'People, huh! Their main feature is realism.'
Asher laughed when he saw this.
He also cooperatively skipped over discussing that topic.
"Yeah, the kind of level where your life hangs by a thread."
Too many dangers. Only at this time can one truly feel the cruelty of this world. One slip, and you get ambushed at the door.
Don't assume that a good thing discovered randomly is an opportunity.
What if it's a trap?
"Then what should we do next?", Felter brought up another very important matter.
"Box jellyfish...", Felter paused.
Felter looked at Asher.
Freya also looked at Asher.
Prince also looked at Asher.
But unlike the first two, Prince's eyes sparkled as he looked at Asher, "Professor Asher, is it possible that you can communicate with the Box Jellyfish outside?"
"That is, is there a chance I could have a little sparring match with the Box Jellyfish outside..."
"Are you out of your mind?", Before Prince could finish, Felter interrupted him.
'Out of your mind, totally.'
'This clearly looks like someone who doesn't want to live.'
Prince glanced at his foolish little brother.
'Fine then.'
Prince reluctantly withdrew his idea, with a trace of regret still showing in his eyes.
Asher: "..."
Asher was silent. He realized this guy was serious.
Asher really wanted to open Prince's brain and see what's actually inside.
How did Prince come up with such a ridiculous idea, and even wanted to carry it out?
Asher himself was still having a headache, that Box Jellyfish outside was a king's guard.
He is now the tamer of the little jellyfish.
That Tier 8 Box Jellyfish, what if it thinks he stole the little jellyfish and wants to eliminate him to ensure the king's purity?
Asher: 'A bit scared!'
Just then—
Asher suddenly noticed, that golden-pink mist that had always covered the island like a shield and became invisible once they entered, reappeared before Asher's eyes.
Asher: '…Has a bad feeling about this.'
"Huh?"
Felter and Freya's voices came from the side.
"What is that pink thing?"
"The color is pretty, but somehow it looks kind of familiar..."
As they spoke, a familiar figure with writhing tentacles appeared in the distance within their line of sight.
Everyone: "!!!"
"Holy crap!"
"What the—"
"Box Jellyfish? When did it show up again?"
"Wait a second! Wasn't this island supposed to block out the Box Jellyfish?"
"Something's wrong! I've found a new problem! Why would this island be blocked off from the Box Jellyfish?"
"It definitely can't be because of the mirage pearl, so what's the reason then?"
Asher: "..."
Listening to the shouting of Prince and Felter, Asher quietly fell into thought.
'Hmm, that's a good question.'
"So why is it?'
'Why would this island be specifically sealed off?'
'Just like Felter said, it can't be because of the mirage pearl. The mirage pearl is aligned with the Box Jellyfish.'
'Helping those black sludge monsters?'
'Impossible. That's definitely not it. There must be something else involved here.'
Asher couldn't wait to dig it out.
But before that…
Asher looked at the enormous, dark-blue, sky-covering Box Jellyfish rushing toward them as if flying, and he momentarily froze in shock.
What to do what to do?
What should he do next?
Seeing the Box Jellyfish's massive tentacle about to strike the island, Asher decisively raised the little jellyfish in his hands.
The posture… was just like when Simba was lifted in The Lion King.
"LOOK!", Asher shouted loudly.
That massive, soft yet powerful tentacle, which had been slicing through the air, suddenly froze in place.
Box Jellyfish: "!"
Despicable.
Shameless.
Although the Box Jellyfish couldn't speak, whether through the body language it expressed with its limbs, or through what Asher heard via his innate ability... the Box Jellyfish was desperately trying to express this meaning.
Asher couldn't hold it in.
He chuckled a little.
Box Jellyfish: "..."
Furious but helpless.
"I suddenly got a real feel for the experience of 'holding the emperor hostage to command the nobles,'" Asher laughed like a villain boss at that moment.
Freya and Felter beside him: "..."
Silence. It's the bridge at Cambridge tonight.
Prince gave Asher a thumbs up. He ran over in a few steps, not caring at all about the pressure coming from the Box Jellyfish.
"Hug me!"
"I want to experience this joy too! It really looks super fun!"
Asher gave Prince a look.
'Bro, just imagine it, no way I'm giving it to you.'
———
[Imperial Spire]
"Dr. Veyl!"
"Didn't expect to meet you outside the lab. This must be a marvelous coincidence."
"I remember there's a saying in Soren, something like, 'a friend comes from afar'..."
Dr. Veyl looked at the blond-haired, blue-eyed, bearded man blocking his path, babbling non-stop, and forcibly suppressed the anger and impatience in his heart.
He smiled and interrupted the man's words, "This project is not what you just said. I think you should take more time learning Soren culture?"
The bearded blond man gave an awkward smile upon hearing this.
He had wanted to use Soren culture to flatter Dr. Veyl, but it seemed like... it backfired a bit... he wasn't sure, did he use the right phrase this time?
But clearly, the blond man wasn't someone who would be discouraged by a little embarrassment.
Dr. Veyl was famously kind-tempered, everyone knew that.
The blond man also liked Dr. Veyl very much.
Smart.
Wise.
And very handsome.
"Is there something you need?", Dr. Veyl's gaze held even more suppressed impatience, "If not, I'll head back to the lab. The project I'm working on recently is rather complicated."
"Oh oh oh!", The blond man snapped out of it and quickly said, "There is something! Please wait a moment, Dr. Veyl."
"Here's the thing, we've discovered a special folded space."
The blond man said excitedly, "Didn't Shiert invent a special detection device?"
"He found that within the secret realm, there are extremely powerful, never-before-seen beasts."
"And many rich resources."
