One had to say, the ancient Wyverian prophet was indeed quite capable. By the time they set out in the evening, relying solely on the remaining materials, he had forcibly managed to refine five new alchemy items, and one of them was astonishing (Attack +1, Shorten +1, Challenge +1).
This directly drew a round of exclamations. The assembled hunters stared at this new type of alchemy accessory with eyes shining, involuntarily swallowing a mouthful of saliva.
"Please rest assured, we will deliver the follow-up payment one by one afterward. For now, just put it on the tab."
Under the hunters' blazing gazes, the Admiral put these alchemy accessories away into his pouch, then looked toward the hunters. "These new alchemy accessories will be placed into the warehouse after the battle. Anyone who wants them can use their research points to buy them from the Provisions Manager when the time comes."
"Now let us pull ourselves together and strive to return to Astera at the fastest speed."
Amid the hunters' loud shouts, the Admiral took the lead, blowing his whistle to summon the tamed Wingdrakes kept at the Ancient Tree.
As one whistle after another rang out, a group of Wingdrakes circled in the air above the research base, and the hunters fired out their clutch claws and sprang into the sky.
Logan, who had long since been in the sky, watched that flock of Wingdrakes fly up. With a flap of his wings, the originally reverse airflow instantly changed direction, and one Wingdrake after another, with the wind at their backs, flapped their wings and rapidly flew toward Astera.
In another part of the Ancient Forest, within the ancient ruins that had already been dug into a deep pit, dust flew up. Amid the continuous booming, one gigantic metal component after another rose into the air under the pull of threads, supported on the hand-like tail of Ahtal-Ka, likewise rushing toward the direction of Astera.
The sky grew pale, as a point of light shone onto the surface of the sea.
At Astera's harbor, a relatively small liaison ship set sail out to sea. Its task was to patrol the nearby waters in hopes of detecting traces of Yama Tsukami in advance.
Based on comparing the liaison ship's speed with the other party's when they had previously sighted Yama Tsukami, they estimated that in about these next two days, Yama Tsukami would reach the New World.
Inside Astera, things were busy and bustling. Almost everyone had been mobilized to rebuild the defensive line that had originally been used to resist Kushala Daora, then reinforce some of the buildings. Under the Provisions Team's guidance, they carried and set up all kinds of equipment in an orderly fashion, just like marching ants.
Everyone's faces were full of nervous expressions, and even when they opened their mouths, it was only to talk about work-related matters. It was very obvious that everyone knew what they were going to face this time.
"Set the cannons up in high positions. Move all the cannonballs up there. Set up as many ballistae as we can; we don't need any rails, just fix them in place. Remember to have all the bolts prepared nearby."
The Provisions Manager kept flipping through the fortification blueprints in his hands, which recorded the results of their all-night research and had been designed according to Astera's existing terrain. Right now, their time was extremely tight, and they had to seize every single second.
On the mountaintop, beside the Celestial Pursuit, Mother Chameleos was arguing with Little Chameleos.
This unfilial child had grown up now and did not even listen to her words anymore.
Yama Tsukami had not hidden its aura. Just like other Disaster Level Monsters, it did not have the slightest intention of concealing its tracks.
Therefore, after it approached the New World, it was sensed by Mother Chameleos, who directly broke away from her slumber state.
The startled Mother Chameleos immediately went to find Little Chameleos, planning, just like when Kushala Daora had passed by last time, to first send Little Chameleos away, and then decide based on the situation whether she needed to make a move.
As a result, this unfilial child felt it had already grown up, its body length having reached around 15 meters. It stubbornly refused to leave no matter what and even grabbed hold of Mother Chameleos instead, when, after her attempts at persuasion failed, she had planned to run off by herself first, looking absolutely determined to get involved in this mess.
Dragged so that she could not run, Mother Chameleos looked blankly at this unfilial child she had raised at her side. She suddenly wondered whether it was because she had spent all these years snatching its food, and now she was getting her retribution?
She only had two children—how could not a single one be like her?
They had not learned even a bit of the life habit of seeking benefit and avoiding harm!
"It really is all that irresponsible guy's fault!"
Mother Chameleos cursed inwardly, while also reflecting on whether she herself had changed. After staying together with humans for so long, she was actually being held back by so-called family affection.
Looking at the unfilial child lying by her side, who would become alert immediately as soon as she made the slightest movement. Looking at the clarity in the other party's eyes, Mother Chameleos felt that perhaps she should throw it into another region and let it fend for itself for a few decades first.
Suddenly, there was a jolt in her heart. That damned guiding feeling really appeared!!
"This is going too far, gwa! It's only been ten years since last time, gwa! Why are you making me go up again so soon, gwa!!"
Only ten years had passed since the last Shagaru Magala incident, and she had actually been assigned again!
Could they not, just like before, assign her only once every several hundred years?
Mother Chameleos, sulking inwardly, lay on the ground. The moment she saw her own unfilial child, she felt annoyed. As she turned her body, with the sway of her tail came a solid slap.
Struck inadvertently by his own mother's seemingly impatient tail swing, Little Chameleos was not angry at all. He simply retreated a short distance in silence, watching his mother with one eye open and one eye closed, alternating like that.
Truly not giving her even a single chance!
Suddenly, in the air, the temperature sharply rose. That familiar aura allowed Mother Chameleos to instantly lock onto the silver-white giant dragon in the sky.
Hearing the exclamations of the people of the Research Commission, Mother Chameleos still kept her dead-fish-eyed expression, not feeling the slightest bit of happiness at Logan's arrival.
The opponent they were going to face this time was not the same type as before. Even adding Logan, their combat power was still insufficient.
"Chirp, chirp, chirp!"
Another long, annoying and piercing cry came.
Mother Chameleos's pupils shrank. She had not expected the Research Commission to have even invited that guy.
Although she disliked him, if they added Ahtal-Ka's combat power, then they still had a fight.
However, it was a pity that this Ahtal-Ka was too young. If it were the one from the Wildspire Waste that had survived for several hundred years, then this battle would be much easier.
...
Under the fiery gazes of the Research Commission, Logan restrained the surface-level high temperature on his body and slowly landed on the high platform specially built for Fire Wyverns to perch on.
Looking mockingly at the flock of Wingdrakes behind him, who were flying to the point of near exhaustion and rolling their eyes upward, he quietly recovered the little stamina he had consumed.
Amid the eagle-like chirping sounds, Logan looked toward Ahtal-Ka below the platform. In terms of distance, the ancient ruins basin was a bit closer to Astera, and over the years the path there had indeed been partially cleared, though it was still not as stable as the route from the Ancient Tree to Astera and required people to be sent regularly to clean it out.
But Ahtal-Ka was able to arrive not long after Logan, which showed that it had also run wildly through the entire night without stopping. Who knew what price the Research Commission had paid to make this mercenary Ahtal-Ka work so hard.
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