"Its entire body, aside from the legs, is covered in mirror-like scales. The sunlight hitting it reflects directly off them..."
"...Visually estimated to have the skeletal structure of a winged, quadrupedal Flying Wyvern. But can wings of that sort actually achieve flight? They're a bit too small—about the size of the fins an Anjanath reveals only when enraged..."
"...The tail has changed as well. It isn't the Great Sword forged from ore that a normal Glavenus would use; instead, the blade is formed from its own scales. Hmm, a tail sharp enough to hack and slice. Furthermore, its attack patterns are no different from a Glavenus."
Constantly twisting the focus on his binoculars while muttering incessantly, Caly recorded his observations in a notebook.
"Oh? With that kind of observational skill, are you aiming to become a scholar, Caly?" The Commander leaned in and asked curiously.
"Uh, not exactly?" Caly scratched his head shyly. "It's just pure curiosity. I really like the feeling of exploring the unknown, but my grades were too poor to become a scholar."
"That is not a problem. You could be like Hara," the Huntsman consoled him. "At the very least, there were no issues with the monster characteristics you just summarized."
"Master Hara is indeed who I look up to," Caly nodded earnestly. "I want to be able to go out and explore alone like her, but with my current strength, I'm afraid I wouldn't make it back safely. Sigh."
"Don't be so downcast, Caly. Who knows what the future holds?" Patting Caly on the shoulder, the Commander spoke seriously. "You once practiced swordplay alongside that Glavenus in front of the Huntsman. So, based on your observations just now, do you think that is him?"
"I—let me think." Caly looked conflicted. "Its morphological structure, attack methods... That's right! When it attacked that Astalos earlier, it swung its tail to thrust or slash horizontally just like a Glavenus. Generally speaking, a monster's combat mode is based on its own structure and abilities, yet when this monster attacked, its wings and forelimbs didn't participate in the battle at all."
"Hmm, now that you mention it, I do recall," the Huntsman said thoughtfully. "When it was attacking the Astalos, there were a few times where its forelimbs actually hindered the fluidity of its movements."
"Yes, that is what I think," Caly said seriously. "Setting aside the scales and tail, this monster is like a Glavenus that has grown forelimbs and wings... I think it is him!! That is just my feeling!"
"Intuition?" The Commander didn't think Caly was speaking nonsense; instead, he pondered it with a serious expression. "Actually, I have the same feeling. After all, in my long time as a hunter, I've only ever seen one unique dragon like that—one that would actively seek out a hunter to learn swordplay. If it is him, I wouldn't be surprised at all by what's happening now."
As he spoke, the Commander glanced at the Grimalkynes working in full swing on the other side.
Busy Lynians and monsters... everything he had seen today was a bit beyond his imagination. The last time he had felt this way was when Asterion was apprenticing to learn arts, so it was inevitable that he would connect the two.
"I think so too," Caly nodded repeatedly. "But if it really is him, why would he turn into this form? According to common sense, evolution is supposed to be a gradual change over generations. If this is evolution, then this Glavenus's speed of evolution is far too fast."
Caly was practically scratching his scalp raw. The facts he observed conflicted violently with the knowledge he had learned in the past, and he didn't know which to trust.
"Calm down, Caly." Patting Caly's shoulder, the Commander spoke with deep meaning. "Perhaps that isn't a Glavenus."
The Commander inevitably recalled what they had said when they first met that peculiar Glavenus.
If a monster attacks like a Glavenus and has the habits of a Glavenus... is it still a Glavenus?
Especially when it doesn't look much like a Glavenus anymore.
"Not a Glavenus?" Caly froze for a moment. "Then it—"
"Meow, meow, meow, meow, meow!!!"
A sudden chorus of meowing interrupted Caly. Grimalkynes swarmed from all directions, surrounding the four hunters. They couldn't understand the 'meow-speak' of the New World's native Lynians. Facing the spears of the 'Boss Glavenus Guard,' they hurriedly took their hands off their weapons and raised them to show friendliness.
It wasn't that the hunters couldn't defeat the Grimalkynes, but they wouldn't start such a senseless conflict or hurt these close relatives of the Felynes.
