Back in the inn room, Eudora was already sitting in the room with a pile of supplies.
"The Mega Barrel Bombs can't be stored in Sunsnaket's Den, so we'll have to pick them up from the storage point outside tomorrow," Eudora said, looking at the shopping list.
"You've worked hard."
"Also, the fishing rod made of Hardfang is bought, but there's no thread made of Felyne Silk here either. The general store owner recommended an Iron Bug Silk fishing line. He said that although its flexibility is slightly inferior to Felyne Silk fishing line, its toughness far surpasses any other fishing line."
"Iron Bug Silk! Is it the kind with a faint green glow?" Li Fan asked in surprise.
"A single fishing line... there's no reason for it to glow. However, I pulled it taut between two ends for a tensile test, and there was no sign of it breaking or thinning. It's a pity it's a bit expensive, so I decided to come back and discuss it with you," Eudora informed him.
"Then, before we set off tomorrow, let's go to the general store together."
"Alright!"
The next morning, the team arrived at the general store in Sunsnaket's Den.
Upon hearing that they were inquiring about Iron Bug Silk, the middle-aged shop owner with brown skin rummaged through the slightly cluttered store.
Finally, he produced a roll of thread as thick as a water pipe.
The surface of the thread was gray and rather stiff, looking completely different from ordinary fishing lines.
"This bug silk is brought by caravans from the Kingdom of Xiyuleide. Each Great Big-Bug can only produce one..."
"Wait a minute, boss. Aren't Great Big-Bugs creatures found in the vicinity of Kamura Village?" Li Fan asked curiously.
Great Big-Bugs are insects raised at fixed points, whose tails are dragged by people in the wild to release Iron Bug Silk, allowing them to fly over mountains and forests. They are unique to the area around Kamura Village.
"Uh... saying it's from there can sell for more money. The source is indeed in Kamura Village." The boss, seeing that Li Fan knew his stuff, no longer concealed the truth.
After careful observation, Li Fan felt that this was indeed Iron Bug Silk, and it was the large-diameter version that could only be produced from the tail of a Great Big-Bug. However, it had completely lost its vitality at the end due to the absence of a Great Big-Bug. But since it could support a hunter in full armor flying through mountains and forests, its toughness and strength were definitely guaranteed.
"How much?"
"Originally 5000 per roll, now discounted to 4500."
"2000!"
"Deal!"
"Huh?" Before Li Fan could figure out what was happening, the large-diameter Iron Bug Silk was already placed in his arms by the boss.
"Alright, Eudora, pay up."
Securing the Iron Bug Silk around his shoulder, Li Fan then rushed to the hazardous materials warehouse outside Sunsnaket's Den.
On the small, wooden shed, bright red warning signs were plastered everywhere. Not far away, a Felyne was leisurely resting on a lounge chair under a parasol.
"Excuse me, we want to buy Mega Barrel Bombs," Li Fan called out.
"Business is here, meow!" The Felyne's ears perked up, and it jumped off the lounge chair, running over quickly.
"Please present a Hunter's Guild Card of three stars or higher, and a Hunting Contract, meow." After verification, the Felyne gave a quote: "Due to the recent rising market, the price of a Mega Barrel Bomb is 4350z each."
"So expensive?" Li Fan exclaimed in surprise.
"Can't be helped, meow. It seems some factions are hoarding them on a large scale. This is a sales point set up by the Guild, and the price will never be deceptive," the Felyne assured him.
"Then we'll take two."
"You're going to hunt a Cephalos, aren't you, meow?" the Felyne asked with a smile.
"That's right."
"Hmm, a correct choice, meow! There are also Sand Skiffs for rent at the entrance of Sunsnaket's Den. You can check them out if you need them. I'll go get the goods, and please don't come any closer." The Felyne said, opening an iron box next to the lounge chair and taking out a set of plate armor, which it skillfully put on. Then, it pushed a flatbed cart and rushed straight into the hazardous materials warehouse. When the flatbed cart was pushed back, there were already several barrel bombs as tall as a person on it. Li Fan and Eudora carefully unloaded them. After the unloading was complete, the Felyne quickly pushed another one back.
"Knowing to use Barrel Bombs against Cephalos, you must be experienced hunters, meow. However, this instruction manual must be distributed as usual." After receiving the booklet and paying the fee, Li Fan and Eudora each carried a Barrel Bomb and, under the guidance of Delu, gradually moved away from Sunsnaket's Den.
