"You just said that your current settlement has an abundant water supply, correct? In that case, perhaps you'd be willing to hear the new proposal I have to offer."
With that, the Supply Team leader handed his notebook to the somewhat puzzled Carlos. This new breeding and aid plan would still need the approval of the commander-in-chief who made the final calls.
"Raising Aptonoth is indeed a viable plan, and it would certainly meet the food needs of the Grimalkynes and the Fire Wyvern hatchlings. However, in terms of manpower and risk, relying solely on Aptonoth breeding is not the optimal choice. That's why I'm offering you a new plan," he said with confidence.
"Aptonoth can be bred, but the numbers don't need to be large. To make up for the food gap, I recommend adding a few new species to be bred alongside them.
"First, the Gajau. These fish are between 1.5 and 2 meters in length and are highly aggressive, but for trained Palicoes, they pose little danger. They have exceptional environmental adaptability and reproductive ability. Being omnivorous, they will eat meat, aquatic plants, and even monster dung. Their breeding cycle is around 80 days.
"Second, a type of swine—the Mosswine. I hardly need to introduce them. Their breeding cycle is 60 days.
"Finally, there's the mushroom cultivation method we've already developed.
"Once all these are combined, and with the transport route between your settlement and the outpost established, the supplies we can provide should be more than enough to sustain the Grimalkyne tribe and the Fire Wyvern hatchlings.
"After all, as you just mentioned, we're talking about most of the hatchlings, not all of them—correct?"
The Grimalkyne leader of the Fire Wyverns nodded. The "most" Logan referred to meant the hatchlings from wyvern families that were somewhat weaker—those that might struggle to properly care for their young.
Families like the Azure Rathalos and Pink Rathian pair, for instance, were so powerful that the idea of being unable to look after their hatchlings simply didn't apply.
In fact, given their current attitude toward the cats, they could even continue providing food for the Palicoes that tended to their household.
The same was true for the Tempered Fire Wyverns, the Flame Rathalos, and for Logan himself.
This was the confidence that came with strength.
Faced with this new proposal, the Grimalkyne leader of the Fire Wyverns lit up, eyes gleaming—this was truly an eye-opener.
Who would have thought that the Research Commission even had breeding methods for Gajau and Mosswine? Clearly, the Grimalkynes still had far, far more to learn.
Although the proposal had won the Grimalkyne leader over, caution prevailed, and he chose to consult Logan first.
He believed that his own perspective might leave gaps in consideration, but the all-capable Fire Wyvern boss would never overlook anything.
"So it can be done like this… I really did think too simply. Each trade has its own expertise—the Research Commission truly has thought this through more thoroughly."
Cats were omnivorous; mushrooms were edible for them, and could also be used to feed the Mosswine. The dung from Mosswine and Aptonoth could, in turn, be used to feed the Gajau.
Logan had no doubt the Research Commission could offer more than just these species—but all of these were hardy, easy-to-breed creatures, perfectly suited for cats with no prior breeding experience.
Once the Grimalkyne leader received Logan's approval, he broke into a wide grin and began meowing away, with Tonkotsu acting as interpreter, as he and the Supply Team leader dove into the details of the new plan.
At that moment, Logan's sixth sense suddenly pricked—something dangerous was watching him.
Over the years, the heightened sixth sense granted by his Mind's Eye had never once failed Logan—never once had it been wrong. So the instant he sensed that gaze upon him, Logan's guard shot up as though facing a mortal enemy.
Rising to his full height, he scanned his surroundings without pause. With his keen eyesight, not the slightest stir of wind or sway of grass escaped his notice.
Yet, no matter how many times he looked, even sweeping his gaze across the distant terrain without overlooking a single detail, he found nothing amiss. What's more, the gaze that had triggered his sense of danger vanished the moment he reacted, giving him no chance to rely on the Mind's Eye to search more thoroughly.
Logan's sudden change in demeanor did not escape the Admiral and the others. They were all veteran hunters and knew well what it meant when a Fire Wyvern took up such a searching stance. One by one, they began scanning their surroundings as well. Commander-in-Chief Carlos even released his scoutflies.
