Rustling
A rustling sound of leaves echoed, and Li Fan, along with Aibo, plunged into the jungle.
Bright sunlight slanted through the gaps in the leaves, and the thick scent of vegetation filled the air.
The Lavasioth, having completed its landing behind them, continued its heavy steps towards an unknown direction.
"Phew~ This must be the Ancient Forest," Aibo said.
Aibo, who landed on his backside, got up, brushed the dirt off his pants, and opened the large book strapped to his waist, comparing it to his surroundings.
"It should be, but the canopy here is too dense, making it impossible to tell direction. Let's find an open space first," Li Fan suggested.
Following Li Fan's advice, the two immediately set off towards an area with sparser trees.
Before long, a yellow triangular tent appeared by the roadside.
Seeing the dust on the canvas and the disarray of the items, they deduced it was an abandoned camp and began searching for useful things.
"Found it!"
Aibo, standing before a storage chest, excitedly held up a leather-bound book.
"A map?"
"Yes."
As the map was opened, Aibo studied it intently.
"Leaving the jungle from here, we reach the coast, pass through the dense forest beneath the giant ancient tree, and that's the Star Fort," Aibo analyzed.
"Then you lead the way. I really can't navigate that dense forest under the ancient tree," Li Fan proposed.
The complex terrain of the Ancient Forest had always been Li Fan's nightmare.
In the unrestricted real world, the difficulty of finding one's way would undoubtedly increase by several levels.
"Commander, you're too humble. This is actually a test for me, isn't it?" Aibo asked with certainty.
"You can interpret it however you wish. I'll handle the combat; you just need to scout the path," Li Fan replied.
"Alright, let's go!"
The two didn't walk for long before emerging from the jungle and reaching the coastal area marked on the map.
Hiss hiss
The transparent bug cage on Aibo's waist lit up with a green glow, and a series of rapid wing beats sounded.
"The Wirebugs are reacting," Aibo said.
Aibo opened the cage, and a swarm of green light points flew forward.
Cultivated Wirebug swarms chase specific scents and substances, possessing strong tracking and exploration abilities, and are almost indispensable on the New World.
The Wirebug swarm circled briefly by a small stream not far away and attached itself to a tooth mark on a decaying log.
The flashing green light of the swarm was clearly visible even during the day.
This obvious mark is called a trace on the New World and is a primary method for ecological surveys.
Aibo rushed over, crouched down to examine it, and scraped a small amount of mucus from the tooth mark with a small knife, placing it into a bone tube.
"Although we don't know what monster is active nearby, judging by the tooth mark, its mouth is large, and its bite force is strong. The research team at the outpost should have relevant data," Aibo recorded his deductions, packed the collected trace, and the two continued towards the giant tree.
A dim, dense forest appeared before them.
Entering it, Li Fan realized that the reason sunlight couldn't penetrate was the multi-layered spiral structure formed by the haphazardly grown and intertwined branches above, blocking the light.
After a short while, two urgent roars were heard.
The two looked in the direction of the sound and found four Jagras, resembling lizards with bright yellow skin.
One of them let out a roar, which Li Fan understood as, "Brothers, look! There's meat here."
"Commander, take cover!"
Rustle rustle
As Aibo spoke, he pulled Li Fan and hid them in a clump of leafy plants, about a person tall.
"Jagras aren't deaf and blind, they'll surely sense us, right?" Li Fan, crouching and hidden, thought that even non-leader monsters wouldn't be that foolish, or they would have been eliminated by the ecosystem long ago.
"Uh, that's what the fifth-term training course said."
Aibo's heart grew increasingly uneasy as he watched the Jagras gradually probe the leafy bushes.
Roar! Roar!
The Jagras approached the roots and let out two more roars.
The meaning, Li Fan heard, was, "Brothers, come quickly! These two idiots are hiding in the grass!" This made Li Fan furious.
Squelch! Crack!
The Thunderclap Divine Blade pierced through the leafy bushes, penetrating the Jagras' neck. The blood droplets vaporized under the golden lightning strike.
A clean and swift one-hit kill.
"Commander... you're so strong!" Aibo exclaimed in astonishment after a moment of stunned silence.
"It's mainly because I still have this gear. I haven't taken it off even when sleeping during this period approaching the New World, precisely to prevent such sudden situations," Li Fan explained.
"Commander, you are truly meticulous."
