When the banquet was halfway through, the Wyverian girl's long time away caused that faint estrangement with her clansmen to completely disappear as well.
By the moonlight, the Wyverian girl finally spoke the thoughts in her heart.
As soon as the words fell, the banquet that had been lively a moment before suddenly cooled down.
The longevity of Wyverians, along with the decline in desire that came with lifespan, had left this group with only about 50 or so people, and the Wyverian girl had not covered her voice, so basically all the Wyverians present heard it.
"Your reason?"
Contrary to the Wyverian girl's expectations, the young Wyverians did not voice agreement at the first moment, and the old Wyverians did not voice opposition at the first moment either. They were still very calm and wanted to know more information.
But as for a reason or whatever, the Wyverian girl seemed not to know what she ought to say, either?
To let the tribe live better? That indeed was the reason in her heart at the very beginning.
But looking at this banquet, although the species here were not as abundant as on the Ancient Tree, it was not far off.
As for safety, it seemed that placing the tribe under the banner of a monster—even if that monster was an Elder Dragon that could communicate and even possessed rich emotions—did not seem like a wise thing.
After all, although the space here was a bit cramped, its safety had been tested by more than 1,000 years.
So what was it for?
The Wyverian girl closed her eyes and thought carefully; when she finally opened them, her gaze was very resolute.
"Intuition!"
As soon as these two words came out, some of the young Wyverians below erupted with a boom.
And it was indeed just as the Wyverian girl had first imagined: the young Wyverians definitely all had an adventurous spirit and the desire for a better life.
Therefore, when the Wyverian girl proposed that the whole tribe migrate, some Wyverian youths even produced some wondrous fantasies based on the Wyverian girl's depiction of the Ancient Tree, and had even begun to think about how exactly they should obtain a better life in such an environment.
It was only their decades-long lives, coupled with the Wyverian clan's consistent calm, that kept them from stating a position at the first moment.
But now the Wyverian girl's reason was actually just intuition.
This left them somewhat unable to accept it.
The longer-lived a race is, the more it cherishes life—or to put it directly, the more it fears death—but this is not shameful, because it is the instinct of all living things.
What they wanted more was a more fitting reason, one that would let them put down everything they currently possessed and summon the courage to seek a better life.
Unlike the young Wyverians, these elderly ancient Wyverians instead nodded in agreement after hearing the Wyverian girl's words.
Intuition, for rational Wyverians, was not some sixth sense, but the optimal judgment the body instinctively makes after being in an environment for a long time.
What you want to see, and the words you want to hear, may be things others deliberately show you.
But when you have lived in an environment for a long time, your body will instinctively tell you the truest state of that environment.
Coupled with the Wyverian girl's earlier descriptions of the Ancient Tree and the Research Commission.
This reason was enough to move those elderly ancient Wyverians.
"Let's hear it—if we are to join the Ancient Tree, what will we have to give up?"
As soon as the ancient Wyverian prophet's voice fell, the young Wyverians looked at the short old man in disbelief.
It was decided just like that?
Some wanted to refute it, but this was the one who had led their tribe to live here for hundreds of years.
Not only had he avoided one natural disaster after another, but also evaded countless monster attacks, allowing what had originally been a Wyverian tribe of just over 20 to grow to its present scale.
So even if they had doubts in their hearts, no one would voice any objection to him.
"Give up what, huh?"
The Wyverian girl blinked blankly and looked at the ancient Wyverian prophet.
In those eyes that were growing more and more azure, there was nothing but pure foolishness.
This counter-question nearly made the ancient Wyverian prophet lose his composure. You were the first one to make contact—why are you asking me back?
At that moment, the ancient Wyverian prophet felt a bit of an urge to rub his temples; he somewhat suspected that believing in the Wyverian girl's intuition like this might have been a mistake.
How did a Resonator, one that appears only once in a thousand years, end up being this girl?
"You didn't by any chance run back here in a hurry without even thinking about whether the other side would accept us, and then plan to have our tribe migrate over there without knowing anything, did you?"
"Oh, oh, not that. The Fire Wyvern known by people from the other continent as the Sunblaze Dragon—who is now the master of the Ancient Tree—promised to keep my reward to fulfill one not-excessive wish. And then that strong Grimalkyne named Tonkotsu said we'd better show some of our own value, that way it'll be easier for us to blend in smoothly."
The Wyverian girl crossed her arms and spoke with a perfectly serious look, but a trace of inexplicable slyness flashed through her azure eyes.
That look naturally did not escape the ancient Wyverian prophet's notice. He shook his head and tapped the Wyverian girl's forehead with his staff.
At last, after scolding her with a single laugh—"Mischievous"—he made the final decision.
...
Early the next morning, several Ancient Wyverians wearing camouflage cloaks followed the Wyverian girl and left their dwelling in the morning mist. After coming out of that narrow hole, they fixed their bearings and began advancing toward the Ancient Tree.
This group was only going ahead as the vanguard, wanting to see with their own eyes whether what the Wyverian girl had said was the same as what they had in mind; many things can only be put completely at ease after seeing them personally. The remaining Wyverians stayed here to continue stockpiling supplies, making ready to set out at any time.
The Ancient Wyverian prophet, carried on the back of one sturdy Wyverian youth, narrowed his eyes slightly to look at the morning sun on the horizon, and in his heart he kept calculating the purpose of this trip and the final result they wanted to achieve.
He had also thought for a long time last night: what can the present Ancient Wyverian group bring to the Ancient Tree?
Civilization? Speaking in macro terms, the present Wyverian group no longer has a true civilization—only a few dozen people scraping by through some special means.
Moreover, the Ancient Tree now has a deep cooperative relationship with those people from another continent. From what the Wyverian girl has seen and heard, those Grimalkynes loyal to the Fire Wyvern have already begun to display the embryonic form of a distinct civilization, so when it comes to civilization, it should be the Wyverian group joining the other side's civilization.
Planting techniques? Various household implements? And ways of using medicinal herbs?
For the Ancient Wyverian group that has already experienced a civilizational break, the Ancient Wyverian prophet does not believe they would be stronger than the people who came from that other continent. After all, the other side is not like the Ancient Wyverian group, which has only this tiny number of people; with a huge population base, these things that require practice to develop will absolutely be better than theirs.
Therefore, after pondering for a whole night, the Ancient Wyverian prophet finally thought of the last thing: the alchemy handed down among the Ancient Wyverians, which they have mastered skillfully.
People say technology relies on archaeology, but in this world the magical likewise needs archaeology.
For such a profound discipline as alchemy, the older it is, the better.
Judging from the techniques presently mastered by the Ancient Wyverians, in fact, as far as the Fire Wyvern is concerned, they do not have anything worth the other side's regard.
But from the Wyverian girl's description, he analyzed that the Ancient Tree and that group owing to the Research Commission are presently in deep cooperation, and the trade system is also mainly established on the Research Commission's side.
Whereas the Ancient Tree side instead belongs to the relatively dependent side; merely relying on planting and on the Fire Wyvern providing powerful armed support, sooner or later it will be replaced because people will be transported over continuously from the other continent.
Therefore, if they want to establish this kind of mutually beneficial cooperation in a long-term and stable way, they must find a new project that can allow both sides to cooperate steadily over the long term.
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