Detel Tribe's Changes and Festival Celebration

"Gua?" (You're talking?)

The Kulu-Ya-Ku brother tilted its head, completely failing to understand what Xingyan was saying.

Its goofy appearance made Xingyan sigh. Looking at the bird, he figured it probably didn't even know what was going on itself.

Could it be that living with me for so long made it smarter?

After all, dragons are mostly solitary creatures. Normally, even if they wanted to communicate, there would be no one to talk to. The moment they meet, they start fighting, with no pleasantries exchanged—it's a bit like how people who live alone for a long time forget how to converse.

"Roar?" (How did you recognize me?)

He was more concerned about this point. Xingyan was so touched he could almost shed 500 investigation points. He could understand why the Detels didn't recognize him, but the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother had rushed to his side without any hesitation.

Finally, a few true brothers!

"Gua!!"(Recognize? Recognize what? You've grown, kid!)

Ugh, smart, but not entirely. The Kulu-Ya-Ku brother's bird-speak was a bit jumbled, but after a flurry of chirps and squawks, Xingyan more or less understood what his brother meant.

After this great evolution, Xingyan's head, neck, and internal organs hadn't changed. This meant his roars were the same as before. It was precisely the familiar roar that made the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother rush out of the nest.

Voice, scent, posture—even though the monster dragon at the entrance looked vastly different from the cub in his memory, to the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother, it was simply his cub all grown up.

It doesn't matter how it grew, as long as it's still my cub.

"Roar!!" (Don't call me kid!)

He roared back irritably. It wasn't until today that Xingyan realized how the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother saw him—Damn it, I thought of you as a brother, and you see me as a son?

Hmm, actually, there's nothing wrong with that?

Why is our brotherly bond even stronger?

Finally having forelimbs capable of embracing the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother, Xingyan carefully placed his left claw on the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother's back, giving him a gentle hug—he didn't dare use too much force, afraid of crushing him. The Kulu-Ya-Ku brother, meanwhile, kept chirping non-stop, complaining about how Xingyan had been gone for so long without returning.

The atmosphere became harmonious. Most of the Detels couldn't understand Dragon-speak, but they could see the harmonious relationship between Xingyan and the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother.

"Why is the egg thief so close to the Great Monster Dragon, meow?"

One Detel's eyes widened in disbelief. For some reason, they now called the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother "egg thief," which sounded a bit like their own "meow brother, meow sibling."

"So strange, meow! The Great Monster Dragon didn't attack the egg thief!!"

"What's happening, meow? What should we do now, meow?"

A chorus of "meows" could be heard.

However, since the monster dragon that invaded their nest hadn't attacked and was now acting friendly, the Detels didn't dare to attack first.

"Alright, meow! Everyone calm down, meow!"

An ancient voice silenced the Detels' chatter. Xingyan remembered this old cat; he was the former tribal chief who had abdicated—Huh? What happened to him?

If the new chief, Shanshan, was dressed like a cool cat, this old chief looked like a mystic.

He wore armor made of monster carapaces. Xingyan recognized them at a glance as shells he had shed in the past; he hadn't expected the Detels to have collected them.

The old chief also wore a large hat on his head, woven from some kind of vine. It wasn't unusual in itself, but the hat had a long, upright piece at the top, seemingly made by shaving Xingyan's carapace into a blade shape and inserting it there.

It looked a bit like a Roman helmet, and a bit like Seven Ultraman's discus.

The shape of this blade was also indistinguishable from Xingyan's former Sword Tail.

Besides that, the old chief had many shiny pendants hanging from his chest, Xingyan didn't know if they were minerals or something else. He wore a cape on his back.

Xingyan was completely stunned. The old chief's cat face was painted with white pigment, making the whole cat look like he could start a shamanic dance at any moment.

"I understand, meow! This is the Dragon Slayer Boss, meow!!"

The old chief announced loudly, and his words caused the Detels to stir and murmur amongst themselves.

"Quiet, meow!" the old chief shouted again. "Can't you see, meow? The egg thief has proven it, meow! He is the Dragon Slayer Boss, meow! Come down quickly and welcome the Dragon Slayer Boss, meow!!"

