Monster life starting from picking up materials

543

Chapter 543 Speculation.

If you ask the scholars on the ancient dragon observation ship what they think of this Flame Concubine Dragon, everyone thinks that she goes against the stereotype of the Flame Concubine Dragon.

The Flame Dragons of the original continent are sensitive. They either hide themselves away from the public eye or are easily stressed out and violently turn the surrounding environment into a sea of fire in order to seek a sense of security.

But this Flame Queen Dragon is different. Although there are not many sightings, every time she is seen, she exudes a calm and peaceful temperament.

She has no sense of security.

And now, she was stressed, the temperature in the environment was rising rapidly, and the sulfur rising from the acid pool was ignited into purple waves of fire.

She wanted to eliminate everything around her that might threaten the cocoon.

"So why did she protect that cocoon?"

In the faint light that ripples like the breathing of a cocoon, it is not difficult to see the characteristics of an unknown ancient dragon code-named "Star" appearing beneath the layers of stacked fluff.

Judging from the traces at the scene, it is not difficult to determine that the Snake Emperor Dragon broke through the ground and left, but the ancient dragon that was once swallowed by the Snake Emperor Dragon appeared again in the form of a cocoon.

Words and descriptions like "cocoon" are often inseparable from the metamorphosis of holometabolous insects such as butterflies and moths.

The long and soft larvae collect enough nutrients needed for growth, spit out silk threads at the right position to wrap themselves, and protect themselves during the fragile pupation stage.

Finally, the adult insect tears the cocoon and pupa shell apart and breaks out its gorgeous wings, which means it has emerged from the cocoon.

The elderly dragon scholar casually sketched a diagram of the evolution of insects on the pages of the book, and the larvae transformed into the star-like ancient dragon.

A monster powerful enough to challenge a super-giant ancient dragon is just a juvenile of an existence?

The scholar's fingers trembled slightly.

So, was his purpose in attacking the giant ancient dragon to gain nutrition from it before metamorphosis, just like the larvae? Or was it for the immense energy within the giant ancient dragon?

After the adults emerge...

The scholar recalled the silkworms on the silkworm breeding racks, where they completed their eclosion and sang their final song.

Those adult insects didn't even think about flapping their wings to experience flying, but could not wait to follow the pheromones to the opposite sex, mate, reproduce, and lay eggs.

The life of an ancient dragon will not be as short as that of an insect, but it will be far more brilliant than the final song of an adult insect.

The old scholar's brow twitched, and he shook his head to suppress the alarmist idea.

"what happened?"

The hunter asked nervously.

"Nothing, the airship has been successfully evacuated. We can just hide in the cave and wait for rescue."

The scholar shook his head and looked up at the sky. The airship had already left the abyss and disappeared.

……

When everyone gathered in the big tent, all the information was ready.

"The Xialong attacked our team observing the Flame Queen Dragon, but even so, the team still brought back news that the Flame Queen Dragon had entered the abyss."

An Ye supported himself on the table with both hands and looked around.

Everyone's thoughts didn't seem to linger on Yan Feilong, but were staring at the stack of photos spread out on the table.

Those were taken when the airship was investigating the abyss, and most of the photos showed the same protagonist.

He may be a point of pale blue light like a star in the dimness, or a round disk with dimmed light, or at a very close distance - a huge cocoon of light.

Dark Night was not in a hurry, but just spoke slowly:

"The airship in the abyss also brought back news. On their return, they brushed past the Flame Queen Dragon that had entered the abyss, narrowly avoiding being attacked."

"First, the Snake Emperor Dragon left. The last trace of it is a brand new cave, and the earthquake tremors have almost subsided."

Several photos were pulled out. They were the few that did not feature the light cocoon as the main character. Some of them showed traces of the Snake Emperor Dragon crawling.

"A cocoon was left behind at the scene, a massive cocoon of light. Although the clarity of the recordings made by observation tools is limited, returning hunters claim that the human eye can clearly see some of the features of the 'stars' within it. The ancient dragon devoured by the Snake Emperor Dragon is currently within this cocoon."

This is the information that everyone cares about most.

"The Flame Queen Dragon that entered the abyss didn't attack Cocoon, but instead attacked our personnel left in the abyss. Two days have passed, and we have no way of knowing their condition, and the Flame Queen Dragon hasn't left the abyss either."

The hunter drummed his knuckles on the wooden table, adding a touch of irritation to the solemn atmosphere.

