"You mean the ecological cycle here was intentionally shaped?" Li Fan asked.
"Perhaps. It's still too early to discuss these things. What do you plan to do next?" Master Yuanye inquired.
"I need to return to the Star Base first to submit the intelligence I've gathered, and then commission the investigation team to track the movements of the Zorah Magdaros," Li Fan stated his plan.
The masks to resist miasma had been developed. While flying a Pukei-Pukei in the Coral Highlands was dangerous, transporting them by land to serve as ascent tools was feasible. These conditions, though insufficient for the Hunter Team to accept commissions in the lower regions, were enough to mobilize the investigation team.
"Actually, regarding Zorah Magdaros, you could visit the ancient Dragonborn who have lived here for a long time. I once visited their tribe, and the murals depicting the ecology of the New World were very different from our current understanding," Master Yuanye offered.
"Auntie, didn't the base communicate with them before?" Ai Bo asked curiously. If the ancient Dragonborn could truly provide helpful intelligence, Commander Fle would have surely made contact already.
"We did make contact, but the ancient Dragonborn's demands were too strict. The Sword Master wanted to challenge them, but Fle deemed it too dangerous and stopped him," Master Yuanye admitted frankly.
"What kind of demands?" Yudora asked curiously.
"It seemed to be trials called the 'Summit of the Forest' and the 'Bottom of the Sand'," Master Yuanye recalled.
"Alright, I'll try to contact them when I get back," Li Fan replied. Knowing the subsequent plot direction, Li Fan wanted to skip the ancient Dragonborn's trials to save time. However, there was one part he found difficult to understand: why could the ancient Dragonborn possess information about Zorah Magdaros?
Before long, the Hinomoto responded to the signal flare and came to pick them up. After bidding farewell to Master Yuanye, everyone began their return journey.
"Rathalos, Shanshan, please be alright," Li Fan murmured, looking down at the broken cliff from the deck.
Three days later, the Hinomoto landed at the Star Base, carrying a large volume of ecological research reports. After reviewing the reports submitted by the team, Fle agreed to dispatch the investigation team for an in-depth exploration of the lower regions of the Rotten Vale. As for sightings of the ancient Dragonborn, they were concentrated in the Ancient Forest area. Although the language used was similar, there seemed to be a cultural gap in their attitude towards the investigation team, maintaining a relationship of neither closeness nor distance.
After a day of rest, the Hinomoto set out again. The search for the ancient Dragonborn was not going smoothly. Firstly, the guiding insects would not track them. Since they were not monsters, using the monster tracking team was also difficult. They could only rely on pure hunter tracking skills to investigate the areas where sightings were reported. To speed up the search, Li Fan decided to split up. Yudora and Ai Bo would search the jungle beneath the Great Tree, while he and Dilo would observe from the treetop.
Two days later, an accident occurred. The waterfall at the top of the Great Tree burst. Before Li Fan and Dilo could figure out what was happening, they were swept away by the torrent. They tumbled and stumbled along the tree trunk and leaves, eventually falling into the jungle.
*Swish~* A Wirebug was thrown, and one person and one cat hung suspended in mid-air.
"Why was there no warning at all..." Li Fan said, annoyed, shaking the water droplets off his armor.
"Li Fan! Look, meow!" Dilo exclaimed.
Turning his head, Li Fan noticed a small figure on the tree trunk below and to the side, wearing a mushroom cap and holding a wooden staff. A spiderweb hung around the brim of the mushroom cap, enveloping the entire head, giving it a mysterious appearance.
"We found the ancient Dragonborn elder! Hello!" Li Fan immediately greeted them.
"What is it, meow?" the ancient Dragonborn responded in an extremely hoarse voice.
"I want to know the final destination of Zorah Magdaros," Li Fan asked.
"Ah, the dragon that carries the volcano... You are not 'Above the Ecosystem' and therefore not qualified to know," the ancient Dragonborn informed him.
"Then how can I become qualified?" Li Fan inquired.
"Defeat the 'Summit of the Forest' and the 'Bottom of the Sand' to prove yourselves. We will bear witness."
"What kind of monsters are those, meow?" Dilo asked, confused.
"Rathalos and Diablos."
"Indeed, a very strict trial, meow," Dilo said, suddenly understanding.
"Elder, can we negotiate?" Li Fan tentatively asked.
"Hmm, speak," the ancient Dragonborn replied.
