On the other hand, Asher could still blink and stare straight into the eyes of this Ancestral Dragon.
The Ancestral Dragon, who only intended to scare this human into screaming so that his two pet beasts would instinctively protect him, now had a big question mark above its head.
'This human is strange.'
'It is the first time this human have seen such a majestic and domineering dragon like myself, yet he isn't afraid at all?'
'Nor is he respectful?'
'What exactly is this human thinking?'
At first, the Ancestral Dragon genuinely wanted to help the three Juliet Dragons solve their problem, but now its thoughts had changed—what Juliet Dragons? It just wanted to see how it could make this human afraid.
"ROAR—GRRRR—"
The Ancestral Dragon opened its mouth wide at Asher and let out a close-range roar.
Fear? Asher didn't feel much fear.
But the saliva spraying right at him…
Instinctively, Asher raised his hand to block it.
The jade silver snake coiled around his wrist suddenly jolted awake.
'What's going on?'
'Where is the snake?'
The jade silver snake, its head still dizzy from the roar, lifted its head—only to meet eyes with the Ancestral Dragon, which was several hundred times its size.
Jade silver snake: "…"
"Awrrr—"
The jade silver snake opened its mouth wide.
"Plop—"
A jet of water suddenly shot out from the jade silver snake's mouth, striking right in the center—directly into the Ancestral Dragon's open mouth.
Ancestral Dragon: "…"
Little white snake: "…"
The big one and the small one stared at each other.
The Ancestral Dragon suddenly twisted its head away and made a disgusted retching sound.
'Ewww—'
'It is dirty!'
'It is unclean!'
'I have been insulted by a tiny, skinny little thing!'
'Someone quickly uphold justice for it!'
The Ancestral Dragon cried out in despair, turning to look at Grandpa Rothschild.
Grandpa Rothschild, staring at this chaotic scene: "…"
His heart was as still as water, completely unshaken.
Moreover, Grandpa Rothschild felt a bit embarrassed.
Seeing the Juliet Dragons' prank on Asher, he didn't intervene because he thought it wasn't a big deal… But who could've guessed Asher's two pet beasts…
Oh, not just two.
Grandpa Rothschild's gaze fell on the little white snake wrapped around Asher's wrist.
There was another one.
Unlike the other two, who had teamed up to thrash the three Juliet Dragons, this little white snake… was weak.
But—its insult power was off the charts.
After seeing the Ancestral Dragon's extreme reaction, the little white snake's golden pupils flashed with thoughtfulness.
"Awrrd—"
The little white snake tilted its head and tentatively sprayed another small jet of water toward the Ancestral Dragon.
Zzz—
The shot was extremely precise.
The Ancestral Dragon, still gagging from the first shot: "!"
THUD! THUD! THUD—
It took three consecutive steps backward.
RETREAT! RETREAT! RETREAT!
If the little white snake wouldn't back off, then it would back off itself.
Seeing this, the little white snake found it even more amusing,"Awrrrr!"
'Coward!'
'So fun!'
"Alright, alright, hold back a bit. Your little water jets don't have much attack power.",Understanding what the little white snake was saying, Asher glanced at the Ancestral Dragon's darkened face, coughed twice, and patted the little white snake's head.
'Cough, cough.'
'That should be enough.'
Giving someone a nickname right in front of them… Be careful, or they might actually throw all caution aside and start a fight.
"The Ancestral Dragon isn't attacking because it finds you disgusting, not because it can't beat you.",Asher gently nudged the jade silver snake's head, reasoning with the newborn little white snake, whose brain hadn't fully developed yet.
The little white snake tilted its head.
Then it looked up at the Ancestral Dragon in the distance, its round golden eyes seemingly asking—'really?'
"ROAR—GRRR—"
Keeping a safe distance from the little white snake—ensuring that as long as they didn't get too close, the little white snake couldn't disgust it—the Ancestral Dragon stood tall and puffed out its chest.
