It felt a bit strange to say, but the Admiral always felt that back when the old Glavenus boss was solitary, he didn't seem quite this intelligent... well, he should be called Asterion now.
In any case, the young boss, Mirrorblade, was also very clever. Like Asterion, he could express his intentions through Grimalkynes with special talents and displayed complex emotions like disappointment, frustration, and excitement. However, the Admiral felt that Mirrorblade's intelligence was different from Asterion's—or rather, it wasn't nearly on the same level.
Asterion fit the scholars' definition of an Elder Dragon perfectly. He seemed to have his own unique set of perspectives and principles for everything. Based on the reports the Research Commission had gathered over the past few decades, many scholars of the Third Fleet believed that Asterion possessed inherited knowledge passed down only among Elder Dragons—the kind of knowledge humanity had yet to grasp.
After staying in the Glavenus Tribe for a long time, these scholars had even begun to be influenced by the Grimalkynes. While they hadn't gone so far as to declare him a Dragon God, they believed they could infer the nature of Elder Dragon society by observing Asterion's growth and changes.
They posited that Elder Dragons were the only "true" dragons, while ordinary monsters were merely beasts, not viewed as kin by the Elder Dragons. Based on this, the scholars speculated that in some unexplored corner of the world, there might even exist an Elder Dragon Kingdom or society... they certainly had wild imaginations.
The Admiral wasn't a scholar and didn't have such a flair for the dramatic. Based on his own experiences, he simply felt that Asterion was... what was the word? Inherently wise?
Do Elder Dragons pass down knowledge through their bloodline?
However, once the young boss Mirrorblade grew up, the contrast made the Admiral realize that Asterion's brilliance was truly exceptional. Furthermore, Asterion hadn't passed that same wisdom and knowledge down to Mirrorblade through his blood.
Asterion hadn't started out with the strength to hunt Elder Dragons, either. The Admiral would never forget the first time he met Asterion. Back then, Asterion struggled to even defeat a Jyuratodus, relying on traps and hit-and-run tactics to bleed it out.
There was no need to recount every detail of what followed, but the point was that the Admiral had never seen Asterion feel lost or discouraged. Even if a hunt failed, he never sulked; he always kept his head held high, looking forward as if something were waiting there for him.
But Mirrorblade... Mirrorblade currently looked exactly like a child who had never faced a setback in his life and had suddenly been crushed by failure. He was so dejected his head hung low.
Yet, the Admiral could understand why Mirrorblade reacted this way. He remembered feeling the same way as a young man when he was first forced to repel an Elder Dragon—that sense of powerlessness where even your best efforts couldn't leave a scratch.
After all, this was the first Elder Dragon Mirrorblade had encountered in his life. They were fundamentally different from ordinary monsters.
When the group finally returned to the Glavenus Tribe, they saw a crowd of Grimalkynes waiting at the base of the Great Tree, their "meows" creating a noisy ruckus.
"They're back, meow!"
"Did we win, meow?! Is the monster gone, meow?!"
"Is it finally going to get warm, meow? I'm so happy, meow!!"
The cheers and enthusiastic thanks from the Grimalkynes made the hunters force bitter smiles. Mirrorblade didn't even lift his head, walking straight toward his usual resting spot. In contrast, Sparky, who was standing at the front, reached out and snatched Kan-Kan as he hopped off Mirrorblade's back. She pinned the little cat down and gave him a series of rapid-fire swats to the backside.
"Sneaking out again, meow! Do you have any idea how worried I and your mother were, meow?!"
She was really laying into him. Kan-Kan couldn't even get a word out, only able to let out a series of high-pitched, chaotic squeals.
"Wait, Kan-Kan is your kid?" the Admiral asked in shock. "You started that early?"
Kan-Kan wasn't a tiny kitten; he looked about the size of a young adult, which was why the Admiral had agreed to bring him along.
"Kittens are like that these days, meow. They eat the boss's scale powder from the time they're small, meow... Though it's a pity the boss has been gone so long, our powder reserves are running low, meow." Sparky huffed in annoyance and handed the dangling Kan-Kan over to Cong-Cong nearby. "He's all yours, meow. Make sure he learns his lesson, meow."