When they had traveled far enough, the two of them stopped in the shade of a rock formation and began to read the Barrel Bomb instruction manual. Li Fan had done some research before, so he specifically chose the parts he hadn't seen. The explosions caused by Barrel Bombs, like in the game, had the characteristic of ignoring carapaces and flesh. However, due to the inconvenience of carrying them and their extreme danger, they were rarely carried by teams except for joint hunting missions where there was ample time for planning and deployment. In terms of construction, Barrel Bombs also had a safety valve-like design. After placement, the safety pin on top needed to be pulled out to enter the pre-detonation state. At this point, if impacted, the Barrel Bomb would explode. Of course, even if the safety pin was not pulled out, the Barrel Bomb could still explode, but only if the barrel suffered an exceptionally strong impact. Li Fan was generally aware of these descriptions. What surprised him was that in the last few pages of the manual, there was an introduction to Guild-specialized bomb personnel, Bomb-men. Bomb-men were Guild members but could be rented out to hunting teams to transport and place Barrel Bombs. The hiring fee was fixed, and they would not take any commission or materials. Of course, not every branch was equipped with them, and details could be consulted at the local front desk. Li Fan felt this was a good idea, as it could generate revenue for the Guild and meet the needs of teams that required it. Most importantly, these were professional personnel trained by the Guild. Their transportation and placement of bombs could effectively reduce the dangers caused by improper operation.
*Whoosh~ Whoosh~* Wind pressure struck, and sand and gravel on the dune surface scattered. After the Small Fool landed, the team loaded the Barrel Bombs. Flying in this manner was highly dangerous, but Li Fan believed it was worth the risk. First, there was the possibility of dropping Mega Barrel Bombs from high altitude to attempt bombing attacks. If it was truly feasible, Li Fan would have to give a blast to the Behemoth Dragon if he encountered one in the future. Secondly, hunting and capturing Cephalos would be much easier with Mega Barrel Bombs. As for transporting them on the ground with Sand Skiffs, it seemed safer, but the presence of Jaggi and Sand Dragons, which appeared widely on the sandy plains and lurked in the sand, posed no small threat and occurred very frequently. After flying for half a day, the team arrived above the target area. Because the map's markings for drinking and feeding spots were incredibly detailed, the Small Fool was in good condition. However, the team, under the assault of hot winds, was quite uncomfortable. Even hiding in the shade of high rock formations, the heat did not abate.
"Ugh... Eudora, did you put too much Ice Crystals in the cold drink you mixed?" Li Fan, leaning against a sandstone, took a sip of the cold drink and felt that there seemed to be too many Ice Crystals. "The standard ratio doesn't apply to all situations. In extreme weather like this, the dosage should be increased," Eudora explained. As the sun slowly set and the sky turned gray and the temperature dropped, the team took the opportunity to set up camp. Although the low temperatures of the sandy plains at night were not as intense as the high temperatures during the day, it was still more comfortable to stay in a warm tent. When the night sky was filled with stars, the camp was established within a cave in the rock formation. Since many monsters were to be observed this time, Li Fan organized a division of labor.
"Tomorrow, the Small Fool will take everyone to three high-altitude observation points. Camouflage nets and other supplies have been prepared in advance. If there's any danger, fire a signal. Is that all clear?"
"No problem."
"No problem, meow!"
"Delu, this is your first time acting alone, and the natural environment is so harsh. If you can't hold on, don't push yourself," Li Fan instructed.
"Don't worry, meow!" Delu said with great confidence. For the night watch, the platform outside the cave entrance was large enough, so Li Fan simply let the Small Fool curl up at the cave entrance to sleep. The next morning, to extend the effect of the Felyne meal, the entire team chewed a bitter bug raw. Then, they headed to different high-altitude points to search and observe the target monsters. By noon, Li Fan, crawling under the camouflage net made of withered yellow leaves, felt like he was in a furnace as he looked at the blurred and distorted sand dunes in the distance. Fortunately, their persistence paid off. A Cephalos active nearby had already been spotted and locked onto. There was a Sand Dragon King nearby that was a bit of an eyesore. However, when it came time to implement the plan, it shouldn't be a problem to have the Small Fool drive away other monsters in the area first. In the afternoon, a yellow dorsal fin about half a meter high emerged from the surface of the sand dune. The dorsal fin slid in an arc for a distance and then moved to an area where sand was gathered.
