He did not celebrate as late in the night as he did for Aiden’s celebration, mostly because doing it without Rapha?lle didn’t feel the same, though it has been decided that it was in Lukas’ honor instead since he also needed to craft new gear as well, and so he preferred that she woke up first so they could properly do it.

  Which is exactly what happened the following day in the afternoon, she woke up from her slumber, but still was weak from her ordeal so she was still stuck in bed rest. However, he still took the time to congratulate her, and also asked to see the Gem that she carved out of the Elder. After a moment’s hesitation, she pulled out the pouch that she kept on her and showed him the rough, glittering blue gem. It shone even brighter than the Mindstone he carved out of the Valstrax, drawing a whistle from Valen.

  “It’s very bright! I don’t think even mine was as bright the moment I carved it out.”

  “It was even brighter when I did… Do you think it is because it is so concentrated in Bioenergy since the Elder was the cause of the increased frequency of the Crossing?”

  “It might be…” Valen paused, thinking a bit. He debated with himself for a moment before he made a decision “I know an expert on this, I’ll lead you to her once your armor is forged.”

  Rapha?lle narrowed her eyes for a moment before she nodded.

  “I will hold you to that. Why don’t you enjoy the festivities in the meantime?”

  “I’m waiting for the guest of honor to be present,” He chuckled. “Though I did not miss when you gave the scientists permission to study the body while you waited for your gear to be forged. You’d have thought a Khezu was in the outpost.”

  She smiled at this, and Valen took his leave, exiting her bedroom. He then returned to the festivities though only decided to partake in them lightly.

  Once Rapha?lle was discharged the next day, the celebrations took a new height, and since the Airship of the Third Fleet was at Astera, it also meant that a few more people were able to join in. Rapha?lle only joined briefly before she had to go to the Smithy to start working on her armor. Lukas had thankfully managed to already finish his own gear made out of the Deviljho he hunted with Valen and Aiden.

  Lukas proudly showed up in a terrifying-looking set of armor that evening, and it was definitely the day where the celebrations were the most intense, being both for Lukas having finished his new armor and Rapha?lle that started on hers.

  The days blurred together for Valen however, and the celebrations only stopped when it was announced Rapha?lle was done smithing, and that her title would be announced later in the day. The anticipation thus grew high, as it was definitely unprecedented that two Named would be announced in such a quick succession.

  They once again gathered on the main plaza, and both Valen and Aiden were standing on the side, looking almost like Guild Knights to the amusement of the both of them. They were there because they would make an announcement that involved the both of them. And also, instead of being the Commander that announced the new Name, it would be the Admiral this time. He had decided that it would only be fitting that it was him that proceeded to announce her new position, since he was with her when the crisis happened, and he had suggested the name.

  So he was standing, arms crossed, which showed off his bulging muscles, one being covered by a thick rope with a grappling hook tied at the end. The assembly immediately quieted down at his arrival, and he waited for a moment before starting his speech.

  “You all know why we are all here. After all, you had been celebrating it for several days already.” Chuckles and cheers were made in response. “Today, we celebrate another of our numbers joining the Named. And what an amazing feat that led to it! She managed to face, with the assistance of only her Palico, Flighty, a completely unknown Elder that dwarfed any currently known one but the one known as Giants. She did it because she knew that should it be left unimpeded, the entire New World may have known a threat that might have doomed it. Our researchers have confirmed that after they had examined the body. We do not have a Name for the Elder yet, but the Guild will decide on one once we send them the data.

  “She fought for hours, unheeding of her own exhaustion and only being able to recover a few times from her injuries with the Potions she had brought. She had fought with valor and cunning. She had made sure our injured were safe. She went above and beyond her duties…

  “In the end. She made sure that our duty was done. She has led us to the end. She has guided us to our need, to our path.” He paused for a moment, to build up tension. “She became the light that guided us. Our guiding Star. So I must present to you all, the SAPPHIRE STAR!”

  Valen gasped. He clearly did not expect her Name to be that. The Sapphire Star was known to all hunters, to be their light of hope, that they prayed to when all was lost. So, naming a hunter after this went above and beyond what he thought was possible, and he was certain the Admiral would be chewed out for that by the Guild of the Old World… But he also knew that by the time they learned of it, it would already be too late to change it.

  When thinking on it a bit more, he also realized it perfectly fit. He remembered the Tale of the Five that was the myth surrounding the New World.

