Comet Dragon, breaking into the gravity field

The blow to the head made it stagger, and the heavy blow to the legs completely knocked it off balance.

The weight advantage it had gained from its massive body now became a disadvantage, forcing it to fall to the ground. Its powerless legs were not only unable to support its massive upper body, but also made a crisp sound under the weight, completely rendering it unable to stand or walk.

To put it simply, it "exploded".

33. Special Cabin (Two-in-One)

When the hunters of the investigation team first set foot on the New World, the battle between Steel Dragon and Mingbo Dragon caused a large-scale sea level rise, and the ship of the first group was stuck on the mountain.

At that time, they had few people and scarce resources and had no room to deal with it, so they used it as a base, and finally gradually constructed a three-dimensional space with the ship as the main body and connected from top to bottom.

Leaving the damaged ships during the voyage to be used as houses not only saved building materials for expanding the base, but also reduced the burden on the returning fleet - in this way, the person who made this suggestion at the time was truly a genius.

As the size of the investigation team gradually expanded, the original temporary dock was unknowingly transformed into a unique spectacle rarely seen in the Old World due to the active activities of the hunters.

Before entering the Star Stronghold, the gathering area at the highest point of the stronghold appeared in front of everyone.

Noticing a figure standing at the door, Ritsu Narose, who was explaining history to the two newcomers beside him, suddenly stopped talking.

——"It seems like the neighbors are making a big noise as soon as they get back together!"

The Savage Jaw Dragon, lying peacefully on the cart, was slowly transported back to the base. An old man with gray hair and beard and fully armored stood at the entrance of the camp and nodded to Ritsu Narushe.

Just by standing there, the hunters passing by quickened their pace, fearing that they would be caught and used as tools by this man who could only smile at the dragon spear.

"Commander-in-Chief?"

Seeing this man who has the spirit of "use it to death as long as it doesn't kill you", Ritsu Narose immediately showed alertness.

"Having heard of a Brute Jaw Dragon appearing near our camp, I naturally wanted to see what newcomer was capable of single-handedly defeating this 'Forest Thug.'" His tone was filled with regret, as if the commander-in-chief was still upset about not finding a new, qualified tool. "But your return is also good news."

good news?

Your abacus beads are about to jump on my face...

Ming Se Ritsu rolled his eyes and was not impressed by his words, but the commander-in-chief, whose skin had long been tempered to be tougher than that of a steel dragon, naturally would not care about such an offense.

He ignored the gift ferocious jackal dragon that was still being carried at the back of the transport team, and while looking at Ritsu Narose, he also noticed the other two people following behind him.

As an older person with experience, he knew at a glance that these two girls had a close relationship with Ritsu Narose.

"Well... when you think about it, you are indeed that age."

Stroking his stubble, the commander-in-chief, who had become a grandfather, looked at the young man in front of him, as if recalling the day when his daughter suddenly brought a wild man to meet him.

"In that case, just enjoy your life first!" He patted Mingse Ritsu's shoulder with full energy, and the old man, who looked as if he could perform a tiger climbing a mountain move on the spot, left.

"You didn't even assign me any tasks!?"

It was unclear whether the commander-in-chief had changed his temper or if there was something else going on. Seeing him leave without a backward glance, Naruse Ritsu began to wonder if a more troublesome mission awaited him.

"Hey, that old man just now looked a little too scary, didn't he?" Seeing that imposing old man disappear, Chihaya Aine poked her head out from behind Naruse Ritsu, "He looks exactly like the principal I saw in elementary school..."

In order to protect Chihaya Aine's dream of becoming a hunter, Ritsu Naruse couldn't bear to tell them in person about the "glorious history" of how the commander-in-chief mobilized the hunters and pushed every one of them, including himself, to the limit.

This behavior is like telling a senior high school student who has just started walking home late at night about the sad reality of becoming a 996-hour slave after graduating from college. It is very easy to make people feel embarrassed.

While waiting for the transport team, Chihaya Aine, who was originally wearing exercise equipment, took it off, so the three of them, now wearing hunter equipment, were not conspicuous when walking in the circulation area.

Ritsu Narushe, who slowly ascended to a higher altitude on a waterwheel used as an elevator, pointed to the cabin leaning against the rock wall below and introduced the rest area to them.

The rest areas of the Star Base are basically in the cabins. After all, as long as the original rooms on the ship are tidied and cleaned, they can be lived in directly.

Rooms of all levels are available, from multi-person dormitories for ordinary crew members to single rooms for the first mate and captain, as well as luxury suites converted from the top cabins.

Although the current conditions are much better than at the beginning, and there is still a place to rest that is comfortable, in order to encourage hunters to explore hard, the survey team has also added relevant incentive mechanisms in terms of housing.