Admittedly, the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother's actions were very convincing. Under the old chief's call, the Detels emerged from their hiding spots and surrounded Xingyan.

"Dragon Slayer Boss, meow!"

"Is it really you, Dragon Slayer Boss, meow!!"

"Great! Dragon Slayer Boss is back, meow!! We're safe again, meow!!"

Surrounded by the Detels, Xingyan returned to his nest—the process was quite difficult, as he had to be careful not to step on the Cats around him.

His cautious movements elicited thunderous cheers from the Detels. Only the Dragon Slayer Boss would pay attention to such details, so this must be the Dragon Slayer Boss!!

The Dragon Slayer Boss has become stronger again!!

For the Detel Tribe, which depended on Xingyan, this was definitely good news.

Coiled in a corner of the nest, Xingyan listened intently as the old chief reported what had happened to the tribe during his absence.

Mmm, especially the changes in the Old Chieftain now. Why is he dressed like this? Because the Detels have divided their responsibilities.

As a young old cat, the retired Old Chieftain has returned to duty, but this time he has become the tribe's shaman. He doesn't participate in the tribe's daily management, only answers to the Dragon Slayer Boss, relaying the Dragon Slayer Boss's commands, and at the same time teaching the young Detels the wisdom of their ancestors.

For example, the dragon knowledge passed down through generations, precautions needed when active in the wasteland, stories of Detel heroes who sacrificed themselves to protect the tribe, and so on. He also has to perform rituals when the tribe celebrates festivals----

In addition, the Detel Tribe has also established a Dragon Slayer Boss Guard. Even though the Dragon Slayer Boss doesn't need their protection, it's a matter of attitude. Most of them are former members of the hunting team. During the time the Dragon Slayer Boss was away from its nest, the Guard once again shouldered the responsibility of hunting food for the tribe.

Mmm, Kulu-Ya-Ku brother also helped a lot in this process. It's really good at stealing eggs, so much so that it earned the nickname "Egg Thief Cat" among the Detels.

If the Detels' feelings towards Xingyan are reverence, then their feelings towards Kulu-Ya-Ku brother are relaxation. They have already become good friends.

To be honest, Xingyan felt a little ashamed when the Old Shaman spoke of the tribe's changes, although his dragon face couldn't show it.

After all, the Detels only enjoyed happiness for less than half a year after they pledged allegiance to him before he left. He left without any arrangements for the tribe.

Xingyan couldn't give up evolving just to take care of the Detels who were loyal to him. He didn't even bring Kulu-Ya-Ku brother when he left, which made Kulu-Ya-Ku brother sad for a long time----it took quite a bit of effort to persuade the bird not to follow him back then.

The result was that these Detels went back to their previous life of risking death to hunt for more than a year after he left, and even so, they remained loyal to Xingyan and didn't run away because of his departure.

Teary-eyed, such simple and kind cats.

"Actually, it's okay, meow! We have the shell you left behind, Dragon Slayer Boss meow!" the Old Shaman said, stroking his beard. "Although Boss you are not here, the monsters nearby don't know you're gone meow. When we hunt, we just need to carry your shell, and as long as your scent is there, nothing will happen meow."

"Roar?" (A dragon that hasn't trespassed on my territory?)

Xingyan was a little surprised. After all, more than a year is quite a long time. The monsters living in the Great Sand Sea are not stationary NPCs; they constantly try to encroach on each other's territories.

"Yes! Of course, meow!" the Old Shaman said angrily, stamping his staff. "To make them afraid, we specifically ground your shed shell into powder and sprinkled your scent everywhere meow!"

"Roar?" (Did it work?)

"It worked at first, meow, but you never appeared, so they became bolder and bolder, meow," the Old Shaman sighed deeply. "So the safe areas for us to move around became smaller and smaller, and we couldn't even go far to collect seasonings for you, Boss meow."

"Roar!! (It's okay, I have returned)"

"Yes! Boss you're back, meow!" the Old Shaman said with relief. "That's great, meow!"

Xingyan had already sentenced the dragons that dared to occupy his territory to death in his heart. He would set out on patrol tomorrow and kick to death any he saw.

