The azure pupils shifted slightly, turning to look at the protesting little Chaleos at the side, and in that instant the aura was released.
At once, the little Chaleos’s pitiful chicken-like cry was cut short, as though the entire world were completely blanketed by those blue eyes, a despairing Pressure surging over its body in an instant.
Unconsciously, the little Chaleos activated its camouflage, instinctively trying to evade this fatal danger in such a way.
Its four short legs, as if each had its own will, flailed about uncontrollably in a frantic scramble.
Stumbling and tumbling, it rushed behind the Chaleos, attempting to use its mother’s great tail to shield itself, seeking that faint, negligible sense of safety.
“Gwa!”
Hearing this trembling cry utterly lacking in majesty, the Chaleos didn’t move a muscle, only rolling its large eyeballs back to glance at its disgraceful offspring.
Just a re Elder Dragon’s aura—look at that cowardly display! Such sha!
“Gwa…”
It had only just opened its mouth when Logan’s hostile gaze turned toward the Chaleos, shifting his target.
At once, the sound at its throat was abruptly cut off.
Sotis, giving in was also a kind of strategy—especially when faced with an equal, and one whose abilities restrained its own.
Without the slightest hesitation, the Chaleos imdiately revealed the purpose of its coming.
Upon learning that the Chaleos had actually co here because it knew of the quest published by Astera, Logan’s eyes grew strange.
So this fellow had truly nailed down its identity as a First Fleet Elder Dragon?
But what Logan wanted was a solution to the Fire Wyvern eggs’ failure to hatch normally—what was this fellow barging in here for?
Besides releasing poison, could it really do research?
Logan instinctively felt this guy was simply here to watch the spectacle. He was sowhat familiar with the Chaleos’s gossip-loving nature.
“Gwaa!” (What kind of look is that, gwa!)
Though Logan’s facial scales revealed no change of expression, the Chaleos instantly caught the oddity in his gaze, and imdiately protested in righteous indignation.
After all, it had rarely deigned to use its superlative intelligence, having actually thought up a feasible thod before coming here. They had once fought side by side in carnage—was there really not even this bit of basic trust?
Truth be told, if it hadn’t sensed that it itself had undergone so kind of mutation, the Chaleos that once only played with biotoxins would truly have had no solutions.
But now things were different. This was the strengthened version of Chaleos. After its poison glands mutated, it had already taken the first steps into the stage of “dicine is poison.” The rare dicinal aromas of datura and the like within its hallucinogenic toxin mists were proof enough.
Thus, when it ca to solving the current problem of the Fire Wyvern group at the Ancient Tree, the Chaleos was brimming with confidence—confident enough that Logan would even owe it a favor.
Unfortunately, Logan simply didn’t believe it!
Without his cooperation, even if the Chaleos wanted to make a move, it couldn’t prove anything.
Just as the Chaleos kept croaking to argue its case, the Admiral finally arrived at Logan’s nest.
Assailed by the noisy gwa cries of the Chaleos, Logan—for once—welcod the Admiral’s arrival.
A First Fleet Elder Dragon, was it? Then go find your First Fleet Master to play with.
The Admiral stared blankly at the Chaleos that had revealed its form, ceaselessly croaking at Logan with an anxious look—especially when he saw the little Chaleos cowering behind it, a pitiful sight he recognized at once. He simply could not understand.
Why were the Chaleos mother and child, who ought to be in Astera, here at the Ancient Tree—and why did the Chaleos look as though it were quite familiar with Logan?
Though Logan had once ntioned helping a Chaleos that claid to be a First Fleet mber defeat another Elder Dragon, even giving him a scale as proof of identity, and though the Chaleos’s later conduct in Astera did confirm they had indeed had contact—Logan had never said they were this close. Could Elder Dragons really get along so harmoniously?
The Admiral wasn’t sure. As a legendary hunter, even back in the Old World this wasn’t the first ti he had encountered Elder Dragons.
One could even say, at his level of ability, most of the ti the Hunter’s Guild would dispatch him to resolve incidents caused by apex monsters and Elder Dragons.
In the Admiral’s impression, wherever Elder Dragons appeared, all other life would retreat. Aside from family-type Elder Dragons like the Fla Dragons, whenever other Elder Dragons t—especially of different species—conflict would usually erupt until one side completely withdrew from the territory.
Thus, seeing the Chaleos chattering away on the side while Logan and Aki, that husband and wife pair, nestled together in the nest, utterly ignoring it—at this mont, the Admiral felt as if his worldview had once again been overturned.
