Watching the two cats embrace and cry, Li Fan suggested, "Why doesn't the Treasure Hunting Team just join the squad? Long journeys are very tough for cats."
Although Li Fan didn't quite understand the treasure hunting process, he could guess that it required high mobility and was fraught with danger.
Since the Flame Bell also had to travel far and wide, it might as well bring the Treasure Hunting Team along.
"I've seen the squad's Flame Bell, meow. It's a cool-looking airship... I just don't know if it will cause trouble for the squad?" Treasure said with some worry.
"No, there are already five Felynes on the airship, and the squad is used to them. It's our side's member configuration that's a bit unusual, I'm afraid the Treasure Hunting Team might not accept it," Li Fan informed them.
"It's no problem, meow! We're a Treasure Hunting Team that has conquered the ocean!" Treasure declared firmly, then untied his apron, took off his chef's hat, and went to resign at the guild branch.
Li Fan followed him in, and under Patch's on-site confirmation, completed the certification of the Absolute Strongman Contract.
A five-star hunter reaching contract completion did not require wild investigator certification.
At headquarters, some procedures were handled, and a unique hunter's emblem was even issued, allowing for paid certification of contract completion by other wild hunter squads.
After collecting the reward and counting, there was only 118,200z, half of which was added by Patch to find the person.
Li Fan speculated that although it was a G-rank contract, most of the rewards came from Patch's master due to his achievements, so the additional contracts were very limited.
As long as no serious harm was caused, the guild and Pokke Village would find it difficult to pay much attention to it.
As a hunter squad, who would want to venture into the harsh snowy mountains to hunt a G-rank Congalala with a low reward?
Li Fan had a guess that Patch's master had deliberately accepted the contract repeatedly.
This way, it could conceal the Congalala and also protect other hunter squads.
Once the requirements were met and it was upgraded to G-rank, the safety factor would further increase.
However, just like the blank books on the shelves, the original contract details were also concealed.
Li Fan suspected the guild had a hand in it, but then he thought, if the guild really wanted to intervene, they would have simply burned the contract. There would be no reason to let it remain.
Before long, Jin Yin, Pearl, and Emerald, wearing slightly loose Treasure Hunting Team uniforms and carrying their bags, arrived on the Flame Bell.
"What a huge cat slide, meow! It feels like the entire Treasure Hunting Team could go through it without a problem!" Jin Yin exclaimed, looking around the deck with a light dusting of snow and spotting the giant toilet leaning against the ship's wall.
"It's just a bit lacking in cleaning, meow, it even smells..." Pearl said, covering her nose with her paws.
"I think I've smelled this scent somewhere before... Never mind, hoist the sails, meow!" Emerald said, gripping her backpack straps with her paws and running off.
"No! Emerald, meow!" Feri shouted, tackling Pearl.
*Splat!*
"Phew~ Good thing I stopped her. The real cat slide is in the kitchen, meow. This is a cat's hellish tunnel, never get close to it," Feri sighed after getting up and informed them.
The Flame Bell ascended and set sail. After Li Fan settled the Treasure Hunting Team, he went to his cabin.
The heating pipes had been installed, and the room was quite warm.
After warming his hands for a moment, Li Fan took out his handheld device to check Cheche's stats.
[Deathmatch Congalala] Male (Unnamed)
Health: 6185/7201
Status: Covered in wounds, left foreclaw permanently missing, skull dented, tail missing, watchful, nemesis, fierce lightning strike, internal lightning element accumulation.