That's right, the ones arresting the hunters were the Boss Glavenus Guard! And their leader was the Chieftain of the Glavenus Tribe, Sparky!
Still wearing that cool outfit, Sparky leaped up from behind a rock riding a Kestodon. The other Grimalkynes cleared a path for him.
"Calm down, meow! Don't attack, meow!!" As the Commander's Palico, the burly Felyne immediately meowed loudly. "We have no ill intentions, meow!!"
Lynians have their own language, different from human language. Therefore, after loudly appeasing his companions, the burly Felyne quickly began explaining to the Grimalkynes in Felyne tongue.
A jumble of chirps and meows ensued.
(For convenience, the cat dialogue is presented in its translated version)
"Who are you, meow! Why are you sneaking around here, meow!" Riding on the Kestodon, Sparky's voice was several notches louder.
"We—we are here to attend the banquet, meow!!" Stammering twice, the burly Felyne closed his eyes and shouted.
He actually didn't know what the Grimalkynes on the other side were busy with, but the aroma had drifted this far, so saying 'banquet' probably wasn't wrong.
"Banquet? What is that?" The word 'banquet' wasn't in the Grimalkyne dictionary. Sparky was blank for two seconds. "Are you here to participate in the Big Eater Festival, meow? But you don't look like a Grimalkyne, meow."
"Grimalkyne, meow?" The burly Felyne tilted his head, repeating the word.
"Hey, Dot, what are they saying?" The Commander whispered to his Palico.
"They call themselves Grimalkynes, meow, and they are celebrating a festival," Dot whispered back. However, at this distance, their conversation felt like a loud conspiracy, except Sparky couldn't understand human speech.
"Grimalkyne, meow?" The Commander paused. "Oh, oh, so they're called Grimalkynes, right? Celebrating a festival is—"
"What are you saying, meow! Are you thinking of hurting Boss Glavenus, meow!!" Sparky, unable to understand human speech, flew into a rage. He nearly poked his spear into the Commander's throat; fortunately, the Commander dodged quickly.
"Kill them, meow!! No one is allowed to ruin Boss Glavenus's festival, meow!!"
"That's right! Kill them, meow! Sneaking around here... they definitely aren't good cats, meow!!"
The surrounding Grimalkynes became agitated and aggressive; they would absolutely not allow any element that might ruin the Big Eater Festival to exist.
"Calm down, meow!!" Dot was so nervous his voice cracked. He was genuinely afraid these New World Lynian kin would thrust their spears—er, not afraid of getting hurt himself, but afraid the Lynian kin would get hurt.
Once they made enemies of these native Lynians, the hunters' future exploration and investigation activities in the Wildspire Waste would inevitably be disrupted... Moreover, given the Guild's style of conduct, rashly fighting with other intelligent lifeforms would only result in punishment.
"We aren't here to ruin the festival, meow!! We are here to participate in the festival, meow!!"
Finally, Dot's earth-shattering shout stopped the Grimalkynes from taking further action. The scene went momentarily quiet.
"I am also a chef, meow!" Quickly fabricating a reason in his head, Dot thought of the busy Grimalkyne chefs in the distance and hurriedly added, "I have dishes I'm good at too, meow! Please let me try, meow! I came here just to cook, meow!!"
"I love cooking the most, meow!!"
Dot's shout was said with absolute certainty, deafeningly loud—that willpower, that sentiment pierced through the hearts of the Grimalkynes.
They felt it. They felt that this kin with a similar appearance was telling the truth.
Connected to the Lynian Pure Heart.
Dot's quick wit happened to hit the point the Grimalkynes cared about most. As the saying goes, subordinates emulate their superiors; Asterion loved to eat and had standards for the deliciousness of his food. Therefore, in the Glavenus Tribe that relied on him, the status of a chef was second only to the Old Shaman, the Boss Glavenus Guard, and the Chieftain.
Any cat with ideals in the new era must become a chef, meow! —This was the current mainstream ideology of the Glavenus Tribe.
"Really, meow?" Retracting his spear, Sparky eyed Dot suspiciously. "You can really cook a good meal, meow?"
"Of course, meow! A meow doesn't lie to a meow!!" Dot stood up straight, his burly muscles tense and hard. This was the first time he had been this nervous since the test to become a Palico.