  ‘One dragon sank into the sea and became the land.’… Suspected to refer to Zorah

  ‘One dragon lifted its gaze to the sky and became the mountains.’ No monster fit it.

  ‘One dragon stooped low and became the lakes, and scattered its scales to create the rain.’ Same as before.

  ‘One dragon fell into a slumber and became the forests.’ Some may have power that fit this description, but they were from far off lands.

  And finally… ‘The last dragon climbed far into the sky to become a star of sapphire blue, shining brightly above the island.’ While the Sapphire Star itself did not lead them to the New World, it was theorized that it referred to the Elder’s Crossing, and if the Elder Rapha?lle fought was the reason for the crossing anomaly, that’d make it that last dragon in the tale, the Sapphire Star, and thus Rapha?lle have slain it, and became it in turn…

  He smiled, and realized that was the angle the Admiral was going for, and when you were aware of that fact, the name made perfect sense.

  While he was thinking, he realized that the cheers had only started to die down, and finally was able to have his first look on Rapha?lle’s armor. He whistled.

  They had used a lot of the tattered wings in the making, and large drapes of it danced in the air by some unseen force. The rest of the armor was made out of the thick skin of the monster, with several black spikes inlaid in them, mostly at the joints.

  The most notable feature was her helmet though, it was a full hood made of the wings, and was glowing softly, there was some sort of tiara at the top, but it gave her an eerie appearance. It seemed the crowd appreciated the armor however, as thunderous applause immediately broke when people got time to take in her appearance.

  One thing Valen noticed though, was that she still used the Insect Glaive made out of Nergigante materials, instead of a new one. That fact surprised him, but he wondered if there was a reason behind it. He also noticed that Flighty had walked in behind her, and was wearing an armor of his own made out of the same materials.

  Due to her different helmet, Valen could see her expression, and it was apparent that while she was smiling, she still looked nervous. She raised a hand, and the applause died down.

  “Thank you Admiral, though I am certain you’ll come to regret that decision once they learn about it.” Laughter erupted from the crowd. “But I will make sure to bear this Name with the honor it requires…

  “When I set out for the New World, first I am certain you remember that we had to set sail late because I kind of barely finished my last hunt in time, you haven’t stopped ribbing me about it!” More laughter, Valen did not tease her about it, he knew she already got enough of it from everybody else. “And Sophie and I were the first thrown into the fire once we arrived… Literally!” She took a breath. “But while we might have been selected for our talent and not our rank, we all still were new to the field of hunting. We only had the Sky Piercer to rally behind, and it never was meant for him to be the permanent leader, he was a last minute addition, and was thrust into his role.

  “Role that he fulfilled admirably I will admit, but the Admiral revealed to me that now is the time that I officially take my place as the leader of the Fifth Fleet, along with the Gale Breaker.”

  Gasps echoed in the crowd, and Valen stood straighter. It was the reason he was on the scene, because he would officially give the ‘reins’ of leadership to Aiden and Rapha?lle. The Admiral asked him if he wanted to do so, and he immediately agreed. He always planned to transfer them to a more promising and suitable hunter. While his influence would not diminish, it would make it clearer to all who any fledgling hunter should turn to for official matters.

  Even though the Commission might not exist in the New World for much longer, it would still be a good show of Rapha?lle competences back in the Old World.

  So Valen squared up, and walked next to Rapha?lle, with Aiden on his other side. He then faced the public and said:

  “You may admire me and respect me, but remember that I am just a Hunter like you. I am not some sort of hero or god, but simply somebody who got extremely lucky and made the correct decisions at critical moments of my life… The decision that I would temporarily lead the Fifth Fleet was made at the last minute, but was necessary given the role I would naturally have. But it was always intended that I would pass the torch to somebody who would have managed considerable respect from all of you. So it is with honor that I give the reins of leadership to the Sapphire Star and Gale Breaker!” He finished while holding his hands towards Rapha?lle and Aiden. They clasped them and he raised them high into the air. Then he released their hands, and they kept them in the air, while he walked away.

  Valen smiled behind his helmet, he knew that Rapha?lle would truly be an exemplary leader, she had the natural leadership and charisma needed for the role. He may have some, but it simply was not as innate as hers. And so it was how he felt, as he walked out of the stage, now free of his responsibilities.

