"Then I won't participate," Eudora said regretfully.
"We were so close to forming a team... I have an idea! Let's form a two-person team, and Gu Xing and Uncle Pabo can form another small team. That way, we won't be considered teammates with each other." Pao Zhizhi proposed her plan.
"If the hunting target is the same Golden Lion, then what's the difference?" Eudora asked tentatively.
"It's different. As long as we make an agreement with the other team, we won't have any further encounters outside of hunting battles," Pao Zhizhi explained the difference.
When hunter teams encountered each other in the wild, even if both were four-person teams, they could jointly hunt through temporary agreements. In fact, as long as prior arrangements were made, three, four, or even more teams could conduct joint hunts. However, while the hunting difficulty decreased, the rewards would also be significantly reduced due to the increased number of participants. Pao Zhizhi's idea was to form two two-person teams, so that they would travel separately and have different camps, minimizing contact as much as possible.
"Just for the battles... alright!" Eudora hesitated for a moment before finally agreeing.
"Great! Tomorrow, I'll contact Gu Xing, and you contact Uncle Pabo," Pao Zhizhi said joyfully.
"No problem. I'll maintain my equipment and get ready. We'll meet at the airport gate tomorrow noon," Eudora stated the time.
"Mmm! It's been many years since I last saw a Golden Lion. I really miss it," Pao Zhizhi said with anticipation in her eyes.
Four days later, at a base in the volcanic region.
Upon landing, Li Fan first went to the blacksmith's workshop to maintain his equipment. Then, he proceeded to the Guild branch to apply for passage to the restricted area, the Lava Island. Given the harsh ecosystem of the volcano, the Guild's control over the surrounding areas was rather weak, and they likely wouldn't notice if the Flame Fire vessel traveled there stealthily. However, Li Fan possessed a Super Special Permit issued by the Dragon Calendar Institute, which not only allowed him to legally enter restricted areas but also enabled him to obtain classified intelligence from local branches.
After a brief exchange at the counter and completing the authentication of his Super Special Permit, the branch guild master handed Li Fan a piece of classified intelligence, urging him to be extremely cautious for his own safety. This was because, in the volcanic restricted area of Lava Island, the Guild was unable to provide any effective support.
Arriving at the inn, Li Fan soaked in a geothermal hot spring unique to the volcanic region, washing away the dust. Afterwards, clad in a bathrobe, he lay on the soft bed and carefully reviewed the classified intelligence. It was similar to the information provided by the Dragon Calendar Institute, indicating the presence of the special individuals, the Molten Core Rathalos and the Savage Devil Diablos, in the area. The difference was that the Guild possessed extensive ecological and historical records of Lava Island, the most surprising of which was that Lava Island was once the site of a divine realm. The location of the taboo creature, the Black Dragon, was the divine realm. It was only after the Black Dragon migrated to the offshore volcanic region that the Guild renamed it Lava Island based on its appearance. During initial ecological surveys of the area, many astonishing discoveries were made. For instance, the magma veins that converged there had not diminished after the Black Dragon's departure. The weathered land, exposed to dark red hot winds for countless years, had surprisingly produced Dragon-Slaying Fruits of immense diameter. Unfortunately, before deeper ecological surveys could be conducted, the arrival of the Tyrant Dragon on Lava Island forced all investigations to be abruptly halted. After the Tyrant Dragon departed, the Guild intended to restart their investigations, but during preliminary observations, two special individuals, the Molten Core Rathalos and the Savage Devil Diablos, were sighted and confirmed. The power and ferocity of these two monsters, while shocking the Guild, also left an unexplainable ecological mystery: why were the habitats of these two special individuals so close to each other? A similar situation had only been observed in the mysterious and eerie ancient tower ruins.
After reviewing the classified intelligence, Li Fan felt that the Guild placed considerable importance on Lava Island and wished to continue investigations there. However, doing so would inevitably lead to encounters with the two special individuals. Regardless of how terrifying these monsters were or how great their potential threat, they had not harmed humans thus far. Therefore, based on a conservative strategy of not provoking what one could not defeat, the Guild had designated Lava Island as a restricted area. However, the more radical Dragon Calendar Institute thought differently, and with the development of the giant airship, the Dragon's Eye, exploratory investigations had become almost a certainty. The Guild, adopting a strategy of joining rather than blocking, created the Super Special Permit system, which at least allowed for the possibility of sharing research findings.
