Chapter 23: The Ancient Forest’s Priceless Bounty

The arrival of an Elder Dragon would drive away nearly all nearby creatures, with the exception of a few reckless or formidable beings. Now that the Steel Dragon had descended upon the Ancient Tree Forest, did that mean there would be no large monsters openly appearing in the forest for the time being?

Was this not the perfect opportunity to explore the map and gather supplies without restraint?

“Lucia, now is the perfect time to set out and explore!” Su Yi’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

“That Steel Dragon…” Lucia glanced at the dragon on the plains, realization dawning in her eyes as well. “As long as the Steel Dragon stays here, meow…”

“Then we don’t need to worry about threats from large monsters and can explore and gather freely!” Su Yi grinned.

“Ancient Tree Forest, everything is free for the taking—what a windfall!”

...

Skirting around the plains occupied by the Steel Dragon, Su Yi followed the seaside cliff path along the western edge of the Ancient Tree Forest, heading north toward the coastal camp.

“Mushroom harvest!” Under a tree, Su Yi gathered handfuls of rare mushrooms, placing them in his golden-fingered [Inventory], among them several clumps of luminous and moonlit mushrooms.

The storm brought by the Steel Dragon had delivered abundant rain, and the fallen branches and leaves enriched the soil, providing nutrients for fungi and other plants. Overnight, the flora and fungi flourished in a rapid burst of growth.

Elder Dragons are part of nature, and so are the disasters they bring. The Elder Dragon alters nature, but is it not also that nature uses the power of the Elder Dragon to flourish in turn?

This is the balance of nature.

“Was there a landslide here?”

Continuing along the seaside cliff path, Su Yi arrived at a slope facing the sea, where the hillside had collapsed, exposing the inner layers of rock.

“Is that… a mineral vein?” With a keen eye, Su Yi spotted a glint of metal and crystal in the fractured rock. Approaching, he saw the guiding insects clustering on the veins, indicating gatherable resources.

“Was this vein exposed by the landslide?” Eagerly, Su Yi drew his pickaxe.

“Heave ho!” He swung the pick, a chorus of clinks ringing out, but the mineral bed changed little.

“Why am I still using primitive mining methods at a time like this?” Tossing aside the pickaxe, Su Yi took out a capture sphere.

“Come out, Great Fierce Jackal!”

Far from the Steel Dragon, though still within the storm’s reach, the Elder Dragon’s oppressive aura was much diminished. With his companion beast now possessing the traits of a Pokémon, the Great Fierce Jackal was much less agitated than before.

“Grr!” With a low snarl, the Great Fierce Jackal looked around, vigilant.

“Great Fierce Jackal, use Dragon Claw on that mineral vein,” Su Yi commanded.

With a roar, the Great Fierce Jackal bared its claws and slashed at the rock.

Crack! Crash!

Stone fragments flew, earth scattered, and ores tumbled down amid the debris.

“Oh! The yield is quite impressive. Now then, Kulu-Ya-Ku, your turn!” Seeing the still abundant minerals, Su Yi released another mining specialist.

“Use Fury Swipes on the vein!”

“Kaw!” To his surprise, Kulu-Ya-Ku squawked as if protesting.

Su Yi pressed a hand to his forehead and quickly promised, “Behave. Once we’re done here, I’ll take you to raid a Rathalos nest.”

“Ka!” Hearing this, Kulu-Ya-Ku eagerly began digging with its sharp claws.

The flat, broad pads on Kulu-Ya-Ku’s claws were perfect for holding eggs and rocks, but they also worked well for shoveling earth, much like little spades. The rocks it usually hurled in battle were excavated this way.

The two beasts quickly and thoroughly mined the entire vein using their skills.

Iron ore, earth crystals, swiftlet stones, shining crystals…

There was a bit of everything, but iron ore made up the bulk.

“I could consider outfitting Aibo with a new set of gear,” Su Yi mused, surveying his haul with satisfaction.

...

“Firenymph, use Ember!”

“Chee!”

Cradling Firenymph, Su Yi aimed at the wasps guarding the beehive and sent out a burst of flames, driving them away and collecting a bounty of honey.

Whoosh! A quick snap of the net caught a Thunderbug perched high in the branches.

Any plant, mushroom, bug, or fruit in sight ended up in Su Yi’s bag. With no monsters to interfere, he wandered the forest like a lone shopper on a spree in an unmanned supermarket.

“Oh? The plant life here is so rich—Scatternut, Pebblenut, Healing Lucia, Cotton Sporegrass, Poison Vine…” Su Yi marveled at the lush variety around him.

Then, a thought struck him.

“Wait! With so many plants here, could this be near the Toxicroak’s nest?” Realization dawned.

Toxicroak loved feasting on the abundant fruits and plants of the Ancient Tree Forest, but it didn’t always eat on the spot. It would stash them in its bulging chin and carry them back to its nest.

The seeds of the consumed fruits would be scattered around the nest, resulting in a remarkable diversity of plants nearby.

This trait, encouraging plant proliferation, led scholars to believe Toxicroak was more closely tied to the Ancient Tree Forest than any other beast, perhaps its most ancient inhabitant.

...

“Let’s take a closer look.” Su Yi ventured into the lush area, using vines to climb toward a plant-covered rock wall.

On a large protruding ledge of the wall, he found feathers from the Toxicroak. He took out another feather from his pack—the one belonging to the Toxicroak whose wing had been slashed by a Nargacuga.

Immediately, the guiding insects attached themselves to the feather in his hand, then swiftly to the feather on the ledge.

“I’ve found its nest.” Su Yi opened his Hunter’s Guide and marked the nest’s location on the [Map].

Chuckling, he slipped away after making his note.

...

Ascending the spiral wooden staircase inside the Ancient Giant Tree, Su Yi retraced his earlier route, reaching the path to the canopy—the same path Kulu-Ya-Ku had taken when it stole the Rathalos egg.

The massive trunks formed a sloping ramp upwards, leading to the tree’s crown.

On the broad canopy platform, countless branches formed an enormous nest, with a heap of bones to one side—clearly the remains of the Rathalos’s prey.

Su Yi stepped forward, collecting some well-preserved bones into his [Inventory].

Yet the egg chamber was empty; whether taken away or hidden elsewhere, it was nowhere to be found.

“I knew it.”

A Rathalos would never leave its eggs exposed to danger.

Su Yi released the egg-hunting expert, Kulu-Ya-Ku. At first, Kulu-Ya-Ku dug around the nest with enthusiasm, but soon, after searching everywhere, it found nothing.

“Kaa…” Crestfallen, Kulu-Ya-Ku drooped, the plume atop its head losing all its vigor.

Unsure how to comfort it, Su Yi simply patted its claw.

He walked to the edge of the Rathalos nest, braving the fierce wind to gaze down on the entire Ancient Tree Forest.

“At the very top of the Ancient Tree Forest, the Rathalos’s nest—what a breathtaking sight. The Rathalos’s nest itself… Let’s see if we can spot the Wildspire Waste in the distance, everyone.”

Just as Su Yi was about to look for a route from the Ancient Tree Forest to the Wildspire Waste, a silver figure, wreathed in tempests, rose slowly from the seaside plain and flew toward the giant tree’s crown.

“Damn! I almost forgot—this is Steel Dragon’s favorite resting spot!”

Quickly, Su Yi grabbed Lucia and the still-stubborn Kulu-Ya-Ku and hurried back the way they came.