#662Chapter 662: Monster Infertility? See Dr. Cheng!AI Model: gemini-2.5-flash
Chapter 662: Monsters Infertile? Call Doctor Cheng!
[Human Pukei-Pukei MAX: Template Skill, Composite Skill. Compared to hunters, Monster Riders, who possess a deeper bond with monsters, are always able to retrieve active monster eggs from either intact or abandoned nests. Even if a monster's nest is perfectly hidden, you can always locate its position with an egg-stealing instinct comparable to a Pukei-Pukei.
When you activate your mental scan, the strong egg-finding instinct within you will automatically mark the locations of hidden monster nests and monster eggs nearby.
You can forcibly retrieve 1 active, hatchable monster egg from any monster nest. This egg will primarily inherit the bloodline of the original nest owner and will randomly be granted at least 1 additional characteristic. If you are dissatisfied with the current egg, you can also refresh it by placing it back into the nest and retrieving it again. You can refresh an egg a maximum of 3 times in each nest. You can refresh the nest's egg spawn cooldown by completing a Hunter's Guild quest and re-entering the current area.
While holding a "Bonding Stone," you can place the retrieved egg into an empty Palico slot. You can carry a maximum of 6 Palicoes and eggs combined. Additionally, you can still manually transport up to 1 egg.
You can deliver the eggs to the Hunter's Guild's safe zone in the area to exchange them for rewards, prestige, and other bonuses from the guild, including but not limited to Chosen Coins, attribute points, and skill points. Alternatively, after stealing an egg and maintaining a non-combat safe state for at least 10 minutes, you can use the Void Storage's properties to submit it to the Blazing Sun Legion's "Mars Mothership Battle Fortress" for research or incubation.
When stealing eggs, you will be better able to conceal your presence, significantly reducing the chance of being discovered by the nest owner or creatures that prey on eggs.]
[Additional Comment: Actually, if you could communicate with the monster beasts, you could try a career change as a urology and gynecology specialist, specifically treating monster infertility.]
The 'Human Pukei-Pukei MAX' skill that Cheng Tian's current Monster Rider template possessed was, in essence, an enhanced version of the 'Pukei-Pukei Mini' skill owned by the Azure Star, strengthened in all aspects.
Not only could it allow Cheng Tian to automatically mark nearby monster nests and eggs, but it also greatly enhanced transportation.
Originally, Cheng Tian could only laboriously transport a small number of eggs one by one, but now, theoretically, he could carry 7 at once!
Since the current world was primarily Monster Hunter-themed, there was no need for a dedicated safe zone. However, as the leader of an independent faction, a flying laboratory that began with dinosaur research, Cheng Tian could directly send the eggs back to his own faction for research and incubation.
But this additional comment suddenly reminded Cheng.
The survival rate of eggs laid by wild monster beasts in the Monster Hunter world was actually not very high. Similar to birds, they needed to lay multiple eggs at once to indirectly increase the hatching survival rate of their offspring.
Sometimes, due to threats from external enemies or being affected by Elder Dragon migrations, eggs in monster nests would have to be abandoned. Moreover, it wasn't just external factors; the monster beasts themselves might experience difficulty conceiving offspring.
However, this Human Pukei-Pukei, Cheng Tian, didn't care about any of that. As long as there was a nest, even if it only contained a few broken eggshells, Cheng Tian could forcibly retrieve a monster egg offspring with a direct bloodline connection to the nest's original owner!
Infertility? Please consult Doctor Cheng!
In other words, if Cheng Tian didn't steal eggs, but simply went around the map, digging eggs out of nests and then putting them back, it would be equivalent to artificially promoting the overall reproductive survival rate of wild monster beasts.
Well, whether this counted as environmental destruction was still up for debate.
But then again, it was probably not an easy or common thing for wild monster populations to produce individuals with the same intelligence as Cheng Tian's Red Devil Rajang, capable of initially understanding human intentions. Once they saw Cheng Tian's egg-stealing behavior, the thought of "kill the egg thief" would likely still prevail.
"...This person's actions are very un-hunter-like, but how is he so familiar with the Ancient Forest? He doesn't seem like a complete newcomer who just landed on the New World at all!"
The Commander, who was stealthily tracking him and was, in reality, already fully exposed to Cheng Tian's scan, couldn't help but mutter.
Just a short while ago, Cheng Tian demonstrated the possibilities of the Balance faction at the outpost. However, just as the two leaders of the Salvation and Sacrifice factions were eagerly seeking a deeper understanding of this, Cheng Tian very whimsically left the outpost and headed straight for the forest.
"I do want to establish the Balance sect, but its failure wouldn't affect me. There are many interesting things in the New World, and I don't want to be tied down by this. You want to find a new balance of salvation and sacrifice from me? You can, but you also need to show your sincerity."
Yes, even though Cheng was the one who triggered the relevant side quest, in terms of supply and demand, it was the Hunter's Guild that was eager, not Cheng Tian.
Failing to complete the side quest would, at most, mean he couldn't summon the Battle Fortress or attempt to complete the special capture of Zorah Magdaros. It wouldn't have a significant impact on Cheng Tian himself.
However, if the hunters and mages couldn't find a new path to balance, then both Salvation and Sacrifice would only remain as they were: the former prolonging their demise, the latter sacrificing themselves.
If they had never seen Cheng Tian demonstrate the path of balance before, it would have been one thing. But now, knowing that there was a possibility of a breakthrough, neither the Commander nor Merlin could ignore it.
Since they were the ones in a hurry, Cheng Tian could naturally leverage this to his advantage.
Although his identity was set as a Fifth Fleet member, Cheng Tian was not their subordinate. Or rather, if it weren't for the instance's rule restrictions preventing Cheng Tian's Battle Fortress from being deployed normally, he would never have appeared in this capacity.
He would undoubtedly be the leader of a third force independent of the Guild.
Therefore, the tactics used against ordinary players wouldn't work against Cheng. To get him to truly act, a greater price had to be paid.
Based on this situation, the Commander and Merlin, two faction leaders who were already at odds, chose to follow Cheng Tian with their people when he whimsically left, providing tracking and protection.
They also observed the choices Cheng Tian would make when encountering a Demonic creatures (magified creature) and whether Cheng Tian's ability system could truly circumvent the costs of salvation and sacrifice.
Sure enough, Cheng Tian and his group had encountered a Pukei-Pukei outside an abandoned monster nest—
However, this Pukei-Pukei had a horrifying human face!