The young dragon tries to conquer the world

　"Kuhehe!"

　A giant healing honeybug had somehow flown into the base. The sharp-eyed young girl immediately spotted the insect. Seeing one of her most hated things—a flying insect—appear before her, she was about to kill it. But just as she was about to strike, she noticed the huge green liquid ball the honeybug was carrying under its belly. Without a second thought, she knew that the honeybug must have put a lot of effort into creating this. Thinking of this, she smiled smugly and then grabbed the leftover thigh bone of a Brute Dragon from the ground and smashed it at the honeybug.

　"Hey!"

　The little girl called out in her childish voice, thinking it would be a piece of cake. However, the Recovering Honeybee used the inertia of the green liquid ball to shift its body to the left, which just happened to dodge the little girl's swinging attack. Seeing that the Recovering Honeybee had dodged her attack, the little girl's eyes widened, and she quickly spun around and swung at the Recovering Honeybee again. However, the Recovering Honeybee flapped its wings forcefully and flew upward, perfectly dodging the little girl's attack once again. It even arrogantly landed in front of the little girl again while she was adjusting her body posture.

　"Ugh~ Ha!"

　The slightly agitated young girl couldn't hold back any longer. After adjusting her posture, she grabbed the giant hammerhead thigh bone with both hands, raised it high, jumped up, and slammed it down on the healing honeybee. Unexpectedly, the healing honeybee used the wind generated by the girl's swing of the giant hammerhead thigh bone and the inertia of the green liquid ball to take a step back and dodge the girl's attack. Then, after a 360-degree spin in the air, it grabbed the green liquid ball and smashed it into the girl's face.

　The Healing Honeyworm creates its green liquid spheres using the hairs on its legs and the oily mucus it secretes, ensuring the liquid accumulates on its abdomen. Normally, the sphere's surface tension is already at its limit, which means that the Healing Honeywater spills easily with even slight external force. This time, however, it spilled even more.

　It hit the little girl's face. Not to mention the liquid's lack of surface tension, the sharp thorns on the little girl's reddish-brown dragon horns were enough to break this fragile balance. Naturally, the green liquid then splashed all over the little girl's face.

　The little girl's face immediately became wet, but her first reaction was to stick out her tongue and lick it. Hmm, it tasted a little sweet, but mostly bitter. It wasn't exactly delicious, but it wasn't the kind of liquid that was completely unpalatable either; it was drinkable.

　None of that is the key point. Once the little girl recognized the nature of those liquids, she immediately realized what had happened. She then stared intently at the honey worm that was trying to fly away, and platinum dragon scales appeared on her body. Just as the little girl was about to turn back into the World Lord, Lan Mei picked her up from behind in time. The little girl, who was interrupted, kicked her short legs unhappily, trying to jump down from Lan Mei's arms.

　"Xiao Guang, you're just a bug, why do you want to turn back? Besides, that honey water can restore health, it's not harmful. The black cats are almost ready to eat, be good."

　At first, the young girl was determined to kill the Honeybug, but after Lanmei said so, she quickly gave up her previous idea. Food is the most important thing. The young girl wrapped her long, white-gold tail around Lanmei's arm, and jumped off when Lanmei let go. The young girl's base was very close to the habitat of the Megatron. Moreover, because the Megatron was so delicious, the young girl would catch one whenever she had time and turn it into the classic grilled Megatron.

　"Oh, it's Hikari and Miss Aran. It's nice to see you here. Are you here to hunt Lava Dragons too?"

　Lilith jumped off the pterosaur and ran down the slope towards the base, waving and shouting. Mary felt a little embarrassed, but she could understand Lilith's feelings. Lilith no longer wore the hunter's suit, but instead wore a set of armor made of crimson carapace. The armor was made of very thick and hard shell, which not only had the ability to absorb impacts, but also had excellent fire resistance.

　"O_O?" The little girl tilted her head, indicating that she didn't know what Lilith was talking about. She and Lanmei used a different naming method to distinguish monsters. For example, Alatreon was Elbatelion, Teostra was Theo Diskator, and Nergigante was Nergigante. They would be very unfamiliar with naming methods like Lava Dragon and Rathalos.

　"It's that lava dragon with really bad meat. I think everyone in Starry Sky Outpost likes to call it grilled fish."