'Exactly!'
It wasn't that it couldn't fight, it just couldn't be bothered!
It was just a little snake!
"Oh, right, right, just a little snake.",Asher said with a smile, then turned to look at the gradually expanding battlefield, where several Juliet Dragons had now joined the fight.
Jumping up and down.
Dazzling chaos.
The only rule they were sticking to was that none of the beasts were using skills.
But none of the Juliet Dragons could do anything to Little Raven and the Cat-Worm either.
After playing around with the Juliet Dragons for a while, Little Raven and the Cat-Worm finally started their synchronized dragon-thrashing mission.
The Cat-Worm acted as bait.
The moment a Juliet Dragon charged in, Little Raven would smash it.
Every single Juliet Dragon ended up with a big bump on its head.
Satisfied with their work, Little Raven and the Cat-Worm stopped.
'Alright!'
'That should be enough.'
'This should leave a deep impression on these troublemaking brats.'
Little Raven flapped its wings and flew back to Asher, while the Cat-Worm stepped on the Juliet Dragons' heads in a string of jumps before landing back on Asher's shoulder. Its six legs moved skillfully in a massaging motion to relax Asher's shoulders before it comfortably sprawled out under everyone's watchful eyes.
Following Asher's gaze, the Ancestral Dragon finally remembered what it had originally planned to do: "…"
Uh… Although it had accidentally forgotten, this wasn't its fault, right?
This tiny slip-up was understandable, right?
Besides, those younglings couldn't even defeat two little ones. Asking their elder brother to step in wasn't very fair.
Hmm.
This definitely wasn't its fault.
The Ancestral Dragon justified itself quickly, not only convincing itself but also shifting its gaze toward Little Raven and the Cat-Worm with a newfound look—equality, respect, and recognition.
This was the proof of strength.
Because of its change in attitude toward Little Raven and the Cat-Worm, even its gaze toward Asher became different.
However, the Ancestral Dragon still swept its eyes right past the little white snake coiled around Asher's wrist, pretending not to see it.
'Snake?'
'What snake?'
'Didn't know. Didn't see.'
"Haha…",The ridiculous situation left Aeron's smile awkward and stiff,"Brother Asher, your newly contracted pet beast is a bit strong… And Little Raven and the Cat-Worm together are actually this powerful…"
Aeron's voice grew smaller and smaller,"The Juliet Dragons and the Ancestral Dragon didn't mean to…"
Alright.
He couldn't continue.
Not mean to?
They totally meant to!
Very much on purpose!
Asher nodded,"You don't need to explain. I understand. They did it on purpose, so getting beaten up is only natural."
Aeron choked.
Even Old Rothschild was taken aback by Asher's straightforwardness.
Good heavens.
He didn't expect this young man to be so blunt.
"It's not a big deal," Asher shrugged as he spoke, a calm smile appearing on his face,"The Juliets may be mischievous, but they didn't use any skills to fight with Little Raven and the others, did they?"
"The Ancestral too, though it was disgusted by the little white snake... cough cough, it didn't retaliate in anger either."
Saying this, Asher laughed sincerely, turning his head to look directly at Old Rothschild. His gaze was earnest as he said, "You've done an excellent job keeping these beasts in check."
"Cough." Old Rothschild looked a little embarrassed. He stroked his beard to ease the awkwardness before waving his hand,"Ha! This is just something I should do."
"Since I signed a contract with my old partner, I should take care of its juniors and its tribe. I don't expect them to be overly docile, but they certainly can't act like wild beasts, running amok without restraint."
"It's just… sometimes they are a bit too mischievous… a bit too playful."
Old Rothschild's gaze swept over the beaten Juliets one by one.
It was easy to see with the naked eye.
Their injuries weren't serious.
The force was well controlled.
It wouldn't affect the Juliets at all.
...But the force was controlled appropriately.
What were Juliets?