"But most hunters don't particularly care about this. Since they're usually on missions, the most they'll do is spend some research points to move from a dormitory to a private room. Of course, there are also some who, to maintain team chemistry, always share a room with four people."

As they were about to leave the residential area consisting of several ships of varying sizes, Chihaya Aine couldn't help but ask, "Then what about us..."

"Of course we live together."

"Eh, eh?" Chihaya Aine blushed and started to squirm. "But, the light is still here... Living with two beautiful girls, you're not going to do anything weird, are you, Naruse-kun?"

"Ritsu...will you?"

Seeing that Takamatsu Deng was also led astray by this pink-haired girl, Narose Ritsu was silent for a moment and decided to give up verbal defense.

Because he did think about it.

After receiving the exclusive key to the special room from the Felyne caretaker, Ritsu Narushe took his time inviting them in. He walked into the dimly lit room first and pulled aside the embroidered velvet curtains.

In an instant, sunlight poured into the room, completely illuminating the space.

The furniture that was previously indistinct in the darkness now all came into view. Shocked, Chihaya Aine murmured, "This...this is too luxurious..."

This space is made up of dark brown wooden walls engraved with delicate patterns. Thin white gauze fills the slightly empty upper half of the room. Elegant and not old-fashioned brass candlesticks are scattered on the walls. The red carpet embroidered with gold edges underfoot leads from the door to the lush green garden at the other end of the room.

In this residence full of otherworldly style, the most eye-catching thing is the relief above the head.

Sunlight streamed into the house through the side windows, and the relief sculpture, which seemed to have a special meaning, shone brilliantly under the light.

I thought it would be a hotel with sailing and ship themes like the cabins I had seen before, but it turned out to be completely different in style from the previous ones.

Where did this mansion come from?!

"You actually own such a luxurious room," Chihaya Aine put away her sparkling eyes and looked at Naruse Ritsu, "Naruse-kun, didn't you make some weird deal?"

"How rude! After all, I'm a veteran here, and the research points I've earned are enough to build several rooms of this standard."

After explaining the hunters' ecology, Naruse Ritsu prepared to clean the room, which had not been occupied for a long time.

Although the housekeeper would arrange for Felyne to clean the room for him every once in a while, it would be better to clean it again before he moved in. This could be considered as getting rid of the old and welcoming the new.

Taking out the cleaning tools from the storage box in the corner, Ritsu Narose explained the history of how he got this luxurious single room.

"As one of the few custom-made luxury rooms in the entire Star Base, only those who have made the most outstanding contributions to the investigation team are worthy of staying here."

"Not only do I have to deal with those scholars' bizarre requests like 'capture a dumb blaster alive' and 'step on a female fire dragon's back to collect thorns,' but I'm also constantly being sent by the commander-in-chief to explore new areas with the hunters... Being a tool isn't easy."

Wearing a headscarf, Gao Songdeng, standing by and preparing to sweep the floor, asked with concern, "Is it hard?"

"It's not hard at all," Naruse Ritsu said with a smug smile, "because I usually team up with other hunters, and she's the one who kills monsters and collects materials during the quests. That way, I just sit back and relax."

"But, aren't you taking on more and more missions, Naruse-kun?" Standing in front of the bookshelf in the room, Chihaya Aine asked curiously while flipping through the manual in front of her titled "Mission Record Copy".

"?"

Throwing down the rag, Ritsu Narose quickly walked to Chihaya Aine, took the mission record and began to check it.

He flipped through the pages faster and faster until he closed the manual. After a long silence, Naruse Ritsu muttered to himself, "No wonder I felt like I was getting more and more missions back then..."

He had originally intended to fish in troubled waters by borrowing the name of the Blue Star, but instead he made himself a top tool man who was no less than "Bai Feng of the Fifth Regiment". In the end, he attracted a lot of firepower for the Blue Star.

"She plotted against me!"

Finally realizing that Canglanxing's invitation to form a team in the past had no good intentions, Mingse Ritsu looked horrified.

"Well~ but you are obviously plotting against others as well, right?" Looking at the other items on the bookshelf, Chihaya Aine was still thinking about the news that Naruse Ritsu had just revealed.

"she"?

Could it be that the "Blue Star" who went on a mission with Ritsu Narose before was also a girl?

However, based on what she had seen and heard along the way, it might be a middle-aged woman who could carry logs on her shoulders.

After scanning the love rival radar in her mind and finding nothing unusual, Chihaya Aine simply put the matter behind her.

Humming a little tune, she cleaned the happy little nest she and Naruse Ritsu would be living in from today. Behind Chihaya Aine, Takamatsu Touma, sweeping the floor, fell into deep thought upon seeing the unusually large double bed.

