It was quite a wondrous thing.
If it had been ten years ago, the shadow of a Rathalos sweeping over a village would have undoubtedly caused panic and chaos among the humans below. But now, the only response it drew was the playful shouting of friends teasing one another.
Completely unlike the ordinary Rathalos in the Admiral's memory—which were always fiercely violent and intensely territorial—the hard, fiery-red scales of these Rathalos participating in the construction were covered in patterns left behind by the erosion of Xeno bio-energy. It wouldn't be wrong to call them Xeno-veined Rathalos.
Even more astonishing, however, was their work. Their sharp talons, once used to tear prey apart, were now steadily hoisting large, heavy blocks of square stone—already precisely cut by human masons—using specially made, thick ropes.
It was precisely by relying on the aerial transport capabilities of these Rathalos that the artisans could safely and swiftly move these heavy building materials—which were virtually impossible to haul up the sheer cliffs by human strength alone—to their proper locations... or at least, to places that ordinary humans could hardly reach.
It wasn't just the sky. If someone were to walk down the path from the mountain peak right now, press their ear to the ground, and listen closely, they would even feel the earth trembling. This time, however, it wasn't an earthquake. Accompanied by irregular, grinding crunch-crunch sounds, it felt as though some machine capable of pulverizing solid rock was operating deep underground.
This was a pack of Dodogama that Asterion had personally caught from the outskirts of the Elder's Recess to facilitate the construction of the royal city, along with several Basarios and other monsters conscripted from the Wildspire Waste.
Without exception, these monsters fed on rocks and minerals. They were currently living a wonderful life inside the cliffs, doing nothing but eating and sleeping, and this subterranean shaking and noise were exactly their doing.
Work, work.
The blueprint of the royal city in Asterion's mind was incredibly grand. Naturally, it could not be built as a flimsy, ordinary castle atop the mountain's surface, which was prone to weathering and easy to attack.
According to the blueprints finally presented to him by the human scholars and artisans, setting aside the external structures for a moment, these rock-eating beasts would gradually hollow out the massive interior of the rock formation through their day-in, day-out efforts.
The royal city ultimately revealed to the world would be built directly into the mountain—a magnificent, three-dimensional metropolis with more than half of its area embedded deep within the mountain itself.
Aside from those flying in the sky and gnawing through the mountains, monsters actively participating in the labor in their own unique ways were actually a common sight across the massive construction site, which spanned hundreds of miles.
In a vast area near the foot of the mountain, one could even spot several Barroth and Jyuratodus—creatures that usually loved wallowing in the mud. They were currently gathered in a massive pit excavated by monster labor, which was filled with a mixture of sand, clay, and certain plant juices blended in precise proportions.
These behemoths were happily rolling around inside, no different from what they loved to do on any ordinary day. However, during this process, the Jyuratodus used the mucus secreted from their bodies to evenly mix the materials together, transforming them into a highly adhesive and durable compound building material.
Afterward, Lynians specifically tasked with transport hauled the material away cart by cart using simple wheelbarrows, quickly exhausting the supply across every corner of the city.
It was truly a display of everyone showcasing their unique talents. Even the various Lynian tribes refused to be left behind, eagerly bringing out their own specialized skills.
Naturally, these creatures, capable of restraining their destructive urges and working obediently on the construction site, were no longer primitive animals ruled solely by beastly nature. Having undergone various degrees of evolution, their brain structures had become far more complex, completely liberating them from primal instincts.
Their lives were no longer just about endless killing and fu—oh wait, rather, they were no longer confined to the tedious cycle of hunting and breeding. Instead, much like humans, they had developed their own distinct personalities, hobbies, and aspirations after gaining reason.
Suddenly, everything had become quite positive and wholesome.
For instance, among the Rathalos the Admiral had just seen transporting stone in the sky, there was one slightly smaller individual with a deeper hue to its scales. Its greatest passion wasn't flying or fighting, but rather an intense immersion during its breaks in various knightly romances and historical biographies that had circulated from the human camp.
