Logan issued this order very smoothly, without the slightest sense of awkwardness, as if he were giving the command to his own subordinates rather than "outsourcing" it to the Research Commission.
In fact, as time flew by, the Ancient Tree research base and the quest counter had already been established here for nearly twenty years. Over such a long span of time, even the small children had already grown into adults.
Just like the Commander's grandson Noah, in their hearts the New World was the place where they had been born and raised, it was their home, whereas the distant Old World was merely the "hometown" that appeared only in the stories of their parents.
Some children who were born and raised in Blazefire Village, after following their parents to Astera, would introduce themselves as "I am so-and-so from Blazefire Village at the Ancient Tree." In this way, as the years passed, the Research Commission had, in a subtle and imperceptible manner, blended into the ecological civilization of the Ancient Tree, becoming one group among Logan's "subjects."
It was believed that after a few more decades, the relationship between the Ancient Tree research base and the Ancient Tree would become like that between the Hunter's Guild of the Old World and the kingdom it belonged to: the organization and the kingdom would have a cooperative relationship, while the vast majority of hunters within it would likewise be subjects of the kingdom, under the kingdom's rule.
Very soon, a new investigation quest appeared at the quest posting area in the lower right of the canteen.
It was just that in the lower left corner of this quest notice there was a simple line drawing of a Fire Wyvern; this mark was used to distinguish ordinary quests from Fire Wyvern quests.
Quests like this were often the most popular among the hunters of the Ancient Tree. Not only could they receive logistical support from the Grimalkynes during the quest, they would also be given a tool called the "Wyvern-Summoning Whistle," produced through multiple rounds of improvements based on the original Fire Wyvern rescue horn. It could be used during the quest to unconditionally obtain the help of the Ancient Tree Fire Wyverns nearby who heard the sound of the horn and rushed over.
Of course, how many Ancient Tree Fire Wyverns one could call over still depended entirely on luck, since it all came down to how many Ancient Tree Fire Wyverns nearby happened to hear it at the time.
According to the existing records, the time with the highest number so far was when a hunter party was being chased by several Zinogre. At that moment, there just happened to be a group of Ancient Tree Fire Wyverns hunting in a nearby hunting ground, and in one go they summoned more than thirty Ancient Tree Rathian and Rathalos.
Precisely because this tool exists, the Fire Wyvern quests at the Ancient Tree not only have a high safety factor, but with good luck one can even enjoy the treatment of having Ancient Tree Fire Wyverns assisting in battle. With conditions like that, how could hunters possibly not like such quests?
Thus, as the quest notice was posted, the originally harmonious scene outside the quest counter—where people nearby had been eating and drinking, talking about newly discovered interesting happenings or newly learned hunting techniques—instantly fell quiet.
Once the cat responsible for posting the notice left, any party that had a chronicler would have their chronicler immediately grab their notebook and rush over, while those that did not would send a hunter forward to take a look.
"The western side of the Ancient Tree region, huh? That's a bit far, what a pity."
This was the voice of a hunter party from the Fourth Fleet. At present, in the Ancient Forest, apart from the transport routes jointly maintained by the Research Commission and the Ancient Tree, the only area that has been opened up and thoroughly explored is the Ancient Tree region.
Other areas are still extremely dangerous zones for the Research Commission, and as for the hunters of the Fourth Fleet, aside from a very small number of people, the rest are only at the level where they can solo monsters like Great Jagras. So when the quest location appears in a dangerous area outside the explored region, the hunters of the Fourth Fleet will tacitly give up the quest and leave it to their seniors to handle.
"It really is a bit far, and it also involves a high-ecological-niche monster like Lagiacrus. Even with help from the Fire Wyverns, it's still a very dangerous job."
The danger rating of the quest was marked at seven stars; a quest of this level directly knocked out a large number of people.
In the end, after multiple rounds of discussion, it was finally accepted by a seasoned hunter party from the Second Fleet that had once participated in the Teostra capture operation.
And on the Ancient Tree's side, in order to show their support for this quest, they directly granted this party the authority to use the Wyvern-Summoning Whistle multiple times, so as to ensure the quest's success rate.
As the hunter party set out, each riding a Jagras, the Admiral—his hair already gray, yet his body still extremely robust—also led the transport team to the Ancient Tree.
Watching the Radiant Crystal Butterflies flying overhead along the way, the Admiral showed a smile as if he had returned home, greeting others as he went—he seemed even more like a local than the Grimalkynes in the transport team.
"Hm? This nest!!"
Passing by the central nest, the Admiral noticed that the nest, which had originally become dim after Logan moved away, now had torches lit inside once more, and there were even Grimalkynes dedicated to caring for Fire Wyverns moving about inside.
The Admiral understood very clearly what this nest meant to the Ancient Tree, so after a brief turn of thought, he had a guess.
He flipped down from the Aptonoth, patted the little head of the leading Grimalkyne to tell it to continue guiding the team toward the storage area, then took the shield from his back and entered the cave holding that shield up.
Along the way, the Admiral did not hide the sounds he made, and he soon drew the attention of the nest's new owner.
A sniff of the nose—after smelling that familiar scent, excitement washed over the soreness in the body.
Little Loren rose, lowered his body, and let out heavy snorts from his nostrils.
When he saw a giant shield made from Gold Rathian materials appear in his field of view, his pair of legs—far sturdier than those of an ordinary Rathalos—suddenly exerted force, launching straight into a high-speed "wyvern charge."
With a body length of ten meters, Little Loren resembled a small hill, holding nothing back. Along with a dull bang, his silver-white scales crashed into the golden shield, producing a screeching sound of metal scraping.
Little Loren's massive figure and the Admiral's "small" physique formed a striking contrast.
But this time, not only had the Admiral brought out his finest greatshield, he was also fully armed, wearing all his armor.
Armor gave hunters not only astonishing defensive power and those strange alchemical enhancements, but also functioned as the support frame required to wield hunter weapons of such enormous size.
Even without armor, the Admiral—now over sixty years old—could still, through pure physical strength, lift huge boulders and withstand the breath of a Rajang. Let alone now, when he was fully equipped, with both defensive capability and defensive strength maxed out.
After a brief clash, Little Loren was just about to properly settle old scores with this "bad guy" who had relied on brute strength to overpower him since he was young. But within less than two seconds, Little Loren was the first to falter—his feet slipped, and under his disbelieving gaze, he was forcibly pushed back by the Admiral.
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
---