　"Grilled fish!" The little girl immediately looked at Lilith upon hearing the word "grilled fish." Clearly, her thoughts had been drawn to the words. Mary quietly tugged at Lilith's armor. She hadn't expected the little girl and Lan to be here. Remembering what the Commander-in-Chief had told the hunters at Starry Sky Outpost not to have too much contact with or provoke the little girl before clarifying her attitude towards the hunters, Mary felt it was necessary to remind Lilith.

　Lilith quickly understood what Mary meant. "Oh, right, look, my new armor. I was able to make my first set of armor thanks to Mary."

　Lilith happily spun around to show the new equipment to the little girl and Lanmei. Lanmei glanced at it with interest, but the little girl had no interest at all, because the temptation of the grilled Hammer Dragon on the stone slab was much greater than the armor Lilith was wearing, and Melalu and the others had already brought out the stewed Hammer Dragon spine and the roasted Hammer Dragon chest and belly meat.

　Watching the little girl bury her head in her food and eat it, Lanmei couldn't help but want to pull her up. After spending some time together, Mary and Lilith realized that the little girl was the kind of child who was extremely hungry and poor. Lanmei took on multiple roles, including the little girl's mother and older sister.

　Mary's commission for today is "Hunting the Lava Dragon While It's Hot," so they need to have a meal before setting off. Today's recommended set meal is grilled fish and tomato soup. But eating grilled fish while hunting the Lava Dragon shouldn't be a Palico's weird hobby, right? The grilled fish and creamy tomato soup tasted great, and after eating, Mary felt that her stamina and endurance had improved to some extent.

　The two passed through the caves inside the Elder's Recess to reach the lower-level transportation hub. Heading west, they reached the lava area. At the southernmost end of this area was an open-air corridor. At Mary's suggestion, Lilith immediately took out a cold drink she had prepared beforehand and drank it. From this point on, the ground here led directly to the lava lake, and hot lava would occasionally erupt from the cracks that were visible at their feet, causing small earthquakes. After passing through the lava lake, they could see a flat area that was almost entirely composed of cooled lava. Clumps of lava seemed to be dividing the entire open space across the center.

　Looking up, viscous lava slowly dripped from the volcano, distorting the air and condensing gravity to form a gently cascading waterfall, adding a touch of color to this semi-open, scorching space. The thick smoke billowing out of the crater seemed to tell the story of frequent geological activity underground. The gray-black smoke, like a thick cloud, pressed down on the two of them. When they looked up from the base, they could still see the boundless clear sky, but now, volcanic ash covered the entire blue sky completely, without a single gap.

　The lava dragon was sitting in a huge cavity in the middle of the lava, and it seemed to be in a pretty good mood.

　Like the Mudfish Dragon, the Lava Dragon living here is covered with a thick shell. The Lava Dragon's shell is strong enough to withstand temperatures exceeding 800 degrees Celsius. Moreover, there is a saying among hunters that as long as someone accepts a quest to hunt the Lava Dragon, they can hear the clanging sound of blacksmithing echoing deep within the Elder's Recess.

　"Alright, Lilith, I'll leave the paralysis trap to you. I'll control it and distract it. You must be careful and watch out for the bomb gas frog on the lava. Don't touch it."

　"Understood, leave it to me," Lilith readily agreed.

　There are two paths through the cooled lava blocks. One is a large loop, and the other is a straight path through the middle of them. Volcanic activity is more frequent at night, and the lava flow will increase accordingly. Therefore, the lava blocks here will be swallowed up by the rushing lava at night and turn into a red river again. Lilith ran towards the winding path.

　At that moment, the Lava Dragon had its back to the people advancing along the winding path. Lilith approached unnoticed and set a trap. Mary then quickened her pace. "Hah!" With astonishing power, Mary drew her Fire Dragon Axe and slashed down with the Wyvern Fang. Her target was the dragon's left pectoral fin. Mary also considered that if she could cut off one of the dragon's pectoral fins, it would be of great help in future battles.

　Vertical slash, double slash, upward slash—the Lava Dragon hadn't even assumed an offensive stance yet. Faced with this sudden barrage of attacks, it was clearly unprepared to retaliate. Realizing this, Mary continued her fierce assault, her long blade falling from a height to a low point, then thrusting forward, and finally slicing around its body with all her might.

　At this moment, the Lava Dragon had fully noticed the presence of the two people and assumed a stance ready to counterattack. "Roar~" The Lava Dragon gathered all its strength and roared from the depths of its throat. Then, it arched its body and spewed three balls of scalding lava in Mary's direction.

