"The Hundred-Dragon Night Parade! Is it a super-large-scale migration of monsters, regardless of species, gathering together?"
Yudora asked in surprise.
Even the largest monster migrations in the past were at least divided and conducted by species.
The Hundred-Dragon Night Parade was completely different, with all species migrating in the same direction as if they had agreed.
"That's right. According to the records in the Village of Flame, every Hundred-Dragon Night Parade in history has seen the Magnamalo hunt extensively."
Li Fan confirmed.
"All the other monsters are fleeing, yet the Magnamalo continues to hunt. It's a strange ecological phenomenon."
Yudora found it somewhat incomprehensible.
"It is indeed strange. This led the Village of Flame to believe that the Magnamalo was the culprit behind the Hundred-Dragon Night Parade. Later, they witnessed the Wind Serpent God."
Li Fan explained.
Unlike the game's storyline, after experiencing multiple Hundred-Dragon Night Parades, the Village of Flame had long ago discovered that it was related to the Wind Serpent God.
Years ago, they had even engaged in battle at the Emerald Fortress and repelled it.
As for the Thunder Serpent God, it had never appeared, and its existence remained unconfirmed to this day.
The Flame Ship, developed by themselves, was a airship built to defend against the Wind Serpent God.
However, with the rapid technological advancements brought about by the appearance of the Dragon Calendar Institute's giant airships, the Village of Flame, unable to keep up, focused on its most proficient area: the city defense system.
This also made Li Fan realize that reality would not adhere to the rigid rules of game plots but would involve many unpredictable factors.
For example, whether Huihui died in the Ruined Peaks or escaped would have unknowable impacts on the future.
After confirming the intelligence, the team continued to track the clues.
Half an hour later, a low growl from ahead put the team on immediate alert.
Li Fan took out the green leaf camouflage net and began to distribute it. The team quickly commenced their stealth operation.
Rustle...
A patch of short bushes rustled slightly, revealing two human faces and one cat face.
"Found it, meow..."
Dilu exclaimed in a low voice.
At the base of the towering cliff, four Magnamalo, one male and three females, were gathered, appearing very vigilant.
On the other side, a Magnamalo with a severely damaged right horn was lying on the ground, gnawing on a Spirit Deer with its claws.
"The horn is severely damaged... That's it, this must be the 'Horned One'."
Li Fan observed through his binoculars for a moment and concluded.
"It seems both sides are quite injured. Those with horns that haven't grown extended and are slightly smaller in size, are they the female Magnamalo?"
Yudora inquired.
"Yes, meow."
Dilu confirmed.
"I feel like the Horned One's opponent is at a disadvantage."
Li Fan speculated.
"Is it because its horn is undamaged?"
Yudora asked.
"Yes, the Horned One's current state is already like a broken pot... Oh! It's getting up!"
Seeing new developments, the team quietly observed.
The Horned One shifted one of its front claws, pushing away the Spirit Deer, which was already mostly stripped of its fur.
Then, it propped itself up on its front paws, its hunched tiger-like back arching as it let out a breath.
"I can do that too, meow."
Dilu muttered.
A moment later, the Horned One slowly approached the base of the cliff, its fanged mouth emitting a low growl.
Roar...
"The Horned One says 'come again'."
Li Fan provided the translation.
Roar! The Magnamalo on the opposite side leaped out from among the females, letting out a fiercer cry.
"The other one says 'come if you dare'."
Despite its imposing aura, the Magnamalo's steps were noticeably unsteady as it moved on all fours.
Roar! After the Horned One responded, the gaps in the spiral-shaped carapace covering its forearms opened up, revealing rows of purple vents that emitted a deep purple glow and released a fine powder.
Click! Its tail blade unfolded, transforming into a three-pointed shape, and was thrust into the ghost fire powder before being swung back behind it, igniting the tip of the tail blade with ghost fire.
The Magnamalo on the opposite side also began to emit ghost fire powder, but the powder ignited on its forelegs as soon as it emerged from the vents.
The arm blades extending from the outer sides of its forelegs suddenly opened outwards.
The three female Magnamalo supported themselves on their front paws, roaring encouragement.
It seemed the Horned One excelled at using its tail blade for attacks, while the opponent focused more on using its arm blades.
Both tigers faced each other sideways, slowly circling.
After a brief standoff, the Horned One lowered its center of gravity and leaped into the air.
The Magnamalo braced itself on its hind legs, raising its upper body and swinging its arm blades horizontally to counter.
Clang! Sizzle!
Its descending sharp claws collided with the arm blades, producing a piercing scraping sound, and the sparks ignited the ghost fire powder.
Boom! A ball of pink fire exploded.
