The next day, warm sunlight shone on the snowfield, making the climate dry and comfortable.
The team split into two groups. Eudora rushed back to the Star Base to report their safety.
Li Fan led the monster team and began training on the spot.
He opened the Matryoshka soundproof box, took out an adaptation sphere, and seeing that Bingbingzi was awake, released her from the sphere.
Seeing herself suddenly appear on the snow, Bingbingzi was a little surprised but quickly adapted.
A comfortable night's sleep had improved her mood considerably, and she looked at things with a gentle gaze.
"I made some improvements last night, and I feel this suits your temperament better."
Li Fan held up the giant ear muffs.
The sides of the ear muffs were now covered with moonstone casings.
The bar-shaped spinel shape, extending upwards and backwards, gave a sharp and avant-garde feel.
Bingbingzi's eyes lit up with excitement, but to maintain her composure, she quickly suppressed her emotions and lowered her head, leaning forward.
"My goodness, this is too beautiful."
After she put them on, Li Fan exclaimed with exaggerated surprise.
"Roar~"
Bingbingzi shivered slightly, quickly shook her head backward, hesitated for a moment, and then turned and ran away.
"Did... did I say something wrong?"
Li Fan was bewildered.
Bingbingzi, who had run far away, exhaled a puff of cold air from her mouth when she saw that he wasn't chasing her.
*Hoo~ Ssszzzz~*
A smooth ice wall quickly formed on the snow.
Looking at her reflection in the ice, Bingbingzi let out a determined growl, believing that Li Fan truly had good taste and that his words were perfectly accurate.
It was indeed too beautiful!
Li Fan saw a status called "Image Burden" appear in Bingbingzi's status bar and roughly deduced why she had run away.
Not long after, the other monsters, sensing the call, appeared one after another.
The serene snowfield suddenly became lively.
The Four Brothers of the Ice Sea were in deep discussion about why there were no prey in such a large area.
Huihui was introducing to Xixi that the nearby sea was teeming with water beasts.
The mischievous little fool was troubled by Pidan's naughtiness.
Kuku and Roar excitedly circled Ye Ye, who was roaring.
Zhan Zhan, who was trying to chew on the molten moonstone, complained that the thing was getting colder the more he chewed.
A hundred meters away, Bingbingzi lay alone on the snow. Also far from the other monsters were Piaopiao, who kept peeking at Bingbingzi, and Baolie, who was patrolling the sky.
Li Fan checked the list. Except for Shanshan, Paofu, and Xiao Ming, who couldn't be present, all the participating members were there.
He first maintained order at the scene, then announced the intelligence that the Black Dragon was approaching and the decision to prepare for battle.
The atmosphere fell silent.
The monsters weren't afraid, but they simply had no idea what the Black Dragon was.
Li Fan took out a display board and used drawings and writing to educate them.
Its body was covered in scales that grew upward, forming a divine realm of elemental turbulence, capable of controlling five elements in battle.
A series of concepts beyond their comprehension left the monsters looking confused.
Li Fan brought out the lava island where they had fought the Molten Flame King Goremagala.
The monsters who had participated in that battle quickly recalled the subtle sensations they had experienced in the residual area of the divine realm.
"Roar!"
Huihui, realizing something, let out an urgent cry, signaling her refusal.
"If I had a choice, I wouldn't want to face it either, but if the Black Dragon truly arrives, it will not only kill Xiao Ming but also destroy the entire ecosystem of the New World and the Everfrost Tundra."
Li Fan wasn't sure how it would do this.
But an ecosystem like the New World, capable of nurturing the Safi'jiiva, would inevitably be completely overturned.
The core area, the Elder's Recess, had no chance of surviving.
"Roar~"
Bingbingzi, who had been lying down, got up from the snow and indicated that she didn't want to hear any more noise. She was willing to fight to protect the quiet of her habitat.
"Roar!"
Cheche let out a roar, declaring that the Guiding Lands must not be overturned and that she would also participate.
"Roar~"
Yuan Jiao declared, "I'll listen to the Crooked Neck Emperor."
The monsters expressed their strong fighting spirit one after another, but only Huihui remained silent.
"Alright, next I will announce the list of participants and their groups. Little Fool, Wanpi, and Yuan Jiao will be the fire element group. Xixi, Bingbingzi, Lei Ge, and Paofu will be responsible for outputting lightning, ice, dragon, and water elements respectively. Huihui, Shanshan, and Xiao Ming will be responsible for frontal combat. The remaining members of the monster team... will temporarily withdraw from the New World before the battle begins."
Li Fan announced.
"Roar? Roar?"
