For the young dragon, this glowing blue crystal has many uses: it can serve as a weight for pickling vegetables, a hammer for making meat paste, ammunition for aerial hunting, a belly scratcher for when it sleeps, and, most importantly at the moment, a tool for teething. Yes, it has reached the stage of its first tooth replacement, and its baby teeth have mostly fallen out. However, its new dragon teeth, growing rapidly, are causing it significant itchiness, especially when it sleeps, so it needs to gnaw on something to relieve the discomfort.
However, this stone does have its inconveniences. For instance, it often causes the young dragon to have strange dreams, where it sees a massive, overly talkative crystal that keeps urging it to go somewhere and help a group of beings called "the Light-something-or-other." But what use are such things? The big crystal rambled on about this for a long time, but the young dragon didn't really understand much of it. In the end, it only grasped one simple fact—that this "Light-whatever" isn't edible. And if it's not edible, what's the point? .jpg
As a dragon, a member of the flying wyvern species, it hasn't yet reached sexual maturity, nor is it in its mating season. It also lacks any other form of entertainment or the ability to satisfy such needs. So, what else is there to do besides eat? Therefore, the big crystal's words have essentially gone in one ear and out the other. At least until the big stone realizes its mistake and offers up some Lalafell—no, I mean edible ingredients—there's no way the young dragon will cooperate with any of its plans. (Every time a Lalafell is eaten, one less ingredient—no, one less companion—exists. So, no trade, no harm. Please pass the Lalafell Protection Act to prohibit the casual use of Lalafells as ingredients...)
On the other side, although it was decided to prioritize the Zorah Magdaros capture operation, with the Fifth Fleet's White Wind also being deployed, the issue of the Aetheryte over there still worried the Commander greatly. Moreover, according to that Moogle fellow, the Elder Dragon seems to possess remarkable intelligence, even using tools and preparing somewhat complex meals. Of course, the idea that it might also be farming or cultivating is met with skepticism, as the things Kupo mentioned are largely absent from the diets of flying wyverns. It's more likely that the dragon consumed herbivorous creatures, and some of the plants passed through its digestive system, eventually forming a small ecosystem.
Such ecosystems are quite common in this world. An Elder Dragon or a massive monster can easily create a unique ecological environment through its actions and activities. This is a primary focus of the hunters' investigations and one of the main tasks of the Hunter's Guild. At the same time, it's also the environment and resources upon which the humans of this world depend. Therefore, based on past experiences, the Commander and the other hunters are more inclined to believe that this is some kind of misunderstanding caused by Kupo's lack of familiarity with the ecological peculiarities of this world—just as you wouldn't assume that the mineral veins and crystal clusters on Zorah Magdaros's back were placed there by itself, right? Or that the trees and grass on Dalamadur were planted by it?
Under these circumstances, the Commander simply assigned a group of hunters to conduct preliminary investigations. However, a new problem has arisen here: due to the oppressive aura of the Valstrax, or more academically speaking, the pheromones in its flight exhaust, the wingdrakes are completely unwilling to approach the island. Additionally, the surrounding waters are filled with reefs, making it nearly impossible to find a good way to reach the isolated island in a short time. As a result, the Fourth Fleet hunters are currently tasked with surveying the surrounding sea conditions.
After months of preparation, the Zorah Magdaros capture operation commenced. As the largest known Elder Dragon, the Hunter's Guild employed methods similar to those used in hunting Lao-Shan Lung. Obstacles were set up in the canyon terrain, and continuous attacks were launched to shatter the high-temperature, lava-like secretions on its surface. Specialized capture ballistae loaded with tranquilizers were then used to restrain its movements, allowing scholars from the Elder Dragon Research Commission to safely board Zorah Magdaros's back and investigate the reason for its constant presence in the area.
Meanwhile, the young dragon soared through the skies. Whether due to the enhancement of the Aetheryte or from consuming an abundance of Dragon Crystals, its body had grown stronger than before. Multiple Dragon Jewels had appeared within it: two smaller ones on its sides and a larger one in the center. This not only further enhanced its endurance but also allowed it to remain active for longer periods in the oxygen-thin air above the clouds. It seemed that the smaller Dragon Jewels were composed of a highly oxygen-rich solid substance, rapidly dissolving oxygen into its bloodstream or energy channels and sending it to the six wing thrusters.
The sky was a deep, dark blue, with sunlight painting the clouds in hues of gold. The young dragon occasionally navigated through the mist, where the cold, moist air mixed with the atmosphere was drawn into its cooling cycle, alleviating the inevitable fatigue and rising body temperature from prolonged flight. At other times, it flew above the clouds, freely dancing in the unobstructed heights. This was its daily routine, a form of training or exercise.
