"Trees?" The Commander was stunned for a moment.
"Yes, meow. I don't know if everyone will be able to get used to it once we're there, meow. I heard that over there, even the stones are green, meow, and the leaves aren't yellow. I don't know if there will be any new spices, meow. And the monsters... we'll have to re-explore all the patrol routes, meow..."
The Old Shaman sighed as he chattered on. He hadn't shared these worries with the cats in the tribe. Somehow, facing the client entrusted with their upcoming mission, he felt at ease enough to complain.
After all, Sparky and Canister wouldn't understand, and there was no need to even mention the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers. That guy was currently pecking curiously at the gunwale of the open-air meeting room, making a loud bang-bang sound against the wood. He tried to stuff everything he saw into his mouth, only to have it rescued from his beak by a nervous Hunter nearby.
The Commander's expression was somewhat grave. The scenes described by the Old Shaman didn't sound like anything found in the Wildspire Waste—especially the repeated descriptions of trees taller than mountains.
Why does the more I hear, the more it sounds like the Ancient Forest?
Unlike the Wasteland Protectors, who had lived in the Wildspire Waste for generations and adapted to this land, the Hunters knew about the other world separated by the massive rock barrier. After all, they had reached that place by ship and survived the famine following the locust disaster by relying on the resources from the forest's edge.
After preliminary investigations, scholars had named that tree-filled area the Ancient Forest. Calculations regarding the age of the trees indicated that the flora there was incredibly old.
It wasn't that the Hunters hadn't thought about traveling to the Ancient Forest by land. However, the Hunters sent to investigate had explored a long distance along the towering, steep, and smooth rock walls without finding any possible path. The fact that the previously widespread locust disaster hadn't affected the Ancient Forest near the southern tip might be evidence of this isolation.
So, the question arose: How were these Grimalkynes going to migrate?
By cat boat?
Or did they want to borrow the Hunters' ships?
The Commander thought that given the intelligence Asterion had displayed so far, it would be reasonable for him to think of borrowing the Hunters' ships. But with Asterion's weight, could ordinary ships even carry him?
Furthermore, this Grimalkyne said that Boss Glavenus wasn't managing these details and had told them to handle it themselves...
"I understand," the Commander agreed decisively. "Astera is willing to accept this request. We will dispatch one or more squads to provide escort depending on the situation, but we require more specific intelligence."
He had made his decision. Even if it was just for the reward—helping the Commission integrate better into the New World—he would complete this mission. The Glavenus tribe might not offer a typical diplomatic mission, but perhaps they could help...
"No problem, meow!" Seeing the 'Ape Dragon' agree, the Old Shaman breathed a sigh of relief. He scratched his head and said, "Don't worry! We will provide payment for your help, meow!"
"That would be excellent... Whoa! Careful!" The Commander smiled, then suddenly dodged to the side, evading the head of the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother that had leaned in.
"Guga?" (Are you guys done? Can I play now?)
"Uh, what is it saying?" Not understanding the Kulu-Ya-Ku's language, the Commander was still a bit nervous having a large monster suddenly get so close to him.
Especially since the other Kulu-Ya-Ku he had encountered in the Wildspire Waste weren't very bright and were all quite neurotic.
"Don't—don't mess around! Egg stealer, meow!!" The Old Shaman instantly panicked. He tried to pull at the Kulu-Ya-Ku's claws but couldn't reach. "This isn't home, meow!!"
"Guga!"
"Hahahahahaha! No need to be so uptight. We're old friends with Boss Glavenus!"
Before the person arrived, his voice boomed out. Who else could it be but the Admiral?
"You're here," the Commander said, nodding. "What? Are you planning to lead the team out?"
"Of course," the Admiral said without hesitation. "Isn't helping Boss Glavenus's tribe migrate very meaningful? Besides, the Gathering Hub has plenty of manpower right now."
"You just don't want to mine, do you?" the Commander said knowingly. "Fine. This should be the last mission before they return anyway."
A long time had passed since the Second Fleet arrived. The handover of duties was mostly complete. Soon, a ship would carry the members of the First Fleet who wished to return to the Old World.