Zhan Zhan and Cheche questioned simultaneously, unable to understand why they couldn't participate in this battle.
"The Black Dragon's inverse scales are likely to be unimaginably strong and thick. Zhan Zhan and Cheche, as melee attackers, will have difficulty inflicting effective damage, and with no defensive measures, participating would be too dangerous. Moreover, this is a battle that could be interrupted and require immediate evacuation at any moment. I don't want you to sacrifice your lives."
Li Fan explained.
*Bang~ Ssszzzz~*
Cheche slammed its front claws into the ground, digging out a giant rock and lifting it with its sharp claws.
"Throwing rocks from a distance won't work against it... and if it really comes to a fight, it will be hard for you and Zhan Zhan to control your urge to attack."
Li Fan sighed.
Hearing this, Cheche's head drooped powerlessly.
"Roar~"
Zhan Zhan stated that it had a combination skill with Eudora, and without it, Eudora would be unable to use a certain move.
"A combination skill? Two of you going together would be even more dangerous."
Li Fan rejected the idea.
"Roar~"
Zhan Zhan insisted that it would only assist Eudora and would not attack.
"What kind of combination skill is this... Alright, after it's released, you must get back into the sphere."
"Roar!" Hearing that it could participate, Zhan Zhan roared excitedly.
Afterward, Li Fan introduced the combat strategy focused on elemental output.
Simply put, every time the Black Dragon transformed its element, monsters capable of elemental output had to seize the opportunity to strike.
Neutralize same elements, exploit opposing elements.
In short, they had to use the team's strongest elemental power to restrict the elemental attacks released by the Black Dragon.
Li Fan knew that in terms of single-element application, except for Bingbingzi, the other monsters might not be on the same level.
However, with Huihui, Shanshan, and Xiao Ming as the main combatants in the front, theoretically, this gap could be bridged, and perhaps even an advantage could be gained.
Next was the training of monster rotation sorties, which was the most crucial part of the entire operation.
Because if the output couldn't be switched accurately and promptly, the elemental energies of the monster team itself would conflict.
"Ice!... Fire! Spread out more... Dragon! Lei Ge, don't be stingy with the Corrupting Dragon Bugs... Lightning! Xixi, concentrate!"
To improve efficiency, Li Fan set the rotation commands as single words, while also providing guidance on issues arising during the rotation transitions.
After half a day of training, the training area, scoured by massive elemental attacks, was unrecognizable, and the team's coordination became increasingly proficient.
Observing two combat coordination sessions without his direct command, Li Fan felt that the team could now conduct training independently.
He decided to return to the Moonridge Base to check the situation. His primary goal was to ascertain the Black Dragon's movements and to find useful intelligence from the research base.
The temperature on the snowfield gradually dropped at night.
Just as Li Fan was contemplating who to send back, Huihui, standing on the snow and looking up at the moon, came into view.
"Are you worried about the Black Dragon?"
Li Fan walked over and sat down on the ice.
"Roar~"
Huihui lowered its head and sighed softly.
It said that when it used to fly over the divine realm, it always felt a sense of dread and would fly around it.
But due to the passage of time, the reason for its fear had been forgotten, yet the warning of not being able to approach it remained in its memory.
"It's not your fault. It's one of the most powerful monsters in this world. Perhaps only you truly understand its terrifying nature."
Li Fan said helplessly.
He had only seen the Black Dragon in games, but in the Monster Hunter world, it was a world-ending monster.
The only solace for the world was that it rarely migrated, spending its days only within the divine realm it created.
Huihui, having lived for a long time, might have had encounters with it and left an impression.
Huihui felt a sense of relief from this understanding.
It quickly realized that Li Fan also had a sufficient understanding of the Black Dragon's terrifying nature, but he had no choice but to act.
"Roar~"
Huihui stated that if they encountered real danger, it would lead everyone to escape as quickly as possible.
"Actually, not necessarily the fastest, just reasonably fast..."
Li Fan reminded.
In the night sky, blue streaks of light flashed across the sky above the Moonridge Base.
*Clang~ Hiss~*
The scorching carapace used for insulation was thrown onto the snow, melting a large patch of snow into white mist.
Li Fan picked up the dazed Palico, jumped off Huihui's back, waved goodbye, and walked towards the Moonridge Base.
The various colored signal flares exploding in the sky indicated that a celebration was underway.
Li Fan guessed it was a celebration for repelling Bingbingzi.
He was somewhat glad that he had sent Eudora back early, otherwise, with the disappearance of the Fifth Fleet Master, this celebration probably wouldn't have been held.
"Black Dragon, take this... Meow!"
