"Achoo!"
"Achoo! Achoo!"
Asher wasn't the one sneezing—the two little kids sitting across from him were sneezing like crazy.
With Asher as the center, Little Raven's feathers were falling like a celestial maiden scattering flowers, shedding wildly without stopping.
The more feathers Little Raven lost, the more frantically it flapped. The more frantically it flapped, the more feathers it lost.
It was like an endless cycle.
Asher quickly hugged Little Raven tightly, "Calm down, calm down, it's okay, it's okay."
Little Raven: QAQ
'No!'
'It's not okay at all!'
'This is a huge problem!'
'At this rate, I'll go completely bald!'
'Bald!'
Not far away, the Cat-Worm, Little White Snake, and tiny jellyfish had all backed away, peeking curiously at Little Raven.
'Wow—'
'Big Sis is shedding feathers!'
'Will we shed too?'
The little ones exchanged glances, secretly looking at each other, and realized, 'Oh, wait, none of us have fur.'
The Cat-Worm and the little white snake both had scales, different types of scales, but still scales.
As for the tiny jellyfish… Forget fur or feathers, it didn't even have skin. Instead, its whole body was covered in a bouncy, jelly-like water membrane.
The three shared another glance, feeling a sense of relief—
'Phew.'
'Good thing.'
'Looks like we won't shed.'
Little Raven: (￢_￢)
Little Raven suddenly turned its head toward the three little ones who were sneaking around. Its golden-red eyes seemed to see right through their thoughts, filled with so much fury that it was just short of making them spontaneously combust.
Cat-Worm, little white snake, tiny jellyfish: *Silent as a chicken*
"Big Brother, your bird is shedding. ACHOO!", Luna sniffled as she complained to Asher while sneezing nonstop, looking pitiful.
Asher: "…"
'Ahem!'
Asher's expression turned a bit strange. He coughed lightly twice, holding the now-limp Little Raven in his arms, and said helplessly, "Uh… I didn't expect this either. Maybe it's molting season for Little Raven?"
Leo: "?"
"Do pet beasts even have a molting season? But my sister's big tiger doesn't shed fur," Leo stared at Asher with a look that said, 'You're totally making things up, aren't you?'
Asher: "…A big tiger is a big tiger. Little Raven is Little Raven. Different pet beasts have different conditions, so you can't lump them all together."
Hearing that, Leo barely managed to put on a believing expression, silently watching Asher with a look that said, 'Go on, keep making stuff up. I'm listening.'
Asher rubbed his nose.
'Sigh!'
'Kids these days… Okay, okay.'
Asher activated his talent skill and glanced at Little Raven, checking if there was anything unusual about it.
Everything was normal.
There were no additional buffs or special status effects.
'So… is it really just seasonal molting?'
Asher wasn't sure.
'Something feels off.'
'This didn't happen last year.'
With no answer for now, Asher put the issue aside and turned his gaze to the two kids in front of him.
"So? Do you trust me a little more now?", Asher waved at the Cat-Worm, little white snake, and tiny jellyfish, and they immediately rushed toward him.
The Cat-Worm took up half of Asher's lap.
The little white snake wrapped itself around him.
The tiny jellyfish floated beside Asher, moving up and down like it was swimming in midair, occasionally waving its long, rainbow-colored tentacles—tentacles that looked like they'd tangle up if you stared at them too long.
Asher smiled at Luna and Leo, hoping for a positive answer. If he could get them to open up, he might learn more about the Red Soil Exploration Team—especially some insider details that only members or family would know.
What Asher didn't expect was that after hearing his words, Luna and Leo hesitated and fell into deep thought.
Trust him more…
Hmm.
Nope.
If anything, they found this big brother even more unreliable.
Luna and Leo exchanged a glance.
As twins, their unspoken understanding allowed them to read each other's thoughts effortlessly, at least when they weren't arguing.
