In the Great Ant Hill Wasteland, near the waterfall, a large lotus leaf was inverted and placed on its head, shielding it from the slightly scorching sunlight. Its four-fingered claws, somewhat clumsy and resembling those of a human, gripped a long fishing rod. Beside it sat a bamboo basket stolen from a hunter's camp. From the back, it looked like an elderly Wyverian with a tail, quietly fishing.
"Splash!" A Burst Fish was pulled from the water, immediately caught in its jagged, serrated beak, and swiftly devoured in a few bites. Its long, rough tongue licked the sweet fish blood splattered at the corners of its mouth, and it nodded unconsciously—truly a fish worthy of its "burst" name.
The taut fish flesh exploded in its mouth, releasing a burst of delicious juices, providing an extraordinary sensory delight. Of course, humans would likely never experience this ultimate delicacy, as the fish would explode if cooked, and its high-energy fat would ignite rapidly, shattering the unfortunate person's mouth. However, this was not a problem for the young dragon.
Burst Fish are one of the primary food sources for Astalos. Their explosive nature means their flesh and fat contain vast amounts of high-energy substances, which can be converted into even higher-energy Dragon Qi Pearls. Compared to other fish, they provide a greater sense of satiety, and the explosive burst of flavor on the tongue—or even in the stomach—is one of the reasons why they are so eagerly hunted by these dragons.
After mastering the skills of fishing and swimming, the young dragon reduced its visits to the camps to steal food. However, this led to numerous hunters reporting a significant decline in the fish population in the Great Ant Hill Wasteland. Many fish-like dragons, now lacking food, began to attack waterfowl. As a result, the Hunter's Guild added yet another unsolvable ecological investigation task to their list: The Mystery of the Declining Fish Population in the Great Ant Hill Wasteland.
In any case, the young dragon's appearance was highly deceptive. Standing upright, draped in a stolen cloak, wearing a lotus leaf hat, and carrying a fishing rod and basket, it looked so much like an elderly Wyverian fishing that most hunters who passed by paid it little attention.
"Horse mackerel are too tough, great for chewing and snacking." Strings of horse mackerel hung in the sun, glistening with seasonings "generously provided" by the hunters.
"Burst Fish are carnivorous and too scarce. Next time, we need to reduce the number of fish-like dragons competing for food." The Mud Fish Dragon rolled in the mud, devouring lungfish, completely unaware of the looming malice.
"Goldfish taste terrible." "Rupture Fish have excellent meat but are hard to catch." These and other notes, written in an unknown script, covered the interior of the tree nest.
"Why are there so few Snapper Fish here?" Snapper Fish are large fish with massive teeth and smooth, thick skin, which can be used to craft equipment like leather and waterproof covers. Their flesh and whiskers are also highly valued materials sought after by the canteen.
As a result, many hunters come to hunt these fish. The recent significant decline in the fish population might be due to the overpopulation of Snapper Fish—though, even if it's not their doing, with food supplies dwindling, it's necessary to reduce the number of higher-level predators to prevent further extinction of the fish population.
However, the young dragon paid no mind to this. The plump Snapper Fish posed no threat to it. Carrying a fish in its mouth, the young dragon emerged from the water at the shallows, struggled to put on its cloak and lotus leaf hat, and dragged a long line of Snapper Fish and other dragon fish back with a vine rope. Its increasingly powerful Elder Dragon aura intimidated the smaller fish, keeping them at bay. Moreover, for most animals, a young dragon standing upright and exuding the scent of an Elder Dragon was hardly suitable prey.
The fish skin of the biting fish is thick and rich in gelatinous protein. The young dragon began to recall the methods of human chefs from its memories. With its front claws, resembling small daggers, it easily sliced open the fish's belly, tearing off the skin and tossing it into a nearby water pit for cleaning. After washing, it placed the skin on a barbecue rack generously provided by a hunter. The dragon's wings slightly fluttered, and a bit of dragon energy was injected into the jet chamber through a hose. Then, flames erupted, igniting the prepared hay and wood—Roasted Pigskin with Heavenly Dragon Flame, Improved Version, Fish Skin Type 4!
