Originally, after learning of the Sunblaze Dragon's return, the Research Commission had planned to come and ask about a number of matters, but in just three short days, their attention had shifted elsewhere.
Previously, the death of Zorah Magdaros had already plunged the New World into a massive celebration, keeping the Research Commission's thousand-plus members overwhelmingly busy. This time, however, the death of Xeno'jiiva directly pushed that celebration to its absolute climax!
Countless plants, under the ever-changing daily concentration of bioenergy, grew increasingly lush. Many plants even began to grow out of season, while those meant to grow in their proper season sprouted again and again, like chives harvested in endless cycles.
Aptonoth simply could not finish eating it all. Even when they spared no restraint and fed only on the most nutrient-rich plants until they were completely stuffed, there was still far more left uneaten.
As a result, with the explosive abundance of plants at the very bottom of the ecological chain, the Aptonoth began to reproduce in massive numbers under these conditions of extraordinarily plentiful food, each one growing robust and well-fattened.
This chain reaction meant that both the quantity and quality of Aptonoth rose dramatically, which was likewise good news for large carnivorous monsters.
It meant that they no longer needed to rely on fighting, marking territory, or similar behaviors to secure sufficient food. Moreover, the improved nutritional value of their prey also made their bodies grow even stronger.
These changes meant that the New World—originally chaotic and rife with endless conflict—briefly entered a two-day period of peace, leaving the hunters who were investigating somewhat baffled.
But the New World's development was comprehensive. Since bioenergy had further increased overall, how could the monsters simply stagnate like that?
After the first monster discovered—following a battle—that its stamina recovery had become faster, its wounds were healing more quickly as well, and that its overall stats were actually increasing far faster than through natural growth—
These monsters, now already free of survival pressure, began greedily wanting more!
The increase in strength brought ambition to fight for more territory.
Fighting for more territory meant that battle had to begin again.
And once battle began, the side being invaded likewise discovered the same situation.
Thus, the New World—which had been calm for only two short days—fell back into conflict once again. This time, the fighting was even larger in scale, and it affected even more creatures and regions!
Large numbers of monsters died, and large numbers of monsters, because food was plentiful, chose to reproduce.
This led to the monsters' rate of death not even being able to keep up with the monsters' rate of reproduction!
The New World was beginning to grow rapidly, at a chaotic and swift pace.
This pig that had been raised for hundreds of years had finally made an indelible contribution to the New World's overall development!
Of course, these were not what excited the Research Commission the most!
Although the conflicts among ordinary monsters did indeed provide the Research Commission with more data—more concrete information about subspecies or rare species of monsters—greatly enriching their archives, what truly excited the Research Commission's hunters, and the reason why the vast majority of them still remained here even after news came from Darren and the Admiral that the New World's Elder Crossing incident had been resolved, was this—the extraordinarily active Elder Dragons of the New World!
With the death of Xeno'jiiva, the concentration of leyline energy throughout the New World had reached a level where these Elder Dragons, even without entering the Elder's Recess, could still enjoy the sensation of being immersed in bioenergy. This allowed the Elder Dragons, even when reproducing, to no longer fixate solely on that small patch of territory within the Elder's Recess.
Clearly the carriers of the world, the concrete manifestations of ecology, yet in the past they could only occupy such a tiny area within the Elder's Recess, hiding themselves furtively, for fear of provoking resentment from their neighbors.
After all, everyone was an Elder Dragon—who was really more noble than whom?
But now, as long as an area within the New World was suitable for habitation, it possessed this level of activated bioenergy. The range of viable habitats available to the Elder Dragons had increased by far too much.
Elder Dragons recorded in the Research Commission's logs—and those not recorded—those seen before and those never seen—began appearing one after another.
Whether to return to the Old World in glory after completing the investigation of the Elder Crossing, or to remain in the New World, pursuing the many Elder Dragons while seeking an opportunity to leave one's name in history—given a choice, these hunters, already elites to begin with, would all make the same decision.
It was said that, for this reason, the Astera side even ran up a large line of credit for supplies with the Ancient Tree's Blazefire Village, holding a banquet that lasted three days and three nights to celebrate the hunters who stayed behind officially joining the New World's "household registry."
Time thus passed swiftly.
Another spring arrived.
Logan, who was leisurely eating this year's offered wild Mosswine, paused slightly—his crimson, spine-covered tail stiffening for a moment—as the entire dragon lowered its head in irritation and let out wave after wave of low growls toward below.
It's here—again!!
All these years, Shara Ishvalda and Xeno'jiiva had never truly settled down.
More often than not, once one released pheromones through the Everstream, the other would awaken not long after and begin triggering minor crustal tremors.
The two dragons, bickering through the Everstream, made the New World's Elder Dragons extremely irritated—yet there was nothing they could really do about them!
Now, however, Xeno'jiiva was dead, causing the leylines to become highly activated. This not only made the "noise" produced by Shara Ishvalda even louder, but also allowed Shara Ishvalda to obtain a massive replenishment of bioenergy at the terminus of the Everstream, finally awakening from its slumber.
This ancient dragon—one that had created the New World, yet over endless ages had truly come to regard itself as the New World's "creator," arrogantly seeking to supplant the will of nature and viewing the New World as its own possession—had at last entered its active period.
That noise, comparable to the renovation of a large construction site, was precisely the method by which it was transforming the New World—and issuing a "warning" to the Elder Dragons of the New World!
This was different from Xeno'jiiva, whose situation—due to its own species—made it naturally a world-level enemy.
The mindset and actions of Shara Ishvalda were, without question, forcing itself step by step from the position of a so-called "Creator Dragon"—a status that could be considered an immunity from death—directly toward becoming an enemy of nature itself.
There was no denying that it did indeed possess the power to destroy, and even the ability to reshape the New World through its own will. But to forget its own identity because of that was truly courting death!
Even forbidden beings that had transcended the ecological niche did not dare to arbitrarily manipulate an entire continent—let alone Shara Ishvalda, which merely possessed great authority, yet whose combat power could only rank within the top five below the Forbidden threshold.
Nature, the boss, had already given it far, far too many chances. The repeated periods of slumber over the years, and even the act of blocking off Kulve Taroth and Dalamadur—who had once been irritated to no end by the noise—were all warnings issued by nature to it.
Now!
Xeno'jiiva was dead, and the foundations of the New World had already been fully established. Beyond the Everstream itself, numerous branching leylines now provided support. Even without Shara Ishvalda's existence, the New World could still continue to grow steadily and smoothly.
It was no longer an irreplaceable existence.
And this also meant that this time would be its final opportunity.
Survival or death—both lay within a single thought of its own!
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
---