Monster Hunter: I can hear the monsters' thoughts

Chapter 541 A Tribute, it's all a damn tribute!

"Longli Academy..."

The guild leader paused for a moment, then nodded slightly.

Indeed, the guild is currently unable to allocate manpower to organize the investigation, so transferring the task to the Dragon Academy, which still has the capacity, is a very appropriate and necessary choice.

"I understand."

The guild leader walked to a table to the side, picked up a pen and began to write documents so that they could be sent to the Dragon Academy as quickly as possible.

"Report——"

But he had only just begun writing when another figure rushed into the main hall. The urgent shouts made the guild leader's hand holding the pen tremble involuntarily, smearing the document he had only half-written.

At this moment, however, he could no longer care about the document and, like the Grand Elder, looked at the panting guild knight with a tense gaze.

The guild knight hurriedly bowed, then pulled out the urgent message he had just received from his robes:

"Urgent dispatch from Minagard!"

The sealing wax on the envelope was intact, clearly indicating that the guild knight had rushed to the Grand Hall immediately after receiving the letter, without even having time to check its contents.

The elder beckoned, and the guild knight quickly stepped forward, opened the envelope, unfolded the letter, and handed it to the elder.

The guild leader's gaze followed the letter closely before landing on the Grand Elder's face, and he subconsciously held his breath.

Watching the Grand Elder's expression change from tense to solemn to joyful, and finally with a soft sigh, the guild leader's mood also became very uneasy.

What happened?

"Great Elder?"

The guild leader instinctively asked, "What exactly is the situation in Minagard?"

The elder placed the letter down and handed it back to the guild knight, gesturing for him to give it to the guild leader. At the same time, he spoke to reassure the leader:
"Don't worry too much. Lao-Shan Lung has been successfully repelled and is unlikely to pose a threat to Minagard in the short term."

The guild leader couldn't help but show a strange expression. This was a good thing, so why did the Grand Elder sigh just now?
His expression changed, and he considered a possibility:
"Are the hunters' casualties severe?"

"No, compared to past battles, the casualties this time were much smaller, and not a single high-ranking hunter died."

The supervisor was even more puzzled. The number of casualties was even lower. Shouldn't that be a good thing?
At this moment, the guild knight had already handed the letter to the supervisor's desk, and with these questions in mind, he carefully read the battle report submitted by the Minagard branch.

Then, he finally understood why the Grand Elder had sighed, because he sighed as well.

"This male Rathalos played a huge and conspicuous role in this battle..."

The guild knight looked left at the supervisor and right at the elder, his face full of confusion.

What kind of riddle are these two playing?

Rathalos, is that the one that flew to the Great Hall a few days ago? Although I was quite shocked that Rathalos could become a human's partner, once I accept this fact, it's not a big deal. Since it's an ally, isn't it a good thing that it plays a big role?
Neither of his superiors gave him any indication, leaving the guild knight standing there, unsure whether to stay or leave. To make matters worse, they started talking about something completely unrelated, leaving him even more confused.

The Grand Elder pondered for a long time, then sighed:
"Very well, this is a challenge, but also an opportunity. How are the rider program preparations going?"

Supervisor: "The training grounds are complete, the first batch of trainees has been selected, and the monster to be trained is tentatively set as the Yellow Velociraptor. We can officially begin training at any time... However, is it too radical to launch the rider program at this critical juncture? Shouldn't we at least wait a while and see the public's reaction?"

The guild knights couldn't understand, but the two veteran dragons who had held high positions for many years were well aware of the implications.

The Rider Project itself was developed after obtaining intelligence information about monsters like the Sky and Jumper that are close to humans. It aims to rapidly increase manpower and help humanity overcome increasingly difficult times in the future. However, this project conflicts too much with people's long-held beliefs, and if it is rashly and vigorously promoted, it may arouse public anger.

So after finalizing the plan, they first conducted pilot programs on a small scale in batches, hoping to gradually change people's perceptions after achieving certain results and completing a smooth transition before expanding it on a large scale.

However, the participation of the Sky in this battle to intercept Laoshan Dragon brought changes to the plan that should have proceeded smoothly, making the future prospects unpredictable. This is why the two old dragons sighed.

