"It's so good that you're all back safe!"
Upon seeing the team return, Aibo set aside the roasted sweet potatoes and hurried over to embrace Yudora.
"Our investigation wasn't very in-depth, so you don't need to worry too much," Yudora said, gently patting Aibo's back.
"Don't underestimate me just because I'm alone. Many of the surrounding ecological surveys have already been completed," Aibo said, holding up the large booklet she carried on her shoulder.
"That's perfect. We were planning to head back to the Star Fort next."
"Are the silver carapaces you're carrying monster materials?" Aibo asked curiously, noticing the two bundles of sharp-edged silver carapaces on their backs.
"Yes, we found traces of the Valstrax while investigating the Elder's Recess and brought them back," Li Fan explained.
"That many traces, enough to craft weapons," Aibo exclaimed in surprise.
"That's a good suggestion, we can try that."
"Elder's Recess, Valstrax... what a remarkable ecological discovery. By the way, did you encounter any of the first-generation Dragonkin seniors?" Aibo inquired.
"Dragonkin seniors... you mean Mure?" Li Fan asked tentatively.
"That's right. Two days after you left, he visited the camp. After resting for a night, he set off alone."
"We didn't run into him, perhaps our routes were different." Li Fan felt that Mure's visit was another step closer to the discovery of the convergence point.
The three of them and the cat immediately packed their belongings and soon set off on their return journey. Thanks to the Grand Master's repeated travels, the optimal route and the placement of Kinsect paths had become nearly perfect. This time, the team only took two days to reach the geode caves by the sea. After a day's boat trip, they successfully returned to the Star Fort.
Fly was very pleased with the team's safe return. However, upon hearing about the general situation in the Elder's Recess, he quickly frowned. After all, Elder Dragons like Teostra, Lunastra, Kushala Daora, and Valstrax were considered cataclysmic existences on the Old Continent. Their congregation in one area was, from any perspective, not a good sign. The best course of action was to ascertain the Elder Dragons' intentions before the threat materialized. Fly immediately issued orders to establish a land route connecting to the Elder's Recess and posted relevant investigation contracts. Upon hearing of Kushala Daora's whereabouts, Aydan, a member of the recommended team, immediately claimed several related contracts, preparing to be among the first hunters to establish a new camp.
After submitting his report, Li Fan felt an unprecedented sense of relief. Returning to the makeshift dwelling built from the wreckage of the White Wind, he lay down on a hammock. After such a long period of struggle, he could finally live a peaceful life...
When Li Fan opened his eyes again, it was already evening outside. Carrying stacks of scorching carapaces, he walked out of his dwelling. The fort was bustling with activity as a new land route was being opened. Li Fan noticed that the hunters' equipment levels had significantly improved since before. He took a water-wheel-powered cable car to the second-floor workshop area. Following the sound of clanging hammers, Li Fan arrived at a spacious entrance that emitted orange light and walked in. In front of a massive forge, a circular conveyor belt filled with armor and weapons was slowly rotating. Inside the conveyor belt, next to stacks of ore, a bald old man with a thick black beard and a single-eyed patch was delivering armor and weapons from the conveyor belt according to a list.
"Deep Earth Greatsword, Fanged Wyvern Fang, Kulu-Ya-Ku Hammer, Great Jagras Blaster. If no one claims them within three counts, they go back into the furnace," the bald old man announced. Several hunters immediately rushed to the conveyor belt, shouting "Mine!" as they submitted their tickets and collected their equipment. Li Fan saw that he had arrived just in time for equipment delivery and found a chair nearby to wait.
About ten minutes later, all the equipment had been delivered. The one-eyed bald old man let out a sigh and leaned on a hammer, supporting himself as he sat down on a chair.
"Hello, Second Generation Guild Master," Li Fan said, walking up to the conveyor belt and greeting him. Although the other party didn't participate in every combat meeting, they at least knew each other.
"It's Li Fan, what brings you to the workshop?" the Second Generation Guild Master asked curiously. In the past, even for equipment maintenance and repair, Dilu would be the one to visit.
"I want to craft a piece of equipment," Li Fan said, then brought two stacks of scorching carapaces and placed them on the conveyor belt.
"What materials are these?" the Second Generation Guild Master leaned in, observing them with curiosity.
"Valstrax carapaces."
"Valstrax... you're not joking, are you?"
"It's no joke. Valstrax has indeed visited the Elder's Recess. Since its ecological behavior on the Old Continent is very stable, the overall commander hasn't issued any investigation contracts." Li Fan informed him.