　Mary sheathed her Fire Dragon Axe and used her Wyvern Fang to dodge the lava dragon's spewed lava. Lilith also drew her Red Tail and held her shield horizontally in front of her. The lava dragon suddenly leaped out of the lava and charged towards Mary with astonishing weight and even more terrifying strength. Its target was Mary, who was closest to it. However, Mary nimbly dodged to the side and retreated, increasing the distance between herself and the lava dragon and avoiding its attack.

　Unexpectedly, the Lava Dragon's attack did not stop. After regaining its footing, the Lava Dragon immediately swung its body and rammed into Mary. While keeping an eye on the Lava Dragon, Mary dodged towards the place where there was a paralysis trap. When Mary got close to the trap, the Lava Dragon suddenly burrowed into the lava and spewed lava to attack the two of them while leaping out of the lava. Naturally, she did not see the existence of the trap.

　Just as they had anticipated, the Lava Dragon leaped out of the lava and charged at Mary again. Then, without warning, it stepped on the trap and became unable to move. Lilith immediately raised her Red Tail horizontally and used her left-hand shield to protect her vitals. She then began to charge at the Lava Dragon, while Mary grabbed her Fire Dragon Axe and Wyvern Fang to prepare to attack.

　"Roar!" With a roar, the Lava Dragon recovered from its paralysis. Its body shuddered violently, and then it suddenly leaped backward. Mary had inflicted the most damage on it; beneath the shattered mud shell, a wound was visible, bleeding profusely. Lilith had plunged her red tail deep into the Lava Dragon's still-bleeding abdomen. In the next instant, the Lava Dragon's flesh and internal organs were scorched by flames. Although fire was of the same element as the Lava Dragon, it did not mean that its body could withstand the onslaught of flames.

　The Lava Dragon, in pain, charged straight toward Mary. However, its attack was not a straight line like a Wyvern's charge. More accurately, although its direction of advance remained roughly the same, it zigzagged like a deer during its charge. It nimbly used its powerful hind legs to leap backward and even adjusted its attack route according to the direction its prey fled. Its target at this moment was Mary.

　Even if she ran forward, she would be caught up, so Mary suddenly stopped and ran in the completely opposite direction. She didn't want to lie on the ground and wait to die, but instead used all her strength to lunge to the side just as the lava dragon's body was about to hit her. However, the other party was still very likely to react to her action, so she was prepared to be hit by the lava dragon's huge body in the next instant.

　However, accompanied by a rumbling sound from the ground and billowing dust, the enormous monster charged straight toward the deserted open space.

　"Phew~" Mary sighed as she straightened up. Seeing that both of them were unharmed, the Lava Dragon roared angrily. Although Mary had dodged the Lava Dragon's attack, she knew that she had to get close to the Lava Dragon to launch another attack. However, the Lava Dragon showed no sign of coming over. Lilith also knew that attacking rashly would be very dangerous. Perhaps the Lava Dragon was deliberately luring them over, but as it turned out, that was not the case.

　The lava dragon ignored Mary and Lilith not far away, instead turning to burrow into the lava as if it had encountered something terrifying. Before Lilith and Mary could figure out what the lava dragon was going to do, a huge, platinum-gold figure descended from the sky with a gust of wind, directly stepping onto...

　The lava dragon's mournful howl immediately echoed throughout the entire space from its spine, and in no time at all, the lava dragon turned into a dead dragon twitching on the ground.

　Volume 1: 417 - The Mischievous Young Girl and Her Purpose

　Along with the gust of wind came dark purple scales to Mary and Lilith. Since neither of them had seen the Mad Dragon Virus before, Mary and Lilith were initially puzzled as to where the strange dust came from. After all, there were no minerals of this color in the entire lava lake, and the lava dragon didn't seem like a monster that could spray dust. Mary reacted a little faster and immediately realized that this was the Mad Dragon Virus spread by the World Lord that the Commander-in-Chief had mentioned.

　Lilith's reaction was a little slower, and if Mary hadn't pulled Lilith away, the silly Lilith would have tried to grab a handful of these strange dusts to take a closer look. Mary planned to give her a good talking-to about this later, as caution is an essential quality for a hunter.

