On the way back, Li Fan kept thinking about things that could affect the course of the world.
Passing by the infirmary, he saw rows of hunters lying on flatbed carts awaiting treatment, and immediately felt relieved.
Right now, I can only run when I encounter a five-star monster. How can I possibly influence the course of the world?
I should obediently improve my strength first and protect Kalala Village.
If it weren't for the Hunter's Guild, and the village chief Bazel and mentor Yin Tie sacrificing themselves to fight, my home might not have been saved.
At three in the morning, news came that Bazel was safe.
The two people and two cats in the Ancient Hunting Research Base finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"The village chief is too reckless. After dealing with the Mizutsune, he went to hunt the Zinogre."
Yin Tie, with bandages around his waist, said with a hint of helplessness.
"You can also comment on others being too reckless..."
Da Ju, with a cast on its paw, was speechless.
"This might be the last battle I can participate in. I have to enjoy it to the fullest."
Yin Tie looked at his prosthetic right leg, seeming to believe that he was very different from other hunters.
Li Fan suddenly realized that apart from this mission to defend the village, Yin Tie would indeed have few opportunities to participate in distant hunting missions.
What's more, he had lost his Hunter's Medal and only had a notorious mentor title.
"It's a shame that Mentor Yin Tie, who is so powerful, can't continue to participate in hunts, meow."
Dielu sighed.
"Actually... I don't really like hunting. I just enjoy the feeling of slaying powerful monsters. When my strength and confidence were at their peak, I naively thought I could slay any monster by myself."
Yin Tie confessed.
"What changed your mind?"
Li Fan asked curiously.
"A very special individual monster, named Embermane. I lost my right leg fighting it."
"You went alone?"
Li Fan asked in surprise.
"No."
Yin Tie denied.
Li Fan breathed a sigh of relief.
Even an ordinary Zinogre could put a branch of the guild in dire straits.
How terrifying a special individual Embermane was, it was beyond his imagination.
Going alone to hunt it would be madness.
"We went together, and I was there too."
Da Ju said proudly.
"Alright, I greatly admire your courage."
After praising them, Li Fan recalled a question and asked, "Mentor Yin Tie, what are the main conditions for forming a special individual?"
"Combat."
Yin Tie replied crisply.
"No environmental influence?"
Li Fan felt this answer was too one-sided.
"There is, but the special individual's use of its abilities is clearly not from genetic inheritance. Before, when I tried to hunt special individuals, I saw information in the guild's confidential files about a Mizutsune called Sky Eye, which defeated several famous hunting teams. My initial thought was the same as yours, that this must be an individual nurtured in a peculiar environment. But its most prominent characteristic was that its eyes were blind, completely lacking visual ability, and it could only rely on its sense of smell, hearing, and bubbles to perceive the outside world."
Yin Tie explained.
"So, in the genetic inheritance of Mizutsune, there isn't a trait where other senses are strengthened after losing visual perception. Instead, it's unique to Sky Eye Mizutsune. To develop such a trait, combat is the most effective way to achieve it."
Li Fan tried to understand.
"That's right. It's indeed rare for monsters to mutate due to the environment or special encounters, but it cannot be used as a basis for becoming a special individual."
Yin Tie smiled with relief as he saw Li Fan understand what he meant.
Special and rare individuals only have academic research value.
To become a being that both monsters and hunters fear, the root must be sufficient combat prowess.
How to improve combat power?
Of course, it's only through continuous combat.
Li Fan had a general understanding of the evaluation criteria for special individuals.
His thinking about monster cultivation had also shifted somewhat.
He had previously thought that the formation of special individuals was similar to the mutations of superheroes.
But he had overlooked a small problem: strengthening through mutation is not the norm.
It's even possible to become weaker.
The next morning, after searching for a long time in the woods, Li Fan arrived at the largest lake.
"Come out! Puff!"
Opening the satiety Palico Ball, the listless Puff appeared on the surface of the lake.
Last night, to balance healing and alleviating hunger,
Puff had entered and exited the two Palico Balls several times, and had already adapted to this sudden appearance method.
Swish! Swish!
After swimming two laps on the surface of the lake, Puff straightened its body and suddenly dived into the water.
Not long after, fish, trapped in bubbles, floated to the surface.