After Li Fan's deductions, he felt that the two parties with differing philosophies, while competing, also had a symbiotic relationship. The Hunter's Guild would deem certain actions worth pursuing, and if they couldn't undertake them directly, the Dragon Calendar Institute would push them forward. If the Dragon Calendar Institute went too far, the Guild would intervene. Otherwise, the Guild would not have failed to notice the abnormal flow of G-rank Bomb Barrels before the battle against Hui Hui.
"I'm back, meow," Dilu announced as she pushed the door open.
"Did you find the transport team?" Li Fan inquired.
"Found them, meow. But they said if the location is Lava Island, they'll charge double the shipping fee," Dilu replied.
"Double it is. Although the Dragon Calendar Institute is financially strained, they won't balk at this shipping fee," Li Fan said. "However, there's an additional clause, meow. The leader of the Palico transport team said that Lava Island is too far, so they need to depart in advance. If the hunt fails, the fees for the waiting period will still be charged."
"That's acceptable. After all, it's home to the strongest special individuals. It's normal for them to have concerns," Li Fan conceded.
"Li Fan, who is the strongest special individual, meow?" Dilu asked curiously.
"It's a Deviljho named 'Ao Mo'."
"It really is it, meow. The Palicos seem to be very afraid of it too. After receiving the deposit, they're either writing their wills or saying goodbye to their companions," Dilu said with realization.
"Is it that ferocious?" Li Fan was surprised that even the Palicos, who dared to go anywhere, were so wary of the Savage Devil Diablos.
"Yes, meow. Previously, a hunter with a Super Special Permit entered the Lava Island area to attempt hunting the Savage Devil Diablos. It was this group of Palicos who were hired for emergency transport, and they suffered extremely heavy losses," Dilu sighed.
"It seems I need to be even more cautious," Li Fan said, opening his handheld device. Hui Hui and Xi Xi hadn't participated in any strenuous battles for over ten days. Furthermore, there was a laceration on Hui Hui's left gun wing, suggesting that the Azure Electric Lord was likely dead. However, if the Yiqunling team were to come for support, the disparity in mobility would be an issue. After all, Li Fan wasn't sure if Xi Xi's carapace could withstand the thermal scouring during high-speed flight.
"Since Shanshan also needs time to feed and construct the Ruin City, we might as well wait a bit longer," Li Fan decided, tapping Hui Hui's pixelated icon seven times. After sending a non-urgent recall signal, he then checked the status of the Ice Sea team. Yuan Jiao, Lei Ge, and Che Che's severe scratch wounds had healed to minor ones. Coupled with their positive psychological states, Li Fan was certain that the Raging Brachydios had been eliminated. However, due to the vast distance, he didn't plan to recall them for participation. The Ancient Forest team had not engaged in any battles during this period. Ye Ye's romantic marking indicated that she had indeed established a connection with Long Yin through her courtship songs. Of course, Li Fan, who checked daily, had already known this news. What was different today was Kuku. Kuku was depressed.
"Diu, why do you think Kuku is depressed? Is it because the Ancient Forest is too dark?" Li Fan asked, puzzled.
"I don't think so, meow. Kuku is always happy when we go to the monster camps in the Ancient Forest," Diu felt it wasn't the case.
"After mutating into an ancestral Black Wolf Bird, Kuku became very aggressive. It's likely due to the long period of not participating in battles," Li Fan speculated.
"Mmm... could it be because of Ye Ye, meow?" Diu said softly.
"Ye Ye? What does that have to do with Ye Ye?" Li Fan couldn't understand.
"After Kuku mutated, the Great Bird tribe was unwilling to interact with Kuku, meow. Only Ye Ye would often play with Kuku," Diu informed him.
"It seems that the formation of the reconnaissance team forged a deep friendship between Kuku and Ye Ye. Now that Ye Ye has found a mate, and the mischievous little fools are also paired up, Kuku must feel left out," Li Fan deduced.
"Then how about introducing Kuku to a Black Wolf Bird, meow?" Diu suggested.
"Because of its mutation, Kuku possesses a trait called 'defying heaven,' making it highly likely to be rejected by its own kind and the natural ecosystem. Therefore, the chances with a Black Wolf Bird are not high."
"But they all look pretty much the same, meow," Diu didn't see much difference.
"Only their own kind can truly feel this. Just like how Palicos are not sensitive to human appearance or skin color, but humans can easily distinguish differences between each other. This is most evident in the Tigrex. If a male's horn is damaged on one side, it will no longer be favored by females. Kuku's difficult situation is that it is neither a Great Bird nor a Black Wolf Bird," Li Fan explained. Mutation indeed enhanced a monster's combat power, but most of them could no longer integrate into their species' ecosystem. Monsters with solitary habits were generally fine, but Kuku's situation was difficult. Its predicament was somewhat similar to the mutants in movies and TV shows.