Level: 173
Strength: 801
Agility: 475
Intelligence: 221
Skills: [Deathmatch Congalala] A Congalala forged through long, desperate battles, a true absolute strongman. As its injuries worsen, it will gain phased all-attribute increases. [Fighting Spirit] This monster enjoys combat. [Fearless] This monster has no object of fear. [Reverence] This monster holds high recognition for a certain creature. [Stronger with Each Battle] As the battle duration increases, this monster's focus will increase in phases, making it easier to discover the enemy's weaknesses. [Monster Hunter - Pinnacle] This monster's experience in dealing with hunters has reached an incredible level. [Carnivore Locator] Can accurately locate the position of meat. [Novice Hunter - Degeneration] Due to its excessive focus on combat, this monster's hunting skills have severely degenerated. [Brute Force - Forelimbs] This monster's forelimbs possess terrifying strength disproportionate to its size. [Duelist] Extremely proficient when only needing to focus on one target. [Chaotic Regeneration] Due to the extremely high frequency of injuries, this monster's healing ability has become disordered through repeated stimulation. The healing speed of injuries has greatly increased, and the degree of healing has become unpredictable. Some parts, when in a state of [Chaotic Regeneration] for a long time, will undergo unpredictable changes. [Charge] The Congalala slams the ground fiercely with its foreclaws, entering an accelerated state. In this state, it can easily climb various terrains and its ramming power is incredibly strong. However, as the turning radius increases, the charge will also carry greater inertia. [Brute Force Throw] The Congalala uses its sharp claws to tear surrounding usable materials into appropriate sizes and throws them at the enemy with brute force. [Savage Spin] The Congalala lowers its body, gathers strength with its four claws, and then performs a short spinning glide forward.
Description: Flying Wyvern monster. Found in all terrestrial regions, extremely adaptable. The booming sound of its charge has left countless hunters with lingering fear. Earned the name Absolute Strongman due to its formidable combat prowess.
Cheche is indeed a six-star monster, with almost all its skills related to combat. Does the unpredictable change of [Chaotic Regeneration] refer to mutation? If a part is constantly injured and healed, and then a regeneration occurs abnormally, it triggers a mutation. It feels reasonable, but the cost of pursuing this path is too high. Under normal circumstances, repeated injury and healing do not trigger [Chaotic Regeneration]; limb necrosis is the most common outcome. For Cheche, I recall the observation records in the secret archives regarding the Gendrome, which clearly stated that the sharp claws and bones of its forearms had strength and toughness far exceeding that of its peers. Could this be caused by [Chaotic Regeneration]? While pondering, Li Fan considered a possible mutation, but the current environment was not suitable for experimentation.
Five days later, the Flame Bell returned to Dundorma. The airship's docking did not require queuing this time, and there were fewer people on the streets. Li Fan decided to check the situation at the guild headquarters first, then go to the puppet shop to ask Sophia about the Hunter's Guild. On the steps leading to the guild headquarters, a large number of hunters were gathered. Fortunately, five-star and above hunter squads had a special passage on the side. The spear-wielding guards, standing at attention, confirmed the five-star emblem and then allowed the squads to pass. Upon entering the headquarters, they soon followed the red carpet to the operational meeting room, which resembled a circular opera house. Large display boards lined the walls, showcasing the specific details of the current crisis. The Lao Shan Lung was expected to arrive in about 15 days, and the fortress defense line outside the city was established for this purpose. They were recruiting five-star hunters proficient in using cannons and pressure-sensitive explosive rounds for a frontal engagement. Simultaneously, recruitment for hunter positions at the city gate defense points and in the combat streets was also underway. "Hunters are being recruited in three combat zones. The guild's emphasis on the Lao Shan Lung this time far exceeds our initial expectations," a middle-aged male hunter remarked, looking up at the display board. "Senior, what do those two display boards with question marks mean?" a young male hunter beside him asked, confused. "Those are unknown monsters that might launch an invasion concurrently. Once the guild investigates and clarifies, they will be replaced immediately," the middle-aged hunter explained. After reviewing the display board, Li Fan felt that the guild's response was quite cautious. The Dragonrazer cult did mention the Kushala Daora and the Teostra. However, without any supporting intelligence, they couldn't initiate a full-scale alert. "Is Gu Xing deceiving us?" Eudora asked, looking perplexed. "Not at all. Gu Xing is a top hunter in the guild. He can obtain confirmed intelligence. It would be abnormal if the guild announced everything