But after calming down, thinking it over, Logan was an Elder Dragon who coexisted with the Fire Wyvern group and had even shown powerful rationality, while the Chaleos could swagger about outside under the banner of the Research Commission.
With such stable emotions and intelligence no less than humans, perhaps—maybe—it was acceptable that they might develop into friends across species?
“Yo, quite the lively scene.”
Perhaps because he hadn’t quite figured out the Chaleos’s temperant yet, the Admiral didn’t stride right in as he usually would, but first called out a greeting, then feigned a casual air as he walked in slowly.
Logan glanced at him, and with the aid of his mind’s eye imdiately discerned the Admiral’s current state. Though he appeared relaxed, his muscles were taut all over—clearly ready to draw his shield at the first sign of trouble.
So it seed, this Chaleos fellow wasn’t all that familiar with the Research Commission either.
“Roar~”
With a low growl, at once a cat ca scampering in to serve as interpreter.
“ow, Boss Fire Wyvern says, Admiral, you should take this mber of yours back ow.” The cat scratched its head, its big eyes full of question marks.
“Huh? ?”
Following Logan’s gaze, the Admiral looked toward the listless Chaleos mother and child at the side, pointing first at them and then at himself.
Though Logan had said before that the Chaleos claid to be a First Fleet mber, to the Admiral it had sounded like nothing more than an excuse the Chaleos used at the ti to request Logan’s help.
For an Elder Dragon to entrust its young to the Research Commission for temporary rearing, and then to live in peace with the Commission for so many years, was already incredible enough. He had never truly regarded the other as any sort of First Fleet mber.
At this mont, the Admiral still did not know of the Chaleos’s actions at Astera a few days ago, and thus, at Logan’s request, he could only respond with a wry smile.
“Well, old friend, you misunderstand, it—”
“Gwa!”
Before the Admiral could finish, the Chaleos’s eyes rolled twice, and at once it changed strategy, cutting him off on its own initiative.
Lowering its head, it rummaged about the plates of its chest, soon producing the attachnt that the quest desk girl had given as confirmation of the quest’s acceptance.
Using its flexible tongue to stick to it, it carefully handed it to the Admiral.
Puzzled, the Admiral took that familiar piece of beast-hide parchnt, and when he saw the contents—especially the words marked “quest acceptance dragon”—his mind went blank with a buzz.
How long had he been away from the Research Commission? Why had things suddenly turned out like this?
What else had he missed? Why had the Chaleos suddenly beco a First Fleet mber officially recognized by Astera?
Why was he always missing all kinds of things?
“Clearly I was the first to know the news that the Chaleos called itself a First Fleet mber, the first to confirm its identity, the first to communicate face-to-face with an Elder Dragon… Clearly I was first. Why did it turn out like this?”
Falling suddenly into self-doubt, the Admiral failed to notice the increasingly strange look the Chaleos was giving him.
“This guy has already seen the acceptance proof—why is he standing there dumbfounded, gwa? Hurry up and vouch for , gwa!”
An impatient croak jolted the Admiral awake. With so bitterness, he placed the confirmation slip back onto the Chaleos’s still-extended tongue, then steadied himself and looked back at Logan.
It was obvious that the Chaleos was showing him this slip now precisely to make him vouch for it. Although he did not know how the Chaleos had been able to accept such a quest, as the Admiral of the New World Elder Dragon Research First Fleet, when a mber of the fleet required aid, he naturally could not shirk his duty.
At once, through the cat, he translated the information on that quest slip to Logan, and further stated that the Chaleos had accepted the quest through legitimate channels of the Research Commission. By an Elder Dragon’s pride, it would never co all this way just to idle about and do nothing. Since it had accepted this quest, there had to be a reason.
“An Elder Dragon’s pride.”
Logan glanced at the Chaleos mother and child sprawled listlessly to the side, deeply skeptical—did this fellow really have such a thing?
He certainly hadn’t seen it.
But one thing the Admiral had said was reasonable: if the Chaleos only wanted to co watch the show, it would have had no need to completely expose itself before the Commission and pointlessly accept a quest before coming here.
Since it had co this far, it might as well be given a try. Whether it worked or not, only trying would tell.
Thinking this through, Logan rose to his feet under Aki’s astonished gaze and walked toward the outside of the nest.
“Roar?”
Seeing the Chaleos gleefully scamper along after him, with the little Chaleos anxiously clinging close behind, Aki, for so reason, found the sight of their backs unbearably irritating. She too stood at once and gave chase.
She would absolutely never give the Chaleos any chance to be alone with Logan!
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