The Grand Elder pondered for a moment, then took a deep breath:

"Perhaps, but as you can see, the situation on the mainland is becoming increasingly unpredictable. The hunters alone are simply not enough to keep up. We urgently need a fresh force."

The supervisor still looked worried.

"If we launch a public opinion campaign and take advantage of the situation, we can indeed suppress a lot of the opposing voices for a while. It is not impossible to launch a blitzkrieg and forcefully implement it."

"But such propaganda can only suppress them temporarily. If it fails to achieve significant results and change people's perceptions during this period, it will inevitably lead to a more violent backlash and chaos."

Whether the benefits of this plan will outweigh the losses caused by the chaos remains to be seen...

The Grand Elder sighed again. How could he not know all this? As the highest-ranking leader of the guild, his slightest mistake could affect the lives of millions of people. He should be extremely cautious and conservative when making decisions.

But when he recalled the private conversation Lin Lin had with everyone else after entering the Grand Hall a few days ago, and when he thought about the current chaotic situation across the entire continent, he simply couldn't stay calm.

A forbidden being, disguised as a girl in white, destroyed the "King of Purgatory," a city whose prosperity rivaled that of the ancient city of East Doruma, and the destined day of its resurrection...

The pressure is just too much.

The Grand Elder was unsure how long until the day of resurrection, but given the current situation where ancient dragons, which used to appear only once every few years, were suddenly emerging in droves, this might be a sign that the day of resurrection was approaching.

To ensure humanity's survival after the forbidden resurrection, we must strengthen our power as much as possible before they resurrect, in order to seize that sliver of hope. In the face of the destructive crisis brought about by the existence of the forbidden, a little temporary chaos is nothing.

However, since this matter is taboo, this information is top secret and only a very few high-ranking members of the guild know about it. Revealing it in advance would only increase panic. So the Grand Elder didn't say anything, but gave the Manager a look, implying that he would talk to him about it in detail later. The Manager had the right to know about the contents of his secret conversation with Lin Lin, but he had been busy with many things these past few days and the Grand Elder had been focusing most of his energy on dealing with emergencies. He hadn't had time to talk to him about it yet.

'Has it really gotten this serious...?'

The supervisor sighed and finally stopped trying to dissuade him.
"I understand, the rider program can begin immediately."

The Grand Elder nodded in satisfaction.

Just as the two fell silent, preparing to end their discussion, a series of hurried footsteps sounded again at the entrance of the Grand Hall.

The Grand Elder and the Supervisor both glanced over instinctively, and the same thought arose in their minds at the same time.

Are there any experts?

This time, a small old dragon-man dressed in purple silk entered. Although he walked in a hurry, he didn't carry any letters, which made the two of them subconsciously breathe a sigh of relief.

However, when they took a closer look and recognized the visitor, their breath caught in their throats again. The newcomer was none other than the director of the Ancient Dragon Observation Bureau. The last time he had rushed into the Grand Hall in such a hurry was because Minagard had observed traces of Lao-Shan Lung.

The Grand Elder sighed wearily and rubbed his temples.

"New news about Gu Long again? Who is it this time?"

The director of the Ancient Dragon Observation Bureau bowed:
"This time it's not Gu Long..."

Before the guild leader could even breathe a sigh of relief, he immediately added the next sentence:

"It's a fortified crab."

"The Ancient Dragon Observatory has discovered the presence of the Fortress Crab in the Geokruk Sea. Based on its direction of travel, it is estimated that it may arrive in East Doruma within half a month."

The guild leader suddenly felt dizzy.

Yes, the Immortal is a crustacean, not an Elder Dragon, but is there a difference?
The only difference between it and Lao-Shan Lung is that it does not have the blood of an ancient dragon!

No sooner had they repelled Lao-Shan Lung than a new colossal monster appeared in Melchita, and now even Dongdorma is facing the threat of colossal monsters. If we also consider the Great Sea Dragon that was recently defeated in Moga Village... Are colossal monsters starting to appear in droves?!

The Grand Elder was at a loss for what expression to wear:

Can you confirm that the news is true?

The director of the Ancient Dragon Observation Bureau nodded:
“I have confirmed it repeatedly. The only thing that could leave such marks is a fortified crab.”

