The young dragon tries to conquer the world

　To roast meat, you first need to build a simple stove that can be used anywhere with stones. Then, you need to pass a crank through a large piece of meat and place it on the branches on both sides of the stove. Finally, you need to gently turn the crank to let the small fire roast the meat. Although this has nothing to do with fighting monsters, roasting meat is still a very profound skill. Many hunters even aim to reach the pinnacle of this skill.

　Dissecting monster corpses in the desert is not easy, especially monsters like Sharon with their extremely bizarre appearance. After the raw meat was dissected, Sibert hummed a little tune as he started grilling the meat. "It would be so convenient if I could grill two pieces at a time. Maybe I can develop a grill like that in the future."

　Sibert turned the crank, laughing as he said, "Look, it's done! How is it? It should be pretty good. You eat first." After being roasted for a while, the raw meat turned a perfect golden brown, and the melted fat seeped out from the surface, stimulating the appetites of Sereria and Edlinka. "Then we won't be polite!"

　After receiving the piece of roasted meat, Sereria carefully blew on it a few times to avoid burning herself, then opened her mouth wide and took a big bite. It was a piece of roasted meat, slowly permeated by the heat, piping hot from the skin to the center. The aroma of the fat swirld in her mouth, a genuine feeling of happiness rising to her head, making Sereria give a thumbs up, "Delicious!"

　Like the horned dragon, the Sand King...

　As creatures unique to the desert, both the Sand King and the Diablos store large amounts of fat in their bodies to thrive in the desert environment. This fat not only allows the Sand King to maintain its stamina while lurking underground, but also allows it to quickly generate water within its body when it is about to become dehydrated, thus solving its immediate problem.

　Not only that, but the parts of the Sand King and Diablos are also very delicious. When preparing this part of the dish, adding a little honey and baking it will give you a smoother texture and an unparalleled taste than butter.

　With beautiful scenery before their eyes and delicious food in their mouths, the five of them, though still on the tense journey back to Mejpoldan, felt the warmth of nature at this moment. Before long, Sibert's food was also ready.

　The male Rathalos armor set is different from the female Rathian armor set; you can only eat after removing the helmet. So Sibeth took off the entire helmet and put it aside, then picked up the roasted meat and started eating.

　Her shiny silver hair was a little long, as if it was shining, and the tips of her hair were very smooth. Her jawline was very clear, her blue eyes were full of curiosity, and her nose was thin and high. Apart from their genders, Sereria and Sibert were practically identical, and they were also the most trusted partners.

　"Brother, let's rest for a while before we set off."

　Although she had been somewhat complacent due to the delicious food and beautiful scenery, Sereria quickly realized that this place was not in any hunting grounds. Upon realizing this, Sereria and Sibert immediately adopted expressions of genuine happiness at being able to eat such food, just like children playing a game.

　"elder brother?"

　After Sereria asked another question, Sibert finally turned his head. "Oh, I'm sorry, I just think the view is so beautiful, like a hanging garden. It's the kind of weather that makes you want to take a nap."

　"what?"

　Hearing her older brother say these words so casually, Sereria was a little at a loss. Of course, Sereria also admitted that the scenery in front of her was very beautiful, making her want to leisurely enjoy the roast meat in her hand. However, their main goal now was to return to Mejboltan as soon as possible. Sereria couldn't understand what this person who looked just like her was thinking.

　However, this place was very delicious for the little girl. Contrary to what Sereria and the others had expected, one Sand King and a few Sands were obviously not enough for the little girl. So the little girl used her tail to whip up the Berserker Giant and charged towards the nearby group of Sands.

　Killing the Sand King or the Sand King is almost effortless for the little girl. All she needs to do is see the black, upright dorsal fins on the sand, and the next second she will raise the Berserker and smash it down fiercely.

　"Burp~" A pile of sand bones formed a small mountain taller than the little girl next to her. After filling her stomach, the little girl lay contentedly on Lanmei's lap. It was just past noon, and the sun was at its most intense. Lanmei had already carried the little girl to a shady spot. The little girl lightly took off her shoes and swung her round little feet.

　After the sunlight became less harsh, Sereria and Sibert were discussing setting off quickly. However, when they found the little girl and Lanmei, they discovered that the little girl was nowhere to be found. Moreover, judging from the traces left on the ground, the little girl and Lanmei had also gone in the same direction as Mejboltan. In Manti Town, both Sereria and Sibert knew a fact.

　That means the young girl is extremely powerful, at least at the level of a legendary hunter.

