The Admiral didn’t notice anything odd about Tonkotsu’s expression, nor had he expected that two completely unrelated species, after just four years of preliminary contact, would see such a rapid development in their relationship in less than half a year.
Normally, progress like this—much like biological evolution—requires a great deal of time, developing only after countless years.
That’s why the Admiral and the scholars of the New World believed that the bond between the Grimalkynes and the Fire Wyverns stemmed from the fact that, since ancient times, both species had coexisted in the same habitat without exhibiting mutual rejection or ecological competition—much like humans and Felynes.
Through the accumulation of time, they eventually developed a mutually beneficial relationship, forming this rare symbiosis that had never been observed before and seemed unique to the New World.
This hypothesis was even supported by scholars from various ecological perspectives. Along with the trade ships, it had been compiled into the New World Ecological Observation Record and sent to the scribes of the Old World, to serve as foundational material for scholars who might arrive in the future.
Tonkotsu knew about all of this—and had even been interviewed by the scholars.
But Tonkotsu was just a warrior. Faced with this kind of topic—which gave him a headache just from listening—he could only respond with silence.
And that silence only served to bolster the scholars’ confidence. They believed their theory must be correct. Even in the New World, everything out of the ordinary could be traced to a pattern. At the very least, it followed the basic principles of biological development.
According to this theory, the "Boss Fire Wyvern" worshipped by the Fire Wyverns and Grimalkynes alike must have been a special individual—an Alpha Rathalos—who long ago led the migration of Old World Fire Wyverns to the New World.
And the current "Boss Fire Wyvern" would be a descendant of that Alpha, with the title itself passed down through the bloodline.
This theory had gained significant popularity among New World ecologists and even sparked a trend within the ecological research community of the Old World for a time.
And truth be told, if one were to ignore the actual facts, the theory sounded quite plausible.
In fact, without access to the truth, it might even appear more “accurate” than what had truly happened.
So by the time the theory had spread this far, even if Tonkotsu sensed that something was off, there was nothing he could do to change it.
Besides… was there really any need to?
"Snort~"
A snorting sound came from the nose of the Rathalos lying on the ground.
Its wings twitched, and then it slowly opened its eyes, stirring from unconsciousness.
“Ohhh~ He’s waking up, nya!”
The excited Grimalkyne in front of the Fire Wyvern—who had been administering medicine—let out a delighted cry.
Suddenly, the Rathalos twitched its nose, then sprang to its feet and glared warily at the Admiral.
With a single sweep of its wings, it pulled the Grimalkyne who had been slipping off its body back behind it, its gaze sharp and hostile as it stared at the Admiral and Tonkotsu.
“Eh? Come on, what’s with the attitude? You wake up and act like we’re enemies?”
The Admiral grumbled, though his hands moved swiftly—drawing his sword and taking a defensive stance without hesitation.
“Wait, nya!”
Tonkotsu watched the Rathalos's movements. At first, he was still feeling a bit uneasy—but then he recalled the current state both he and the Admiral were in.
Tonkotsu quickly pulled out one of Logan’s scales from his pouch and, somewhat reluctantly, tossed an extra one over to the Admiral.
After attaching the scale to his chest, he removed his helmet, revealing his Grimalkyne appearance, then raised his hands and cautiously approached the Rathalos.
The Rathalos leaned in suspiciously, eyes filled with doubt. It sniffed Tonkotsu thoroughly—until it caught the scent of Logan’s scale.
Among the Fire Wyverns of the Ancient Tree, the only items used to verify identity—aside from the specially made Fire Wyvern identification scales—were scales from Logan or Aki.
After all, the Fire Wyvern Grimalkynes typically wore ornaments made from Logan’s or Aki’s scales. They rarely adorned themselves with the formal identification scales of the Fire Wyvern species.
As a result, over time, the Fire Wyverns living in the Ancient Tree had grown accustomed to recognizing Grimalkynes who wore Logan’s or Aki’s scales.
As for the Admiral...
This Rathalos clearly wasn’t blind. It could obviously tell the difference between him and a Grimalkyne, even if he wore Logan’s scale. There was no mistaking the distinction.
But before losing consciousness, it had seen this man with its own eyes—standing at the front line, shielding it from part of the central flame blast.
Because of that, the Rathalos naturally held a degree of goodwill toward the Admiral.
That was also why, upon waking up, it hadn’t followed its instincts to immediately drive off both the clearly threatening Admiral and Tonkotsu.
A wounded beast would still lash out at other wild animals in its territory—let alone a Rathalos.