"Don't you worry, meow." Under Kan-Kan's despairing gaze, Cong-Cong cracked his knuckles twice, looking positively villainous. "I'll make sure he knows exactly what he did wrong, meow."
"Help—Help me, meow!!!"
Despite his desperate struggles, Kan-Kan couldn't escape his elder's grip. Amidst his tragic cries, he was dragged off to the side.
"Sorry," the Admiral said, scratching his head sheepishly. "We took a kid into a dangerous place."
"It's not your fault, meow. He ran out on his own," Sparky said, shaking her head. "This kid has been able to understand the language of dragons since he was small. He's a gifted Shaman, meow, and he's close with the young boss. He probably wanted to prove himself, meow... Honestly, it's not his turn to go risking his life yet, meow."
"Well, Kan-Kan was certainly brave, and he helped us out quite a bit," the Admiral said, putting in a good word for his little comrade.
"I know exactly what he's like, meow!" Sparky rolled her eyes. "Anyway, enough about him, meow. Looking at you all... the mission failed, meow?"
"It did," the Admiral sighed. "It's confirmed. A powerful Elder Dragon is causing this disaster. We need to hold a war council."
"Understood, meow," Sparky nodded.
Decades had passed, and the Kingdom and the Guild had grown much more experienced in dealing with Elder Dragon attacks. At the same time, they were constantly unearthing ancient technology from ruins. As the Research Commission exploring the New World, Astera had already received many new weapons and technologies.
With the establishment of the Fourth Fleet, which specialized in logistics and shipping, the connection between the Old and New Worlds had become much more frequent. This didn't just mean Astera no longer had to worry about basic supplies; it also meant they could ship in weapons capable of harming Elder Dragons.
Time was now their scarcest resource. It took time for the request for reinforcements to reach Astera, time for the Commander to dispatch personnel, time to transport weapons to the Glavenus Tribe, time to set traps, and time to lure that unknown Elder Dragon out.
With so many tasks piling up, by the time the reinforcements from Astera reached the Glavenus Tribe, half a year had already passed.
During those six months, there were several more heavy snowfalls. When the Grimalkynes left the Great Tree, they now had to dig tunnels through the snow. The temperature hadn't dropped further, but it remained below freezing, meaning the snow never melted.
The only good news was that the Fourth Fleet had brought more cold-weather gear. A single set of human clothes could be repurposed for three Grimalkynes. Combined with the animal pelts harvested from hunts, the Grimalkynes of the Glavenus Tribe at least wouldn't freeze to death, and they were capable of moving and fighting outdoors.
"The Guild has sent word. The monster capable of triggering cold snaps and blizzards, and that can freely create ice, has been officially named Velkhana."
"Given that Velkhana's presence has already caused massive ecological damage to the southeastern Ancient Tree Forest, we are now convening the Velkhana Subjugation Meeting. Our goal is to drive Velkhana back to its original territory. Speak your minds, everyone."
Looking around the room, the Commander spoke with a grim expression.
They were in a natural hollow midway up the Great Tree. The Grimalkynes hadn't expanded their living quarters here yet, making it a perfect spot for the reinforcing hunters to set up camp.
This was the first time so many hunters had appeared on the Glavenus Tribe's land—sixty-seven in total. For the current Astera, aside from leaving behind essential defensive forces, the Commander had brought almost everyone who could fight.
That didn't even include the technical staff responsible for weapon maintenance and trap setting, or the scholars who insisted on recording data from the front lines.
The meeting wasn't just for hunters; many Grimalkyne warriors were there too. Pot, representing the Dragon-Chosen Braves, sat at the front, and Sparky was there in her capacity as the tribe leader. The Glavenus Tribe would be providing food for all these hunters, and the ordinary Grimalkynes could help build traps or provide whatever support they could during the battle.
Despite the hunters looking big and tough with arms thicker than a Felyne's head, the massive, menacing Dragonators that had been shipped in had the local Grimalkynes circling them in awe for days, letting out endless "meows" of wonder. However, in reality, the combat power the Glavenus Tribe could muster right now was actually higher than Astera's.
