"It's been a while. You're looking more and more like a Chief Hunter,"
Devon patted Li Fan's shoulder.
"I'm doing alright. What have you been busy with lately?"
"I accepted an invitation from the Guild to help with some ecological surveys of Elder Dragons. I've been traveling around lately. I'm in East Dondurma to submit my report, and then I'll be heading to the Dragon's Maw in the Abandoned Shrine area."
Devon explained.
"Weren't the bodies of the Wind Serpent and Thunder Serpent destroyed?"
Li Fan asked curiously.
Devon leaned in and lowered his voice, "Ever since the Valstrax incident, anomalous situations have been frequent. This time, during the Frenzy of the Hundred Beasts, two Elder Dragons even appeared and participated. The Dragonator Institute and the Guild both believe some force is secretly guiding events, so they've launched a joint investigation."
"I see... Do you have any suspects?"
Li Fan probed.
"There's no clear indication of any organization yet, but the Dragon Cult is highly suspected. By the way, your Chief Hunter badge is in East Dondurma. It's best to keep it put away for now, otherwise, you'll easily attract the attention of the Dragon Cult. They have a strong hostility towards the Dragonator Institute,"
Devon explained.
"Alright, I'll be careful."
"Well, I won't keep you any longer."
Watching Devon, clad in a light blue trench coat, gradually walk away on the platform, Li Fan asked Eudora curiously, "What's the Dragon Cult all about?"
The one secretly intervening and guiding things was probably himself.
But Li Fan had never heard of the Dragon Cult, which was being framed, in the game.
"They're just some very strange people. They see powerful monsters as gods and firmly believe that humans can never defeat them. Any contact, observation, or investigation is a provocation to the gods' majesty and could at any moment invite world-ending disasters. If humanity is to survive, they must worship the gods and act according to their will."
Eudora explained.
"People actually believe that?"
Li Fan asked, puzzled.
"At least in East Dondurma, the Dragon Cult has many followers. And according to ancient texts, the Dragon Cult did issue accurate prophecies before several crises."
Hunters' understanding of ecology came from research reports, but that didn't mean everyone else viewed the world the same way.
Elder Dragons controlling wind and rain, presiding over the weather, and inspiring worship to establish religions was a normal phenomenon. But being able to predict the arrival of crises was somewhat incomprehensible.
After all, even with the Guild deploying so many field investigators and the Dragonator Institute's research teams venturing into dangerous territories, there was still a significant delay in disaster warnings.
It couldn't possibly be that the legendary Elder Dragons were truly taking human form...
And based on the current intelligence, Elder Dragons taking human form seemed to have no purpose.
With that thought, Li Fan still had no clue about the Dragon Cult's prophecies.
But Li Fan roughly understood why the Dragon Cult was hostile towards the Dragonator Institute.
One focused on ecological research, the other worshipped monsters as gods.
The Dragonator Institute was diametrically opposed to them in ideology alone.
And they wouldn't adopt a middle-ground approach like the Guild, depending on the situation.
Their radical approach was like the Western Depot led by Yu Huatian – monsters the Guild couldn't handle, the Dragonator Institute would.
This style, in the eyes of hunters, was a display of courage and the embodiment of pioneering spirit.
But in the eyes of the Dragon Cult, it was likely a sign of disrespect and blasphemy towards the gods.
He didn't feel any manifestation of the Dragon Cult in the game. Was it deliberately omitted... Never mind, let's focus on the main business first.
The two of them and the cat took the elevator down from the skyport and arrived at the bustling streets.
Bars, clothing stores, antique shops...
Many types of shops not heard of in the villages were found on both sides of the street.
Perhaps due to the distance from the Guild headquarters, there weren't many hunters wearing armor.
But the overall tone of the Monster Hunter world remained unchanged here. Whenever a hunter wearing high-level armor and carrying hunting weapons passed by,
They would always receive admiring glances from those around them and cheers from the children.
To avoid unnecessary attention, the team only wore two sets of common hunter leather armor when disembarking.
"I need to go home and see my mom first. Do you want to come to my place?"
Eudora asked tentatively by the plaza fountain.
"I'll stay here and wait for you."
Li Fan replied from the bench.
"Okay, I'll be back as soon as possible. Then we can go to the Guild headquarters together."
After Eudora spoke, she quickly ran towards the city's transport railcar.
Soon, Felyne, holding two skewers of grilled fish, jumped onto the bench.
"Here! ...Mrow... This place is so prosperous, meow! I've never seen so many things."
