After approximately two hours of flight, Piaopiao guided the Blazing Fire towards a low-lying area of coral forest.
Piaopiao stopped and began to circle overhead.
Li Fan looked down and noticed that the ground, apart from a very deep cliff, was no different from other coral forest areas.
"Strange, shouldn't the Third Expedition's research base be in the sky? It must be due to weaker defenses, unable to withstand attacks," Li Fan mused, then descended with Dilu to investigate.
Upon reaching the edge of the cliff, a ship, half-submerged and hanging vertically, became visible.
The half-ship was suspended by several cables, with three spherical air bladders of varying sizes above and steel nails embedded in the rock face, preventing the vessel from falling.
A triangular purple flag with a water bottle emblem hung from the ship's tilted mast, the insignia of the Third Expedition, primarily composed of scholar researchers.
The altitude and terrain of the cliff face avoided the activity range of most monsters, so this location was likely chosen after careful consideration.
Li Fan judged this in his mind.
"Hold on tight, Dilu, we'll use Wirebugs to swing across," Li Fan proposed a quick method of arrival.
"Just a moment, meow, almost done," Dilu took out the blue jellyfish caught in the net, put it into a small backpack, and then leaped onto Li Fan's back.
"It's a bit far, meow," Dilu remarked, seeing the seemingly bottomless abyss below the cliff.
"It's fine, don't you still have the Wind Pouch Cloud? The distance is sufficient," Li Fan reassured.
"Mhm, okay, meow," Dilu pondered for a moment and agreed with Li Fan.
"Research base, here we come!" Li Fan said, stepping back a few paces, then sprinting towards the cliff edge and leaping forward with all his might.
Before his body began to fall, he shot out the first wire.
*Swish~ Swish~ Swish~*
As he swung through the air, Dilu clung to Li Fan's neck with one paw and held up the deflated Wind Pouch Cloud with the other.
*Poof~ Poof~ Poof~*
Under the strong wind, the pouch rapidly inflated, and the small cloud quickly recharged.
With the three Wirebugs exhausted and in a brief state of fatigue, the man and cat changed their posture.
Li Fan hugged Dilu's waist, and Dilu, holding the Wind Pouch Cloud, began to glide.
"Haha, I told you the distance was enough," Li Fan exclaimed. Just as he finished speaking, a strong gust of cold wind hit his face.
As the wind direction changed, the cat and man shifted from forward gliding to horizontal movement in the air.
"Uh, the direction is way off, meow," Dilu felt something was wrong.
"Don't worry, Dilu, listen to my command, we'll twist forward together, ready, one, two, three!"
The cat and man immediately began to sway forward in unison.
On the top of the half-ship converted research base, a dilapidated wooden door creaked open. A young dragon-like scholar wearing round-rimmed glasses stretched lazily, looking up at the sun, visible only at noon, from his position below the cliff.
"Ah~ another day full of hope."
"One, two, three! One, two, three!..."
Hearing the approaching shouts, the young dragon-like scholar quickly looked up at the sky.
"What is this..."
Seeing Li Fan and Dilu struggling to approach, the young dragon-like scholar immediately took off his round-rimmed glasses and wiped them vigorously several times.
After putting them back on and looking for a moment, he confirmed it wasn't an illusion.
"Brother, we're about to land, make way."
The half-ship was perpendicular to the cliff face, and there was no deck space for landing. The only area that could serve as a landing spot was this small wooden platform that had been modified and built.
"Okay..."
Still in shock, the young dragon-like scholar retreated. However, he vaguely felt he was in the way, so he simply opened the wooden door and hid inside the research base.
Li Fan chose the right moment to let go and landed smoothly on the small platform. Dilu climbed onto the Wind Pouch Cloud. The unpredictable winds of the Coral Highlands made the cloud's flight very unstable, but fortunately, they both landed successfully.
Experiencing it firsthand, Li Fan felt his earlier deduction that monsters were hard to reach was correct. However, it was equally difficult for humans to visit.
*Creak~* The wooden door was pushed open, and the young dragon-like scholar ran out, shaking Li Fan's hand excitedly. "Finally, a second visitor!"
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
Following his exclamation, the sound of frantic footsteps echoed from below. Soon, several scholars and over a dozen Felynes poured out from the door.
"Incredible! To be able to visit here alone! Definitely not an ordinary hunter."
"Such strange armor, not made from the materials of any known creature."
"Is the pattern on the waist flag a ribbon? Which expedition is this from?"