*Whoosh~ Whoosh~* The surrounding gravel swirled and gathered towards the dorsal fin. As more and more gravel adhered to the surface, the shape of the dorsal fin gradually became almost identical to the surrounding sand dunes. However, this camouflage of blending with the environment did not last long before it was interrupted by a blast of wind pressure from above. The gravel was blown away, and the erect dorsal fin was completely exposed. The Cephalos's body began to rise from the sand. The rhombic armor plates on both sides of its back were the first to be revealed, followed by the semicircular head carapace, which was close to the sand color, and a pair of short forelimbs. Li Fan, riding on the Small Fool's back, saw that the exposed half-body was about 10 meters long, and the overall length was likely nearly 20 meters. Two small yellow round eyes, located very close to each other on the skull, blinked. It seemed to show a bit of curiosity towards the Rathalos hovering above its body.
*Swish!* A paint ball was thrown onto its head carapace, and pink smoke immediately drifted. *Woooo~* The Cephalos let out a dissatisfied cry, and its body quickly burrowed into the sand. "See you later!" Li Fan said, and the Small Fool rapidly ascended. At the night camp, the team gathered the information observed today in the tent. Li Fan reported that he had discovered a Cephalos at observation point #1 and successfully marked it with a paint ball. Delu reported spotting a Diablos at observation point #3. Although he didn't have a chance to throw a paint ball, he had still locked onto the Diablos's general activity area through observation. Eudora, however, gloomily reported that she had watched the desert scenery for a whole day at observation point #2 and hadn't even seen a Sand Dragon.
"Not even a Sand Dragon? That's unusual. Are there any caves or mineral veins near you?" Li Fan sensed something was wrong. His and Delu's observations included not only the primary targets but also the distribution of other monsters. In Eudora's situation, it was either that hunting teams frequented the area, or a highly ecological monster that was fond of killing was active nearby. "You mean!.... there are no large exposed mineral veins on the surface, but there is indeed a large cave entrance on the surface of a rock formation." Eudora recalled. "Then we'll execute the capture plan tomorrow. If everything goes smoothly, we'll explore the cave before dark." Li Fan made the deployment. The next day, at dawn, the Small Fool set out alone, spitting fireballs and roaring fiercely to drive away monsters in the Cephalos's area. The Cephalos's ecological niche on the sandy plains was not at the top tier. However, its positioning was similar to that of a night bird. As long as it didn't court death, it rarely encountered natural enemies. Moreover, it was its territory, so the Cephalos completely ignored the threat from the Small Fool.
*Whoosh~ Whoosh~* Landing on the platform where the camp was located again, Li Fan fed it a piece of beast meat and then began loading the Mega Barrel Bombs. *Clang! Clang!....* On the sun-baked sandy plains, two Hard-shelled Dragons were constantly colliding, completely unaware that a pair of erect dorsal fins were being attracted by the sound of collision. *Clang!* At the moment of collision, a giant maw suddenly emerged from the sand. Facing the engulfment of the giant maw with neat sharp teeth, one Hard-shelled Dragon quickly escaped, while the other was bitten and torn apart, then dragged into the sand. A gust of hot wind blew, and the depression on the sand quickly smoothed over. The yellow dorsal fin reappeared on the sand dune as if nothing had happened.
"That mouth is so big." Eudora, who witnessed the entire hunting process from mid-air, exclaimed. "Cephalos has poor eyesight, and its eyes are on its forehead, so it basically relies on sound to detect ground conditions. Therefore, our footsteps and the sound of our armor clanking are all sources of information for the Cephalos to detect our movements," Li Fan reminded her. "Is that why it often swallows Mega Barrel Bombs whole?" Eudora asked curiously. "It might be related to its developed predatory habits. I feel it relies too much on ground sounds to make judgments," Li Fan speculated. After waiting for more than ten minutes, the constantly moving dorsal fin finally stopped. Li Fan got up from his seat and began to dismantle the ropes securing one of the Mega Barrel Bombs.
"This method of attack... is strange." Eudora didn't quite understand. "It's a bit strange, but at least it's a new attempt," Li Fan said, lifting the large Barrel Bomb. "Small Fool, activate bombing mode." Hearing this, the Small Fool tilted its body slightly and slowly flapped its wings to maintain suspension.
