At noon, in an unexplored jungle, Huihui landed with a recoil from her gun-wings to slow her descent.
The squad, who were in the midst of combat drills with monsters, quickly ran over to meet Huihui upon her return.
"Awooo... awooo..."
Huihui raised one of her front paws and made a few gestures in the air.
"The Great Mantis is really in the ancient ruins... did you warn it?" Li Fan asked.
"Awooo..."
"The scorching shell thrown from high altitude was repelled, and then the Great Mantis was enraged and transformed into a giant monster... Alright, I understand." Li Fan said, then recalled Huihui into her ball.
"Didn't you anonymously commission the guild to investigate the ancient ruins? Why do you seem surprised to hear that the Great Mantis actually exists?" Eudora asked, puzzled.
"My information sources are very limited, and there are many variables involved, which is why I'm surprised," Li Fan replied.
He had deduced the Great Mantis's location based on game content. However, considering the current state of the Monster Hunter world, this conclusion was incredible. Given the geographical location and frequency of visits to the ancient ruins, the possibility of the Great Mantis remaining undetected was almost zero. Of course, there was also a very special circumstance: the Great Mantis might be intentionally avoiding detection. But based on its ecological behavior, there was no need for it to conceal itself.
"That does sound strange, but at least the guild has witnessed the Great Mantis, and Huihui's hostility towards it has been displayed," Eudora observed, sensing something amiss, but at least the situation was progressing in the direction Li Fan had anticipated.
"This matter is not that simple, because Huihui's attack had significant flaws, which the guild simply overlooked due to their lack of knowledge about the Great Mantis," Li Fan sighed.
"What flaws?"
"The Great Mantis is an insectoid species; it doesn't possess dragon-elemental energy."
"So, you're saying Huihui actually had no motive to fight?" Eudora realized.
"Yes."
"Sigh, then it will be seen through very quickly."
"It's very difficult..." Li Fan sighed along.
"You say it's difficult, so it must be... difficult? Difficult to be seen through?" Eudora asked, confused.
"Precisely. Regarding the Valstrax, I am currently the most recognized authority. Any investigation or research will invariably lead back to me."
"So, unless I expose myself, no one has enough authority to definitively classify the Valstrax's behavior... What do you call that?" Eudora asked, somewhat speechless.
"That's called professionalism."
Training resumed, and the squad's main focus was solely on the Kushala Daora. It wasn't that they didn't want to provide more aid to the city defense forces, but rather that the guild had unparalleled experience in defending against Lao-Shan Lung. As for the Great Mantis, Li Fan didn't have many ideas. Instead of scattering their efforts, it was better to focus on the Kushala Daora with all their might, thereby gaining more breathing room for the guild.
The eight-day outdoor training quickly concluded, and the squad returned to Dundorma. The squad was quite satisfied with their training results, though they lacked practical combat experience. Li Fan recalled the training over the past few days and felt a sense of gratitude for the Dragon's Revelation Cult's prophecy. Because if the Kushala Daora had attacked suddenly, the squad would not have had such meticulous combat deployment. He just couldn't understand the mechanism behind the prophecy's fulfillment, as even with numerous warnings from investigators, the guild couldn't provide such precise intelligence.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*...
A medium-sized airship bearing the guild's flag sounded its gong urgently. Airships queuing to enter the port quickly maneuvered to avoid it. The guild airship hovered beside the "Crimson Scale," and a young man behind the hull shouted, "Excuse me! Li Fan! Eudora! Dede! Are you on board?"
Patch, who was sweeping the deck with a broom, heard this and replied, "They're all here, meow! I'll go get them!"
A short while later, Li Fan, wearing a faded bear pajama set, came onto the deck.
"The guild is holding an emergency meeting and would like the squad to participate. Please do not refuse."
Li Fan, still groggy, rubbed his eyes and replied, "No problem."
"That's great! Thank you! The guild's airship will lead the way, and the captain just needs to follow!" The young man thanked them and then signaled for the airship to turn. Fei Rui steered the wheel and followed. As their altitude increased, the squad soon arrived at the port on the top floor of the guild headquarters. Seeing the Dragon's Calendar Institute's airship also present, Li Fan deduced that the Dean and the others had already arrived. He wanted to change clothes, but the attendant who greeted them said time was of the essence, so he proceeded in his bear pajamas.
