Asher and Old Rothschild started chatting.
"Didn't expect Professor Asher to come to the Advanced Beast Taming Academy to be a teacher."
"Several old fellows had mentioned wanting to get to know Professor Asher."
Old Rothschild walked beside Asher with a straight back and energetic spirit.
Like he was just casually saying it.
Asher smiled, "Just happened to be a bit interested, so I came."
Old Rothschild also smiled. He was just casually bringing it up to Asher.
"I took Dragontooth around to show off in front of those old guys. Every single one of them, their eyes turned red with envy," Old Rothschild raised his chin and said proudly.
What?
Want him to help make introductions for those people?
Heh!
This old man is too lazy to offend others.
Besides, Old Rothschild thought about how he and Asher had first met. Thinking back, it was all fate.
The final result was even more unexpected for Old Rothschild.
The old and the young walked side by side, yet chatting didn't feel awkward.
There was no shortage of topics.
Teacher Brett, walking on the other side, saw this and could only shake his head.
"Why did your academy suddenly decide to hire Old Rothschild?", Harry also glanced at Asher and Old Rothschild over there, his tone carrying curiosity.
Old Rothschild's strength couldn't be said to be weak.
In the southwest region, the Rothschild family also held quite a status.
Not to mention, the two newer generations had both awakened extraordinary powers and had become quite outstanding beast tamers.
Only, no matter the time, no matter the region, there were always more powerful beast tamers.
The Advanced Beast Taming Academy had very strict requirements for the strength of its combat department teachers.
Age.
Strength.
Both were indispensable.
Old Rothschild's most famous and powerful pet was just Ancestral Dragon, now evolved into Jargon Dragon King.
Brett understood Harry's meaning and smiled, "The old man isn't someone petty."
"And he's older now, so he wants to bring a bit of fame to his hometown."
In short, both sides were happy.
Harry nodded.
"So you guys couldn't wait to take the old man out and show him off, huh?", Harry changed the topic, looking at Brett with a rather unfriendly gaze.
Brett: "Heh! heh!"
'It's something we all know, what's the point of saying more!'
Harry: "..."
'Really don't want to have this kind of tacit understanding.'
But showing off is human nature.
Besides.
Their academy didn't lose out either.
Wasn't Professor Asher even more worth showing off than Old Rothschild?
Wouldn't those who saw him be even more jealous?
This is Professor Asher.
He even helped Old Rothschild's Ancestral Dragon evolve into Dragon King.
Brett clearly thought of this too.
He could only sigh.
"Forget it, forget it. Anyway, our two academies aren't on bad terms. That's enough," Brett waved his hand.
Showing off was for outsiders to see.
It was a way of demonstrating strength.
Also greatly beneficial for next year's enrollment.
Harry nodded, "That's reasonable."
As long as it's not embarrassing.
That's enough.
"But isn't this year's exchange week coming a bit early?", Harry brought up another thing that had been puzzling him.
Asher, who happened to be walking over toward them, also heard this.
He looked at Old Rothschild and Harry with a curious gaze.
'Hm?'
'Doesn't exchange week usually happen around this time every year?'
'Doesn't seem like anyone mentioned anything about it.'
"It really isn't usually this time," Brett saw it was Asher and Old Rothschild approaching, so he nodded in greeting to them.
Then glanced at Harry with a smile.
"Heh heh."
"This time you can't match me, right? Don't know what's going on, do you," Brett looked at Harry with a proud face.
Not quite furious, but Harry was still a bit annoyed.
'Tsk!'
'Got shown up again.'
Brett only hinted at it, then continued, "This matter... it's a bit troublesome to explain."
"The reason for moving up exchange week this year is mainly because something happened at the mining area."
The southwest region has many mining areas.
Not ordinary mines.
They are mines that can extract gemstones, crystals, and mineral resources.
Although the amount extracted each year isn't much, it's steady.
As long as no one tries to drain the lake to catch the fish, slowly, with a plan, extraction can continue for another hundred years at least.
For beast tamers in need, this is a stable supply channel for resources.
That's why the country has always managed the resource mines in the southwest.
Harry was stunned hearing this: "Huh?"
"Mines can have problems?"
"Is it someone secretly mining? Or transporting and selling them illegally?"
"Don't they want to live?"
"It's not like this hasn't happened before!"
If someone really did that, they wouldn't even know how they died.
As if others wouldn't dare to do such things.
Facts prove, bo matter the world, the ways to make money are always written in the law.
Asher blinked.
He vaguely felt some inspiration flash across his mind.
"Those more famous and popular resources, of course, they don't dare touch," Brett crossed his arms, speaking in a not-so-loud voice.
Only the four of them walking together could hear.
The teachers following behind had found their acquaintances to catch up and chat with.
"If someone made a move, it wouldn't even take half a day to be discovered."
Saying that, Brett let out a soft chuckle.
Just ask, who would be that dumb?
"They targeted a type of mine resource with the lowest market circulation... honestly, it's not that the mining area wasn't paying attention."
"It's just that the circulation rate is too low."
"There were already lots of stockpiles, and market sales were small. The daily extraction amount wasn't high either... so the inventory checks weren't as frequent as the more popular mine resources."
Then the incident happened.
At this point, brett looked troubled, like he was thinking how to continue explaining.
At that moment, Asher suddenly spoke: "Graystone?"
Brett: "!"
Old Rothschild: "!"
Both looked at Asher in surprise.
"How did you know?"
"Professor Asher, could it be you know something?"
Both spoke simultaneously, then quieted down, waiting silently for Asher's answer.
Harry blinked at the side.
'Hm?'
'Hmm! hmm! hmm?'
'Why does this sound kind of familiar?'
Not the kind of familiar like he knew it, but the kind he recently just happened to hear.