The elder and the supervisor exchanged a glance, then waved their hands helplessly:
"Issue a declaration of an emergency, and while you're at it, recall our high-ranking hunters."

Although they have just fought a fierce battle and are exhausted, it would be too inhumane to recall them to fight another fierce battle. However, Dongdoruma cannot afford to lose. The vacation that is owed to them can be made up for after this battle is over...

……

In the cabin provided by the Hunter's Guild in Minagard.

While asleep, Lin Lin felt an unbearable itch on the tip of his nose and couldn't help but sneeze loudly.

When I opened my eyes, I saw a furry ear right in front of me. The ear would twitch from time to time, and the soft hair at the tip of the ear brushed against the tip of my nose. This was the source of the itching sensation earlier.

Lin Lin leaned back strategically, avoiding the furry ear, and got a clear view of the whole thing.

Date moved a small stool and sat on the edge of the bed, using the bed as a desk. She was engrossed in looking at something and didn't notice Lin Lin's movements at all.

It wasn't until Lin Lin waved his hand in front of it that Date Pepper became alert. The previously soundly sleeping eldest had woken up sometime earlier and was cheerfully calling out:
Good morning, boss!

"Good morning, dates."

Lin Lin responded and leaned closer:

"What are you looking at?"

Upon seeing Lin Lin approach, Yezao instantly closed the open book and put it away, her movements seeming somewhat flustered.

They won't let me see it?
Lin Lin raised an eyebrow. In that brief glance, he thought he had seen a few words on the cover.

"Hunter Cat" and "Fall in Love with Me", I didn't see the rest clearly.

Is it something like "The Domineering Cat Falls in Love with Me"? Dates, you're into that?
Feeling Lin Lin's slightly teasing gaze, Yezao felt extremely embarrassed:

"I just saw Nia looking at it out of curiosity, so I borrowed it to take a look, meow!"

Lin Lin didn't deliberately provoke Yezao any further, but simply asked out of curiosity:
"Really? How was the viewing experience?"

Dates thought for a moment and commented:
"This is utter nonsense! The whole thing is filled with fantasies about the life of a hunting cat. A hunting cat is still a cat, how could it possibly have sixteen-pack abs, meow! And what's with the claim that it eats blue Velociraptor meat every meal? Blue Velociraptor meat doesn't taste good at all, meow!"

Lin Lin suddenly felt strange:
"Then why are you watching so intently?"

The date paused, her voice softening as if she'd lost her confidence:

"I just want to see just how outrageous this book can get, meow!"

Actually, he was just curious about why Niaru could get into the book, which is why he unconsciously kept reading.

Lin Lin gave a thumbs up:

“If this happened in my hometown, you would at least be respectfully called ‘King of Eating Shi’.”

A history of eating?!
Date quickly touched its mouth, then brought its paw to its nose and sniffed carefully, repeatedly confirming that there was no smell. It then glared angrily at Lin Lin.

"Boss, you're kidding me, meow! Maybe some of the Elu had some Shi on them and accidentally got it in their mouths while grooming, but I definitely didn't do it, meow!"

Lin Lin suppressed a laugh: "It's just a metaphor, not real history!"

(Lin Lin's expression is shown in the picture)
Despite having gone through so much, Date Palm has long since grown into a mature hunting cat, but in some ways, it is still surprisingly quite naive!

"Huh? So that's how it is, meow?"

Date nodded as if she understood, then subconsciously glanced down at the novel she had put away, and muttered under her breath:
"But I think directly calling this history is a bit much, meow..."

Lin Lin nodded and said seriously:

"It's not that tasty."

Upon hearing this, Date completely bristled, meowing and trying to rush up and scratch Lin Lin's face:
"Boss, please stop talking about food, meow!"

"Hey! Be gentle! Be gentle!"

After playing around for a while, Lin Lin tidied up his messy hair, and without wearing armor, he went out with Yezao in his ordinary clothes, ready to explore the city and experience the local customs and culture.

As for why he, who usually wears armor as everyday clothing, changed his clothes this time, in addition to avoiding the risk of spreading the Mad Dragon virus, the more important reason is that this set of armor, stained with Lao-Shan Lung's blood, is currently soaking in bubbly liquid, waiting for its owner to clean the stains.

(End of this chapter)