"Then how did you obtain these materials?"
"I picked them up."
"Picked them up? No wonder everyone wants to go to the Elder's Recess. What kind of equipment do you want to make?"
"I'm not sure, I'd like to hear your suggestion."
"You... alright." The Second Generation Guild Master said helplessly, reaching out to grip the edge of a carapace and closing his eyes in thought. "The strength of these carapaces is fine, but the potential abilities they contain are too low to be activated. I suspect these are extra-grown carapaces that separated from its body not long after they formed with the Valstrax. "
"Professional!" Li Fan exclaimed in admiration. He hadn't expected the other party to be able to determine the specific origin of the materials just by observing and sensing them.
"It's nothing. Selecting monster materials is one of the most basic processes for crafting stronger armor and weapons. These Valstrax materials won't do for armor, but they're fine for weapons. For hunters who can't control their abilities well, these materials even have certain advantages." the Second Generation Guild Master explained. For Elder Dragon-level materials like Valstrax, if the ability activation was too strong, then how to cope with the negative effects of that activation would be a significant consideration. The carapaces Li Fan had were fortunate to avoid this hidden danger.
"Then what weapon would be most suitable?"
"Given the quantity of materials you've brought, any weapon can be made. You primarily use the Greatsword, so let's make a Greatsword," the Second Generation Guild Master suggested.
"Greatsword... that sounds good too. Oh, and can this be added as well?" Li Fan said, taking out a cloth bag and placing it on the conveyor belt. He untied the drawstring of the cloth bag and pulled out a crimson spherical object. The Second Generation Guild Master froze upon seeing the sphere.
*Whoosh!* A combustion occurred within the forge, and a stream of flames shot towards the location of the crimson dragon energy orb. Seeing this, the Second Generation Guild Master quickly pulled down the lever in front of him. *Clang!* The gate on the forge dropped, and the giant bellows, operated by an iron arm, simultaneously stopped working. Over a dozen craftsmen and Palico apprentices rushed over to investigate, but they were all driven away by the Second Generation Guild Master. Once everyone was gone, the Second Generation Guild Master leaned in and asked in a low voice, "Where did this come from?"
"I picked it up too," Li Fan replied quietly.
"Is this something you can just pick up? You know, even a Rathalos's ruby doesn't form crystalline walls on its surface." The Second Generation Guild Master's single eye was filled with disbelief. Bird wyvern gems, beast gems, and dragon gems were already extremely rare materials in the workshop. A gem like this, which could attract flames just by being placed there, although he had never seen similar properties before, the Second Generation Guild Master could tell from the crystalline walls on its surface that this was definitely a gem containing immense energy.
"It wasn't exactly picked up randomly. I saw the Valstrax flying in the sky, and then this fell down," Li Fan began to fabricate.
"To obtain it so easily... perhaps it's fate. However, it's impossible to integrate this Dragon Orb into a Greatsword. Crafting a Greatsword is out of the question," the Second Generation Guild Master informed him.
"Why?"
"Given the size of this Dragon Orb, even if we grind away the outer crystalline walls, it won't fit inside a Greatsword's blade. Furthermore, the operating mechanism of each Dragon Orb is different. Although we haven't figured out how to use this one yet, the components needed to activate it will only take up more space." the Second Generation Guild Master explained.
Li Fan, feeling helpless, suddenly realized a problem. Designing entirely new weapon structures would have to be done step by step. Moreover, since the Valstrax had never been hunted, even the most skilled craftsmen were unsure what a crimson dragon energy orb was.
"Can it be made into a Greatsword?" Li Fan asked tentatively. The internal space of a Greatsword was clearly much larger than that of a Greatsword.
"A Greatsword should be fine, but the nature and operating mechanism of this Dragon Orb still require in-depth research. There are still many difficulties to overcome before it can be completed." Even with enough internal space for a Greatsword, the Second Generation Guild Master wasn't too optimistic.
"I've done some preliminary research on this Dragon Orb. I have a plan, I don't know if it can help you," Li Fan said, raising his hand.
"Please, go ahead. If it's about the nature of the Dragon Orb, it can at least help the workshop deepen its understanding." With their approval, Li Fan took out his notebook and explained his idea. "This Dragon Orb can mix draconic energy with air to generate a dragon energy that has extremely strong thrust and can be sprayed with combustion. Therefore, in the design of the Greatsword, I think we can set an air intake at the front to introduce air into the sealed space of the sword body, where it will react with the Dragon Orb to generate dragon energy, and then introduce it to the rear spray nozzle for ejection. This way, when the hunter releases a charged slash, if the dragon energy propulsion can erupt simultaneously, the power of the slash will definitely be greatly increased... Second Generation Guild Master? Are you listening?"
