The giant ship, adorned with silver-white patterns, docked at the port of East Doruma in the early morning. Yudora and Dilu stood on deck, anxiously looking out.
"The ship is about to depart, why isn't Li Fan here yet?" Yudora said with worry.
"I went to the guild to look for him, but I couldn't find him, meow. I was surrounded by cats asking for autographs until dawn..." Dilu sighed, her eyes dark.
"Forget it, this ship will have a layover at the Flame Village port. We can leave a message, and he'll find a way to catch up." Yudora felt relieved thinking about it.
"Ah! It's Li Fan, meow!" Dilu exclaimed, pointing a cat paw towards the port.
With a whoosh, Li Fan swung out a silk thread, leaped, and flipped onto the deck.
"The Horn of Heaven is gone. Did you successfully get the information?" Yudora asked.
"Yes, unfortunately, according to the information, the other party doesn't seem to be able to target it yet... How's your situation?"
"The Elgado branch has a Kingdom Knight Hunting Squad, and the resident hunters' performance is very active. Very few contracts are submitted to headquarters. Currently, we've only found one monster invasion investigation suitable for a team. However, the receptionist judges from experience that this contract, having been unaccepted for too long, has likely already been completed."
"Why?" Li Fan asked, surprised.
The contracts accumulated at the Hunter's Guild headquarters were immeasurable. According to the usual contract distribution process, the longer a contract remained unaccepted, the more difficult it should be to complete.
"The receptionist said the client is Fio, the strongest hunter in the Kingdom Knight Hunting Squad. If this commission were unaccepted and completed, she would have dealt with it herself."
"Fio... did the invading monster go to the Abandoned Shrine area?"
"Let me see..." Yudora said, unrolling the contract scroll.
"That's right. Traces of a Great Shield Crab and a Frostfang Elder have been found in the Abandoned Shrine area. These two monsters are clearly not local species, especially the Frostfang Elder, known as one of the Three Lords of the Royal Domain, which has only appeared in the Fortified High Plains region before." Yudora confirmed.
"So, it's an abnormal migration of local monsters that caught the attention of the Elgado branch, which is why Fio issued an investigation contract, hoping someone here would investigate. If she didn't get a response for too long, she might have taken action herself."
"That's roughly it."
"A client who acts herself if she doesn't get a response... that really sounds like her personality."
"Uh... Fio, you don't know her, do you?" Yudora asked tentatively.
"I don't know her, but I've heard some related information. Rumor has it she's a very brave and fierce hunter," Li Fan recalled.
Three days later, the giant ship arrived at the Flame Village port for a layover.
After a large number of cargo boxes were lifted down, many more boxes were brought onto the deck and loaded into the cargo hold. Soon, the corpse of a Great Shield Crab was hoisted up, quickly drawing everyone's attention. A gorgeously dressed female knight also boarded the deck at this time, becoming the focus of attention. The knight, armed with a rapier and a kite shield, exuded an imposing aura. As the ship was heading to Elgado, many people immediately recognized her identity: Fio, the leader of the Kingdom Knight Hunting Squad.
"Instructor Nitai, please monitor the Frostfang Elder's movements. I'll be leaving now," Fio said, waving goodbye to the man in ninja attire below at the port.
"She's Fio! So our contract was taken for nothing?" Yudora, on deck, unrolled the contract scroll with a dejected expression. The situation the receptionist feared had not only occurred but they were also on the same ship as the client.
"It doesn't matter, it's just an excuse to go there," Li Fan said, unconcerned.
"That's true... can't we just go directly?"
"The local area is ruled by the monarchy. If we visit too abruptly, they might have concerns," Li Fan explained.
As the two were talking, Fio's gaze fell upon them. After a moment, she walked over slowly.
"Excuse me, I seem to have seen your armor before. Could you tell me what materials it's made from?" Fio asked.
"Wind Serpent and Thunder Serpent," Li Fan replied.
"As expected..." Fio's eyes flashed with surprise as she immediately confirmed their identities.
"You two are heading to Elgado, surely you've been invited by the King?" Fio inquired.
"No, it's this..." Yudora said, unfolding the hunting contract in her hand.
