An Occupier and an Uninvited Guest

The grassland was a scene of utter devastation.

After the battle, the numerous Wind Blade almost completely severed all the grass in the area.

Looking around, all the grass seemed to have shrunk considerably, and now countless blades of grass were slowly drifting in the air.

"That cow must be the yak mentioned in the Travelogue, the one that produces highly nutritious Milk, right?"

Men Qi looked at the Long-haired Yak had vanished without a trace, and asked.

Kevin nodded.

"If nothing unexpected happens, it should be. These yaks were mentioned in the Travelogue; they are enormous."

"But that one wasn't very big; it was probably just a cub from its pack."

Hearing this, Morel nodded, then adjusted his sunglasses and asked curiously, "In your opinion, do you think these Long-haired Yak are Lord Level creatures?"

To this question, Kevin answered without hesitation, "No."

Throughout the Travelogue, everything recorded that is beneficial to humanity can essentially be considered "hope."

Although the Dark Continent is vast, the hopes recorded here are all tied to the local ecology, and generally, their special circumstances are related to a certain kind of creature.

The Five Great Disasters do not truly correspond one-to-one with the five hopes.

For example, the Beyond came closest to success, Beyond, solved the difficulties corresponding to the area with the Alchemy Plant.

What he collapsed on was the problem he encountered on his way back after already succeeding.

It was a disaster encountered at sea.

However, according to the records, the disease has a certain incubation period, so it was likely contracted on the mainland.

According to the report...

Do the Five Great Disasters truly correspond to so-called Lord?

Of course, the answer is no.

Of the Five Great Disasters, Kevin only identified the mist-like organism as E.

It might be Lord Level creature.

The others don't really qualify.

First, what is Lord Level creature?

Currently, the only one that can be matched is the Resentful Eater Snake.

Moreover, it refers to that one, the one that has fully grown up and spread its presence throughout the entire territory.

But even in its juvenile stage, its unique characteristics can be observed.

Their hunting range is centered on their own territory and extends to a perimeter.

Are areas further away no longer their territory?

Essentially, yes.

But it's unnecessary.

Because the distance is too far, hunting in the Giant Beast Kingdom alone is enough for them to live and grow.

What's the point of hunting in faraway places?

Each territory of Resentful Eater Snake is essentially composed of a family unit.

The main focus is on a single adult individual.

It can be roughly divided into three generations: grandparents, grandchildren, and grandchildren.

According to the information on the Chip, once the younger generation reaches adulthood, they will leave on their own and occupy an area in another location.

In other words, once Resentful Eater Snake reaches adulthood, it can expand its territory.

They generally travel to relatively remote places, and they possess advanced intelligence, though they lack what we might call civilization.

Just like the Snake Nest we're in now.

The surrounding area and its location are perfectly suited to the ecology of the Resentful Eater Snake.

So what if it's under the jurisdiction of an Overlord power?

Just as Little Wang said, as long as you don't stray too far from the territory, you're unlucky enough to encounter that Overlord Giant Bird.

They won't get hurt.

In other words, for Overlord Giant Bird, there's no need to forcefully attack the territory of the Resentful Eater Snake unless absolutely necessary.

This is why Kevin named this level of power "Lord".

Just like King and his Lord.

Of course, one has the ability to destroy and oppress the other party, but it's unnecessary, because one will also pay the price.

Does the Long-haired Yak qualify?

Based on the way it was presented just now, it doesn't fit at all.

From the Travelogue, we can infer that the other party was a large herd of cattle.

In addition, there's that Wind Blade attack method.

The entire grassland is their territory, and it's even questionable whether they can still unleash a large number of Wind Blade like they did after leaving.

"I think this kind of group of organisms can only be considered as Occupier, occupying a certain area and ruling as kings within their own territory."

Kevin thought for a moment and offered a reasonable analogy.

Morel nodded slightly.

"What I'm more curious about is why that Long-haired Yak attacked us?"

Koto squatted down, looked at the green grass at her feet, and asked in confusion.