　Firefly.jpg

　Volume 1: Chapter 465 - The Tale of the Hsinchu Mononoke

　Whether it was Sereria, Sibert, or Edlinka, they all believed that the young girl and Lan would return to Mejboltan with them. After all, for a young hunter, Mejboltan had the best meeting place, the best tavern, and the best hunter companions.

　But as it turned out, they were all wrong. After returning to Mejboltan, Sereria and her companions found no trace of the young girl. When they told the coachman about it, he couldn't believe that the two little girls had left his carriage without anyone noticing. Upon hearing this, the coachman immediately jumped up and down, wanting to find the young girl and Lanmei. Fortunately, Sereria stopped him.

　If they really got off in the desert, the driver might not be able to find the young girl and Lan Mei even if he ran himself ragged, because the distance was just too long. Although Mejpoldan was the first city that hunters would arrive at after leaving the village, it always gave novice hunters some unique surprises. Of course, these would become their most precious memories after the hunters became independent.

　In the southeast of Mandee town lies a village called Cooper village.

　Nehemiah, Eden, and Euphilia are childhood friends who aspire to become legendary hunters. To this end, they began their hunter careers at a young age. Their first mentor was Edlinka. However, in the early days in the village, they could only accept quests such as driving away blue Velociraptors and finding herbs and honey.

　Although the rewards for these commissions were meager, the three of them didn't care at all. Moreover, with just one more commission, they would soon have enough money for the journey to Mejpoldan. The last commission they accepted was to obtain the velvet balls of coral antler deer from the bamboo forest. These were a specialty of the coral antler deer. When they lived in the bamboo forest, they would constantly rub against the bamboo, and as the deer hair clung to the bamboo, it would form unique velvet balls.

　After crossing a wide lake in a small boat, the three arrived at a shallow sandy beach. Huge rock walls prevented large monsters from entering, and even aquatic monsters would be blocked by the shallows. They had been here several times before during gathering missions. The temperature was moderate, allowing them to fully utilize their abilities—a place Nehemiah would greatly appreciate.

　This place is blessed by nature and is rich in resources. Although you can't find extremely rare species, mushrooms, herbs, spider webs (essential for making traps) are readily available in the dense forest.

　Furthermore, if you bring a pickaxe, you can easily find several mining sites. Knowing exactly where to mine and what two items will become when combined, a hunter's actions will become much more unhindered. In this sense, this place can also be called a training ground for testing a hunter's strength.

　Combining these elements, along with their training in collecting deer wool balls, Nehemiah and his companions were almost convinced that they could travel to Mejpoldan once they had saved enough money.

　After entering the bamboo forest, the three of them saw the deer fur balls and immediately began picking them. The weather was still a bit hot and humid at this time, and beads of sweat dripped down Nehemiah's forehead and into his eyes. His eyes blinked rapidly involuntarily. Just as he was about to let go of the deer fur balls and raise his hand to wipe them, he immediately realized that the fur balls were still in his hand. So he desperately tried to hold back and ran forward quickly.

　Although he was anxious, he still carefully guarded against the rocks covered by decaying leaves and the inconspicuous tree roots to avoid falling.

　"Wooooooooooooooo!"

　Having come this far, failing now would be an insult to the title of novice hunter.

　"Almost there, keep going!"

　Euphilia calmly comforted Nehemiah, who had already exerted all her strength.

　"Ah, I'll do my best!"

　Just as he was happily responding to the other person's concern, a violent impact suddenly struck his back.

　"Oh ah!"

　"ah!"

　Unfortunately, Euphilia fell to the ground with him.

　"What...what's going on?!"

　Eden, who was walking ahead, heard the two shouting and quickly turned around, then ran over shouting.

　"I'm sorry, all the fluff balls fell to the ground."

　A large amount of gray fluff fell to the ground, then became covered with dirt and bits of grass, rendering the ball of deer fur worthless. Nehemiah had assumed Eden was referring to this, but to his surprise...

　"That's not what I meant! Ah! Ah!"

　"Hey?"

　"Nehemiah, you bastard, why are you hugging my beloved!"

　After being told that, Nehemiah looked at himself again, and found Euphilia lying on her back in his arms.

　"Oh no! I'm so sorry! Are you alright?"

　"Hmm, it's nothing serious."

　After hurriedly standing up, he quickly reached out to help Euphilia up.

　"Did you do this on purpose?!"

　Like a wild boar charging forward, Eden lifted Nehemiah up without a word.

