The little one's birth had once caused an uproar on the Ancient Tree. Not only did members of the Research Commission want to come and observe at close range whether the Sunblaze Dragon's offspring, like the Sunblaze Dragon back then, was only in the form of an ordinary Fire Wyvern.
Even the other Fire Wyverns in the Fire Wyvern group were full of curiosity about this—except for a certain Flame Rathalos.
At this moment, it was busy working together with Scorching Heat Rathian, striving to conceive its own offspring as soon as possible.
It was just that, as a Special Species, their fertility was even poorer than that of Rare Species, and after all these years, there was still not the slightest movement.
However, given the constitution of the two of them as a pair, it was only a matter of time.
Right now, in Blazefire Village on the canopy level, in a training ground opened up that connected to the nearby cliff, Muskmelon was holding an Insect Glaive much taller than she was, directing the Radiant Crystal Butterfly to launch an attack.
The people present watched Muskmelon repeatedly step on the Radiant Crystal Butterfly to shoot into the air, and they all couldn't help breaking into a cold sweat.
After various tests, it had been confirmed that the Radiant Crystal Butterfly possessed almost all stats stronger than those of the Kinsects currently known, and it even came with flame scale dust hot enough to inflict damage on large monsters.
What it lacked were only obedience and, most crucially, the ability to gather energy.
And as the Grimalkyne who currently got along best with the Radiant Crystal Butterfly, Muskmelon had thus voluntarily become the test subject, carrying out training together with her Radiant Crystal Butterfly partner to raise it as a Kinsect.
Today was the time for her to put those results to the test!
As flames flared up at the tips of Muskmelon's ears, the blade of the Insect Glaive, forged to match her height and build, likewise burst into bright fire.
With a single thrust, the spear tip pinned into the head of the ten-meter "giant beast" assembled from the Ancient Tree's branches. The fluttering Radiant Crystal Butterfly suddenly scattered high-temperature scale dust toward the "giant beast's" eyes. As it ignited the "giant beast's" face, it also allowed Muskmelon to step on it and successfully return to the ground.
[Clap, clap, clap!]
Applause rang out along the edge of the training ground, and the Research Commission hunters who were temporarily without quests stared fervently at the Radiant Crystal Butterfly lying on top of Muskmelon's head.
None of them had expected such a powerful Kinsect to appear on the Ancient Tree. Whether in terms of flight speed, energy-gathering efficiency, or physical toughness, it had extremely high cultivation value, and that stunning flame scale dust in particular was an especially outstanding trait.
No one had expected that, in these decades in the New World, the first ones to get strengthened would actually be those Insect Glaive users.
The few hunters present could only look enviously at the one Insect Glaive hunter in the crowd.
Folks, who could have known?!
Although the Insect Glaive was touted as the perfect weapon, in reality, Insect Glaive users, in addition to the normal weapon maintenance, also had to spend a great deal of time raising their Kinsects.
The effort they put in far exceeded that of hunters who used other weapons, yet in battles against large monsters, they were always just a notch weaker than other weapons, and they were often constrained by certain extreme terrain, causing their Kinsects to be unable to fully display their strength.
But from now on, he could proudly declare that Insect Glaive users had finally stood tall!!
Although, for the moment, only the cats of the Ancient Tree Fire Wyvern group could use the Radiant Crystal Butterflies, judging from the relationship between the two sides, it was only a matter of time before they flowed over to the Research Commission!
...
At the top of the Ancient Tree.
The news that the Radiant Crystal Butterflies had been successfully trained as Kinsects had already reached Logan's ears; the Palicoes' job options had happily gone up by one.
And this was a Kinsect unique to the Ancient Tree!
However, at this moment, the beings present were in the middle of a dispute over whether to share the Radiant Crystal Butterflies with the Research Commission.
"I object, meow! The Radiant Crystal Butterflies are Boss Fire Wyvern's private property. Letting the Grimalkynes use them is already an enormous favor. How can we share them with the Research Commission, meow?!"
The Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne leader, whose whiskers had already grown long, voiced the opposing opinion.
Over these years, as the Fire Wyvern Grimalkynes gradually developed in a more religious direction, this old Grimalkyne had not appeared in the trade between the Ancient Tree and Astera for a long time, instead devoting himself wholeheartedly to playing the role of "guardian of the faith."
The Grimalkyne sage did not express an opinion, but it was also leaning more toward opposition. After the Research Commission opened up all sorts of knowledge, this de facto manager of Blazefire Village now understood what an individual was and what a faction was.
The Grimalkynes were merely simple, not stupid. After the Ancient Tree Fire Wyvern group was no longer just a loose rabble and had clarified its own position, when it considered its relationship with the Research Commission, it was no longer as open-hearted as in the past, but had become a bit more smooth and acquired a bit of selfishness.
Only the Ancient Wyverian prophet was different. He believed the Radiant Crystal Butterflies should be shared with the Research Commission. This would not only bind the two sides together more deeply, but was also a way of winning over and supporting the Research Commission hunters.
After the Radiant Crystal Butterflies were shared with the Research Commission, they would certainly strengthen the Research Commission's power to a certain degree. With the two sides now deeply bound, strengthening the Research Commission was also strengthening the overall strength of the Ancient Tree. After all, there were just too few Palicoes; sealing the Radiant Crystal Butterflies inside the Ancient Tree as Kinsects would definitely not raise the Ancient Tree's overall combat strength by much.
Moreover, there was one more point: the Radiant Crystal Butterflies' food was Terastal Buds.
And that thing existed only in the Ancient Tree.
So wouldn't those future hunters who used the Radiant Crystal Butterflies as their main Kinsects become deeply bound to the Ancient Tree as well?
After the Ancient Wyverian prophet laid out his viewpoint point by point, the Grimalkyne sage fell silent once more, and only the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne leader opened his mouth, wanting to say something else.
"That is, after all, Boss Fire Wyvern's—"
"Roar!" (Fine. Then it is decided. I will give orders to the Radiant Crystal Butterflies so they will cooperate with the Research Commission hunters.)
At this moment, Logan, who had been listening to their discussion, made a sound, giving the final decision on the matter.
With Logan having spoken, the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne leader said nothing more. Whatever thoughts it had before, once it received a clear command from "the god," it would carry it out without complaint.
All the more since the Ancient Wyverian prophet had left out one thing: besides their food, as the master of the Ancient Tree, Logan held the highest command authority over the Radiant Crystal Butterflies.
After the discussion ended, Logan turned and walked deep into the nest. Today, Aki, pent up after staying still for too long, couldn't sit there any longer, no matter how fond she was of the little one.
Her long-suppressed emotions needed an outlet. At this moment, Aki was like Lunastra during the Elder's Recess period—there was simply no calming her heart.
So today Logan would look after the baby alone, while she took some Rathians out to hunt, seeing if there were any monsters without eyes in their heads that could let her vent properly.
And Logan taking care of a baby was nothing like Aki's way of watching every moment.
After all, when an old father takes care of a baby—well, everyone knows—survival is good enough!!
...
In the Wildspire Waste, at the edge of the swamp area, a hunter squad was currently working together to besiege an Aberrant Barroth. Even with the strengthening from the Qurio, Barroth's original strength was what it was, and in front of this elite squad from the Fourth Fleet, it was being beaten back step by step.
And at this moment, a black dot appeared far off in the sky, rapidly flying toward the battlefield.
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