"Regarding the material that made up the cocoon we collected, it's a biological tissue, likely the molted skin of a 'star'. The two pieces that completely encase it must have come from its wings, so it's not a cocoon in the conventional sense."

A dragon scholar stood on tiptoe and placed a specimen on the table.

"Furthermore, this shed skin exhibits extremely strong attribute absorption, with no particular weaknesses."

The female scholar added, paused, and then continued with a serious expression:

"Regarding the outcome of the battle, it is speculated that 'Xingchen' used his ability to shrink to avoid death in the mouth of the Snake Emperor Dragon, and radiated energy within the Snake Emperor Dragon's body, severely damaging it, but he himself also suffered severe damage."

"As for forming a cocoon, my initial guess is that it might be his way of protecting himself and recovering from his injuries."

"Not only that, the light emanating from the light cocoon, in addition to the azure energy used by 'Star', also radiates pale particles from within, similar to those seen in the Snake Emperor Dragon's attacks."

"This means that he very likely gained something from the Snake Emperor Dragon. Besides recovering from his injuries, he may have also evolved and transformed."

"I mean, is it possible for him to become even stronger?"

A hunter asked, and received nods in response from the scholars.

The female scholar looked at the insect cage that the biologist placed on the corner of the table as a paperweight.

The larvae are spitting out silk threads that stick to the surroundings, forming a white cocoon.

Many people followed her gaze and looked at the insects in the cage, marveling at the vitality of life approaching metamorphosis.

"This is the Xinadomodoki, a very beautiful moth with the potential to become a hunting insect. However, for some reason, this group's cocooning period is a month faster than usual."

Talking about the insects he raised, the biologist said with some pride:

"This may result in the adult insects being less than excellent. I will carefully care for them and adjust their diet before pairing them up again, that is, mating and reproducing, to produce better babies."

"You said, mating, reproduction, laying eggs..."

An Ye picked up a photo from the table and looked at the blurry cocoon of light on it, but his eyes couldn't help but fall on the cocooned insects in the insect cage.

These are processes that all life cannot escape. So this ancient dragon, which has not yet been named, is in the process of transformation between two life processes.

Is the attack on the super-large ancient dragon the energy needed for this transformation?

Just like the golden lion attacking the Qilin, relying on eating the Qilin's horns to gain the ability to enter the passionate form?

The time periods when each photo was taken were also different. With each breath, a deep blue light would light up, and when it dimmed, it would reveal the pale energy light of the Snake Emperor Dragon.

Serene, beautiful, yet incredibly dangerous.

544

Chapter 544 Plan.

"I really want to observe the breathing of light with my own eyes."

The female scholar couldn't help but sigh that although they were the first to get the information, looking at the hazy and unclear photos, the desire to observe with the naked eye became increasingly difficult to suppress.

"But the Flame Queen Dragon has sealed off the abyss. We must repel her before we can rescue our personnel trapped below and gain the opportunity to conduct observation."

The dark night silently poured out a basin of cold water.

"Well, the current speculation about why the Flame Queen Dragon wants to protect this cocoon is that the ancient dragon in the cocoon releases a special pheromone to induce the ancient dragon to protect itself during the vulnerable period of cocooning."

The female scholar shrugged dejectedly.

"Also, the other party appeared at the node of the Ancient Dragon Ferry. This ability to induce the ancient dragon is very likely to help us unlock the secrets of the Ancient Dragon Ferry."

"The Flame Queen Dragon has also developed a stress response. If this reaction is also triggered by the 'stars', then the disaster it could cause after completing its transformation is far beyond imagination."

An elderly dragon scholar added, then hid back among his companions.

After this, all the dragon scholars stopped their discussion and looked at the leader of the hunters.

As the leader put forward by various forces, he is qualified to make this decision.

An Ye just lowered his head and thought again of the "wide circle of friends" that Yang Yanlong and his wife had in the New World. What positions did they hold in Gulongdu?

When he raised his head again, he saw that the scholars were all looking at him, as were the hunters.

There are intellectual dragon women, steady or cheerful dragon elders, and reserved dragon young people, all with worry and expectation in their eyes.

The hunters' eyes were firm, and they also gained something from the scholars.

They all understood that the danger revealed by the ancient dragon in the cocoon was beyond imagination and it was a difficult problem they had to overcome.

The eyes of the humans and dragons gradually overlapped, and they waited anxiously for instructions from him, the decision maker.

"No matter what, for the safety of those trapped below, we must repel the Flame Queen Dragon in its abnormal state."