"Is this fishing method real, meow!"
Dielu exclaimed with stars in her eyes.
Li Fan, however, looked troubled, as he was unsure if the fish population in the lake was enough for Puff, who was over 20 meters long, to eat for three days.
Keeping monsters in Palico Balls for a long time, apart from making them depressed, had no other negative effects.
But even the satiety Palico Ball could only alleviate hunger.
Fish about the same size as Dielu were like dumplings to Puff.
Slurp! Gone in one bite!
The village had just stabilized, and he couldn't let it hunt in the wild.
Raising a five-star monster was really stressful.
After eating about 50 large fish, Puff lazily floated on the lake surface and yawned.
After putting the full Puff back into the satiety ball, Li Fan popped the bubbles still floating on the lake and took out ten fish with Dielu.
Four of them were for Yin Tie and Da Ju, two for the village chief, two for Yodora, and the remaining two were for him and Dielu to eat.
In front of the guild notice board, although there were not as many hunters waiting for quests as usual, there were still about a dozen gathered.
Besides hunting contracts, there were also many announcements posted.
For example, announcing the completion of the "Moonlit Duet" quest.
The dangerous area was lifted, and Kalala Village would soon resume trade, and there were more contract notices.
"Buying frothy slime, 500z per bottle. Note: one bottle is the standard dosage for a healing potion. Commissioned by Bazel."
Li Fan was stunned for a moment, then stepped forward to take down the contract notice. It was indeed a collection notice on a sticky note.
"No way, Village Chief, you just struggled back from the brink of death, and now you're planning to make money..."
Li Fan glanced at the date. It was posted this morning, and the battle point with the Mizutsune was marked on the map.
A thick stack of collection notices had been taken down, indicating that this quest was very popular in the village.
However, a night had passed. Even if there was residual frothy slime, it would have evaporated by now.
And what did the village chief want frothy slime for?
Li Fan tried hard to recall and finally remembered that frothy slime could be used as a cleaning agent.
"Dielu, we're rich!"
"Huh? What happened, meow?"
Dielu didn't understand.
Clang! Clang! Clang!....
Li Fan vigorously knocked on the door of the general store.
The middle-aged male owner, with sleepy eyes, opened the door somewhat inexplicably.
The caravan had stopped supplying goods for a long time, and the general store had been closed, so the owner seemed a bit dispirited.
"Young man, all the items in the store have been sold out. It's no use knocking on the door."
"Do you have barrels?"
"Barrels? Yes, we do. But what do you need them for? The gunpowder grass and explosives have all been sold out, so we can't mix any bomb barrels."
"It's useful, anyway."
"Alright then. Small barrels are 90z, large barrels are 230z. No returns after sale, and due to the caravan's closure, there's no delivery service."
"Dielu, let's move."
Li Fan threw the coin pouch on the counter, and then he and Dielu started moving.
Seeing nearly 3000z in the coin pouch, the owner realized this was not a small business, so he came out from behind the counter to help.
On the small truck towed by Tai Mei, in addition to fresh large fish, a layer of barrels was soon piled up.
After delivering fish to Yin Tie, the truck stopped in front of the village chief's house.
Many villagers had spontaneously brought gifts to visit. Bazel, with bandages wrapped around his upper body, sat on the front steps, thanking them with a smile, looking quite well.
Li Fan and Dielu took out two large fish and lined up.
"I don't have anything too precious. Please keep these two fish for yourself."
When they reached him, Li Fan handed the large fish to the Felyne Rokuroku.
"Li Fan, I'm happy you came to visit me. You didn't have to bring anything."
"It's only right. Please don't refuse. Also, I'd like to confirm, is there a purchase limit for this collection contract?"
Li Fan took out the contract and handed it over.
"There's no limit. Frothy slime is a very powerful cleaning agent and is in high demand. Many villages and towns have made a lot of money because of the Mizutsune in their vicinity. It's a shame that in last night's situation, it was impossible to send anyone to collect it."
Bazel informed him.
"I collected some while tracking the Mizutsune's movements."
"That's good. Just fill the healing potion bottles and hand them over."
"Uh..."
"Not enough to fill a bottle?"
Seeing Li Fan's hesitation, Bazel asked tentatively.
