On the deck, Li Fan studied the map, estimating the time needed for the journey.
Meanwhile, Dilu tearfully bid farewell to her Felyne companions in Kula Village.
The rest of the time on the ship was mainly spent by the team researching the ecology of the dense forest.
Monsters like the Nargacuga, Rathian, Blademaster Basarios, and Great Shieldcrab also inhabited the dense forest.
Avoiding encounters with them, and how to evade if an encounter occurred, were matters that required careful study.
Three days later, the transport ship arrived at Dongdoruma, known as the center of the world and the headquarters of the Hunter's Guild.
Looking at the thick fortress walls, Eudora said this was her hometown.
Li Fan mentioned he had visited a long time ago, but because they had to transfer directly at the port, the team didn't have time to explore.
After transferring, the team boarded a giant ship equipped with a Dragonator at its prow.
The overall level of weapons and armor worn by the hunters on this deck was noticeably higher than in Kula Village.
What surprised Li Fan even more was that there was a Guild branch established on this giant ship.
He had intended to eat at the Guild Hall, but upon seeing the terrifying prices on the notice board,
he immediately abandoned the idea. In the end, he only spent 200z to buy the latest issue of the Dragon Chronicle,
and returned to his cabin.
The Dragon Chronicle was published every two months. Although Eudora had a few issues in her library,
the most recent one was from a year ago, rendering it largely outdated.
Logically, one could buy it at the Guild branch in Kula Village, but when Li Fan inquired, Shireen had confidently replied that due to inconvenient logistics, even the issue before the last one hadn't arrived.
Lying on the bed, swaying with the waves, Li Fan flipped through the pages.
When he saw a notice from the Dragon Chronicle soliciting all hunters for information on a mysterious carapace contract, he suddenly sat up.
"It's really here..."
Li Fan murmured softly. There were three reasons why he paid so much attention to the Dragon Chronicle's journals.
First, the Dragon Chronicle's investigative style was very aggressive, allowing him to see the latest ecological survey progress.
Second, he could use the Dragon Chronicle's movements to more precisely confirm his current timeline.
Third, the Valstrax.
Currently, Li Fan had no information about the Valstrax, but legends of a crimson comet traversing the sky existed.
The Dragon Chronicle's collection of scorching carapaces indicated that investigations into the Valstrax had begun.
The fifth expedition team to the New World had not yet been formed, and the Dragon Chronicle had only just become aware of the Valstrax...
It felt a bit chaotic.
If it were the timeline of a single game, Li Fan could sort it out from memory.
But if the timelines of two generations of games overlapped, combined with real-world differences, it was truly difficult to grasp at once.
In any case, thinking too much was useless. For now, he would consider the Valstrax an ideal capture target and try to interact with the Dragon Chronicle if the opportunity arose.
If they could help, that would be best; otherwise, he would accumulate strength and rely on himself.
Li Fan did not want to pursue goals that were extremely difficult to achieve.
But given the current trajectory, the Valstrax would destroy the Dragon Chronicle's Dragonship, posing a threat to the Monster Hunter world.
Or, the Dragon Chronicle would hunt the Valstrax, losing the chance to capture it forever.
Li Fan did not wish for either of these outcomes, so he would have to rely on himself to change the course of events.
Five days later, the giant ship arrived at the dense forest and docked at the only port, Ora, for unloading.
Carrying their supplies, the team followed the signs within the somewhat desolate port and quickly found the Guild outpost located in the shantytown.
"Welcome to the Ora Wilderness Guild Outpost!"
In the modestly sized hall, a purple-clad attendant waved at Li Fan.
Stepping onto the creaking floorboards riddled with cracks, the two humans and one Felyne arrived at the counter.
"This is... a contract accepted in Kula Village! The target is still a Congalala Elder! What a rare long-distance hunt!"
The purple-clad attendant exclaimed in surprise.
"Yes, could you help update the information on the contract?"
Li Fan confirmed.
"Certainly, please wait a moment."
The purple-clad attendant said, flipping through a large ledger on the counter.
"I don't know if this counts as good news, but this Congalala Elder is not dead. The last sighting was half a month ago, and it's quite a distance from the original contract's marked location. Due to its wicked deeds, it has already caused considerable harm."
The attendant explained as she modified the marked location on the original contract.
"The Guild branch hasn't dispatched anyone in two years?"
Li Fan asked curiously.