Dragon-type beasts, the evolved form of Baby Dragons, young and hot-blooded dragons. They might not be as smart as the Ancestral, and their physical strength was far from its peak, but as dragon-type beasts, their thick skin and tough flesh were one of their defining traits.
To control the strength just right and discipline several Juliets in turn—this was not an easy feat.
Even when Old Rothschild brought the Ancestral along to educate these Juliets, he had to worry whether his old partner might fail to hold back its strength and accidentally smack these mischievous little ones into dragon pancakes.
The others also had complicated emotions.
Greg: 'My fated rival!'
Aeron looked completely unfazed—after all, he had long witnessed Little Raven and Cat-Worm wreaking havoc in the Forbidden Zone.
"A fight is good. Look, the Juliets are quiet now, aren't they?",Jessica crossed his arms, his face full of support for Asher.
Anderson: "…"
'Wait, really?'
'None of you think this situation is odd?'
'Not a single one of Asher's three pet beasts… was scared!'
'These were dragons, DRAGONS!'
Unable to understand why no one was questioning this scene and instead treating it as perfectly normal, Anderson momentarily forgot his fear of dragon-type beasts. He strode over to Asher's side, curiously lowering his head to observe the three pet beasts in Asher's arms.
Little Raven.
Cat-Worm.
Little White Snake.
What kind of bizarre ecological chain was this?
A large question mark once again appeared above Anderson's head.
Beasts weren't the same as ordinary animals, and their diets weren't as restrictive, but some instincts were deeply ingrained and not easily erased.
Birds eat snakes, cats catch birds, and cats and snakes fight each other…
Still unable to figure out the real food chain among Asher's pets, Anderson's mind was filled with all sorts of strange mental images.
On the other hand, the person who had interacted the least with Asher, Lady Katherine, suddenly laughed,"Your three pet beasts are quite special. They don't seem to react much to the innate intimidation of dragon-type beasts."
"I don't know how you managed that, but now I'm even more curious."
Lady Katherine had heard of Asher's name long ago.
This was her first time meeting him in person.
She arrived a little late, so she hadn't had much time to converse with him.
Who would have thought?
Asher had already given her such a big surprise.
The Juliets that got beaten had all become obedient.
"Ahem, then let's head to the Valley of Dragons," Old Rothschild coughed twice, deciding to skip over this chaotic matter and get straight to the point.
No one had any objections.
"The journey is quite far, and it's not easy to enter through normal routes. Everyone will need to ride the Juliets and Ancestral to get in," Old Rothschild said,"The Juliets and Ancestral have rather strong personalities, so for carrying people… it's best to have two to three per dragon for mutual support."
'Ride dragons?'
Understanding Old Rothschild's meaning, Jessica's eyes instantly lit up.
"Wow! Ride a dragon! I'm in! I've dreamed of being a Dragon Knight.",As she spoke, Jessica whipped her head around to look at the Juliets, who were now all obediently lowering their heads, each sporting a fresh, steaming lump on their foreheads… Her excitement suddenly faltered a little.
Old Rothschild also turned to look at the kneeling Juliets,"…"
Every time in the past when they were asked to carry people—especially strangers—into the Valley of Dragons, the Juliets and Ancestral would cause a huge commotion.
If not for the deep bond Old Rothschild had with these creatures and the fact that he had personally witnessed many of the young dragons' births, he might not have been able to control the situation.
But today, neither the Ancestral nor the Juliets reacted in the slightest when they heard his words.
Cause trouble?
No, no, no.
Impossible.
They were very well-behaved.
Extremely well-behaved.
Super well-behaved.
So well-behaved they couldn't possibly be more well-behaved.
And then…
Every single Juliet that had been beaten turned their eyes longingly toward Asher, their gazes pitiful and eager, as if hoping he would choose them as his flying mount.
Old Rothschild raised another question mark.
By the time he did, it was clear—it wasn't that he was seeing things wrong.
It was the world itself that had gone off course.
