Monster Hunter: This Dragon's Built Different-Chapter 397: An Alternative Form of Symbiosis?

Chapter 397: Chapter 397: An Alternative Form of Symbiosis?

Having such a stubborn boss sometimes really left one at a loss.

Although Logan could also understand the caution shown by the consciousness of nature when dealing with Xeno’jiiva, after all, the relationship between it and Xeno’jiiva could entirely be regarded as an alternative form of symbiosis.

That’s right—an Elder Dragon actually possessed the qualifications to form a symbiotic relationship with nature.

Although it was only a relationship with a time limit, one that would turn into a fight to the death once that time expired, there was no denying that before Xeno’jiiva successfully hatched, the consciousness of nature would exhaust every possible means to protect Xeno’jiiva’s cocoon.

Otherwise, considering that Xeno’jiiva had, for hundreds of years, continuously released the Light of Life that attracted Elder Dragons, and that the Elder’s Recess clearly contained so many Elder Dragons—countless of which could have been drawn to it—yet not a single Elder Dragon had been able to find Xeno’jiiva’s whereabouts.

With circumstances like that, could there really be no trickery involved?

The consciousness of nature needed Xeno’jiiva’s cocoon, making use of it to continuously draw in Elder Dragons whose lifespans were approaching their limits—those who, even knowing full well how dangerous it was, were still willing to take a gamble and attempt to cling to life by coming to the New World.

And Xeno’jiiva likewise needed a massive amount of life energy to grant itself enormous potential that surpassed that of ordinary Safi’jiiva individuals, so that nothing in this world would be able to stop it, allowing it to become that true "King of Elder Dragons"!

And so, the two hit it off immediately.

The consciousness of nature concealed the traces of Xeno’jiiva’s cocoon, while Xeno’jiiva’s cocoon, although it had not yet fully developed self-awareness, instinctively hid itself within the Elder’s Recess, plundering the energy contained within the Everstream.

This was the real reason why, over these years, the interval between Elder Dragon crossings had grown shorter and shorter, shrinking directly from once every several hundred years to once every ten years.

Of the Elder Dragons that died, the vast majority of their energy was absorbed by Xeno’jiiva. The Elder’s Recess—originally a node of the Everstream and a place where life energy overflowed—because of its existence, became even more attractive to Elder Dragons.

As for the remaining life energy, it was supplied to the entire New World through the Everstream, thereby sustaining the ecological environment of the New World.

However, this created a major problem: merely the life energy left over after Xeno’jiiva’s absorption, as the New World continued to expand, was already no longer enough to support the speed of its expansion—especially the lush, vibrant Ancient Forest, which, as the New World’s outer perimeter, all the more required ample energy to drive it.

This, in turn, led to the need, every ten-odd years, to use the creatures in the forest to fill this part of the shortfall.

And now, the energy Xeno’jiiva absorbed had already reached a limit. Its larval form was already approaching perfection; as long as it absorbed the life energy of one more top-tier Elder Dragon, it would be able to achieve the outrageous feat of being born with Disaster-level strength.

Moreover, Xeno’jiiva’s metamorphosis speed was extremely fast. If it could not be dealt with before it transformed into Safi’jiiva, then once it had completed that transformation, it would become a disaster for the entire world.

After all, Safi’jiiva fed on bioenergy from the Everstream. Within the environment where a Safi’jiiva brood survived, only Safi’jiiva could survive; that land would, in the truest sense, "die"!

Therefore, the consciousness of nature did not dare to gamble, and did not want to gamble.

And its solution was to have Zorah Magdaros die within the Everstream!

Without being filtered by the Rotten Vale, that violent life energy would, at the moment Zorah Magdaros died, crazily pour into the Everstream. Coupled with the explosion at the moment of Zorah Magdaros’s death, it would be enough to ignite the entire New World, turning the New World completely into a sea of fire.