"We've reported it several times before, but the wilderness outpost has limited capabilities, and the dense forest environment is truly complex, so we could only update sighting information after encounters."
The attendant replied helplessly.
"Are there any dangerous monsters in the vicinity of the Congalala Elder?"
"According to current intelligence, there is a Great Shieldcrab in the Congalala Elder's activity area. I've marked it on the contract for you."
The attendant informed him.
"Thank you."
"One more thing to remind you: in about less than a month, it's expected that Rathalos and Rathian will migrate to the dense forest area. At that time, Ora Port will be completely closed, and all personnel will be evacuated. If the hunt is not going smoothly, please ensure the team returns as soon as possible."
The attendant solemnly warned.
"Understood."
Li Fan left the hall and, upon reaching the shore, glanced back at the limited scale of Ora Port.
He felt that if monsters of four or five stars were to attack, this place would indeed have no defense. Evacuation beforehand was not unreasonable.
After proceeding a distance into the forest, Li Fan released Kankan, who carried the pack and all the supplies.
"Let's try to survive in the wilderness for three days without relying on outpost supplies. If we can adapt, we'll venture deep into the forest and head to the marked location to attempt the hunt."
After Li Fan stated the plan, the team got busy.
Eudora was responsible for finding a campsite and setting it up.
Li Fan and Dilu scouted the surrounding ecosystem, eliminating any potential threats immediately.
The most significant threat among them was the Great Bee.
If one were stung by the tail stinger of these half-human-sized flying insects, they would immediately fall into a paralyzed state.
"Hya!"
Li Fan roared, and a Spirit Blade slash directly cut the Great Bee into pieces.
As the shattered remains of the Great Bee slowly drifted down, Dilu asked curiously, "Li Fan, why do you seem to hate Great Bees so much, meow?"
"When I was hunting monsters in the dense forest before, I was just a little bit away from success, and it was this Great Bee that flew around and stung me from behind."
"And then, meow?"
"There was no 'then.' From that moment on, I swore that whenever I encountered a Great Bee, I would kill every single one."
"Uh... I feel like you have a lot of resentment towards Great Bees, meow."
After two hours of clearing the area, Eudora found a relatively suitable spot for establishing a camp on a rocky elevation.
Li Fan and Dilu, upon learning this, came to help with the construction.
Once established, the tent only had one side leaning against the rock face.
Its concealment and safety were not particularly strong, but there were no high terrains in the outer areas of the dense forest, so they had to make do for now.
After settling in, the next task was to hunt for food.
Since the wilderness outpost couldn't even handle the Congalala Elder, there was no hope for Puff.
The insects that Shasha loved to eat were everywhere in the dense forest.
Li Fan decided to let the two monsters forage and hunt in the wild for a while.
Roar! Shasha let out an angry low growl upon seeing Puff nearby.
Puff yawned, resting its head on its paws, showing a disinterest in the situation.
"Don't hold grudges, Shasha. You can't beat them. From now on, we're all brothers."
Li Fan soothed.
Shasha expelled a gust of air from the carapace on its head and turned its head away.
"You've been cooped up in the balls for so many days, you must be very hungry. The chances of encountering large monsters in our current location are not high, but there's a high chance of encountering humans. Please exercise restraint, otherwise, it will be very troublesome if you become a contracted prey. If you're okay with this, then let's go."
After Li Fan finished speaking, Shasha intended to leave from the left, but seeing Puff heading that way, it turned its head and began to sprint towards the right.
"Adapting to the dense forest environment is a test for the team, and for you as well."
Li Fan sighed, and then he and Dilu proceeded along the coast.
After walking for a short while, a small Shieldcrab digging in the sand on the beach came into view.
Its appearance was similar to a hermit crab. Its carapace was red, with four sharp legs standing on the ground, and two pincers that could be used to break down food or for attack and defense.
"Hya!"
Li Fan quickly ran over and struck the small Shieldcrab's carapace with a direct slash.
The carapace dented slightly, its four sharp legs bent, and the entire body of the small Shieldcrab slumped downwards.
A moment later, the small Shieldcrab's legs shifted, drawing a semicircle in the sand as it turned to see who was attacking it.
However, a direct stab pierced its soft carapace, causing gray fluid to gush out from its body.
Snap! Snap!
The small Shieldcrab raised its claws and opened and closed them rapidly, as if in defiance.
Li Fan thought about his armor, which had activated skills of Attack +2, Weakness Exploit +2, and Constitution +1.