　Even Mary sensed a strong sense of crisis and drew her Rathalos Axe, Wyvern Fang. Although the Palico Rescue Team would guarantee to send the hunters who failed the mission back to the base, Mary honestly felt that she would rather not have to encounter the Lord of the World. Even when she encountered Teostra, Mary was not this nervous. However, since she had encountered it, she could only try to find a way to avoid it.

　"Quickly eat the fruit that dispels the ailment, and then stay away from it."

　The Resurrected One landed with a thud and turned to face the hunter before him. The sound of scales rubbing against each other echoed through the air. Mary had already run to safety, leaving only Lilith standing there dumbfounded. Hearing Mary's shout, she immediately began to move. Just as the two moved to dodge, the Resurrected One grabbed the Lava Dragon's tail and pectoral fins, flipping it over. Its several-foot-long, sharp talons then pierced through the Lava Dragon's skin, embedding themselves deeply into its body. It should be noted that the Lava Dragon was not classified as a flesh-producing monster precisely because of this hard lava skin.

　However, the fins of the Lava Dragon are considered a delicacy.

　With a "rip," the Lord of Reincarnation roughly tore off the hard lava skin and threw it into the magma. A puff of black smoke rose up. For the hunters, it was because of this lava skin that all their attacks were deflected, and the sharpness of their weapons was rapidly decreasing. This skin was discarded by the Lord of Reincarnation like waste paper, revealing the pink flesh underneath.

　"Roar~" The World Lord skillfully pierced the lava dragon's abdomen with its wing claws, took out all the internal organs and threw them aside. Its long tail, covered with thorn-like spikes, swiftly swept the nearby rocks into the lava. After finishing, the World Lord touched the smooth lava dragon with its nose to confirm the smell and weight of the lava dragon meat, then turned its head to look at Mary and Lilith, who were at a loss beside it.

　"What? Is the Lord of Reincarnation going to eat barbecue here? Wait, has the ancient dragon become so smart that it knows how to skin and gut the meat?"

　“No, Lilith,” Mary replied while keeping a close eye on the Returning Lord’s movements. “The Returning Lord isn’t an ordinary Ancient Dragon. You remember, she’s eaten at Starry Sky Outpost. That means she’s been involved in the hunter’s life to some extent in Flamefire Village, Sinard Village, and other places. Roasted meat is the most delicious food for hunters. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Returning Lord learned how to roast meat.”

　Under the watchful eyes of Mary and Lilith, the World Lord indeed did not use the lava to roast meat. Instead, she spread her enormous wings and was about to fly into the sky. Just as Lilith was about to say something, a ball of Mad Dragon Virus flew over their heads. Mary and Lilith hurriedly jumped aside to avoid it. If they had been a moment later, they would have been hit. As the Mad Dragon Virus Ball landed, a cloud of smoke and dust rose up. Mary was so angry that she drew her Fire Dragon Axe and prepared to attack.

　The platinum-white figure that pierced the sky had already flown away from this place.

　"Um, Sister Mary, given this situation, is our mission considered complete or incomplete?"

　"I guess so, we've accomplished it. Although it wasn't exactly our goal, at least the Lava Dragon was defeated." Mary paused for a moment before giving her answer. However, this was the first time she had encountered such a situation. According to the Gathering Hall's requirements, Mary's judgment was indeed correct. Normally, hunters would return to the base with the necessary materials after completing a mission, but this time...

　Mary walked to the pool of lava dragon entrails that the Reincarnated One had flung out.

　Beside her, she cautiously inserted the dagger into the exposed soft flesh, then sliced ​​open the deep red dragon meat. Following her memory, she found the Lava Dragon's Blazing Pouch inside. The moment Mary touched the Blazing Pouch, a burst of flames suddenly erupted from the cut, scorching the surrounding dragon meat black. But Mary showed no fear. She gripped the hilt of her knife and pressed down hard, then took out the pouch and immediately filled it with the Blazing Pouch, tying the opening tightly. She pulled on the rope at the bottom of the pouch, and with a whoosh, the entire pouch seemed to be sucked in and tightened up.

　"What is that?" Lilith asked curiously, having never seen such a prop before.

　"This is a portable vacuum bag prepared for carrying materials such as Explosive Bags and Dragon Bone Marrow. These materials will ignite as soon as they come into contact with air, so there is no way to take them with us without this."

　"So this is ah."

　Mary took a deep breath, wiped the blood off the knife, and sheathed it again. However, there were still many materials to be extracted from the lava dragon's corpse; it didn't look like the dissection was complete. The girl, however, showed no intention of continuing. She put the extracted materials into her bag, stood up, and walked towards Lilith.