The news that a Lynian had brought a monster to commission a quest quickly spread throughout Astera. Not just the scholars, but everyone from Hunters to technicians was incredibly curious, coming over one by one to watch the spectacle.
The people of Astera had reached a consensus: the monsters of the New World seemed smarter than those of the Old World—or at least, a portion of them were smarter. The stronger they were, the smarter they seemed.
One could only say this was a massive misunderstanding. Hopefully, no Hunter would rush up to a Rajang or an Elder Dragon in the future trying to say, "Let's be friends."
The Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers received the warmest welcome in Astera. This was especially true when the Hunters realized these Kulu-Ya-Ku were different from the ones they usually saw. They weren't as neurotic and seemed to vaguely understand the hand signs the Hunters made. The Hunters quickly gathered around them.
Feeding time.
Uh, a large quantity of egg-related items was fed directly into the Kulu-Ya-Ku's beak. Under Asterion's influence, even if it wasn't an egg, as long as it was something he hadn't seen or eaten before, the Kulu-Ya-Ku was willing to stuff it into his mouth.
This had become a habit for the entire Glavenus tribe: if you see something new, stuff it in your mouth first and taste it.
By the time they had to leave, Canister couldn't even drag the Kulu-Ya-Ku anymore. Sparky simply climbed onto the bird's neck, leaning close to its ear and pleading, finally managing to coax the Kulu-Ya-Ku away from Astera.
Returning with them was a squad of Hunters. In reality, it was just four people; they were responsible for assessing the specific details of the escort and judging whether more manpower was needed.
generally speaking, Hunters would complete missions in squads of up to four people. This was a sort of mysterious, unspoken rule; it was said that if more than four people went on a mission together, the extra people would meet with misfortune.
However, when facing more difficult or complex missions, the Guild allowed Hunters to coordinate in multiple four-man squads.
Things gradually got on track. Now, stepping into Asterion's underground kingdom, one could see not only large and small bundles but also many Kestodon pulling carts behind them. Astera had also provided a few extra carts to help transport goods.
Moving house was just like that. It looked like there wasn't much stuff on ordinary days, but once you started organizing and packing, you realized there was an endless amount of things.
In the end, considering the long journey and potential unexpected situations, Astera dispatched two squads of Hunters as mission executors—one wonders if they were just being optimistic. In addition to these eight people, there was also a Wyverian scholar.
To avoid bad luck, one of the squads was conducting the mission under the guise of "escorting the scholar."
Truly superstitious! Hunters!
The fact that local Lynians were migrating under the orders of a monster was indeed worthy of a scholar's attention. But when he discovered the existence of the Acidic Glavenus in the underground kingdom, he became even more excited. To a scholar, any new thing was worth observing and researching, especially a Glavenus subspecies living in Asterion's nest.
According to intelligence previously obtained by the First Fleet, Asterion did not look like this in the past; he had looked no different from a standard Glavenus. Did this mean this Acidic Glavenus was actually Asterion's true kin?
Was this subspecies appearance just a transitional camouflage, similar to Asterion's previous condition?
However, to the scholar's disappointment, this monster—temporarily named "Acidic Glavenus" after analyzing the crystallized sulfur it left behind—did not display the same wisdom as Asterion.
Aside from secreting crystallized sulfur, the Acidic Glavenus showed no differences from a common Glavenus. It perfectly fit the definition of a monster subspecies—it was still just a Glavenus.
Asterion was indeed special.
In a place Asterion didn't even know about, the scholars of Astera seemed to have a wondrous faith in him.
Nevertheless, the Acidic Glavenus was still worth observing. Not only because it had survived at Asterion's hands, but because while helping to organize things, a support Palico accidentally learned from a Grimalkyne that the Acidic Glavenus had mated with Asterion.
This news somewhat overturned the scholars' previous speculations. After all, based on the information Hara had brought back in the end, they also believed Asterion was likely an unknown Elder Dragon species temporarily assuming this form after devouring other monsters.
In other words, if Asterion was essentially not a Glavenus but some other type of dragon, he shouldn't be in heat or engage in sexual behavior with an Acidic Glavenus. Just as an Anjanath wouldn't go into heat for a Rathian; even if the two mated, no new life would be born.