　"Wait, how could it be intentional!"

　Nehemiah quickly denied it, but Euphilia, laughing mischievously, said, "Yeah, it must have been on purpose, right?"

　This tone clearly deepened Eden's suspicions. The mission they were currently undertaking wasn't the kind of one Edlinka had described—a mission aimed at hunting large monsters, or even one involving exorcising small monsters—which was why she could joke like that. But Eden didn't care about jokes.

　"Damn it, I knew it!" It seems Nehemiah's explanation has been completely wiped out by Euphilia's joke.

　"It was a joke, Miss Euphilia was just joking!"

　After repeating the explanation several times, Eden finally accepted it.

　"But if deliberately falling down was a joke, why would you fall down in a place where there's nothing there?"

　Faced with such a mistake that a boy shouldn't make, Eden's expression turned somewhat unpleasant, and his expression was clearly visible on his fuzzy face.

　"No, no, something came from behind... Oh right, I was attacked from behind?"

　Nehemiah quickly turned around, his nerves on edge, but there was nothing there, even though the three were in a bamboo forest and time had passed.

　It was a political matter, and the sun was shining brightly with a wide view. There were no large trees where any animals could hide. He wanted to say that something had bumped into him from behind, but he knew very well that such an explanation was completely unconvincing.

　"What are you 'heying' about? There's clearly nothing there!"

　While explaining to Eden, Nehemiah's mind was already filled with a mountain of questions. The three of them checked their surroundings but found nothing unusual; they still hadn't seen any monsters. Large ones were out of the question, but there weren't even black cats or herbivorous dragons. Although it was a bamboo forest, making it impossible to see the entire area clearly at a glance, it didn't feel like anything was hiding there.

　What exactly happened just now?

　Nehemiah muttered to himself as he unconsciously tightened his grip on the hilt of his one-handed sword, ready to draw it at the first sign of trouble. Eden, perhaps remembering Nehemiah's earlier failure, stopped jogging and began to walk more cautiously.

　"Haha, that's too easy. I really want to see if anyone can't even complete such a simple task."

　"Then you can take a good look at me later," Nehemiah said to the smug Eden with a self-deprecating tone. However, completing the mission was obviously the most important thing right now, and everything else was secondary.

　Just as Nehemiah was thinking this, Eden happened to trip and fall.

　"Why!?"

　He wasn't tripped by anything; the path ahead was perfectly flat. It was only then that Nehemiah noticed something was amiss. His hunter's instincts kicked in, and he became highly focused. Euphilia also drew her Belluna bow and nocked an arrow, but she seemed unsure where to aim.

　Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the bamboo forest in front of them. The next instant, an unknown roar resounded throughout the forest. Compared with the roar of an ordinary dragon, the roar just now was obviously mixed with more complex elements.

　Both Euphilia and Eden, who was a little slower to react, noticed the strange change in the forest and tensed up. Their expressions were completely different from their relaxed demeanor just now. In an instant, they began to adjust their bodies to a state suitable for facing large monsters, just as Euphilia had instructed.

　"What is this?! Is it a monster?"

　A gigantic monster was right in front of them; that was their only feeling. Even with his one-handed iron sword in hand, Nehemiah didn't move an inch. Without knowing the monster's exact appearance, he couldn't determine where it was safe. This was the first opponent he had ever encountered.

　It must be some kind of monster. I have no idea how it will act or attack. Actually, if I could see its specific appearance, I could deduce from past experience which position would be more dangerous, at least avoiding recklessly charging in head-on.

　The current situation is that he can't even determine where the monster's front is. If he approaches rashly, he might just walk right into its gaping maw. "Are we facing its front or its back?"

　“Let’s have Miss Euphilia try it out with the bow and arrow first.” As soon as Nehemiah finished speaking, Euphilia skillfully nocked an arrow on the Belluna Bow, pulled back the bowstring with force, and the sound of the bowstring being stretched to its limit rang out. Nehemiah took out a dye ball from his pocket and moved forward as carefully as possible, but before they could get close to that place, a bamboo forest seemed to come alive and sprouted up around Euphilia.

　Eden quickly pulled Euphilia away to avoid the bamboo that was constantly growing on the ground. The bamboo was growing at a strange speed. While Nehemiah was mentally searching for the largest species among the wyvern monsters, he turned around and held his one-handed iron sword to his chest. Just then, a strange monster appeared in front of him. It was black and yellow and was very close to him, within reach.