"This is the contract I issued... Why would the two of you be troubled with such a contract?" Fio was quite surprised. Although this was a five-star contract, it was certainly not at a level that would require a Chief Hunter Squad.
"The contract is just a cover."
"Ah?" Yudora was taken aback, not expecting Li Fan to suddenly tell the truth.
"Then what is the real purpose?" Fio asked tentatively.
"I've heard that the Kingdom Knights have very powerful weapon techniques, so we wanted to come and learn," Li Fan said.
"No problem. Although the Knight Hunting Squad belongs to the Kingdom, as hunters, we also adhere to the spirit of mutual assistance. I will arrange an introduction once we land," Fio promised with a serious look.
"Thank you so much! If there's anything we can help with in the follow-up investigation of the contract, we will definitely do our best to assist," Yudora replied happily.
That night, Li Fan spent a long time looking at the ecological report, but he couldn't figure out how the Frostfang Elder had crossed the sea to reach the Abandoned Shrine area. It wasn't until Dilu came to clear the plates that she offered a hypothesis.
"It rode on the back of the Great Shield Crab..." This idea completely subverted Li Fan's understanding.
"Perhaps in their time of crisis, they formed some kind of agreement, meow," Dilu elaborated.
"So, both monsters were hiding from something. The Great Shield Crab could cross the sea, and the Frostfang Elder was a formidable fighter, so they struck a deal and braved the ocean to the Abandoned Shrine area... What an adventurous story!" Li Fan mused.
"Yes, meow. It's a shame the Great Shield Crab is already dead," Dilu said with some regret.
"Don't worry, when Fio has time, she'll help them reunite," Li Fan said.
"I hope so... Ah! You're a devil, meow!" Dilu shrieked and ran away with the plate.
Four days later, the giant ship that had crossed the sea docked at noon. Similar to the Frontier Outpost, the Elgado branch was built along the coast. The difference was the bustling port trade here. Although the royal capital deep inland was protected by military forces, most monster invasions were handled by the Elgado Guild branch. Geographically, the Elgado branch was more like an outpost of the kingdom. The main buildings of the city were converted from a ruined and abandoned castle. As for why this castle was destroyed, it was related to the vast circular pit nearby. Legend had it that on this continent, there was an abyss demon that could devour nations. Each time it appeared, it would create a large pit on the surface. After suffering several disasters, the capital finally decided to migrate deeper inland, which led to the current situation.
"What kind of specialty foods does Elgado have?" Yudora asked excitedly at the port.
"I've never heard of any, meow. It should be very mysterious and novel food," Dilu speculated.
"Hmm... I advise you not to have too many expectations," Li Fan sighed softly.
"Why? Did you sneak in and try it?" Yudora asked, confused.
"You'll know when you go," Li Fan replied.
Soon, the group arrived at the designated cat food dining area of the branch, a small open-air shelter with a circular bar. The team could understand if the New World lacked resources and couldn't afford elaborate decorations for dining establishments, but this place felt somewhat perfunctory. Fortunately, below was a lake formed by the convergence of multiple water flows within the circular pit, creating a pleasant atmosphere.
"Lanterns shaped like rabbit dumplings... This place is across the sea from Flame Village, so it's reasonable to sell rabbit dumplings," Yudora said, sitting down at the bar. Seeing the grilled dumplings on the charcoal and steamed dumplings in the steamer, and then glancing at the menu handed by the Felyne staff, Yudora's face turned pale.
"Why are they exactly the same as the rabbit dumplings sold in Flame Village..."
"Respected guest, we are a chain store, meow!" the Felyne staff member explained.
Five minutes later, the team returned to the port and began unpacking the dried meat they had brought. Since those rabbit dumplings were as good as not eating them, they could only relieve their hunger in this way. Soon, Fio, who had finished submitting the Great Shield Crab's corpse, arrived.
"The research samples have finally been submitted. You two, I'll take you to meet Instructor Arlo, who is responsible for training the Kingdom Knights... He is notoriously strict. Many people, even after becoming Kingdom Knights under his guidance, are still somewhat afraid of him. However, he is the only one in the kingdom capable of instructing you. I hope you are mentally prepared," Fio informed them.
"No problem."
