Hmm... to call it a city might be a bit of an exaggeration?
But compared to their previous life in the Wildspire Waste, the Glavenus Tribe no longer built their homes out of stone. Instead, they had utilized the massive quantity of readily available timber to construct individual little homes for every Grimalkyne.
These weren't limited to the walkable trunks; the layout was quite three-dimensional. Some huts were even suspended directly from the trees by thick vines, arranged in a scattered yet orderly fashion. Occasionally, one could see agile Grimalkynes darting through the shadowy interplay of branches and vines.
Unlike the Grimalkyne warriors who specialized in combat, or the chubby, pot-shaped Grimalkynes who had increased in number, the ordinary Grimalkynes had mostly transitioned into members of the gathering corps. Their standard equipment was a woven vine basket carried on their backs to hold gathered materials.
In addition to this, they carried a weapon that resembled a hand crossbow. According to the Old Shaman, these were gifts presented by the "Simian Beasts" during their visits over the last two years.
All one had to do was pull the trigger to fire a stone attached to a rope, which would wrap around the branches overhead. The Grimalkynes could then swing on the rope to reach places that were normally inaccessible.
It was very convenient. Asterion recognized it at a glance as the handiwork of the Second Fleet's engineers.
Among the essential equipment for the Research Commission, the Commander of the First Fleet had discovered Scoutflies and mastered their usage, allowing Hunters to begin a life of tracking scents and footprints. The engineers of the Second Fleet, meanwhile, had developed the prototype Slinger, making the Hunters' hunting and gathering activities much more convenient.
Even hitching a ride on a Wingdrake had become simpler. There was no need to tie a long rope to the Wingdrake's claws in advance or run and jump to grab a rope mid-flight; now, they could just fire the Slinger.
The gift given to the Grimalkynes was a Slinger miniaturized to suit their body size and strength. It could fire stones to attack small monsters and also facilitate the Grimalkynes' movement between tree branches—the structure was simple, relying on treated wyvern sinew for tension, so the Grimalkynes could even replicate it themselves.
While chewing on the heavily seasoned roast meat delivered by the Grimalkynes, Asterion pondered the Hunters' actions. Were they trying to build good relations with the Glavenus Tribe?
Judging by the looks on the Old Shaman and Sparky's faces, they were quite satisfied with the help provided by the "Simian Beasts"—the humans.
With the simple and honest nature of Lynians, they naturally wouldn't take advantage of others without giving back. The Glavenus Tribe had provided corresponding assistance to the Hunters.
Because the entire giant tree was Asterion's territory, the Glavenus Tribe didn't dare make decisions on their own. Therefore, they only allowed the Hunters to find a safe zone not far from the giant tree to build a camp, giving the Hunters and scholars responsible for exploring and investigating the Ancient Forest a place to rest.
The Glavenus Tribe was also responsible for various supplies for this safe camp, allowing the Hunters far from Astera to focus on their work. In fact, there was currently a squad of Hunters protecting scholars living in that safe camp. According to the Old Shaman, new "Simian Beasts" would come to rotate shifts every so often, but there were always some present.
In other words, now that he had opened up a passage, the Research Commission's scope of investigation was no longer limited to the Wildspire Waste and the edges of the Ancient Forest until the arrival of the Fifth Fleet, as it was in the game?
Interesting.
The scholars of the Research Commission didn't just study large monsters; the environmental characteristics of a region, plants, and animals—regardless of size—were all within their scope of research, especially in a place as biologically diverse as the Ancient Forest.
There were no dangerous large monsters in Asterion's territory, making it an ideal research environment.
He didn't feel much about it. Asterion now had the confidence to turn a blind eye to the Hunters' activities. As his own power gradually increased, his past worries now seemed somewhat laughable.
At this rate of growth, by the time humanity rediscovered some "black technology" capable of slaughtering Elder Dragons, Asterion might have already become a Forbidden Species, capable of easily destroying human kingdoms just like Fatalis.
It was foreseeable that as Asterion gradually mastered flight, his mobility increased, and his ecological position rose, his territory would inevitably expand along with his range of activity.
When that time came, perhaps the entire New World would be within Asterion's hunting range. The Rathalos family and other wyverns he once viewed as formidable enemies would simply be members of his prey list, no different from how Asterion currently viewed the Tobi-Kadachi as a lesser wyvern.
