Monster Hunter: I can hear the monsters' thoughts

Chapter 354 Chamber of Commerce
After the introductions, everyone greeted Joey in turn.

To be honest, Joey was deeply shaken when her beloved child, whom she had been worrying about, suddenly appeared before her. However, her years as a tour guide had honed her remarkable emotional control, and she quickly put on a polite smile again, responding to each of them in turn, while secretly memorizing their faces.

According to Yezao, these people are comrades-in-arms who will be with it through thick and thin in the future, so it cannot be neglected...

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Joey extended an invitation to his comrades to visit his home. However, Lin Lin glanced at Joey, then at the dates, and shook his head slightly, politely declining the invitation.
"Last time when we were in Jieyun, the date palm missed meeting the sea buckthorn. This time, let's give it more time to have a good chat with you. We won't disturb you any longer."

As he spoke, Lin Lin winked at the date.

Talk to your family more, spend time with them; consider this period a vacation for you...

Dates understood perfectly and returned a thumbs-up gesture—though for a cat's paws, the gesture was a little less satisfying.

Clearly, after being apart for so long, Joey had a lot to say to Date. Seeing that Lin Lin had already said so, she didn't insist. She went directly to the supervisor to ask for two days off, and then took Date home. On the way, she bought some vegetables to cook some home-style dishes.

"So, from now on, we'll just stay at the guild as usual?"

Ye Zi glanced left at Lin Lin and right at Bref. Connor had hurriedly taken his leave after noticing they'd met acquaintances, saying he needed to prepare for the Yellow Velociraptor Knight plan. Having lost her guide and never having been to Lokrak before, she felt somewhat lost and could only look at these two men who had been to Lokrak before.

Brave smirked. "Why are you looking at me? I had a place to stay when I was with the guerrillas in the city, but it was all communal sleeping quarters. The conditions were worse than the hunter's cabin, but the price was the only advantage. You should ask Lin Lin about this. He lived in a palace-like cabin here back then."

Lin Lin rubbed his nose. "I only got that because of Senior Rachel. Normally, only high-ranking hunters are qualified to live in cabins of that level, and there aren't many of them. After Master and the others arrive, there probably won't be any cabins of that level available anymore."

Brave didn't care:
"Even so, we're still five-star hunters. If we can't stay in the top-tier ones, surely we can stay in the next tier?"

"Probably, anyway, let's go ask at the meeting place first... Oh right, dear Mr. Blaze, the swordsman, I have to remind you, Yoko and I are five stars, you're only four and a half!"

"What the hell!"

"How about... we skip the guild and you just stay at my place?"

Just as the two were about to start bickering like clowns, they were suddenly interrupted by a voice. They turned around and saw that the speaker was the very inconspicuous Ziyuan.

"Your home? Oh right, I almost forgot, junior sister, you're a local from Lockhart, just like Dates..."

Lin Lin feigned sudden realization and then asked:

Is this... convenient?

Lin Lin hadn't considered the problem of not having enough room like Yezao's family. When Rachel introduced him to Ziyuan, she mentioned that Ziyuan seemed to come from a wealthy family. And based on his impression of Ziyuan when he first met her, the girl was indeed dignified and elegant, and her manners were impeccable except for being overly polite.

Lin Lin: ...

Right, shouldn't that be his impression of Ziyuan? Since when did she become the comedic figure she is now, known as a "master of courting death," "unhappy-go-lucky," "a terrible person with a huge addiction," and a "professional at getting her head smacked"?

"Of course it's convenient. Just in terms of environment, my home is no worse than the guild's palace-like cottage."

Ziyuan responded, and seeing that the others had no objections, she couldn't help but excitedly start walking, skipping and hopping as she led them in a certain direction, while reviewing Rachel's instructions in her mind.

“Your senior brother and his two teammates are all exceptionally talented geniuses. They are a sure thing to be promoted to high-ranking hunters in the future, and it will not be difficult for them to surpass us. If you can really integrate with them, your future path will be much easier.”

