Understanding

Chapter 32: 31

Milio's awakening brought Yuan Chen a sense of relief.

Because, at the very beginning, Yuan Chen had naively believed that with enough accumulation, he only needed to give Milio a little guidance for him to awaken his special traits.

But even after finding the Meat-toothed Beast and returning to the Village, Milio's abilities remained in a semi-awakened state...

And now, seeing Milio finally awaken and become Milio the Bright Torch, Yuan Chen only felt relieved... his recklessness hadn't caused a genius to become ordinary.

After that, Yuan Chen gradually fell asleep under the gentle Firelight.

When Yuan Chen woke up, it was already the next morning.

He got up from the ground. Although his body was still sore, the fractured bones had all healed. After a little movement, Yuan Chen could confirm that his current condition was perfectly fine.

"You're awake too."

Hearing the voice, Yuan Chen looked to the side. What greeted his eyes was Mordas's figure. He stood there, in front of the Dragon's corpse, holding a hunting knife and cutting it up with other hunters and craftsmen.

Although it was the same Meat-toothed Beast, Mordas's appearance and demeanor had undergone a drastic change compared to before.

Flames had scorched much of Mordas's mane. His once beautiful silver-gray mane was now filled with charred spots, and the parts directly impacted by the flames were still dark red even now.

He was somewhat disheveled. Even when facing the Dragon's fierce strike, Naduo had pushed Mordas away, but the distance and the attack had been too sudden...

As a result, almost the entire face of Mordas's Lion-like Face had been torn apart, with flesh and skin ripped away. A huge scar ran through his eye, and it had not yet fully healed.

He had become somewhat silent... Yuan Chen could feel that this made Mordas even more dangerous.

"Although I don't know what you're thinking...

My senses tell me that you've undergone a huge change."

As he spoke, Yuan Chen stood up and stretched, his spine cracking. Then, he extended his palm, controlling the few remaining Flawless Heavy Blades to return to his side, and joined the work of dissecting the Dragon's corpse.

Hearing Yuan Chen's words, Mordas didn't speak immediately. After a moment of silence, he shrugged and pretended to say nonchalantly:

"People always change, don't they~"

"That's true~"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Chen nodded in agreement, then stood up and said:

"What about Lupe and the others? How are they now? And Nedeli."

"Lupe is resting. She's exhausted and her aura is quite weak, but she seems to be in good spirits."

Mordas said.

"After all, just as you said before, Lupe dreams of her family returning to its former glory... Hunting a dragon, such glory is enough for her family to take the crucial first step."

"As for Nedeli... she's still on the distant hillside, enveloped by Azure Starfire, so we can't get close."

Hearing Mordas's words, Yuan Chen glanced at the azure flames on the distant hillside and then at the busy villagers nearby, and nodded in understanding.

Nedeli had forcibly used Heavenly Power, affecting the process of her life's Ascension, so she likely wouldn't wake up for a while.

As for Lupe... although Lupe and the villagers weren't on the same page, and she even actively helped Yuan Chen deceive the villagers, one couldn't just look at the person but also the historical context.

Especially in a closed country like Ixialia, valuing one's family was completely normal...

Yuentar of the Yellow Banner from Yishuaoken looks down on you country bumpkins, so what? You dare to be dissatisfied? You want to go to jail, huh?!

Problems that couldn't be solved in his previous life without magic would only be more severe in this world of extraordinary powers. So many pioneers couldn't solve them, and Yuan Chen didn't believe he could properly solve them in this even more complex world.

Getting sidetracked...

Yuan Chen focused his Attention on the dragon corpse before him.

The dragon's chest was blown apart by a spear imbued with the trait of Dawn of Death by Nedeli. Although it had forcibly moved its heart to dodge the fatal blow, it was then jointly killed by Yuan Chen and Mordas.

Under these circumstances, the phosphorescent armor on the dragon's chest was basically ruined, with only a few of the hardest Inverse Scales still intact. The Dragon Head was also decent, and the other parts of the body, except for where the Ballista pierced through, were relatively intact--

Even the Ballista only left superficial flesh wounds.

If a dragon in its prime had 100% usable value, then this dragon now still had at least 70% of its value.

"You paid the most, what do you want to take?" Yuan Chen looked at Mordas.

