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"Kwa-ga?" (Speaking?)
The Kulu-Ya-Ku tilted his bird head to the side, completely failing to understand what Asterion was saying.
This dopey appearance made Asterion sigh involuntarily. Looking at this bird-brain, he probably didn't even understand what was going on himself.
Is it because he lived with me for years that he became smarter?
After all, most monsters are solitary creatures. Under normal circumstances, even if they wanted to communicate, they wouldn't have anyone to talk to. Usually, the moment they meet, their mouths do the talking... In a way, it's a bit like a person who has lived alone for years forgetting how to speak.
"Hoo-hoo?" (How did you recognize me?)
Asterion was more concerned about this point. He was so moved he almost leaked 500 Research Points. He could understand the Grimalkynes not recognizing him, but the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother had rushed to his side without a moment's hesitation.
It's rare to have a true brother!
(Cub!) "Kwa-ga!!" (Recognize? What recognize? You've grown up!)
Uh, smart, but not entirely smart. The Kulu-Ya-Ku's bird language was somewhat chaotic, but after a burst of gibberish, Asterion roughly understood what his brother meant.
After this major evolution, the internal structure and organs of Asterion's head, neck, and body hadn't actually changed much. This meant his roar was the same as before. It was precisely because he heard that familiar roar that the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother had rushed out of the nest.
The sound, the scent, the posture—even if the monster at the entrance looked vastly different from the cub in his memories, to the Kulu-Ya-Ku, this was simply his cub having grown up.
He didn't care how he grew, as long as he was still the cub.
"ROAR!!" (Don't call me cub!)
Asterion roared grumpily. It wasn't until today that he realized how the Kulu-Ya-Ku actually viewed him... Damn it, I treat you as a brother, and you treat me as a son?
Hmm, actually, that doesn't seem to be a problem?
Why does the brotherhood feel even more genuine now?
Finally possessing forelimbs capable of embracing the Kulu-Ya-Ku, Asterion carefully placed his left claw on his brother's back, giving him a sort of hug—he didn't dare use force, fearing he might crush him. The Kulu-Ya-Ku, meanwhile, chattered incessantly, complaining that Asterion had been gone for so long without coming back.
The atmosphere suddenly became harmonious. The vast majority of the Grimalkynes couldn't understand the wyvern language, but they could see the harmonious relationship between Asterion and the Kulu-Ya-Ku.
"Why is the Egg-Stealing Meow so close to the big monster meow?"
One Grimalkyne widened his eyes in disbelief. For some reason, they now referred to the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother as the "Egg-Stealing Meow"—it sounded a bit like he was now one of their feline brethren.
"So strange meow! The big monster didn't attack the Egg-Stealing Meow!!"
"What happened meow? What do we do now meow?"
"..."
A chorus of meows filled the air.
However, since this invading monster hadn't attacked and appeared friendly, the Grimalkynes didn't dare initiate an attack either.
"Alright meow! Everyone calm down meow!"
An aged voice suppressed the Grimalkynes' chatter. Asterion remembered this old cat; he was the former leader who had already stepped down—uh, why did he look like this now?
If Sparky, the new leader, was dressed like a "cool cat," then this old leader was dressed like a mystic shaman.
He was wearing a suit of armor crafted from monster shells. Asterion recognized at a glance that those shells were the ones he had shed previously; he hadn't expected the Grimalkynes to collect them.
The old leader also wore a gigantic hat woven from some kind of vine plant. The hat itself wasn't unusual, but sticking up from the top was a long, vertical shard—it seemed they had whittled a piece of Asterion's shell into the shape of a blade and inserted it there.
It looked a bit like a Roman helmet, and also a bit like Ultraseven's Eye Slugger.
The shape of this blade was identical to the shape of Asterion's sword-tail before his evolution.
In addition to that, the old leader had many glittering pendants hanging from his chest—whether they were ore or something else was unclear—and he wore a cape on his back.
Asterion was stunned. The old leader's feline face was painted with white pigment, making the whole cat look like he was ready to perform a ritual dance at any moment.
"I understand now meow! This is Boss Glavenus meow!!"
The old leader announced loudly, his words causing a stir and a flurry of discussion among the Grimalkynes.
"Quiet meow!" The old leader shouted again. "Can't you see meow? The Egg-Stealing Meow has already proved it meow! He is Boss Glavenus meow! Hurry down and welcome Boss Glavenus meow!!"
