"What?! Epidemic!!"
Commander, who was in the middle of writing report about Gore Magala, abruptly stood up from chair and quickly walked over in front of the mechanic, the metal prosthetic limb under his feet letting out faint metallic scraping sounds because of his rapid movement.
In Old World Heaven's Mount region, traces of Gore Magala's presence had already been confirmed. A ship sailing at sea near there had even suffered enormous losses because it was attacked by Gore Magala, and afterward, monsters that had contracted Frenzy Virus began to appear one after another near Heaven's Mount.
Originally, with previous Ecological Research Center director personally in charge, Guild very quickly locked onto related target and carried out hunt against Gore Magala. But for some reason, after Gore Magala was hunted, Frenzy Virus did not get curbed and instead grew more and more severe. With no other way, Old World side then had Fourth Fleet bring message, hoping people here could look again for other related information.
Just at that time, after Shagaru Magala incident, research on Frenzy Virus on New World side had never stopped. Although corpses of those Frenzy Virus–infected monsters had long since been fully used up, some biological samples had still been successfully preserved.
He was just lamenting how full of disasters Old World was, when suddenly, on this side, someone said that hunter very likely had contracted epidemic.
This news indeed made Commander panic for brief moment.
This world's technological development is somewhat skewed. It has pretty good expertise regarding ordinary poisons and external injuries, and with help of alchemy, pharmacology has also developed quite well.
But when facing something like plague, they are really quite helpless. When facing epidemic, people often can only rely on this world's humans' own strong physiques to endure it.
However, facing epidemic described by mechanic, one capable of making entire village be abandoned, if it was handled improperly, it might cause Astera, which had just been rebuilt, to once again suffer enormous losses.
"Phew~~"
Commander slowly let out long breath, and after letting himself calm down, stared straight into eyes of this Fourth Fleet mechanic and asked once more, "Let me confirm again. You can really be sure that is epidemic?"
Mechanic showed conflicted expression, carefully recalled that hunter's behavior and symptoms just now, and finally opened his mouth with difficulty: "About eighty percent. Mainly, symptoms are really too similar! According to kingdom's notice, source of spread of this epidemic seems to be kind of red insect, disaster brought by Elder Dragon named Royal Silver Dragon."
"So as long as we find out whether that hunter, before falling ill, encountered that kind of insect you mentioned, we can determine whether it is epidemic!"
Commander picked up words.
"Red insect, I remember emergency report sent back from Ancient Tree side yesterday seemed to mention similar thing. It seemed to have been triggered by a Rathian that came to Ancient Tree from Wildspire Waste, and that Rathian in the end was even driven away by Sunblaze Dragon."
Commander muttered to himself while arranging people to go to medical department to inquire about situation, then turned around and, among piled-up reports, pulled out that report about Ancient Tree.
"Is it another kind of creature that can even make Sunblaze Dragon personally take action against it? It seems necessary to investigate this."
That mutated Rathian came from Wildspire Waste, and own hunters had also been carrying out quests in Wildspire Waste and had become like this. Commander faintly felt there was connection in this.
After round of busy activity, sky gradually grew dark.
Only then did Commander pull himself out from busy work, look toward Huntsman, who was instructing his own grandson in sword-swinging training, and, after greeting him, go to medical department with heavy mood.
It had been one day, whole day, and no one had come to notify him and explain this hunter's condition. From look of it, situation was probably somewhat bad.
Only at this moment, medical department actually had its doors tightly shut, and only physician wearing mask was sitting outside.
"Commander!" Physician stood up and reached out to stop Commander who was walking over.
"What is wrong?"
Commander stopped his steps and looked toward physician with some unease.
"During this period, please stay away from medical department. Patient's condition is not very good. We suspect it is plague."
Upon hearing this, Commander's hand instantly clenched, but his face still kept that same calm look. Although, because of mechanic's reminder, he had mentally prepared in advance, since matter really had not yet been confirmed, he had still held onto bit of luck in his heart.
But now, physicians had already made judgment, and Commander's heart still could not help but sink.
"We used many different medicines, including Nulberry extract, but none of them could have too much effect."
Seeing Commander not speak, physician instinctively began giving report, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he was interrupted by Commander raising his hand.
He looked at sealed doors of medical department, his voice somewhat hoarse.
"Physicians, all inside?"
"Yes, after all, it is plague." After this gatekeeping physician finished speaking, he also fell somewhat silent. Tightly shut doors of medical department had already indicated response plan given by physicians.
"I understand."
Commander let out breath and turned around to leave without looking back.
He decided to go to back mountain and ask Chameleos.
Although epidemic and poison were not same thing, Chameleos at back mountain was also entirely different from Chameleos they recognized.
...
On platform under Ancient Tree, if someone paid attention, they would notice that several days ago, at place where that Rathian parasitized by Qurio had stayed, at that platform where vines and tree roots intertwined—
In gap, slightly red insect egg at this moment seemed to be breathing, continuously expanding and contracting.
As outer shell of insect egg gradually became stiff, gradually, surface of egg cracked open small opening.
Very small Qurio larva crawled out from opening.
In environment of Ancient Tree, which filtered and emitted gentle life energy at all times, this Qurio larva, which should have died after separating from host, unexpectedly survived in miraculous manner and even successfully broke out of shell.
It had to be said that insects, when affected by life energy, indeed had extraordinary adaptability in biological evolution.
However, because it was ultimately Qurio not properly nurtured from parasitized target, even if this larva succeeded in hatching, it had no strength to flap its wings and could only wriggle on ground like caterpillar.
If nothing unexpected happened, this Qurio lacking food and energy source would soon quietly die in this night and become one of nutrients of Ancient Tree.
But accident still came.
While Qurio larva was continuously moving within gaps of vines, it suddenly fell down from inconspicuous small pit and finally landed in this hollow, onto newly grown Terastal sprout.
Qurio, already extremely lacking in energy, sensed gentle life energy from Ancient Tree on Terastal sprout and instinctively opened its mouth to bite through leaf surface, greedily sucking sap inside leaf.
As the sap on this Terastal shoot was sucked by the Qurio larva, the crystalline energy contained in the leaf also entered the Qurio larva's body together with the life energy.
The next moment, this crystalline energy confronted the Qurio's own crimson, blood-colored energy that seemed to come from abyss.
Perhaps this Qurio larva was a weak and coincidental "premature baby", and its own energy was very feeble.
As the Qurio larva kept sucking the sap, the ice-blue crystalline energy gradually took the initiative inside its body, causing the crimson energy to be steadily pushed back.
Finally, as most of sap of one leaf was sucked dry, this Qurio larva was finally full, the energy in its body also gained a slight sense of abundance, its bones gradually grew in, and everything seemed to be developing in a good direction.
The only thing the Qurio larva did not notice was that the patterns on its wings had at this moment already completely turned ice-blue.
Through that still somewhat soft and transparent outer shell it was possible to see that, in the blood vessels and energy circuits flowing inside the Qurio larva, the crimson energy had long since disappeared, leaving only faint silver energy flowing within.
After eating and drinking its fill, the still young Qurio larva once again sank into sleep in its drowsiness, and the Terastal twig under its body continuously released gentle energy, resonating with the energy inside the Qurio and beginning to remodel this still highly plastic small body of the Qurio larva.
The form and posture of the Qurio also gradually underwent some strange changes in this remodeling.
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