And the Xeno’jiiva cocoon in the Elder’s Recess would be the first to bear the self-destruction of a Disaster-level Elder Dragon whose internal energy had reached its peak. Not to mention that it had not yet hatched— even if it had hatched, it still would not be able to withstand it.

Along with Xeno’jiiva’s death, the life energy it had siphoned for so many years would also be injected into the Everstream. That was equivalent to pouring a huge barrel of gasoline onto a New World that had already been ignited and turned into a sea of fire.

By then, the New World would probably become a dead land where only magma existed.

And among the species currently existing in the New World, aside from Elder Dragons and some Flying Wyvern species that could escape, the rest would all go extinct.

This cruel outcome was of little importance to the consciousness of nature; one could even say it would welcome it, because the life energy would all remain. At most, the New World would merely change from its existing ecological environment into a purely magma environment. It was not as though there were no organisms in a magma environment—new ecological chains could still form over time.

But for the living creatures now on the New World, this would be a racial mass extinction.

Logan was not afraid; it could ensure its own survival, and even the survival of at least some Radiant Fire Wyverns and cats. But the natural favorability it had painstakingly, diligently worked for would probably be reset to zero, and whether it would even have a chance to accumulate it again in the future would still be a question.

After all, the ecology of the Old World had long since approached stability. The consciousness of nature over there would not welcome the arrival of a new Elder Dragon like Logan—of course, it would be quite welcoming to a corpse!

Therefore, when it came to the matter of Zorah Magdaros, he really had to find a way to intervene.

Back then, actively participating in weakening Nakarkos was a test, and having the Ancient Wyverian girl keep an eye on the recommended group of hunters was also a test.

The former was used to infer the handling methods of the consciousness of nature, while the latter was to determine whether the "Sapphire Star" could, as in the game, handle the subsequent Xeno’jiiva incident alone.

Now it seemed that the Sapphire Star was indeed strong, but the vitality of Elder Dragons was not just for show.

Logan truly suspected that Xeno’jiiva could completely endure Darren’s attacks and forcibly complete its metamorphosis.

This world, after all, differed quite a bit from the original game world.

Thinking of this, Logan gave a somewhat self-mocking flap of his wings.

His gaze turned toward the direction of the Rotten Vale.

Zorah Magdaros could die anywhere, but it absolutely could not die within the Everstream.

Nergigante had only just preyed upon Nakarkos and would not have the energy, in the short term, to get involved in Zorah Magdaros’s affairs again. So now, facing a Research Commission whose numbers had doubled, whose large-scale equipment was plentiful, and which even possessed replicated ancient Dragonators, would Zorah Magdaros be able to break through the defenses?

Logan was very curious!

Taking a deep breath and ending today’s Sunlight ahead of time, Logan surveyed the Ancient Tree region from above the clouds. It was time for him to move as well.

Just that final one percent of natural affinity was needed to trigger a new metamorphosis. Having already stepped into the very top tier of the Super Elder Dragon level, he was now in desperate need of even greater power!

The Ancient Tree region was vast, and the Ancient Forest even more so—so large that even the current Research Commission had explored only one-fifth of it. The unrest in those unexplored areas, relying solely on nature’s self-regulation and hunters, would take who knew how long to return to stability.

And this was precisely the key for Logan to raise that final one percent in a short time!

The Radiant Fire Wyverns of the Ancient Tree had enjoyed his symbiosis; now it was time for them to exert their full strength!

As Logan returned to the palace, amid one dragon roar after another, powerful Tempered Radiant Fire Wyverns, together with the upper echelons of Blazefire Village, quickly gathered at the top of the Ancient Tree.

With Logan’s orders issued, the Ancient Tree—this land that had been peaceful for many years—once again became lively.

Groups of Radiant Fire Wyverns, each carrying a Grimalkyne or an Ancient Tree hunter, flew toward all corners of the forest. Including Logan himself, all combat power was mobilized, and for a time, the entire Ancient Tree actually appeared somewhat desolate.

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