'Were Juliets always this masochistic?'
Old Rothschild suddenly felt like he might have misunderstood something all these years.
'Would it be too late to fix things now?'
'Forget it, forget it.'
'The Juliets must have formed a bond with Asher's pet beasts—that's why they are acting this way…'
Just as this thought crossed Old Rothschild's mind, he turned to see the Ancestral beside him sneaking forward, inching toward Asher, one tiny step at a time.
If not for the fact that its tail was constantly swishing behind it, stirring up dust on the ground, Old Rothschild might not have noticed so quickly.
In terms of stealth and patience, the Ancestral was clearly superior to the Juliets.
Upon realizing this, Old Rothschild was not happy at all.
In just a blink of an eye, he felt like the world had changed.
"You're not going anywhere.",Old Rothschild reached out—slow yet lightning-fast—grabbing onto the unsuspecting Ancestral's drooping wing with precise timing. His expression remained calm.
Ancestral: "Awoo?"
"You're my mount," Old Rothschild said, deadpan.
The Ancestral's eyes widened.
"ROARWOO!"
'What nonsense are you spouting!'
'Isn't your mount supposed to be the boss?'
'I just came as a friendly guest today, don't talk nonsense—I don't want to get beaten up by the boss!'
'Hurry, hurry, hurry!'
'Let go of my hand! I need to pick a suitable one for myself!'
Master Rothschild,"Heh."
"Don't even think about it. It's you today."
Ancestral still wanted to struggle.
Unfortunately—
The Juliet Dragons on the other side weren't to be underestimated.
After getting thoroughly thrashed by Little Raven and Cat-Worm, these Juliet Dragons had come to see them as good friends and companions.
Since they were all good friends now, of course, they had to stick close.
'Come, come, come!'
'We would fly with our newly made friends!'
The blue-patterned Juliet Dragon launched a fierce attack.
The orange-patterned Juliet Dragon refused to be outdone, swinging its tail and smacking the blue-patterned one away.
Then, the orange-patterned Juliet Dragon was also sent flying.
Orange-patterned Juliet Dragon: "?"
It looked down.
Oh, its hind legs had been wrapped up by the opponent's cunning tail.
The two strongest competitors were eliminated.
The other Juliet Dragons saw an opening.
Ancestral also wanted to fight for a chance.
And then—
He got his home stolen by the very Juliet Dragon that had wanted to prank Asher in the beginning.
The Juliet Dragon bent its head and crouched low, its four legs kicking furiously as it dashed off.
It outran the other Juliet Dragons, arriving in front of Asher first, then contentedly sprawled on the ground, lowering its tail and wings. It turned its head toward Asher, its ruby-like eyes full of meaning—
'Get on!'
The other dragons: "..."
'Damn it!'
They didn't get a chance!
The others: "..."
A little shocked.
A little confused.
'So this is what these dragons were like?'
People like Anderson and Aeron looked at Master Rothschild with increasingly strange expressions.
The veins on Master Rothschild's forehead twitched.
"…Since that's how it is, everyone pick your own dragon. These Juliet Dragons all have rich experience carrying people, so there's no need to worry about any problems."
After speaking, Master Rothschild patted Ancestral, who was still in his grasp, signaling for him to kneel down.
Ancestral looked unwilling, but in the end, he obediently crouched down and spread his wings so that Master Rothschild could get on.
Ancestral's back was broad enough to carry three to five people at once.
Unfortunately—
Everyone present had dreams of becoming dragon riders.
What?
Ride with others?
No need, no need.
They could do it themselves.
Including Greg and Aeron, everyone picked a Juliet Dragon as their means of transport.
Asher also led his three pet beasts onto the wide back of the Juliet Dragon that had won first place in front of him.
Juliet Dragon: "!"
'Happy!'
'Wuhu—takeoff—!'
Before Master Rothschild could give the order, the Juliet Dragon carrying Asher suddenly shot up into the sky.