　"what happened?"

　Hearing Lilith's question, Mary tilted her head and looked at her: "What? What's wrong?"

　"Aren't there still plenty of materials left?"

　"That's enough." Mary put the small bag containing the Blazing Bag together with the materials she found at the scene, such as the Lava Dragon's hard shell and sharp teeth. It was a bit of a pity that she didn't find the Dragon Jade, but since the Lord of the World had helped them complete the task, it wasn't so bad that she couldn't find the Dragon Jade. Besides, the Dragon Jade wasn't such a common material.

　"If that's enough, wouldn't the rest be a waste?"

　“No.” Mary tapped Lilith’s breastplate lightly, making a thud.

　"We can't take everything we can. Instead, we should return it to nature with gratitude. The Acid Wyverns and Giant Bees can eat the leftover meat, and the remaining carapaces might become habitats for some insects. The rotting flesh and bones can also become fertilizer to make the land more fertile, and perhaps wild mushrooms will grow from them. All of this might even give birth to new wyverns. It's common sense for a hunter to leave some of the spoils with prayers for these things."

　Two days later, Mary and Lilith returned to their base. The battle with the Lava Dragon, and even the face-to-face encounter with the World Lord, had completely ignited the hunter's passion deep within Lilith's heart. She began to understand why hunters fought dragons, and when she actually witnessed that enormous body, she suddenly felt as if she were drawn to its magnificence. Lilith began to feel that hunting was an extremely magnificent and proud thing.

　Mary and Lilith quickly delivered the materials and received their payment. After leaving the meeting place, Mary said that after reporting the matter of the World Lord to the Commander-in-Chief, she would go back and get a good night's sleep. Lilith, on the other hand, was going to the director of the research institute to learn about the Lava Dragon. Since it was just past noon, the two of them saw an Felyne wearing a green cloak practicing with a weapon that looked like the Thunder Blade as they passed by the training ground.

　Compared to her own Palico, which was already fast asleep by the haystack, Lilith couldn't help but think of dragging her Palico up and putting it there to train together. However, she only thought about it. The Palico had been a great help to her on the way to hunt the Lava Dragon. Just as Marie and Lilith were about to leave this place, the little girl swished her tail and ran to the Palico's side and stood there.

　The feline was named Atos. Unaffected by the little girl, Atos carefully examined the Thunder Greatsword in its hand. It took a deep breath, lifted the sword slightly in front of its eyes, and simultaneously stepped forward to the left, swinging the sword down to the left. Then, as it retracted its left foot and stepped forward with its right, it used its arm strength to slash to the right again. Lilith remembered this move; it was the simplest left-right attack, also known as a left-right diagonal slash.

　Of course, what attracted Marie and Lilith was not the disciplined Palico, but the little girl beside it. When the Palico swung the Thunder Greatsword, the little girl also took out the Berserker Greatsword and imitated the Palico by using left and right slashes. However, the little girl was clearly not as good at controlling her strength as the Palico, so she couldn't stop moving forward as she swung.

　The Palico's final sword move was the Chain Slash. The little girl imitated the Palico, raising the Berserker and slashing down hard before quickly slashing twice from the left and right sides. The final strike was a powerful half-circle in the air, following the momentum of the previous swing, before slashing down with force. However, the Palico had already adjusted its breathing and movement rhythm before using the Chain Slash, while the little girl was just having fun. Just as she was about to unleash the final strike, the little girl finally lost control of her power.

　With a loud "bang!", the little girl finally smashed a huge dent into the ground in front of her, startling Atos so much that he almost dropped the Thunderstrike Greatsword. This action also attracted the attention of many hunters around. The little girl realized that she seemed to have messed something up. She looked around and then dragged the Berserker Giant away from that place quickly.

　Lilith watched as they slunk away.

　The little girl, not bothering to study the information about the Lava Dragon, curiously followed. Then she saw the little girl run to the vicinity of the Lynx Pavilion. Taking advantage of her height disadvantage, the little girl sneakily weaved through the crowd. After noticing that the Palico chef had just finished grilling a plate of meat skewers, the little girl stretched out her chubby little hand, grabbed the skewers, and pulled them back, thus obtaining a handful of skewers. However, it was still a bit too late to eat them. The little girl liked the skewers to be a bit spicier, so she waved the skewers in front of the Palico chef.