"We're preparing to form a small team to enter together."
While speaking, the blond man looked at Dr. Veyl with shining eyes and said, "I think our team needs a knowledgeable doctor, you, Dr. Veyl, are the best choice!"
"Would you be willing to join us—"
"No," Dr. Veyl didn't wait for the invitation to finish before firmly shaking his head.
"Not going."
Dr. Veyl flatly refused, his expression so calm it was as if he had just declined an invitation to lunch.
"Anything else? If not, I'm leaving," Saying that, Dr. Veyl turned to leave.
"Oh!", The blond man blocked Dr. Veyl's path again, still trying to persuade him, "Dr. Veyl, please believe me, this folded space is newly discovered, and what's inside really has great research value."
"If you come with us, you'll have priority rights to choose—"
Dr. Veyl: "Not interested."
"I'm more interested in the project I'm working on in my lab."
Dr. Veyl had zero interest in his rapid-fire barrage of words.
Let alone being moved.
Dr. Veyl detoured and continued firmly toward his lab.
The blond man wanted to catch up again but was pulled back by another red-haired bearded man.
"Oh, Shiert," The blond man looked at his friend.
They were both from the Eagle Nation, old friends, and entered the Imperial Spire together.
So when the special, previously undiscovered folded space with great value was found, Shiert had informed his friend immediately.
"Olay," The red-haired Shiert looked at his friend, "Since Dr. Veyl refused, we don't need to insist on inviting him, do we?"
"There are many doctors in the Spire willing to accept our invitation."
"For example, Vera?"
In front of his friend, Shiert would never admit that he actually didn't like that overly weak-looking Dr. Veyl, who clearly wasn't their type.
Wouldn't someone like Vera, who's more like them, be a better choice?
And Vera's a pretty girl.
Even if she wears a cold face, it's still pleasant to look at.
"I just think Dr. Veyl's professional level is more...", Olay wanted to say something in response.
"Vera's level isn't bad either. And this little secret realm doesn't require that much professional knowledge to deal with," Shiert shrugged, "Trust Vera's skills, will you? Vera's a good girl too."
"...Alright then," Olay looked at Dr. Veyl's completely vanished figure and sighed.
Dr. Veyl still caught some of their discussion from afar.
He sensed a bit of Shiert's malice.
But Dr. Veyl didn't care.
"I'm not money, even money has people who don't like it, let alone me," Then Dr. Veyl paused, "...just don't know if I'll see him whole next time."
A folded space full of treasures?
Dr. Veyl let out a cold laugh.
He didn't believe in pies falling from the sky. If there were, then extreme caution was needed.
Because it's either a scheme, or a scheme.
Why didn't he warn them?
Is he close with that blond guy?
Dr. Veyl patted his clothes where he had just been grabbed, like brushing off a speck of dust.
———
[On the Other Side]
Asher and the Box Jellyfish maintained a stiff posture.
The Box Jellyfish was wary of the little jellyfish in Asher's arms and dared not move.
Even its sounds were almost inaudible.
At first, the Box Jellyfish wasn't this quiet. It would occasionally roar angrily at Asher.
What did it mean...?
Asher just pretended he didn't hear.
He's human.
Not understanding jellyfish language, isn't that perfectly normal?
But the little jellyfish understood 100%.
Half-asleep, the little jellyfish waved its tentacles irritably a couple of times and mumbled meaninglessly, and the huge Box Jellyfish immediately quieted down.
Not only Asher, but even Freya and the others, who had been staring at the huge Box Jellyfish, didn't react in time.
"That was really a face-turning moment," Freya whispered.
With a "whoosh,"
Freya was targeted by the huge Box Jellyfish.
Freya: "..."
A disaster out of nowhere?
Think she's scared?
'Go, Jaeger!'
Looking at the giant, blue-black, clearly toxin-filled tentacles of the Box Jellyfish, Freya thought maybe it wasn't so weird to feel afraid after all?
Freya went quiet.
Felter beside her also fell silent.
Only Prince kept circling Asher, clearly aiming for the little jellyfish in his arms.
Asher: "..."
'So this is the power of an Tier 8 Ace?'
Not only not scared, but moving freely under this pressure, as if the Box Jellyfish didn't exist at all.
Even Asher kind of wanted to give Prince a thumbs-up.
Luckily, this state didn't last long.
The little jellyfish woke up.
Asher immediately noticed its movements.
"Gulu~"
"Gulu!"
The little jellyfish babbled nonsensically, then happily clung tightly and stickily to Asher.
'Hehehe!'
'No other pet beasts around the master!'
'Big Sis Raven's not here!'
'The cat bug's not here!'
'The snake's not here!'
'The angel's not here either!'
'Today it's just the little jellyfish!'
Although the little jellyfish is very obedient and not the type to compete for attention, it still wanted just a little bit of the tamer's affection.
Asher: "..."
Although, this really wasn't about favoritism. In this situation... letting other pet beasts out might not be very appropriate, right?
Asher didn't even dare to imagine what would happen if he dared release the others while being watched by the Box Jellyfish.
A fight would definitely be unavoidable.
And losing was perfectly expected.
So Asher chose to avoid it.
"How do you feel? Any discomfort?", Asher asked the little jellyfish.
Asher still had not forgotten, Little Jellyfish directly swallowed the whole Mirage Pearl.
Asher glanced at Little Jellyfish's status bar.
The Mirage Pearl had still not been digested.
"Gulu!"
'Not uncomfortable.'
'Very comfortable.'
[🎉 Shoutout to Kamron, Azurae, Jeremy, Elber, Nithin & Joakim for joining patreon. Thank you very much.🤗]
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
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