Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'
Chapter 736 - 345. Magic, Giant Dragon, and Mithril (Part 1)

Chapter 736: 345. Magic, Giant Dragon, and Mithril (Part 1)

Li Aozi, under Merid’s guidance, walked in the Substance Rain for quite some time. They abandoned the highway and had to avoid the pursuit of the Kingdom Parliament knights, advancing along the forest stream.

Merid didn’t like to explain. The woman, shrouded in mist, always wore a flirtatious smile, but her words were flawless. She never told him where the destination was.

At first, he felt a little restless, but gradually he calmed down.

Back when the Caramel Snail followed him around Ziluo Star, experiencing its cultural sights, his temper was probably ground down to its current state.

Now, they found themselves in a valley. Merid lit a fire, driving away the damp cold and the snakes, insects, rats, and ants, while Li Aozi sat at the entrance of the cave, reading a book by the light.

Magic, Giant Dragons, and Mithril

The book was given to him by Merid to serve as his literacy material. Anyway, he didn’t mind reading to pass the time.

The "Echoer" didn’t have a head. He might not understand knowledge, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t absorb information.

Ignoring reality, the book’s content was quite interesting, recording little stories and recounting intriguing paths.

For ease of understanding, Li Aozi localized some of these stories, making it easier for someone from the Starry Abyss Civilization to understand.

After all, the mainstream worldview of Starry Abyss was the Grand Narrative Theory.

This book, however, was different. Its original version looked at the worldview from the perspective of Dragon Satellite.

The general content was this: In past history, for quite a long time, "environmental determinism" was the methodology people used to explain cultural differences and grand narratives.

Originally, people explained a civilization’s trajectory toward technology or magic and the choice of idealism or materialism by using the local environment.

For example, if a planet birthed giant dragons capable of spouting fire, flying, and having long lifespans, it indicated that the environment supported massive marine life to satisfy their enormous consumption, and the land was largely fragmented islands and high cliffs with sparse forests, mostly humid deserts.

Thus, the ancestors of dragons had to survive long periods at sea, leading them to evolve into creatures similar to pterodactyls with extended radius and humerus bones, developing complex, large gliding wings. To briefly dive into bays, they needed crocodile-like scaly armor to aid in swimming.

As for the ability to spout fire, it’s generally believed to be an intentional evolution. Initially, it might have started as a mating display, using accumulated methane and rapid friction of their back teeth to ignite a simple stream of fire.

Anyone familiar with the mechanics of flamethrowers knew that spouting fire was extremely energy-consuming, but precisely because of this, the ability to spout fire was seen by female dragons as a sign of a male’s abundant resources.

Just like humans think, "I’d rather be at odds with the whole world than not be with you," is a romantic sentiment. Such risk-taking and resource-wasting behaviors actually showcased strength.

From this perspective, holding parades was also a form of romanticism.

Obviously, to female dragons, living with a strong, resourceful male meant higher survival rates for their offspring.

Thus, this personality trait was passed down through generations of genetic selection.

With increased intake of calories and proteins, dragons’ brains became more developed. Those adept at spouting fire and precisely controlling fire streams were considered intelligent and more likely to cooperate in hunting and show richer emotional expressions. Female dragons preferred these smart and endearing males.

The later stories were not much different from human history. To achieve greater brain capacity and fire-spouting abilities, dragons’ teeth began to differentiate, their body structure gradually improved, they grew larger, and their lifespan increased.

The process of biological evolution, measured in millions of years, made dragons’ massive size and long lifespans inevitable. Eventually, their settlements saw the emergence of elders, grandmothers, and elders—experienced individuals lacking hunting abilities.

Young dragons recognized the value of these elders and began to support them. Even if they didn’t provide hunting resources, they could impart knowledge, teach ambush techniques, and point out hunting directions. Roasted foods extended the life of old dragons, further promoting tooth differentiation, reducing jaw pressure, and leaving more space for the brain.

Gradually, languages formed. With language, dragon communities, originally consisting of a few families, expanded instantly to settlements with dozens of families. Hundreds of giant dragons could jointly hunt, dramatically increasing efficiency.

Language continuously evolved, and dragons realized the benefits of group hunting, starting to live together and aid each other, even raising orphaned dragonlings. During this process, dragon society began to take shape.

The environment changed, genes continuously mutated, and species gradually evolved. As dragons began to migrate, they faced various hardships like famines, heat waves, cold, parasites, and giant predators, but what didn’t kill them only made them stronger. To address these challenges, dragons formed primitive clans and tribes, engaging in large-scale migrations.

After overcoming or coexisting with these hardships, dragons advanced to inland environments. Group cooperation led to an exponential decrease in infant mortality rates, causing the species’ numbers to explode for the first time. Clans began to split and spread in all directions, eventually covering the entire continent.

At this point, they officially saw the early signs of social division of labor. The initial matriarchal society united dragons under the great grandmother’s leadership. Female dragons climbed trees to harvest birds’ eggs, fished in shallow bays, and gathered berries, later returning to protect and nurture the young.

Male dragons began to arm themselves. They noticed that the stones on hilltops were incredibly hard, so they consciously used their claws to drop stones from high places, colliding them with other stones, then grasped and refined them with their claws.

First were the rough stone axes, sharpened to more effectively cut down trees. Then, they fitted their horns with sharper hoof guards and added studded hammers and Wolf Fang Clubs to their tail tips. Later, they discovered a better material—metal.

Coincidentally, they found that dragon flame, through accumulated genetic evolution, was just hot enough to melt metal. The cooled metal could not only forge weapons but also create all kinds of practical items.

Such as currency.