"The Rathalos in the Ancient Forest have all been driven away by the Gold Rathian and Silver Rathalos. Diablos needs to go to the Great Desert. Can we change the trial quest to defeating the Gold Rathian and Silver Rathalos?" Li Fan suggested. Since the purpose was to prove their qualification as 'Above the Ecosystem', the stronger the trial monsters, the more credible the proof would be.
"Hmm?" The ancient Dragonborn let out a surprised sound, seemingly unable to comprehend why a challenger would voluntarily increase the difficulty.
"You aim too high. If you truly achieve it, my reward will not be enough," the ancient Dragonborn explained.
Not enough? This elder was truly sticking to his standards.
"Then I have one more question. That should be enough," Li Fan proposed.
"Too low."
"How about adding a Black Diablos?"
"Hmm, alright," the ancient Dragonborn reluctantly agreed.
"Okay, elder. I will show you the results at this time tomorrow," Li Fan said.
"Hmm? Hmm?" After agreeing, the ancient Dragonborn let out another surprised sound.
"I hunt quickly. Remember to be here on time tomorrow," Li Fan added.
"I will," the ancient Dragonborn said, propping his wooden staff on the ground and slowly walking away along the tree trunk.
Returning to the treetop, he recalled Yudora and Ai Bo with a signal flare. After some patching and sealing, the burst of water was finally stopped.
The next day at noon, it was time to put on an act. The playful little dummy was curled up on one side, and Kuku lay on its back with its paws in the air.
"Kuku, your near-death pose is too strange," Li Fan corrected. Kuku arched its back, quickly flipped over, and changed to a prone position.
"Naughty, stick your tongue out a bit further." Naughty immediately complied.
With the scene set, when the agreed-upon time arrived, the ancient Dragonborn slowly approached from the tree trunk.
"One who is Above the Ecosystem... I am fortunate to witness your existence," the ancient Dragonborn said after observing for a moment, giving high praise.
"Then can you answer where Zorah Magdaros is ultimately going now?" Li Fan asked.
"The dragon that carries the volcano, lured by the Light of Life, is leaving the Rotten Vale and heading for the Elder's Recess," the ancient Dragonborn informed him.
"Second question..."
"The dragon that carries the volcano is nearing its end. The fiery life force within has accumulated to its limit. If it dies deep within the Elder's Recess, the immense fiery life force that erupts will flow through the ley lines to all parts of the New World, turning the sky black and burning the earth to ashes. This is the secret of that dragon, this is the end of this continent, this is the law of the ecosystem."
"Li Fan, you haven't asked yet, meow?" Dilo whispered, reminding him.
"They probably want us to stop it, but they're too embarrassed to say it directly," Li Fan surmised in a low voice. If what they said happened, not only would the New World's ecosystem suffer, but the Star Base would be unsustainable, and the ancient Dragonborn would certainly not fare well either.
"Then why arrange such a strict trial, meow? Only by letting more hunters know can we unite and resist together?"
"Perhaps if one's combat strength doesn't reach a certain level, they can't help," Li Fan speculated. This intelligence, while not entirely without value, at least confirmed that Zorah Magdaros's movements were consistent with the plot direction.
"Hmm, I have finished speaking," the ancient Dragonborn said, seeing the person and cat whispering incessantly.
"Thank you for your information, elder. May I ask my second question?"
"Hmm, please do."
"Did something similar happen long ago, with Zorah Magdaros perishing in the Elder's Recess?"
Hearing this question, the ancient Dragonborn's small body trembled violently.
"Where did you hear that?" the ancient Dragonborn asked, his voice trembling.
"You said it yourself, elder. The dragon that carries the volcano, the sky turns black, the earth is burned to ashes. Based on these descriptions, you clearly know the state of affairs when disaster strikes." The high degree of overlap with the plot confirmed that what the ancient Dragonborn said was not mere conjecture. Apart from prophetic abilities, there were only two explanations: either something similar had happened before, or they possessed highly developed ecological research capabilities. However, based on the intelligence within the base and Li Fan's observations, while the ancient Dragonborn might have accumulated much unknown ecological information, their research capabilities still stopped at the observational level. As for determining events from a long time ago, it was based on the prosperity of the New World's ecosystem. Otherwise, such severe ecological destruction, even if the life energy transmitted through the ley lines was not interrupted, could not have recovered in such a short period.
