Never Regretted for the Sake of Ideals

As Luo Yun had expected, after the Steel Dragon easily dealt with the Mist Dragon, the storm quickly subsided. The heavy, dark clouds with lightning and thunder in the sky stopped raining, and the storm gradually vanished into the air, with only wisps of whirlwind still coiling around the Steel Dragon.

The area previously shrouded in the Mist Dragon's white fog was now a mess. Large swathes of trees were gone. Looking down from high above, the Ancient Forest area resembled thick hair that had been cut by a shoddy trimmer, with patches unevenly cleared and standing out starkly against the surrounding environment.

The Steel Dragon noticed the wary gazes of the Fire Dragons towards the Ancient Tree, but felt no disturbance.

As a proud Elder Dragon, unless it was in an extremely uncomfortable state, such as during its molting period when it became known as the Steel-Scaled Dragon, the Steel Dragon generally wouldn't attack beings weaker than itself.

Moreover, it had more important matters to attend to at the moment.

"Seven days! A full seven days! I haven't eaten a single thing, all just to rush over here! To think it was just for such a trivial matter! Damn that Mist Dragon!"

The Steel Dragon quickly identified its direction and, whipping up a gust of wind, flew away rapidly. It needed to hurry back to its nest in the Dragon Crystal Land to feast! It couldn't wait another moment!

Watching the Steel Dragon leave without looking back, Luo Yun and Ya Ji exchanged glances, looking at each other in speechless surprise.

"Are we still leaving?"

"Heh."

This world was all about balance. As long as one remained within the ecological chain, there would always be forces capable of keeping things in check.

However, if one wantonly disrupted the ecosystem, even an Elder Dragon would face the world's merciless retribution.

From the moment the Mist Dragon chose to enact a mass extinction, its path was sealed.

Luo Yun hadn't expected it to happen so quickly, nor that it would coincide with his own preparations to pack up and leave.

Well, all that effort was for naught.

Returning to the Ancient Tree's nest, the Detters seemed very excited and were busily carrying things into their living quarters again.

With the threat of the Mist Dragon gone, the creatures that had already migrated twice would soon return.

However, with so many of the Fire Dragon tribe having left, it was uncertain whether the upper levels of the Ancient Tree would remain as peaceful in the days to come.

The days passed, and one evening, a farewell banquet was being held at Star Base.

The investigation team members who had been out in the field had returned two days prior, and tomorrow was the day the liaison ship would depart. One of the members of the First Expedition Team would be returning to the Old Continent as the head of the investigation report, accompanying the liaison ship.

"Everyone, I will definitely return!"

Nori bid farewell to his companions in the First Expedition Team with tears in his eyes, but everyone knew that once he left this time, he likely wouldn't be coming back.

Yet, no one considered him a coward or a traitor; there was only regret for his circumstances.

This liaison ship's purpose was not only to confirm the situation of the First Expedition Team and assess their predicament. If Star Base met the basic requirements for a forward operating base, the Old Continent would begin selecting members for the Second Expedition Team.

In addition, the liaison ship brought personal letters from the members of the First Expedition Team. Nori's family had experienced a crisis; his hometown, a peaceful mountain village, had been hit by a rare avalanche. Only his wife had survived, but she was severely injured.

Nori was no longer an editor without any personal concerns. He needed to return to his hometown and shoulder the responsibilities that were rightfully his. This arduous five-year journey had cost him too much.

Therefore, Nori's departure was likely a final farewell, something he himself understood clearly.

"Leader, everyone! The New World carries my ideals, and I have never regretted coming here with all of you!"

Nori looked at everyone, his gaze firm. "Even if I cannot return after this, in the future, my son, my grandson, will carry my ideals and come to this land again!"

Nori raised his clenched right fist high and declared loudly.

The people who had been joking around moments before fell silent. Watching the determined Nori, their eyes gradually welled up with tears.

Everyone present, without exception, had embarked on this journey, which might have no return, carrying their own ideals.

Nori was not the last. Perhaps in the future, someone else would leave the New World for various reasons, but they would never regret it, for they too had taken that first step based on their own choices, all for the sake of their ideals!

"Haha, then I shall bear witness here, to the moment when your descendants inherit your ideals and arrive here!"

The Great Leader raised his wine glass high and loudly gave Nori his affirmation!

The atmosphere became lively once more.

The next day, an excellent editor left this land with regret. His backpack contained a Moonstone and a Fire Dragon scale with a silver edge.

In the future, his descendants would return here, holding these two items, following the guiding Azure Star, and witnessing the legendary stories unfolding on this land.

The Ancient Tree region had been extremely chaotic recently. It seemed a formidable individual had appeared among the Jinouga, gathering the Jinouga herds, which had been scattered due to multiple escapes and migrations, all at once. Taking advantage of the emptiness in the Ancient Tree region, it had occupied a vast territory.

Creatures like the Poisonous Bird and Great Jagras were all forced to retreat. Even the Rathian tribe, which had never participated in the Ancient Tree power struggles, was driven to the outer edges of the Ancient Forest.

If it weren't for the sheer strength of that Veteran Rathian, who managed to defeat two Jinouga in a one-on-two battle, the Rathian tribe would likely have been completely driven to the outer regions.

The worst off were the Tobi-Kadachi. Originally residing in the middle layers of the Ancient Tree region, they were forcibly driven to the upper layers, where they were then battered by the Fire Dragons. They could only pitifully follow the Rathians' example and eke out an existence in the gaps of the forest.

The Jinouga herds, having occupied the water sources and prime hunting grounds, naturally became targets. The Great Jagras, in particular, engaged in mortal combat with them whenever they met.

It was a pity that the Great Jagras fought individually and couldn't form groups like the Jinouga. Even the Veteran Great Jagras, which was on the verge of evolving into a Thunder Jaw Dragon, couldn't gain much advantage when facing groups of three to five Jinouga.

The reason the lower levels of the Ancient Tree region had always been chaotic, and why the Jinouga herds could never fully occupy the lower levels, was because, in addition to the Great Jagras, the Fire Dragons and Nargacuga also caused disruptions.

However, now, a large portion of the Fire Dragon tribe had left and had not yet returned, while the Nargacuga were nowhere to be seen. It was highly likely that with the disappearance of the Mist Dragon, they had returned to their original territories.

This resulted in the indigenous inhabitants of the Ancient Tree region no longer being a match for the Jinouga herds. They could only try to fight their way back into the region from the outer edges every day.

Otherwise, if the Jinouga herds managed to establish a firm foothold over time, there would be no hope left.