But the scoutflies only circled around Logan once before flashing red in alarm and scurrying back into their cages.
Their pitiful performance made Carlos's face stiffen. He quietly shifted the cage to hang at his lower back and gave a light cough to ease the awkwardness.
Still, he thought to himself, These scoutflies need more breeding and training.
The air at the scene grew tense. For five minutes, everyone remained on edge—until that strange gaze failed to return. Only then did Logan gradually ease up. After all, though the look had carried a sense of danger, he had not felt any malice behind it.
Perhaps it had been nothing more than some dangerous creature passing by, giving him a curious glance.
Up on the cliff at that moment, a Chameleos withdrew its gaze and drew its body back into the cliffside. Concealing itself once more, it lay in perfect stillness.
It hadn't expected that the male Fire Wyvern possessed such an acute sense of perception. It had only watched for a moment longer than usual, yet it had been detected.
And this was despite the fact that, in the several hundred years it had roamed the New World, its camouflage ability had grown nearly flawless—so refined that it could maintain invisibility even in a driving rain without revealing a single flaw.
Its skill at concealing its presence had reached the peak of mastery.
Just over a decade ago, when a Kushala Daora and a Namielle fought, it had found itself a perfect vantage point nearby and spent three days quietly "eating melon seeds" as a battlefield reporter, watching until the fight's conclusion—without either combatant ever noticing.
Perhaps that was because both the Kushala Daora and the Namielle had been wholly absorbed in the battle and had not extended their senses outward. Even so, they were Elder Dragons that had crossed the Elder Crossing—not ordinary Elder Dragon specimens.
By that measure, Logan's perception ranked in a class of its own among non-Elder Dragon creatures.
As Logan relaxed, the Investigation Team still felt uneasy and assigned members to inspect the area one by one. The Admiral and the Huntsman, meanwhile, found themselves thinking back to the matter they had been investigating these past days.
Given Logan's display just now, they realized they might have underestimated him.
Once Logan had completely calmed, the Admiral immediately asked what had happened. Through Tonkotsu's translation, Logan explained what he had sensed.
"A dangerous, but not hostile, gaze?"
There were plenty of creatures that could make a Fire Wyvern feel danger—but this was the Investigation Team's own base.
After the arrival of the Second Fleet, the security measures at the base were further reinforced. Not only were a variety of traps added, but new gates and checkpoints were also constructed.
Aside from flying wyverns, there was practically no monster that could cross those layers of defenses without alerting the hunters.
"Perhaps it was just some dangerous flying creature passing by. After all, a male Fire Wyvern's coloration stands out quite a bit around here," Carlos offered, forcing an explanation as he repeatedly exchanged glances with the Admiral.
Since the other party had shown no hostility, it was best not to make any rash moves before confirming its identity.
If they provoked it and ended up suffering unexpected losses, it would hardly be worth the risk.
The Admiral and the Huntsman understood immediately, recalling the search teams they had sent out. The scene soon returned to its usual lively bustle.
Logan didn't quite understand the Investigation Team's behavior, but since he truly hadn't sensed any malice, he didn't dwell on it.
The Grimalkyne Fire Wyvern leader and the head of the logistics team huddled together again, discussing the proposal from earlier.
Trying to establish breeding in the New World—even for creatures like Gajau or Mosswine—came with countless challenges. It was far from easy to resolve.
Even when the Investigation Team had first begun their own breeding efforts, they had faced numerous failures—sometimes from improper methods, sometimes from wild monsters in the forest sneaking in to cause destruction.
It had taken them many years of trial and error to finally develop a workable system.
But applying that system to the Grimalkyne would bring up many new problems, all of which would need to be solved one by one. This wasn't something you could just rush into on a whim, slap together, and expect to succeed. If they did that, the result would inevitably be nothing but wasted effort.
Logan couldn't contribute much to that discussion. In fact, his presence was causing the Grimalkyne Fire Wyvern leader to run every little decision by him, which was starting to seriously wear on his patience.
Eventually, to let the Grimalkyne Fire Wyvern leader act freely without feeling constrained, Logan simply took off, intending to check on the state of the nearby forest.
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