher had already taken control of the conversation, "What's the deal with that mountain in the Red Soil Forbidden Zone?"
It wasn't that he hadn't asked earlier.
He just just remembered it.
Through Angel, he understood the mountain's true significance.
But theoretically, Asher shouldn't have known. And anyone encountering something like a real secret realm would naturally be curious.
He had forgotten to ask before.
And hadn't found the right person to ask.
Since Jasmine was here, he might as well ask now.
"That…", Jasmine had long expected Asher to ask, but she hadn't thought he'd ask at this particular moment.
After thinking for a while, Jasmine still relayed the information she had prepared in advance, "Actually, we don't know the situation of that mountain range either. We've never seen it before."
"But there is indeed precedent for a forbidden land containing another space or a secret realm within it."
"You can think of it like this: In the past, an extraordinarily powerful beast existed within this forbidden land. Because its strength was too overwhelming, the energy it unleashed before its death was enough to shatter time and space, creating a new space."
"The situation inside the formed space is also extremely unique."
At this point, Jasmine paused for a moment.
Since she had already brought it up, it was something Asher could know, "Before the Red Soil Forbidden Land appeared, there were only two forbidden lands in the country with embedded secret realms. One of them has been explored thoroughly and opens once every ten years. It contains a large number of special resources, and there are only two years left until the next opening."
"The other one is more dangerous. To this day, its specific patterns remain unexplored, and the forbidden land where that secret realm is located has been classified as high-risk."
Hearing Jasmine's words, Asher immediately thought of the deal he had made with Rosa earlier.
'Damn.'
'I have been ripped off.'
No wonder Rosa had driven such a hard bargain, yet in the end, still gritted his teeth and agreed.
Just imagine—a temptation this huge appearing right in your own backyard.
Who wouldn't be tempted?
Though out of the two domestic secret realms, only one had been fully explored while the other remained relatively dangerous…
As long as there were profits to be made, people would be drawn to it continuously.
And if word got out that the secret realm contained resources even more valuable than red ore…
Asher: 'Damn!'
'Regret!'
He wanted to call President Rosa back and renegotiate the price.
Seeing Asher's expression, regret tinged with a bit of remorse, Jasmine's face showed a trace of confusion.
'Uh…'
'Am I really that out of touch with young people these days?'
Otherwise, why couldn't she understand what Asher was thinking at all?
.
.
.
Asher didn't stay long in Red Soil City.
Once he confirmed that everything had wrapped up, he immediately booked the fastest Lightyear Dragon Ride and sped back to… NY City.
Yes.
Asher didn't return to Bluewind University. He went back to NY City instead.
"After wandering outside for a while, I still think home is the best," Asher spoke with genuine sincerity.
In this world, Asher had no family, and before this, he hadn't considered NY City his hometown.
Whether it was NY City or Radiant City, they seemed to hold the same meaning for him.
But after dealing with so many things, when it came time to "go home," NY City was the first place that popped into his mind.
Here, he had his own house.
His own research institute.
His own team.
And his earliest memories.
After briefly reflecting on life and emotions, Asher decisively returned to NY City.
The happiest people about his return were undoubtedly the researchers in his laboratory.
"Professor Asher, you're finally back!"
"So? Do you have any new projects for us?"
Several people rushed over in unison, surrounding Asher.
Each one looked at him with bright, eager eyes, their words filled with anticipation and excitement for work.
Asher: "?"
'Wait.'
'Are these people sure they're okay?'
The researchers surrounding Asher: 'We're fine! Totally fine!'
The days without Professor Asher, no work, no research, no new evolutionary paths to verify, were just too boring.
They were even starting to feel guilty about collecting their paychecks.
Especially since the internet was flooded with legends about Asher.
Look at Asher, who was already a Level 3 researcher but still striving to improve himself and completing all sorts of high-difficulty tasks.
Now look at them, taking Asher's salary while sitting around the lab doing nothing all day.
They suddenly felt just a tiny bit guilty.
Having figured out their logic, Asher: "…"
Well.
He couldn't exactly say they were wrong.
"Don't worry, you'll have plenty to do soon," Asher waved a hand, "I'll be staying in NY City for a few more days, so there will definitely be work for you all."
Instead of showing looks of exhaustion, everyone nodded enthusiastically.
'Great, great, great.'
Professor Asher could give orders as he pleased—wherever he pointed, they'd go. They guaranteed not to delay his tasks in the slightest.
Then, as soon as Asher turned around, he saw Levi and a woman he didn't recognize in his research institute.
Asher blinked and exchanged a glance with Levi.
Levi's eyes shone with enthusiasm when he looked at Asher, but he didn't take the initiative to greet him.
Being personally acquainted in private was one thing, but professional relationships at work were another.
Even if he really wanted to chat with Asher, now wasn't the time.
After a brief chat with the researchers, Asher headed toward his break room.
Eliana watched Asher's retreating figure, her gaze showing a hint of contemplation.
"Professor Asher is truly impressive," Eliana said from the bottom of her heart.
Levi nodded frantically, "That's right! That's why joining Professor Asher's lab is the best choice!"
Eliana was silent for two seconds.
'That might be a stretch.'
'If the professor is too outstanding, there wont be much room for people like us to shine.'
But… Thinking about the internet rumors, those half-truths and possibly exaggerated stories about Asher, Eliana suddenly understood.
Why foreign forces had set their sights on Professor Asher.
A genius's brilliance could never be concealed.
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.
https://discord.gg/bYAfGyp98y
8