"That Felyne is sitting on a cloud, meow, how magical!"
The crowd began to chatter and discuss. Li Fan understood; after all, it had been too long since they had seen an outside visitor. Their gaunt appearance suggested they were not in good health.
"I've brought some supplies for everyone. A airship will be descending shortly."
"An airship! You came by airship? Oh no, now you won't be able to go back either," said an elderly dragon-like scholar, his face filled with dread.
"No need to worry. As the Zorah Magdaros crossed the canyon, it also cleared the mountain obstruction. The Starfall Outpost's route to the Coral Highlands should be connected soon," Li Fan reassured.
Upon hearing this significant piece of information, everyone looked incredulous.
Li Fan and Dilu were soon invited into the research base. A faint fragrance wafted towards them. To accommodate the vertical ship, the cabin had been modified from top to bottom, connected by a spiral staircase. Various research facilities, bookshelves, and living necessities were stacked on the built-out circular platforms. Due to weak lighting, the cabin was relatively dim.
Guided by the young dragon-like scholar, Li Fan arrived at the first floor of the research base. A female dragon-like scholar, wearing a loose robe and a blue and white gauze shawl, quickly caught his attention. She was leaning against a pile of books, her four-fingered hand holding a small incense burner. Various bird feathers were tied to her headband. She appeared relaxed, as if at home, showing no sense of being stranded in the wilderness.
"An unfamiliar flag emblem... are you a member of the latest expedition?" the female dragon-like scholar asked curiously.
"Yes, I am the leader of the Fifth Expedition, named Li Fan. I'm here to investigate the whereabouts of the Zorah Magdaros," Li Fan introduced himself.
"My name is Ni Zhen, leader of the Third Expedition. I'm glad you could visit. You didn't come by wyvern, did you?" Ni Zhen inquired.
"Yes, I came by airship."
"Airship..." Upon hearing these words, Ni Zhen's expression changed immediately. "I never expected that after the Third Expedition's ordeal, someone would still attempt to cross the great canyon by airship." Ni Zhen sighed.
"Fulai wasn't entirely in agreement either, but tracking the Zorah Magdaros was urgent, so I had to go," Li Fan explained.
"Hmm, another Elder Dragon Crossing. Since it's Zorah Magdaros this time, there should be breakthroughs in research. Unfortunately, the research base can only offer limited assistance at the moment," Ni Zhen said helplessly.
"No need to worry about that. Once connected to the Starfall Outpost, many hunters will visit the Coral Highlands for hunting and gathering, and the research base will soon regain its vitality."
"That is indeed good news. However, the Coral Highlands are not suitable for wyvern travel. Firstly, the winds are strong and unpredictable, making it very dangerous for less experienced wyverns. Secondly, wyverns are also prey for the Legiana," Ni Zhen informed him.
"So, we need to focus on developing land routes." Li Fan could prevent Piaopiao from hunting Legiana, but other Legiana in the area wouldn't listen to him.
"Exactly. Also, besides tracking the Zorah Magdaros, do you, the leader of the Fifth Expedition, have any other hunting plans?" Ni Zhen asked tentatively.
"Do you have a contract to issue?"
"Yes. I had given up hope, but since the connection will be completed soon, I feel we can move on to the next stage of exploration. However, as you can see the state of the research base, the few floating air bladders on top cannot bear the weight of the ship. Therefore, I would like to commission you to hunt a Raphinos. Its materials are excellent for manufacturing air bladders," Ni Zhen stated her request.
"But even if the research base can move freely, safety is still not guaranteed," Li Fan pointed out the hidden danger.
"There is a way to guarantee it, because below this cliff is an area called the Guiding Lands," Ni Zhen said with great confidence.
"This is the Guiding Lands below!" Li Fan knew that below the Coral Highlands was the Guiding Lands, but he had no idea how to get there.
Ni Zhen blinked in surprise. She had expected him to ask what the Guiding Lands were.
"The name sounds like a good place," Li Fan quickly thought of a way to smooth things over.
"That's an accurate description for scholars, but unfortunately, with our limited capabilities, we can only observe from afar. It's too difficult to reach it physically. The existing information was brought back by Master Field," Ni Zhen said wistfully.
"Then why does the Guiding Lands area provide safety?" Li Fan asked curiously. The upper layers of the Guiding Lands were manageable, just a bit gloomy. The lower layers were incredibly hostile, an ecosystem not prepared for ordinary creatures. The claim that it could provide safety for the research base was even more baffling.