"There are still many unknowns about the ecology of that unknown ancient dragon. Investigating its cocoon and observing its transformation are both important steps in helping us understand its ecology. After that, we should be prepared to face it."

An Ye's gaze took a moment to confirm that they were all ready, and then he spoke:

"We will now begin the deployment of the mission. Our goal is to rescue our personnel trapped below, repel the Flame Queen Dragon, and then investigate and plan for the Cocoon."

"There are many caves underground. The terrain is not very flat, and there are acid pools. We who are still below should choose to enter the caves."

The photograph was pushed aside and collected by the scholars, revealing a topographical map of the abyss bottom in the center of the table below.

"The Flame Queen Dragon occupies the bottom of the abyss. The presence of acid pools and sulfur gases in the environment means that the Flame Queen Dragon's karmic fire will cause explosions and even more intense combustion, just like a volcano. This poses a huge threat to us."

"And that Flame King Dragon, we never discovered his existence."

The female scholar has always been obsessed with the Flame King Dragon that led everyone to Thousand Swords Mountain.

"We must be prepared to be attacked by the Flame King Dragon."

The Knight Instructor, his deputy, also remembered what happened to his student and added.

"And that Xialong!"

The team leader who was brutally robbed by Xialong shouted, causing the surrounding hunters to burst into laughter.

"That Xialong is small and a minor. It poses little threat in actual combat, but it should be targeted. Once discovered, I'll deploy additional personnel to attempt to capture it and release it back to its proper habitat."

"Besides the Xialong toxin, there may also be toxic gases underground. We should definitely increase the antidote supply."

Juvenile to sub-adult monsters tend to keep a low profile and not show up in public. Ancient dragon juveniles are even rarer, and even if they are discovered, no missions will be assigned to them because they pose no threat.

But the young Xialong followed the Yangyanlong couple to an area that Xialong could not set foot in, and released it into an area suitable for growth and far away from human habitation. This was good for both parties.

"The Flame King Dragon, that guy hasn't shown up yet, which is a problem. As we head towards the abyss, we need to deploy personnel from the surface camp to seal off the surrounding area. If they spot the Flame King Dragon, they can send out flares to warn them. We can then react quickly."

"It would be great if the Yangyan Dragon couple could return to the New World after suffering so much, but that's obviously unlikely. The guild will continue to observe and track them until their migration stabilizes or they return to the New World."

The pre-mission deployment began. The hunters began to adjust their equipment, accessories and nurses. The quartermaster distributed rations that might be needed in battle. The commander arranged the hunters into groups and scheduled targets. The technicians carried out the final inspection and maintenance of the airships and armaments.

Everyone is preparing for the mission.

After all the preparations and arrangements were completed, the airship left the camp and approached the main peak of Qianjian Mountain again. It circled the towering main peak and slowly descended in altitude, entering the abyss where the Snake Emperor Dragon crawled out.

"This temperature is indeed the Yangyan of the Yangyan Dragon."

Looking down again, in addition to that little bit of blue light, you can also see a large area of bright flames.

The forbidden area of karmic fire has not been extinguished yet.

Fortunately, the hunters have been equipped with accessories and protective stones that can provide heat resistance, and their armor has been adjusted to have fire resistance, so they are qualified to challenge the Queen of Flame.

The Flame Queen Dragon lying in front of the light cocoon slowly raised its head and looked at the airship that was landing.

"It can't go down any further."

An Ye raised his hand, and the airship stopped losing altitude in an instant, riding on the updraft generated by the burning flames.

Before the Flame Dragon was successfully restrained, the airship could not descend in altitude. Although there was a restraining crossbow that could disrupt the monster's flight, it was better to avoid risks whenever possible.

They also have arrangements on the surface around the abyss. Once a Flame Dragon appears nearby, they will use flares to warn the airship to prevent it from being attacked by the Flame Dragon.

Then he looked at the two four-man teams of hunters who were going to carry out the mission.

The tradition of the four-person team originated from the world's first hunter, the heroic village chief of Kokot Village. During a expedition, one person in the five-person expedition team died, and that person was the village chief's fiancée.

That accident also led to the hero's retirement, and the rumor spread that "misfortunes will happen when hunting in a group of more than five people", and the team size was tacitly limited to four people.

But everyone knows that what really led to the hunter's sacrifice was not the unfortunate rumors, but the fact that the mission that required four hunters to go up was extremely dangerous in itself.