　Nehemiah had to lean back to see the monster's appearance clearly, and he also remembered the monster in the monster encyclopedia that Edlinka had shown them: the Yaon Dragon.

　Compared to other Elder Dragons, the Yaon Dragon is not very large. This may be due to the Yaon Dragon's evolution towards a smaller body size in order to move around in the lush bamboo forest. In addition to its size, several other parts of the Yaon Dragon's body have also evolved to some extent in order to adapt to living deep in the bamboo forest.

　Despite living deep in the bamboo forest, the Yawon Dragon's body color is completely black, which is inconsistent with its current environment. Its body, covered with jet-black scales, grows elegant red manes. These red manes, which grow from the gaps between the scales on its shoulders, thighs, and tail, not only protect the Yawon Dragon's body, but the manes growing on its back look like a pair of wings.

　Since the Yawonosaurus does not have wings, it moves mostly by relying on its well-developed limbs. Supporting the Yawonosaurus's limbs are strong tendons. Each fiber of the tendon has great strength and excellent elasticity, which makes the Yawonosaurus look very strong.

　With its jet-black body and upright yellow mane, Yawon Dragon exudes majesty simply by standing.

　From the very limited information available in the Hunter's Guild, it can be inferred that Yaon's head is oriented backwards.

　The layered, well-developed red horns are a product of scalp keratinization. Scholars believe that this part is a special body structure that evolved due to the influence of long-term symbiosis with bamboo. These large horns, which are born in response to bamboo, are full of solemnity.

　The sharp teeth in the mouth of the Yaonosaurus should not be underestimated. At the end of its slender tail is a special "tail hammer" that looks like a bamboo shoot. Scholars believe that this "tail hammer" is proof that the Yaonosaurus has lived here for a long time and has continued to evolve. After this tail penetrates the rock and goes deep underground, it will have a certain impact on the surrounding environment.

　According to the only records in the Hunter's Guild, this ability is identified as a special ability of the Yawon Dragon, which is the power to make bamboo grow freely. The Yawon Dragon can not only use this power to make bamboo grow more than ten meters tall in an instant, but also make each bamboo only grow tender bamboo shoots. In addition to these strange abilities, the Yawon Dragon can also combine these strange abilities to unleash bizarre attacks.

　However, besides these, there are some doubts about the Yawon dragon. Generally, ancient dragons control their abilities through the horns on their heads, but judging from the Yawon dragon's behavior, the organ that controls its abilities is not the horns on its head, but its uniquely shaped tail. It can insert its tail into the ground to stimulate the roots of bamboo and promote bamboo growth.

　Of course, besides causing the bamboo to grow rapidly and irregularly, the Yawon Dragon also has its own unique ability, which is to breathe out white breath in battle. Those hit by it will be affected by a sudden drowsiness and immediately fall asleep. So far, no Elder Dragon has been confirmed to be able to control sleep, making this characteristic of the Yawon Dragon quite unique.

　Book 1: Chapter 466 - The Dinner of Three Dragons

　Before Nehemiah could process all the information her eyes had received, the monster moved first. It took a deep breath, used its forelimbs to slowly lift its massive body, and then suddenly exhaled, a white mist enveloping Nehemiah's head as she prepared to defend against its breath attack.

　"Oh no!" Nehemiah quickly lifted his clothes to cover his mouth and nose, then rolled on the ground.

　Nehemiah!

　"Brother Nehemiah!"

　Eden and Euphilia's worried cries came from behind. Yawon's breath was not like fire or lightning, which had direct destructive power, but rather smoke containing a strong sedative gas. Nehemiah immediately felt his head spinning and almost collapsed to the ground, unable to get up. Nehemiah quickly held his breath and emerged from the lingering smoke on the ground.

　Even so, Nehemiah still inhaled a small amount of white smoke. Perhaps the sedative gas was too strong, because even though he only inhaled a little bit, his body immediately changed. A strong drowsiness swept over him, and a lot of his strength seemed to have been drained away. Nehemiah swayed and collapsed to the ground.

　Eden ran quickly toward him, while Euphilia continued to draw her bow and shoot arrows in place to keep Yaonlong occupied. "Euphilia, it's time to retreat!" Eden put her hand on Nehemiah's shoulder and quickly dragged him toward the camp.

　As for the personality of the Yawon, although it is a carnivore, it is not as irritable as the Zinogre or Nergigante. In ancient documents, the Yawon is described as serious but gentle. It will not attack humans unless provoked, and will keep an appropriate distance from humans. Some villages even regard the Yawon as a god who controls the harvest.

