Sworn brotherhood by blood!
Well, perhaps it should be called "Sworn Brothers by Blood"? This was a brand-new ritual Asterion had customized by combining various scenes of sworn brotherhood from his memories. In particular, the step of mixing the blood of the three Wyverns together before drinking it gave the Bazelgeuse and the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers—local Wyverns of this world—a mysterious sense of awe.
—Don't understand it, but it seems really impressive.
That was roughly their mindset.
The scalding blood wine was swallowed down their throats. Note that "scalding" here is no exaggeration. The Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers aside, the blood flowing from Asterion and the Bazelgeuse was truly no different from boiling water—the kind that would burn a Grimalkyne upon mere contact.
It certainly scalded the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers quite badly, but they managed to gulp it down in the end.
"Roar!" (Second Brother!)
"Roar-ang!" (Big Brother!)
"Gu-ga!" (Two Brothers!)
"Roar!" (Third Brother!!)
And so, after a heartfelt exchange of calls, Asterion gained a Wyvern brother and a Wyvern duo as younger siblings... honestly, it was quite comical. After all, given the ideology and culture of Wyvern society, they didn't actually know the specific significance of these titles. They only knew that by doing this, they would eat meat together, fight together, and die together in the future.
In a sense, that was enough.
Asterion had intended to give the Bazelgeuse and the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers new names, so everyone could share the "Star" (Aster) lineage, but these fellows rejected the idea. The Bazelgeuse was very fond of the name "Bazelgeuse," and the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers had grown used to what Asterion had always called them, so they had no intention of changing.
Even when Asterion explained that these titles were actually the names of their species, it was useless. In the hearts of the Bazelgeuse and the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers, that was their name. As for other Bazelgeuse or Kulu-Ya-Ku... those were just meat.
Perhaps they still weren't smart enough?
Just like how the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers used to be—unable to even speak clearly, let alone think deeply.
Curiously sizing up his two brothers, Asterion was indeed serious. At the very least, from today on, he would never again do something like leaving the Bazelgeuse behind to take the heat while he ran away alone.
More importantly, these two brothers had drunk his blood. If his previous speculations were correct, then new changes would definitely appear in the bodies of the Bazelgeuse and the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers in the future.
He would wait and see.
The addition of a "Second in Command" did not expand the territory of Asterion's underground kingdom. The Bazelgeuse did not like burrowing underground, so Asterion didn't need to dig a specialized nest for him.
Gaining two brothers didn't change the Bazelgeuse's habits. He still patrolled everywhere, though for now, he locked his range to the southern end of the Wildspire Waste and no longer ventured to distant places—Asterion had described the wonders of the Ancient Forest to him. Hearing that the creatures there were numerous and strong, the Bazelgeuse trembled with excitement from head to tail.
The excavation of the path to the Ancient Forest resumed. Since work had stopped for so long, a group of small monsters had actually moved into the tunnel Asterion dug previously. They were promptly subjected to a forced eviction—dragons, nest, and all—by Asterion.
Construction zone! No sleeping on the site!
In the intervals of his busy and compact life of "mixing concrete," Asterion would listen to the Bazelgeuse tell stories of his past: where he came from, what monsters he had encountered, and where there were strong guys worth eating.
"Roar?" (So you were born in the Elder's Recess?)
"Roar-ang?" (Elder's Recess?)
"Roar roar." (That place where glowing blue-white crystals are everywhere.)
Asterion was a little envious. He felt that if he had been born in the Elder's Recess, he probably could have ascended to godhood long ago just by gnawing on energy crystals—er, though considering the monster strength in the Elder's Recess, he might have been kicked to death before ascending.
Viewed from that angle, the Dodogama that managed to survive and multiply in the Elder's Recess were probably not to be trifled with either.
"Roar-ang roar-ang." (Everyone is there, but I can't go back.)
When speaking of this, the Bazelgeuse's mood was somewhat low. However, given that his speech was a bit stream-of-consciousness, Asterion had to ask carefully to understand the situation.
The main activity site for New World Bazelgeuse was in the Elder's Recess, and their nests were at the highest point of the region. That place could be considered the highest peak of the entire New World, as the Elder's Recess itself was a highland surrounded by towering mountains.
