"Yes, the biggest problem with the previous explosions was that the blast speed of the explosive scales was too fast," Li Fan informed them.
Seeing the explosive scales disappear into the snow, Yudora seemed to understand something.
With another dive-bombing attack, the Brute Tigrex still charged away from the dense patches of explosive scales.
However, before the scales could detonate this time, the blast struck from above once more.
To evade it, the Brute Tigrex continued to charge towards other areas, trying to escape.
But as it ran, it suddenly sensed something was amiss.
Previously, after escaping an area, the explosion would occur after a short delay, and then the area would be considered safe again, allowing them to return to escape and take cover.
But this time, after the explosive scales fell, no explosion occurred even after a long time.
The Brute Tigrex hesitated for a moment, but ultimately chose to charge into the unconfirmed area.
Boom~ Boom~ Boom~...
Explosions flashed across the snowy plain. The Brute Tigrex, engulfed in flames and smoke, let out a mournful cry and began to flee towards the coniferous forest.
After all the explosive scales had detonated, the team launched a signal flare to guide the research base to land.
The site chosen for the outpost, fitting their requirements so perfectly, exceeded everyone's expectations.
However, due to limited capacity for personnel and supplies this time, the research base decided to return to the New World immediately after unloading its crew and materials to guide subsequent ships.
This would ensure a steady stream of personnel and supplies to the area, guaranteeing the establishment of the new outpost.
Once the initial camp was set up, a simple wooden sign bearing the name "Moonlight Haven" was planted in the snow.
Some eager scholars, even without investigation contracts, began exploring the surrounding areas.
Aibo was one of them.
Her primary research focus was the reason for the Windproof Dragon's visits, although it was clearly too early given the current progress of exploring the ice field.
The team had nothing pressing to do, so they decided to escort her investigation and also get a feel for the environment of the ice field.
After making preparations, the three of them and the cat set off.
Not long after traveling outside the outpost, they encountered Master Yuan Ye, dressed in cold-weather gear.
However, due to their different research directions, they parted ways after a brief reunion.
In the evening, the three of them and the cat set up tents at the foot of a mountain, preparing to rest.
"Li Fan, you seem to have something on your mind?" Aibo asked curiously, noticing Li Fan's pensive mood by the campfire.
"I've encountered some very troublesome matters recently, which is why I'm a bit down," Li Fan said helplessly.
"Even things that you find troublesome... I'm sure I can't help, but I believe you can do it, and the members of the Fifth Expeditionary Force are always by your side. Don't give up easily," Aibo encouraged with a smile.
"I won't. By the way, is there a special reason for investigating the Windproof Dragon so early?" Li Fan asked, voicing his confusion.
"Actually... actually, it's because of this stone," Aibo said, taking out a deep blue crystal from her waist pouch.
"My grandfather brought this back from the New World years ago. He said this stone holds an unsolved mystery related to Elder Dragons, and he hoped it could be unraveled one day."
"So that's why you're actively participating in the investigation," Li Fan said, taking the crystal and examining it.
"Uh... it's true that it's not right to take materials from here casually, but my grandfather was convinced..."
"His judgment is correct. This crystal is indeed closely related to Elder Dragons," Li Fan stated with certainty.
"Really!" Aibo was greatly encouraged.
"Yes, but there's still a long way to go before we can truly track it," Li Fan said, handing the crystal back.
"Regardless, with your affirmation, I have even more confidence!" Aibo clenched her fists.
"Me too..." Li Fan appeared lost in thought.
Soon after, Aibo, now full of confidence, went into the tent to sort through the traces she had collected that day.
Yudora came to the campfire to warm herself.
"Yudora, between a hunter who is proficient in five types of weapons and five hunters who are only proficient in one type, which one has stronger hunting ability?" Facing Li Fan's sudden question, Yudora was a bit bewildered, but after thinking for a moment, she gave her answer.
"Of course, it's the five who are proficient in only one."
"Can extremely strong talent and power differences smooth out such a gap?"
"It's probably unlikely. The difference in numbers is too great, and by common sense, the degree of specialization in a single weapon is also very important," Yudora expressed her thoughts.
"Heh heh, I thought so too."
Hearing Li Fan's sinister chuckle, Yudora curiously asked, "Is it about that matter? Have you thought of a new solution?"