Given its current semi-detached state from its primal hunting habits, if it were to simply lie in its nest and eat, it would quickly grow too fat to fly—especially after countless failed attempts, it finally managed to steal several giant bee hives, securing a steady supply of honey. This substance, which doesn't convert into draconic energy, would only serve to make it gain weight. When paired with "Fat Dragon Happy Juice," the effect would be even more immediate.
"Boom!" A scorching, flame-like liquid erupted from within Zorah Magdaros. This was the medium used by its heat-dissipating organs, as well as a mixture of its excess digestive fluids and waste. Not only did it possess extreme heat, but it was also highly corrosive, resembling glowing molten lava. This is how Zorah Magdaros earned its name. As the digestive fluids continuously poured out from its excretory pores, over time, the waste accumulated layer upon layer around these organs, eventually forming a structure reminiscent of a volcano.
(True red molten lava has a minimum temperature of over 1500 degrees Celsius, while the denaturation temperature of proteins is only 70 degrees. So, if Zorah Magdaros's body contained actual molten lava, or if it could maintain such high temperatures internally, it's debatable whether it could even be considered an organic carbon-based life form, let alone a living creature. Given the color of what it expels, it would need to reach temperatures akin to mantle fluid—capable of melting metal. Therefore, it's more plausible to think of this as some kind of high-temperature digestive fluid, with the steam resulting from its corrosive nature. This also explains why the heat-dissipating organs are located within the volcanic crater—a result of continuous waste accumulation.)
The black substance is actually composed of coral, shellfish remains, and a large amount of minerals that Zorah Magdaros consumes from the seabed. Over time, through erosion and the accumulation of its own metabolic waste, it has developed a high level of hardness. In fact, you can even find mineral crystals on it that haven't been fully digested—or, more bluntly, have been effectively extracted through the digestion process.
The ballistae and cannons set up on both sides were instantly destroyed by the high-temperature digestive fluid. The scalding liquid continuously came into contact with the accumulated material, releasing billowing smoke that resembled steam. For the hunters, their weapons were nearly powerless against such a massive creature. "No, Zorah Magdaros's stamina hasn't been sufficiently reduced! We must find areas to target for damage!" The elder dragon forcefully rammed into the obstacles blocking its path. Despite all efforts to reinforce them, the wooden barrier walls were utterly incapable of withstanding the impact of such a colossal monster—especially when it used its breath attacks to destroy the supporting points on both sides. As a result, the barrier wall lasted less than 20 minutes before being completely demolished.
"All hunters, assemble at the Wingdrakes and prepare to board the dragon's back for combat!" "Kupo, such a huge monster! Kupo will help too!" Out of nowhere, the Moogle pulled out a strange little horn and began blowing it with all its might, producing an extremely... peculiar tune (for those unfamiliar with how peculiar it sounds, please search for "Moogle King BGM" on Baidu). If you disregard the odd, eerie, and unsettling melody, it indeed bestowed a strange power upon the hunters. Aether currents surrounded them, forming a band of hexagonal, semi-transparent light membranes—a group shielding spell used by adventurers of Eorzea to protect their allies and reduce incoming damage. Although, given the Moogle's skill level, the damage reduction was almost negligible.
"Whoosh~" Valstrax glided over the canyon, curiously observing the chaotic battlefield below. However, for a dragon that was merely passing by on its way to the Crystalline Lands to gather some "salt," the activities of the humans were of little concern. Moreover, the enormous dragon down there didn't look particularly appetizing, so Valstrax was simply passing through. However...
"Attention, a new wyvern is approaching!" The sound of Valstrax's engine was quite loud. Although it was flying at a considerable altitude, so was Zorah Magdaros. As a result, the hunters near the volcanic crater heard a distant rumbling that grew louder. With just a glance upward, they spotted the young dragon beneath the thick clouds, trailing a long blue streak of glowing aether particles.
Unlike the usual reddish tail flames of a typical Valstrax, its tail flames were cleaner, lacking the billowing smoke. Instead, it continuously emitted a trail of glowing, dust-like aether particles. On the positive side, this indicated improved fuel efficiency, with reduced fuel consumption and significantly enhanced flight speed. On the negative side... it made the dragon ten times more conspicuous.
"Ballistae ready, drive it away!" The ballistae positioned in front of the second wall successfully restrained Zorah Magdaros. As long as the hunters promptly destroyed the heat-dissipating organs and reduced Zorah Magdaros's stamina to a certain level, they could successfully capture it—or at least force it to change its course. Just like dealing with Lao-Shan Lung, they could gradually exhaust its stamina over the long canyon.