Due to the thickness of the biting fish's fat, comparable to that of pork, just a slight roasting released a large amount of fragrant fish oil from beneath the skin. The thick fish skin crackled as it fried, emitting an extremely rich aroma. While humans might find the fishy smell of biting fish too strong, and roasting it could make it reminiscent of a horrifying herring-processing room, for the young dragon's sense of smell, the fishiness manifested as a deep, honey-like sweetness. Especially after spreading its specially collected cactus fruit jam on it, the taste was nothing short of exquisite.
After finishing the fish skin, the meat wasn't wasted either. The dragon's claws tore it into pieces and stuffed it all into a hunter's helmet, which was then hung over the fire. Water was added, along with chunks of cactus fruit and cactus pieces. When the mixture emitted a fresh aroma of fish and plants, the young dragon poured it all into its mouth. The scalding, sweet fish and broth were rapidly digested as soon as they entered its stomach. For the young dragon, this marked the end of its eighth meal of the day.
The dragon's tail patted the haystack, fluffing it up, and then it placed specially selected sharp stones inside. The young dragon burrowed into the pile, rolling around comfortably a few times. The sharp stones scraped off moss-like growths on its scales and helped scratch itches, making them an indispensable part of its life. Another essential was dry sand, which effectively removed parasites and kept its scales clean and dry—much like how humans consider bathing a necessity.
As time passed, the young dragon found fewer and fewer fish to catch or scavenge. It had to travel farther and explore more distant areas to find ponds still teeming with fish. In short, it had nearly eaten all the fish in the area. Fortunately, there were still plenty of biting fish in the marshes, so it could hold out for a while longer. However, this also meant that finding new, easily caught, and delicious food sources was now essential. It also signaled the need to develop a series of new recipes beyond its existing repertoire, such as Heavenly Dragon Sashimi and Heavenly Dragon Improved Char Siu Sashimi Fish.
Additionally, this situation led the young dragon to develop a peculiar admiration for the unseen head chef who prepared food for the hunters. If the chef were to witness the young dragon's eating habits and frequency, they might feel as though they were looking at a certain "aibo," whose insatiable appetite, akin to that of a ravenous Deviljho, was strikingly similar to the young dragon's own. Though one couldn't help but wonder how often—or if—she ever took bathroom breaks.
"Screech!" The Kulu-Ya-Ku leapt high into the air, slamming the rock it held in its claws toward the hunter in front of it. "Watch out!" The young female hunter swiftly turned and slid, her hunting bow already drawn to its full extent. The arrowhead, coated with strong attack potion, gleamed a menacing dark red in the sunlight. In the next moment, a high-temperature arrow trailing a crimson flame pierced through the Kulu-Ya-Ku's neck. The hunter sprinted forward, leaped, and drew her bow again. Three broad-leaf hunting arrows pinned the creature firmly to the ground.
"The Kulu-Ya-Ku is down! Amazing!" The hunter bent down and pulled out her hunting knife, cutting off a small part of the creature as proof. After completing a hunt, hunters only collect a minimal portion as evidence. Later, back at the gathering hub, a specialized transport team would handle the corpse, efficiently dividing and processing it. The materials would then be stored directly in the hunter's storage box. However, a portion of the materials typically served as payment for the transport team, while another portion would be handed over to the base for research and the production of other resources.
"Let's head back to camp now," the young hunter said, seemingly sensing something as she glanced up toward the cliff. There, a short figure wearing a lotus leaf hat appeared to wave at her. "Yeah, let's go back." The figure seemed like an ordinary elderly Wyverian, though it was hard to make out his features clearly due to the backlight. Still, he didn't seem hostile—after all, someone with a bamboo basket filled with cactus fruit, wild berries, and plants nearby was unlikely to be a dangerous individual.