"Is Deng tired?" Noticing Takamatsu Dengchui standing still, Narose Ritsu, who had just finished cleaning the high windows, came over to the girl. "If you want to rest, you can go outside and bask in the sun, okay?"

"Are we going to sleep together from now on?" Gao Songdeng asked in a low voice, looking away from the bed and staring at his toes.

"I……"

"So you've been planning this kind of thing from the beginning—"

Just as Ritsu Narose was about to explain that he had prepared a hammock in the room, Chihaya Aine, who had been busy at the bookcase, appeared behind him.

What the hell? How can you use [Avoidance Performance] in a place like this?

Chihaya Aine didn't seem to realize that the high-speed movement she had unintentionally achieved was the result of the suit she was wearing. She placed her hands on Naruse Ritsu's shoulders and squinted at him, "Naruse-kun, you're very greedy!"

"At least let me finish. I have a hammock ready."

"hammock?"

Taking out the stored hammock from the bedside cabinet, Ritsu Narose spread it out and then hung it on the buckle added in the room.

Sitting on a hammock that looked like a rocking chair, Ritsu Narose looked down at them.

——"See, that's it."

As he spoke, he shimmied a bit like a schoolboy showing off his new player. However, what responded to him was Chihaya Aine's increasingly subtle gaze.

"You actually want to peek at us from above while we sleep...this is too perverted!"

"I won't! I can watch it anytime I want. Why do I have to wait until then?"

Ritsu Narose protested on the spot as his personality was slandered.

As if realizing that her statement was open to criticism, Chihaya Aine scratched her cheek awkwardly, then countered with an unyielding aura, "But you're basically like a peeping Tom, aren't you?"

"You're watching us from up there," Chihaya Aine said, clutching her chest and looking up at him in panic. "Then when Deng Deng and I are in our pajamas after taking a shower... won't you be able to see us naked?!"

Having completely failed to anticipate Chihaya Aine's move, Ritsu Naruse's body automatically leaned back strategically.

After holding it in for a long time, he sighed sincerely, "...You are so confident."

With her eyes wide open, Chihaya Aine felt her blood pressure suddenly rise.

She just gave you benefits yesterday, and you dare to look down on her like this today?

Wanting to jump up and pounce on him, Chihaya Aion glared at Naruse Ritsu angrily: "Huh? What does this mean?"

"That's exactly what it means..."

……

While the two were arguing, Gao Songdeng, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up: "That—"

Seeing their gazes focused on him again, Gao Songdeng said nervously, "Actually, I don't mind... everyone sleeping together."

Saying these words seemed to have exhausted all the girl's strength. She turned around staggeringly, picked up the broom and continued sweeping the floor in silence.

Chihaya Aine wanted to say something, but her mouth just opened like a stranded fish and she couldn't utter a single word.

With a wooden face, she looked up at Naruse Ritsu, who responded with an expression of being taken advantage of and acting cute.

Chihayaaki was so angry that she gnashed her teeth. Aine snorted and also picked up the rag in her hand, no longer paying attention to the guy above her head.

Treating the dust on the bookshelf as someone's face and crushing it violently - Chihaya Aine's temper tantrum naturally did not escape the eyes of Narose Ritsu.

Rather, in Ritsu Naruse's eyes, this was more like an act of deliberately doing it for him to see and to act coquettishly towards him.

But such words must never be spoken.

A human's mouth can sometimes become harder than a steel dragon's mouth - knowing this very well, Ritsu Narose had to risk being bitten by the tiger's fangs to comfort her.

34. Night (three in one)

How to comfort the sulking Chihaya Aine?

The answer is to use lots of physical contact to make her shy, and then take her out and use other things to divert her attention.

After tidying up this overly spacious "hut" and contacting the housekeeper to partially customize the furnishings in the house, it was completely dark when they left.

At this time, it is natural to take them to the [Weapons and Mountain Cat Pavilion] and treat them well with the cat food with New World characteristics developed by the chef.

The tail of the Tyrannosaurus finally fell into Riku Narushe's belly.

The same tail, stewed and pan-fried, offers two distinct flavors. When the fragrant delicacies were placed on the table, even Takamatsu Deng, the lightest eater, couldn't resist trying a few more pieces.

"That's about it for today. Let's go to the hot springs and get ready to rest."

Although their residence was located on the mountainside, they used the excess heat from the fire burning throughout the day in the lower workshop to artificially create a hot spring to complement the special cabin.

However, only Canglanxing and he would appear in such a place.

According to what I heard at dinner, she was still catching monkeys at the Yuechen base - but the number had increased from one to two.

It looks like that guy will stay in the icy plains for a long time, so the hot springs here are reserved by Ritsu Narose and the others.