"Then let's put it aside for now. Once my ranch is established, I'll find a way to retrieve it." Li Fan informed them.
"So it's for the ranch... Alright, the estimated cost is between 400,000 and 500,000. However, the entire village is currently fending off the invasion of Rampage, so the progress might not be very fast, taking at least two months." Puxian replied.
"You might not have received the intelligence from Elgado yet. With the intervention of the Elder Dragon, the spread of Rampage will soon see a significant decline. If we rush things, one month should suffice," Li Fan negotiated.
"Rampage will decline... Did you do something on the other side?" Puxian inquired tentatively.
"We hunted the Abyss Devourer," Dilu said, raising her paw.
"I see. I thought this calamity would last for a long time... Leave the construction of the iron gate to the Village of Flames! The cost is waived," Puxian assured.
"That's too kind of you. I was also wondering, after such a massive metal gate is built, it can only be stored outdoors, right?" Li Fan asked.
"That's correct. The storage location is in the processing craftsman's backyard. Rest assured, the metal gates crafted by the Village of Flames will absolutely not be eroded by sun and rain," Puxian stated with great confidence.
"Does the village have an insurance agency?"
"Insurance... Haha, don't joke, Li Fan. A metal gate of this scale is difficult to move even for short distances. Do you think it could be stolen?" Puxian chuckled heartily.
"That makes sense." Li Fan finished, picking up his wine barrel cup and draining it.
The next day at noon, in an unmarked area of the Abandoned Shrine, amidst a dense bamboo forest.
Li Fan summoned the monsters and began the process of overcoming Rampage using the Annihilation Parasite.
Huihui, Meimeizi, Little Fool, Naughty, Zhanzhan, Brother Lei, Raging Horn, Cheche, Xixi, Golden Lion...
The monster squad members gathered.
The Ice Wolf Dragon, Little Wolf, was surrounded in the center, looking somewhat helpless.
"Little Wolf is currently in a state of successfully overcoming Rampage. The tips of its shell will form orange keratin. While this color scheme isn't very attractive, achieving it will significantly boost its physique and elevate its abilities by another level," Li Fan explained.
"Roar~" Raging Horn stepped forward, indicating its willingness to try, followed closely by Cheche.
Soon, all the monsters present expressed their desire to attempt overcoming Rampage.
"Don't rush. I'll have Meimeizi assist everyone. Huihui and Xixi will have to wait a while longer, as you haven't even achieved the prerequisite state of Rampage yet," Li Fan informed them.
While the other monster squad members hadn't been acting together recently, Li Fan hadn't prevented them from entering a Rampage state. Now that the key element, the Annihilation Parasite, had been acquired, all that remained was to attempt it. Huihui was a special case; theoretically, it was impossible for it to be parasitized by the parasite due to its habitat and characteristics. Overcoming Rampage would require manual intervention. As for Xixi, it hadn't yet entered the Rampage process because it had been nurturing its young.
"These Annihilation Parasites, without their host, the Elder Dragon, are theoretically on the verge of extinction. Please treat them well. If you feel any discomfort, come to this rendezvous point to find me. I'll be here until you safely achieve Rampage," Li Fan reminded them after distributing the parasites.
"Roar~" Xixi expressed its wish to leave Little Xi behind, entrusting it to the care of the squad.
After Li Fan agreed, most of the monsters dispersed. After all, ecologically speaking, the Abandoned Shrine area could not accommodate so many monsters.
"Huihui, are you sure you want to achieve Rampage?" Li Fan asked seriously.
"Roar~" Huihui let out a soft cry, indicating its certainty.
"Alright, Cheche, dig a hole." Li Fan pointed at the ground.
"Hooosh~ Hooosh~..." Cheche immediately got to work.
"You shouldn't fly for a while. I'll select a time to attempt Rampage based on your progress. As for Xixi, you'll be responsible for feeding Huihui, but try to stay away from Little Xi." Huihui flew back and forth in the sky. The parasite under its shell had already turned to ash, so a confined space was the only way to initiate the transformation process. Li Fan had also noticed Xixi's issue; if it stayed with Little Xi for too long, Little Xi would also be parasitized. Little Xi became very agitated when it was time to separate, flapping its wings and hopping in place. After a period of appeasement from Xixi, it reluctantly stayed behind.