It had to be said that the Kulu-Ya-Ku's actions were truly persuasive. At the old leader's call, the Grimalkynes crawled out from their hiding crevices one by one and gathered around Asterion.
"Boss Glavenus meow!"
"Is it really you, Boss Glavenus meow!!"
"This is great! Boss Glavenus is back meow!! We're safe again meow!!"
"..."
Surrounded by a crowd of Grimalkynes, Asterion returned to his nest—the process was actually quite difficult, as he had to be careful not to step on the cats around him.
His careful movements only elicited thunderous cheers from the Grimalkynes. Only Boss Glavenus would pay attention to such details, so this was Boss Glavenus!!
Boss Glavenus had become stronger again!!
For the Grimalkyne tribe that relied on Asterion, this was absolutely good news.
Curling up in a corner of the nest, Asterion listened seriously as the old leader reported what had happened in the tribe during his absence.
Specifically, regarding the old leader's current transformation and why he was dressed this way—it was because the Grimalkynes had subdivided their roles.
As a "young" old cat, the retired leader had returned to duty, but this time he had become the tribe's Shaman. He didn't participate in the daily management of the tribe; he was only responsible to Boss Glavenus, transmitting the Boss's orders, and teaching the ancestral wisdom to the young Grimalkynes.
For example, the knowledge of dragons passed down through generations, precautions for operating in the wasteland, stories of Grimalkyne heroes who sacrificed themselves to protect the tribe, and so on. He also had to conduct rituals during tribal festivals...
In addition, the Grimalkyne tribe had established a "Boss Glavenus Guard." Even if the Boss didn't need their protection, it was about the attitude—basically, these were the members of the former hunting team. During the time the Boss was away from the nest, it was the Guard that shouldered the responsibility of hunting food for the tribe.
Hmm, the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother had also helped a lot during this process. He was truly good at stealing eggs, so much so that he earned the laudatory title of "Egg-Stealing Meow" among the Grimalkynes.
If the emotion the Grimalkynes held for Asterion was awe, then their emotion for the Kulu-Ya-Ku was relaxation; they had already become good friends.
To be honest, Asterion felt a bit ashamed as the Old Shaman recounted the tribe's changes, though his dragon face didn't show it.
After all, these Grimalkynes had enjoyed less than half a year of peace after pledging allegiance to him before he left. And he had left abruptly, without making any arrangements for the tribe.
Asterion couldn't give up his evolution just to look after the Grimalkynes who were loyal to him. When he set out, he didn't even take the Kulu-Ya-Ku, which made the bird sad for a long time... It had taken quite a bit of effort to persuade the bird not to follow him back then.
The result was that during the year or so he was gone, these Grimalkynes had returned to their old life of risking death to hunt. Yet, even so, they remained loyal to Asterion and didn't run away just because he had left.
Tears. What simple, kind cats.
"Actually, it was okay meow. We had the shells you left behind, Boss meow!" The Old Shaman stroked his whiskers and said, "Although you weren't here, Boss, the monsters nearby didn't know that meow. When we went hunting, as long as we carried your shells, having your scent meant nothing bad would happen meow."
"ROAR?" (No dragons broke into my territory?)
Asterion found that strange. After all, a year and a half was quite a long time. The monsters living in the Wildspire Waste weren't static NPCs; they would constantly try to encroach on other monsters' territories.
"There were meow! Of course there were meow!" The Old Shaman looked angry, thumping his cane emphatically. "To make them afraid, we specially ground the shells you shed into powder and scattered your scent everywhere meow!"
"ROAR?" (Was it effective?)
"At the very beginning, it was meow. But since you never appeared, Boss, they got bolder and bolder meow." The Old Shaman sighed deeply. "So the area where we could move safely got smaller and smaller. We couldn't even go to distant places to collect spices for you, Boss meow."
"ROAR!!" (It is fine. I have returned.)
"Yes! You're back, Boss meow!" The Old Shaman looked relieved. "That's great meow!"
Asterion had already sentenced those dragons who dared to occupy his territory to death in his heart. Tomorrow, he would set out on patrol. If he saw one, he'd kick it to death.
"By the way meow!" The Old Shaman suddenly jumped up. "The holiday is coming very soon meow! Everyone has worked hard for a whole year. This time, we must decide who is the strongest Chef Meow in front of you, Boss!!"