If not for the Azure Starfire, Yuan Chen and Lupe wouldn't have even attempted the Dragon Hunt. Coupled with the severe losses from the Meat-toothed Beasts, it was only right and proper that they should take the lion's share and make the first choice.

Hearing this, Mordas was silent for a moment, then looked at the Dragon Head with some reluctance and said:

"Dragon Heart, ten Steel Claws, five Inverse Scales, four Sharp Teeth, three Tendons, Flame Sac."

Hearing Mordas's request, a hint of surprise flashed in Yuan Chen's eyes. The surprising part was that Mordas asked for the Dragon Heart first, not the Dragon Head.

One had to know that the most important reason why this dragon was only worth 70% of its value was that its heart had been pierced--

The Dragon Heart was one of the most valuable Magic Materials on a dragon, the life and magic core of the dragon itself.

With the beating heart, the vast magic absorbed from the outside world would flow to every corner of the body, allowing it to support its massive wings for flight and reinforcement.

Therefore, a complete Dragon Heart was always the top-tier Magic Material in Runeterra--

Legend had it that during the Rune Wars, to unleash the true power of the World Runes, a Dragon Heart was needed as a Magic Furnace Core, as other materials simply couldn't bear the terrifying energy released by the World Runes.

However, during the hunt, the heart was pierced, causing a loss in its value. A complete dragon heart could rival a Dragon Head.

Compared to that, the other Dragon Claws, Inverse Scales, teeth, tendons, and Flame Sacs, while also exceptionally precious and among the most valuable materials from a Dragon, were entirely insufficient to offset the loss from the damaged Dragon Heart.

"Why choose the Dragon Heart?" Yuan Chen asked with confusion. "The Meat-toothed Beasts' contribution was enough for you to choose the Dragon Head."

"Can't take it with us," Mordas sighed with some helplessness.

"Transporting these things back to the tribe requires smuggling them through back roads...

We can use Concealment Spells to suppress the aura of the Dragon Heart and Inverse Scales, disguising them as ordinary goods. But for the Dragon Head, even if the magical aura is suppressed, its shape will attract the attention of those with ulterior motives."

"And once it's dismantled, its value is greatly reduced. It's better to leave it to you; at least you can help us out if we encounter difficulties in the future."

Mordas shrugged, a hint of unwillingness in his eyes.

Hearing Mordas's predicament, Yuan Chen could only pat his shoulder with a strange expression.

After processing his emotions for a moment, Mordas spoke with some curiosity:

"Speaking of which... what's the deal with that kid Milio? I heard he saved all of us?"

"He is a person who can become a hero," Yuan Chen teased casually.

"You don't think this bro would just bring anyone into the jungle for an adventure, do you? Let me tell you, his trait is Epic-grade!

Even if he just awakened, he can completely crush you by ten streets in terms of ability and potential!"

"Ha~ Then I should be happy! Powerful friends will be my aid in transformation!"

Hearing this, Mordas burst into laughter, then patted his chest, which was still not fully healed from the scorching, and said:

"But don't worry! Meat-toothed Beasts repay kindness. Whether it's you, Milio, Nedeli, or the people in the village, we will appear when you need us!"

"You should focus on succeeding first~"

Yuan Chen smiled and casually summoned a ball of water to quench his thirst.

After drinking, Yuan Chen glanced at the people around him and asked, "Speaking of which... where is Naduo?"

"..."

Startled by the question, Mordas then said:

"Fortunately, he's at least alive. Mage Lupe petrified the ground beneath Naduo, making it exceptionally soft. Although he's seriously injured and hasn't woken up yet, his vital signs are stable. He just needs some time to recover."

Hearing that Naduo wasn't dead, Yuan Chen breathed a sigh of relief--

He quite liked this Meat-toothed Beast who seemed reckless but was good at coaxing children.

With a sense of relief, Yuan Chen asked, "What did Naduo mean when he told you to save Hana? Who is Hana? Does she need help?"

As Naduo pushed Mordas away, he said, "Save Hana." Although the event was sudden, Yuan Chen still heard his words.

Facing Yuan Chen's question, Mordas pursed his lips. After a moment of silence, his emotions seemed to dip slightly. He calmly said, "Hana is Naduo's sister... she's already dead."

