While Altaïr and the others were scouring the hills of the western jungle to Hunt Yian Kut-Ku, the scholars' research into the Estrellian finally made a significant breakthrough.
Upon receiving the news, Fabius arrived at the underground cave.
When he saw the Estrellian hatchling, it was lying obediently on the ground while Isis gently scratched its chin, whispering to it incessantly.
Many scholars were busily moving about around it.
One clumsy fellow tried to take a blood sample from the Estrellian's hind leg using a syringe as thick as an arm. His movements were a bit too rough, hurting the Estrellian, which resulted in him being swatted to the ground by its tail.
Fabius was startled and was about to rush forward to provide backup.
However, he saw the young scholar scramble up with a dry laugh, apologize twice to the Estrellian that was looking back in dissatisfaction, and continue his sampling work. The Estrellian hatchling showed no sign of further resistance, simply allowing the man to draw its blood.
"Do you find it unexpectedly docile?" the Professor said, coming to Fabius's side.
"Indeed." Fabius stood with his hands behind his back. "It seems bringing Isis here to help domesticate the Estrellian was the right choice. Does that girl have some sort of special talent in this regard?"
"Domestication? No, no, I think you've misunderstood." The Professor shook his head slightly. "Isis played a crucial role, but it was primarily providing comfort, not domestication. With a fierce beast, even if domesticated, it is extremely difficult to completely purge its feral nature, take the Palamute, for example. If what just happened occurred with a Palamute, it would at least bare its teeth, and a sudden snap of the jaws would be perfectly normal. But the Estrellian didn't. Even when it pushed that scholar down with its tail, it was just a light sweep that didn't even cause injury. Do you know what that means?"
"It means they are naturally gentle, like... herbivores such as the Popo?"
"Something like that." The Professor curled his lip, seemingly dissatisfied with Fabius comparing an Estrellian to a Popo.
"They possess remarkably high intelligence and command formidable power, yet remain gentle in temperament. Such a creature is incredibly rare; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them unique. Even the Kirin, famous for its mildness, will summon violent thunder when provoked, and it will hold a grudge for a lifetime against anyone who harms it. But this Estrellian doesn't even hold a grudge."
"So, what you're saying is that the Estrellian is even more harmless than we imagined?"
"You could say that, but this only applies to the Estrellian in its current life state." The Professor watched the Estrellian hatchling as it licked Isis's palm.
"We have extracted blood samples from both the Estrellian and the Star Butterfly multiple times for in-depth study, and we've made several discoveries. First, it is confirmed that the Star Butterfly has become a creature entirely subordinate to the Estrellian. They don't even possess digestive organs; they survive purely on the nutrients and energy supplied by the Estrellian. It wouldn't be wrong to simply understand them as a part of the Estrellian's body. Their higher brains have degenerated, leaving only the cerebellum to control body movement. This means their behavior is entirely controlled by the Estrellian." That was the first point.
"Second, we discovered massive pods composed of muscle tissue and shell on the Estrellian's shoulder blades, the internal space of which can house multiple Star Butterflies.
"Inside these pods, we found several peculiar Star Butterflies whose legs and abdomens had completely fused with the Estrellian's soft tissue. Simultaneously, their wings have developed to be much larger and more powerful than those of other Star Butterflies, and they show a trend of continued growth.
"This fusion phenomenon is relatively rare in nature, but not unheard of, much like how a male anglerfish dissolves itself into the body of a female to become one of her organs.
"We suspect that with continued development, these Star Butterflies will eventually grow into the Estrellian's wings."
"That really is..."
"Both of the above points are major discoveries regarding Estrellian ecology, but I know that isn't what you're concerned about." The Professor interrupted Fabius's awe. "What truly counts as a significant breakthrough is the following.
"We discovered a hormone-like substance within the Star Butterflies. This hormone-like substance has the effect of promoting biological growth; combined with the energy fluctuations emitted by the Estrellian itself that can trigger the activation of Monster cells, this should be the reason for the sudden spike in Hyper state phenomena near their habitat.