Although there was no level designation for abilities here due to differences in hunter constitution, if applied in practice, it would certainly be felt.
"Alright, I'll give you a chance."
Li Fan said, stepping back a few paces to give the small Shieldcrab an opportunity to attack.
Kwa! Kwa!
Even with fluid oozing from its wound, the small Shieldcrab was undeterred and advanced, swinging its pincers.
Li Fan adjusted his breathing, recalling the feeling when his abilities were activated.
He deliberately waited until the moment the pincers were about to strike, and the pupils of his focused eyes suddenly contracted.
Weakness Exploit activated!
Thwack! This time, the thrust was precise and unerring, piercing directly into the small Shieldcrab's mouthparts.
Kwa... kwa...
With its head pierced, the small Shieldcrab was impaled on the tip of the Jagged Blade, and small bubbles slid down the blade onto the sand.
Li Fan stepped on the small Shieldcrab, pulled out the Jagged Blade, shook off the gray fluid clinging to it, and sheathed it behind his back.
He drew a hunter's knife from his waist and began to carve up the small Shieldcrab's carcass.
He cut off two claws and four legs. The main body's carapace was filled with gray fluid.
Li Fan, seeing this, was a bit hesitant to eat it, so he only scraped out the roe and handed it to Dilu for preservation.
Continuing along the coast for a while, two more small Shieldcrabs were hunted and dismantled after Li Fan finished practicing his ability application.
"It's not as exaggerated as Shireen said. I've been looking for two hours, and there were only three small Shieldcrabs."
Li Fan, carrying a bundle of crab legs and claws, remarked.
"This might be related to the season and the hunting situation around the outpost, meow."
Dilu speculated.
"Possibly, it's a bit close to the outpost here."
The abundance of resources was undeniably linked to the distance from the outpost.
It was so close to Ora Port that it wouldn't be unusual for ordinary fishermen to visit.
Seeing that the sky was getting late, Li Fan and Dilu headed back towards the camp.
Walking from the sandy beach with only coconut trees into the somewhat dark and dense jungle, Li Fan had a feeling of being lost.
Fortunately, Dilu had excellent navigational skills and led Li Fan back to the camp before dark.
At this time, Eudora was trying to stuff a yellow croaker, whose head was larger than hers, into the stew pot.
Seeing that there was no room in the pot, Li Fan skewered the crab legs onto branches and placed them on the portable grill to roast.
Li Fan had only eaten steamed crab before; this was his first time trying roasted crab.
"It shouldn't take too long to roast, right?"
Without the music cue for roasting, Li Fan was a bit worried about controlling the heat, so he muttered to himself.
At this moment, the leaves in the nearby bushes rustled, and the two humans and one Felyne immediately became alert.
Eudora stared at the bushes, her hand reaching for the hilt of the sword propped against a rock.
Whoosh!
Kankan's head emerged from the bushes.
"What are you doing? You're quite scary."
Li Fan let out a sigh of relief.
After Kankan's head looked around, its entire body emerged from the bushes, revealing a monster egg clutched in its front paws.
"You two... can either of you identify it?"
Li Fan asked, stunned for a moment.
"I can't tell, meow."
"I have no expertise in monster eggs."
"Then... let's just eat it quickly. What if someone comes looking for it?"
Li Fan suggested.
"I'll get my small frying pan, meow!"
"I'll get the deodorizing ball to erase the scent!"
Eudora and Dilu quickly got to work.
At this point, Li Fan looked at the crab legs on the grill; they had already turned black as charcoal.
An unidentified large yellow croaker, arm-thick crab legs, and a giant fried egg with a red yolk.
After the team finished dinner, even Kankan's belly was slightly distended.
When I arrived at the dense forest this time, I was prepared to endure hardship and hunger, but why does it feel like I've eaten more than in Kula Village?
Li Fan had intended to use the long journey for wilderness survival training, but he hadn't expected the first night to be unexpectedly good.
Due to the camp's low elevation and only having a rock face for cover on one side,
the open terrain provided no security. The team decided to take turns on watch.
For a normal four-person hunting team, this wouldn't take up too much energy, but for only two people, it was a bit difficult.
"I can also stand watch, meow!"
Dilu volunteered.
"Alright then. We'll divide the night into three shifts, and we'll rotate each night."
After Li Fan made the arrangements, Eudora and Dilu went into the tent.
Li Fan added some branches to the campfire and sat down, taking out the latest issue of the Dragon Chronicle and began to read again.