  The next few days went by without much happening, the ambiance at Astera having finally calmed down after the two recent celebrations. Valen ended up helping Ikari study the Elder body, as he was still the most knowledgeable about Bioenergy. What was surprising to him was how much the body still held, even several days after it expired. He knew it should have dissipated since they made an armor out of it, but the fact it still contained some was strange, and spoke of the devastation it could have caused should it had been able to escape. There was also the fact that while it seemed to protect Rapha?lle correctly, it did not seem to have any other effects, which was something very unusual, even armors made out of something like a Great Jaggi had some minor effects.

  Still, this reinforced the idea that he should go meet Nikki, she probably witnessed the event herself given it happened near the Elder’s Recess. He was waiting for some factors first however.

  Then the opportunity came a few days later, when they were discussing what happened in the Recess more in detail.

  “I almost forgot though, before I met with the Admiral, I went to check on the Nergigante body, cause it was the first opportunity I had since I slain him… And you know what I found? Nothing.”

  “Nothing? Wait, not even bones or decayed meat?” Valen pressed.

  “Nothing, there weren't even traces of another monster dragging the body somewhere else, it is just like it went up and vanished… The Galajaka confirmed to me that the body flat out disappeared not long after I left.”

  “You don’t think?”

  “That it was still alive and faked its death, even when I carved out pieces of it? That is my suspicion, we don’t know much of its biology anyways, so it may actually be able to stop its heart temporarily.”

  Valen frowned, and thought, if the Nergigante was actually alive and faked its death to Rapha?lle… That meant that it actually let her carve it up, unless it had no control while it faked its death. But still, the fact it decided to do so, especially knowing how intelligent Elders actually were, he had no suspicion that it knew that Rapha?lle would carve parts out of it.

  That fact decided it, he knew what needed to be done.

  “I think we need to meet my specialist. When are you and Sophie able to leave?”

  She frowned.

  “A couple days, we have done most of the work and should be able to leave Astera running for a while.”

  “Then I will go ahead.” He pulled out his notebook and opened the detailed map of the Wildspire, then pointed at a spot. “Meet me there, I’ll be waiting for you.”

  She nodded and they ended their chat here. Valen did not immediately leave however, he first went to see Aiden to explain the situation and ask him if he wanted to come with Lea, and he accepted readily, though he first asked him if he was sure that he wanted to go through the risk of introducing Nikki to more people. Valen only had to think for a moment before replying he was certain. Nikki once told him that he didn’t need her permission to reveal her to others, and that she trusted his judgment on that.

  Once Aiden was reassured, he told him that he would be here with Lea, so Valen thanked him and after informing the Commander that he’d be gone for a few days, he picked up Adem, and once they were riding on the Wingdrake, he explained what he had decided to do. Adem was fully supportive of Valen, and said he’d help make them comfortable with her. The Hunter smiled, glad to have such an understandable companion in Adem.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Valen arrived at the correct spot only in the evening, having left in the morning and only stopped to allow his Wingdrake to rest a bit and have lunch with Adem. But finally he was where he wanted to be.

  However there was a certain reason that he had asked the others to meet him at this spot, being that last time he met Nikki, they had decided upon a way that he could contact her without needing the specialized flares that Aki made him, so she would fly near a few different spots at differing days and check for his presence.

  It was already too late though, as she only liked to fly until the evening, and given that the night was already falling, they simply set up camp and went to sleep early.

  To Valen’s luck, Nikki passed by in the morning, and she immediately landed next to them once she spotted Valen.

  Once Valen got to hug her, she surprised him by asking him a question directly:

  ‘Female… Killed Gatherer?’

  It took a moment to puzzle her meaning, but he immediately understood that she was asking about the dragon Rapha?lle killed.

  ‘Yes. Origin Crossing.’

  She rumbled appreciatively at that, she seemed to have known that there was a reason for the anomaly, but she never was able to tell Valen what exactly.

  ‘Call. Gone… Crossing back was.’

  This let Valen exhale in relief, it was good to have confirmation that the Elder’s Crossing would go back to its previous rhythm of once per century from now on, with the slaying of the Elder.

  Valen used the rest of the day to fill Nikki up with what had happened, both the fact that Aiden had slain a Kushalah and even got its Gem, which made the Elder incredibly pleased for some reason, but he also shared the fact that the body of Nergigante was missing. She was pensive for a moment before she also concluded that it meant that it was still alive, though she also suggested that it would go elsewhere now that it knew that the Recess was too risky.