But…
"Are you really going into the Red Soil Forbidden Zone?", After thinking for a moment, Leo, who considered himself the older brother, crossed his little arms and put on a negotiating posture.
Luna opened her mouth as if to say something, but Leo shut her down with a single look.
'This is a conversation between men!'
It was definitely not because Leo thought his sister was too naive and might accidentally spill everything.
Luckily, Luna just tilted her head in confusion and didn't pick a fight with Leo this time.
Seeing that Luna had backed down, Leo looked back at Asher with a serious expression, one that surprisingly carried a bit of authority, though still too immature to be truly convincing.
Asher's thoughts turned.
'For a child to mimic such an authoritative presence so well, it isn't something one can just pick up randomly.'
'Either it is a natural talent…'
'Or he has spent a long time around someone with that kind of commanding presence.'
Asher smiled slightly.
'Gotcha.'
Leo: "?"
A cautious but not overly suspicious Leo had no idea that this sneaky adult had already analyzed his expression and gained valuable intel.
Still, Leo tried his best to take control of the conversation, "Since the incident in Crimson City, the Red Soil Forbidden Zone has been temporarily closed to outsiders. No one can enter without special permission."
"And since something just happened, going in now would be…"
'Dangerous.'
Leo didn't finish his sentence, but his determined, shining black eyes said it all.
"I see. So it's not just about strength, but also about authority," Asher stroked his chin and nodded.
Taking out his phone, Asher searched his own name online.
As expected, his profile popped up immediately.
The introduction was incredibly detailed—almost too detailed.
There were even things Asher himself wasn't entirely sure about.
And that photo…
Asher had the urge to cover his face.
It wasn't a formal ID photo, but it wasn't much better.
Clearly, someone had screenshotted it from one of his academic conference videos. It was slightly blurry.
"Here," Asher handed the phone to the two kids.
Leo and Luna blinked in confusion.
'Huh?'
'Why is he giving us his phone?'
Then—
"Waaah—"
Heads pressed together, the two read the profile full of Asher's achievements and credentials.
[The youngest Level 3 researcher, likely to become the youngest Level 2 researcher.]
A dizzying list of accomplishments.
But the most shocking thing?
His age—19.
Leo and Luna might be kids, but they weren't dumb.
Having a powerful older sister had made them well aware of how impressive a 19-year-old with such achievements really was.
Not to mention…
His Beast Tamer credentials were listed too.
[Champion of the Jade Dragon and Flood Dragon Academy Freshman Beast Tamer Tournaments.]
[Ranked #1 on South Soren's Beast Tamer Power Rankings.]
Not a long list, but with his age as context, the weight of these accomplishments was undeniable.
In an instant, their view of Asher changed.
"Big Brother is amazing!"
"Hmph! Not bad, I guess! Barely acceptable!"
Asher: "…"
His fists clenched.
'No wonder people prefer sweet, thoughtful little girls—this other kid has no idea how to give compliments.'
"Ahem! it's alright," Asher pretended to cough twice, then smiled again and looked at Leo and Luna, "Now then? Can you tell me about your situation?"
"And your sister?"
Leo and Luna exchanged a glance. It seemed like they had made a decision as they nodded firmly.
Should they say it?
Say it!
"Our sister is the leader of the Red Soil Exploration Team!"
"Sister is super amazing! She's a Sixth Tier Beast Tamer!"
That was a bombshell right off the bat.
Asher: 'Hm?'
'Hmmmm?'
'Sixth Tier Beast Tamer?', Asher rubbed his chin, 'That is some real strength.'
"Mm-hmm," Asher nodded, "Go on."
"Sister took on a really, really long mission!"
Asher: 'Got it, long-term mission.'
"Then she took a lot of other brothers, sisters, and uncles with her. They go in and only come back every three to five days. This dessert shop was opened by our sister."
"This is called a base!"
Hearing this, Asher once again glanced around the pink, fluffy dessert shop that had made him feel uncomfortable ever since he walked in.
'A base?'