The Horned One's two feet stomped on the explosion, its body flexibly rising, and it leaped upwards.
Whoosh! The ghost fire at the tip of its tail blade flared up.
At its highest point, the Horned One suddenly spun sideways, and the ghost fire ball it swung was now behind it.
Boom! Another ball of ghost fire exploded.
The Horned One straightened its body, its foreleg vents spewing out a large amount of ghost fire powder. Its two hind legs pushed off forcefully, using the impact of the ghost fire explosion to dive downwards in a diagonal trajectory.
The Magnamalo observing from the ground hesitated between counter-attacking and fleeing, but it was too late.
Boom! Along with the powder that the Magnamalo itself emitted, it was ignited at this moment.
The exploding pink fireballs enveloped both Magnamalo.
When the smoke cleared, the Horned One had one front claw pressed onto the Magnamalo's head, striking a victorious pose.
The pinned Magnamalo could only pant heavily, unable to take any further action.
Roar...
The Horned One let out a low growl, its voice no longer ferocious, but considerably gentler.
"This opportunity is rare. Let's do something big... complete... the mission?"
Due to the complexity of the meaning, Li Fan could only provide a very vague translation.
"Huh? What does that mean, meow?"
Dilu was surprised that even after translation, there were still things she couldn't quite understand.
"Let's listen further. Perhaps we can find some clues."
Li Fan speculated.
Roar...
The Magnamalo let out a weak roar.
"This time is different. If you don't escape now, there will be no chance."
Roar...
After growling, the Horned One turned its head to look at the still roaring female Magnamalo, a fierce glint in its eyes.
"How do you know if you don't try? Are these females hindering you from reaching the next level?"
Roar...
"It has nothing to do with them. Please let me go. I just want to live a normal life."
The fierce glint in the Horned One's eyes gradually faded, and it slowly raised its front paw.
A moment later, the Magnamalo stood up and, surrounded by the females, gradually moved away.
The Horned One remained still for a long time, then lazily lay down on its side, licking the wound on its front paw, lost in thought.
"It seems our judgment about the motivation for the fight was wrong. The Horned One seems to have been constantly pursuing fights to recruit others and become stronger."
Li Fan muttered.
"The Horned One said 'do something big.' Could it be the Hundred-Dragon Night Parade?"
Yudora speculated.
"We're not that unlucky, are we, meow?"
Dilu said in surprise.
"Let's hope not."
Li Fan couldn't give a definitive judgment.
"What's the next plan?"
Yudora asked.
"Fighting here would easily be witnessed by the Village of Flame, and the Magnamalo, in terms of personality, differs greatly from other monsters."
Li Fan voiced his concern.
Based on his accumulated capture experience, the severity of injuries played a significant role in successful capture.
However, it was by no means the only factor.
If it were purely a matter of subduing them through combat, Li Fan believed it would be manageable as long as he tracked them to a suitable location.
But in terms of personality, the Magnamalo's greatest difference from other monsters was its extreme vengefulness.
This was different from being brutal and irritable, or cunning and calm.
Li Fan speculated that the Magnamalo dared to fight Elder Dragons not because it possessed the trait of "fearlessness" like Kukuru, but simply because it refused to submit to any creature on a fundamental level.
Individuals with stable social groups might be somewhat better in this regard, but the Horned One, with its extensively damaged horns and loss of mating rights, would only have a stronger will.
This could easily lead to situations where they would rather be killed than captured.
"Do something big," "mission," "recruit others"...
These words swirled in Li Fan's mind for a moment, and a thought suddenly emerged.
Li Fan released Lei Ge and communicated with him briefly.
Roar?
Lei Ge let out a questioning roar, as if asking if this was really possible.
"Don't worry, if something goes wrong, we'll just gang up on them. If we're spotted... consider it a warning drill for the Village of Flame."
Li Fan said with great certainty.
Lei Ge hesitated for a moment and then leaped out of the bushes.
Hearing the heavy footsteps approaching, the Horned One quickly became alert.
"You're only sending Lei Ge?"
Yudora seemed a bit confused.
"Yes, let's try to negotiate first and see if there's a possibility of cooperation."
Li Fan confirmed.
Roar?
Roar...
As the two dragons faced each other warily, they let out low growls.
"What are they saying, meow?"
Dilu leaned closer to Li Fan and asked eagerly.
"The Horned One asked Lei Ge if he was a local Zinogre. Lei Ge said yes."
Roar?
Roar...
"The Horned One said he didn't look like one. Lei Ge said he went out to play, encountered some trouble, and because of that, he was expelled from his pack."
Li Fan translated.
Roar!
Roar...