The other Juliet Dragons saw this—'Unacceptable!'
No way, they had to catch up immediately!
No dragon would be allowed to sneak away alone!
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH—
The remaining five Juliet Dragons hurriedly activated protective barriers to ensure the humans on their backs wouldn't get hurt, then—
ZOOM!
They all shot into the sky, chasing after the lead Juliet Dragon.
Ancestral and Master Rothschild, suddenly left behind.
Ancestral turned back and exchanged a look with Master Rothschild.
"Awoo?"
'So, what do we do now?'
'Speaking of which… would those people really not get airsick?',
Unlike the young and inexperienced ones, Ancestral, with his extensive passenger-carrying experience, knew well that while many humans were fascinated by dragons and eager to become dragon riders—
Motion sickness and dragon sickness were not things human instincts could control.
If they flew too fast and accidentally made someone puke all over his broad back…
Ancestral was already feeling restless, flapping his wings in frustration.
"It's fine.",Master Rothschild chuckled and patted Ancestral's head, his wrinkled face full of amusement,"These little Juliet Dragons haven't been this excited in a long time."
"Let them have their fun."
"As for the others…",Master Rothschild paused.
Among them… probably only Anderson would have strong objections?
'Hmm.'
'Then it isn't a serious issue.'
"Let's take off as well and enjoy the thrill of soaring through the sea of clouds.",Master Rothschild laughed heartily. Maybe it was because he had seen many young people today, but he felt a bit of his youthful vigor returning.
The shadow looming over his heart, brought by his old companion, the Ancestral Dragon King, had also lifted somewhat.
.
.
.
"Ahhh—"
The Juliet Dragon carrying Asher was flying in the lead, but Asher could still hear the occasional screams from behind.
Asher turned back for a glance.
Hmm… Instantly understood.
Anderson was on the orange-patterned Juliet Dragon.
Aeron was on the blue-patterned Juliet Dragon.
These two Juliet Dragons were fiercely chasing after Asher from behind.
Up and down.
Rising and falling.
Like an out-of-control roller coaster, or an uncontrollable airplane.
Anderson was being dragged along helplessly, screaming until his face turned pale, nearly unable to make a sound anymore.
In contrast, Aeron's voice only got louder and louder—if not for the Juliet Dragon's protective barrier, his face might have been distorted from all the shouting.
And the one chasing the hardest was Greg's Juliet Dragon.
Unlike Anderson and Aeron, who were being forced into a wild ride, the experienced Greg quickly gained control of his Juliet Dragon and actively pursued Asher.
As for Katherine and Jessica… they followed at a steady pace, prioritizing stability.
Asher: "…"
Little Raven and Cat-Worm also saw the orange and blue Juliet Dragons frantically chasing behind them, as well as Greg.
Before Asher could react, the two little ones got excited first.
"
"Meow! Meow!"
"Meow! Meow! Meow!"
Cat-Worm jumped onto the Juliet Dragon's head, its six little legs tapping rhythmically—
'Hurry, hurry! Faster!'
Little Raven spread its wings, flying alongside the Juliet Dragon, occasionally throwing it a disdainful glance—
'Are you not up to it?'
Juliet Dragon: "…"
"ROARRRR—"
How could the Juliet Dragon endure such provocation?
'Fly, fly, fly!'
'Charge, charge, charge!'
Acceleration?
'No problem!'
'Watch this!'
'Onward!'
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
The Juliet Dragon accelerated once again.
Asher could reach out and touch the clouds.
And in the next second, they vanished.
Countless sceneries streaked past him.
What?
Enjoy the view below?
Impossible.
At this speed, all landscapes were just blurs before his eyes.
After about ten to twenty minutes of flying—
The mountains below changed from lush greenery at the outskirts to a multicolored interior.
Green trees, red trees, yellow trees, deep blue trees… All sorts of bizarre, unnatural-colored forests appeared.