"By the way, meow!" the Old Chieftain suddenly jumped up. "The festival is coming soon, meow! Everyone has worked hard for a whole year, and this time we must decide who is the strongest chef in front of you, Boss meow!!"

"Roar?" (What is it?)

Xingyan was stunned.

"Strongest Chef Cat! Boss Festival, meow!!"

the Old Shaman shouted excitedly, uttering a word Xingyan didn't understand.

What the heck is Boss Festival?

The structure of the Detel Tribe changed because of Xingyan's existence, and new festivals also appeared, namely the commemoration of the Dragon Slayer Boss accepting the Detel Tribe, allowing the Detels to no longer have to die for food and safety.

Boss Festival.

Uh, after all, they are still in the primitive tribal stage, and the cultural level of the Detels is not very high. It's already good that they can record historical events and knowledge in an interesting way.

Xingyan couldn't understand how the Detels calculated their calendar, but he would never allow a strange name like Boss Festival to appear every year.

What if he evolved into a Forbidden Species in the future? Not only the Detel Tribe but also other intelligent monsters would depend on him. A rustic name like Boss Festival would be too embarrassing for a Forbidden Species, so it had to be changed.

After much thought, Xingyan decreed a festival that best suited him and would make his followers feel happy just by hearing it------------

the Great Appetite Festival.

Just eat.

Chefs compete during the festival, showcasing their skills to make the best dishes to please Xingyan, celebrating that the tribe received Xingyan's protection and thus entered a beautiful life.

They indeed entered a beautiful life. The day after Xingyan returned, he went out to clear out the monsters that dared to occupy his territory. He would turn all these audacious guys into meat.

The Detel Tribe originally wanted to celebrate the Great Appetite Festival in Xingyan's nest like last year. However, as Xingyan killed more and more dragons and dragged more and more dragon corpses back to the nest, the celebration venue was eventually moved to the surface.

Outside the underground passage, on a relatively flat rock.

Great Jagras, Female Fire Dragon, Earth Sand Dragon, Horned Dragon, Royal Ludroth, Mudfish Dragon----it was clear that Xingyan had hunted not just some monsters that had intruded into his territory. At first, he just had the idea of hunting ignorant monsters, but later, his goal became to prepare a more complete set of ingredients.

As the saying goes, even the cleverest cook cannot cook without rice. Each type of dragon meat has its unique flavor. Only with abundant ingredients can the Detels show off their skills.

Mmm, the monsters' corpses had even piled up into a small mountain. On the first day, the Detels were happily singing while processing the corpses, preparing for the festival. This was definitely the most prosperous festival they had ever had since birth.

But on the second and third days----every couple of days, dead dragons were piled on top of the previous corpses. By the fourteenth day, the Detels couldn't laugh anymore----what should they do? There were too many corpses to process.

After obtaining Xingyan's consent, the Detels quickly sent messengers to contact the Wasteland Guardian Tribes living in various corners of the Great Sand Sea, inviting them to help process the corpses and cook, showcasing their tribe's culinary skills.

As compensation, the remaining meat could be taken away by these assisting Detels----there was too much to keep to themselves, and it would rot if not eaten and processed quickly.

For these tribes that could only rely on the Cat Hunting Team for food, the news sent by the Detels of the Dragon Slayer Tribe was almost too good to be true.

They also sent envoys to investigate the situation. After confirming that their kin's words were true, these furry little guys poured out and gathered here to process the monsters' corpses.

From ancient times to the present, the Great Sand Sea might have never been this lively for such a reason.

If a dragon flew by from the sky, it would see a large number of black and white furballs active on the wasteland beside the small mountain, looking like mold spots on the earth.

Undoubtedly, the unusual gathering of many Detel Tribes inevitably attracted the curiosity of the Hunters who were mining and building their strongholds in the Great Sand Sea----well, to be honest, the first anomaly the Hunters noticed was an unknown monster rampaging and hunting other monsters.

After all, Xingyan's nest was at the southernmost end of the Great Sand Sea, and the Hunters' stronghold under construction was also in the southern part. The Hunters' activity range was basically completely covered by Xingyan's activity range.

Like the Detels of the Dragon Slayer Tribe, the Hunters didn't recognize Xingyan. In their understanding, that intelligent Dragon Slayer had been gone for a long time.