"ROAR?" (What?)
Asterion was stunned.
"The Strongest Chef Meow! Boss Festival meow!!"
The Old Shaman shouted excitedly, yelling out a term Asterion couldn't comprehend.
What the hell is Boss Festival?
The structure of the Grimalkyne tribe had changed because of Asterion's existence, and new festivals had emerged accordingly—specifically, to commemorate Boss Glavenus accepting the Grimalkyne tribe, allowing them to no longer die for food and safety.
Boss Festival.
Uh, considering they were still in a primitive tribal stage, the Grimalkynes' cultural level wasn't very high. Having the consciousness to record past history and knowledge was already pretty good.
Asterion didn't understand how the Grimalkynes calculated their calendar, but he absolutely would not allow a weird name like "Boss Festival" to appear every year.
What if he evolved into a Forbidden Species in the future? Along the way, not only the Grimalkyne tribe but other intelligent monsters might pledge allegiance to him. A bumpkin name like "Boss Festival" would be too embarrassing for a Forbidden Species. It had to be changed.
After thinking it over, Asterion ordained a festival that best suited him and would sound like pure happiness to his followers the moment they heard it—The Gluttony Festival.
Just eating. That's it.
Chefs would compete during the festival, showing off their skills to make the best dishes to please Asterion, thereby celebrating the tribe receiving Asterion's protection and living a wonderful life.
And they were indeed living a wonderful life. The day after Asterion returned, he went out to clear away the monsters that dared to occupy his territory. He was going to turn all these audacious fellows into meat.
The Grimalkyne tribe originally wanted to celebrate the Gluttony Festival inside Asterion's nest like last year. However, as Asterion stabbed more and more dragons to death, and more and more dragon corpses were dragged back to the nest, the celebration location was eventually moved to the surface.
Right outside the underground passage, on a relatively flat stretch of rock.
Anjanath, Rathian, Barroth, Diablos, Nibelsnarf, Jyuratodus... It was obvious that what Asterion hunted wasn't just monsters encroaching on his territory—at first, he simply had the mindset of killing ignorant monsters, but later, the goal shifted to preparing a more complete variety of ingredients.
As the saying goes, even a clever housewife cannot cook without rice. The meat of every dragon had its own unique flavor; only with rich ingredients could the Grimalkynes truly showcase their skills.
Indeed, the corpses of the monsters had already piled up into a small hill. On the first day, the Grimalkynes were happily singing songs while processing the corpses, preparing to celebrate the festival properly. This was absolutely the wealthiest festival they had experienced since birth.
But by the second day, the third day... every day or two, more hacked-to-death dragons were piled onto the previous corpses. By the fourteenth day, the Grimalkynes couldn't smile anymore—What do we do? There are too many corpses to process.
After obtaining Asterion's consent, the Grimalkynes sent messengers on "fast-cats" to contact the Wasteland Protector tribes living in various corners of the Wildspire Waste, asking them to send cats to help process the corpses and cook, showcasing their own tribe's culinary arts.
As payment, the assisting Grimalkynes could take all the remaining meat... There was too much to monopolize; if they didn't eat and process it quickly, it would rot.
For these tribes that could only rely on Palico hunting teams to obtain food, the news sent by the Glavenus tribe Grimalkynes was almost too good to be true.
They also sent messengers to investigate the situation. After confirming that what their kin said was true, these furry little guys turned out in full force, all gathering here to process the monster corpses.
From ancient times to the present, the Wildspire Waste was perhaps experiencing such liveliness for the first time because of something like this.
If a dragon were to fly overhead, they would see a large number of black and white fur balls moving around on the wasteland beside the small hill, looking like mold spots growing on the earth.
Undoubtedly, the abnormal gathering of so many Grimalkyne tribes inevitably attracted the curiosity of the Hunters who were mining and building a base in the Wildspire Waste... Well, to be honest, the anomaly the Hunters noticed first was actually that an unknown monster was mass-hunting other monsters.
After all, Asterion's nest was at the southernmost end of the Wildspire Waste, and the base the Hunters were constructing was also in the southern sector. The Hunters' range of activity was essentially completely covered by Asterion's range of activity.
Just like the Grimalkynes of the Glavenus tribe, the Hunters didn't recognize Asterion either. In their understanding, that intelligent Glavenus had disappeared a long time ago.
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