　The Palico chef meowed twice to indicate that it understood, grabbed a handful of prepared seasoning and sprinkled it on the little girl's skewers of meat. "Mmm~ OVO~" The little girl opened her mouth with satisfaction and took a big bite. With a gentle push of her little hand, a clean skewer appeared in front of the Palico. After finishing the skewers in front of her, the little girl set her sights on the freshly roasted chicken next to her. "Crunch crunch~" The little girl stuffed a roasted chicken leg into her mouth, quickly picked all the meat off it, and then spat out a clean chicken leg bone.

　This is a privilege reserved for young girls; they don't have to pay for their meals here because Lanmei will settle the bill after everyone has finished eating.

　On the other hand, after obtaining some information about the young girl, the Commander-in-Chief had all the evidence, except for eyewitness accounts, that the young girl was the Lord of the Underworld. Among them, Mary's information was the most important, because Mary witnessed the Lord of the Underworld killing the Lava Dragon and skinning it near the Lava Lake. And today, the Palico chef at the Lynx Pavilion did indeed receive a Lava Dragon that had been processed to a near-finished state. However, the Commander-in-Chief was still completely baffled as to why the Lord of the Underworld would appear in the New World, or even why it would appear in the Elder's Recess.

　"The worst-case scenario is that the Reincarnated One appeared here to spread scale powder. According to the information we collected earlier, it seems that the Reincarnated One did not stay in the restricted area for too long after it finished molting?"

　"Indeed, after molting, the World-Reaper didn't seem to have much affection for the forbidden area. It merely scattered its scales for a short time before leaving. No, wait, that's not how it works."

　Upon hearing Mary's words, the Commander-in-Chief also noticed something amiss and immediately said, "Tell me your opinion, Mary."

　"As we all know, the Heavenly Returning Dragon returned to the Forbidden Land to spread its scale powder because the Forbidden Land's terrain is high enough to maximize the effect of the scale powder. In that case, the Returning World Lord should choose the Coral Highlands as the place to spread the scale powder. There are a lot of updrafts there, and it occupies the upwind position. If the scale powder is spread there, the Mad Dragon Virus can be spread to all corners of the New World in the shortest time."

　The Commander-in-Chief nodded in agreement. As the highest and windiest area, the Coral Highlands was indeed the perfect location for the Reincarnated One to scatter scale powder. However, the fact was that the young girl had been there for several days, and apart from the monsters in the Ancient Forest and the Coral Highlands being somewhat unusual and unruly, no berserk monsters had been found. This proved that the young girl had not been recklessly scattering scale powder. Moreover, the young girl had visited the Elder's Recess several times. Could there be some secret there?

　In the end, they were unable to determine the true purpose of the young girl's actions.

　Kafka.jpg

　Volume 1: Chapter 418 - The First Encounter with Vaal Hazak

　"Xiaoguang, are you really sure your sister will leave you a message?"

　Lanmei looked at the little girl with a blank, OVO-like expression. Although she had received an affirmative answer from the little girl, Lanmei still felt that the little girl didn't really understand what she was saying. After all, just by looking at the little girl's face, one could sense the aura of a silly little girl emanating from her entire body, from top to bottom, even from every cell. The little girl, with her little feet up, was completely unaware of what Lanmei thought of her. She was holding the hamburger patty that the Melalus had specially made for her. This palm-sized patty, made with fried egg, minced pork with mushrooms, and cheese, was one of the little girl's favorite foods.

　In fact, Lanmei's concerns were not unfounded. In the eyes of most hunters, the little girl did look like a fool who could be easily followed by someone with a string of candied hawthorns. However, no one dared to do that. The Winged Claws of the World Lord would not joke with you.

　More importantly, this is not a place like Yukumo Village or Yanhuo Village. Lanmei's knowledge of the New World is still completely unknown. Moreover, from the hunter's research institute, she knows that the alien soul has been dead for a long time. Furthermore, Lanmei learned from the little girl's description that the two of them had never met. Yet now the little girl says that her nominal older sister left her a message, which makes Lanmei suspicious.

　The little girl noticed Lanmei's worry. To dispel her doubts, she stretched out her tail and gently wrapped it around Lanmei's calf. Feeling the cool touch on Lanmei's calf, Lanmei looked up, and the little girl then raised her chubby little hand and patted Lanmei's hand, the sticky feeling on her hand interrupting her thoughts.