  The discussion lasted until the night started to fall, and Valen suggested that Nikki should go back to her nest, and that they were about to introduce her to new people the following day. She readily agreed and said that she would wait for his signal to approach them. Then after one last hug, she took off and flew back towards her nest. Then once she disappeared over the horizon, Valen started preparing his camp to go sleep with Adem.

  Valen had to only wait until midday when he caught the shape of five wingdrakes in the distance heading directly towards his position. Once he was certain they were close enough to see him, he waved at them so that they could land nearby.

  Once they were all safely down, he nodded to Aiden then went to Ikari.

  “Did you all figure anything else about the Elder?”

  “Not much.” Ikari shook his head. “We decided it was time to send the report back to the Guild. The Argosy left this morning with everything we could send, drawings, some leftover materials and a copy of our notes. They will decide on a name and give their final decision on the future of the Commission after.”

  “Alright then…” He then turned to the other Handlers, then asked. “Did Rapha?lle or Aiden brief you as to why we are here?”

  “We are supposed to meet that expert on Bioenergy of yours right?” Sophie exclaimed excitedly.

  “Indeed.” Valen nodded. “She has firsthand experience about its workings, and I have known her for almost a decade now… And I believe she can help Rapha?lle figure out the particularities of her new armor.”

  Sophie was writing furiously in her notebook, but Lea frowned, then shot an accusing look at Valen.

  “If you have known her for years, how did she come to the new World? I would have known if she was anybody apart from the Fifth fleet.”

  Valen smiled in his helmet, and then he pulled out a firework out of his pocket, but before lighting it, he answered her question.

  “That is her secret, she is not a part of the Fifth…” Then he lit the firework, slotted it in his Slinger, then fired it upwards, which exploded into blue and yellow trails. “Or like any of us.”

  He did not miss Rapha?lle’s eyes widening in recognition once the firework exploded, but decided not to comment and to instead look at the skies.

  The red comet that had been flying far since then, and had become such a frequent view that most people only took a few cautious glances at it every so often, suddenly shifted direction, to head directly towards them. Behind him Valen heard Lea swear, though she was quickly calmed down by Aiden putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

  He saw Rapha?lle hand going for her weapon by force of habit, but while she gripped it, she did not draw it. Sophie’s jaw dropped to the floor, unbelieving of what was happening. Flighty also looked tense, not sure of what she should do, given it was such an unexpected turn of event, but Adem talked to her in their Felyne language, calming her down.

  Valen only kept an eye on Nikki approaching to make sure nobody was taking any aggressive actions in their surprise. Rapha?lle risked a glance at Valen, and when she saw him still completely relaxed and looking at her, she managed to force herself to relax and released her grip, though she was still tense.

  Finally, Nikki arrived, and she flared up to kill her remaining speed with the roar of her wings, then dropped to the ground. She shook her wings a bit then rested them at their idle stance. Then she observed the gathered assembly one by one, surprisingly rumbling in happiness when she saw Aiden, then she looked at Rapha?lle, staring at her the longest, though she did not approach. Valen then approached her, and he heard the other hold their breath until Valen scratched her under her beak and she rumbled in pleasure.

  “Everyone, meet Nikki, the secret I kept with me for a decade! Do not worry, she is friendly, she will only retaliate if provoked.” He said that last part while staring at Rapha?lle.

  Then he saw Sophie mumbling then exclaim:

  “A decade? Then that means that the Seregios hunt…”

  Valen smiled and answered.

  “She saved my life back then, I wouldn’t be here if she wasn’t here, I wouldn’t be what I am without her.”

  Then Ikari approached, surprising the others greatly, given what they knew of his phobia.

  “I can attest to this, each time I met her, she never laid a claw nor wing against me.” He chuckled. “Only against Valen or Aiden when they were sparring.”

  Lea threw an accusing glare at her partner.

  “You knew! And never told me!”

  “Hey, Valen told me to not tell anybody, and I only respected his wishes! Do you want me to break his trust, the guy who has an Elder protecting him?”

  “Good points…” Lea deflated.

  Valen then looked at Rapha?lle, then he simply tilted his head, and said.

  “I’m guessing you knew about her? Or at least suspected?”