Once Cheche had dug a sufficiently deep pit, Huihui let out a low growl and, as if accustomed to it, entered the pit. Because Cheche had judged the depth perfectly, only Huihui's neck and head were exposed above the surface, just like last time. Li Fan and Eudora exchanged glances, drew their hunter knives from their waists, and began to make incisions on its dorsal shell.
Ten days flew by, and Huihui surprisingly became the first monster to achieve Rampage, its rating level increasing to eight stars. While surprised, Li Fan also began to discern some patterns through his observations during this period. He had initially distributed the few Annihilation Parasites he had based on the monsters' sizes. However, these parasites did not remain with their initial hosts; instead, they transferred to Huihui and Xixi. One was an Elder Dragon, and the other had a seven-star rating. Li Fan deduced that the Annihilation Parasites preferred powerful monsters as hosts. As for Little Wolf, it was only by accident that Rampage was triggered during an attack while following their guidance. However, despite the skewed distribution of parasite hosts, the overall progress of the other monsters was still moving towards overcoming Rampage.
Within the squad, Li Fan practiced the Divine Might Iaido whenever he had free time. Eudora and Zhanzhan practiced a continuous stance initiated by a tail blade slash. In terms of the technique's principle, the stronger the impact resisted, the more power was infused into the continuous stance. However, there was a minor issue: if a mistake occurred, Eudora would have to endure Zhanzhan's tail blade sweep. Li Fan felt it was somewhat dangerous, but Eudora had a different opinion. She believed that without the assistance of the Safi'jiiva this time, they needed to find a way to further enhance their destructive power.
Xixi, Raging Horn, Cheche, Naughty, Golden Lion, Little Fool, Zhanzhan, Brother Lei. Over the next four days, the monsters successively achieved Rampage.
Inside the tent late at night, Li Fan turned his attention to the monsters remaining on the New World.
"Xiao Ming is full of life energy, so that's out. Shanshan is a bug herself, so the hope is slim. Bingbingzi would likely disagree with altering her shell's overall color... The remaining ones, Baolie, Piaopiao, and Yaya, while having the potential to achieve it, are not suitable for this operation."
"I have some good news, meow!" Dilu, carrying a large backpack, entered the tent.
"Did you hear something in the village while purchasing supplies?" Li Fan guessed. The squad needed to train their techniques and look after the monsters, leaving them no time for hunting or managing the camp. All supplies were purchased and transported back by Dilu riding on Qingtian, who made trips to the Village of Flames.
"That's right, meow! The Flame of the Village has returned to Astera with the evacuation fleet!" Dilu exclaimed excitedly.
"That's great! With a team of chefs, we won't have to eat portable rations anymore, and we'll have a safe place to rest in the wilderness," Li Fan said with great enthusiasm.
"I really miss Pachiffery and the chef team, meow!" Dilu said with anticipation.
"Mass Rampage overcoming is complete, and Meimeizi can now independently use the parasites to balance the ecosystem. There's no significant point in staying here any longer. We might as well rendezvous with the Flame of the Village as soon as possible and gauge everyone's attitudes," Li Fan voiced his thoughts.
"I agree. If we set sail tonight, we should be able to return in about four days," Eudora estimated.
"Too slow... Where did Huihui unload the throne?" Li Fan looked at the full moon in the night sky, recalling.
Two hours later, under the same moonlight illuminating Astera, a blue comet streaked across the sky, and three small black dots plummeted down.
"Ah!" "Ah!" "Ah, meow!"
...
"Eudora! You can fly! What are you screaming for!" Li Fan shouted mid-air.
"I saw you and Dilu screaming, so I joined in!" To descend at the same pace as Li Fan and Dilu, Eudora hadn't injected air into her wind sack.
"Alright... You go to the Guild Headquarters! I'll go to the Dragonator Cult Headquarters! We'll meet at the street corner afterward!" Li Fan pointed at the gradually clearing city buildings below and instructed.
"No problem!" With a whoosh, Eudora, who was descending diagonally, shifted her body, and the squad immediately separated in the air.
Seeing a humanoid figure descending from the night sky, the Guild Knights on guard outside the Great Elder Hall raised their halberds in alert. However, upon recognizing the figure, they quickly lowered their halberds and stood at attention.
"Excuse me, are the Guild Master and Zuda here? It's been a while, and I wanted to visit."
