Taking a passenger rail car, they traveled through the city for about twenty minutes.
The squad arrived before a massive, white, stone tower-like building.
Unlike the internal spiral staircases of many buildings, the Hunter's Guild headquarters had an external spiral staircase that wound upwards along the tower's surface.
Institutions such as the Elder Dragon Observation Post, the Mad Dragon Disease Research Institute, and the Royal Scholar Corps Headquarters were established around the Hunter's Guild headquarters. These buildings shared an identical architectural style, though on a smaller scale.
Watching the hunter squads entering and exiting the Guild headquarters' main entrance, Dilu exclaimed in awe, "So many hunters, meow!"
"No matter what type of hunting contract you seek, you can find it here. Furthermore, all ecological information discovered by outdoor investigators is gathered here from the branches. Oh, and hunter's archival documents are also kept here," Eudora explained.
"I can find any contract I'm looking for, meow..." Dilu said, looking at the building in disbelief.
"Dilu needs to report to the counter for Felyne business. We're looking for an Elder Dragon... In any case, let's go inside and take a look," Li Fan said, and the squad stepped onto the stairs together.
Although the headquarters' main hall far surpassed the branches in size, its layout was not significantly different.
Upon entering, one was greeted by rows of large round tables, where many hunters laughed and drank from tankard-like mugs.
Felynes, holding platters above their heads, scurried amongst them, serving dishes and food.
Further inside was a more open area, with two giant billboards mounted on the walls on either side.
Female attendants and hunters needed ladders to post and accept contracts.
The innermost part of the hall, against the wall, housed the counter for accepting three-star and above quests.
The headquarters' quest counter was not only longer but also a symmetrical double counter.
Three female attendants on each side were responsible for accepting contracts.
Li Fan observed a long queue in front of both counters, inferring it was a setup for the sheer volume of contracts.
"I found the Felyne counter, meow." Dilu ran over to inform them.
"Good luck! We'll await your good news," Li Fan encouraged.
"Will do, meow!" Dilu quickly ran off.
While waiting in line, Li Fan noticed the counter service items hanging on the stone pillars.
He had seen "Mentor Introduction," "Hunter Assessment," "Accept Hunting Contract," "Map Update," and "Lost Hunter's Badge" before. However, the acceptance of G-rank hunting contracts was something he hadn't encountered in any branch.
"There are actually G-rank hunting contracts?" Li Fan said, somewhat surprised.
But he quickly felt it was odd. G-rank quests, logically, were a high-difficulty mode introduced for gameplay considerations.
In reality, it couldn't be that simply adding a "G-rank" designation to a contract would make monsters inexplicably stronger.
"You don't know about G-rank quests?" Eudora asked, a little surprised.
"No, what's special about G-rank quests?" Li Fan inquired.
"You don't often undertake missions around here, so it's understandable you wouldn't know. After all, these contracts are only issued by the headquarters. The criteria for G-rank quests aren't complicated. I recall that if a monster-slaying contract fails 50 times, it will stop being publicly released and will be sent to the headquarters for recruitment of squads under higher standards, which are G-rank quests," Eudora explained.
"So that's how it is," Li Fan realized.
Even if a hunting contract failed, it could be re-issued.
However, the experience and abilities accumulated by monsters through repeated battles with hunter squads would not reset.
The contract to hunt the Jaggi, which had failed less than ten times, had already caused considerable trouble for the Honoka Village branch.
A contract failing 50 times meant that 50 hunter squads had failed to defeat the monster.
It was indeed necessary to transfer such contracts to the headquarters and recruit stronger hunter squads with higher-level treatment.
"Then, do G-rank monsters all have special skills?" Li Fan asked curiously.
"G-rank monsters are very rare, and in a sense, they are special individuals. I haven't seen one with my own eyes, but I've heard that many captured G-rank monsters are sent to the arena," Eudora informed him.
"Using G-rank individuals to train hunters... that's a good idea," Li Fan praised.
The two, while chatting, soon reached the front of the queue.
"Hello! Welcome to the Hunter's Guild Headquarters counter! Are you two looking for a mentor?" a female attendant in pink greeted them warmly.
"Are Elder Dragon contracts accepted here?" Li Fan asked.