“Uh… maybe I should take a few steps back,” the Admiral muttered as he slowly backed away from the beast. “This one doesn’t seem to have the same patience as your ‘Boss Fire Wyvern’.”
Not every Rathalos was Logan—and the Admiral knew that perfectly well.
“Just a moment, nya. Please let me talk to it first, nya.” Tonkotsu didn’t try to stop the Admiral’s retreat and instead quickly began communicating with the Rathalos.
And sure enough, the facts proved one thing: when it came to Fire Wyverns already accustomed to being pampered by cats, Grimalkynes had become creatures they could now calmly communicate with.
Under the meows of Tonkotsu and the other Grimalkynes, the Rathalos gradually lowered its guard, and the look it gave the Admiral became noticeably more at ease.
It allowed the cats to finish applying medicine and ate a bit of the food they had prepared. After recovering some strength, the Rathalos endured the pain in its back and slowly took to the sky.
Just as the Admiral thought everything was over and was about to walk over to regroup with the cats, a pristine Fire Wyvern scale fell from above, landing right in front of him.
He bent down and picked it up—it was still slightly warm to the touch. Looking up at the Rathalos flying off into the distance, the Admiral wore a puzzled expression.
“That’s a sign of recognition from Lord Fire Wyvern, nya!”
Before the Admiral could ask, a Grimalkyne follower quickly explained, with a hint of envy in its voice.
“Oh~ What an honor! Hahahaha!” The Admiral burst out laughing. This kind of recognition from a monster was a first for him.
As a Hunter, his past interactions with monsters had always been life-and-death battles. When would he ever experience something like this?
“But what does this recognition actually mean? Does it mean that when I reach the Ancient Tree, the Fire Wyverns won’t treat me as a threat?” he asked, gently wiping the scale in his hand. From the look on his face, it was clear he deeply valued this special gift.
“Well, not exactly, nya. This scale only represents that specific Lord Fire Wyvern. But if you show up near its nest, it won’t attack you, nya. And if you’re in its territory and it sees you being attacked by other monsters, it’ll even come to help you, nya.”
The Grimalkyne follower explained earnestly. These situations had been documented—those Grimalkynes who had earned recognition had, more than once, been rescued by passing Fire Wyverns while hunting.
That’s why, among all the cats living among the Fire Wyverns of the Ancient Tree, aside from the Fire Wyvern Grimalkynes themselves, every other Grimalkyne took great pride in receiving a gift personally given by a Fire Wyvern.
“Is that so…”
The Admiral lifted the scale in his hand and studied it carefully under the sunlight, then murmured with a tinge of emotion, “The New World really is fascinating.”
...
As time passed, the Admiral and his group finally arrived beneath the Ancient Tree.
Looking up at the canopy that completely blocked out the sunlight, the Admiral could only marvel at the magnificence of nature—there was no room for any other thoughts in his mind.
If not for the Grimalkynes' reminder, he would’ve thought they were still in the forest. He had no idea they were already inside the Ancient Tree itself.
The complex terrain before them, the lush vegetation, the towering ferns, and clusters of mushrooms…
Who would’ve thought that such a vast area was merely the “tree hollow” at the base of the Ancient Tree?
“We’ll need to start climbing up soon, meow—but first, let the Jagras rest a bit, meow,” Tonkotsu explained to the Admiral.
The cats took out dried meat and began snacking right where they stood, while the Jagras rushed over to a shallow puddle and drank water with wild abandon.
Especially the one that had been carrying the Admiral—it looked like it wanted nothing more than to dunk its whole body in the water.
With the Admiral and all the cargo on its back, it had nearly collapsed under the weight.
“Huff… puff…”
Suddenly, a Mosswine burst through the ferns, fleeing in panic. When it spotted the resting Grimalkynes, it couldn’t stop in time and barreled straight toward them.
“A Mosswine, meow!” Tonkotsu’s eyes lit up. He’d just been wondering what kind of offering to bring, and here one came running straight at them.
“Quick! Grab it, meow!”
At Tonkotsu’s command, boomerangs, spears, and bombs were hurled at once by the cats. The Mosswine let out a pitiful squeal before collapsing to the ground.
But before the cats could move in to claim their prize, an annoying screech rang out.
“Wraaaaaa!”
Their rivals had arrived—the Strange Mask Tribe.
They charged in with their usual shrieks, and their target was obvious: the Mosswine’s body.
It was clear now—the Mosswine had been driven here by the Strange Mask Tribe on purpose.
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