Or should it be called... a sense of duty?
"A chef, meow... Hmm," Sparky pondered. "In that case, we'll take you there, meow! Let us see your skills, meow. If it's not good—"
"Then offer them to Boss Glavenus, meow!!"
The surrounding Grimalkynes shouted in unison.
Dot instantly felt massive pressure.
Pointing spears at the hunters, the Boss Glavenus Guard began escorting them to the open-air kitchen. If they couldn't produce a table of good food, aside from the kin who looked similar to them, the other monsters would be made into a table of good food and offered to Boss Glavenus...
...At least, that was the Grimalkynes' plan.
Uh, in the eyes of the Grimalkynes, 'Ape-like Wyverns' were actually no different from monsters.
Boss Glavenus's power gave them infinite confidence.
On the way to the open-air kitchen, Dot took the opportunity to translate the current situation to the other hunters. Unsurprisingly, he received various distorted facial expressions in return.
"Big Eater Festival?"
"These Lynians called Grimalkynes are celebrating a festival? Selecting the strongest chef?"
"If you can't make delicious food, Dot, they're going to feed us to that monster?"
"..."
Chiming in one after another, including the Commander, the four hunters never expected things to develop this way.
"In other words, we now have to make a table of good food and then offer it to that monster?" The Huntsman summarized.
"It's quite interesting! Ahahaha," the Commander laughed loudly, showing no signs of nervousness.
"This isn't the time for jokes, Commander!" Caly's face turned green. "Shouldn't we find a chance to escape early?"
He didn't need binoculars; Caly could already see the dense crowd of black fur balls not far away. The thought of entering a crowd of cats made a chill run down his spine.
"Why run away?" The Commander waved his hands repeatedly. "Hey, Caly, look at those busy Lynians ahead, then think about yourself."
"...Think about what?" Caly swallowed his saliva.
"Everything we're experiencing today may have never happened before and may never happen again," the Commander said leisurely. "If you run away today, fifty years from now, will you regret that you didn't try cooking a meal for a monster back then?"
Caly... his heart pounded.
Truth be told, this was definitely a novel adventure that most humans would never experience in their lifetime.
"Maybe we'll even be elected the Strongest Chef, meow," Dot joked, patting Caly's thigh. "According to those Grimalkynes, meow, when the Big Eater Festival ends, Boss Glavenus will choose—wait?!!"
The fur all over Dot's body stood on end. He discovered a blind spot.
"Boss Glavenus?!!" Dot cried out in astonishment. "Those Grimalkynes call that monster Boss Glavenus, meow??!!"
That unknown monster was actually a Glavenus?!
And most importantly, the name 'Glavenus' was coined by scholars of the Wycademy based on the cutting attack methods of a type of Brute Wyvern, originating from the Old World—why would Lynians living thousands of miles away in the New World use the same name to address it?!
Upon realizing this issue, even the cheerful and optimistic Commander stopped laughing, his face turning solemn.
"...Pull yourselves together, don't worry about so much for now." After walking a distance, the Commander's voice woke the group from their wild thoughts. He said seriously, "If you want to know the answer, just go ask directly. If we get first place, won't we get summoned by Boss Glavenus?"
"You mean—" The Huntsman already understood the Commander's plan.
"That's right!" Swinging his arm vigorously, the Commander stated firmly, "We are going to defeat the other Grimalkyne chefs and become the Strongest Chef, meow! Uh, that's the name, right?"
At the end of his sentence, he looked at Dot.
"That's right, meow," Dot affirmed. "Those Grimalkynes said it clearly, meow. According to last year's proceedings, the winning chef will receive a reward from Boss Glavenus, meow."
"Then we just need to win," the Commander said with a smile. "We're counting on you, Dot!"
"Me, meow?!!" Dot's muscle-bound feline face twisted momentarily. "I'm a Palico, meow!"
"But you are the most excellent Palico, Dot!" The Commander did not stint on his praise for his partner. "You passed the assessments in every aspect with first place, especially the cooking part. To pass the exam, you even specifically took Granny Cat as your master!"
"That was after I became your partner, meow!" Dot was even more nervous now. "I joined the Commission with you before I learned much from Master, meow!"
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