But Asterion had mated with the Acidic Glavenus. If the Acidic Glavenus eventually laid a dragon egg and hatched a hatchling, wouldn't that mean Asterion wasn't some unknown Elder Dragon, but simply a special Glavenus? A special Deviant monster?
What to do about this slight disappointment?
Regardless of how the scholars struggled with this, the Hunters' emotions were much simpler—they were looking forward to seeing what kind of child Asterion would have. Would it look more like Boss Glavenus, or more like the Acidic Glavenus?
For the Admiral, this feeling was about the same as when the Commander had a son. In short, blessings were all that mattered.
The Grimalkynes were very generous with their payment. Several safe zones discovered or built by the gathering and hunting teams in the southern part of the Wildspire Waste were shared directly with the Hunters. They wouldn't be using them anymore, anyway. In addition to that, there was plenty of information on ore veins, spices, and so on.
Basically, everything they couldn't take with them was stuffed into Astera's hands, making the Hunters feel like scrap collectors. The migration convoy hadn't even departed yet, but the carts had already sent quite a few things back to the base.
It made the Hunters feel a bit embarrassed. The Commander even specifically promised to take good care of the Grimalkynes who didn't wish to leave their ancestral lands, which relieved Sparky greatly.
The convoy set off.
This would be a long journey. Don't look at the fact that Asterion could return in just over a month—that was with Asterion's speed and stamina. Even though Asterion had cleared a relatively safe path along the way, the Glavenus tribe would need at least nearly a year to arrive—and that was assuming everything went smoothly. If they encountered any accidents, it would take even longer.
"So, after this mission ends, you'll be returning to the Old World?" walking beside the cart, the Admiral asked Caly, who was beside him.
The Admiral would never miss a mission related to Asterion.
"Mn, yes," Caly said somewhat dejectedly. "I'm truly sorry, Admiral. I ran away."
A deserter!
Even though Hunters weren't a formal military organization, in Caly's view, his behavior was undoubtedly a betrayal of the companions he had landed in the New World with.
Because he hadn't been able to see the investigation through. Not only had he failed to solve the mystery of the Elder Crossing, but he also hadn't unraveled any of the subsequent new mysteries discovered. He was fleeing back to the Old World having accomplished nothing.
In contrast, people like the Admiral and the Commander, who persisted in staying in the New World, were the true Hunters.
Wham!
A palm slapped Caly on the back, making him grimace in pain. The Admiral slapped him several times before saying, "This isn't running away, Caly. Is the New World your only responsibility?"
Caly looked blankly at the Admiral. The Admiral's face bore a rare seriousness.
"You still have parents, and your wife—after being away from home for so long, your child must have grown up. But from the moment he opened his eyes until now, he has only seen his mother. That's unfair to you, and it's very unfair to your wife."
"This is the Guild's error, Caly," the Admiral said earnestly. "We thought it was just a short-term investigation, but we never expected it to turn into a long-term mission that kept you from home for over ten years."
"No, no, no, don't say that, Admiral," Caly waved his hands nervously. "I have no resentment toward the Guild. Actually, I'm very fortunate to have been one of the discoverers of the New World. Brand new things, scenery never before imagined... haha, and the friendship of monsters?"
As he spoke, Caly subconsciously pulled a necklace out from his clothes. Asterion's old scale had been rubbed by him for so many years that it was polished to a shine.
"I have never regretted coming to the New World, Admiral." Putting down the necklace, Caly looked at the Admiral and said, "I just... just... there are things I must do."
Caly's voice had become choked with emotion. The Admiral didn't say anything more, simply slowing his pace.
"...Perhaps one day in the future, my descendant will take my place and reach the New World again." Not wanting others to notice his emotional shift, Caly tried hard to calm his breathing and forced a smile. "When that time comes, I'll trouble you, Admiral, to look after him."
"Ah, don't worry," the Admiral revealed a reliable smile. "Of course, we have to take good care of an old friend's child."
Suddenly, both men laughed at the same time, though the laughter carried a tinge of sorrow and reluctance.
The future... is it?
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