I, Yuhaka, am hungry!

"OwO~?"

Although we don't know why this big dog is like this, this clawless monster is actually quite easy to deal with.

"Meow~"

At Yuhaka's call, a large group of Merlins emerged from the bushes. Upon seeing the Thunder Wolf Dragon's corpse, they immediately grabbed hunters' knives and ran to the carcass to begin dissecting it.

Most of these Meru cats come from the Misty Swamp. They are just as good at dealing with the corpses of these monsters as the Meru cats of Water Cave Village, and most importantly, there are many of them.

The reason is... quite simple. In the underground cavern of the Misty Swamp, the village chief of the Melcat village somehow managed to win over all the Melcat villages living in the Misty Swamp. Under the promotion of the village chief of the Cave Village, a large group of Melcats joined Yuhaka's tribe.

This was a good thing for Yuhaka, and Zelus was also very satisfied with it. As a reward, Yuhaka's Merucat tribe was strengthened.

The enhancement that Mewcats received was obtained by Yuhaka from hunting Bloodrope in the world of [From the Abyss], which grants him [Air Sensation].

This biological essence allows the Mewcats to sense the movement of air through their fur, enabling them to detect if any monsters are approaching.

Of course, in battle, this perception ability also allows the Merlins to sense the direction of the opponent's attack, thereby increasing their chances of dodging.

The Merucats were astonished to have gained such an ability, and they subsequently came to believe that Zelus was a god, while Yuhaka appeared to be a divine messenger or a son of the god.

Although Zelus doesn't acknowledge that Yuhaka is her child.

Soon, after dissecting piles of Merlins, the Zinogre's carapace, charged shell, and teeth were stripped off and piled up. Some of these materials might be sold to the material merchants in Misty Village, while others would be used as materials for Merlin equipment.

The fact that several Merucats in one of the Merucat villages in the Yuhaka tribe can craft equipment for Palicoes is good news for Zelus and Rorota.

After all, what Merlin lacks most right now is weapons and armor. If Merlin had armor and weapons now, her combat power would definitely increase significantly.

Most importantly, among the Merlins we recruit, there are also older Merlins who used to be Palicoes, and they will teach the other young Merlins some Palico skills.

The remaining Thunder Wolf Dragon meat went into Yuhaka's dimensional portal. Of course, as Yuhaka helped dissect the Thunder Wolf Dragon's corpse, he would naturally share some of the meat with the Merlins. As for how they ate it, that was none of Yuhaka's business.

..............................

On the East Coast City side.

The four players, including the hunter with the afro, were chatting and eating seafood specialties from East Coast City while watching young ladies in revealing sailor uniforms at a tavern.

"Did you know that recently, hunters in the ancient forests and islands have been frequently encountering various high-level, large monsters while on quests?"

Hearing their dorm leader's words, the three hunters with afros nodded in agreement. They had heard about these things on the forums, and many hunter players had complained about them.

Fertilizer jade is also selling well in the market.

The leader with the afro looked at his roommates, who all had detective-like expressions, and said to them:

"The reason why such a large-scale intrusion occurred must be related to the ancient dragon species."

They agreed with their leader's statement, since in Monster Hunter games, most of the culprits causing monster disturbances are Elder Dragons.

Chapter 74 [East Coast City and the Players]

On the East Coast City side.

The four players, including the hunter with the afro, were chatting and eating seafood specialties from East Coast City while watching young ladies in revealing sailor uniforms at a tavern.

"Did you know that recently, hunters in the ancient forests and islands have been frequently encountering various high-level, large monsters while on quests?"

Hearing their dorm leader's words, the three hunters with afros nodded in agreement. They had heard about these things on the forums, and many hunter players had complained about them.

Fertilizer jade is also selling well in the market.

The leader with the afro looked at his roommates, who all had detective-like expressions, and said to them:

"The reason why such a large-scale intrusion occurred must be related to the ancient dragon species."

They agreed with their leader's statement, since in Monster Hunter games, most of the culprits causing monster disturbances are Elder Dragons.

Of course, there are also some other monsters whose strength can rival that of Elder Dragons, such as the Tyrannosaurus Rex and the Ulva Rex, as well as a certain Gundam-obsessed Kamaguchi.

While many players were taking an interest in the random intrusion and working hard to improve their equipment and strength, Yhaka had already arrived in East Coast City by digging deep trench worm tunnels.

“Stare—Owo—owO?”

After emerging from the hole, Yuhaka peeked out and looked around to make sure there were no enemies, then crawled out of the deep worm tunnel.

Immediately afterward, Rokubei and Rorota emerged from the deep worm tunnel. As soon as they came out, Rokubei saw the port city built on the distant coast, and pointing excitedly at the East Coast City with Rorota's little finger, he said:

"Rorota, look, look! We're near East Coast City, meow!"

Lorota, standing to the side, looked at Rokubei's excited face with a somewhat helpless expression and said:

"Lolota, even though this isn't your first time going out, meow, why are you still so excited?"

Upon hearing Rorota's words, Rokubei looked at Rorota with an excited expression and said:

"It's different from the Misty Swamp, meow. You know, that's a seaside city. I've heard Grandpa say that there are all kinds of fish, big and small, in seaside cities. There must be some delicious fish among them, meow!"

"Delicious fish, oh?"

Rokubei turned around, looked at Yuhaka, gave her a thumbs-up, and said:

"That's right, meow! When my grandpa was a companion cat, he saw and ate a lot of local specialties in East Coast City!"

Hearing Rokubei's words made Yuhaka's mouth water, and his big tail behind him was wagging. It seemed that Yuhaka was very interested in the specialties of the East Coast City that Rokubei mentioned.

