The Admiral seemed to have drifted another step further away from being human.
"That's right, meow. If it were just like the rainy season, we could endure it and wait for it to pass, meow. But it's been snowing for so long now that we're at our limit, meow," Ye-zi said with a deep sigh.
After all these years, she had grown from a young girl into... well, a young adult cat?
As the leader of the Dragon-Chosen shamans of the Glavenus Tribe, she had spent these months of continuous blizzards leading the Grimalkyne shamans to care for the elderly. She even had to recruit extra paws to look after the oblivious kittens. Consequently, she understood far better than the average Grimalkyne just how dire the situation had become.
"If the temperature keeps dropping, I'm afraid some of our kin will freeze to death in the village, meow," Sparky added, sighing alongside her. After years of serving as the village chief, the heavy burden of leadership made him look much older than the other cats.
It was a strange sensation; since Grimalkynes are covered in black fur, wrinkles are practically invisible. Unless the signs of aging are truly pronounced, they hardly look old at all.
"This is indeed a major problem," the Admiral said with a grim expression. "According to the scholars, if your tribe's records aren't missing anything, sudden natural disasters like this—which have never occurred before—are usually the work of an Elder Dragon."
"An Elder Dragon, meow...? You mean a dragon as powerful as the Great Glavenus, meow?" Sparky asked solemnly, his brows furrowing into a tight bunch.
"Hard to say," a nearby hunter interjected. "We classify any monster that defies standard categorization as an Elder Dragon. So, there are cases where a monster is an Elder Dragon but isn't actually that powerful."
"We can probably rule out that possibility here, can't we?" The Sword Master shook his helmeted head. "Given the sheer scale of this blizzard, if an unknown Elder Dragon truly triggered all of this, it certainly won't be weak."
"Well, that's why they sent all of us out together," the Admiral laughed, clapping the Sword Master on the shoulder before turning to Sparky. "Leave it to us. Honestly, even if you hadn't put in a request, Astera couldn't just turn a blind eye to such an anomaly."
"The scholars suspect that whatever caused this blizzard is the same culprit making monsters so aggressive lately," the Admiral said, shaking his head. "It's a real mess. Places that used to be safe have become dangerous. Several monsters even charged the Research Base. If we didn't have the new weapons, things would have been ugly."
"Aggressive monsters, meow?" Sparky scratched his head. "The Little Boss mentioned that too, meow. But the tribe isn't really feeling the tension, meow."
"Well, that's because any monster brave enough to invade the Glavenus Tribe's territory was slaughtered by the Bazelgeuse and Mirrorblade," the nearby hunter remarked with a wry smile. "Talk about a reassuring guardian deity. If we had one at Astera, the Commander wouldn't have worried himself gray."
"He's just getting old; it's not from worry!" the Admiral argued righteously on behalf of his old partner. "Anyway, whether it's the Ancient Forest or the Wildspire Waste, ferocious monsters from outside are appearing more frequently. We can't let this continue. We have to at least find the cause of these changes."
"Exactly! I don't know about anyone else, but I crossed the sea specifically to solve the mysteries of the New World!" the hunter who had spoken earlier said, pumping a fist.
"Then we'll be counting on you, meow!" Sparky said, waving a paw happily. "If you need any help, just let me know, meow! We have plenty of supplies, meow! Oh, I almost forgot—we're sending someone to go with you, meow!"
"Oh? A Dragon-Chosen warrior?" The Admiral's eyes lit up.
"It's a secret, meow!" Sparky laughed. "Just wait under the Great Tree when you're ready to set out, meow!"
"Playing it mysterious, I see," the Admiral said expectantly. "Now I'm starting to get curious."
The hunters were on a mission, so they didn't linger in the village or trade with the Grimalkynes as much as they usually did. After restocking their packs from the Grimalkyne storehouse, the Admiral and his three companions soon arrived beneath the Great Tree.
"Hm? No one's here?" the nearby hunter asked, looking around curiously. "Are they late?"
