novelraw Chapter 505 505: Death Stare
Chapter 505 505: Death Stare
"Gawu~~ gawu~~"
The little Scorching Heat Rathian chased from behind, while little Loren ran in front. Despite the obvious gap in size and presence between them, Loren somehow gave off the impression that he was fleeing in panic.
Whether it was simple youthful fearlessness, or simply that the little Scorching Heat Rathian did not fear Loren at all, no matter how Loren's Pressure swept over it, its short hind limbs did not slow in the slightest.
The tiny creature's target was clear—it charged straight for Loren's heel.
"Roar, roar, roar!"
A trembling growl vibrated in his throat. Loren bared his fangs and lowered his head, roaring threateningly at the little thing.
"Gah? Wuga!!"
Seemingly startled by Loren's intimidation, the little Scorching Heat Rathian froze for a moment. Then, it suddenly spread its small wings—wings whose scales had not even fully developed, utterly mismatched to its oversized head—and let out an immature hatchling's roar so adorable that Logan almost failed to restrain himself from rolling it into a ball.
That roar—let alone the Grimalkyne of the Fire Wyvern guard squad watching nearby—even Loren himself looked utterly incredulous.
Staring at this tiny creature baring its teeth and claws before him, its body not even as large as his own head—the kind that would leave nothing behind after a single bite—
It actually dared to roar back at him "fiercely." It truly did not know its place!
Even a clay figure has three parts temper, let alone Loren, who had just been dealt a blow.
After being "humiliated" like this by the little Scorching Heat Rathian, if he did not teach it a lesson, could he still call himself a Fire Wyvern that spoke through strength?
Loren bared his teeth and had just begun to move when he suddenly sensed three extremely dangerous gazes settle on him.
His own father—who never minded stirring up trouble while watching a spectacle—was one of them. Most likely, he simply had not seen enough entertainment yet, so he was staring at him with that dangerous look.
The other two gazes came from outside the nest.
There was no need to think about it—they had to belong to the Flame Rath pair.
They had finally nurtured this one offspring with great difficulty, and who knew whether they would ever be able to produce another? After all, they were only Elder Dragon–level organisms, not true Elder Dragons. Though their lifespans were somewhat longer than ordinary monsters, they were far from comparable to any actual Elder Dragon.
Thus, toward this sole offspring, they were incomparably protective.
They were already displeased because the little one was more attached to Loren, and now Loren actually dared to roar at it!
Even with Logan present, if Loren dared lay a single claw on the little Scorching Heat Rathian, the pair would charge in without hesitation and beat him up!
By the time three deathly gazes pinned him down, little Loren instantly felt alone—like the whole world had abandoned him. He hadn't even gotten this kind of "treatment" when he was little!!
Why did this little thing get so much attention? He wanted to let this little thing experience the childhood life of being rolled into a ball too—aaah!!
Loren's body trembled slightly, his heart tangled in knots. His wings, itching to move, twitched as if spasming—lifting a little, then dropping back down, over and over again.
The little Scorching Heat Rathian tilted its head, tilting it again as it looked at Loren, who was "gritting his teeth" in frustration. "Gawu?"
Seeing no reaction from Loren, it seemed to think its "intimidation" had worked, and it immediately let out two more aowu cries.
In the end, Loren still "yielded" under the little thing's "intimidation." He could only flop down, cover his head with his wings, and vent his frustration by scraping at the dirt beneath his feet.
"Gah!!"
Sensing victory, the little Scorching Heat Rathian excitedly pumped its stubby legs, mustering all its strength to climb up along Loren's tail all the way onto his back. Head up, chest out, it did its best to steady itself in Loren's breath, proudly gaga-calling.
That was—until a certain Cinder Moon Dragon, whose scales had grown ever more brilliant, returned.
Under Aki's faint glance—one that looked as if she didn't care at all—the little Scorching Heat Rathian, which had just been fearless of heaven and earth, pulled in its wings like a quail, lowered its head, and quietly slid down from Loren's tail.