Felyne chewed on the grilled fish, its cheeks bulging, and exclaimed.
Li Fan took a bite and also found this giant city to be particularly dreamlike in the Monster Hunter world.
After the man and the cat finished their grilled fish, a barefoot man in a red robe with a wide hood appeared by the fountain.
He raised his hands and looked up at the sky.
"Ah! The judgment of fate will finally arrive, dark wings will shroud the land, lost souls will be consumed by flames, those who seek liberation..."
The red-robed man paused at this point.
He looked around, then pulled a small note from the wide sleeve of his red robe.
"Those who seek liberation! Follow the guidance of the Dragon Cult! The dragon's flames will recede, and the sun will reappear, the city will be reborn in fire..."
The red-robed man paused again and continued to look down at the note.
"What is he doing, meow?"
Felyne asked curiously.
"He's probably a propagandist hired by the Dragon Cult, but he must be new to the job, so he's not very skilled yet,"
Li Fan surmised.
"There's a shop across the street with lots of monster plushies, meow. I want to go see it."
Felyne said, pulling Li Fan's arm.
"Let's go."
In the past, the items sold in village shops were purely practical.
The commercial district of East Dondurma, however, had many entertainment-focused establishments.
*Ding-a-ling!* The shop door opened with a chime.
The shop wasn't large, but apart from an antique grandfather clock, everything in sight was hung with fabric plushies made in the likeness of monsters, along with a few quick sketches of monsters.
Against the wall, a young woman wearing glasses was operating a sewing machine, stitching fabric.
"Hello, welcome to Sophia's Monster Plushie Shop. What can I get for you?"
The woman stood up and greeted them.
Li Fan and she made eye contact for a moment, both feeling a sense of familiarity.
Felyne approached a Great Jaggi plushie and reached out a paw to touch it, but quickly retracted it.
"Shop owner, how much is this Great Jaggi plushie, meow?"
"Yian Kut-Ku, 1400z."
The shop owner quoted the price.
"Uh... I didn't touch it, meow!"
Felyne, startled by the price, retreated several steps.
"It is a bit expensive. If you're short on funds, you can trade monster materials for it."
The shop owner informed them with a smile.
"One Great Big Horn, one Great Jaggi, and for Eudora... let's get her a Diablos one."
Li Fan generously bought three plushies.
The shop owner was naturally delighted, and Felyne was somewhat surprised, as Li Fan hadn't haggled this time.
After paying 6200z, Li Fan looked at the frog plushie bag hanging from the shop owner's waist and asked, "Is this for sale?"
"This... is a personal item and not for sale. However, if you can show me some monster illustrations from your compendium for my appreciation, I'd be willing to make one for you."
The female shop owner said, looking at the large book Li Fan wore slung across his shoulder.
"Can I just take out a few pages?"
Li Fan inquired.
"No problem, but the quality must be excellent."
Li Fan opened the book and flipped through it for a moment, then took out six pages and handed them over.
"This brushwork... it's amazing!"
The female shop owner exclaimed in awe.
Li Fan's drawings weren't necessarily intricate.
But he saw monsters every day and had extensive observation time, so his grasp of their essence and overall form was very accurate.
"I might not be staying in East Dondurma for too long. I'll pick it up later if I have time."
"What's your name?"
"I'm Li Fan."
"I'm Sophia."
*Ding-a-ling!* Felyne, carrying three monster plushies, happily walked out of the monster plushie shop.
"Why didn't you haggle this time, meow?"
Felyne asked curiously.
"Rent in this area is very expensive, you understand."
Li Fan explained.
Returning to the bench by the fountain, the barefoot red-robed guy was probably changing shifts, as a barefoot yellow-robed guy had arrived.
The yellow-robed guy was not only skilled but also spoke extremely fast, like a rapper.
"This is so annoying, meow!"
After listening to the guy rant for over ten minutes, Felyne covered its ears in exasperation.
Li Fan hadn't expected this kind of spam advertising here either and was equally annoyed, deciding to try and negotiate.
"Hello, Mr. Rapper. We're waiting for someone here. Could you take a break?"
"Sure..."
The rapper immediately agreed.
"Huh?"
Li Fan was surprised that the guy was so easy to talk to.
"No! I can't! I took money from the Dragon Cult, so I have to speak in the plaza for a full hour."
"Uh... is there any room for negotiation?"
"Yes... No! The Dragon Cult trusting me to do this, and they're giving me 80z for an hour! 80z!"
