"Clang!" The dragon's wing struck a piece of ice-blue crystal, producing a crisp sound. "Huh?" The young dragon looked at the blue crystal that had appeared above the white creature's head. "Kupo, that's an Aether Crystal! Teleport!" The white blob promptly transformed into streams of light and vanished, and the crystal began to dissipate. "Snap!" The young dragon grabbed it, and the crystal solidified once more. Meanwhile, the white creature reappeared in the Wildspire Waste. "Kupo! The Aether Light is gone! It's over, Kupo! This is really the end, Kupo!"
"Clang~" The young dragon tapped the spindle-shaped crystal, finding it quite sturdy. It picked it up, scratched it, and banged it, concluding that its hardness surpassed that of its own iron spear. Perhaps it could be fashioned into a new hunting tool. It must be said that dropping a one-ton, two-meter-diameter spindle-shaped kinetic bomb from a high-speed dive would undoubtedly send a hunter to meet the Sapphire Star in an instant. Even a large, armored herbivore would be reduced to a pulp. (PS: Even a useless Kulu-Ya-Ku could take out a hunter with a single throw of an Aether Crystal.)
As the young dragon continued to tap and prod the Aether Crystal, tiny fragments of light gradually merged into its unfamiliar soul. "...Listen...""Squeak squeak~""Feel...""Ingredients~""Think""Eat""..." The faint, fragmented whispers within the soul fell silent. "Roar~" The young dragon lamented the loss of its intended meal, but ultimately, food must still be eaten. A true gourmand never abandons their mealtime due to an unexpected turn of events. Thus, a water beast took the place of the white creature, becoming the main course on the chopping block.
The appetizer was "Seaside Medley Seafood Chowder," followed by the main course, "Secret Recipe Water Beast Sponge Patty," with "Frozen Liver Pate" as the dessert. The highlight was the main dish, "Charcoal-Grilled Whole Mushroom Pig." To cleanse the palate, a "Cactus and Sour Fruit Salad" was prepared, along with a drink made from Water Jar Bulbs, Foaming Grass, and Frostweed called "Wyvern's Delight."
It must be said that despite not being black in color, this silver-blue, effervescent drink with a refreshingly sweet, mint-like flavor was a hit with the young dragon. Among the over a hundred beverage recipes it had tested, this one stood out, prompting it to brew several large vats and even craft a wooden barrel for portable storage.
Of course, this high-sugar, high-calorie drink didn't lead to weight gain. Given its energy expenditure, the calories provided by the drink were practically negligible. So, there was no risk of it becoming an "Overweight Wyvern" due to this indulgence. However, its rapid growth in size was an undeniable fact, a result of both the abundant nutrition and the copious amounts of Elder Dragon Life Crystals it consumed.
In addition, the Aether Crystal seemed to provide a certain power, allowing it to grow nearly a meter in size after just one meal. Countless light spots, resembling sunlight, continuously detached from the Aether Crystal, and the power of the wind veins surged into its body, etching traces of the fifth element (Aether) from another world onto its form. Its scales became more lustrous and translucent as a result.
After finishing its meal, the young dragon took stock of its food reserves, ensuring it had ingredients for the next meal, and then comfortably fell asleep cradling the cool crystal. For the high-heat-dissipating dragon, the temperature of the Aether Light Crystal was just right. Eating and sleeping more were essential for its growing body, though this might not bode well for the creatures of the isolated islands and the New World—its accelerating growth rate had made its appetite truly terrifying, especially since it was a gourmand! The seeds of an ecological disaster were beginning to sprout.
The crystal, towering like a mountain, extended and spread, almost occupying the entire space. Countless tiny Aether Crystals surrounded the massive one, emitting a bright glow. "Squeak squeak?" The young dragon curiously tumbled through this void, where it felt no sense of suffocation, looping around the giant crystal and creating sonic booms one after another. Here, there was no resistance, yet some substance seemed to perform the function of the atmosphere, allowing it to fly freely. The bizarre and surreal nature of this void, however, failed to capture the young dragon's attention, as it had already seen all manner of strange things in its memory.
The roar of the engine nearly drowned out all other sounds, or rather, in its consciousness, the engine's roar in its heart even overshadowed the actual sound of its flight, reaching a remarkably high level. Once the engine in its heart roared, not even the sound of a shrimp catcher could disturb the restless, roaring soul of a speed demon chasing the power of thunder and wind, pushing the limits of velocity. Hmm, not even that gentle female voice could... The young dragon flew wildly across this world, performing a variety of complex aerial maneuvers, trailing increasingly long streaks of light composed of Aether particles.