Soon, Yuhaka and the others arrived inside the East Coast City. Because Rokubei and Rorota were wearing Palico armor and weapons made from materials from the Thunder Wolf Dragon, the guards at the gate mistook them for Palicoes or Hounds.

While Eyhaka's appearance may seem strange, there are all sorts of oddly shaped hunter armors in the Monster Hunter world. Although Eyhaka is about 130cm tall, which is a bit taller than a Palico, there are Palicoes that are taller than a normal Palico in this world. The guards also regard Eyhaka as a Palico that is slightly larger.

Inside the city, Yuhaka, wearing an Elf headgear, drooled as he looked at the various food stalls on the street. The East Coast City was much larger than Scylla Town, and the hunters in the East Coast City were far more numerous and of higher level than those in Scylla Town.

Moreover, there are abundant species resources in the East Coast City area. In addition to these abundant species resources, many merchant ships from other countries also conduct various commercial activities and trade here.

This has resulted in a wide variety of distinctive cuisines from different countries appearing on the city's food streets.

"Special sashimi dishes from the East, hunters, come and take a look!"

"Whole roasted lamb from the Urus Plain, a unique flavor!"

"Desert specialty cactus salad, only 500z a plate!"

Yuhaka, seeing all the delicious food around her, felt a little too tired to move her short legs. Lorota, who was searching for an inn ahead, turned back to Yuhaka and said...

"Yoyo-chan, we need to find a place to stay before we can go eat, otherwise it will be troublesome if we don't have a place to stay, meow."

Rokubei, who was standing to the side, nodded and said:

"Yeah, meow. If we don't have a place to stay, we'll have to live outside, meow. And the food won't run away, so don't worry, Yoyo boss, meow."

Hearing what Rorota and Rokubei said, Yhaka tilted his head and thought for a moment before nodding in agreement. After all, Yhaka wasn't hungry; he just wanted to eat those things (to put it bluntly, he was craving them).

...............

Soon, Rorota, along with Rokubei and Yuhaka, searched for an inn, but unfortunately, all the inns they found were fully booked, with no rooms available.

"ha……."

After being told by the 21st hotel that it was full, Lorota, sitting in a seat in the central square of East Coast City, covered her face and sighed, wondering if she had chosen the wrong time or something.

"Rorota, I'm back, meow~"

"Waaaaah (O～O)"

Rokubei, who had returned from gathering information, and Yuhaka, whose mouth was stuffed with food, went back to Rorota's side. Rorota looked at Rokubei and said to her:

"Well, Rokubei, have you found the reason?"

Rokubei nodded and said to Rorota:

"Hmm, I've found the reason. I heard that the reason why the place is full recently is because of the monster disturbance a few days ago and some kind of event or festival that is going to be held in East Coast City."

Upon hearing this news, Lorota could roughly guess what was going on.

"Are there many hunters looking to make a fortune because of the monster commotion, as well as merchants hoping to make a killing during the festival in East Coast City?"

No wonder hotels have been fully booked lately; it seems they arrived at some point.

However, just as Rorota and Rokubei were contemplating taking Yuhaka outside to pitch a tent, a young, childlike voice asked Rorota and the others:

"Huh? Kitties, what's wrong with you?"

Hearing the sound, Yuhaka and the others turned around and saw a black-haired loli with short twin tails looking at them with a curious expression. Rorota and Rokubei exchanged a glance, and they could see what was going on in each other's eyes.

Who is this little girl, meow?

Chapter 75 [Heading to the Broken Isles]

Lorota and Rokubei looked at the little girl who was talking to them with puzzled expressions. The two cats looked at each other, trying to understand what the other meant, but unfortunately, Lorota and Rokubei were both confused. Yuhaka, on the other hand, licked his fingers after finishing what he was eating.

With a questioning look in her eyes, Rorota looked at the little girl, who was slightly taller than Yuhaka, and asked:

"Um, excuse meow, may I ask who you are?"

Upon hearing Rorota's words, the little girl clapped her hands and, as if she had just thought of something, said to Yuhaka and the others:

"I almost forgot to introduce myself. My name is Eileen, and I'm the daughter of the owner of the Totoro Inn in East Coast City. Are you looking for an inn?"

Hearing Irene's words, Lorota and Rokubei were a little surprised, but they still nodded honestly in response to Irene's question:

"Yes, we are indeed looking for a hotel to stay in, meow."

Eileen clapped her hands happily and said to Yuhaka and the others:

"That's great! Our Totoro Hotel still has plenty of empty rooms. If you don't mind the simple rooms, please come with me."

................

Led by Irene, Yuhaka and the others were quickly taken to a somewhat old-fashioned inn. Irene pushed open the inn's door and said to the Palico at the reception desk:

"Dad, I brought a few guests back today."

Upon hearing Irene's words, the Palico known as "Old Man" sitting at the reception desk put down his abacus and said to Irene and the others behind her:

"Meow? Oh my, Eileen's back! Guests, please come in, meow."

"Sorry to bother you, meow."

When Yuhaka and the others entered the old hotel, Lorota found that the hotel was much better than it looked on the outside; the interior was much cleaner and tidier than the exterior.

"I heard from that little Eileen that you want to stay at a hotel, right?"

The old man, who had jumped down from the reception table, looked at Rorota, Rokubei, and Yuhaka and said to them:

"Of course, if you don't mind that the room is small and the furniture is simple..."

Yuhaka and the others naturally didn't mind what their father said, considering that the furniture in Water Cave Village was much simpler than that of ordinary inns.