To satisfy its thirst for knowledge, this fellow had even plucked up the courage during one of Asterion's inspections to make a direct request. It specifically sought out a knowledgeable, elderly Wyverian scholar and, through painstaking effort, began learning the complex human script from the absolute basics of spelling.
It was worth noting that under the wondrous effects of Xeno bio-energy, different species could communicate seamlessly by transmitting intent through life energy. However, written text was a completely different medium of information; it couldn't be instantly understood like spoken language and had to be acquired through study.
Yet, purely through its fanaticism for knowledge—uh, or rather, for the fictional stories made up by humans—and sheer willpower, this Rathalos actually managed to master the vast majority of the common language script.
However, a new problem quickly arose. Human books were, after all, scaled to human sizes. In order to make out the tiny print in those books, this diligent Rathalos nearly ruined its own eyesight.
Left with no choice, it used several rare, shed plates of its own reverse scales as payment to commission the finest human artisans in the royal city. It requested a highly unusual pair of spectacles, custom-tailored to the shape of its massive head.
To put it bluntly, it was a pair of interconnected steel magnifying glasses. Grinding them nearly worked the artisans to death, but they finally satisfied the Rathalos's demands.
This contraption became the Rathalos's most prized treasure. Even its mate, a Rathian, wasn't allowed to touch it; if she so much as came close, she would be driven away by a swat of its wings. Needless to say, this triggered quite a few domestic spats between the Wyvern couple.
Asterion found it difficult to describe exactly what he felt the first time he saw a majestic Rathalos sporting two translucent lenses larger than tower shields on its head, lying flat on the ground while carefully turning pages with a single claw tip.
In any case, it was both comical and hilarious. It didn't help that it was right at midday; the sunlight reflecting off those two lenses shone far into the distance, making Asterion briefly think some suicidal hunter was aiming a Heavy Bowgun scope at him from afar. They looked exactly like two giant light bulbs.
Jokes and laughter aside, the Rathalos's behavior was highly commendable. Its courage to step out of its comfort zone, proactively learn, and pursue knowledge was a stellar example in the eyes of a ruler like Asterion, who wished to establish a monster kingdom.
To this end, Asterion made a point of formally granting an audience to this Rathalos. He even went out of his way to channel Xeno bio-energy to empower it. Mind you, this process took place in front of all the other monsters currently in the royal city. Standing before the entire draconic gathering, he encouraged the Rathalos to keep up its studies and become even smarter... with a specific emphasis on learning mathematics.
Asterion's strategy of lavishly rewarding a pioneer to inspire the rest worked wonders on these newly enlightened monsters. If nothing else, when that Rathalos held its head high and marched out, the looks the other dragons gave it completely shifted.
Those were looks of pure envy!!
This set off an excellent trend. From then on, the large monsters that had joined Asterion's kingdom began looking for any excuse to prove their worth, striving to make themselves smarter. And Asterion was entirely serious. Just as he had told that Rathalos, if it studied hard and became clever enough, he might just entrust the position of Kingdom Prime Minister to it in the future.
What? You don't know what a Prime Minister does?
Go ask the humans, and keep studying!
Just imagine: a mathematically precise Rathalos expert at calculations... Terrifying, right?
When the time came, it would calculate fireball trajectories on the fly—factoring in wind speed, air resistance, and target movement paths to lead its shots perfectly. The mental image was so magnificent that Asterion could hardly wrap his head around it.
In short, as more and more large monsters accumulated sufficient Xeno bio-energy within their bodies and were forced to undergo "blue-ification," their intelligence skyrocketed. More and more large monsters in the New World, who had previously fought in isolation, began answering Asterion's summons. Attracted by this unprecedented way of life, they flocked to this land and submissively joined the construction of the grand royal city.
There were no troublemakers. Every single large monster that laid eyes on Asterion bowed its head in absolute submission, with none harboring thoughts of rebellion or usurping the throne, which actually left Asterion feeling a bit bored.