"Besides honing your hunting skills and fulfilling your role as the team's archer, you also need to try your best to build good relationships with your teammates."

Hmm... Bringing my senior brothers home to stay should be considered a way to get closer to each other, right?
……

In the city of Lokrak.

After passing through the orc settlement, rows of mansions stood quietly. In addition to the main buildings, there were gardens built with walls. Through the openwork windows in the courtyard walls, you could see that the interiors were full of artificial mountains and green plants. Just looking at them, you could feel the overwhelming smell of money.

This place looks familiar.
After some recollection, Lin Lin finally remembered that when he first defeated Fengshanlong and held a victory banquet that night, Brother Todd seemed to have led him along this path.

What did he say back then?

"It seems to be the territory of a fairly large chamber of commerce. I heard they used to be nobles. They always put on airs and act all high and mighty. Anyway, I don't want to deal with them."

When he first heard the name Zijin Chamber of Commerce, he couldn't help but associate it with Ziyuan. However, after hearing Todd's evaluation and reflecting on his own impression of Ziyuan, he subconsciously felt that the two might be related, but it was unlikely that they were.

Standing at the front gate of the mansion, Ziyuan took a deep breath and suddenly noticed that Lin Lin's expression was a little strange. She blinked.

"I have a feeling that you're thinking about something rather impolite, senior brother..."

Ye Zi's expression suddenly became alert, and the way she looked at Lin Lin made him feel a strange sense of pressure. Lin Lin coughed lightly.
"No, I just suddenly remembered that you seemed quite different when I first met you..."

Ziyuan thought for a moment, her eyes showing a hint of realization. She slightly adjusted her posture, lifted the non-existent hem of her skirt with both hands, and slightly bent her knees in a curtsy.
"Excuse me, is it like this?"

In an instant, her entire demeanor changed drastically. The goofy comedian disappeared, and a dignified and proper smile appeared on the little girl's face, as if she were not a hunter standing there, but a noble lady dancing gracefully at a ball—if she were wearing a formal dress instead of hunter's armor, it would be perfectly natural.

"Fuck!"

Brave stared wide-eyed at Shion, as if he were seeing her for the first time.

Lin Lin also had an urge to say "Holy crap," but his "Holy crap" was a shock that "this woman is such a damn good at pretending."

Shion's "aristocratic etiquette" was quickly abandoned, and she soon reverted to her usual lazy demeanor, her posture becoming slack as well.
"Ugh, there's no way to fake it. How much the corners of my mouth have to curve when I smile, how many steps I have to take when I walk, even the order in which I eat what I eat has to be controlled. If I didn't pretend that 'I've completely mastered etiquette,' I don't know how long this etiquette class would have tortured me..." Yoko gently grasped Shion's small hand. Although she was a "country girl" with little experience, just listening to Shion's brief description, she could feel a strange sense of suffocation. This feeling of having to be controlled by rules and regulations in everything she did was too terrible, wasn't it?
Unaware of Yoko's thoughts, Shion, seeing her actions, assumed that Yoko was intimidated by the rules and regulations of her own family, and quickly explained:

"Oh, it's alright. You're guests I brought back, don't worry about it! I'm a hunter now, those rules don't apply to me. If you really piss me off, I'll just grab my heavy crossbow and start shooting..."

Before she could finish speaking, Ye Zi physically muted her.

Yoko covered her mouth, her face serious:
"First of all, a hunter's weapon must never be pointed at a human."

"Secondly, if you don't want to face them, we can rent a hunter's hut at the guild. Anyway, we just need to wait for an airship to East Doruma, which won't take more than a few days."

"at last……"

Ye Zi opened her arms and hugged the girl with some heartache. "You have become a hunter now. You have the power to choose your own life. As long as you don't want to be tied down, your family can't control you."

Lin Lin stroked his chin thoughtfully.

So that's it. No wonder this girl often seems a bit eccentric and likes to seek thrills (commonly known as courting death). It turns out she was suppressed for too long before, and now that she's finally free, she's completely unleashed her true nature.