Li Fan stood up and walked out, deliberately dragging his blade to create sparks on the ground.
The Jagras, roaring for revenge for their brothers, exchanged glances with the Jagras who had proposed an encirclement plan, and ran off without looking back.
Only one, the smallest Jagras, was still roaring at Li Fan.
"You're quite loyal."
Roar!
"So it's your childhood friend. You should practice more when you get back."
Li Fan felt a bit of admiration for the Jagras' loyalty and advised it not to come to its death.
Roar!
"Heh heh, don't leave if you have the guts. Go find the pack leader, the Great Jagras. Go on."
After Li Fan spoke, the loyal Jagras turned and ran into the forest.
"Aibo..."
Turning back, Li Fan saw Aibo shouldering the butchered Jagras meat and showed a surprised expression.
"It's like this, Commander. I want to compile a New World Food Encyclopedia, so I don't want to waste any ingredients. Of course, if this action causes trouble, I'll correct it immediately!"
Li Fan suddenly understood that Aibo thought he was too capable and powerful, hence the idea of carrying the meat to the outpost.
"Alright. Your partner, Eudora, also loves good food. Remember to share some."
"Really! I didn't expect the Chief Hunter of the Dragon Calendar Institute to be a foodie too." Aibo's eyes lit up.
They passed through the oppressive and dim forest, and the terrain opened up.
In the distance, a giant ship spanning the peaks of two adjacent mountains appeared in their sight.
Hiss hiss
As if sensing the presence of a trace, Aibo's Wirebugs reacted again, flew out of the cage, and headed forward.
This time, it was a puddle of mucus left on the ground.
Li Fan speculated that Wirebugs could absorb nutrients from traces, which explained their strong tracking abilities.
In the story, Aibo was attacked by a Great Jagras here. To protect her, Li Fan stood by while she collected the trace.
"It seems to be some kind of monster's urine."
Staring at the damp earth with green light attached, Aibo took out a small shovel and dug up soil for collection.
Bang! Bang!
A series of dull thuds approached from a distance.
Rustle rustle!
A giant yellow lizard with mane drooping from both sides of its head suddenly burst out of the jungle.
Li Fan rubbed the tip of his blade on the ground, releasing electric sparks to intimidate it, but it had no effect.
It was one thing for the subordinates not to recognize him, but even the leader didn't. It seemed the ecological crisis caused by the Velkhana and the Thunder Dragon had not affected the New World.
Or perhaps, it had been resolved by some power.
The Great Jagras showed no mercy, opening its massive jaws and charging forward as if to swallow Li Fan whole.
Taking two steps back, Li Fan adjusted his position with a Kasana-giri.
Several sharp teeth on the Great Jagras' upper jaw were shattered, but it continued to bite forward.
A simple and unadorned vertical slash came head-on.
Squelch! Crack!
The hide instantly split open. After a moment of contact between its hard head and the forked blade, a crisp bone-cracking sound was heard. xxs
The Great Jagras, sensing death, quickly lowered its head with the split mane to follow the direction of the blade.
Otherwise, if it continued to resist, its skull might be split open.
Bang!
The vertical slash landed smoothly.
As the Great Jagras' neck contorted, a burst of blood mist mixed with electric sparks erupted from its head.
Li Fan was somewhat surprised by this outcome.
The Great Jagras, which appeared ferocious and brainless, was much smarter than he had anticipated.
Roar!
The Great Jagras retreated with a roar, and finally, with a wound on its forehead, it retreated into the jungle in defeat.
"The consciousness to foresee danger, unparalleled combat power, this is the Chief Hunter..." Aibo exclaimed.
"Let's go," Li Fan said, sheathing his sword. The two proceeded.
About ten minutes later, at the junction of the coast and the mountains, a gate made of logs and giant beast bones appeared.
"Hey! Are you members of the fifth-term?" a sturdy male hunter with a bone greatsword on his back called out to the two from the rocky outcrop above.
"Yes! I'm Aibo, the compiler! This is the Commander of the fifth-term!" Aibo waved and shouted back.
Li Fan recognized the young male hunter, whose chest was largely exposed.
He was the captain of the investigation team and the grandson of the overall commander of the Star Fort, a hunter born on the New World.
"My name is Di Yan, and I'm the leader of the investigation team. The gate will open shortly," Di Yan said, jumping down from the rock and approaching the winch behind the gate. He placed his hands on the handle and pushed with all his might.