　Seeing Lanmei's actions, Lanmei subconsciously tried to wipe the sauce off her hands, but when she turned her head, she saw the little girl's silly, signature smile. For some reason, seeing this expression made Lanmei feel inexplicably better, and she was no longer worried about the little girl's somewhat reckless behavior. Then she thought, well, she was still by her side, wasn't she?

　Generally speaking, there are two suitable routes to reach the Elder's Recess. The first is to follow the underground river in the lower layers of the Elder's Recess to the deepest part, which is the Convergence. This route was discovered by the Dragonkin scholars of the First Fleet because of the migration of the Lavasioth. Following this route, the mastermind behind the Elder Dragon Ferry, Xeno'jiiva, was discovered. According to the Hunter's Guild's subsequent investigation, it is unimaginable what would have happened if Xeno'jiiva had not hatched prematurely after this discovery.

　The second route is to enter the Convergence Zone from the bottom of the Rotten Vale. As the most important part of the entire New World ecosystem, a large number of monsters, and even the corpses of Elder Dragons, are decomposed several times in the Rotten Vale, eventually transforming into pure life energy, which is then transported to every corner of the New World along the ley lines, including the Convergence Zone where Xeno'jiiva is located.

　From the perspective of the Scriveners, they generally do not recommend that travelers go to the Rotten Vale. The environment there is indeed not suitable for sightseeing. Travelers generally report that after rappelling down from the Coral Highlands into the Rotten Vale, a sense of discomfort will overwhelm them. The heavy colors, the nauseating smell of decay, and the ferocious monsters have led to the Rotten Vale consistently receiving the lowest rating in the New World Travel Weekly. In fact, the road through the Rotten Vale is much safer than the road through the Elder's Recess.

　In the Rotten Vale, you might encounter Odogaron, Sulfuras, and Great Jagras, but in the Elder's Recess, you'll encounter Kushala Daora, Nergigante, Teostra, or Ragnaros. Of course, there's also a chance of encountering Brachydios, Vaal Hazak, and other monsters. Almost every hunter knows which path to choose; that's how "boring" a hunter's life is. But for the young girl, it doesn't matter which path she takes. However, this time, she chose to go through the Rotten Vale to the Convergence.

　It just so happens that Lanmei hasn't been to the Valley of Miasma yet, so she plans to take this opportunity to properly admire it. However, before entering the Valley of Miasma, Lanmei affectionately strokes the little girl's hair and says, "Xiaoguang, once we enter the Valley of Miasma, I won't have much power to resist. You'll have to protect me on the road ahead."

　The origin of the Miasma Valley is said to be in the distant ancient times when a sudden and massive explosion permanently altered the ecological environment of the New World. Some scholars believe that it was caused by an elderly Lava Dragon detonating the ley lines, while others believe that it was caused by the Earth Crying Dragon, also known as the Heavenly Crying Dragon, which caused crustal movement leading to the explosion. In any case, regardless of who caused the explosion, the continent underwent tremendous changes afterward. The uplift of the earth caused the corals to leave the seawater, resulting in the death of most of them. The remaining corals gradually evolved into the coral plateau we see today.

　As the corals grew upwards, they also created a huge cavity beneath the coral reefs. Over the years, a large amount of organic matter that fell from above the coral reefs accumulated here. And from some unknown time, some ancient dragons also chose this place as their burial ground. Over time, this place gradually evolved into a unique landform, and the scale of the Miasma Valley grew larger and larger. In the end, it was recognized as the burial ground for all creatures in the New World.

　The young girl and Lanmei had prepared to enter the Valley of Miasma long ago. After acquiring the Heavenly Sword Dragon God Jade, the young girl became more curious about the giant Serpent King Dragon in the Valley of Miasma. She was curious whether she would grow to be that big in the future. According to the scholars' measurements and deductions, the Serpent King Dragon that constitutes the Valley of Miasma is at least 2,200 meters long. It is precisely because of such a huge Serpent King Dragon that it can support the entire Valley of Miasma.

　Furthermore, the Valley of Miasma is divided into three levels, upper, middle, and lower, based on the bones of the Serpent King Dragon. However, this time, the Meralu and their companions entered the Valley of Miasma with equipment to prevent the Mad Dragon Virus. They will stay obediently in the camp and will not follow the young girl into the lowest level area.