The ancient Dragonborn was silent for a long time, then sighed, "You are right. That was a disaster that no one could reverse."
"So, that means a Zorah Magdaros once destroyed the New World's ecosystem once before..." Li Fan recalled earnestly, feeling that the plot did not depict anything related to this. However, if confirmed, the theory of the Ancient Dragon Graveyard would completely fall apart. Seeking a burial ground and destroying an entire graveyard were two entirely different concepts. A place of final rest versus destroying everything before death. In terms of belief, they were completely incompatible.
"Elder, what is the 'lure of the Light of Life'?" Li Fan asked.
"I don't know," the ancient Dragonborn replied decisively.
"Alright..." Li Fan, somewhat speechless, could only infer Zorah Magdaros's true intentions by integrating the existing information. Its insistence on going to the Elder's Recess indicated that Zorah Magdaros knew what it was doing. However, even if the plan succeeded and the New World fell into ecological disaster, there seemed to be no beneficiaries. So, who was the biggest victim...? No wonder the Black Dragon assisted Zorah Magdaros. Li Fan suddenly thought of a possibility, but felt something was missing. The Nergigante, apart from declaring itself king, had made no moves to threaten the Old World. What was it that caused even the taboo creatures to be so wary? Even the Ancestral Dragon had to provide assistance, asking him to suppress the imbalance. Wait, imbalance? If the Ancestral Dragon, who appeared as a maiden in a dream, expressed its meaning clearly and accurately, then it meant that a balance once existed between the Old World and the New World. And the appearance of the Nergigante was about to break this balance. Then, the Zorah Magdaros from many years ago that caused ecological destruction when it visited the New World, was it also here to maintain balance? Where was the object that caused the imbalance back then? Was it also part of maintaining the balance? Li Fan felt he had cleared up some doubts, but at the same time, a series of new questions arose. However, one thing was certain: Zorah Magdaros's journey to the Elder's Recess was not due to the Nergigante's call. It was here to destroy the current ecosystem of the New World.
Returning to the Star Base, Li Fan informed Commander Fle of the intelligence obtained from the ancient Dragonborn, and explained that this interception operation would be the last chance. Fle immediately summoned all the team leaders and group leaders at the base for preliminary operational deployment. The information gathered by each team, on the surface, seemed acceptable, especially the depth of regional exploration and the overall level of hunter equipment. However, the specialized supplies for confronting giant monsters had been largely depleted during the last capture operation. Just as everyone was frowning over this, Fle looked at the number of transport ships docked by the coast.
"No, if these ships are dismantled, we will completely lose our transport capacity," the logistics team leader objected, seeing Fle's thoughts.
"You misunderstand. I'm waiting for a ship to dock. That's the real target for dismantling. Everyone, proceed with the preliminary preparations for the operation. We still have plenty of time," Fle explained before ending the operational meeting. The reason many details hadn't been finalized was that intelligence from the investigation team hadn't been transmitted back yet. The Star Base currently only knew that disaster was imminent and that they had to do everything possible to intercept Zorah Magdaros. Beyond that, they didn't have much usable intelligence.
"Li Fan, how did you obtain information from the ancient Dragonborn?" Fle asked, puzzled. The investigation team had always wanted to establish contact with the ancient Dragonborn, but the base, struggling to survive, couldn't afford the risk of completing the trials.
"The ancient Dragonborn recognized my hunting skills," Li Fan replied.
"Hmm, do you think the ancient Dragonborn's words are truly credible?" Fle asked uncertainly. The sudden need to intercept Zorah Magdaros surprised many, including Fle. Out of trust in Li Fan, he responded with an operational meeting. However, the ancient Dragonborn's words, concerning such a critical decision, could not be easily accepted wholesale. Li Fan deeply felt the difference between a game and reality. If the intelligence provided by the ancient Dragonborn had even a slight deviation, the preparations the entire base made for the operation might turn out to be a wasted effort.
"Absolutely credible. Something similar has happened on the New World before. They don't want to go through it again," Li Fan said earnestly.
"I understand. It seems the ancient Dragonborn have found the hunters they've been searching for," Fle quickly grasped the meaning and agreed with a smile.
Six days later, the first group of personnel to depart gathered at the Coral Highlands camp. The investigation team had finally sent back the first tracking report from the lower levels of the Rotten Vale. Zorah Magdaros had been found, still moving non-stop, and had even carved out many paths.