Scooping up a pot of water from the clear stream, the Third Fleet Master examined it carefully through a magnifying glass before finally bringing it to her lips and taking a sip.
"Hss—so cold~"
She drew in a sharp breath, tightened the wool cloak she had just put back on, and took small sips one after another.
Unlike the other scholars who planned to reside long-term at the Ecological Research Center near the Ancient Tree, the Third Fleet Master had come primarily for the ancient Dragonator, and only secondarily to see for herself how extraordinary the much-talked-about new ecosystem of the Ancient Tree truly was.
In addition, the team of hunters tracking the trail of Kushala Daora was currently resting at the Ancient Tree Camp; she needed to obtain first-hand information from them in order to decide her next course of action.
The number of scholars who had come to the New World this time far exceeded expectations. Even after taking on all the existing research projects in Astera, there were still plenty of available personnel. Therefore, as the leader of the Third Fleet, she intended to open a new research project—and the Kushala Daora her fleet had been tracking was precisely the target she had chosen.
"All right, the rest is about enough. Let's move out again—we'll try to reach the Ancient Tree Camp before nightfall."
After surveying the surroundings and confirming that there was no danger, the Admiral gave the order.
At his words, the returning Grimalkyne who had accompanied them waved his paw, and nearly ten Jagras with baskets hanging from their sides emerged from the forest.
The scholars mounted onto their backs, while the cats crouched inside the baskets. Under the Admiral's lead, the group quickly set off toward the Ancient Tree.
...
Outside the forge, Ahtal-Ka slowly raised her head, a gleam flashing through her purple compound eyes.
She moved one of her joints slightly, startling a cat kitten that had been sleeping on it into letting out a panicked meow.
A thread of silk shot out, catching the kitten that was about to fall to the ground, and under Ahtal-Ka's delicate control, the little cat safely landed on the ground.
For some reason, Logan's Sunlight Trait seemed to have a hypnotic effect—the gentle warmth was incredibly soothing.
Ahtal-Ka, who already loved sunlight and often relied on basking to maintain her body temperature, frequently fell asleep under it, while those daring cat kittens would take the opportunity to climb onto her body and nap together in the sun.
After this happened many times, Ahtal-Ka gradually stopped caring.
Moreover, those cat kittens would sometimes clean away bits of dirt and insects lodged between Ahtal-Ka's carapace when they were bored, and thus, bit by bit, she seemed to accept the presence of those little creatures.
[Clang, clang~]
The sound of metal scraping against the ground rang out, instantly drawing Ahtal-Ka's attention.
Soon, a metal pillar 9 m in length and 1.5 m in both width and height was dragged out from the forge by the tools of the craftsmen and cats.
Seeing the gleaming silvery-white metallic sheen, the perfectly smooth surface, and the precisely cut edges, Ahtal-Ka's eyes lit up.
Letting out chirping cries from her mouth, she trotted over to the forge entrance. With a hook of her forelimbs, she effortlessly grasped the metal pillar and drew it before herself.
Gazing at the mirrorlike surface that reflected even her own figure, Ahtal-Ka grew reluctant to part with it, examining it little by little.
At the edge of the cliff, the cat kittens that Ahtal-Ka had tossed down earlier paid no mind to her actions. They skillfully found some silk balls nearby and began to play together in small groups.
No cat kitten could resist a ball of silk with such extraordinary toughness! None!!
"Ah, it seems our guest is quite satisfied!"
The two muscular craftsmen, their skin tanned dark from long hours in the high-temperature workshop, clapped their hands together—these past few days of effort had not been in vain.
The components Ahtal-Ka had brought from her "walking fortress were enormous, and nearly all of them had been forged using ancient smelting techniques. As a result, even a single metal pillar among them required several days of secondary processing.
During this period, they still had to continue their routine work. Though not technically difficult, the actual labor proved extremely exhausting.
After carefully inspecting the piece and confirming that there was truly not a single flaw, Ahtal-Ka instead found herself at a bit of a loss.
The new part was simply too perfect—like a child who had received a brand-new toy, she was afraid of damaging it. The slightly perfectionist Ahtal-Ka fell into a state of blissful dilemma.