'No one in the Red Soil Exploration Team complained that this place is way too pink?'
Asher looked at the two kids in front of him.
Oh.
Luna's expression was full of joy.
Leo, on the other hand, looked quite disgusted.
"This time, Sister went in the day before yesterday. If nothing unexpected happened, she should have been back today or tomorrow."
At this point, Leo and Luna, who had been excited just moments ago, both fell silent.
But something unexpected had happened.
And it was the kind that looked extremely serious at first glance, not something easily resolved.
"Did she say anything to you before she went in this time?", Asher tapped his fingers lightly on the table, trying to help Leo and Luna recall.
"For example, did she discover any special places?"
"Did she encounter any special beasts?"
"Where was she planning to go this time, and what preparations did she make?"
Thinking of that video, and the supposedly unexplored mountain range, Asher's intuition told him that the problem was probably there.
Gathering more information before going in was always a good idea.
Otherwise, who knew if he would end up like the Red Soil Exploration Team?
Mysteriously losing contact?
And inside a forbidden zone at that...
Asher could completely understand why these two kids looked so anxious. The forbidden zone itself was already not a safe place, let alone a forbidden zone with mist-covered areas that hadn't been fully explored.
A danger within a danger.
Desperate, the two had posted on the forums for help and ended up running into him... Fate, it was all fate.
Asher forcibly ignored the Angel that played a key role in this.
'Anyway, no matter how you looked at it, it is fate.'
"Uh...", Luna and Leo both fell into deep thought, as if they were following Asher's words to recall, "Seems like... not much..."
"Even small, fragmented details count. Anything she mentioned about the forbidden zone works," Asher smiled.
Upon hearing this, Luna's eyes lit up. She shook her head, her ponytail swaying back and forth, and said excitedly, "I remember now! When Sister was telling me bedtime stories at night, she said the mountain seemed alive!"
Asher: "?"
'What kind of bedtime story have such hardcore content?'
Oh.
A Sixth Tier Beast Tamer sister who specifically told stories about her adventures and modified her exploration experiences.
Asher hadn't even asked yet when Leo turned to Luna with an incredulous look, "When did Sister tell you that? Why didn't I know?"
"When I secretly ran to Sister's room to sleep...", Luna, who had been excited just a moment ago, suddenly lowered her voice. She looked at the sky, looked at the ground—anywhere but Leo's eyes.
Seeing that the two kids were about to start arguing again, Asher quickly interrupted them.
"The mountain seemed alive. How exactly did she say that? Can you tell me that bedtime story?", Asher smiled.
Leo also glared at Luna, determined to hear the story.
Luna nodded.
She told the story in just a few words.
It wasn't long. Clearly, it was just a slightly altered version of recent experiences, with some childlike elements added to coax a kid to sleep.
But since the Red Soil Exploration Team had been circling that mountain recently, exploring its plants, trees, rocks, and soil, the bedtime stories had mostly been about the mountain.
Ordinary, yet not ordinary.
The most special part was that after finishing the half-true, half-false story, there was another sentence—"That mountain really does seem alive."
Asher frowned.
His intuition—oh, his intuition wasn't always reliable. Most of the time, it was just a scam.
But this time, Asher's intuition told him this sentence was important.
'Maybe… it is even connected to the situation in Crimson City.'
"Anything else?", Asher took note of this clue, planning to verify it on-site once he entered the Red Soil Forbidden Zone.
Luna and Leo shared more details.
Nothing too crucial.
But Asher was able to roughly piece together the situation regarding the Red Soil City's forbidden zone and the Red Soil City Beast Tamer Alliance.
Red Soil-series resources had low production capacity.
Market demand was high.
Exploration teams were paid poorly.
Everyone complained about the president.
Asher: 'Feeling grateful for the President Robb once again.'
At the same time, Asher had a question.
'Red Soil-series resources should bring in a lot of money. If the exploration teams were underpaid, where did the rest of the money go?'
'Was it embezzled?'
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