The port on the top floor of the guild headquarters was not open to the public. A long skybridge connected to a distant hall, giving it a monotonous and enclosed feel. Coupled with the numerous knight guards, the atmosphere was somewhat oppressive. Ascending the black stone steps, they reached a platform where the plaque for the top-floor hall was immediately visible.
"The Elder Hall."
"This emergency meeting is at a high level," Li Fan remarked. The Elder Hall was not only the hall of the Guild Master but also the highest decision-making body of the Hunter's Guild. Many resolutions were confirmed here before being announced to the world.
"The Elder Hall! This... are we going to see the Guild Master!" Eudora, with dark circles under her eyes and looking listless, jolted awake upon seeing the plaque.
"It's a bit sudden, but since we need to understand the latest intelligence, this is the most cutting-edge place," Li Fan calmed himself quickly.
"If I go home and tell my mom I saw the Guild Master with my own eyes, she'll never believe me." For Eudora, meeting the Guild Master was an exciting prospect.
At the entrance of the Elder Hall, two knight guards stood like stone statues on either side. Entering, the floor was made of mirror-like gray stone. Guided by an attendant, the squad bypassed a screen and entered the hall. On the large main seat at the far end, a dragon-person with a white beard, white eyebrows, and a high cranial bulge sat firmly, resting his sheathed sword on the ground. Below the main seat, several long tables were arranged. Compared to the humans already seated, the Guild Master's stature was that of a super giant. It was said that such exceptionally large dragon-people appeared only once every thousand years, and regardless of the era they were born in, they were undoubtedly the supreme combatants.
The squad was directed to a long, rectangular table at the front left. Dragon's Calendar Institute Dean Vegasha, Research Group Leader Todd, and Vice Leader Felyne Chic were organizing a large amount of data on the table.
"Chief Hunter Squad, you've arrived at the perfect time," Vegasha said with surprise.
"We were notified at the last minute. What stage is the meeting at?" Li Fan inquired.
"It's alright, it's just begun, and no important information has been disclosed yet," Vegasha said with a kindly smile.
Dede sat next to Chic, who was wearing a scholar's cap. The two Felynes greeted each other warmly before opening their record books to take notes. At another front-row table, Pazzizi, Gohan, and the three members of the Apex Hunter Squad couldn't help but cast curious glances. Some were curious about Li Fan's unusual pajamas, while others were seeing the Dragon's Calendar Institute's Chief Hunter for the first time.
"I had some urgent matters to attend to just now, which delayed everyone... Li Fan! Eudora! It's wonderful that you could attend," Zudda said excitedly as he rushed in and saw the Chief Hunter Squad present. This was because the guild was currently in dire need of top-tier combat power.
"Regarding assistance and reinforcements, first, I thank all villages for dispatching their giant airships, especially the Dragon's Calendar Institute. The new Pioneer, which had just been completed, was immediately sent to support Dundorma. The large number of cannonballs provided by the Yukumo Village is also extremely beneficial assistance." After acknowledging the assistance from all parties, Zudda's tone suddenly became serious.
"The unknown monster we might face was actually confirmed seven days ago. The reason we waited until everyone arrived to announce it is that the guild is also perplexed about how to deal with it."
"Is the monster that has the guild stumped an unknown elder dragon?" Vegasha asked curiously.
"You'll see when you look," Zudda said, cutting a thin string. A large scroll hanging from the ceiling of the Elder Hall unfurled.
"What is this!?"
"Why are there two monsters?"
"Insectoid? Is that a nest behind it?"
...
Exclamations of surprise arose. The attendees should at least possess top-tier qualifications in their respective professions. Yet, upon seeing the scroll displayed by Zudda, they were still shocked. The scroll depicted two monsters: one was a brilliant golden insectoid creature. Its dazzling color was unusual at first glance but still within the realm of comprehension. As for the second one, it was less a monster and more a terrestrial dragon model constructed from various remnants of city defenses. Even more striking was a human figure below the model, used to measure the monster's volume. Chic quickly calculated that if this remnant-composed terrestrial dragon were real, its volume would be larger than that of a Lao-Shan Lung.
"Although I'm reluctant to admit it, could this be a monster imagined by an outdoor investigator?"
"Director Zudda, is the information accurate?"
"This is an emergency meeting! Everyone, please be quiet!"