They simply ventured into the heart of the grasslands, doing nothing, merely conducting reconnaissance from a distance.

But it seems they were discovered by the other side, who launched an attack without hesitation, attempting to kill them.

In the field of biology, Morel is more professional.

He barely hesitated before saying, "This situation usually occurs in the actions of intruders."

"This shows that these yaks have a strong control over their grassland territory. When we explore further inland, it will trigger their vigilance."

"The other side did not hesitate to begin a direct hunt for us, regarding us as intruders."

After speaking, Morel thought for a moment, considering the strangeness and vastness of this Dark Continent.

Then he mentioned another possibility with a lower probability.

"Another possibility is that it's related to the local ecosystem."

What is the ecology here?

Men Qi crossed her arms and asked in confusion.

Morel nodded. "Hunting, the other side is hunting. Although, judging from the current situation, these Long-haired Yak are very likely just simple herbivores."

"But this is the Dark Continent after all, isn't it? And that Long-haired Yak was very aggressive. Logically speaking, a purely herbivorous creature shouldn't be so aggressive."

"Therefore, it's hard to say that the other party doesn't hunt."

In human society, the interaction between organisms and the environment exists, but it is not that close.

It is rare for organisms to determine the environment; usually, the environment determines the organisms.

"But this is, after all, the Dark Continent, Morel felt he should also shift his perspective and consider other possibilities."

We need to change our ingrained ways of thinking that we take for granted in human society.

At least in the past month or so of adjustment, he feels that he has changed.

Koto, a botanist, stood up after hearing Morel's statement and also fell into deep thought.

"It didn't attack the horses, cattle, and sheep; instead, it attacked us intruders. Its target was very clear—"

She shook her head as soon as she finished speaking, "No, the so-called Wind Blade are actually just the actions of these Long-haired Yak themselves."

"Those highly nutritious herbivores are also among their targets, but they Chairman and consistently release Wind Blade into their surroundings."

"Maintaining a certain balance with these groups is for the purpose of obtaining nutrients. After these creatures die, their bodies release nutrients into the earth, which are then absorbed by the grasses, allowing them to grow into more nutritious fodder."

Koto muttered his thoughts to himself.

The others nodded in agreement, occasionally adding their own comments.

A simple exchange was enough to establish a general framework for the environment.

"What interests me more is that those Long-haired Yak seem to possess the ability to give these grasses the ability to form Wind Blade."

"They spread out themselves through some kind of hurricane-like mechanism, then formed Wind Blade through the grass blades, and we can generate strong winds to counteract that."

Kevin walked forward and crouched down to examine the grass in the area where the Long-haired Yak had just passed.

"Interesting, these herbs have already been transformed into materials for C-rank potions in my hands."

The grass here doesn't look much different from the grass on the outer perimeter.

It's not like you'll find C-rank materials everywhere just by walking forward.

So while the Dark Continent is indeed full of materials, it's not so widespread that every blade of grass on the dense grasslands is a material.

Then the nutrients contained in this land would exceed expectations.

As Kevin walked around the area, he was almost certain that only the area where the Long-haired Yak had just passed could barely be considered C-rank.

Koto also came over and examined the grass more closely.

"Hmm—these grasses have matured, or rather, their nutrients have suddenly become abundant."

It's important to know that although these grasses appear to be highly nutritious, they are actually in a state of malnutrition.

That's why the root system is as well-developed as the body.

"It seems we'll have to hunt a yak to determine what makes them special."

In Kevin's opinion, this wasn't too difficult.

Because, after all, the other party is a huge ethnic group.

Kevin doesn't necessarily have to hunt powerful individuals; he can hunt small individuals like the ones we just saw.

He felt it shouldn't be too difficult.

However, now that the other party has escaped, given the biological instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm, they may not be willing to appear before them again.

If we continue forward, we are likely to encounter even more powerful individuals.

A more powerful individual might not be Kevin could handle.

After all, it's impossible to know whether these creatures grow stronger slowly or leapfrog directly after maturing.

The risk is too high.

