Bear School Astartes-Chapter 692 - 675. Separate, pick up

The entire Starbase was plunged into a frenzy of activity over the next period.

Finding the traces of the Molten Mountain Dragon was not an easy task.

Though it was a moving volcano, towering seventy or eighty meters high and over 240 meters long,

ahead of it lay the boundless new continent.

The combined area of the Ancient Tree Forest and the Great Ant Mound Wasteland alone was hundreds of thousands of square kilometers.

The secretion constantly erupting like lava from the Molten Mountain Dragon could leave marks along the way, but as the director of the Plant Research Institute stated,

the arrival of the Molten Mountain Dragon had, through some yet to be understood means, caused an explosive growth of the Ancient Tree Forest.

Indeed, the lava it spewed could destroy trees and scorch land, leaving behind traces.

But ironically, the burnt and scorched areas, owing to the residue of the dragon’s secretion, became even more vibrant with life.

Thus, as soon as the land was scorched, once the temperature dropped, vegetation sprouted like bamboo shoots after a rain, making it difficult for humans to detect.

The New Continent Expedition Team barely numbered over a thousand, even counting the Elu cats.

And more than half of these were scholars and logistics personnel.

Even if all the hunters were dispatched to search for traces, in this vast land, it was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Thus, despite the hunters being dispatched on missions several times more frequently during this period, the reports on the Molten Mountain Dragon’s traces were scant.

"I think we must head to the Great Ant Mound Wasteland for an investigation."

Wende grumbled over dinner while fiddling with his new weapon.

"The lushness of the Ancient Tree Forest is our biggest obstacle; surely there aren’t as many traces-concealing plants in the wasteland?"

Now, instead of holding a Defense Team Shield Axe, he wielded a colorful ranged weapon.

The "Flower Launcher," a heavy crossbow made with Poisonous Demon Bird material.

They had dispatched the demon bird that toyed with Lann with its tongue just yesterday, and Wende had acquired another addition to his arsenal in short order.

Officially, their task was to ’hunt the Poisonous Demon Bird wandering in the forest and causing territorial disputes,’ but Lann ’coincidentally’ provided one of the bird’s feathers, plucked out as he was flung away, as a tracking object.

Once the hunt concluded, Lann grinned wickedly as he yanked the throat sac from the demon bird’s throat, causing Wende and Aibo to involuntarily swallow nervously.

"The Great Ant Mound Wasteland..."

Lann, sitting next to Wende, seemed to ponder over it but eventually shook his head.

"It’s too far for me. If your next step is exploring the wasteland, I reckon I’ll stay at Starbase."

Although the Expedition Team had camps set up near the Great Ant Mound Wasteland, they were no match for the main base. Broken equipment or physical rest required returning to Starbase.

But due to the long distance, hunters usually would only return to Starbase after a long period, when they could not hold on any longer from their tasks at the Great Ant Mound Wasteland.

This is why, after starting the investigation of the Molten Mountain Dragon’s traces, the hunters remained wandering within the Ancient Tree Forest. Because once they ventured to the Great Ant Mound Wasteland, it meant being away from Starbase for a long time unless they wanted to waste a lot on travel time alone.

And for Lann, who couldn’t independently maneuver a lift dragon, it was even more troublesome.

"I see..." Wende was momentarily stunned but then brightened up. "Well, it can’t be helped. To explore the knowledge of ancient dragons, we must keep moving forward."

"However, I won’t be idle over here either." Lann smiled, clinking his glass with Wende’s.

"The rest of the Fifth Period Team has been allowed by the Commander-in-Chief to start taking missions from low to high, and I imagine I’ll serve as their field safety net during this process. Plus, there are still many things I am interested in learning."

Wende and Aibo were both people of immense dynamism.

Once they decided to head to the Great Ant Mound Wasteland for exploration, they departed as soon as they filed the report by morning.

It’s been said they took on an escort mission, delivering three old Douding Dragon Race researchers, along with their research equipment, to the Great Ant Mound Wasteland.

Meanwhile, after sending off his two friends and their Elu cat from Starbase, Lann effortlessly made his way to the second-floor Forging District.

He had frequented the place multiple times within the week since the ecological anomaly was detected.

"Hey, Lann."

The enthusiastic leader of the Second Period Team behind the conveyor belt waved his hand in greeting.

"Come to pick up the goods? Check this out!"

Without needing Lann to speak a word, the leader signaled the apprentices behind him with a nod of his chin, and shortly, a left arm guard was delivered on the conveyor belt.

The main body retained the original design of Lann’s arm guard, but the leader of the Second Period Team had embedded his own projection technology into its special mechanical structure.

It wasn’t just a temporary piece fixed with leather straps at the beginning, but truly a merged technological creation.

It preserved the dwarf master Tuer Butcher’s miniaturized automatic reloading and rifling design, allowing Lann to still use Alder’s Rune to launch powerful ammunition.

At the same time, it possessed the Expedition Team’s developed projector, capable of shooting out, fixing, and retracting the hooklock.

It was quite the enhancement to Lann’s mobility capabilities.

"Magic is like something out of a children’s story, and Alchemy has never contributed to iron smelting in my view, but to think your world creates new alloys in this manner—knowledge from beyond the world is truly fascinating."

The Second Period Team leader stroked his bristle-like beard with awe.

Lann, intrigued, equipped the arm guard fused with cutting-edge technology. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

During this period, he had crafted some Valerian steel, which became part of the new constructs on the arm guard.

Though Lann wasn’t a specialist in smelting, Belengar had made the Valerian steel technique entirely accessible to him.

After all, the origin of the technique stemmed from samples and fragmented spells he brought back.

With the assistance of a smelting expert like the Second Period Team leader, reproducing this magic alloy was not too difficult.

And on Lann’s armor, the craftsmanship and design philosophy from the Magic Middle Ages thrilled the Second Period Team leader immensely.

"To incorporate monster materials into steel with such high integration... truly fascinating. Honestly, it’s given me some ideas on improving projectors."

In the Magic Middle Ages, blacksmiths would use various monster materials to craft armors, yet the finished product appeared like a regular steel armor.

The Second Period Team leader perceived this as ’high integration,’ marveling with admiration.

Meanwhile, Lann was equally amazed by the absurd forging techniques of this world.