Ni Zhen raised her arm, picked up the book she was using as a cushion, flipped through it a few times, and handed it to Li Fan. "This cliff is the boundary between two areas. Due to the vast difference in their ecosystems, monsters from both areas rarely venture into the other." Ni Zhen explained.
"I understand. So, the monsters in the Guiding Lands don't want to come up, and the monsters in the Coral Highlands don't want to go down, thus creating a no-man's-land." Li Fan looked at the research records in the book, and combined with Ni Zhen's explanation, he immediately understood why the Third Expedition had survived for twenty years.
"So, as long as the research base operates within this area, it won't be attacked by monsters."
"This ecological discovery is significant, but it's a shame such environments are so difficult to replicate," Li Fan said with some regret.
"I believe that after further exploration into the Guiding Lands in the future, there will be more astonishing discoveries. So, Li Fan, are you interested in accepting the commission?" Ni Zhen asked with hopeful eyes.
"No."
"Excellent! I wonder if the contract format at the outpost has changed. Let's just use the old one..." Ni Zhen picked up a feather pen and was about to write on the paper when she suddenly noticed something was amiss.
"Is it too dangerous?"
"No, my Blazing Fire has spare air bladders. Although not made from Raphinos materials, they are still Dragon-dated Academy products. If the Third Expedition needs them, I can give them to you directly," Li Fan informed her.
"Haha... Yes, I had completely forgotten about supply support," Ni Zhen chuckled at herself, holding her forehead. The entire Third Expedition had seemingly grown accustomed to solving all their problems without any aid over the past twenty years.
The supplies were quickly unloaded. Li Fan bid farewell to the members of the Third Expedition as he needed to check on the camp construction.
"Raphinos are so cute, and they can use air cannons. I really want to capture one," Li Fan exclaimed, leaning on the ship's railing. He generally didn't capture monsters based on their appearance, but he genuinely liked the fluffy look of the Raphinos. Unfortunately, Raphinos had a very specialized diet, feeding only on coral eggs from the Coral Highlands, and were unable to live outside their region. Furthermore, their ecological niche wasn't high, making free-ranging them a high risk of death. Li Fan decided that when he had time, he would secretly find a lone Raphinos to pet its fluffy white fur and satisfy his craving.
*Whoosh! Boom! Whoosh! Boom!* Several blast-off bombs were dropped, and a string of colorful fireworks exploded in the sky. However, after waiting for a long time, there was still no response from Yudora and Aibo.
"Strange, they should be around here, meow," Dilu unfolded the exploration map, looking puzzled.
"Could it be that the large drops in the coral forest are blocking their line of sight, so they didn't see it?" Li Fan speculated.
*Boom!* While the man and cat were still discussing, a massive gust of air exploded in the distance.
"That attack, it's definitely Yudora. Ferri! Turn towards there!" The appearance of Elder Dragons was always accompanied by large-scale anomalies. The area where Yudora was located appeared normal, both on the ground and in the sky, so Li Fan hadn't worried about her.
*Boom!* As the Blazing Fire approached, another gust of air exploded.
"What kind of monster can make Yudora use two charged slashes?" Li Fan was curious.
"There was a very strong flash just now, meow, and Yudora also used a flash bomb," Dilu reported from her observation.
"Could it be a five-star monster? No, at this distance, we should at least hear its roar. Ferri! Activate the booster!" Li Fan began to worry and decided to head there at full speed.
*Puff~ Puff~ Puff~* A trail of black smoke streaked across the sky above the Coral Highlands as the Blazing Fire sped along. A flock of Pukei-Pukei, not understanding what was happening, was overtaken from the side.
"Another strong flash, meow," Dilu reported.
"Does Yudora like using flash bombs so much? Could it be!" Li Fan suddenly thought of a possibility.
The Blazing Fire arrived above the incident site, but still heard no roars or heavy monster footsteps. However, Yudora's shouts were very loud.
"Stop right there! You..." Yudora, who was flying forward, stopped mid-sentence, turned to look behind her at Aibo, who was taking off with Wirebug silk.
"It's called a Tobi-Kadachi," Aibo, understanding the situation, informed him.
"Stop right there! Tobi-Kadachi! ...Ah! Here it comes again!" The fleeing Tobi-Kadachi suddenly looked back, its head growing a pair of curved horns that fanned out like a fan. Yudora quickly raised his arm to shield his eyes.