Tsk tsk, to be able to suppress a young girl like this, this chamber of commerce... no wonder Brother Todd gave it such a review...

"Indeed, I think we should just rent a small house from the guild..."

Looking at the miniature Mount Fenglong statues on either side of the entrance, Bref couldn't help but have second thoughts.

Good heavens, these two huge statues, carved from Huilong stone, are already making him feel a little breathless with the weight of wealth emanating from the ornaments at the entrance.

Ziyuan hesitated for a moment:

"But...we're already here..."

Before she could say anything more, the courtyard gate in front of her suddenly opened, and a woman dressed as a maid came out carrying a basket. She seemed to be going out to buy something. When she opened the door, she saw four people, a dragon, and two dogs blocking the entrance, and she was stunned.

However, her stunned silence only lasted a moment. When her gaze swept across the faces of the four people, and finally lingered for a moment on the face of the female hunter wearing the Blue Velociraptor armor, she suddenly widened her eyes.

"Young Master! Young Miss! You're back?"

The maid finally came to her senses, quickly stepped forward, and bowed respectfully, looking somewhat nervous.

Miss?
All three eyes fell on Ziyuan, making her feel like she was being pricked by needles.

Ziyuan forced a smile, nodded to the maid in response, and then her slightly unsteady gaze swept over the three of them:
"Yes, yes, didn't I say that before?"

The three of them shook their heads.

The slight sympathy that had just risen in Lin Lin's heart vanished. Damn it, this is a rich tycoon! Why should I sympathize with her? Based on the size of the "Zijin Chamber of Commerce" that he had heard about, even if he hunted eight hundred male fire dragons, the commission he earned might not be half as much as their family fortune.

With such a wealthy family, why did you run off to become a hunter who fights to the death? Is this some kind of scheme where failing at a job means you have to go home and inherit millions?
Lin Lin couldn't help but click his tongue. No, it was a little different. Being a hunter was really dangerous. You had to risk your life. With so much family wealth, why didn't she go back to inherit it and instead ran off to become a hunter? This girl was either truly passionate about the profession or truly rebellious. As long as she could escape all those rules at home, she was willing to become a hunter.

Based on what Lin Lin has observed so far, he hasn't seen any passion for the profession. On the contrary, it's more about seeking thrills, enjoying good food, and traveling that attracts her...

I have a feeling this girl would have a lot in common with a certain princess known for her spoiled and willful nature...

"Well, these are my friends. We're heading to East Doruma and will be staying in Lokrak for a few days while waiting for the airship, so I invited them to my home."

Feeling a bit guilty under the scrutiny of several pairs of eyes, Ziyuan turned to the maid and briefly explained the situation.

The maid reacted very quickly, bowing to Lin Lin and the others as well.
"So you are the young lady's friends. I am so sorry for not welcoming you properly. I will take you to see the master right away."

……

It must be said that the Zijin Chamber of Commerce is incredibly wealthy, with all sorts of decorative and home furnishing materials sourced from around the world, each one extremely valuable.

However, according to the maid, the place they were in was still someone's private residence. The decoration of the Chamber of Commerce headquarters was even more luxurious than what they saw, and its extravagance was truly astonishing.

'Evil capitalism…'

Looking at the golden carpet at his feet, Lin Lin couldn't help but mutter to himself.

The golden sheen of this carpet comes entirely from the material itself used in its weaving, and is not from dyeing wool or anything like that.

Noticing Lin Lin's gaze, the maid smiled and began to introduce him:

"This carpet originated from Baird and is woven from the fur of a monster called the 'Golden Lion.' The fur of this monster is highly sought after by many nobles and merchants because of its golden color, and it is very valuable."

"Belder?"

Bref heard a place name he didn't recognize and couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

"Belder is the capital of the Kingdom of West Shured, and this carpet originated from the kingdom's palace. It is said that this carpet is quite popular with a certain princess, and it cost a lot of money to buy it."

(End of this chapter)