"Dead?" Yuan Chen's movements with the cleaver paused slightly.

Mordas simply nodded in response.

"Mmm... Hana was born with a weak constitution. The elders thought she couldn't bear strong children, so they exiled her to the dense forest."

"This is common in the tribe... it's a very common thing. Naduo loved this sister very much, so he ventured into the forest."

"And then?" Although he was asking, Yuan Chen had a vague idea of the answer.

"Then Naduo found Hana." Mordas took out the Beast Tooth Necklace that Naduo had pressed into his hand when he pushed him away. It was the tooth of a young Meat-toothed Beast.

"Hana was already dead, like the other children."

"..."

Hearing Mordas's calm narration, Yuan Chen seemed to realize something, and also realized where Mordas's true change lay. For a moment, Yuan Chen didn't know what to say...

Because Mordas's sister was the same. Faced with the pain they had endured, any words of comfort Yuan Chen could think of seemed pale and powerless.

But clearly, Mordas wasn't annoyed by recalling those unbearable past events. On the contrary, he had become calmer than before, or rather... more indifferent.

"Before, I was actually a bit confused..."

"Confused about what?"

"Confused why, as a Prophet, you knew your homeland would be invaded, yet you still said many people would die in Ionia."

Mordas painstakingly pried open a Scale Fragment. The Dragon's magic within had dissipated, rendering it worthless as a high-grade material, so it was tossed into the basket of rejects.

Without paying attention to the broken Scale Fragment, Mordas continued, "I was thinking, if you were a Prophet, you should have been able to do better. Even if it took more time, there would have been better methods... even if there were some problems, at least there wouldn't have been so many deaths and disputes."

"But now, I understand... people will die. They will definitely die. No one is immortal."

Mordas clenched the cleaver in his hand, his voice devoid of sadness, but filled with the indifference and cruelty that comes after excessive grief.

"Thirty-five tribesmen were willing to join me on this adventure... we went through so much along the way."

"Now, only eighteen are alive, and three of them haven't woken up yet... I underestimated the Dragon's power. If it weren't for you, we would all be dead. But now, we are not."

"They died, and we survived... I can't let them die in vain! You know, Yuan Chen, you know what this means."

Mordas's eyes were filled with bone-chilling hatred. Not just towards the Dragon, or the tribe's elders, but also towards his own arrogance and incompetence.

After a moment of silence, Yuan Chen quietly nodded and said, "It means you will carry their burden... Many in the Carnivore Beast Tribe will also die."

"That's right! I won't compromise with those old geezers!"

Mordas gritted his teeth, his eyes wide. A blade struck the dragon's flesh, only to be torn by a Dragon Claw and then scorched by the flames of the Dragon Heart's detonation. The half of his face, stripped of flesh, was exceptionally grim and terrifying, enough to make children stop crying.

"But... Elders are Elders, after all." After a long silence, Mordas took a deep breath and said, "When I go back this time, I don't know if I'll succeed. But no matter what, I hope you can remember your oath."

Mordas looked towards Yuan Chen, who nodded:

"I remember the kindness of Azure Starfire. I will help you... but you should understand that the power of the Dawn Bringer does not belong to any one person or regime. They and I are not mercenaries, nor are we servants or slaves."

Although he remembered Mordas's kindness, some things were best stated clearly from the beginning.

Mordas expressed his understanding:

"I know your ideals and goals. They are beyond what a mortal like me can comprehend or touch... I only hope that if we truly fail, please protect our families, help them leave the tribe, leave that place where there is no hope."

"As you wish."

Upon hearing this, Mordas's face relaxed somewhat...

He was afraid, afraid that his reforms in the tribe would spark new conflicts.

If he won, it would be fine. But if he lost, he would have to face the Elders' hunt to assert their Authority. Now that the safety of his companions and family was assured, Mordas had no further worries.

He smiled and said, "No matter what, thank you! You will always be my friend, Mordas! If you face any difficulties, the Carnivore Beasts are willing to fight for you!"

"It is I who should thank you..." Yuan Chen shook his head. He knew that Mordas was understanding him...

One should not overlook the emotional journey of empathy that others undertake to understand them.

And...

Many in the Carnivore Beast Tribe will die.