After it realized Aki's gaze was no longer on it, it hurriedly squeezed past Loren's wings and burrowed underneath them, seeking a sliver of comfort in that sealed, warm space.
Crack!
From the nest entrance came the sound of Terastal branches being crunched—this was the "approval" of a certain old father who had gotten a child late in life!
Aki came back from her walk. The little Scorching Heat Rathian didn't dare keep acting up, and with no more fun to watch, Logan finally got up, stretched lazily, and headed outside the cave to find the Flame Rath couple—who were sneaking around nearby—and discuss something.
The Flame Rath couple would be taking the little Scorching Heat Rathian to the Elder's Recess. This would not change just because Logan had returned.
No matter what, compared to the Elder's Recess, the Ancient Tree side was still lacking. That place was more suitable for the little Scorching Heat Rathian, a "Scorching Heat seed," to grow.
Logan actually agreed with this. The number of Radiant Fire Wyverns had already reached the point where they needed to spread outward, and the New World's current carrying capacity could completely withstand the migration of a large Radiant Fire Wyvern group occupying the top ecological niche.
Since the Flame Rath couple planned to head to the Elder's Recess, they might as well bring along those Radiant Fire Wyverns who had already reached age and whose stamina was beginning to decline, and form a clan over there.
In this way, those Radiant Fire Wyvern pairs that had been challenged and eliminated by younger, stronger Radiant Fire Wyverns due to age would also have a new destination.
At the same time, in that place where energy was incomparably abundant, they could attempt to become stronger individuals. While extending their lifespans, they might even return to the Ancient Tree to reclaim their own nests, thereby forming a new cycle of healthy competition.
As for the stability of the Ancient Tree—leaving aside the fact that little Loren was about to reach adulthood and that his current combat strength had already reached the level of an ordinary Elder Dragon, far stronger than Logan had been at the same age—there was also Blazefire Village, the Ancient Tree Hunter's Guild, and various defensive fortifications.
Not to mention that Logan's current nest was filled with Terastal crystals carrying his aura. Back then, when Kushala Daora had merely used this place as a temporary foothold, it had already been enough to keep the creatures living in the Ancient Tree from approaching its summit. Now that Logan had become a Forbidden-class existence, there was even less to say.
Even among Elder Dragons, each and every one of them—so long as they were not Forbidden—upon sensing Logan's aura would wish to stay as far away as possible, fearing that if they were a moment too slow, they would end up as prey.
The only thing truly worth worrying about was merely the development of Ancient Tree civilization over the coming decades, perhaps even the next hundred years.
While Logan was arranging the subsequent development direction of the Ancient Tree, several consecutive meetings were also being held over at Astera.
Every senior member had their own opinion. Even Darren, who rarely participated in high-level meetings, voiced his thoughts.
Like the Commander, everyone agreed on dispatching personnel back to the Old World to participate in the Black Dragon investigation. The disagreement lay only in manpower.
Aside from the views of a small minority, the rest were roughly divided into two factions.
Led by the Admiral, one side intended for the Admiral and the Huntsman to lead a team of four hundred hunters, bringing along the ancient Dragonator restored through Ancient Tree alchemy to provide support, while the younger generation would remain in the New World to continue its development.
Darren's side, however, believed that the Admiral and those veteran hunters had toiled in the New World for a lifetime and that it was time for them to rest properly. Thus, he would lead the recommended team back to the Old World first to conduct the initial investigation. From the remaining personnel—excluding the younger hunters who had already settled in the New World—they would then assemble three to four hundred for the subsequent main combat operations.
In plain terms, it was merely a conflict between the older generation's desire to protect the younger generation and the younger generation's understanding of the hardships borne by their elders.
As for the proposal raised by some to request assistance from the Sunblaze Dragon and have him help oppose the Black Dragon, it was rejected from the very beginning.
The existence of the Sunblaze Dragon was tied to the stability of the New World. Moreover, a battle between Forbidden beings would have too great an impact and might very well cause ecological turmoil in the Old World.
Whether for public or private reasons, this was humanity's own matter and should not involve the Sunblaze Dragon.