The messenger learned the location of this proud white stork queen, who often appeared on the Forest Island at the edge of Pame Lake.
On a sunny day after the rainstorm, the messenger will deliver the message as promised.
Ysera of the Lake Crown would also warmly welcome these guests from afar, offering the largest toothfish caught that morning as a reward for the messenger. This was enough to feed the messenger's family for a month, especially for the Pygmy Marmosets, whose firm flesh was a rare delicacy.
Ysera leaped from the clouds and plunged straight into the water.
She grabbed a large toothed fish, then leaped out of the water, transforming into a white shooting star in the air.
The messenger hadn't appeared for a long time, and she sensed something was wrong. As usual, the little Pygmy Marmoset Arlen Alan should have brought news from the Mara River by now, but the canopy of the Forest Island was empty, and there was no trace of the messenger.
Ysera needs external assistance from Arensa to address the changes deep within the wetlands, and the scholars would agree to this request.
Every scholar has a responsibility to protect the ecosystem from Pollution, and now, Pollution is happening in the Arensa Wetlands. She has a premonition that the monster that slumbered deep in the wetlands has awakened— the Swamp King, as the Intelligent Species who lived in Arensa long ago called him.
He plots to rule the Arensa Wetlands, with snakes and Lizards as his soldiers and capybaras as his strategists. Recently, groups of Orbital Ridge Crocodiles have lined up on the beach awaiting his arrival.
Ironically, the Swamp King, who wanted to rule Arensa, chose to hide himself when faced with the attack from the Crowned Heron Empire.
Thirty years have passed, and Ysera thought he had died in some unknown corner of the world, but as the turmoil in the depths of the wetlands caused, Ysera gradually sensed his return.
Ysera tossed the toothfish to the ground, swallowed the flesh, and once she finished eating, she took to the air again. This time, she flew far to the west, but now that she couldn't find the messenger, she had no way to seek the scholar's help.
She chose the most radical approach, just as decisively as when she shot down Bai Yu's vanguard.
A force capable of contending with Swamp King —no, Super Species capable of killing Swamp King and handling the spread of Pollution —is needed.
Those things are in the Mara River.
Whether it's the Child of the Earth or the Shadow Priest.
Although it's risky, Typhon is Lundetil's eldest son, and they won't let the wetland Pollution go unchecked.
Famu lingered near the white stork's territory for a long time.
After consuming the Furnace Cores of the two capybaras, Typhon's true nature resurfaced, making him somewhat lazy. The Earth Vein Energy within the Furnace Cores replenished his strength, and he felt very comfortable soaking in the warm water, especially in the clear lake where there were very few mosquitoes.
Famu soaked in the water, watching the white storks catch fish at sunrise, return to their nests at noon, and chirp in the trees at night.
He felt that hunting a white stork was not a good idea. Titan Feather-Crested Herons were huge and lived in dense forests, where there was an opportunity to ambush them. But in this open area full of lakes, Typhon didn't even have a chance to climb trees and launch a sneak attack. The white stork's hunting grounds were mostly clear shallows, making it difficult for Famu to get close to the stork's nest or hide in the river to ambush it.
But Famu missed the taste of Ra; although this bird had very little meat, it was indeed the most delicious prey he had ever eaten.
The flesh of the Dead Sun Armor was rather tough, and Seran's flesh was not as tasty as the Dead Sun Armor's flesh; its body was all muscle with almost no fat. As for the Titan Feather-Crested Heron, a similar bird, Famu believed that the carcass of an old Crowned Heron was not much different from rotting, decaying flesh.
He decided to wait a few more days; Typhon was always very patient.
Finally, on the morning of the fourth day, Famu saw the Furnace Core Stork flying in from afar.
At that moment, the Furnace Core of the Famu furnace began to vibrate unconsciously.
"Buzz--!"
A deep, rumbling sound swept through Famu's hiding place, and ripples spread out, creating countless bubbles.
Famu raised his head, and a fiery light shone in his vision. Compared to that light, the Furnace Core was just a tiny spark. It was a bronze-colored rib that the white stork was clutching in its claws. That was what caused the resonance in Famu's Furnace Core!
"Boom!"
As the wind subsided, Ysera landed on a tree. She could feel the vibrations of the Child of the Earth Furnace Core. In the lake ahead, a Black Typhon was coiled in the shadow of a bush. The morning light was swallowed by its black scales. The lake water rippled with its movements, and its pale eyes turned to look at her.
This was an astonishingly Typhon, and based on Ysera's understanding of the Typhon race, it must have been a battle-hardened warrior.
"By Lundetil, and thank you, Priest Dalenmayou," Ysera said silently in her heart.
Upper Mara River, in the territory of Muerjia, the courage of Lake Crown was recognized by the land of Lundetil.
So Dalenmayou summoned her, and the enigmatic Shadow Priest bestowed upon Ysera a token.
A rib.
The bronze-colored bones, weathered by time, appear incredibly heavy. They belong to a long-deceased Bronze Lord, an ancient king who once swallowed river waters, drank from the earth's veins, and traversed the Samei Land. Even though her Furnace Core has been extinguished and her flesh and blood have returned to Lundetil, her bones still retain a portion of the power that was once absorbed into her body.
"The daughter of the Lake Crown," Dalenmayou said.
"The Bronze Lords once swallowed rivers and drank from the earth; their bodies once bore the power of Lundetil. Even after their Furnace Core extinguished and their flesh returned to the earth, Lundetil never took their bones; every Typhon knew their value."
"No Typhon dares to break its oath before the Bronze Bone. Take it with you, find the Typhon you deem worthy, give it to that Typhon, and tell her that Arensa needs her power."
"Of course, this token is a gift bestowed upon you. You can also consume it yourself, return to Arensa with the power left behind by the Bronze Lord, and personally resolve the Pollution there. In that case, the courage of Lake Crown might resound far beyond the Arensa Wetlands."
As Ysera departed, Dalenmayou spoke for the last time.
Ysera believed herself unworthy to wield the power of such ancient kings.
She took off with the heavy bone, returning to Arensa from the upper reaches of the Mara River, searching for traces of the adult Typhon along the way.
As the floodwaters spread, numerous traces of snakes were found crawling along the Mara River system. The Child of the Earth on their pilgrimage were enough to help Ysera resolve the threat in Arensa. Strangely, however, Ysera found no trace of Typhon along her journey. It seemed that with the cessation of the torrential rain, the giant beasts had long since departed.
Ysera was somewhat discouraged.
But Black Typhon had already taken hold of the land she had returned to; the lake rippled, the Child of the Earth hummed deeply, and the Bronze Bones beneath her claws resonated slightly.
This scene unfolded like a parable, a revelation from the earth.
She returned carrying the rib of an ancient lord, and Lundetil brought her a Black Typhon, a powerful Child of the Earth, to the shore of the lake where she returned.