The tunnel was dim and narrow, a ribbon of shadow winding through stone.
Bai Chen brushed his fingers along the wall, his brows furrowing in surprise.
"Why are these walls so dry?"
They had entered right beside a roaring waterfall—by all logic, it should have been damp.
Yet the stone beneath his touch was faintly warm, radiating a subtle heat.
He lingered, sensing the flow within. The rock was alive with some form of natural energy,
absorbing moisture from the air and converting it into heat.
"What a strange mineral," Bai Chen murmured under his breath.
The ancient Wyverians elder ahead of him remained silent, simply beckoning him onward.
The deeper they went, the narrower the passage became—until it barely allowed one person through.
A faint breeze brushed Bai Chen's cheek, carrying with it the delicate sweetness of fruit.
"We're almost there," the elder said softly.
After nearly twenty minutes of walking, the cramped corridor finally widened—
And Bai Chen stepped out into open light.
For a moment, he just stood there, stunned.
A vast hollow plain spread before him, easily a thousand mu across—
a hidden basin surrounded by sheer cliffs nearly twenty meters high.
He stood atop a small southern hill thick with fruit trees.
To the west, the diverted waterfall plunged into a glittering cascade;
to the east, grazing fields stretched out, dotted with gentle monsters—and herbivorous Wyverns.
And at the center, a colossal ancient tree rose into the sky,
its trunk broad enough to hold a dozen houses,
its branches webbed with countless wooden homes and rope bridges.
"Great Dragon Knight, please come this way," the elder said with quiet respect.
During their walk, Bai Chen had learned the elder's name—Zanza,
a member of the village's Council of Elders.
The council governed this secluded settlement. Nine members in total,
and above them all stood the Grand Elder—a Wyvernian giant,
a being said to stand thirteen meters tall.
"A Wyverian giant, huh…" Bai Chen mused.
He wasn't unfamiliar with their kind. On the Old Continent,
The East Doruma Grand Elder had once severed the tail of an Ancient Dragon with a single swing.
To think the New World held a being of similar lineage…
If Zanza's words were true, and their Grand Elder was still in her prime,
Then her strength might rival that of the Old Continent's legends.
They soon arrived before the massive tree,
its roots like serpents coiling through the ground.
Even compared to the one in the Hunting Grounds, this tree radiated awe.
It wasn't as tall—but its interior had been carefully shaped into a thriving sanctuary.
As Bai Chen passed, dragonfolk paused their work to stare—
not at him, but at the small Nergigante perched on his shoulder.
Shock flickered in their reptilian eyes.
"Please, this way," Zanza said, motioning toward an arched entrance carved into the tree's trunk.
Inside, the air was fresh and warm.
Unlike the unlit hollow of the Hunting Grounds' tree, this one glowed softly—
luminescent minerals hung like lanterns along the walls,
casting white-gold light across the woven bridges and vine-built platforms.
They climbed upward.
Bai Chen looked around in quiet admiration.
"They've developed this place beautifully…" he whispered.
Zanza smiled faintly but said nothing, leading him toward the upper levels.
Finally, they reached the Council Chamber at the tree's peak.
The door alone towered nearly thirty meters tall and twenty meters wide. Zanza pulled a chain beside the frame; a deep bell sounded from within.
Moments later, the enormous wooden doors creaked open, a gust of wind sweeping out from the room beyond.
Bai Chen tensed, gaze sharpening.
"So this is it… I finally get to meet the Grand Elder."
But when the doors parted fully, what greeted him wasn't a towering figure—
but a massive screen of spider-silk, a pale curtain that hid the one behind it.
"Didn't expect them to be so… traditional," Bai Chen murmured.
Zanza entered first, bowing low before the silken screen.
Bai Chen followed, taking in the chamber's design:
no metals, no machinery—only carved gemstones and hand-polished wood.
Primitive yet breathtakingly refined.
Zanza spoke reverently.
"Grand Elder, the Dragon Knight has arrived."
A calm voice drifted from behind the silk—clear, elegant,
like water flowing over smooth stone.
"Welcome, Dragon Knight of the Great Beasts.
You may call me Yoomlana."
Bai Chen froze for a heartbeat.
"Wait… that voice—she's a woman?"
He hadn't expected that. Zanza's descriptions had given him the image of a hulking elder,
but instead—
"Dragon Knight Bai Chen," Yoomlana continued, her tone warm yet commanding,
"thank you for accepting our invitation to the Forest Village."
It took Bai Chen two full seconds to recover. Then he exhaled softly,
straightened his posture, and bowed with respect.
"Grand Elder Yoomlana, please don't call me 'Dragon Knight.'
Just Bai Chen is fine.
And… the honor is mine."
Note: This Yoomlana is not the one from Monster Hunter Stories.
If you want to read more, join my Patreon/kazama677
60+ advanced chapters available.
I will drop 1 bonus chapter for every 30 Power Stones.
Bonus chapter for every 20 reviews/comments