Thump.
A clump of snow suddenly slid off the leaves in the distance. A second later, a heavy, dull thud echoed. Everyone, including the Admiral, turned solemn. With their experience, they knew exactly what that sound was—the footstep of a monster. Judging by the vibration of the earth, it was massive.
Crash!
Suddenly, a silver-gray monster emerged, pushing through the trees and the snow like a swimmer breaking the surface. Though the sun hadn't been seen in days, its presence seemed to brighten the surroundings against the backdrop of the white snow.
"Oh! It's Mirrorblade!" The Admiral raised a hand in greeting. "Is the companion joining us you?"
"Roar!!"
Mirrorblade nodded in response. Simultaneously, a Grimalkyne hopped out from between Mirrorblade's scales, clinging to the edge of a scale with one paw while shouting.
"Hey! Let's get moving, meow! The Little Boss is tired of waiting, meow!!"
"Such a tiny Grimalkyne??" the hunter nearby couldn't help but exclaim. "At that size, he can't even be an adult, right?"
Since Asterion was the Great Glavenus, Mirrorblade was naturally the "Little Boss."
"Who are you calling tiny, meow?!" Though the Grimalkyne hanging off Mirrorblade looked small, his ears were sharp. He shouted back angrily, "I'm a Shaman who can understand the Little Boss's words, meow! I'm already a seasoned warrior, meow!"
"A warrior?" The Admiral burst into a hearty laugh. "Now that's a grand title. So, what is this warrior's name?"
"Kan-kan!" With one hand on his hip while still hanging onto a scale, the little Grimalkyne shouted proudly, "I know who you are, meow! I'll make sure to translate everything the Little Boss says to you, meow!"
It was a bit of a strange name, but for the hunters of the Research Commission who dealt frequently with Grimalkynes, such names weren't unusual in the Glavenus Tribe. There was even one named Zhan-zhan.
"In that case, we're all set. Time is of the essence; let's head out!" the Admiral said boisterously. "Long time no see, Little Boss. Looks like we'll be fighting side-by-side this time."
"That's right! We'll definitely defeat the bad guy who turned the forest into this, meow! We can't let everyone keep getting hurt, meow!!"
The tiny Grimalkyne had a very loud voice and seemed brimming with fighting spirit.
"Roar!"
"The Little Boss says you need to find a way to track down the bad guy, meow! Dad said you guys were good at that, right, meow?"
"That's right. Leave the tracking to us."
With a few words, Mirrorblade joined the hunter squad. The two sides weren't strangers; the hunters came every year for the Gluttony Festival and often brought Mirrorblade various novel gifts, so they were all well-acquainted.
The Admiral was simply curious that Mirrorblade would personally join an investigation like this. Before they set out, the Commander had instructed him that if the enemy proved to be truly powerful, he could go to the Glavenus Tribe to ask the Bazelgeuse or Mirrorblade for help. He hadn't expected Mirrorblade to be even more proactive than them.
Unlike the Glavenus Tribe, which was reacting passively, the Commander had keenly realized that the sudden drop in temperature and snowfall months ago was a herald of disaster. Thus, he had sent out hunter squads early to investigate.
Ultimately, the hunters had successfully located the area where the snow likely started falling first, before the cold wave spread. Led by the Admiral, the group (and dragon) forged ahead toward that region.
"So you mean you have ships to deliver things, meow?"
This Grimalkyne was indeed young; he possessed a boundless curiosity that older cats lacked and was currently pestering the Admiral with questions.
"Correct. Thanks to the Fourth Fleet being dedicated to transporting supplies, everyone at the base has warm clothes and won't get frostbite," the Admiral said with a touch of sentiment. "It's a bit shameful to admit, but the Fourth Fleet's supplies are limited. We really can't spare enough to support the Glavenus Tribe."
"It's fine, meow," the little Grimalkyne said dismissively, waving a paw. "As long as we deal with this bad guy, everything will get better, meow—that's why the Little Boss set out too, meow!"