"..." This might be the strangest creature Hydaelyn had ever seen. It was the first time She had encountered something with such a strong and uniquely styled "voice of the heart." Perhaps sensing that now was not a good time for conversation—or perhaps it was simply impossible—Her voice, separated by different dimensions, couldn't shake such a self-styled voice of the heart.
In the real world, the young dragon rolled over, spreading its wings. The tips of its wing feathers emitted a cyan-blue glow, becoming semi-transparent. A large number of Aether particles formed long, feather-like crystalline structures on the bare main wings, making its wings resemble those of a bird rather than a wyvern, or even the typical wing structure of a dragon. However, these Aether particles soon dissipated, leaving only a faint, semi-transparent blue fluorescence at the tips of the wing feathers, reminiscent of red-hot iron.
Then, it woke up, still somewhat restless, and flicked its tail, fishing out an unlucky snapping fish from a nearby bucket to begin its seventh meal of the day. Having slept well and miraculously feeling less hungry than usual, it decided to keep this meal simple—just a "sauced snapping fish" followed by a "luxury dragon egg shrimp pancake" would suffice. Well, by "pancake," I mean the kind that's over a meter in diameter, stuffed with nearly half a cow's worth of minced spirit deer meat and an enormous amount of fish and shrimp paste...
After a good sleep and a light meal, it was time to stretch its wings. The dragon packed up its belongings, secured them, and took off from the mountaintop base toward the mainland. Today's takeoff was noticeably smoother and faster than usual—perhaps due to the good rest it had. Meanwhile, on the other side, Kupo was in a frantic panic. Without the Aether Light, it couldn't use the ley lines to return to its own world! What to do? The Aether Light must be in the hands of that scoundrel! And Kupo was no match for that bizarre-looking dragon.
As Kupo wildly fluttered in circles, a Mernos seemed to take a keen "interest" in it, scooping up the fluttering little creature in its claws. Admittedly, Kupo's potato-like shape fit perfectly in the Mernos' talons—so perfectly that the bird instinctively began to peck at it a couple of times to investigate. "Kupo! Help!! Kupo!"
"It sounds like someone's calling for help!" White Wind, who was hunting a Barroth in the Wildspire Waste, looked up. As the leader of the hunting squad, she was one of the few hunters capable of taking down such large prey. Most of the other hunters were busy gathering materials and setting up various tools in preparation for the Zorah Magdaros capture operation. In fact, the reason she was hunting Barroths was because these creatures had a habit of scratching themselves against unfinished wooden stakes and barricades, disrupting the construction work. So, hunting them—or at least driving them out of the operation area—was necessary.
"Wow! It looks like a Palico!" The fastest to react was the Hammer user. "Dodge!" With a swift slash at the Mernos' tail, the bird instinctively released its grip and leaped aside, allowing Kupo to escape in the nick of time. "Ah, it's a human adventurer, Kupo!" Kupo circled around the Sword and Shield user, about to say something. "Move aside, this isn't the time for chit-chat!" The Sword and Shield user slid out of the way to avoid a rock thrown by the Mernos, picked up the stone, and loaded it into the slinger, firing it back at the bird. "Hey, stupid bird, over here!"
"Creak~" White Wind slowly drew her massive hunting bow, three overlapping arrows resembling short spears glistening with oil. "Whoosh!" "Creak!" With the aid of the bowstring's elasticity and the effects of the Close-Range Coating, White Wind seamlessly drew the bowstring for a second round. After two rapid volleys of three arrows each, she slid forward, almost pressing against the Mernos, which had turned in panic from the attack, and fired a spread shot, instantly knocking it off balance. Then, with great solemnity, she pulled out an unusually long arrow from her quiver, scraped it against the sand to ignite the gunpowder on its tip, aimed at the Mernos, and began calculating the detonation time of the Wyvernblast.
"Look over here!" The Sword and Shield user leaped high into the air, delivering a downward slash that nearly severed the Mernos' slender tail, forcing it to turn its head in a daze to face the attacker. "Thud!" The gunpowder-propelled arrow pierced through the Mernos' body, and the embedded Wyvernblast charges exploded in sequence, shattering the arrow shaft and completely obliterating the bird's internal organs. The Mernos collapsed to the ground, twitched a few times, and then lay still.