After quite a while, she finally spat out a large amount of silk, wrapping the entire metal pillar tightly to ensure that it wouldn't be scratched or bumped during transport. Only then did she turn to look at the two dark-skinned craftsmen.
Tilting her head slightly as if in thought, she spat out a small silk ball that landed before them. Then, lifting the metal pillar with her tail, she made her way toward the temporary nest beneath the Ancient Tree.
The two craftsmen looked at the silk ball before them, nearly as tall as they were, wanting to say something—but in the end, they did not know how to begin.
...
After finishing his usual high-temperature discharge in the sky, Logan drew an arc through the air—not to return to his nest, but to descend directly onto the platform.
At that moment, Aki, the Flame Rathalos, and the Azure Rathalos that had been the first of the Fire Wyverns of the Ancient Tree were already waiting there.
The Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne leader, the Fire Wyvern Tribe's Sage, and Tonkotsu were likewise waiting quietly.
These past few days, Logan hadn't been idly hanging around after finishing his solar emission each day.
Each time he released the Sunlight, once that feeling of being sheltered by the world faded away, the emptiness would surge back with increasing intensity—stronger with every passing day.
During these days, the news that Logan would be leaving for a time to head toward the Elder's Recess had spread throughout the Ancient Tree. As for Logan's decision, some of the younger Fire Wyverns who had joined the Ancient Tree group later might not have fully understood it, but those Fire Wyverns that had already lived for decades knew very well—this was an inevitable process.
In fact, the very fact that Logan had only now decided to go to the Elder's Recess was already somewhat beyond their expectations.
As a Flying Wyvern occupying a high ecological niche and enjoying the advantage of the Ancient Tree's habitat, why had the number of Fire Wyverns on the Ancient Tree remained at a relatively stable count over countless years?
Aside from that cruel system of elimination, there was also the fact that when a Fire Wyvern's strength reached a certain level, it would set out with companions to the Elder's Recess in search of greater power—and among those, only a very few ever returned.
It should be said that not only the Fire Wyverns of the Ancient Tree, but most of the monsters across the New World capable of enduring the volcanic zones, at certain times would also choose to head toward the Elder's Recess.
Those that could fly fared better; as for those that could not, many became lost within the intricate layers of the Rotten Vale or the winding paths of the Great Underground Network, turning into nourishment for the New World.
Therefore, though the Fire Wyverns felt somewhat uneasy about Logan's decision, what they worried about was not that their young leader would die in the Elder's Recess, but rather that he might never return.
Other than that, they held no other emotions.
It was only when Logan proposed taking a few Fire Wyverns along to the Elder's Recess that, in the end, only this Azure Rathalos stepped forward.
The reason was simple: the tempered Fire Wyverns on the Ancient Tree were basically all individuals who had already returned from the Elder's Recess, or else were old and no longer had the desire to venture there again. As for the untempered Fire Wyverns—Logan had no intention of playing babysitter, and naturally didn't want to bring them along.
Among the Azure Rathalos, it just so happened that this particular Azure Rathalos's offspring had left the nest this year, so the arrangement was thus settled.
On the great platform, with Logan's low growl, the four Fire Wyverns rose into the updraft. After orienting themselves, they spread their wings and flew toward the distant horizon.
"Damn it, so I really am still too weak, meow?" Tonkotsu struck the ground in frustration as he watched the now nearly invisible figures vanish into the far-off sky.
He was the captain of the Fire Wyvern Guard, and yet when the Fire Wyvern Boss chose to go to some unfamiliar place to strengthen himself, he didn't even have the qualification to follow. This left Tonkotsu deeply vexed.
"If you know you're weak, then become stronger, meow." The Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne leader leaned on his dragon-scale cane, patted his increasingly sturdy son's body, and after speaking with deep meaning, exchanged a glance with the Fire Wyvern Tribe's Sage.
Next, they too had to accelerate the construction on the Ancient Tree, and make sure to present a satisfactory report card when the Fire Wyvern Boss returned!
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