without reservation," Li Fan explained. "Indeed, the matter of defeating the Amatsumagatsuchi and the Narwa the Allmother was rarely mentioned," Eudora agreed. "It's the top hunter squad!" a young male hunter at the entrance of the venue exclaimed. Li Fan and Eudora followed everyone's gaze. A four-person hunter squad entered the venue. Three of them had seven-star hunter emblems embedded in their chest armor. The orange-haired youth at the end, despite wearing only a four-star emblem, was quite eye-catching in his demeanor. "Hello everyone! I'm Aiden, a top newcomer skilled in various weapons. Please take care of me!" Aiden waved in various directions under everyone's gaze, as if afraid of missing anyone. "This is... Sunny Brother!" Li Fan said with some surprise. "You know him... I haven't heard of him, but this top hunter squad is well-known in Dundorma," Eudora informed him. "I know the other members too." "You hunted together?" "Sort of, but back then they were... a bit blurry," Li Fan replied. "Your life experiences are truly rich... Wait, what kind of evaluation is 'a bit blurry'?" Eudora asked, suddenly finding the description difficult to comprehend. "It means they didn't seem very clear. Oh, right, I remember there are only eight top hunters in the guild, aren't there?" Li Fan felt that including Gu Xing and Pazou, plus the three from the top squad, there were three top hunters he hadn't met. "Yes." "Can you introduce them?" "No problem. See the dual blade hunter at the front with white hair and no helmet? His name is Deus, titled Silver Spirit, and he's the captain of the top squad. The blonde man using a lance is Hoover, titled Eternal Wall. The black-haired woman with black skin using a heavy bowgun is Semika, titled Eye of the Owl," Eudora introduced in detail. "Did the top squad have any interaction with the Hunter's Guild?" Li Fan inquired. "Yes, I remember they seemed to have collaborated a few times," Eudora replied, then pondered for a moment and asked, "If our squad gets a title in the future, what do you think it should be called?" "Flame would be good," Li Fan thought it was the safest, especially since the Wind Serpent and Thunder Serpent were gone. "I feel it's not catchy enough. How about... Uh, why are you looking at me so seriously?" Eudora asked uncomfortably. "No three-character names. Anything else is fine." "Such a great name like 'Invincible Strong' was just rejected." Eudora's shoulders slumped. Deus stood with his arms crossed, observing the Lao Shan Lung display board for a moment, then turned his gaze to the other two question marks. "Let's go. It seems we'll have to ask the Guild Master to understand the latest progress," Deus said, then led the top hunter squad out of the venue. Seeing nothing else to explore, Li Fan took Eudora to the central area of the commercial street. *Ding-a-ling!* The door to Sophia's puppet shop opened. "Welcome! Are you looking to buy... Oh! It's Li Fan!" Sophia stood up from behind her sewing table. "Thank you for remembering me, Sophia," Li Fan said, a little surprised. "I always have a deep impression of generous patrons, especially since your monster sketches are so excellent. However, due to recent business, your frog doll keychain might have to wait a while," Sophia informed him. Li Fan looked at the monster dolls hanging all over the walls, slightly surprised. The variety of monsters here was very comprehensive. If he had a direct need, he could just take a finished product. "I'm not in a hurry. Please handle your current orders first. I'm here mainly to ask about the legendary hunters of the Hunter's Guild." Seeing Sophia fall silent, Li Fan quickly added, "It's not for free. I'm just very interested in the past of the Hunter's Guild." "Oh... I welcome that!" Sophia said, showing an inscrutable smile. Her mouth was smiling, but her eyes held indifference. Putting away the drawing board on the sewing table, Li Fan and Eudora sat opposite Sophia. "Please ask. Ten thousand z per question," Sophia adjusted her glasses and held up one finger. "Hmm... What is the legendary hunter's name?" Li Fan thought this question was quite expensive, so he decided to get straight to the point. Sophia's expression was blank, but her right hand suddenly clenched into a fist. "Phew... I don't know," Sophia exhaled long and responded. Li Fan and Eudora exchanged glances. The result was as they had expected. The legendary hunter of the guild had not retired, nor had he retired due to the Frenzy disease. He had disappeared, just like Patch's master! However, to be safe, Li Fan asked a second question. "Do you still have contact?" "No." "Do you know where he is currently?" "I'm not sure." "Can you describe his appearance..." "Enough!" *Bang!* Sophia stood up and slammed her hands on the table. "I'm sorry to have disturbed you," Li Fan took out three coins, each worth ten thousand, and placed them on the sewing table. "Wait, Li Fan, can you answer one question for me?" As he was about to push the door open and leave, Li Fan heard Sophia's low inquiry. "Please say." "Why do legendary hunters always appear alongside crises?" "That... seems reversed. It should be crises that create legendary hunters," Li Fan offered his opinion.