On the outskirts of the Ancient Forest, Darren and his Felyne were each swinging a small iron pickaxe, huffing and puffing as they mined ore; whenever they dug up a slightly better piece of ore, the Felyne would let out a few excited meows.
Ever since a few days ago, when Noah watched him easily interrupt Great Jagras's attack with a counter Rising Slash, then chain into a Pursuit Cross Slash plus a True Charge—one smooth, flowing combo that subjugated Great Jagras with ease—Noah had directly tossed him an explored-area map of the Ancient Forest marked with various supply points, and then told their group to act freely.
So up to now, they had been mining for several days straight; it could be said that during these days after arriving in the New World, aside from returning to Astera at dusk to listen to reports from ordinary hunters tracking Zorah Magdaros's movements, they basically spent the rest of the time mining.
There was no helping it—after all, Darren's chosen weapon was the Greatsword; among hunter weapons, large weapons require some of the most ore and materials, yet the outpost's supply reserves were insufficient, so they hunters could only go gather the relevant materials themselves.
...
Inside Astera, the Commander wore a grave expression as he looked at the news relayed back from the Ancient Tree Hunters' Guild, then handed it to several people beside him, feeling somewhat unable to make up his mind.
According to the Guild's investigation and inferences drawn from the Radiant Fire Wyverns' recent behavior on the Ancient Tree, the chaos in the Ancient Forest—lasting for several years—had already reached its final stage, and Sunblaze Dragon had begun to consciously make its presence known, bringing harmony to the disorder in the Ancient Tree region.
And what they had originally thought was the disturbance caused by Zorah Magdaros entering the New World also turned out to be because Zorah Magdaros took a water route; since it did not cause large-scale unrest, it would not damage the Ancient Forest's existing ecology.
Lastly, word came from the Blazefire Village shrine that, because winter was about to begin, Sunblaze Dragon needed to maintain the temperate environment of the Ancient Tree region and could not leave the Ancient Tree for long periods of time.
Therefore, after considering multiple factors, the think tank's recommendation was to first find an opportunity to seek Sunblaze Dragon's opinion, and confirm whether the ecology had indeed reached the point where it needed to be stabilized.
And it was also time to launch an investigation into that "Dragon Graveyard" the Research Commission had been so fixated on—something that had slipped out of Logan's mouth—as well as its owner.
After all, speaking from a gut-level impression, the name "Dragon Graveyard" felt closely tied to the Elder Crossing; if Sunblaze Dragon hadn't said back then that the other party was closely tied to this ecological upheaval, and if the Research Commission at the time hadn't truly been able to muster enough combat power to conduct a related investigation, then with the Elder Crossing involved, they would never have dragged things out for this long.
Now, the arrival of the Fifth Fleet had filled the gap in combat strength; as long as they could confirm that this necessary ecological upheaval could already be brought to an end, then this was the best time to initiate an investigation into Nakarkos!!
"What do you all think?"
Because the Fifth Fleet members were basically all racing to gather materials for new equipment—and since the ore nodes near Astera had been heavily mined over the years in the course of constantly "repaying a debt," they had to go farther away, even to some places not yet explored, to gather minerals.
So among the people present, there was no representative from the Fifth Fleet.
"It really is a good opportunity, but Sunblaze Dragon also happens not to be leaving the Ancient Tree—and up to now, the Fifth Fleet is still only outfitted with the most basic leather armor sets and iron weapons. Can they break an Elder Dragon's defenses?"
The Second Fleet Master said in a low voice. The Fifth Fleet really were all elites; just judging from the recorded merits in their files, the recommended squads in particular were no worse than the Admiral and the Huntsman had been in their day. Not to mention Darren, who had been granted the title "White Wind of the New World" by the Guild before he had even set out—his record was even more terrifying, utterly that of a once-in-history hunter.
But even the cleverest cook can't make a meal without ingredients. There was no need to doubt the hunters' strength, yet leaving aside whether iron weapons could even penetrate the defense, with armor like that, how many hits could the hunters endure?
It was likely that a single breath attack from that Elder Dragon would kill hunters by the handful.
"In that case, let's carry out an elite decapitation plan: we'll have several recommended squads serve as the main force to subjugate Nakarkos, while the remaining hunters provide support and intercept any potential monster unrest on the perimeter, creating an absolutely safe combat environment for the recommended-squad hunters."
In the past few years, after learning that the defensive line on the mobile research base side had already been completed and that the Third Fleet Master would not be in mortal danger, the Analytics Director had gradually recovered his composure as well.
At present, the Admiral and the Field Master were using the mobile research base as their foothold, going deep into the Great Ravine to conduct ecological investigations; Wyverian hunters had also sensed disturbances in ley-line energy a year earlier and had ventured deep into the Wildspire Waste, where they had not been seen for a long time; the Huntsman was responsible for matters on Zorah Magdaros's side.
Therefore, this subjugation operation could only be placed on the Fifth Fleet.
"As for the equipment issue, if I remember correctly, the trade ship from the Old World will return in two days. The previous batch of stockpiled Ancient Tree accessories and New World specialties should bring in a considerable amount of revenue. We'll use that money to purchase Fire Wyvern materials and the ores required for related equipment from the Ancient Tree, and strive to assemble a batch of excellent equipment for the recommended-squad hunters in the shortest possible time."
Hearing the Analytics Director set his sights on that new influx of funds made the Commander feel a sharp pang of pain. This was no longer like before: trade between the New World and the Old World had formed a stable market, money now had real value—hunter quests cost money, maintaining Astera cost money, and trading with the Ancient Tree also cost money!
But as hunters, they could not simply ignore those who damaged the ecology.
"All right! It's decided then! Today we'll recall all recommended squads to confirm their physical data!"
Gritting his teeth, the Commander agreed to the proposal after thinking it over repeatedly.
...
In the blink of an eye, several days passed.
Darren and Mia sat with novelty on the backs of saddled Jagras. Lively Mia kept letting out cries of surprise, never imagining that the ferocious and cunning Jagras would serve as transportation in the New World!
Darren's expression was calm, but his eyes constantly scanned the surroundings, remaining alert in secret.
"No need to worry. This transport route has been stable for over ten years now. Both Astera and Blazefire Village regularly dispatch hunters for maintenance. Just relax a bit." Noah, riding on the back of another Jagras alongside them, noticed the unease among the recommended-squad members present and explained with a hearty laugh.
In order to complete the operation against Nakarkos as early as possible, the Research Commission decided to have the craftsmen from the Second Fleet travel ahead to the Ancient Tree. After completing the trade with Blazefire Village, they would carry out the forging of the relevant equipment at the Ancient Tree.
As for the remaining Fifth Fleet members, they did not receive such treatment. Led by veteran hunters from the Investigation Division, wearing leather armor and wielding iron weapons, they advanced in force toward the western side of the Ancient Tree, both to clarify the situation there and to clear the battlefield in advance.
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