"Elder Dragons... Yes!" the attendant confirmed, then elaborated, "Contracts related to Elder Dragons have rather complicated procedures, and require a meeting with the client for confirmation. Additionally, the squad must have at least two five-star hunters to meet the acceptance criteria."
Li Fan and Eudora exchanged glances and placed their two five-star hunter badges on the counter.
"These are Dragon-patterned five-star badges, awarded only to five-star hunters who have directly confronted Elder Dragons," the attendant said, slightly surprised. However, being at the headquarters counter, she had seen her fair share of powerful hunters and quickly regained her composure.
After asking them to wait a moment, she crouched down behind the counter and began searching.
Before long, a large black-bound book was brought to the counter.
"Diablos, Kushala Daora, Shen Gaoren, Lao-Shan Lung..."
As Li Fan flipped through, he noticed that all contracts were primarily for investigation, with the most dangerous aspect being the collection of residual materials.
Furthermore, not all Elder Dragons had contracts.
The reason the black book was so thick was mainly due to the extensive introduction of tracking records for the Elder Dragons' conditions.
"Kushala Daora... it's still an investigation mission, no monster-slaying quests?" Li Fan asked.
The attendant's eyelids twitched, and she said with a sigh, "If it were a monster-slaying mission for an Elder Dragon, the Guild would certainly need to collaborate with other institutions for a large-scale recruitment."
"Right, slaying an Elder Dragon is indeed not suitable for a small squad... We wish to accept the mission to track and investigate Kushala Daora," Li Fan stated.
"Alright! Please pay the contract fee of 8400z first, then collect the contract. The client for this contract is Mr. Zudda, the director of the Elder Dragon Observation Post. After obtaining his approval, please return to the Guild for certification, and your squad will be able to act according to the contract." the attendant informed them.
"Eudora, pay up," Li Fan said, turning back.
"Oh, right, are there any G-rank quests in the Pokke Village jurisdiction?" Li Fan asked again.
"Yes!" The attendant quickly brought over another extremely thick green book.
"Why Pokke Village?" Eudora asked, confused.
"The contract mentions the movements of the Steel Dragon. The earliest sighting was in the snowy mountains of Pokke Village. Although it has appeared in the Frozen Islands and the Dragon's Nest, we've been to both those places. Considering the local ecological conditions, I don't think it's likely to inhabit them long-term, so I want to try checking the earliest sighting location," Li Fan explained.
"Pokke Village's snowy mountains... the harsh cold climate, indeed a region rarely ventured into," Eudora understood. Li Fan wanted to experience a G-rank quest while tracking the Steel Dragon.
"Great Jaggi also has G-rank... Alright... Tigrex? I don't even want to see it... an absolute powerhouse..." While flipping through the green contract book, Li Fan saw the words "absolute powerhouse" and a flood of excited memories surged back.
However, as he delved deeper into the contract information, Li Fan was surprised to discover that the client for this contract was actually a Felyne from Pokke Village.
Moreover, it wasn't just a common hunting contract; there was also a goal of assisting in a search for a missing person.
"Please send a powerful hunter squad quickly to save my master, meow! It's been half a month since he declared he'd fight a Congalala to the death, and he still hasn't returned! I'm very worried, meow! As for the reward, the Pokke Village Felynes pooled their resources by selling their exploration facilities. If the squad can bring him back, I'll offer rare treasures, meow! Someone please come! Save my hunter!"
Seeing the date marked by a paw print at the bottom of the contract, Li Fan couldn't help but scratch his head. This contract had been posted for a full five years.
"Excuse me, what's the situation with this contract called 'Absolute Powerhouse'?" Li Fan asked, bewildered.
"Hmm... how to put it, the Congalala that needs to be hunted in the contract doesn't actually meet the Guild's G-rank standards. However, it has indeed failed 50 times. According to information from the Pokke Village branch, an unknown solo hunter accepted it 46 times by himself," the attendant said, seemingly having a strong memory of this contract, recounting the details without even looking.