"Roar!"
Mirrorblade gave a low, measured grunt in response.
The place where the snow first began was, theoretically, still within the Ancient Forest. This was because the Ancient Forest wasn't entirely flat like the area where the Glavenus Tribe lived.
In most areas, there were few elevation changes; the height differences usually came from various towering trees and thick vines, with only the occasional cliff or waterfall.
However, the closer one got to the Wildspire Waste, the shorter the trees became. The terrain rose steadily, and protruding cliffs or rock faces became more common. Generally speaking, it used to be lush and green, with no bare yellow patches to be seen—even the crevices in the stones were covered in moss.
At least, it used to be that way.
Crunch, crunch, crunch...
Everyone, including the Admiral, had long wooden boards strapped to their feet. Only this way could they avoid having to pull their legs out of the deep snow with every single step. Even so, movement was difficult, and their stamina drained quickly.
It wasn't surprising. This was the first time snow had ever appeared in the Ancient Forest. There was no permafrost beneath it, nor had the snow been compacted into ice by years of weight.
This meant the snow, which was over waist-deep, was very loose. Even a slight weight would cause one to sink.
The sudden blizzard and low temperatures had frozen many small animals in the forest to death. Small monsters had also died in large numbers, though large monsters hadn't been heavily affected yet... In fact, for some, the good times had arrived.
They didn't need to work hard to hunt; they just had to dig through the snow, find a frozen carcass, and enjoy a feast. The rest of the time, they could just find a place to rest. Life for a dragon was quite comfortable.
Once the salvageable carcasses were gone, the conflict between those at the top of the Ancient Forest food chain would become fierce. It would be just like the Wildspire Waste after the locust plague years ago—scarcity would lead to intensified clashes between monsters.
The Admiral's group was lucky. At least they didn't have to "swim" through the sea of snow. This level of accumulation wasn't enough to significantly hinder Mirrorblade.
Mirrorblade led the way, with the hunters following in his wake. As Mirrorblade lifted his legs and stepped, he left a trail of deep pits in the snow. The hunters simply had to move through these holes to make progress.
The height of the surrounding trees continued to dwindle, and their trek felt more and more like mountain climbing. They could clearly feel themselves ascending.
They encountered a few large monsters along the way, but after gauging the difference between Mirrorblade's size and their own, they cautiously backed away. In any case, this giant seemed in a hurry to leave; as long as he wasn't staying to contest their territory, they were content.
Mirrorblade lacked the aggressive bloodlust typical of a Glavenus. Every one of his battles had a purpose; he would not fight for the sake of fighting.
Finally, the endless white scenery changed. Mirrorblade came to a halt. From a vantage point the hunters couldn't see yet, he had spotted a patch of cyan-blue—a stark, abrupt color that stood out against the white.
"Roar!"
"The Little Boss says there's something up ahead, meow!" Kan-kan nimbly hopped onto Mirrorblade's back. Standing at the highest point, he quickly reported what he saw. "I see it! It's something blue, meow! A huge chunk of it, meow!!"
"Coming!" the Admiral shouted, struggling through the snow.
Distances are deceptive in the mountains; it wasn't far for Mirrorblade, but by the time the hunters slowly trudged to where Kan-kan had indicated, Mirrorblade and the cat had already been waiting for a long time.
"Is this... ice?" one hunter asked, leaning in curiously to touch and tap it. "It's definitely ice. It's common back home in winter, but this piece looks so pure. There isn't a single air bubble inside."
"Let's dig it out," the Admiral decided. "We haven't found ice like this anywhere else. Perhaps the secret to this disaster is hidden right here."
What the group had found was a shard of pale blue ice poking out from the snow. It was large but mostly buried, making it impossible to see its full shape.
The hunters dug quickly, and a curious Mirrorblade helped as well. His massive, broad tail-blade could easily shovel away huge mounds of snow. Before long, one side of the ice was cleared, revealing itself to everyone.
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