　After leaping into the Rotten Vale, a yellow mist instantly enveloped the space around the young girl and the Storm Girl. While miasma generally refers to disease, here it is primarily composed of microorganisms that multiply by decomposing corpses. It is typically yellow in color and is averse to fire. The terrifying aspect of the Rotten Vale lies in how the miasma corrodes the cells of living beings, reducing their bodily functions. In hunters, this manifests as respiratory damage and decreased stamina.

　However, miasma poses virtually no threat to Elder Dragons. In particular, some Elder Dragons even hone their scales and remove parasites from their bodies in the acid pools deep within the Rotten Vale. Kushala Daora and Teostra are the main examples here, as the acid pools are places they frequent.

　Standing atop the rock, the young girl and Lan Mei looked ahead at the narrow path strewn with countless corpses, and the small, paralyzed dragons darting back and forth on either side. The young girl, unusually, frowned, expressing her displeasure. Neither of them wanted to traverse this path. Finally, they had no choice but to endure the nauseating stench of decay and quickly leap out of the miasma zone.

　After landing, Lanmei looked up at the sky above the Valley of Miasma. The hazy sky pushed away the colors of the Coral Highlands and banished the warm sunlight.

　However, she hadn't gone far when, in the next second, Lanmei stopped in her tracks. What did she see? A gigantic monster skull! Judging from its appearance, it was indeed Dara Amadula, but Lanmei had never seen such a massive Dara Amadula before. Even the skulls of Gogumaggios and Nabaludius, which she had heard of, couldn't be this huge. Moreover, the Dara Amadula she and her young daughter had eaten in the village of Sinard wasn't very large. Besides, even such a massive Dara Amadula was dead. Could there be an even more terrifying monster in the depths of the Rotten Vale than this Dara Amadula?!

　Feeling the pressure from her fingers, the little girl gently shook her head. "I've only been here a few times~ No~"

　Hearing the little girl say this, Lanmei loosened her grip on the little girl's hand slightly. The pale knuckles gradually regained their color. She had really been prepared to run away if things went wrong, but seeing the little girl's nonchalant attitude, Lanmei couldn't help but get angry. This naughty little Guangming knew perfectly well that there was no threat here, but he just didn't warn her. He had to wait until she made a fool of herself before telling her that everything was fine. Lanmei quickly took a step forward, hugged the little girl in her arms, and poked the little girl's soft cheeks hard, making the little girl make a funny sound.

　"You little rascal, why didn't you tell me beforehand? You made me worry."

　“Wo...Boji Island...Duck.”

　After Lanmei rubbed the little girl's face until she felt good, she put her down. The two of them held hands and walked along the skeleton of the Serpent King Dragon towards the eastern platform. Living in this strange terrain formed by the spine of a giant dragon were the native inhabitants of the Miasma Valley, the Bone Hammer Dragons. The little girl had a deep impression of the Bone Hammer Dragons because they tasted particularly good. The meat was delicate yet chewy, and the Bone Hammer Dragons were also very easy to cook. Simply put, you only needed to remove all the white bones on the surface of the Bone Hammer Dragons, then remove the internal organs, and you could directly light a fire and roast them.

　This creature evolved the subtle sensation of cooking its own organs because the heavy Bonehammer Dragon rolled back and forth on the ground covered with a lot of decaying grass and flesh for many years. While putting pressure on the ground, it also continuously heated it through friction. This behavior caused these organic materials to gradually turn into a sticky tar. This tar not only covered the Bonehammer Dragon's skin, helping it to wear bone armor, but also made it cook faster.

　However, the young girl did not see the Bone Hammer Dragon along the way, which disappointed her somewhat. In fact, although the Bone Hammer Dragon looks ferocious with its body covered in bone spikes, it is just a gentle big guy. It feeds on bones and uses most of its energy and effort to digest bones and select suitable bone armor, so it basically does not conflict with the creatures around it.

　But life isn't always smooth sailing. To the east of the Serpent King's spine lies a wide-open platform, which over time has become the official arena of the Rotten Vale. Today, the Odogaron, which moves freely, encountered the Bonehammer Dragon here, and so the Odogaron and the Bonehammer Dragon started fighting. As a peace-loving girl, she naturally wouldn't watch the two dragons hurt each other. Of course, the most fundamental reason was that the Odogaron had stolen the girl's food. Yes, the girl had her eye on hers.

　"Ow~"

　"boom!"