"Uh, then I'm afraid only monsters with similar abnormalities can be friends, meow," Diu sighed helplessly.
"Mmm! Diu, you've provided a good idea," Li Fan exclaimed.
"Huh? What did I say, meow?" Diu was confused.
Li Fan took out the data on special individuals and found the one detailing the One-Eyed Black Wolf Bird. "It's a shame the Dragon Calendar Institute didn't determine the gender of the One-Eyed Black Wolf Bird."
"I get it, meow! The One-Eyed is a mutated monster like Kuku! They'll definitely recognize each other!" Diu exclaimed.
"That's right... Of course, it's also possible that it might trigger a desperate battle. In any case, let's arrange the travel route first and let them meet," Li Fan said, opening his notebook and modifying the original route.
The next day, the Flame Fire vessel departed for the volcanic ruins region. To avoid areas frequently frequented by hunter teams, Li Fan chose a cluster of ruins furthest from the base. Due to the rich mineral deposits, the metallurgy technology of the destroyed city-states was sufficiently advanced, resulting in a relatively large number of metal beams and pillars this time. Shanshan, with her accumulated experience, became more proficient in construction and assembly, and the Mantis Captain was quickly completed. After a month of special training, Li Fan had also further optimized the structure. The Mantis Captain's arms were shorter, which, while reducing its attack range, allowed for faster punching speed.
Just as Li Fan was about to conduct combat drills with Shanshan and Zhan Zhan, a large hole suddenly appeared in the sky-obscuring volcanic dust above them.
"It's Hui Hui, meow!" Diu jumped up and shouted.
"And Xi Xi, covered in smoke..." Li Fan, looking up, rubbed his forehead in exasperation.
"Uh! I just saw it, meow. Is this the price of traveling at high speed with Hui Hui?"
"I recalled them last night, and it's already the afternoon of the second day. Hui Hui should have slowed down, so it wasn't exactly high speed," Li Fan informed her. Xi Xi's wing-like transparent membranes were completely burnt. Hui Hui slowly descended while hovering, and only released its claws gripping the wing bones after Xi Xi's feet touched the ground.
Roar! Roar! Xi Xi, emitting the scent of roasted lake meat all over, immediately jumped and roared, appearing very excited.
"Hui Hui, tapping seven times is a non-urgent recall, and ten times is an urgent recall. Did you misremember?" Li Fan thought Hui Hui had misunderstood the message and rushed back in a hurry.
Roar!
"Oh, so Xi Xi requested it herself." Li Fan said, opening his handheld device and finding that besides extensive thermal burns, there was no "medium-rare" marking on Xi Xi's status, which relieved him.
"Did you discard the Azure Electric Lord's corpse at the Sky-Piercing Tower ruins?" Hui Hui tilted its head and chirped.
"And the scorching carapace used to drive away monsters?"
Roar!
"You completed the mission very well. By the way, your left gun wing is injured." Li Fan said with concern, approaching the still-hot gun wing.
"This Azure Electric Lord is too much," Li Fan exclaimed, looking at the cracked wound piercing the wing bone. After all, the only thing in Yiqunling that could injure Hui Hui was the Azure Electric Lord's "sword-cutting blade." Hui Hui indicated that it was not a big problem, and only the spray port would be slightly affected.
At this moment, the agitated Xi Xi, tired from singing and dancing, lifted one foot. As its claws released, a charred, spherical object rolled out.
*Clink!*
As the sphere rolled and hit the rocks, the charred outer layer peeled off, revealing a faint blue-green light. Li Fan watched for a moment and said in surprise, "Well done, Xi Xi! You actually found it! If this is the jade of the Zinogre, then our previous deductions about mutation were correct, but we'll still have to wait for the Dragon Calendar Institute's dissection report."
"You two wait here and familiarize yourselves with the volcanic environment. I'll go back to the base." Although there was a scorching carapace to drive away monsters, the Azure Electric Lord's corpse was still unclaimed. Li Fan had to quickly relay the news to the Dragon Calendar Institute.
Roar!
At this moment, Xi Xi let out an anxious roar.
"Something very important?... Oh! The healing ball, right?" Li Fan realized.
Roar!
"You're not going into the healing ball? Then what are you doing?" Li Fan was confused. Xi Xi raised its wing claws and slammed them forcefully onto the ground. As the charred material on the surface of its carapace shook off, a hint of golden light appeared.