The rapper emphasized the word "80z" heavily when mentioning the remuneration.
"I'll give you 200z. How about you go somewhere and rest?"
Li Fan said in a low voice, extending his hand with two coins.
"No... Yes! People like you should join our Dragon Cult!"
"Well, I'll check it out if I have time."
The rapper tilted his head, revealing his brown face under the yellow hood.
He grinned and nodded, "Heh heh, see you around."
Then he ran off with a cheerful gait.
"It seems Eudora was right, these Dragon Cult people are quite strange."
Li Fan muttered, then sat back on the bench.
"Actually... if you gave me 200z, I could have endured it, meow. I could even sing to ward off the noise."
Felyne said with a hint of regret.
"Felyne, your spending habits need to change."
Li Fan said, looking at the fountain.
"Why, meow?"
"According to the information I've found, you were already a five-star Felyne Hunter after the fight against the Great Jaggi. You've experienced battles with the Wind Serpent and Thunder Serpent, and it's possible you're aiming for six stars. The rarity of a six-star Felyne Hunter is said to be comparable to a seven-star hunter, and the hiring fees are outrageously high."
Li Fan informed him.
"There's such a thing, meow."
Felyne was incredulous.
"Of course, this still needs to be evaluated and certified by the Guild, but I don't think it will be less than five stars."
"I'm at least... a five-star Felyne Hunter, meow!"
Felyne looked at its paw pads, feeling like it was dreaming.
In the history of Calala Village, only one four-star Felyne Hunter had ever emerged.
"So, you need to show the proper demeanor and make the Guild headquarters believe you are the most outstanding Felyne Hunter when they certify you."
Li Fan instructed.
"Okay, meow!"
Felyne's fighting spirit was ignited.
After about an hour of quiet, the man and the cat, leaning on the bench, were about to fall asleep.
A pleasant chime of bells could be heard.
Li Fan opened his eyes. A girl with snow-white eyebrows and hair, wearing a white dress, stood by the fountain.
Seeing the bell anklet on her ankle, Li Fan confirmed the source of the chime.
This time, the Dragon Cult's propaganda was delivered in a singing manner.
Her voice was melodious and pleasant, clearly more acceptable than the rapper or the forgetful guy.
Many people even gathered to watch and applaud, so Li Fan and Felyne naturally didn't object.
About half an hour later, Eudora, carrying a large bundle of cured meat, ran over quickly.
"This is cured meat roll made by Mom. Please try some."
Eudora pointed to her back.
"How is everything at home?"
"Mom and Felyne Palico are fine. They're as naggy as ever, always worried I won't eat enough outside, and they tell me not to take on hunting quests above three stars."
Eudora sighed.
"She still doesn't know you're a Chief Hunter for the Dragonator Institute?"
Li Fan found it unbelievable at first, but considering the information dissemination channels in the Monster Hunter world, he felt it was understandable that she wouldn't know.
"Although I want her to be proud of me, if I told her, I might not be able to go out and train anymore."
Eudora said with a hint of sadness.
"Li Fan bought you a monster plushie, meow!"
Felyne held up the Diablos plushie.
"Oh! Isn't this Little Handsome! The details are really well done."
Eudora's face lit up with surprise.
"I bought it at the shop across the street, meow."
Felyne pointed to the shop across the plaza.
"That's a plushie shop opened by Sophia, the receptionist for the Legendary Hunter's Guild. No wonder the plushies are so realistic."
Eudora said in surprise.
"She's waving this way... Hello! Sophia, meow!"
Felyne waved back.
"It really is her."
Li Fan said thoughtfully.
"Yes, you've heard of the Legendary Hunter's Guild's exploits, haven't you, Li Fan and Felyne?"
Eudora asked excitedly.
"No, meow."
"I've heard of it. They tracked and investigated the Dalamadur and eventually hunted the Safi'jiiva, right?"
Li Fan probed.
"That's right. Their experiences are legendary among legends. Well... the only pity is that the legendary hunter from the Guild mysteriously disappeared. There are rumors that his Fatalis infection worsened and he could no longer hunt, so he retired and returned to his hometown. After all, he was a hunter who could drink with the Elder and the Chairman. It's truly a shame to think about it."
Eudora said regretfully.
"Another one disappeared..."
Li Fan murmured softly.
He really couldn't understand why the protagonists of all generations ended up missing.
Was it a unique destiny of this world, or was someone deliberately manipulating their fate?
What Li Fan found fortunate was.
He wasn't the protagonist.