"Delu, confirm the target!"
"Yes, meow!" Delu lay down at the base of its wing and looked down vertically with a monocular telescope. "Directly below... the target shows no signs of movement... no interference sources... ready to drop, meow!" Delu observed for a moment and gave the confirmation.
"Safety officer Eudora, please release the safety pin!" Li Fan gave another command.
"Why am I involved too..." Eudora helplessly covered her forehead, slowly stood up, stepped onto the seat, and seeing a grip-shaped pull ring on the lid of the barrel, confirmed, "Should I pull it now?"
"Yes, Safety Officer Eudora." Li Fan, holding the Mega Barrel Bomb, continuously adjusted his breathing rhythm, striving to keep his hands steady when dropping it from below.
*Screech!* The safety pin was pulled out, and a slight cracking sound came from inside the Mega Barrel Bomb. "Hmm... it's out." Holding the safety pin in her hand, Eudora was a bit at a loss.
*Swish!* Li Fan calmly released his hands. The Mega Barrel Bomb fell vertically, shrinking in his vision.
*Boom!* A burst of explosive light appeared on the sand dune.
*Roar!!!* The Cephalos let out a fierce roar that echoed across the sandy plains.
"The power is a bit weak... it just blackened its dorsal fin a little." Li Fan observed with some disappointment. He also knew that the Cephalos only exposed its body to the surface over a large area when fighting, but in that case, it couldn't be kept still. Since this attack was experimental, it was still somewhat acceptable.
"It looks angry, meow."
"It'll be even angrier when it can't find who attacked it," Li Fan asserted. The dorsal fin began to move rapidly across the sandy plains, seemingly trying to find the target that attacked it by constantly searching. However, the team hadn't even set foot on the sand yet, so the Cephalos would only waste its energy without any results. After circling pointlessly for half an hour like this, Li Fan felt the time was about right and chose to land at a considerable distance from the Cephalos. Placing another Mega Barrel Bomb on the sand, Li Fan made the final deployment confirmation.
"When the Sonic Bomb explodes, I'll cast the fishing hook. Afterwards, we'll all pull the fishing rod with all our might. Although according to the ecological report, it requires at least 4 hunters with sufficient strength to pull out a Cephalos at the same time, with the Small Fool's help, it shouldn't be a problem."
"Understood!"
"Got it, meow!"
*Swish!* The Sonic Bomb was thrown into the air, exploding with a ring-shaped expanding sound wave. Li Fan, holding the Iron Bug Silk fishing line, stared intently at the Barrel Bomb standing on the sand surface.
*Whoosh~ Whoosh~ Whoosh~* The rapidly moving dorsal fin came at the sound, approaching from afar.
*Boom!* The sand suddenly caved in, and the Mega Barrel Bomb fell into the leaping Cephalos's mouth. At the highest point of its leap, its mouth, opened to its maximum, snapped shut.
*Wooo~ Boom~* A muffled sound came from inside the Cephalos's mouth, and its entire head carapace bulged. It quickly opened its mouth, and black smoke spewed out.
*Boom!* The Cephalos, falling straight down, crashed into the sand, its head carapace collapsing on the ground, with smoke swirling from its gaping maw.
"Action!" Li Fan quickly ran to the giant mouth. Finding a spherical organ resembling a uvula on the upper jaw, he pierced and embedded it with a claw-shaped hook. For stability, he then used the Iron Bug Silk fishing line to make a reverse knot, wrapping it tightly around the hook. The upper and lower rows of sharp teeth began to tremble slightly. Li Fan immediately retreated. Eudora and Delu held the fishing rod diagonally and began to pull backward with all their might. Li Fan, running over, grabbed the front end and also exerted force to pull. As the Cephalos gradually regained consciousness and felt the pain in its mouth, it quickly burrowed into the sand, trying to break free by shaking its body. The Iron Bug Silk fishing line sank into the sand, shifting with its movement.
*Screech!....* The figures of two people and one cat gradually slid forward, showing signs of being dragged.
"Delu! You come to the front! The Small Fool won't dare to bite if you're not there!" Li Fan, being dragged, looked back and suddenly realized the problem.
