Astera moved quickly—or rather, the scholars and hunters of the Third Fleet, who had lived on the mobile research base for many years, had long since been prepared to depart at any time. Thus, once they received approval, they spent a bit of time confirming that their logistical supplies were sufficient, then raised the anchors and let the sea breeze carry them inland.
The Admiral looked at the Analytics Director, who was silently watching the departing airship, and reached out to pat the other's shoulder.
"Don't worry. Over the years, the mobile research base has gone through multiple safety overhauls. Even if it were to crash on the spot, the people aboard would be able to make an emergency landing immediately, so it wouldn't be too dangerous. Besides, over at the Great Ravine, the Field Master has already been scouting for many years. Following the tracks left back then by those frenzied monsters that escaped from the depths of the New World, she's already found a route that has a high probability of being passable. Even if some accident does happen, the Field Master will still be able to bring them back safely."
"I hope so. Right now, I just hope I won't regret not firmly stopping her today in the future!"
The Analytics Director let out a sigh, bid farewell to the Admiral, and returned alone to his own quarters. At this moment, only burying himself in research could calm his heart.
The Admiral watched the desolate figure of the Analytics Director's back, thought for a moment, and decided to add another layer of insurance to this matter.
Besides, he had not gone to the Ancient Tree for more than a year now and rather missed it. He also wondered whether that little prince, who liked to grapple with him the moment they met, had learned to fly yet.
The moment he thought of how, a year ago, even using a sword-and-shield one-handed, he had almost been unable to block Little Loren's charge, and had been forced back two steps by that power far beyond his expectations, he figured that, given the growth rate of an Elder Dragon, this year the little one would surely have become even stronger.
He might have to switch to a heavy shield this year!
...
At the Ancient Tree, nearly a thousand Fire Wyverns were wantonly flying about in the sky, making every living creature that looked up tremble.
One Grimalkyne after another, excitedly crouching or standing, were perched along the edge of the canopy layer, meowing in agitation.
Even the scholars who had spent long periods of time in the research base, as well as the hunters who usually came and went in a hurry, had all set down what they were doing and each found themselves a spot with a wide view, gazing in the same direction.
As the King of the Ancient Tree, Logan was standing on the highest twigs of the Ancient Tree. The sharp tips of his thorns had already completely turned into blue crystal, and in appearance he now differed greatly from an ordinary Silver Rathalos. If not for the fact that his skeletal structure still had two legs and two wings, no one would think he had any relation to a Fire Wyvern.
At this moment, besides Aki—whose originally metallic-textured scales were gradually transforming into crystal-textured scales—no other Fire Wyvern could set foot on the branches at his side; they could only perch on the branches below.
When the wind blew, Radiant Crystal Butterflies chased after the scattering crystallized leaves as they shot out, sprinkling an ice-blue radiance.
Right where all living creatures' gazes converged, a Rathalos of the Ancient Tree about twenty meters long was currently entangled in combat with a juvenile Silver Rathalos less than ten meters in length. Calling it a Silver Rathalos was not entirely accurate; at the very least, the pattern on its outstretched wing membranes was not the lightning-shaped markings of a Silver Rathalos, but a regular polygonal pattern formed by silver stripes and blue scales.
Little Loren had fully mastered the ability to fly one month ago. After that, he was taken out of the Ancient Tree by Aki and went to the hunting grounds to complete multiple hunts on his own. Only after confirming that he possessed the ability to live independently did they, today, let Little Loren leave the nest and begin living on his own.
Fire Wyverns roughly the same age as Little Loren had, during this period, left the Ancient Tree one after another, each grouping up and heading into the deep forest to live together in order to increase their chances of survival.
Little Loren, who had inherited Logan's bloodline and even part of his traits, after leaving the nest decisively initiated the Ancient Tree challenge; and he was not content with challenging the ordinary Fire Wyverns at the lower levels. From the very start, the opponent he challenged was a Rathalos of the Ancient Tree at the same level as Logan's former nest.
As Logan's child, apart from that first year when he was not allowed to leave Logan's nest, afterward he had been allowed to move freely about the Ancient Tree under the care of the cats.
Only after Little Loren was able to leave the nest and come into contact with the outside world did he begin to learn a great deal of information about his old father.
It could be said that Little Loren grew up listening to all sorts of legends about Logan, including but not limited to Logan coming to the Ancient Tree at the age of five together with his mother to launch a challenge, and later, in his youth, serving as the absolute main force in a desperate battle against the Chameleos that had tried to wipe out the ecology of the Ancient Tree region, and so on.
As a hatchling born already as an Elder Dragon, Little Loren, besides having an intelligence different from other Fire Wyverns, also possessed the pride that came from the bloodline in his body. Therefore, the very moment he was driven out of the nest, Little Loren set his sights on Logan's former old nest, which was also now the main base of the Fire Wyvern Grimalkynes.
Because of Logan, that place, just like the top of the Ancient Tree in the past, had become an area that other Fire Wyverns were not allowed to touch.
But for Little Loren, he wanted to prove himself; if he could not "inherit" that nest, that would be the greatest shame to him!
However, compared with Logan in the past, Little Loren's current strength was indeed much greater. To say nothing of anything else, just the various physical abilities brought by that full body of Elder Dragon blood were enough for him to surpass the Logan of those days.
It was just that the current Fire Wyvern clan of the Ancient Tree were also no longer the ordinary Fire Wyverns of the past. Wings burning with blazing flames, a body that was stronger and more agile, and Flame Sacs whose storage capacity had nearly doubled—all of these far surpassed the Rathalos of the past.
As the battle fell into a brief stalemate, that Rathalos of the Ancient Tree did not hold back in the slightest because of Little Loren's identity. It could even be said that, because it knew the young dragon before it was Logan's child, it was performing beyond its usual level, treating this battle directly as a fight to the death.
Such behavior was the greatest respect toward the king and his offspring!
Little Loren did not fear trading injury for injury, but although his physique was quite good, he had not inherited Logan's Powerhouse Trait. After many close-quarters collisions, under the absolute disadvantage in size, he had suffered quite a bit.
At this moment, Little Loren's entire body was wrapped in flames; his body of flame continuously drew on the fire-attribute energy in his Flame Sac, reducing his energy consumption.
Seeing the Rathalos of the Ancient Tree once again beating its wings as it chased up to him, Little Loren gritted his teeth, increased his stamina consumption to raise his speed again, and, after pulling open a safe distance, turned back and spat out a continuous string of fireballs laced with threads of blue-violet flames.
With the boost of ancient activity, not only was the activity of the Elder Dragon blood in Little Loren's body stirred up, it also directly strengthened Little Loren's strongest fire-attribute attack at his current stage, allowing him, while still in the hatchling stage, to easily use flames that carried a faint calamity-flame nature.
Even a Rathalos of the Ancient Tree did not dare to take such flames head-on, and was forced to slow its speed and change its own flight trajectory.
At this moment, Little Loren, already under the acceleration trait and having reached the fastest speed his body could withstand, soared high up into the sky.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Logan and Aki at the top of the Ancient Tree watching this battle, and his deep-blue eyes became incomparably resolute in an instant.
The fire-attribute energy in his body surged out. The Radiant Crystal Butterflies hidden beneath his scales separated from the scales and, bathed in the increasingly frenzied flames on Little Loren's body, poured all of their stored life energy into him through the bites of their mouthparts.
In an instant, Little Loren turned into a bright fireball, blue-violet flames weaving back and forth within it.
With a graceful arcing turn, the fireball, driven by Little Loren, began to spin at high speed and, like a meteor falling from the sky, dived downward in extreme acceleration with a rumbling roar.
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