After crossing a towering mountain range, the Juliet Dragon suddenly dived.
Asher, who had barely gotten used to the wild ride, lost control of his body again. He quickly bent down, gripping the ridges on the Juliet Dragon's back tightly to stabilize himself.
Cat-Worm, standing on the Juliet Dragon's head, remained completely unaffected, its six legs firmly planted.
Little Raven also discovered traces of other beasts' activity below and suddenly dove down at full speed, even surpassing the speed of the Juliet Dragon.
From behind, the previously calmed-down screams started up again—no need to ask why. The flying experience was just too thrilling.
The Juliet Dragon landed on a vast, flat, open grassland, large enough to accommodate thousands upon thousands of Ancestral Dragons.
WHOO—
The Juliet Dragon flapped its wings and landed steadily.
The moment the Juliet Dragon touched the ground, Asher's body swayed uncontrollably from side to side.
The inertia from the impact didn't care about human willpower.
Behind him, the sound of more Juliet Dragons landing followed one after another.
THUD! THUD!
Right after that came the consecutive sounds of something falling down.
Without even looking back, Asher was sure—some people had rolled off the Juliet Dragon's back.
And sure enough.
As soon as Asher turned his head, he saw Aeron, Jessica, and Anderson lying on the ground, pale as death, looking like they wanted to die.
Ms. Katherine wasn't in great shape either; her face was a bit pale, but she barely managed to jump down from the Juliet Dragon's back by herself.
The one in the best condition was, of course, Greg.
Greg first gave Asher a deep look, seeming a bit frustrated— how could he lose the flight race to Asher?
Then, Greg turned his gaze to Aeron. Fit and strong, he landed lightly from the Juliet Dragon's back, took a few steps over to Aeron's side, and without hesitation, gave him a few kicks with the tip of his foot.
"If you can't even control a dragon, what else can you do?",Greg's tone was filled with deep disappointment at Aeron's inability to ride an extraordinary dragon-type creature.
Grief.
Confusion.
Disappointment.
Aeron: "…"
"The dragon-riding I usually practice isn't like this at all…"
'Damn it, whose dragon flies at speeds comparable to an airplane?'
And with all those ups and downs, rises and falls… did they think they were playing Quidditch?
"If you're incompetent, don't blame the dragon.",As soon as Greg finished speaking, the blue Juliet Dragon that had carried Aeron started nodding furiously.
'Yes, yes, exactly!'
The Juliet Dragon refused to take the blame.
Aeron: "…"
His heart was calm as still water. He refused to speak.
WHOOSH—WHOOSH—
At that moment, the Ancestral Dragon also flapped its massive wings and slowly landed not far from Asher and the others.
"Hahaha, I'm getting old. I can't even keep up with you all in dragon riding speed."
Old Rothschild stood on the Ancestral Dragon's back, laughing heartily, his eyes filled with amusement.
Anderson looked at Old Rothschild with an aggrieved expression.
Speed?
Why would he need speed?
He absolutely did not want this speed, okay?
Watching Old Rothschild effortlessly and gracefully jump down from the Ancestral Dragon's back… Anderson regretted everything.
Thinking about becoming a dragon rider… from the very beginning, he had been mistaken.
He wasn't suited for this.
Truly not suited.
Extraordinary dragon-type beasts were not something just anyone could train.
He had five pet beasts already, but he had never signed a contract with a sixth one—just because he had been greedy for a dragon-type pet.
From this moment on, Anderson was completely disillusioned with dragon-type beasts.
No more.
Once he got back, he would rethink his sixth pet choice.
Dragons? Never again.
Orange Juliet Dragon: "?"
The orange Juliet Dragon tilted its head.
Anderson: "…"
Anderson lay peacefully on the grass, his hands placed on his chest, closing his eyes in a serene expression.
'Stay rational. Don't be tempted. See beyond appearances.'
No matter how obedient, majestic, or powerful they seemed, these were not creatures he could control… Sigh!