"Sorry, meow!" Delu, who was exerting force with closed eyes, quickly moved aside and ran to the front of the fishing rod. Seeing a place to bite, the Small Fool came to the side of the fishing rod and grabbed the end with its mouth.
*Bang! Bang!....* Two powerful claws dug deep into the sand, moving sideways. The situation reversed, the dragging stopped, and the team gained the initiative. After a stalemate of about two minutes, the Cephalos's struggles weakened, and even buried under the sand, it could only be dragged by the team.
"Three! Two!.... One!" Following Li Fan's command, everyone lifted the fishing rod with all their might. The Cephalos was completely dragged out of the sand and flew into the air again, but this time it was completely beyond its control. It finally landed on its back, its short limbs kicking wildly.
"Attack from the other side! Leave this side to the Small Fool!" Li Fan said, drawing the Shield Crab Greatsword from his back and hacking at Eudora behind the Cephalos. On the other side, after a barrage of three fireballs, the Small Fool briefly gathered its strength and charged with a Dragon Charge, directly sending the Cephalos flying. Rolling, the Cephalos's orientation finally changed.
"Uh... this time we're fighting head-on." Li Fan hadn't expected that he would have opportunities to attack both the front and back of a Cephalos that usually hid in the sand. On the other side, the Small Fool twisted its neck, trying to bite the throat area and end the hunt. However, when it went to bite, it realized that the Cephalos's head carapace was directly connected to its back armor, and it had no neck at all. Although Rathalos could adapt to the harsh environment of the sandy plains, due to their completely different habits, they rarely interacted with monsters like Cephalos. Subconsciously, it might not even have basic knowledge. Of course, even if it couldn't launch a targeted attack due to lack of understanding, the Small Fool was still active. It stepped on the Cephalos and stomped down with its claws. Li Fan, sensing victory was imminent, suddenly felt the sand beneath his feet slowly sinking. The rhombic armor plates on both sides of the Cephalos's back had all opened. Its giant mouth, which had been unable to close due to the explosion, was now forcefully swallowing gravel and transporting it inward.
"Retreat!" Li Fan sheathed his sword and turned to flee. The surrounding sand began to sink faster and faster. With a loud *boom*, countless powerful air currents, mixed with sand and dust, were ejected outward from the rhombic armor plates on its back. In the turbulent wind and sand, the Cephalos opened its giant mouth to its maximum again, and an extremely powerful wind and sand jet spewed out. Following the trajectory of the Small Fool's flight, the wind and sand jet followed closely, rising continuously. Fortunately, just as it touched the left wing and affected its flight posture, the Cephalos had exhausted its accumulated energy.
*Whoosh~* The Cephalos burrowed back into the sand. Its exposed dorsal fin, due to damage, was now completely tilted to one side. Its movement through the sand was somewhat slow and not smooth, indicating it was at the end of its rope.
"Stop running, join us." Li Fan, riding the Small Fool and pursuing at extremely low altitude, persuaded it.
*Whoosh~* A spray of sand and dust erupted, and the Cephalos seemed to express its unwavering refusal. Seeing this, Li Fan could only try throwing a ball. As a result, due to the obstruction of the sand layer, it couldn't be reeled in at all.
"Please stop struggling, it's meaningless. I just want to find monsters that can protect themselves on the sandy plains, so that if I come here again, at least there will be someone to look out for. If anyone bullies you, I can come and avenge you, uh... to the same extent as I beat you today."
"By the way, can Cephalos really understand what you're saying?" Eudora was somewhat speechless. "At least I'm trying my best to communicate. I've even thought of a name for it. I can't just beat it to death, can I?"
"This direction... it seems to lead to observation point #2, meow." Delu looked at the map with a frown.
"Observation point #2? Isn't that the area that hasn't been explored yet, where a high-ecological monster is suspected to be active?" Eudora became alert.
"Something is indeed not right. Could it be that...." Li Fan had a bad premonition. In terms of escape ability, even though the Cephalos was at the end of its rope, if there was a way to pull it out of the sand, the team would have done so long ago. It was deliberately heading towards the vicinity of observation point #2, likely to create an opportunity for the team to encounter that monster, so that it could escape.
"Diablos's burrowing ability is so strong, it definitely can't be that. And with Bazelgeuse's sharp claws, it can easily break through rocks, so it's probably not that either. Then it can only be.... Fatalis!" Li Fan was also extremely surprised by this conclusion.