  “I… Suspected something was off, but I did not know any specifics. How you were so familiar with the Elder mindset, how much more familiar you were with Bioenergy than our scientists… However the main reason for my suspicion was months ago. Do you remember the Juyratodus hunt?” He nodded. “I met the Seeker after, and he told me he witnessed a gigantic firework exploding in the sky, with blue and yellow trails. He did not see anything else after, but he was suspicious of the intent. I only knew about you being in the Waste at that time, so I thought you had illegal intentions. I am happy to be wrong about that though.”

  Valen chuckled.

  “Yeah, we had to find a way to meet each other again at the New World, she had told me she would follow me… And I am grateful to her for that.”

  Rapha?lle nodded, but then Sophie’s eyes widened and she exclaimed:

  “Wait, told!? She can talk?”

  Valen chuckled, then signed to Nikki.

  ‘You, talk?’

  She huffed in response, then signed back, inciting gasps from the others.

  ‘I no talk, I communicate, you stupid.’ Which made Valen chuckle, as it was a callback to what he had said to Aiden when he asked the same question.

  “She reminded me that we do not talk, but we communicate pretty well.” Which also made Aiden laugh. “But yeah, we developed this sign language, as she cannot hear part of the register we talk at normally, notably the lower pitched sounds. Also made it so it required an effort of the both of us instead of just her.”

  “How did you meet exactly then? Must have been extraordinary circumstances for your bond to be that strong.” Sophie asked.

  Valen nodded then sat down.

  “It is a long tale, make yourself comfortable, it’ll take a while.” He noticed Sophie and Lea had pulled out a notebook and were ready to write, and smiled, some things never change, and among that is Handlers obsession for accurate record-keeping. He took a deep breath then launched in a retelling of his adventures from where it all started.

  It took a couple hours until Valen was done and had answered clarifying questions from Sophie, Lea and Rapha?lle. Nikki had long since laid down and was only watching them with a distracted eye. Valen thought it was amazing that the others got comfortable with her so quickly, but he supposed that it was her complete lack of any threatening moves that helped that.

  There were a few minutes of silence filled only with the scratching of pen on paper, as the Handlers were finishing writing notes on the story Valen had just told. Rapha?lle was pensive, while Flighty was playing with Adem.

  Finally, Rapha?lle looked at Valen and said:

  “Wasn’t there a reason you brought us here though? You said you think she could figure out the particularities of my armor?”

  “Indeed, being an Elder, she has the innate ability to be able to shape Bioenergy. The main example is when we spar, she depletes the one contained in my weapon, while overcharging the armor, so that I am able to take a couple hits, and deal minor wounds on her. It has allowed us to go all out while sparring instead of being cautious.”

  “No wonder you are good then.” Rapha?lle chuckled. “You had the best teacher possible.”

  Valen nodded, then turned towards Nikki.

  ‘You, can examine her?’

  Nikki simply nodded in response, and stood up, walking towards Rapha?lle, who had flinched at first, but forced herself to relax. Then, once they were in touching distance, the Elder closed her eyes and poked Rapha?lle with the tip of her beak. She was in intense concentration, but they could sense that she was feeling Rapha?lle’s armor. Then finally, after what felt like an eternity, she opened her eyes and pulled back. She walked a few steps back then looked at Valen.

  ‘Bioenergy strong. But rough, not shaped. Raw.’

  Valen relayed those words then Sophie gasped and said.

  “It makes sense! From all we know, when it emerged from that chrysalis, it had been decades since the Elder was last roaming the world. And since Rapha?lle killed it basically immediately in the grand scheme of things, it didn’t have time to refine its internal Bioenergy… So that means that while yours is extremely potent, it is mostly a power source instead of something more specialized like the specialization on the thrusters for Valen. We don’t know much yet about Aiden’s, but that is because he is still also inexperienced with his armor, he may figure out its oddities soon enough.”

  Rapha?lle nodded, and Valen translated the gist of what was said to Nikki, then Lea asked a question.

  “Wouldn’t Nikki help Rapha?lle shape it then?”

  Valen relayed the question to the Elder, who shook his head and replied.

  ‘Shaping Bioenergy other kind… Mistake. Able add remove. Not shaping.’

  Sophie frowned then emitted.

  “So that means that if that was the Gem of another’s Valstrax that was flawed, you could help, but not for another species?” Nikki nodded at that. “That… Makes sense, they are attuned for the Bioenergy of their own species, so shaping another may have consequences that we aren’t aware about…”

  “What about consuming it, like Nergigante does?” Lea asked.

  ‘Possible, only way assimilate. Few does, own enough.’