It's important to note that this dragon is extremely old, to the point where its secretions and excretions have accumulated into large amounts of black substance on its body. Therefore, the Guild's plan is to have it continuously navigate through the canyon maze. This would buy enough time to investigate the cause of the Elder Crossing and, once it dies, to conduct an in-depth study of the ecology of Zorah Magdaros, a rare Elder Dragon.
However, as if drawn by some force, Zorah Magdaros continues to move in a specific direction instead of circling the canyon as the Guild had intended. This necessitates either capturing it or forcing it to retreat due to exhaustion. The appearance of Valstrax has made the already precarious situation even more dangerous. These are no novice hunters here; even if they haven't faced Valstrax directly, they've studied detailed records of this Elder Dragon. They know just how terrifying it is for such a hyper-agile, high-speed dragon to appear in this context.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!" Dozens of ballista arrows shot into the sky. Representing the pinnacle of local "black tech," rocket-boosted bolts and heavy ballista-fired projectiles—what could be called "stabilized discarding sabot penetrators"—interwove into a fiery net aimed at the young dragon in the air. No one believed such attacks could truly harm an Elder Dragon. After all, the experienced hunters here were well aware of how much lethality these weapons retained after overcoming gravity. However, this was at least enough to draw its attention and prevent it from attacking the Fifth Fleet hunters who were struggling to climb onto Zorah Magdaros's back.
"Ying ying?" The young dragon suddenly ascended, tilting its body to draw a semicircular arc and dodging the group of flying projectiles that came its way. "Hmm?" It forcefully slowed down with its wings, hovering in the sky, bewildered as it watched the humans load new ammunition once again. It was merely passing by; why were they attacking it? How strange.
"Look there, the Ether Light." The young dragon clutched a blue, glowing crystal with its hind claws. Due to the hardness of this material, it had to double as a mining tool. Using its tail and claws to chip away at the dragon crystals could be painful over time, and the crystals would shatter, turning into numerous needle-like shards. The last time a crystal shard got stuck between its claws, it had tormented it for quite a while. So now, the young dragon always looked for something sufficiently hard to smash them with— and the Ether Light was just the right hardness for this purpose.
"Wait a moment; it seems to have no intention to attack." The commander observed the hovering Valstrax, instinctively sensing that it did not have a desire to fight, merely curious or observing the humans below. "Cease fire, all hunters, be cautious of potential aerial attacks." "Roar!" Another roar echoed, "Another wyvern species is coming! An unfamiliar dragon species! It's heading toward the molten dragon!" A flying dragon covered in sharp bone spikes crashed down onto the back of the molten dragon, swiping its claws to knock off the binding arrows and roaring at the hunters.
Then, the "Valstrax Harpoon" came flying through the air, striking the dragon square in the head. Bone shards and flesh splattered everywhere, causing it to stagger on the spot. This gave the hunters, who had finally managed to reach their positions, a chance to catch their breath and draw their weapons to join the fight. Soon after, a second harpoon flew in, knocking the giant dragon back down just as it was about to take off. The young dragon nodded in satisfaction, watching as the hunters engaged in battle with the creature that had often blocked its access to the salt mines.
Due to its need for large quantities of dragon crystals, the young dragon had absolutely no rapport with this creature that spewed bone spikes and shards. As soon as it started mining, within five minutes at most, this beast would come charging over, using its size advantage to chase the young dragon for a long distance. This resulted in the young dragon's reserves of "crystal salt" being perpetually in a state of severe shortage. Well, at least for now, this creature was too busy to interfere with its mining.
As for Nergigante, that little wretch in the sky was the most detestable creature it had ever encountered in its life. You see, crystal structures have an unfortunate characteristic: they amplify sound waves through resonance. In other words, for a creature whose daily routine consists of nothing but eating and sleeping, the moment it starts eating or is deep in slumber, the surrounding crystals begin to resonate with the incessant "clang clang clang" of mining sounds.
Then it was struck squarely in the head by a "Sky Spear" that came slicing through the air, causing bone fragments and flesh to splatter everywhere. It stumbled on the spot, and this sound of striking was not something that would stop after a short while. If left unchecked, this creature could keep banging away all day long. The incessant "ding ding ding" of that maddening sound filled its entire mind—so every time that noise started, it had to chase the little creature away. However, it wouldn't be long before the little creature would return to continue its tapping, without even changing its spot.
(Because that spot had the tastiest crystal salt, according to the Valstrax.)