...
Doubts continued to surface, and the scene seemed to be spiraling out of control.
*Clang!* The Guild Master, wielding the ancient sword [Susanoo], struck the ground with its scabbard. A visible shockwave spread out in a ring.
"Silence." The Guild Master's voice, like a thunderous bell, silenced the Elder Hall. Only Vegasha, unaffected, continued to observe the large scroll with a magnifying glass.
"Each joint and connection point of this terrestrial dragon is wrapped with threads... Director Zudda, did this terrestrial dragon move when the investigators observed it?" Vegasha inquired.
"Yes, and the dragon's forelimbs you see caused violent tremors in the sand with each step. The resulting shockwaves could extend dozens of meters forward, and the buried sand and rocks were also flung into the air," Zudda informed her.
"If it assembled such a massive terrestrial dragon simply by dragging it with threads, it indicates at least two things: it possesses terrifying strength, and it has a rare, exceptionally high level of intelligence among monsters," Vegasha deduced.
The leader of the Apex Hunter Squad, a silver-haired man named Deus, stood up and asked, "Dean Vegasha, do insectoid monsters truly possess such combat power?"
"Theoretically, no. However, since it has appeared, we must acknowledge its existence," Vegasha replied.
"Does the Dragon's Calendar Institute have no relevant data?" Zudda asked.
"No. However, it's still not too late to reorganize our combat deployment. This is likely why the guild waited until now to release the information," Vegasha speculated.
The Lao-Shan Lung and Kushala Daora were already extremely troublesome. The confirmation of an unknown creature was a heavy blow to the guild. Any deployment before all available combat power was gathered would be merely on paper. What made matters even more difficult was that the allocation of personnel was not solely up to the guild; many deployments required consultation and agreement among various parties.
"That is exactly what I thought, which is why we need to solicit everyone's opinions on how to deal with the monsters," Zudda finally revealed the purpose of the emergency meeting. Simply put, it was about who would engage which monster.
"The Chief Hunter Squad will engage the Kushala Daora!" Eudora stood up, expressing her stance with utmost determination.
"I anticipated this. After all, the squad previously accepted a contract to investigate the Kushala Daora," Zudda said, seeing no room for negotiation and unable to refuse.
Deus raised his hand and stated, "Director, the Apex Squad has been tracking the Kushala Daora for two years. We also wish to engage the Kushala Daora."
"This..." Zudda looked troubled. He had known about the two squads' conflicting objectives for a long time. However, with the overall deployment still undecided, there was no time to mediate. Moreover, Deus's reason was quite valid; his master had been severely injured by the Kushala Daora while saving him, leading to his retirement.
"Very well, the Kushala Daora will be jointly led in combat by the Apex Hunter Squad and the Dragon's Calendar Institute's Chief Hunter Squad." Under duress, Zudda could only tentatively decide on this highly unconventional arrangement.
"The guild has named the unknown creature the Great Mantis. Is there anyone willing to engage it?" Zudda asked. Several captains of five-star hunter squads raised their hands. These high-level combatants were excellent at dealing with five-star monsters. However, without the Apex Squad to draw their attention, they could easily fall into a disadvantage. Zudda could only set a quota and then continuously supplement with city defense support and reinforcements. After repeated adjustments, the forces for the Lao-Shan Lung operation became insufficient again.
"Director, the intelligence states that the Valstrax has hostility towards the Great Mantis. Why not try an induction operation?" Pazzizi suggested, seeing Zudda sweating.
*Pazzizi! Well done! It wasn't in vain that I saved you! Keep talking, I love hearing it!* Li Fan's face showed a hint of displeasure, but his heart was blooming with joy.
"Induction operation? Is that the tactic used against the Thunder Dragon? The one who implemented it..." Zudda said, and everyone's gaze turned to Li Fan.
"Pazzizi, your idea is excellent, but the Great Mantis is an insectoid species. The Valstrax fights elder dragons for dragon-elemental energy. Even if it perceives hostility, it's difficult to achieve an induction operation," Zudda explained after a moment of thought, shaking his head.
*Damn it, this old man knows quite a lot.* Li Fan was somewhat surprised.
"Uh... Director Zudda, I don't want to challenge your expertise on elder dragons, but when it comes to the Valstrax, Li Fan is the expert," Pazzizi replied firmly.