"I'm ready."
Seeing their serious expressions, Fio put aside her concerns and introduced them. In the plaza of the Elgado branch stood a silver-haired man in knight armor. Many members of the Kingdom Knight Hunting Squad, who were originally chatting and laughing as they marched across the plaza, fell silent and hurried away as soon as the silver-haired man cast his gaze upon them, as if they didn't want to stay a second longer.
"Instructor Arlo, I've brought the people I mentioned..." Fio said, about to make the introduction.
"Fio, I only said they could try, not that I would definitely instruct them. You should..." Arlo said, with his arms crossed. As he saw Li Fan and Yudora, his words suddenly stopped.
"They are..."
"Yes." Fio, as if knowing what he was going to ask, confirmed.
"This is a bit difficult," Arlo said, rubbing his chin with a troubled tone.
"We will study diligently and won't cause you any trouble," Li Fan said frankly.
"That's not what I mean... I'm afraid I can't teach you," Arlo quickly waved his hands. For any instructor, having a Chief Hunter Squad seek guidance would be something to brag about for a lifetime. However, if anything went wrong, their reputation would be ruined.
"Please help us. I want to learn the Divine Power Iai and Full Moon, and Yudora wants to learn the Perfect Stance," Li Fan said.
"Alas~ To be so strong, yet still possess a heart that constantly strives for self-improvement. This is perhaps why they became Chief Hunters at such a young age," Arlo couldn't help but exclaim.
"Instructor, did you agree?" Yudora asked.
"Yes, but there's a creature in the Fortified High Plains that has gone berserk for some reason. Many passing hunters have been affected. I'm waiting for the kingdom's orders and am a bit tied up," Arlo informed them.
"Rigid Hide... Leave that to me. Li Fan, Yudora, you two study diligently," Fio said, heading towards the notice board.
"You still have the matter of the Frostfang Elder to report. We'll go," Li Fan stepped forward.
"The Rigid Hide is a species unique to the Fortified High Plains. If you deal with it, you might lack experience," Fio refused.
"The Rigid Hide has always been docile. No hunt contracts have been posted at the outpost, so we don't have experience either," Arlo said, causing Fio's face to darken.
"Always thinking of relying on your own efforts to solve everything is unrealistic. Fio, you need to learn more about how to use the strength of others to help the Knight Hunting Squad," Arlo advised. He felt Fio's biggest flaw was that she had to do everything herself and be at the forefront.
"Alright, then I'll trouble the Chief Hunter Squad. I'll contact Receptionist Chie to issue the contract as soon as possible," Fio said helplessly.
Arlo asked the team to wait, then opened a large wooden chest and, after a thorough search, took out three booklets: two orange and one blue.
"You two, take these three secret scrolls. You can study the basic theories of some moves in your spare time, and you can even try practicing them, but you absolutely cannot use them in combat," he said, giving similar guidance to Instructor Yintie.
After accepting the contract, obtaining the map, and purchasing supplies, the team set off by ship that day for the Fortified High Plains.
"Basic move: Qi-He... what a strange name," Yudora, engrossed in cultivation, immediately began studying the contents of the secret scroll on the deck.
"Condense the internal Qi, and guide it to the surface of the body just before an attack arrives, using the impact vibration of the attack to activate the Qi..." Li Fan was initially mimicking the poses from the book, but after reading the description, he immediately put the secret scroll down. This was because, upon deeper investigation, it was essentially a physical technique version of Iaijutsu.
The transport ship bypassed the giant pit and reached the Fortified High Plains region in less than an hour. The public outpost was located on the shore, within a section of broken city walls connected to the mountains. The team noticed several members of the Kingdom Knight Hunting Squad practicing the basic stances of activating Qi-He in an open space.
"Little Gang's condition is not good. We can't delay any longer, let's set off directly," Li Fan said, looking at his portable game device and giving instructions.
"Little Gang... is that the name of the Rigid Hide?" Yudora asked.
"Yes."
"Then let's go... What are you planning to use to clear the parasites?"
"I'm not sure yet. Theoretically, beating up the host should make them fly away on their own, but I don't want to use that method on Little Gang," Li Fan said with a hint of helplessness.