"Packs are for the weak. For the strong, they only add burdens. That's why I, without a pack, can dominate the abandoned shrine area... Lei Ge said 'yes, yes, yes'."
"Uh... Lei Ge's response is very perfunctory, meow."
Dilu pointed out.
"Lei Ge misses his cubs every day, so he certainly wouldn't agree wholeheartedly."
Li Fan explained.
Roar!
Roar...
"Since you're also wandering alone, why not become my subordinate? Lei Ge said 'sure'."
Roar!
Roar!
"Then you can live here for now. No monsters or hunters visit this area. I'll come find you when I need you! Lei Ge said 'sure' with great enthusiasm."
After the negotiation, the Horned One's entire body erupted with ghost fire, and it leaped towards the cliff.
By continuously igniting and stomping on ghost fire balls, it quickly reached the top of the cliff.
Roar!
The Horned One roared down at the cliff before disappearing over the summit.
"If anyone nearby dares to bully you, just mention my name, Horned One! ... I wonder if it will resent me in the future when I capture it and name it 'Fat Tiger'."
After Li Fan finished speaking, the hidden team emerged from the bushes.
"Thank you, Lei Ge. You can live here for now. If you don't have enough food, I'll air-drop it to you from the airship."
Li Fan informed him.
Roar!
Lei Ge responded with a roar and began to release its Elder Dragon Insect swarm to familiarize itself with the surroundings.
As a result, the Elder Dragon Insects in the air became unusually agitated and seemed unstable.
Lei Ge summoned a bolt of red and black lightning that struck the ground and dispersed, calming the agitated swarm.
However, it was Lei Ge himself who exhibited abnormal behavior at this moment.
Roar... Roar...
Lei Ge tilted its head to look around, then dashed out of the forest and ran to the seashore, gazing silently at the sea.
"Did you find something?"
Li Fan, who had run over, asked.
Roar....
"What... the mission has been found!"
Li Fan couldn't believe it.
Roar!
Lei Ge roared firmly and continued to gaze at the sea.
"Strange, there's nothing in the sea... Could it be that the Zinogre pack has some connection with the Sea Dragon?"
Li Fan couldn't understand what mission Lei Ge was referring to.
Roar... Roar.. Roar...
Lei Ge lowered its head and let out a series of roars.
"You say the感应 (induction/sense) is very strong, and that place can give birth to a pack king, but the time for the trial has not yet come, and you have already lost your qualification."
Li Fan attempted to understand, and he roughly grasped the meaning of Lei Ge's words.
There was a place in the distance across the sea where a Zinogre pack king could be born.
If he guessed correctly, it was either the Gold-Rathian or the Apex Zinogre.
And Lei Ge was already undergoing mutation towards the Abyssal Zinogre. Although the sense was still strong, it was clearly no longer possible to participate.
It was easy to understand that monsters had special senses towards certain areas.
But what Li Fan couldn't figure out was why there was no record of this in the secret archives of the Dragon Calendar Institute.
After all, this was the pack king of the Zinogre.
Li Fan pondered slowly and realized Lei Ge's peculiarity.
The former leader of the Zinogre pack in the vicinity of the Village of Flame!
In other words, this was a specific perception that appeared in the Zinogre of the surrounding area.
This extremely difficult-to-detect difference was not something that investigators or researchers could perceive.
Only after capturing it with an Elf Ball and engaging in deep communication could it be learned from the monster.
Having figured out why it hadn't been detected, another question arose: what was in that sea?
While Lei Ge was busy deceiving the Horned One, it was also tasked with monitoring the sea.
After settling Lei Ge, Li Fan took the Flame Ship back to the village, borrowed three historical texts about the village from Puxian, and began to pore over them overnight.
Unlike the game's background introduction, the content of these historical texts was relatively obscure and dry.
Li Fan read until late at night, and the most valuable piece of information seemed to be that before each Hundred-Dragon Night Parade, various Elder Dragons would move frequently.
Their general direction was towards the location of the Village of Flame.
After the Hundred-Dragon Night Parade ended, they would move away again.
This intelligence was recorded in the texts after being certified by the Elder Dragon Observatory, so its authority was sufficient.
Elder Dragons approaching...
Li Fan combined this with the scenes from the game and recalled a particular scenario.
During the hunt for the ancestral Thunder Serpent God in Rise, an Elder Dragon would come to assist, and the Magnamalo would also participate in its place.
However, given the disparity in combat power in reality, the Magnamalo, if it went alone, might not even withstand a single blow from the ancestral Thunder Serpent God.
The Horned One's movements, Lei Ge's senses... and if another Elder Dragon were to approach the Village of Flame.
Was the Hundred-Dragon Night Parade about to begin?
Could it really be this unlucky!