Li Fan asked, seeing the Second Generation Guild Master staring blankly at the crimson dragon energy orb.
"I'm listening... such a radical weapon design, I haven't heard of anything like it in a long time. However, there's one problem you seem to have overlooked." the Second Generation Guild Master said slowly.
"Of course, how to introduce the draconic energy is a difficult point..."
"It's not that."
"Then what is it?"
"Once a Greatsword like this is manufactured, can any hunter truly wield it?" Li Fan was taken aback by the question. Crafted with top-tier materials, the weapon's strength should be guaranteed. However, whether the hunter could withstand it was something he had overlooked. The Storm Orb of the Abyss merely amplified lightning elemental energy, and even the Thunder God Dragon armor was somewhat unbearable. No one could predict what would happen if a Greatsword containing a crimson dragon energy orb was used. It was like installing a jet engine on a bicycle. Even if the bicycle wouldn't be damaged and the engine could operate normally, what about the person on it?
"I haven't considered it enough," Li Fan said, picking up the dragon energy orb to put it back in the cloth bag, but the Second Generation Guild Master stopped him with a hand.
"The workshop will take on this weapon. However, since it's a newly developed weapon, the various costs will be very high. Can your research points cover it?" the Second Generation Guild Master asked with concern.
"It should be enough... You don't mind if no one can wield it once it's made?"
"I believe a suitable user will eventually appear. And the experience gained from a successful creation might further advance the workshop's weapon-making capabilities," the Second Generation Guild Master explained. Li Fan immediately understood. The crafting of this Greatsword was a top-tier research project in the field of equipment manufacturing. Normally, even if the workshop wanted to attempt similar breakthroughs, they wouldn't have monster materials of this caliber to use.
"Alright, if you encounter any difficulties, you can come to me anytime." Li Fan bid farewell to the Second Generation Guild Master, had dinner with his team at the Palico Inn, and then returned to the Fire Wyvern. Glancing at the pile of letters on his cabin desk, Li Fan decided to read them tomorrow and stretched before lying down on the bed. "I still haven't rubbed the Sky-high Dragon's belly enough. Maybe I should take on a contract to investigate..." Li Fan began planning his future life. The New World no longer posed any survival pressure for him. All he needed to do now was wait for the outcome of the battle between the Nergiante and the three Elder Dragons, and then act according to the situation. A sense of exhilaration, as if he had already beaten the game and could roam freely, surged within him.
As usual, he checked the status of the monsters on his handheld device. Finding no major issues, Li Fan was about to go to sleep when he suddenly remembered that he hadn't opened his 3DS in a long time, so he took it out of his bag. "I'm so unmotivated, my courage must be so dim that it's invisible..." Li Fan muttered as he opened the handheld device. Before he could even look at the characters at the top of the upper screen, his gaze was drawn to the Lao-Shan Lung in the center of the screen. "It's still moving... Wait, shouldn't the Lao-Shan Lung be at the very beginning of the timeline?" Li Fan was surprised to find that the timeline beneath the Lao-Shan Lung's feet had extended beyond the screen. He quickly pressed the buttons and dragged the screen forward. Six months later, a question mark appeared at the end of the timeline. The anchor point didn't mark a monster, but it did give a specific location: Shul-e-de City.
"The Lao-Shan Lung is heading to Shul-e-de City..." Li Fan immediately sat up in bed and began to ponder. Is the Lao-Shan Lung really going to find the Black Dragon? No way, I was just saying that casually. It has been running away from the Lavasioth for its entire life. Whether it's due to its strong perception of energy or coercion from the Black Dragon, it's hard to say. The most important thing now is what will happen if they meet. "They aren't like the Wind God Dragon and Thunder God Dragon. Nothing should happen if they meet." Li Fan thought back and forth, feeling like he was overthinking.
"Fruit is here, meow." Dilu, holding a tray, ran into the cabin.
"Dilu... when we drove away the Lao-Shan Lung, did I translate what it said?"
"Yes, meow."
"What did it say?" Li Fan asked curiously.
"It said it didn't want to run away anymore, meow. It wanted to draw its sword and was fortunate to witness your existence," Dilu informed him.
Zhao Lala reminds you: Please remember to collect after reading.