"That's right. While I can utilize every attribute, it seems like I have no weaknesses. But if I could have top-tier users for each attribute, then I should at least not lose, right?" Li Fan informed her.
"I can't understand what you're saying, but it sounds very impressive."
"Yudora, I'll leave Aibo to you. I will lead the team to begin special training." Li Fan suddenly stood up and announced.
"Alright, but will you be gone for a long time again?" Yudora asked with some concern, as Li Fan had only appeared just before they were about to set sail last time.
"No, this training has a very clear objective, and when the Iceborne Wyvern appears, the monster team will make a big move," Li Fan said, then packed his bag, took some supplies, and left the camp with Dilo.
After riding Qingtian across the snowy plain for several hours, the person and the cat stopped in an open area.
"Fire, Ice, Dragon, Thunder, Water... First, Fire. I don't have an absolutely top-tier monster for this, but three can make up for one, right?" Li Fan said, placing the Poké Balls representing Little Dummy, Naughty, and Jagras on the snow.
"For Ice... Yaya, you'll have to fill in for now." Yaya leaped towards the vacant spot Li Fan indicated.
"For Dragon attribute, it's Brother Lei." With a flash of white light, a somewhat confused Brother Lei appeared on the snow.
"For Thunder, it's only Xixi. Water... Puff is completely unsuitable, but her mastery of water attribute doesn't seem very strong either."
"Ao?" Yaya let out a confused roar, asking what kind of situation required so many monsters to work together.
"Don't worry about it, Yaya. You're just filling a spot. The monsters that will actually fight haven't been caught yet," Li Fan explained.
"Ao... Ao?" Yaya understood for a moment, then her gaze deepened, and her shoulders drooped in disappointment.
"Don't take it to heart. The reason the other one can occupy the Ice attribute spot isn't because it's stronger than you, it's just... it's just more durable," Li Fan explained.
Upon hearing this, Yaya's mood immediately improved.
"Hmm, good... If this lineup is complete, I'll have two super strong life energy outputs, plus one physical attacker. If Meimeizi can also be induced to participate in the battle, then there will be another physical attacker." Li Fan surveyed the lineup he had assembled, growing more confident the more he looked at it.
"If I could replace Puff with a Coral Pukei-Pukei, this would be a sure win, but I can't," Li Fan mused. The lineup was better the more perfect it was, but the Iceborne Wyvern was still nowhere to be found, so Li Fan didn't dare to expect too much.
The next morning, Little Dummy and Naughty arrived at Li Fan's location to participate in the training. The content of this special training was simple: to directly oppose energy of the same attribute through attribute bursts. The goal was not to break through and shatter the opponent, but merely to cancel out the energy. Although it was a joint training session, large-scale coordination was not required, except for monsters of the same attribute.
Ten days quickly passed. Seeing initial results, Li Fan decided to return to Moonlight Haven to check on the situation. The camp, which had only had a few dozen tents before, now had several large buildings constructed from felled coniferous trees. The construction of the outpost's walls was also nearing completion, and trucks were continuously unloading at the coast, transporting goods.
At this time, Fry and Di Yan, accompanied by Ni Zhen, were touring Moonlight Haven. Li Fan and Dilo had intended to rest, but seeing Fry waving enthusiastically, they had no choice but to go and greet him.
"Li Fan, the position of commander for Moonlight Haven will have to be entrusted to you this time," Fry said earnestly.
"I'm in a difficult position, Commander. I still have many things to do, and my time spent at the outpost is very limited," Li Fan stated, indicating he wouldn't take the job. Otherwise, he would be the first person they'd find for any major or minor issue at the outpost.
"But besides you, I don't think anyone else is capable of filling this role," Fry sighed.
"I think Di Yan would be excellent. Not only is he responsible, but he has also been stationed at Star Haven for years, so his experience is definitely far superior to others," Li Fan suggested an in-story candidate.
"Me... Am I really capable?" Di Yan scratched his head, lacking confidence.
"Of course. On behalf of the Fifth Expeditionary Force, I nominate Di Yan as the commander of Moonlight Haven," Li Fan said solemnly.
"Alright, I'll give you a chance to try. I hope you can put in your full effort to develop Moonlight Haven well." Fry couldn't manage two outposts. Moonlight Haven, which was under construction, urgently needed a commander, so there was no room for questioning.