'Life.'
'It's all about recognizing your own limits in time.'
Just realizing that dragon-type beasts weren't for him made Anderson feel that this trip wasn't a waste.
At the same time, his interest in this journey dropped a little—originally, he had planned to help Old Rothschild heal his Ancestral Dragon and then ask if he could buy a baby dragon.
But he still had to take a look.
Human relationships were built up bit by bit. Even if he didn't get what he wanted now, who knew if he might need a favor in the future?
If he could pinpoint the problem with the Ancestral Dragon, Anderson wouldn't mind having the Rothschild family owe him one.
"Grandpa Rothschild, have we arrived at Dragon Valley?",Jessica lay sprawled on the soft grass for a long time before suddenly flipping up in a swift move, sitting cross-legged. She shook her messy white hair and asked in confusion,"But besides the ones that brought us here, I don't see any other dragons!"
That's right.
Looking out over the vast grassland, there were no obstacles in sight.
Yet not a single dragon scale could be seen.
Was this really Dragon Valley?
"Don't worry, follow me.",Old Rothschild said with a smile.
After speaking, he took the lead. Jessica scooted up next to Asher, and seeing this, Aeron followed as well.
The other adults merely smiled and said nothing.
"Aeron, where exactly is Dragon Valley?" Jessica, walking to Asher's left, asked through him.
Aeron stroked his chin. "Uh… it's nearby. You'll see if we walk a bit further."
Faced with Aeron's vague answer, Asher said nothing. "It's good to be a little cautious. After all, dragon-type beasts are quite rare, and since Dragon Valley isn't in a forbidden zone, if bad people found out about it…"
Jessica immediately stopped asking questions.
Despite Old Rothschild's age, he walked at a brisk pace, showing no signs of stumbling or fatigue.
In fact, compared to Anderson and Ms. Katherine, who spent most of their time in labs, research institutes, and breeding centers, his stamina was even better.
After taking several twists and turns through a mountain path, they finally arrived at a massive cave entrance, big enough for an Ancestral Dragon to walk through normally, with plenty of extra height.
Looking at the pitch-black cave, resembling a gaping mouth, Jessica's face paled uncontrollably. She shuffled a few steps closer to Asher.
"Let's go in.",Old Rothschild paused for a few seconds at the entrance before turning back to look at them.
Then, he walked in first.
Greg followed right after.
Anderson and Ms. Katherine, who had never been here before, hesitated.
"Brother Asher, don't worry, this cave doesn't eat people.",Standing beside Asher, Aeron spoke with great confidence.
Asher glanced at the cave,"Alright, let's head in."
They were already here. Standing around doing nothing wasn't an option.
Asher patted the Cat-Worm on his shoulder and gestured to Little Raven, who was flying beside him. The bird immediately followed.
"I'll rely on Little Raven to protect me inside.",Asher rubbed the fluff on Little Raven's head.
Little Raven: (⊙﹏⊙)
'Rest assured, leave it to the bird! Nothing will go wrong!'
Asher was reassured.
He stepped into the cave, with Jessica and Aeron hurrying to follow.
Only Anderson and Ms. Katherine remained outside.
"Ladies first?",Ms. Katherine smiled at Anderson playfully,"Then I'll go ahead? Don't worry, Old Rothschild wouldn't do anything to us. It might look scary, but that's just to better protect Dragon Valley's location, right?"
Anderson stiffly nodded.
Knowing was one thing; actually doing it was another.
Just like when facing seven or eight Juliets and Ancestrals earlier—he knew that under Old Rothschild's restraint, they wouldn't go berserk. But that didn't mean his body's instincts wouldn't feel fear.
Suddenly seeing such a pitch-black cave entrance, looking like it could swallow people whole… his mind couldn't help but imagine things. It wasn't something he could control.
Watching Ms. Katherine step inside, Anderson took a deep breath and stiffly followed, moving awkwardly like his hands and feet were out of sync.