Still, it was all for the best.
Asterion had even held back a highly enthusiastic Kulve Taroth who wanted to join in. Kulve Taroth's work efficiency was simply too high; she would have finished the royal city too quickly. It was a simple truth: only when they personally participated and invested their own labor would these monsters, humans, and Lynians truly cherish this land and view it as their home.
Wisdom from a past life! Take notes, kid!
"Roar, roar, roar." (In my eyes, there is no difference between you all.)
Asterion explained to the Admiral with quite a cheerful demeanor.
"Roar, roar, roar, roar..." (In the eyes of an Elder Dragon, ordinary monsters are just beasts devoid of wisdom, much like how ordinary animals are just creatures you can slaughter at will in your eyes. You draw classes and hierarchies among yourselves, but such distinctions are utterly meaningless to me.)
"I understand." Letting out a sigh, the Admiral said with a wry smile, "It's precisely because your level is so high, Boss, that you can treat everything equally instead. At least for us, that's good news."
"Roar, roar..." (It's good that you understand. In essence, the humans remaining in the New World are already a different breed from those in the Old World. You have bred here for many generations now; this is their true home. Live well.)
"...You're right."
Asterion's words left the Admiral dazed for a long time. He raised his hand and looked at his palm. With a mere thought, a wisp of smoke composed of Xeno-crystal fragments coalesced in his hand, then scattered with the wind, completely merging into the air.
"You're absolutely right..." The Admiral let out a long breath. He suddenly turned his head to look at Asterion and asked, "So, can you tell me the secret of the Elder Crossing?"
"Why is it that for so many years, Elder Dragons continuously crossed the sea from the Old World to the New World? Why was this timing fixed to once every ten years? Why was the Elder Crossing suddenly delayed, and why did it vanish completely, never to appear again to this day... Why?"
"Roar?" (You still can't let it go?)
"Well, that was the reason I went to sea in the first place, after all," the Admiral said with a bitter smile. "For our children, the New World is indeed their homeland, the place where they were born and raised. But for us old timers, the Old World is our true home—even if we can never go back."
"Roar?" (You don't plan to search for it yourself anymore?)
"We can't find it anymore, can we?" the Admiral said out of nowhere. "The mission of the Research Commission has never changed, but every time you heard about this, Boss, you always remained silent... So you actually know the answer. And you also know that we can no longer find this answer either, right? Because the Elder Crossing phenomenon will never happen again—was it you?"
This man was unexpectedly sharp. Perhaps the Admiral had realized this a very long time ago, but he had simply never spoken of it to anyone else.
He had kept it buried deep in his own heart.
"Roar, roar..." (It wasn't me, but... alright. The disappearance of the Elder Crossing does indeed have something to do with me... Since you've asked, I can tell you the secret of the Elder Crossing... It's a bit of an old story.)
After a brief thought, Asterion decided to reveal what happened back then. From a weak creature dreaming of crossing boundaries to the birth of a Forbidden Monster... that was his past... well, a story that had undergone a little "polishing."
Playing the part of a historical revisionist, Asterion's gaze gradually drifted along with his thoughts, looking out toward the boundless horizon over the distant sea. His royal city was rising bit by bit through the collective efforts of countless lives; the mere process of waiting filled Asterion with an unprecedented sense of accomplishment.
This was his kingdom, and a meaningful life as a dragon.
No one knew how long such a kingdom could endure, nor did anyone know where it would head—just as Asterion himself didn't know how long he would retain interest in this giant toy. It was all just for fun, after all.
But for him at this very moment, it was entirely enough. At least for now, Asterion was still bursting with the drive to move forward and the freshness of exploration.
In the destined-to-be-long life of a Forbidden Monster, Asterion knew he had more than enough time to enjoy this world. His legend was only just beginning.
This was an era dominated by Asterion. There was nothing that could bind him within this vast world—he would do exactly as he pleased!
[End of Book]