The strong should be fearless and do as they please. Asterion's perspective was gradually shifting to a bird's-eye view. As long as the Research Commission didn't do anything suicidal, he could ignore them.
"Roar!" (Bring me the Grimalkynes you think have worked the hardest over the past two years. I want to reward them.)
Strength was strength, and enjoyment was enjoyment, but Asterion prepared to reinforce the Grimalkynes' loyalty. After all, many new little furballs had been added over the past two years; he had to let these little things know who the boss was.
"Rewards, meow!!"
As soon as he said this, the Old Shaman and Sparky became energized. Everyone knew what the Glavenus Boss's reward was—it was a treasure that could turn a scrawny Grimalkyne into a buff cat!
The Old Shaman looked like he wanted to rush down and arrange things immediately, but he seemed to suddenly remember something. He quickly kicked Sparky to go do the work, while he carefully sidled up to Asterion, deliberately lowering his voice. "Boss meow, do you remember the other Glavenus Boss meow?"
The Acidic Glavenus?
"Roar?!" (She hasn't left yet??!)
Asterion was completely shocked.
In the report just now, the Old Shaman had only mentioned the whereabouts of the Bazelgeuse brothers and the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers, proudly stating that the Glavenus Tribe had built different nests for them as well. He hadn't mentioned the Acidic Glavenus at all, so Asterion assumed she had long since left.
After all, although he had promised to teach her sword skills, he had indeed ghosted her for two years... She hadn't run away even in this situation?
"Eh? Why would she leave, meow?" The Old Shaman asked with a puzzled look.
He didn't understand the habits of monsters like Glavenus. What caused the Old Shaman to ask this question was a different reason.
"The Little Glavenus Boss is right here, meow. Of course the other Glavenus Boss couldn't leave, meow."
That single sentence made Asterion's entire body stiffen.
What thing??
Little what thing???
For the first time, Asterion wondered if there was some deviation in communication between him and the Old Shaman—did one of them have a problem understanding language or words?
But as a dragon with a strong will and a big heart, Asterion stabilized his mind as quickly as possible.
"Roar???" (She actually gave birth???)
There's no reproductive isolation between me and a Glavenus?
Oh wait, I am a Glavenus—at least my basic operating system is Glavenus. But, but—no, wait.
Mine?
Is it really mine?
Rising from his coiled position, Asterion paced back and forth in the nest. The Old Shaman couldn't comprehend Asterion's complex emotions at all; he was still chattering away on the side, singing the praises of the little Glavenus.
"...looks a lot like how you used to be, Boss meow, just the color is a bit different, and he doesn't have wings meow..."
"...growing very fast meow, almost as big as his mother already meow..."
"Roar!" (Stop!)
Asterion took a deep breath.
"Roar! Roar roar!" (Take me to see—no, let's reward the outstanding Grimalkynes first.)
Asterion felt he needed a little time to think first. He completely hadn't expected that just the time it took for one evolution would result in an extra child. It was too sudden, like walking down the street and getting hit by a meteor.
...Actually, it wasn't that sudden. After all, he did do the deed back then.
The Grimalkynes of the Glavenus Tribe had already gathered in Asterion's nest. They looked enviously at the two Grimalkynes standing in the center of the arena, while gazing worshipfully at the massive dragon—the Glavenus Boss seemed even more handsome after waking from hibernation!
Those small wings that used to look a bit cute and didn't quite match the Glavenus Boss's majestic appearance had grown up. They were replaced by a pair of wings that looked exceptionally powerful.
Of course, there were no scholars among the Grimalkynes, so they didn't understand what it meant that Asterion's originally Wingdrake-like wings had turned into two large "clubs." But that didn't matter; as long as they looked strong, it was fine.
Every Grimalkyne in the Glavenus Tribe knew that it was precisely because the Glavenus Boss was powerful and benevolent that they could live such a prosperous life, far away from that desolate, dangerous, and food-scarce desert.
For the older Grimalkynes, this life—where one could just swing through the forest on vines and find juicy fruits hanging from branches ready to be picked—was as beautiful as a dream.
They still remembered their childhoods, when a sorrowful atmosphere would occasionally permeate the tribe, signaling that another uncle or aunt had died while out searching for food.