"No, it's a waste of bottles to fill them with healing potions. I want to use barrels."
Bazel was stunned and analyzed, "With this amount, I don't have enough cash on hand. We might have to negotiate with the guild for a joint acquisition."
"Okay, but my storage location is far away, so I can't guarantee the delivery time."
"It's fine. Frothy slime has a good market, so delivery at any time is acceptable."
After reaching an agreement, Li Fan took the truck to a two-story civilian house in the village.
Upon entering the house, Yodora, who was reading by the bedside, looked surprised and delighted to see Li Fan and Dielu arrive.
With one leg bandaged and suspended, she could only wave her hand to greet them.
"The back of the Zinogre's heel is indeed a safe zone! The attack animations you drew in your book also match perfectly!"
Yodora exclaimed excitedly.
"As long as it's useful, where's the kitchen?"
"The kitchen is on the second floor."
Li Fan carried them on his shoulder, and Dielu dragged them, taking the two large fish upstairs.
"You didn't hire a Felyne?"
Li Fan asked curiously as he walked down the stairs.
"I had one two years ago, but it unfortunately died during a solo hunt. After that, I decided not to hire any more Felynes."
Yodora looked sad, but quickly cheered up and said, "Actually, you don't need to worry about me. As a wounded member of a joint hunt, there are dedicated Felynes to take care of my daily needs."
"Yes, recover quickly. The investigation agency is in my hands, and there will be no problems."
Li Fan assured her.
"Recover quickly and hunt together, meow!"
Dielu sent her blessings.
Pulling a cart full of barrels back to the small cabin,
Li Fan began his plan for mass production of frothy slime.
The first problem he faced was not too little production, but too much.
If any link was mishandled, it would lead to a situation where bubbles filled the sky.
Then, anyone would know that there was a Mizutsune inhabiting the woods.
Alas, if only there was an arena, then any unusual phenomenon wouldn't arouse suspicion.
Li Fan sighed inwardly.
But for now, this idea was still a bit far-fetched.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind.
"Dielu, where does the water body we chased Puff in yesterday lead to?"
"It leads to the Flooded Forest, meow. The area around Kalala Village is just one of its tributaries."
Dielu informed him.
"Why isn't it marked on the map?"
"Because it's too far away, meow, and there are no villages or towns in the Flooded Forest."
"Is the Flooded Forest large?"
"Yes, meow."
"How large?"
"I don't know, meow..."
Li Fan forgot that Dielu's previous range of activity didn't allow her to visit the Flooded Forest.
Even if she had been there, it would be difficult to describe its size.
To get more accurate information, after lunch, Li Fan went to the guild branch.
"A hunting contract for the Flooded Forest? What are you going there for?"
Shirin behind the counter was very surprised.
"I want to gain experience in sparsely populated wilderness. Is it beyond the scope of the contract's release?"
Li Fan asked tentatively.
"Not at all. If a contract is not taken by any hunter at a guild branch for a long time, it will enter a circulation state and be sent to other branches for continued posting. If it's still not taken and the mission deadline has not passed, it will be deemed an accumulated contract and will stop being posted. Only when the destination is the same as another mission and the star rating is higher will it be actively recommended to hunters for combined completion. Most of the missions related to the Flooded Forest are accumulated contracts."
Shirin gave a professional explanation.
"I didn't understand."
Li Fan shook his head slightly.
"Alright... to put it simply, it's too far, the environment is harsh, and there are no villages or towns near the Flooded Forest, nor any public camps. For hunting missions below three stars, no hunting teams are willing to take them. A large number of contracts are accumulated. When someone wants to undertake a four-star mission in the Flooded Forest, I have to try my best to force a three-star contract on them so they can complete it together."
"I see. No wonder it's not on the notice board. Give me a three-star mission for the Flooded Forest."
"Please show your Hunter's Badge."
Shirin made a gesture.
"We passed the assessment together, help me out."
Li Fan whispered.
The three-star mission posted on the notice board could be taken first, and then Yodora could redeem the reward.
Contracts related to the Flooded Forest were all piled up behind the counter. Without the recognition of a receptionist, Li Fan, who only had a one-star Hunter's Badge, definitely couldn't get them.