The Palico in his arms swiped its paw in its sleep.
"Still not resting peacefully."
Li Fan said, gently pressing down the paw and tightening the cotton hat on the Palico's head.
There were few people on the streets of the base at this time, but the Moonridge Guild Hall was bustling with activity.
The shop assistant Felyne, who was sweeping snow from the entrance, saw Li Fan and its eyes lit up. It ran into the hall and shouted loudly, "The Azure Star is back, meow!"
Everyone stood up and welcomed Li Fan in.
The Head of the Guild, Master Field, Elbo, Fray, Di Yan, Master Swordsman, Ni Zhen...
Everyone had gathered to celebrate. Thinking of the fireworks in the sky and the snow-covered wilderness all around, Li Fan felt a sense of returning home for the New Year.
After being seated at the round table, the aroma of grilled meat on the table opened the eyes of the sleepy Palico.
"Was it smooth?"
Eudora asked, holding a barrel mug.
"Better than expected."
"The confirmation of the Frostfang Barioth allowed Elbo to fulfill his grandfather's wish... Speaking of which, the naming of the Frostfang Barioth was only confirmed this afternoon... Never mind."
Eudora paused mid-sentence and took a drink.
She seemed to have grown accustomed to Li Fan's increasing inquiries about anomalies.
As the late-night celebration ended, everyone seemed to have had a good time, but there was a subtle sadness in their words and actions.
The confirmation of the Frostfang Barioth was indeed a significant ecological discovery, and coupled with the unraveling of the mystery of the Elder's Crossing, it was enough for five fleets to return with honors.
However, most people didn't want to leave; they had already come to regard this place as their home.
Di Yan leaned against the window with his hands, sighing dejectedly. Fray could only pat his shoulder in comfort.
The Second Fleet Master began dismantling the workshop facilities with his apprentices.
Ni Zhen, in the research base, was sorting through the ecological reports accumulated over the years with the scholars, preparing for loading and transport.
She seemed quite surprised to see Li Fan arrive at this time.
"The Ecological Research Institute said they haven't received any intelligence on the movement of the Elder Dragons recently, so I wanted to come and take a look."
Li Fan explained his purpose.
"I am interested in investigating the Elder Dragons and am willing to bear the pressure to collect information, but unfortunately, related materials were long ago altered and burned by the Dragonraider cult."
Ni Zhen sighed.
"The Dragonraider cult... so they might have some secret classified information?"
Li Fan speculated.
"That makes sense. If the Dragonraider cult doesn't have the basis to define the truth, how would they know what content touches upon the forbidden?"
Ni Zhen suddenly realized.
"If only I could go back to the Old Continent..."
"Do you know anyone in the Dragonraider cult?"
Ni Zhen asked uncertainly.
"I have a friend inside."
"It's useless, Li Fan. That kind of information is only held by the highest echelons... If you really want to obtain information about the Elder Dragons, you'd better not withdraw yet and stay to observe."
Ni Zhen said with a faint smile, a flicker of fanaticism in her eyes.
"Are you serious?"
"Of course, I'm joking. Who would choose to stay when they know the Elder Dragons are coming? Besides, the ecological reports collected in the past six months are enough for us to research for at least a decade."
Ni Zhen said, looking at the small mountain of ecological file boxes behind her.
They were filled with reports on monsters like Safi'jiiva, Frostfang Barioth, Ruiner Nergigante, and Blackveil Vaal Hazak.
"But I still really want to stay! That's where the amazing discoveries are... It seems this is the end."
Ni Zhen said with a hint of helplessness.
"What amazing discovery?"
"A team got lost while exploring the Everfrost Tundra and entered a valley to take shelter from the snowstorm, where they accidentally found a super-large leyline trench."
Ni Zhen explained.
"Leyline trench?"
Li Fan found the phrasing a bit strange.
"To be precise, it was a dried-up, depleted leyline trench. There were no living creatures there; the ecosystem seemed to be in a constant state... and there were signs of environmental modification. Later, the research base issued an investigation contract to explore various leylines in the Everfrost Tundra, and then they made an astonishing discovery."
Ni Zhen, with a look of longing, took a deep breath and said, "The current leylines are depleting at an unimaginable speed, as if something is desperately in need of energy and is draining it to the utmost."
"Did this situation only occur recently?"
Li Fan asked urgently.
"Yes, and the ecological impact hasn't even manifested yet, but I believe it won't be long."
Ni Zhen said with some reluctance.
Clearly, if not for the forced withdrawal due to the Black Dragon, this would have been another major ecological discovery.
I still have allies! And we are preparing for battle! Could it be it?
Li Fan's thoughts raced.