Li Fan slept until noon, and a commotion outside woke him up. He went to the wooden house's balcony to check and saw that a monster carcass was being transported back. It had outward-extending horns around its eyes, a snake-like head, and a lizard-like body with yellow and black striped armor, highly resembling a Zinogre.
Li Fan observed it for a moment and identified the monster.
"What monster is this, meow?" Dilo asked curiously, gripping the railing with its paws.
"It's a Blightfang Wyvern," Li Fan informed her.
"Is it very strong, meow?"
"If the hunter encounters it for the first time and their combat ability isn't very strong, they'd likely perish," Li Fan speculated.
"It's that terrifying, meow." Dilo immediately became serious.
"The hunter who could defeat it must be extraordinary. I wonder who it is..." As Li Fan spoke, he saw Yudora and Aibo's figures behind the transport truck.
"No wonder. They dared to hunt an unknown monster even before the outpost was completed. It must be her," Li Fan remarked with emotion.
Before the transport truck even reached the warehouse, it was surrounded by scholars and hunters who had rushed over. The damaged armor hanging on the skin, the mucus frozen on the fangs – any seemingly minor trace became a hot commodity at this moment. Yudora herself, however, didn't seem particularly excited about hunting an unknown monster.
The team agreed to meet on the first floor of the newly built Moonlight Haven Guild Hall. The biggest difference from other guild halls was the enormous geothermal hot spring plaza. After putting a swimming ring on Dilo, Li Fan, shirtless, leaped into the hot spring with her.
Splash~
Yudora, who was dozing with her eyes closed, was splashed in the face by the water and immediately became agitated.
"Ah! That's enough!"
"Yudora, why are your hands shaking?" Li Fan asked in surprise, noticing Yudora's hands trembling at an extremely high frequency.
"Are they... No," Yudora said, grabbing her wrist with her other hand, and the trembling immediately stopped.
"This is a sequela of excessive paralyzing toxin injection, meow," Dilo immediately made a diagnosis.
"Uh... You even figured that out." Yudora sighed in resignation.
"Was it caused by the Blightfang Wyvern?" Li Fan inquired.
"Yes, but it's not a major issue. One cycle of the super-regeneration disc should completely heal it."
"The Blightfang Wyvern is not an ordinary monster. It's not shameful to be injured even when facing it alone," Li Fan felt that the title of Chief Hunter Squad was placing too much burden on Yudora. In reality, the battles between hunters and monsters were often life-or-death struggles, with easy victories being the exception.
"I don't really care that much. It's mainly because this battle experience was too difficult and convoluted, so I didn't want anyone to know..." Yudora sighed helplessly.
"How difficult was it, meow?" Dilo wagged its paws and swam to Yudora's side, asking with concern.
"If I tell you, you're not allowed to laugh," Yudora pointed at the person and the cat respectively.
"Of course. I'm the Chief Hunter, and Dilo is a rare six-star hunter cat. How could we laugh at such a serious matter?" Li Fan said with a solemn expression.
"Alright..." Yudora let out a long sigh, her face showing a hint of grievance as she began to recount.
"After you left, Aibo and I continued our exploration. Around the fourth day, we followed some tracks to a cave. We were about to investigate further when that damned..."
"Blightfang Wyvern." Li Fan reminded her.
"Yes, that damned Blightfang Wyvern appeared. I covered Aibo, telling her to get as far away as possible, while I charged forward to fight. Seeing the bright color of its shell, I suspected this monster might be poisonous, so I became even more cautious. But since I had never encountered it before, I was accidentally bitten on the arm by its fangs..." Seeing the concerned expressions of both the person and the cat, Yudora felt more confident.
"I was paralyzed by the toxin injected by its fangs! My whole body was trembling violently, but I didn't give up! With the gliding ability of the Wind God Dragon armor, I successfully escaped the Blightfang Wyvern."
"You glided away in a paralyzed state... that's quite a good use of abilities. Although it was a bit passive, there's no problem with that," Li Fan said calmly.
"That's right, meow." Dilo agreed.
"Uh... doesn't it feel rather bizarre to glide away while trembling uncontrollably?" Yudora asked worriedly.
"You're overthinking it. Hunters face too many similar unfavorable situations. What's this?" Li Fan said seriously.
"Phew~ Thank you so much. It seems I was too sensitive," Yudora immediately relaxed. "Let's go to the bar, I'll treat you to drinks."
"Okay, we'll be right there."