"46 times..." Li Fan found this solo hunter to be quite peculiar. If he was strong, he could fail against one monster 46 times. If he wasn't strong, he managed to attempt hunting a Congalala 46 times without dying. Was this person treating the "Absolute Powerhouse" contract like a collection quest, intentionally messing with the Guild? Accepting it and then not proceeding with the hunt, only to let the contract expire? That's impossible, the Guild here isn't like game NPCs. If it were malicious contract acceptance, the local Guild branch would have intervened long ago.
"I'll take this 'Absolute Powerhouse' contract."
"That's right. One of the objectives is to find the missing hunter alive. Given the age of this contract, the chances of survival are practically nil. If it's just hunting the Congalala, the reward would only be about half," the attendant reminded them solemnly.
"I accept."
"Alright! Please pay a contract fee of 2100z. This five-star contract can be started immediately. Upon arrival at the target area, please be sure to update the contract information at the local branch counter."
After collecting the two contracts at the counter, the squad sat at a round table to wait.
Soon, Dilu came running back.
"I'm so nervous, meow. It's my first time being watched by so many people and Felynes," Dilu said, clutching her chest.
"Are you singing 'I'm Just a Felyne' or playing the hunting horn?" Li Fan asked, confused.
"Neither, meow. To prove I'm the Felyne of the Dragonator's chief hunter, I took out your chief hunter's badge as required, and then many people came over," Dilu explained.
"I see... The hunter certification systems on both sides are mutually recognized. If a seven-star hunter's Felyne suddenly came to get certified, it would indeed attract a lot of attention," Li Fan surmised.
"What was the evaluation result?" Eudora tentatively asked.
Dilu took a deep breath, adjusted her little belt, and leaped onto the table.
"Ta-da! Ta-da! I'm a six-star Felyne, meow!" As she raised her paw, a six-star Felyne badge was revealed.
"The evaluators said my hunting experience following the chief hunter is a once-in-a-century occurrence, meow, so they promoted me to six-star Felyne," she declared.
"Let's have a big meal to celebrate," Eudora suggested.
"Okay! Dilu, you order the food." After the squad had a hearty meal, they proceeded to the Elder Dragon Observation Post, adjacent to the headquarters.
Presenting the investigation contract and explaining the situation to the knight guard, they were soon led to the director's office on the third floor.
"Li Fan... Eudora?" Zudda, who was observing a reagent bottle, looked exceptionally surprised to see them.
"I've accepted a contract for Kushala Daora. The Guild said I needed the client's certification, so I came," Li Fan said, picking up the scroll-like contract.
"Please sit. After the appearance of the Dragon's Nest, we obtained considerable information from the site. The Guild has officially named it the Steel Dragon," Zudda informed them, then added, "This naming hasn't been officially released yet; only the Elder Dragon Observation Post is using it internally, so please do not spread it."
"Understood. Then please, Director, complete the certification," Li Fan said, spreading the contract on the desk.
Zudda intended to say something, but held back the words. The reason was that contracts related to Elder Dragons weren't completed with just a meeting; they still required client review. While it was suicide for ordinary investigators to track Elder Dragons, even four and five-star hunters weren't much better off. Therefore, Zudda needed to conduct a thorough review based on equipment, hunting experience, and squad composition. However, the hunter squad before him had already proven their combat capabilities to directly face an Elder Dragon with their formidable strength, so the investigation was naturally not an issue. If they could bring back some Steel Dragon scales as research material, the investigation progress would leap forward. The severe delay in the Valstrax investigation had allowed the Dragonator, another academic institution, to gain considerable prestige. Now was a great opportunity to regain face.
"Heh heh..." Zudda chuckled, and as he reached for his seal, his expression suddenly stiffened.
"I have a requirement that the squad must agree to, otherwise I will not certify it," Zudda said with a serious expression.
"This... please state it," Li Fan said, also a bit surprised. He hadn't expected to encounter an obstacle when accepting a contract, given their current standing.
"What will be the first thing you do after encountering the Steel Dragon?"
"Draw our swords," Eudora said decisively.
"Ah... as expected," Zudda sighed in resignation, his guess confirmed.
"Director Zudda, are you afraid that the Steel Dragon will enter an uncontrollable state after being injured, thus causing other problems?" Li Fan inferred.
"Precisely. Logically, such concerns wouldn't arise with other squads, but you two not only have the capability, but your hunting styles also..." Zudda trailed off.