Thinking that, Harry also looked at Asher, "Could it be that earlier thing..."
Harry suddenly realized.
He remembered what Asher had told him earlier about a student named Byrd encountering something.
"That must be it."
As they spoke, the two didn't keep playing riddles.
Quickly and simply, they explained the situation Asher's student had encountered before.
"Roughly like that."
Asher said, "That student felt something wrong with his pet, couldn't find another teacher and came to me. Didn't expect..."
Asher looked at Brett and Old Rothschild.
Didn't expect to hear more graystone-related news from another academy today.
And it seemed the impact wasn't small.
"Hiss—"
Brett frowned: "Eaten by a student's pet? That's strange!"
"Couldn't have been an accident."
"You make it sound like your South Soren side can produce graystone automatically."
Graystone mines weren't only in the southwest, but South Soren definitely didn't have them.
The difference came from geography.
It wasn't accidental consumption.
Nor intentional feeding.
Adding in the recent southwest graystone flow to market...
"Feels like it's all linked together step by step," Harry rubbed his chin.
Brett also rubbed his chin.
Their expressions showed a subtle kind of tacit understanding and synchronicity.
Asher chuckled from the side.
"Let's talk somewhere else," Asher cut off their desire to keep analyzing.
He gestured with his eyes.
This wasn't the place to talk.
The two of them then remembered—
'Oh!'
'Right, right.'
'We are still temporarily carrying responsibilities from our academies.'
Finish their duties as exchange week team leaders first.
Now that they had clues right away, there was no rush.
The clues were here.
The people were still in the academy.
Step by step.
In his spare time, Asher also tried letting the Angel in his phone search online for graystone-related info.
'Didn't expect, I actually got a website.'
Asher: "?"
'Seriously?'
'This gray-market industrial chain actually left traces online?'
'Not afraid of death?'
'Not afraid of getting caught by a badass hacker?'
Asher took another look.
'Oh!'
It's invite-only, membership-based, and doesn't care.
Seeing this, Asher tapped his phone and told Angel to temporarily stop digging, "No rush, let's observe first. I can't handle everything on my own, right?"
"That wouldn't be appropriate."
Not to mention things weren't fully clear yet. What exactly was going on inside.
Asher didn't plan to be a lone hero.
Also, if he dug too deep at once, it'd be hard to explain later.
Maintaining appropriate restraint was necessary.
Finally, when they sat down, their discussion group hadn't added any new members.
After getting some background from the academy and receiving a directive to help the Southwest Academy investigate, Harry looked at Brett and Old Rothschild with some surprise, "Just you two?"
"Just us two," Brett calmly nodded and looked at Harry, "You got a problem with that?"
"Don't throw accusations at me! I've got no problem with Old Rothschild!", Harry raised both hands and fiercely glared at Brett, "You, not so much."
Brett chuckled, "I'm generous. I won't argue with you."
"Back to business," Brett's expression turned serious, "Few people… ahem, but Old Rothschild's weight carries it."
"Besides, nothing is confirmed yet. Bringing a crowd into someone else's territory isn't good either."
In many ways, not good.
Could startle the snake.
Could also ruin friendships.
"So you've confirmed that graystone circulated through the market to South Soren?", Harry followed up, not continuing the argument.
Harry frowned, his tone carrying some confusion.
"I don't get it!"
"Why?"
"Graystone has never had a market. Why mess with it?"
"Even using smuggling and theft methods?"
Asher: "But graystone is still a mid-level resource."
Asher folded his hands together, speaking lightly, his eyes shining with thought.
'Hmm…'
Asher was now a bit troubled.
That is to say... he came to South Soren Advanced Beast Taming Academy with an ulterior motive, right from the start.
Asher didn't feel guilty.
I mean, if you heard a spy had infiltrated your top talent cultivation base, wouldn't you be anxious?
Asher was better.
When Charlotte and Jasmine heard the news, they almost wanted to fly straight over.
But their intel only involved South Soren Advanced Beast Taming Academy.
Now Asher felt, things weren't that simple.
The advanced beast taming academies involved weren't just South Soren.
There might be others.
Why circulate graystone in the market?
"Actually, graystone isn't completely useless. But in most cases, it harms oneself," Asher couldn't directly reveal his reason for coming to South Soren Advanced Beast Taming Academy.
Too many people knowing increases the chance of a leak.
Asher could only guide the conversation from other angles.
"Very few people buy graystone. A small niche."
Just ask, what beast tamer wouldn't want their pet to be stronger?
Graystone is useless to normal people.
Only beast tamers.
But every beast tamer has a limited number of pets they can contract in life. Who would intentionally restrict their pet's evolution?
Except a very small group, with very specific, energy-accumulating pets.
Otherwise, completely unnecessary.
And this tiny group of beast tamers couldn't possibly consume that much graystone.
In a normal year, graystone circulation doesn't even hit triple digits.
In low years, it's two digits starting with a 1.
That's how little.
Stealing?
There's gotta be a market to sell and profit.
"How much graystone was lost from the mine?", Asher looked at Brett.
"Two thousand pieces."
Hiss—
Everyone present made a toothache expression.
Two thousand pieces.
That's enough to last twenty years of normal circulation.
"Actually, think from another angle. Don't use it to benefit oneself, but to harm others."
"Doesn't it sound like this thing might have a decent market?"
Asher suddenly said.
The other three: "???"
"Why?", Brett frowned. He didn't get it.
"Harming others… feeding it to someone else's pet, disrupting their evolution?"
"But this stuff has a time limit."
It's not like it permanently blocks evolution.
A year?
What's the point?
"Hold back a student, hinder a genius," Asher said calmly.
"To an ordinary beast tamer, a year might not matter."
"But to a genius in the academy, that's a whole different story."
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