Clang! The gate slowly rose.
After the two entered, Di Yan lowered the gate and guided them into the outpost.
"It's truly fortunate that none of the fifth-term members on the White Wind survived," Di Yan remarked with emotion.
"What about the other four transport ships?" Li Fan inquired.
"They all arrived safely. This is practically a miracle for fleets that have come to the New World before. It's just that recovering the White Wind is a bit difficult, but the supply team of the fourth-term should handle it," Di Yan informed them enthusiastically.
"So even landing is so dangerous," Aibo suddenly realized that Li Fan's escort all the way might not have been a coincidence.
The three walked across a wide wooden bridge, and the outpost, situated in a coastal canyon, the Star, appeared before them.
From the fences by the sea to the lofts on the canyon, almost all the wooden structures showed significant signs of piecing together, with a generally chaotic architectural style.
The only unifying factor was that most of the building materials came from dismantled ships.
The hulls formed the roofs, and the sails were used as awnings.
Small areas extending from half-ships were visible everywhere within the outpost.
At the port extending towards the sea, four transport ships were neatly lined up.
Hundreds of hunters and supply team members were systematically unloading supplies from the ships.
Aiden and Martha, who were taking care of the injured fifth-term members, cried out in surprise upon seeing Li Fan safe and sound.
"Commander, you're alright!" Aiden ran over quickly.
"Yes, you don't need to worry too much about me. I see the injured still need to be transferred to the cable car, so you guys get busy," Li Fan said.
"I'll help too," Aibo said, putting down the Jagras meat and quickly running over.
On the circular canyon, multi-tiered platforms built along the rock face required a cable car driven by a water wheel to reach.
It might also be possible to use domesticated Pterodactyls to reach the higher platforms, but stretchers carrying the injured could not be transported that way.
Looking up at the sky, Li Fan quickly located the position of the Flame Seal.
"Isn't that the top floor in that direction the restaurant?" Li Fan hadn't expected the Flame Seal to be hovering above the restaurant.
He then went to the constantly rotating cable car and took it to the top of the canyon.
Smelling the aroma of food, Li Fan arrived at an open-air outpost restaurant consisting of several stone tables and a stove.
At this moment, Eudora, Dilu, and Pochi were sitting around a table, looking intently at the tabletop.
"The Ancient Forest has so many layers? It looks so complicated," Eudora said with a worried expression.
"Why don't we go out first, meow? I heard there's a Great Jagras active nearby, we can't wait any longer," Pochi, carrying a backpack, said impatiently.
"Great Jagras..." Eudora's gaze became serious, and she clenched her fists.
"Although I'm also very worried about Li Fan, I have faith in him, meow," Dilu offered her opinion.
I knew it. They wouldn't start eating after just a short period of being out of contact. They must have come to this restaurant to discuss rescue plans.
As for the Flame Seal, it must have been lowered from a high point in the outpost.
"Ahem..." Li Fan, walking to the table, coughed lightly.
"Ah! You're alright, meow!" Dilu, who had just expressed confidence, burst into tears and lunged forward.
"How could I be bothered by such a small matter? Are you all alright?" Li Fan said, patting Dilu's back.
"We were just about to set out for a search, meow. Seeing you're okay, we're relieved..." Pochi's eyes showed a hint of disappointment as he watched Dilu's closeness with his master.
"You can pounce over too, Pochi," Li Fan said, patting the other shoulder.
"Ah... I'll get ready, meow." Pochi said, grooming his fur with his cat paws, and then lunged forward with tears.
"Hmm, why are you looking at me, Eudora? Is something wrong?" Li Fan asked curiously, seeing Eudora staring at him.
"Nothing," Eudora replied coldly, her lips turned down.
"Did you get injured while protecting the Flame Seal's landing?" Li Fan mused, stroking his chin.
"No, the Flame Seal's landing went smoothly. I'm going to order food," Eudora said, then stood up and walked towards the open-air stove.
The fire in the stone oven was burning brightly. A large Felyne, wearing a red flag from the first-term as a bandana, stood before the fire with its arms crossed.
Seeing the wound crossing its right eye and a broken greatsword on its back, Eudora felt that this Felyne's aura was extraordinary.
"What a warm little team..." The large Felyne retracted its gaze from Li Fan's table and turned to Eudora, saying, "I am the chef. Welcome to the Cat's Paw Inn."
(End of this chapter)