Hearing the Director's words, the Commander also fell silent. The letter made it very clear—this anomaly near Heaven's Mount had quite a wide impact and indeed required a top-tier researcher to take charge.
At present, the Director not only had the necessary ability but also relevant research experience, naturally making him the best candidate.
After all, the newly built research institute mentioned in the letter was a joint organization established by the Hunter's Guild, the Dragon Research Academy, and the Royal Government.
"I understand. I'll have someone recall the Deputy Director from the Ancient Tree right away. Teacher, please make your preparations in advance."
Having made his decision, the Commander wasted no time. He immediately issued the order, and soon hunters accepted the mission—mounting their wingdrakes and flying deep into the Ancient Forest.
...
On the Ancient Tree, Chameleos swung its tail lazily as it left Logan's nest under Aki's sharp gaze.
It couldn't be helped—originally, it had planned to stay on the Ancient Tree for a few more days to see what fun might come its way.
But instead, it was nearly blinded by the sight of all the motherly Fire Wyverns whose maternal instincts had exploded during their hatchlings' breaking of the shell.
Compared with those Fire Wyvern mothers, Chameleos stood out as a sharp contrast. The bond between it and the little Chameleos had once again become strangely delicate.
To avoid having its rebellious child upset its five-year food-seizing plan, Chameleos decisively chose to leave. After teasing Aki's nerves one last time, Chameleos finally found Logan, repeatedly reminded him that he owed it a favor, and then flew away from the Ancient Tree with the little Chameleos.
At the same time, after readjusting his mindset, the Admiral decided to head alone into the depths of the Ancient Forest for ecological observation. He needed to do something—anything—to forget the pain of all his repeated missed chances.
Once this whole matter concerning offspring and reproduction had settled, the Ancient Tree once again burst into activity, resuming the renovation plan. Everything proceeded in an orderly manner, advancing just as originally planned.
Time flowed swiftly like a white steed passing through a crack.
On a desolate island still far from the New World, scholars of the Third Fleet reboarded their ship under the protection of hunters.
Aboard the large keel vessel bearing the Third Fleet's banner, a Wyverian woman with intellectual glasses and a censer in hand gazed at the surging black clouds in the distance, tightening the wool cloak around her shoulders.
"So cold~~"
Her gentle voice trembled slightly, and her breath instantly turned into white mist in the freezing air.
"The storms formed during Kushala Daora's flight can stir up fierce winds and also bring about abnormal weather like heavy rain or snowstorms. According to records from twenty years ago, the Kushala Daora tracked by the First Fleet only caused rain wherever it passed. But this one we're following now has stirred up a snowstorm—could this be a climatic issue? Or does it mean there are differences among Kushala Daora themselves?"
Beside the deck, an elderly Wyverian scholar bundled in thick cotton clothes flipped through the First Fleet's Elder Dragon Observation Manual, half explaining and half questioning as he spoke.
"I don't know~ To us, Elder Dragons remain endlessly mysterious beings. For hundreds of years, research on them has been nearly stagnant. That's precisely why, after learning that the New World has Elder Dragons like the Sunblaze Dragon who can communicate, and Chameleos who even lives among humans, the number of scholars in the Third Fleet increased by a full one-third. After all, coming to the New World is backbreaking work."
The Third Fleet Master set down the censer in her hand and took out a small bell, striking it lightly.
Soon, the ethereal chime spread across the entire fleet. Following a series of shouted commands, the four massive keel ships unfurled their sails, maintaining a certain distance from the dark clouds in the distance, and set off!
With an Elder Dragon leading the way, the Third Fleet's convoy sailed steadily toward the New World.
Far behind the fleet, countless monsters also advanced along the path cleared by the Elder Dragon Kushala Daora. After ten years, another great migration of life toward the New World had begun.
...
Deep within the Ancient Forest, silver-white and emerald-gold figures flew across the sky, sending flocks of birds scattering in the fierce wind.
In just two short years, almost no trace of red could be seen on Logan's scales. On both sides of his mouth, sharp keratinized ridges had grown prominent among the scales, and under the sunlight his entire body shimmered, rings of flowing light rippling across his scales—radiant with an almost unreal beauty.
[Marvel Scales: The mysterious power buried deep within the bloodline, drawn out over time, has been unearthed. Dragon-element energy now manifests on the scales. When struck by abnormal energy attacks, the scales can channel this Dragon energy to further reinforce themselves.]
For the past two years, the New World had remained calm—at least, nothing strange had occurred within the Ancient Forest.
The Elder Dragons each lived peacefully within their own territories, causing no unusual disturbances.
The great creator slumbering within the land veins seemed to have fallen asleep once more. The flow of the continent's life force ran steady; overall, the New World was tranquil.
Yet within that tranquility, there seemed to lurk the faint calm before a coming storm.
[Transformation Progress: 90]
Following the transformation brought about by the Ancient Activation back then, Logan's metamorphosis had been advancing at a very steady pace over the past two years. There was no longer that swelling sensation of power filling his body as there had been back in the Wildspire Waste—everything progressed naturally, as if flowing with the current.
However, now it had been stuck at 90% for quite some time, and in Logan's sixth sense, that feeling of being tested by the world itself was becoming clearer and clearer.
Over these two years, he had also realized that his metamorphosis was not simply the evolution of a Rathalos toward a Silver Rathalos. During one of Chameleos's visits, after hearing it mention that Logan's aura of an Elder Dragon was becoming harder and harder to conceal even in his normal state, he finally understood—
This wasn't a mere metamorphosis into an Elder-level Rathalos; he was directly transforming into an Elder Dragon, wasn't he?
That was why Logan felt that sense of trial—something Aki, who was also evolving toward a higher ecological rank, did not experience at all.
...
The golden and silver figures intertwined as they flew toward the slightly changed Ancient Tree.
Over the course of two years, with the continuous supply of various metals and components collected by the cat resource-gathering teams, the cablecar passages spanning the upper, middle, and lower sections of the entire Ancient Tree had long since been completed. Four massive wind turbines hung on the cliffside, spinning day and night, providing an endless source of kinetic energy for the transport routes across the Ancient Tree.
With the help of the Fire Wyvern group, the cats had successfully opened up a vast residential area within the canopy layer. Except for the Grimalkynes living among the Fire Wyverns, nearly all the cats had migrated there, forming the early shape of a Lynian settlement.
And the Ancient Tree Research Base had likewise been built within this newly formed village.
...
Golden and silver figures tore through the clouds, flying into the Ancient Tree amid the roars of countless Fire Wyverns, descending onto the great platform before the nest.
"Boss meow, news just came from Astera—at the latest by next month, the Kushala Daora migrating this time will arrive in the New World, meow."
The Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne Chief hobbled forward, leaning on his cane. His white beard could not conceal the weariness etched upon his face.
Among the Grimalkynes, the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne Chief was already considered elderly. Even with the influence of the Symbiosis trait, his body had begun to weaken. Tonkotsu had yet to pass his trial, so the position of Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne Chief had not yet been handed over to him.
As for why Tonkotsu was still so young while the Chief had grown old—one could only say that Logan had appeared too late. The Chief's older children had all perished in the cruel days of the past, leaving only this youngest son behind.
Regarding the Elder Dragon Crossing, Logan didn't think much of it. The Ancient Tree region lay deep within the forest, and generally speaking, after arriving in the New World, Elder Dragons—aside from their initial disturbance when their long journey momentarily unsettled their control over their domain—rarely caused major upheaval once they delved deeper inland.
Of course, during the First Fleet's era, that near-molting Kushala Daora and the Namielle that intercepted it had been a complete accident.
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