"We attempted to inject mice with this hormone-like substance. Mice that were originally in their juvenile stage accelerated their growth to a near-adult state, while their temperaments became significantly more ferocious–"
"Wait, are you saying that since this hormone appears inside the Star Butterflies, they are the culprits behind all these problems?"
The Professor gave Fabius a dissatisfied look. "I emphasized at the very beginning that the Star Butterfly can be understood as a part of the Estrellian's body. Did that simply go in one ear and out the other?"
Faced with the Professor's tone, which was like a teacher scolding a student, Fabius felt somewhat helpless.
He was already over sixty years old, but the Professor was several times his age; in the latter's eyes, there really wasn't much difference between him and those youngsters.
"You can simply understand it like this: those Star Butterflies are a type of gland on the Estrellian. These glands secrete hormones that promote the Estrellian's growth, while the energy and nutrients the Estrellian feeds back to them also promote their own growth.
"In this manner, the Estrellian, which is still a hatchling, will sooner or later enter the next life stage.
"A life stage that is larger, stronger, more aggressive, and even capable of flight.
"Do you remember? It is mentioned in the Ancient Scrolls: 'The Estrellian is the trailblazer for a certain type of giant dragon; though the latter possesses the same beauty, it is the symbol of ruin and destruction.'
"What does 'trailblazer' mean? It could be understood as a relationship of a guide, but if we look at it from another angle, could it also be the relationship between a hatchling and an adult?"
Fabius rubbed his brow. "Whether the Estrellian attracts or grows into a 'symbol of ruin and destruction,' it doesn't seem like good news either way."
"How about I give you some even worse news?"
"What is it..."
"After comparison, the level of hormone-like substance within the Star Butterflies already 'fused and fixed' to the Estrellian is very low, nearly non-existent.
"However, the concentration of the hormone-like substance within the free-flying Star Butterflies is significantly higher." "So we can suspect that this hormone-like substance is not formed within the Estrellian's body, but comes from the outside, for example, from Monsters affected by the Hyper state phenomenon.
"While the Estrellian attracts Monsters and triggers the Hyper state, it is also continuously absorbing the raw materials needed to synthesize the hormone-like substance, fueling its own growth and preparing to enter the next life stage.
"Did those Estrellians in the western jungle truly gather flocks of Yian Kut-Ku just for self-protection?
"Or, taking it a step further, is the reason the Estrellian group left Esther Lake really just because of environmental changes forcing them to find a new habitat?"
As he listened to the Professor's words, Fabius's expression grew increasingly grim.
"Are you suggesting that the geological changes in Esther Lake are irrelevant, and that the Estrellian group actively left Esther Lake to seek evolution?"
"Not necessarily irrelevant. My view leans more toward the idea that, for some reason, perhaps the movements of a certain Elder Dragon, the geological changes in Esther Lake were triggered.
"The Estrellian group, originally resting peacefully in Esther Lake, was stimulated and sensed a threat, thus leaving their original habitat to seek an opportunity for evolution.
"Or perhaps, the evolution has already occurred.
"The act of gathering flocks of Yian Kut-Ku and inducing the Hyper state in them is already far beyond the capabilities of a hatchling. It's possible that an individual within the Estrellian group has already evolved to the next stage.
"That individual became the leader of the Estrellian group, guiding them to the Jungle to seek further evolution."
Fabius took a deep breath, his powerful chest swelling and then slowly falling as he exhaled.
"We cannot delay any longer. Even if it means taking a more radical, riskier approach, we must approach the Estrellian group as soon as possible to ascertain the situation.
"If a 'leader' has truly appeared..."
"Then we can consider conducting a Hunt," the Professor said, finishing Fabius's sentence. "In your report to the higher-ups, you can state that this decision was made by both you and me.
"A fierce leader guiding a group of docile hatchlings might not be considered too dangerous yet, but once evolution continues to occur and more and more Estrellians reach the next stage...
"By then, resolving the problem peacefully will likely not be so easy."
(Translated by yourtl.app)