"They are both here. Please come this way." The leading Guild Knight didn't bother with a formal announcement and instead cleared the path.
Not far away, on the curved rooftop of a building slightly shorter than the Great Elder Hall, Sophia watched Li Fan hanging from the giant astronomical telescope and sighed, holding her forehead.
"It's so late, and you're sneaking in from the headquarters' rooftop. It's not the behavior of a legendary hunter at all."
"Sorry, I thought about knocking and climbing stairs, so I took a shortcut. I didn't scare you, did I?" Li Fan said, picking up Dilu and shaking her.
"Landing failure, meow... Ah! Is this where we're going? I heard the terrifying green-robed Dragonator Cult leader lives here!"
"You didn't scare me, but the astronomical telescope is damaged. Severely," Sophia said, pointing at the dented crater beneath Li Fan.
"This thing has thick walls, it should be fine..." With a crunch, a crisp sound of shattering glass came from below as Li Fan spoke.
"Alas~ You've come for the Forbidden One, haven't you?" Sophia sighed and speculated.
"Yes. If the Forbidden One appears in Shul-Reid City, it will quickly attract the attention of the entire world. What I want then is assistance, not obstruction," Li Fan stated frankly.
"The previous transaction has been concluded. What are the terms of exchange this time?" Sophia said coldly.
"To ensure that all life in this world is no longer shrouded in darkness forever."
Sophia paused for a moment, then sighed and shook her head.
"No." The Guild Master, a dragon-person seated on the main throne in the Great Elder Hall, gave the same negative response as Sophia. Zuda, standing beside him, sighed slightly and explained, "Eudora, your hypothesis is interesting, but the Guild cannot approve of actively hunting the Forbidden One." Eudora stood stunned, not expecting such a firm rejection for a mere hypothetical inquiry.
"What if we have a chance of success?" Eudora asked.
"The performance of the Chief Hunter Squad in Elgado was outstanding. Coupled with their previous achievements, it's no exaggeration to call them the strongest squad in hunter history. However, hunting the Forbidden One concerns the future direction of humans and dragon-people, and no one has the right to make such a decision lightly. It's also for your own good," Zuda said helplessly.
"What if the Forbidden One decides to attack proactively? Controlling the combat zone within the Shul-Reid City area would be the best choice, wouldn't it?" Eudora inquired. Zuda was momentarily speechless, then admitted after a pause, "Indeed, Shul-Reid City is already a ruin. We can fight there without any reservations."
"You see, the Guild has already simulated this situation."
"Uh... but proactively attacking is still too reckless, and you're only talking about a hypothesis."
"The Lao Shan Dragon is approaching Shul-Reid City. This situation is unprecedented. I hope the Guild will take it seriously." Eudora left the Great Elder Hall after learning the Guild's stance.
"Eudora certainly has the authority to review the Lao Shan Dragon reports, but she was in Elgado before. Why does she know the Lao Shan Dragon's movements?" Zuda couldn't understand.
"Issue a secret order for the Guild to prepare for the worst in this encounter," the Guild Master said, then looked at the sheathed broken blade beside the main throne, the old sword Zhandao Xuzuo.
"I know it's the Dragonator Cult leader's identity that has been providing you protection. I guarantee that as long as the Dragonator Cult does not interfere, I can also protect your safety," Li Fan persuaded.
"If humans choose to unite against the Forbidden One, the Dragonator Cult will cease to exist. The decision is not mine to make," Sophia replied.
"Please help."
"Please, meow."
"Impossible." Sophia's stance remained firm.
"Alright, I understand the Dragonator Cult's attitude. Goodbye." Li Fan, seeing that his persuasion was futile, could only bid farewell and leave.
"Li Fan, do you sense that the Forbidden One is about to appear?" Sophia asked.
"Yes, it's about half a month away, but I can't say for sure what will happen," Li Fan informed her.
"Are you truly prepared?"
"Of course."
"I understand. Jumping directly from the observatory will save a lot of trouble," Sophia advised.
"That's what I was thinking. Dilu, hold on tight to me."
"Holding on tight, meow!" Li Fan stepped onto the giant astronomical telescope extending outside the building and walked to its end. With a whoosh, one person and one cat leaped from the rooftop. Sophia looked up at the starry sky and sighed softly, "If it's you, perhaps you really can..."