It was simple: the Glavenus Tribe had Mirrorblade, Bazelgeuse, and an Acidic Glavenus—it felt like they were forgetting someone, but since that someone was never seen during a fight, it didn't matter.
As the priestess who could communicate directly with the dragons, Caly was naturally present. How the hunters and Grimalkynes would coordinate with Mirrorblade and Bazelgeuse would rely entirely on her translation.
The Acidic Glavenus would not be joining the battle; she needed to stay behind to guard the tribe, preventing any monsters from raiding their home while the main force was away.
"This is going to be difficult," the Second Fleet Master started. "Considering how the Admiral described Velkhana's combat style, the fight absolutely cannot happen near the Glavenus Tribe. That makes transporting weapons a massive headache, let alone setting up a field where the Dragonator can actually hit anything... Velkhana can fly, right?"
"Yes, and it's very agile," the Heavy Bowgunner who had first encountered Velkhana with the Admiral explained. "It can fly nimbly at low altitudes, twisting its body to strike with its spear-like tail. It fought Mirrorblade to a standstill."
That last part carried a lot of weight. Mirrorblade's "Glavenus Great Sword" style was famous, and even many Long Sword hunters found his movements incredible.
"Then its strength is truly immense," Hara said with a look of distress. "And even Mirrorblade ended up losing, didn't he? That ice... it felt like it could freeze the entire world."
In reality, ice doesn't just vanish on its own. Bold hunters had ventured back to the battlefield over the past few months. The ice Velkhana created during its fight with Mirrorblade still hadn't melted. The entire slope was covered in irregular, jagged ice crystals like blooming flowers, their edges sharp enough to slice through trees.
The hunters tried to gather more info on Velkhana, hoping to find a weakness, but the creature seemed like a god of war with "invincible" written across its face.
"Um, I have a question?" a scholar suddenly asked. "Do Dragonators have to be set up on the ground? Thinking outside the box—don't we have airships? If we mount the Dragonator directly onto an airship, it could be useful anywhere, even if Velkhana is smart enough to avoid traps on the ground."
"Oh! That's actually a great idea!" the Admiral's eyes lit up. "That way, we don't have to worry about clearing the snow in the forest or hauling supplies through the drifts—genius!"
"Genius my foot!" As soon as the Admiral finished, the Second Fleet Master snapped. "This isn't something you just 'do.' You idiots have no idea how a Dragonator works! The important part isn't just the spear tip you see; it's the entire mechanism required to fire the damn thing!"
Looking like a programmer facing a clueless client, the Second Fleet Master's one remaining eye rolled so far back it turned white.
"So, can it be done?" The Commander wasn't treating it as a joke; he asked the question with total seriousness.
"You too?!" The Second Fleet Master frustratedly scratched his balding head and began to think seriously. "Fine, let me see... Just making it fly isn't hard; we just need to re-attach the gas bags. But the Dragonator... the Dragonator..."
It was a bit of a technological feat. The hunters had arrived at the Glavenus Tribe by ship. In areas without snow, they used airships; once they hit the snow zone, they detached the gas bags and turned them into "snow-ships" that skated across the ice—a concept the Second Fleet Master said was partly inspired by sand-ships.
They didn't even have to worry about monsters attacking the ships along the way. Over the years, the influx of invasive monsters into the Ancient Tree Forest had made the local wildlife very cautious.
This was especially true in the snow zone. While the foundation of the land—the towering trees—hadn't been killed by the cold, the creatures living among them had died off in droves.
The good old days of digging through snow to find food were over. Predators now had to travel much further to find enough to eat, often being forced to fight and eat the weak. Frequently, the energy gained from a kill didn't even cover the energy spent in the fight.
Many clever monsters had fled to parts of the forest untouched by the blizzard. This meant the number of predators in the snow zone had plummeted, allowing the hunters to travel without much danger.
Well, even if they had run into trouble, sixty armed hunters on a ship isn't exactly an easy target.
"It's risky," the Second Fleet Master sighed after thinking it through. "Velkhana isn't a normal monster. In a high-intensity battle, an airship might get destroyed before it even gets close. Don't forget our comrades from the Third Fleet—we still haven't found them."
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