  “That… Makes sense. Thank you for your answers, Nikki!” Sophie said.

  She rumbled in appreciation once Valen relayed the thanks. Then she turned to Valen and said.

  ‘Late, need leave.’

  ‘Fly safe.’ Valen answered back, then she turned around and took off, flying back towards her nest. Then he turned towards Rapha?lle and said.

  “If you ever want to spar with her, tell me and I’ll lead you to one of our meeting spots, though I wouldn’t recommend any of you meet her without me.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind Valen, I first need to get used to this armor first…” Rapha?lle answered.

  Sophie and Lea were writing furiously, as well as Ikari, as he had learned new facts from the chat they just had with Nikki. Valen looked at the sky then said to everyone.

  “It is probably too late to return to Astera now, and besides, I think our Handlers would protest about not being able to write their notes.” Aiden and Rapha?lle chuckled at that, while the Handlers simply ignored the barb.

  Rapha?lle then approached Valen and said.

  “While we didn’t really find a solution for my armor, we had answers as to why… I might have to live with it, but it isn’t really an issue. Just the increased protection will change things greatly.”

  “Good point… We shall see what the future holds.”

  Rapha?lle nodded, and they all went to make a camp to spend the night.

  It had been several weeks since Valen brought the others to meet Nikki, and not much happened since.

  They were still waiting for a response from the Guild, and they were expecting the Argosy back any day, which was making everybody a bit tense in anticipation.

  Rapha?lle has taken Valen on his offer to spar with Nikki once she had gotten used to the way her new armor moved. They had started lightly, with Nikki going easy on her, but Rapha?lle quickly got into her groove and they ramped up quickly. Aiden also did the same with her, which allowed him to figure out that his armor allowed him to flat out ignore any blasts of wind thrown at him, which he said was a huge boon.

  Valen himself also enjoyed his new free time to spend it with Nikki however he could. She also relayed to him that the Elders at the Recess were more calm, as it seemed the death of the Elder had clearly an effect. So he was glad to learn about that.

  Then suddenly one morning somebody shouted that the Argosy had been spotted at the horizon… And Astera became a kicked ant’s nest.

  That evening, everybody was assembled at the main plaza once again, Valen was part of the public this time, along with Rapha?lle and Aiden. The Commander and Admiral were the only ones on stage. Arcos was holding a rolled-up scroll. Everybody was quiet in anticipation at the news that was about to be unveiled.

  “Thank you all for being here.” Arcos started. “I will not make you wait any longer and will read the response of the Guild.”

  He cleared his throat and unrolled the message.

  “The Guild commands you for your dedicated research of the Elders Crossing. In light of your findings, we have confirmed the monster you discovered as a brand new species of Elder Dragon. An official name has been chosen: Xeno’Jiiva.” Whisperings emerged all around as they discussed the meaning of the name. “We also acknowledge the promotion of the Gale Breaker and Sapphire Star among the Named, they have been officially entered into the list.”

  Cheers resounded all around, as everybody clapped for Valen’s partners, and he had a smile at their enthusiasm. It took a while for them to die down, and then Arcos resumed.

  “This concludes your duties with the Research Commission. We thank you for your service. You are free to return home at your discretion.” The mood became a bit more muted there, as they all hoped the contrary, but Valen paid more attention, and he saw that the Commander had a smile on his face.

  “However…” Then everybody perked back up. “We acknowledge that the outpost of Astera has grown far beyond its original duty and that it is no longer a simple, small research base. And this is why we officially recognise Astera as a fully-fledged Colony, and that its status has become permanent, and will be the foothold on the New World for any future expansions. So you may stay as you wish, and make it your new home.”

  It took a split second for the words to sink in. Then an explosion of cheers resounded, far louder than for Aiden and Rapha?lle announcements, and even Valen was stunned, but he joined them a moment later.

  Valen already knew what his choice would be. He knew more than anything that Astera and the New World were where he wanted to be, they were definitely his Home now, and nothing would change that fact… So he was happy because he could make it a true fact forevermore.

  And with that, we are done with base Monster Hunter World! And more people are now on Valen’s secret but this time by his own choice!

  Also indeed, I tweaked what happened for Astera at the end, cause it made more sense in universe that it would become an official colony after so much time passed and how much it had grown.

  Next chapter will be shorter, it will have a lot of timeskips, but it will give a quick overview of what happens until we start the next arc of this story!

  See you next time!