The body structure of a Bazelgeuse was not suitable for long-distance upward flight; they were better suited for gliding. While flying, they hardly flapped their wings, much like albatrosses or other seabirds, resulting in rather poor maneuverability for climbing.
Because of this, Bazelgeuse that glided out of the Elder's Recess basically had no possibility of returning. Unlike normal Flying Wyverns, they couldn't flexibly and continuously flap their wings to climb to high altitudes. Once they left, they could only struggle to establish themselves in the outside world.
Fortunately, the Bazelgeuse species was tough enough to survive well even away from home.
Honestly, extracting this intelligence from the Bazelgeuse, whose expressive ability was currently limited, took quite a bit of effort from Asterion. It made his subsequent mountain-gnawing work feel physically easier by comparison.
Time trickled away like this. For Wyverns whose lifespans started at centuries, the perception of time was vague. They might sleep for a few days at a time, or get so busy they forgot the time entirely.
Asterion only remembered that during the few times he returned to the nest, he found the Grimalkynes of the Glavenus Tribe appearing to imitate his earlier behavior by swearing brotherhood. They formed teams of three, constantly meowing "Big Brother" and "Second Brother" to each other. It was incredibly comical.
Aside from that, the Grimalkynes' activity structure seemed to have shifted to three-cat squads. Between the "Meow Brothers," there was now a sense of family operation.
Was this the legendary "subordinates following the example of their superiors"? After a sigh of emotion, Asterion didn't mind this change in the Grimalkyne tribe; he only needed to observe.
The little kittens from back then had grown up and were training their attack and gathering abilities under the supervision of their fathers. The Grimalkyne tribe's "meow-pulation" seemed to have ushered in a wave of expansion. The newest generation of adult Grimalkynes could stick out their chests and proudly declare that they grew up right under the eyelids of Boss Glavenus.
Their worship and reverence for Asterion far exceeded that of the older Grimalkynes. If the older Grimalkynes remembered that the tribe pledged loyalty to Boss Glavenus in exchange for a safe life and stable food, then in the eyes of the new generation of Grimalkyne youth, the existence of Boss Glavenus and the tribe's loyalty to him were as natural as sunlight, rain, dew, wind, fire, and lightning—it was simply part of the world.
Asterion was quite happy to see this change. As long as a powerful lifeform existed, it would influence everything around it. This was a good change.
He finally broke through the path from the Wildspire Waste to the Ancient Forest. This meant it was time for the Glavenus Tribe to branch out.
Those willing to follow him to the Ancient Forest would come along; those unwilling would stay to guard the home. It was entirely voluntary.
However, before the relocation began, Asterion had to find a reliable foothold first.
Finally arrived—The Ancient Forest!!
In his previous life, Asterion's impression of the Ancient Forest and the Wildspire Waste was just the "newbie zone" or that bizarre nightmare of "Rainy Night, One Faint, Five-Purple-Reward Tempered Kushala Daora." But after living a life in this world personally, he was full of respect for the Ancient Forest.
Yes, respect.
It had been mentioned many times before: the reason the Wildspire Waste appeared as a barren rocky land with ruptured strata protruding from the surface—mostly Gobi desert—was that the bio-energy of the leylines in the entire Wildspire Waste was obstructed.
This meant fewer monster species, less bio-energy, and lower monster intensity—yet even so, Asterion had enjoyed ample bio-energy bonuses during his growth there.
Because of this, considering that a countryside place like the Wildspire Waste had such shocking monster strength, every time Asterion lay in his nest fantasizing about the Ancient Forest, he unconsciously raised his expectations of everything there to a massive degree.
This wasn't wild imagination, but speculation based on scientific grounds. After all, the real world was completely different from the game. Limited by production capacity and console hardware, Capcom could cut the Lagiacrus that should have appeared in the New World, but the real world had no such logic.
As long as an area suited a monster's preferences and was suitable for habitation, that monster was very likely to appear. Everyone had legs and wings; over hundreds or thousands of years, they would migrate there themselves.
As for Tempered Monsters, Arch-Tempered Monsters, Subspecies, Deviants, and so on, there was no need to say more. In the New World, where bio-energy was extremely abundant, Asterion wouldn't be surprised if he went out one day and bumped into a Zenith species. He was fully mentally prepared.
The mundane and gradual progression of monster strength in the game was to cater to the player experience. That was normal. But the real New World, under the effect of bio-energy, could not be mundane. Monsters clustering together was an inevitable result.