Wyvernblast arrows are incredibly expensive and cause severe damage to the materials obtained from the prey. Of course, the power of these high-velocity, armor-piercing, high-explosive arrows with tandem warheads is undeniably impressive. However, precisely because of this, they are notoriously difficult to aim and can ruin the valuable parts of the hunt. The Hunter's Guild has long prohibited the use of such weapons, including other Wyvernblast series components like the Wyvernblast Cannon. However, the hunters of the New World are carefully selected veterans, and thus, they are specially permitted to use and resupply these unique types of ammunition.
"Kupo, saved, Kupo!" "Are you from the beast tribe? You look so strange," White Wind glanced at Kupo. "Kupo is from the Moogle tribe, Kupo. But now is not the time for this, Kupo! Kupo's Aether Crystal was stolen, something terrible will happen, Kupo!" "Aether Crystal? Wait, let's go back first, it's still dangerous here." "Kupo, okay~" Thinking about how he had almost twice become dragon dung, Kupo wholeheartedly agreed with this suggestion. This place is much more dangerous than Eorzea, Kupo!
At the Astera base, "So, you're from another world?" "That's right, Kupo. We travel through the Aetherial currents using the Aetheryte, but Kupo, Kupo encountered an Aetherial disturbance during the journey and ended up here." "So, where is your Aetheryte?" "The Aetheryte is gone, Kupo. Kupo was caught by a monster, and just as Kupo was about to be eaten, Kupo summoned the Aetheryte, but it didn't follow Kupo through the teleportation." "What kind of monster was it?" The Commander frowned as he asked.
"That's not important, not important, Kupo! If the Aetheryte is missing, something very troublesome will happen!" "For example?" "For example, monsters from our world, Eorzea, might come to this world through it, Kupo!" "Commander, this could lead to an ecological invasion. We must prevent this from happening." "Then, describe the monster and the surrounding terrain again. Your Aetheryte might still be with that monster." "Kupo, that's right, it must be so, Kupo!"
"The wingless species with long wing blades that flies very fast," Miss Aibo quickly flipped through the large book in her hands. "Is this the kind of dragon?" She pulled out an abstract illustration. "Kupo, it looks a bit similar, but the wing blades aren't that long, Kupo! And it doesn't have horns," Kupo replied. (In reality, it did have horns, but they were too small due to its age, and since it was a female, the horns were not very prominent.) "So, it might be a subspecies of the Valstrax," Aibo said, though she was a Deviljho, her expertise was quite impressive. "Commander, I've just confirmed that it's likely the Elder Dragon Valstrax discovered by the Dragon Research Institute!"
This conclusion immediately gave the Commander a headache. Elder Dragons were not something ordinary hunters could handle. Even the so-called capable hunters could only deplete the Elder Dragon's energy and force it to retreat. The only recorded kill of an Elder Dragon was the "Fatalis," but the problem was that the Fatalis had deliberately sought death, as it was nearly incapable of dying naturally. Moreover, during the investigation of the client afterward, it was shockingly discovered that the "white-haired girl in white" did not exist at all. Combining various pieces of information and intelligence, scholars from the Elder Dragon Research Association came to a terrifying conclusion—Elder Dragons, especially certain exceptionally powerful and ancient ones, might be able to take on human form. Of course, this information was kept secret from most hunters, with only a select few being aware of it.
This means that the only Elder Dragon to have died was one that deliberately sought its own death by commissioning hunters to kill it. This also highlights just how difficult it is to hunt or drive away an Elder Dragon. If that crystal were to fall into the hands of an Elder Dragon, the entire base's hunters would immediately feel the pressure. After all, there are no rookies here who haven't witnessed the devastation caused by Elder Dragons, so they understand better than anyone just what kind of existence these creatures are.
Moreover, according to Kupo's explanation, the Aetheryte can guide Aetherial currents into a living being, causing it to become Aetherially overcharged. Regardless of what "Aetherially overcharged" means, it's definitely not a good thing if it happens to an Elder Dragon—in other words, this Elder Dragon isn't just powerful, it might be even stronger than the average Elder Dragon... Add to that the upcoming Zorah Magdaros capture operation, the Elder Crossing investigation... and the missing Commander...
The Commander was seriously considering whether to request the Guild to dispatch the leader of the Border Hunters, who had experience hunting the so-called "Elder Dragon-tier" creatures known as the "Elderfrost-class." Only such a true "Monster Hunter" (a hunter who is a monster themselves) could handle this, right? But after thinking about the situation at the border, he dismissed the idea. Because if those Elderfrost-class creatures were to invade... they would be far more terrifying than the unseen monsters from Eorzea.