The next morning, the sky over the snow mountain was clear, and the warm sun shone on the snow.
The ice wall on the mountain rock exploded from within, and the team prepared to depart.
There was not much more information to glean about Patch's owner on the snow mountain.
The team planned to return to Dongduoluma, find members of the Hunter's Guild, and continue their investigation.
As for now, the first priority was to ascertain the existence of the steel dragon, followed by conducting experiments with the Super Regeneration Disc and combat training with the attack balls.
Last night, after studying the handheld console, Li Fan had also created a save file for Eudora on the PSP.
He had also successfully generated the Super Regeneration Disc, but as soon as the clock struck midnight, both generated discs spontaneously cracked and were destroyed.
Arriving at a spacious snowfield, the team sat down to prepare.
Li Fan, limping, stood in the center of the platform, unfastened the Narukami Bracers on his left arm, and drew a hunter's knife from his lower back.
He gazed at his left forearm, which had turned pale due to the cold.
"Dilu!"
"I'm ready, meow!"
Dilu, holding a recovery potion in her left paw and bandages in her right, ready to assist, called out earnestly.
"Here it comes! Ah! Ugh!.... Ah!"
Gritting his teeth against the pain, Li Fan made a hair-thin cut on his left arm.
"Ugh... such precise targeting, meow! Go ahead!"
Dilu acknowledged.
"It's not about targeting; it's a wound for experimentation."
Li Fan said, taking out his PSP and opening it.
"Alright, the weather looks good today, so I'll let Little Fool lead us."
After gathering, the team soon arrived around Pokke Village.
They jumped down in a pine forest and, after a period of walking, returned to Pokke Village.
During the past month, the team had also come to purchase supplies and inquire about the steel dragon's intelligence. They had not heard of any unusual occurrences.
At the village entrance, a crowd of villagers had gathered.
The team squeezed their way through for a long time before finally reaching the front.
Beside a burning fire, the elder, leaning on her staff, was talking to a hunter clad in Raging Brachy armor.
"It's Gokin? What is he doing here? And appearing with the Hunter's Hub."
Eudora asked, somewhat surprised.
"He's likely on a guild assignment, carrying out a mission."
Li Fan surmised.
"Yowee~ The situation has become this serious, hmm... Don't worry, Pokke Village will abide by the agreement with the guild."
The elder sighed and then called out to the villagers: "Everyone, please go home immediately to get your mining picks and quickly clear the ice wall surrounding the great black sword. The guild needs to requisition it urgently."
Although the great black sword was a treasure of Pokke Village, with the elder's and the guild's authority, the villagers responded immediately.
"Gokin, what happened?"
Li Fan stepped forward to ask.
"The guild has observed the movements of the Lao-Shan Lung, and it is heading towards Dongduoluma."
Gokin informed him.
"So, it's preparation for battle."
Although the Lao-Shan Lung was also a highly threatening elder dragon, especially to city-states,
Li Fan felt a bit relieved upon hearing this explanation.
Because with Dongduoluma's defensive configuration, the Lao-Shan Lung could theoretically be repelled.
"That's right, but this time it's different. With the Lao-Shan Lung's attack, the prophecy of the Dragon Church has come true."
"So, the Dragon Church's prediction was earlier?"
Li Fan asked, confused.
"Yes, even the Elder Dragon Observation Institute's estimated arrival time, after receiving intelligence, perfectly matches the prophecy. The most troublesome thing now is that there are two other prophecies."
Gokin said in a low tone.
"What? Two more?"
"Yes, one is that the steel dragon will also be present, and the other prophecy... the Dragon Church only said it would be a queen who tramples Dongduoluma."
Hearing this description, Li Fan immediately understood the urgency of the situation.
But the Dragon Church's prophecies were completely incomprehensible.
What was going on? According to the game's plot, both the steel dragon and the Lao-Shan Lung would attack Dongduoluma. The Lao-Shan Lung's attack had occurred more than once, and the attack of the Great Jaggi had already happened.
But even with his foreknowledge of the plot, Li Fan couldn't piece together the timeline.
What on earth was this Dragon Church?
"The prophecy said the steel dragon would also be there?"
Eudora excitedly approached Gokin.
"Yes, it did."
Gokin turned his head slightly and replied.
"Li Fan! Let's go quickly!"
Eudora said anxiously.
"Let me think for a moment... Lao-Shan Lung, Steel Dragon... then the queen who tramples Dongduoluma is..."
A giant monster image flashed through Li Fan's mind.