The bio-energy concentration in the Ancient Forest area was likely second only to the Elder's Recess. The evidence lay in those ancient trees that had been growing for who knows how long, their very existence no different from mountain ranges.
As far as the eye could see—er, well, Asterion actually couldn't see far at all. Tree after tree, massive and tall, along with their branches and leaves, blocked the view ahead tightly. Unless one flew into the sky, it was impossible to see the distant scenery as one could in the Wildspire Waste.
However, Asterion guessed that there would be no shortage of giant trees ancient enough for large monsters like Anjanath to run across or have a big fight on. Various Flying Wyverns would make their homes at the tops.
The middle layers and the space near the ground were also sufficient for various monsters to inhabit, and even the underground root sections were no exception.
Thick, tall, and overflowing with abundant vitality. Even the plants in the Wildspire Waste could manage five harvests a year when not lacking water; the plants in the Ancient Forest were even more exaggerated. More than ten harvests a year was not a dream.
These fast-growing, flowering, and fruiting plants supported life in the entire Ancient Forest region. Small animals or herbivorous Wyverns grew and multiplied by devouring these seemingly inexhaustible plants; their numbers were immense.
Large monsters, in turn, survived by eating these small monsters. From the bottom of the food chain to the top, a state of opulence was presented. As long as one wasn't killed, life would not be naturally eliminated due to a lack of food.
The air in the Ancient Forest was humid. The moisture content was high, and lingering in the air was the fresh scent of plants and the unique smell of wood. What was that phrase again?
Right, a "natural oxygen bar."
But unlike those places that claimed to be natural oxygen bars just because they grew a few trees, taking a breath here made Asterion distinctly feel a sensation of his lungs being washed—he didn't know if it was an illusion.
The air in the Ancient Forest was truly sweet.
But to be honest, Asterion's body didn't actually like this environment. It was too humid, not dry enough, and not hot enough.
However, none of these were problems; he could adapt—within less than half a day of drilling out of the tunnel, Asterion had already hacked a Pukei-Pukei and a Banbaro to death.
Endless food! Simply endless!!
Compared to the food scarcity of the Wildspire Waste, the Ancient Forest was like a granary filled with rice, and Asterion was the rat that had fallen into it.
Asterion's joy at this moment was no less than the mood of the Deviljho that would step into the Ancient Forest in the future.
It was too free!
I am the first dragon in the entire New World to do this. No matter who argues, it's useless. The shared home I'm building—free to eat, free to live—is located right here in the Ancient Forest of the New World.
What is a shared home? It is a small world built by Elder Dragons expelling bio-energy right here in the Ancient Forest behind me—primitive, wild, rich in species, and teeming with life. Everyone hunts together, sleeps together, opens their mouths wide to eat meat, and stretches their legs to run. All the fruits of labor are contributed by the dragons together.
Greatness!
Unwilling to wait a moment longer, Asterion gave instructions to the "Boss Glavenus Guard" that had followed him up from the tunnel, telling them to wait on the Wildspire Waste side. Once the Bazelgeuse poked his head out, they were to pass the message for him and the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers to come over together. Then, Asterion continued to explore deeper into the forest.
He picked a random direction; there was no specific destination.
What he wanted was this surprise of opening a blind box. As for the corpses of the killed Pukei-Pukei and Banbaro, they were casually discarded in a clearing in the woods. The current Asterion no longer cared about wasting food—what he didn't eat, plenty of other dragons would! The last thing the Ancient Forest lacked was dragons!
Sigh, dragons... once they get powerful, they go bad.
Similar to the situation in the Wildspire Waste, the area explored by the Fifth Fleet in the game was actually only a small part of the Ancient Forest. Map size was limited, after all. Before the arrival of the Fifth Fleet, the area hunters set foot in was only near the coast; they hadn't even managed to penetrate deep into the forest.
Asterion was somewhat curious about how many monsters that didn't exist in the game he could discover in the depths of this unexplored primeval forest. Perhaps he could even find some unknown landform, distinct from the forest, wasteland, coral highlands, or crystal recesses he knew.
In that brand-new environment, what kind of unknown creatures lived there?
That was an unknown matter that even he, who had played the game, was unclear about—Asterion suddenly understood the excitement scholars felt when discovering the unknown.
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