"I think we've had enough this time. Let's prepare to head back. Next time, we'll take a detour and venture deeper into the grasslands from other areas."

Kevin made his decision.

So he also discovered a special place.

That is, after they repelled the Long-haired Yak, the frequency of the Wind Blade simply disappeared.

It has been almost half an hour since the other party fled, and they haven't seen a single Wind Blade.

Therefore, it can be determined that the Wind Blade originated from these yaks.

That yak we just saw probably manages this area.

We packed up and began to leave the grassland.

The area where Gale Grassland is located is some distance from the Snake Nest.

If you travel one way, even at a fast pace and without encountering any unexpected events, it will take almost a full day.

At night.

They set up a makeshift camp in a large tree.

Kevin is on watch tonight.

Leaning against a tree branch, he was taking notes with paper and pen.

Far away.

On their path.

It exists in the darkness, moving slowly.

It blended seamlessly into the darkness, so much so that even the birds Nen Beast around Men Qi could not sense it.

The Purple Smoke Machine Soldier hidden in the shadows seemed unable to see each other.

And so, the other party swaggered along the path all the way to the camp.

When we are close enough.

Kevin frowned sharply and put away his pen and paper.

I stood up and looked in that direction.

In the darkness, the other person seemed to have no intention of hiding themselves at all; their bright red eyes, which seemed to shimmer with light, met Kevin's gaze directly.

Fine scales have appeared on Kevin's skin, densely covering his entire body.

With the burst of energy.

This is like a signal.

Morel and his companions, who were resting in the camp, immediately rushed out.

While resting outside, even though someone was keeping watch, they still maintained basic vigilance.

So when Kevin's anger erupted, they immediately noticed and reacted.

They followed Kevin's gaze.

In the darkness of night.

Nothing was found.

"Can't you see?"

"What?" Men Qi, confused.

In their eyes, all that lay ahead was darkness, even though they lacked night vision.

But you can still see clearly ahead in the darkness, even though there's nothing there.

"Yeah----"

Kevin roughly understood.

Is it some kind of Nen ability?

If that's the case, then why would the other party insist on making themselves visible?

If it's not Nen ability, then it must be some kind of peculiar existence, which is why I can see it?

Kevin jumped down and landed.

Walk forward.

His right hand was clenched into a fist, ready to strike at any moment.

The others also landed and took their positions, standing guard behind Kevin.

Although they cannot see, they are able to react immediately if anything happens.

White feathers, constructed from Nen Aura, Piao Piao down.

That's Koto's Nen ability.

When you get close enough, the pitch-black night fades away like ink.

It seems that the color wasn't from the darkness of night, but rather some kind of disguise by the other party.

Only when the darkness faded was Kevin able to fully discern the other person's appearance.

Men Qi and the others then noticed something appearing in front of Kevin.

Now they see the same thing everywhere.

A mechanical object.

It's a mechanical body.

Kevin thought to himself.

In this region, the only intelligent and civilized entity he encountered was that Bronze Black High Tower.

And the surrounding Machine Lifeform.

After all, he had done business with the other party a few years ago.

Although the reasoning behind that deal was unclear.

But now the other party has reappeared here, and the red light in its eyes indicates that it is very likely an enemy of those mechanical beings.

Because its structure is exactly the same as the Octopus Kevin had encountered before.

The friendly mechanical style was quite different from the other side.

This is a humanoid creature, but it has four legs, and its limbs are not square in shape, but rather have an extremely irregular structure.

The body is supported by four legs arranged in an irregular diamond shape.

His body was extremely thin, so thin that it could only be described as a wooden pole.

The head was simply a random assembly of several mechanical parts, with wires sliding down from it and unidentified pipes haphazardly wrapped around and connected to the wooden-like body.

On one side there is a long, thin, hand-like mechanical arm, and on the other side there are two, one extremely thin and the other extremely thick, with a hammer-like structure at the back.

Just looking at it makes you feel uncomfortable all over, because it's so inhumane.

It's absolutely chaotic.

A red light gleamed in his eyes.

"Have humans returned?"