　There's nothing wrong with that, because the Yawonosaurus does indeed have this ability. The reason why the Yawonosaurus makes the bamboo grow rapidly when it attacks is that the Yawonosaurus secretes a special substance in its body. This substance has the ability to make plants grow rapidly, so when it attacks, the Yawonosaurus will insert its tail into the rock to make the plants grow rapidly.

　Watching the three leave in a panic, Yawenglong flicked its tail and turned to walk towards the deepest part of the bamboo forest. The deeper it went, the thicker the fog became. This was not the white smoke that Yawenglong exhaled, but rather the fog in the mountains that limited visibility. In the fog, an orange-red light appeared and disappeared. Yawenglong squinted at that direction and then walked over.

　The young girl sat obediently on a rock, quietly watching Melalu stir the simmering fire dragon in the copper pot. However, in addition to the fire dragon, there were also a lot of bamboo shoots floating and sinking in the pot. The tender bamboo shoots brought a completely different flavor to the broth. The fresh aroma of bamboo and the rich aroma of stewed meat mixed together and drove away the surrounding white mist.

　Soon, Yawon appeared beside the young girl, carrying a Sand Dragon in its mouth. Although Yawon, being an Elder Dragon, did not have the wings commonly seen in Elder Dragons, its physical abilities were first-rate. Its waving claws were enough to cause the earth to tremble and deep ravines to appear, and it could run at a speed that was in no way inferior to flying.

　Even with its well-developed tendons, the Yawon could run while sitting on bamboo stalks, carrying a Sand Dragon through the bamboo forest without any problem. Lan Mei nodded at the Yawon who had brought the Sand Dragon, then patted the little girl's head and took the Berserker Giant from her. If the Melarurus were to be...

　If we take care of this Sand Dragon, we won't be able to have dinner tonight, so the young girl and Lanmei will take care of the most basic treatments for them.

　Even the Barroth's heavy mud shell was no match for Lanmei's greatsword. However, if that were the case, the Berserker would also suffer some damage. So Lanmei adopted another method, which was to turn the Berserker horizontally and slap it. In fact, this not only knocked off the Barroth's mud shell and thick scales, but also slapped the Barroth's soft muscle fibers.

　Actually, this task could have been done by the young girl, but seeing how much she was looking forward to the bamboo shoot stew, it was impossible to get her to do any work now. So, Lanmei had no choice but to take matters into her own hands, knocking off the large scales and mud shells from the Sand Dragon's body, and then cutting off the thick parts of its limbs, head, and tail before handing them over to Melalu to handle. Yawon Dragon also sat on the side with great interest, watching Melalu and the others run around.

　Given Yawon's current form, it's impossible for it to eat the same food as the little girl. In fact, very few ancient dragons can transform, and the little girl is an exception among exceptions. Lanmei, on the other hand, has lived for an unknown amount of time, so Yawon should actually call Lanmei "older sister".

　The little girl reached into the pot and scooped out the tender dragon meat and bamboo shoots, stuffing them into her mouth and chewing them heartily. The flavor of the bamboo shoots had completely permeated the dragon meat, and with a gentle bite, she could feel the fragrant meat juices overflowing from the dragon meat. The crisp bamboo shoots provided a completely different texture from the dragon meat, which was a very novel experience for the little girl.

　And it tastes great too.

　However, the Yawon Dragon couldn't enjoy its food like a young girl. Melalu had to pour the food into its mouth from the bowl. The rich broth and stewed meat brought a completely different eating experience from before, causing the Yawon Dragon's eyes to immediately turn into crescent shapes. This is probably the expression of a raw food animal when it eats cooked food for the first time.

　Lanmei really liked the taste of fresh bamboo shoots, but instead of eating stewed bamboo shoots like the young girl, the Melalu made her a special dish of stir-fried bamboo shoots with pork. This dish not only brought out the full flavor of the bamboo shoots, but the use of male fire dragon pork belly further enhanced the taste of the bamboo shoots. As for Melalu, who had trained in Xinard Village, she had already mastered the skill of stir-frying.

　Lanmei picked up a slice of bamboo shoot and a slice of pork belly and put them in her mouth. Although the pork belly used was from the male fire dragon, the greasiness had been removed during the cooking process, leaving only the aroma of oil. This, combined with the crisp and chewy texture of the bamboo shoot, created a novel flavor that Lanmei quickly came to love.

　"Ah~"