There was no other choice.
He was already here.
If he didn't go in, was he supposed to wait outside?
And for how long? He had no idea. Better to just follow along.
The cave was just as dark as he had imagined.
However, on both sides of the cave, there were naturally formed crystal-like structures that faintly illuminated the path beneath their feet.
Asher thought for a moment but ultimately didn't let Little Raven use a fire-type skill for lighting. Little Raven gently flapped its wings and followed closely beside Asher. In the darkness, a soft golden-red glow faintly emanated from its body. It was very gentle, yet it subtly acted as a light source.
Seeing Little Raven like this, Jessica felt even more at ease.
'Asher is reliable as always.'
Aeron, on the other hand, stared at Little Raven with an increasingly greedy look.
'Wuwuwu—I want a pet beast like Little Raven too!'
So what if it wasn't dragon-type?
That wasn't the issue at all!
Unfortunately…
Little Raven already had a Beastmaster and didn't even spare him a glance.
Aeron: 'Accept reality and live on strong.'
The cave tunnel felt both long and not too long.
Without checking the time, Asher couldn't quite tell how long they had been walking.
"I… I-I… I'm a little sca—",Jessica's heart tensed up again. She hadn't even finished her sentence when—
Suddenly, the ground beneath her feet disappeared.
WHOOSH—
Her head spun.
Before she could regain her balance, she had already landed.
Asher nearly fell too, but Little Raven quickly spread its wings behind him, providing support.
With Little Raven's help, Asher managed to steady himself,"Thanks, Little Raven."
Asher hugged Little Raven, smiling as he spoke.
Little Raven puffed out its chest.
╭(╯^╰)╮
'No need to thank me!'
'After all, this bird is the backbone of the family!'
Asher didn't argue with Little Raven.
'Fine, as long as it's happy.'
Asher narrowed his eyes and looked at the newly revealed scenery—dense brown trees, lush green grass, and a gently flowing stream.
It was so beautiful, like a miniature fairyland.
Not to mention, there was a whole group of baby dragons crawling around. Wobbling unsteadily, they swayed their round, chubby bodies with every step.
Unlike the young Juliets or adult Ancestrals, baby dragons hit the aesthetic sweet spot for many people.
Because they weren't fully developed yet, they only had two short, thick little legs, chubby little faces with lingering baby fat, and round bellies. Their tiny, plump wings flapped twice but couldn't lift them off the ground, and they had a fat, heavy tail dragging behind them. Just looking at them made people want to squish them—again and again.
"…I don't know why, but seeing these baby dragons makes me want to release my Rock Turtle and have it beat them all up.",Staring blankly at the adorably wobbly baby dragons, Jessica spoke in a daze.
Why? Because Aeron and his baby dragon were just too annoying.
She had fought them too many times.
Now, just seeing baby dragons triggered her fight response.
"You're just violent, don't make excuses. This has nothing to do with me, okay?",Aeron rolled his eyes, immediately understanding what Jessica meant.
What, so now this was his fault?
"It's totally your fault!",Jessica nodded firmly.
Just as the two of them were about to roll up their sleeves and start arguing, Asher turned his gaze toward a massive tree in the distance.
"That place…",Asher had a vague feeling.
Old Rothschild, who had entered Dragon Valley before them, leaned on his cane and turned toward Asher, Anderson, and Ms. Katherine with a calm smile,"Welcome to Dragon Valley."
"Haha, were you scared?"
Anderson: "…"
Yeah, he was scared.
But was that something he could admit?
"This is quite interesting. The real entrance to Dragon Valley isn't that cave, is it?",Ms. Katherine tidied her slightly messy hair, quickly restoring her usual neat appearance,"Does this cave have some kind of teleportation mechanism?"
"Doesn't seem like it.",She shook her head, denying her own speculation,"In any case, Dragon Valley is far more mysterious than I imagined. I can't wait to see your Ancestral, Old Rothschild."
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