"The seasoning ingredients are gathered," the young dragon thought with satisfaction as it looked into the bamboo basket. Inside were items like herb seeds, paralyzing mushrooms, and blast herbs, as well as wild fruits such as cactus fruit, dragon fruit, and rock peel fruit. "Now, for the main ingredient... let's go with eggs!" Clutching the basket in its mouth, the young dragon leapt from the cliff. Thanks to its abundant nutrition, easily digestible cooked food, and the rapid growth rate of elder dragons, it could now glide short distances. Its wings emitted sporadic bursts of flame and crackling sounds, cushioning the impact of its landing. Soon, it found itself near the nest of an herbivorous wyvern.
An hour later, near the tree nest, a red-hot stone slab met a large, pungent pool of wyvern egg liquid, which instantly solidified into a mass of protein. The young dragon clumsily placed a heap of finely chopped mixed fish on top, rolled the egg pancake, and added some plants it believed to be cilantro. It then smeared on a mixed fruit sauce made from various wild berries. Thus, a bold and wild creation—a wyvern egg pancake roll—was complete. "It doesn't seem that tasty," the young dragon licked its lips, feeling it couldn't compare to classics like explosive fish sashimi or roasted biting fish with cactus sauce.
Although eggs were easier to obtain, the young dragon thought carefully. A single egg from an herbivorous wyvern wouldn't be enough to fill it up, while an entire herbivorous wyvern could sustain it for over two days. Comparing the two, it was clear that catching an herbivorous wyvern was the better option. However, raw meat wasn't as delicious as raw fish (a matter of dragon taste preferences). It only had a slight sweetness and saltiness from the blood, lacking the fragrant, sweet flavor of fish meat and fish blood (which humans would perceive as a fishy smell). Therefore, it needed to figure out how to process the meat properly, and so the young dragon fell into deep thought.
Meanwhile, back at the camp, Bai Feng and Aibo stared at the special pie and meat soup prepared by the cooking team, finding them utterly tasteless—literally. The accompanying salt and refined seasonings were all gone. Just how terrible was unseasoned meat soup? But that wasn't even the worst part. The most serious issue was this: Where was the Mernos that was supposed to take them back?
"Whoosh!" The young dragon pressed the unfortunate Mernos it had knocked unconscious into the water. After peeling off its skin and small bones, only the tender, pale Mernos meat remained. Clearly, the mystery of the missing transport Mernos from the camp had been solved. Although it possessed considerable knowledge and inexplicable memories, the young dragon was still just that—a young dragon. It was at an age where it wanted to taste everything and was driven by intense curiosity. Moreover, it hadn't yet been disciplined by a mother dragon to learn what not to eat—so the hunters should praise the Fourth Fleet's logistics team for coating the tents with tung oil. The pungent odor kept the young dragon at bay.
Drawing from its memories, the self-proclaimed gourmet dragon didn't mind these details. It continued to slowly attempt recreating the roast duck from its memories. The only regret was that the biting fish, which had become harder to catch recently, meant it couldn't use roasted biting fish skin to wrap the Mernos meat—a significant disappointment. It also hadn't found substitutes for green onions and sweet bean sauce, resorting instead to dragon fruit jam and some long, unidentified creature that might have been an animal or something else. The result was surprisingly refreshing—the Velociprey breathed a sigh of relief due to its size, while the Anteka guide felt a chill down its spine, sensing that this barren land was anything but simple.
In the process of developing its culinary skills, the young dragon naturally encountered many setbacks and failures. For instance, when trying to recreate fried meat patties, it discovered that frying with fish oil produced a terrible taste. There was also a moment when, recalling a memory of a human hunter eating insects, it attempted to devour a nest of Bitterbugs. The result was a rare day of fasting, as the overwhelming bitterness in its mouth made it impossible to eat anything. To make matters worse, the stimulating effect of the Bitterbugs prevented it from sleeping to avoid hunger. From that day on, the young dragon added Bitterbugs and all other insects to its "forbidden food" list.