Because of this, even though Grimalkynes were a species that reproduced quite well, their population numbers had struggled to grow. Too many young Grimalkynes died on the path to feeding their families—but this miserable life had changed with the appearance of the Glavenus Boss.
Therefore, the Glavenus Boss had to live well! Live for a hundred years! Live for ten thousand years!!
"Darn it! Next year I will definitely work twice as hard, meow!"
"I'm the one who needs to work hard, meow! The one who gets the Glavenus Boss's scale next year will be me, meow!!"
"Eh? But I just want to catch bigger fish, meow?"
"Even if you catch it, you have to offer it to the Boss, meow!"
However, the fanatical shouts around him couldn't hide the confusion in Asterion's heart. The Grimalkynes would never have guessed that the Glavenus Boss, squatting in the center of the nest and solemnly bestowing Blade Scales upon the two capable Grimalkynes, had his mind wandering somewhere completely different.
Little Glavenus.
Asterion recognized every word in that phrase, but put together, they felt so unfamiliar.
Unlike certain leaders who would speak for half an hour or even a whole afternoon, the reward ceremony proceeded quickly. In fact, if not for the need to let the Grimalkynes clearly identify whom they pledged loyalty to, Asterion would have been tempted to just give the Blade Scales to the Old Shaman and Sparky and let them present the awards on his behalf.
With the reward ceremony acting as a buffer, Asterion gradually calmed down—he felt he had probably been influenced too much by the memories of his past life.
So what if there's a little Glavenus? It's just a part of life's reproduction; it doesn't seem to be a problem.
Fighting, eating, breeding, entertainment, death—life has cycled like this for countless years.
For dragons like the Glavenus, the hatchlings were raised solely by the mother, and only for about a year or so.
Thinking of this, Asterion suddenly felt that his previous excitement and nervousness were somewhat inexplicable. He had merely done what other male Glavenus did. Even the Acidic Glavenus herself hadn't shown any intention of moving into Asterion's nest... Hmm, let's go see the little Glavenus first.
There would surely be some subtle differences, and Asterion was curious.
Perhaps because she had grown up in the Rotten Vale, the Acidic Glavenus's nest was not on the surface, but underground. The Ancient Forest didn't have a complex, multi-layered underground world like the Wildspire Waste, so the Acidic Glavenus had found a naturally occurring cave to serve as her nest. She hadn't moved out even though the air inside was exceptionally damp.
Although still within Asterion's territory, the Acidic Glavenus's nest was not beneath the giant tree; it required a bit of a walk.
Asterion's footsteps were heavy. As he approached, the Acidic Glavenus seemed to pick up on the disturbance, emerging from her nest while he was still far away.
It really was a little Glavenus.
After a cursory glance at the Acidic Glavenus, Asterion's gaze landed on the little thing closely following her out of the nest.
It really was a little thing, only reaching about the height of the Acidic Glavenus's shoulder. Compared to Asterion, he was even shorter and smaller—though at this size, he was probably about ready to be kicked out of the territory by his mother.
At first glance, he generally still had the appearance of a Glavenus: two short, small foreclaws, sharp teeth, and no wings on his back. Instead, there was a heat-dissipating shell shaped like burning flames. However, unlike a normal Glavenus, this little Glavenus had a layer of silver-gray carapace rather than the usual reddish-brown.
There were no Blade Scales on the surface of his body, and no tail blade on his tail. More accurately, there was no tail blade formed from mineral secretions; instead, there was a sword-tail composed of scales, just like Asterion's.
Physical characteristics confirmed: it was his kid.
Even though the combination of a carapace on the front half and Blade Scales on the tail looked a bit odd, this structure could only belong to a dragon that had inherited Asterion's bloodline. He just didn't know if this young Glavenus's scale-sword tail could open up and vibrate at high frequencies like Asterion's.
It should be possible, right?
After all, judging by its appearance, that sword-tail was practically a miniature version of Asterion's.
Poor child, he didn't catch the version update.
Asterion's gaze held a trace of pity. If the Acidic Glavenus had met him a little later, and had done the [censored] with him after his second major evolution, then this little Glavenus might have inherited a brand-new set of organs, or maybe even a pair of wings.
Hmm... perhaps not inheriting them was a good thing?
After all, even Asterion himself didn't know if the organs he was currently using could be kept until the end. What if there were hidden side effects?
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