Monster Hunter: I can hear the monsters' thoughts

Chapter 356 Table Manners on the Sand

Can you introduce me to a few girls?

Ye Zi's gaze suddenly sharpened, and a hint of menace unconsciously crept into her eyes as she looked at the mustachioed chairman. However, upon hearing the next sentence, her gaze turned slightly panicked, and she avoided looking directly at Lin Lin, feeling her face begin to burn.

Faced with the teasing from the mustachioed chairman, Lin Lin blushed slightly, didn't respond, and instead changed the subject:
"By the way, Guild Master, we've been studying the quest wall for ages. Are there any urgent quests coming up lately?"

Young people are just easily embarrassed, and their reactions to jokes are quite amusing.

"Hahaha!"

However, the mustachioed president knew when to stop. After laughing twice, he stopped pressing the issue and continued the conversation along the lines of Lin Lin's topic:
"Brother Lin Lin, you really can't stay idle. You just killed a horned dragon on the way here, and you're already itching for a fight again?"

"Eh?"

Lin Lin was taken aback, then gently scratched his face:

"You knew all that?"

The mustachioed chairman laughed twice more:
"You wouldn't believe it, the hunting quest for that horned dragon has been posted in the guild for ages. I heard that a team of hunters from outside the guild took it down. I was just thinking of seeing who these experts were, and then I ran into you, my friend!"

As he spoke, he patted Lin Lin hard again, his words full of praise.

"How long has it been hanging there? Haven't any other hunters hunted that horned dragon?"

Brave was somewhat surprised; logically, this shouldn't be the case.

"Yes, there have been three or four hunting missions, but the hunters who went to hunt it either failed miserably or encountered unexpected events that forced them to abandon the hunt. And after gaining experience fighting hunters, that guy became even more troublesome, so gradually no one took on the mission anymore. I was even thinking that if no one took it, I would try to persuade the higher-ranking hunters to take it..."

The mustachioed chairman looked slightly wistful, "If you hadn't happened to run into and kill that guy, I'm afraid countless more people would have been attacked..."

After a pause, the mustachioed guild leader jumped off his mushroom pig mount and patted the two people in front of him with satisfaction. "To be honest, I am really surprised by your improvement in strength in order to kill that horned dragon, especially you, Brother Breve. If Charles knew that you have reached this level of strength in just one year, he would probably regret not letting you out to train sooner!"

Charles is the captain of the City Raiders, a five-star greatsword user. It was this captain who imposed the "suspension for investigation" punishment on Brave when he violated hunting rules.

Brave gave an awkward laugh, thinking to himself, "Maybe not."

His rapid advancement after leaving Lokrak was entirely due to following in Lin Lin's footsteps, going to Flamefire Village to become Puxian's disciple, and constantly challenging powerful enemies under Lin Lin's guidance. If the captain had released him earlier to gain experience, without Lin Lin, he wouldn't know where he would have gone.

The mustachioed chairman picked up a glass, poured himself a glass of wheat beer, took a big gulp, and then let out a satisfied sigh.

"With your current strength, you'd need to be at the six-star level to take on any more emergency missions... You might not know, but the promotion process for high-ranking hunters is quite different from that for low-ranking hunters."

"Lower-rank hunters can be promoted by completing a sufficient number of corresponding star-level missions and successfully completing emergency missions. However, upper-rank hunters need the approval of the guild headquarters. You need to have a solid resume and the approval of the Grand Elder before you can be promoted."

"Moreover, six-star emergency missions usually involve extremely serious events. Look at how calm and peaceful Lokrak is right now, does it seem like there's a mission of that level?"

We didn't intend to take such a big step...

Listening to the mustachioed chairman's introduction, Lin Lin was about to correct them that they only wanted a three-star emergency mission, but when he heard the word "resume," he suddenly paused and remembered something he had almost forgotten.

Last time in Lokrak, Date Palm hadn't registered with the guild yet, and its resume included the Battle of the Mt. Dragon!
I'll have to talk to the chairman later and ask him to fill in the gaps in Yezao's resume.

Yoko had finally calmed down from the chairman's earlier teasing and rejoined the conversation:
"No, you misunderstand. We don't have any plans to take on six-star missions at the moment..."

Yoko paused, then looked at Shion, who was lost in thought, "We just want to find a three-star emergency mission."

The mustachioed guild leader was stunned for a moment. "You guys can take down a Diablos, and you're still accepting a three-star emergency mission? Isn't that bullying a dragon?"
However, following Yoko's gaze as she looked at Shion, he quickly realized that she was supposed to be guiding the newbie...

Wait a minute, why does this newbie look so familiar?
The mustachioed chairman's gaze followed the girl who hadn't spoken. The more he looked, the more familiar she seemed. Finally, he yanked his mustache so hard that he almost ripped out the hairs.

Isn't this the daughter of the Zijin Chamber of Commerce? I've heard she went to become a hunter, is she about to advance to three stars so quickly?

I initially thought this girl was just gaining experience as a hunter and would soon return to inherit the family business. But now it seems she's preparing to dedicate herself to the profession and isn't planning to retire gracefully.

So, does this mean the Zijin Chamber of Commerce is preparing to cultivate a new successor?
The guild leader with the mustache silently memorized this information. As a guild manager who started out as a businessman, recording valuable information at any time had become his instinct.

"Hmm... as for urgent requests from Samsung, there are indeed some."

Even if there isn't one, it's fine. Just find any three-star mission and change it to an emergency mission. As a major taxpayer in Lokrak, the Zijin Merchant Guild holds a pivotal position in all aspects of Lokrak. Opening a door of convenience for them won't hurt.

The mustachioed guild leader said "Wait a moment" and ran back to the counter to look for the task forms.

Lin Lin didn't stay sitting there any longer, but followed over and told the mustachioed chairman what he had just remembered.

"Hey, it's no big deal, Brother Lin, just wait a moment, I'll get it done right away..."

Seeing the mustachioed chairman looking rather overwhelmed, Lin Lin glanced around and asked curiously:

"By the way, where is Miss Anxia?"

At the time, he had a pretty good relationship with that girl, and she helped him find many of his clients.

"She..."

The mustachioed chairman picked up a thick booklet and slammed it onto the counter:
"She went to Dongdoruma."

The mustachioed guild leader patted imaginary dust off his hands, flipped through a booklet, and said, "That girl's studies here are basically over. Once she finishes her training at the East Doruma headquarters, she can officially take up the position of mascot."

When Lin Lin first heard that Anxia was not in Lokrak, his heart skipped a beat. He almost thought that the mustachioed guild leader meant that the other party had returned to Moga Village. If that were the case, then the storyline of the third generation would soon unfold, and the legendary Resilient King would arrive at his loyal Moga Village.

But now it seems I was just overthinking things...

Although the guild leader, Little Mustache, was a very capable manager, he quickly filled in the gaps in Dates' resume and found the necessary documents for the three-star emergency mission.

-

Hunting Mission (Urgent Mission): Table Manners on the Sand (★★★)

Quest objective: Hunt a Lupus dinosaur.
Reward: 2700z
Processing fee: 300z
Mission Location: Desert

Limited time: 3 days (crossed out) → 15 days

Client: A panicked coachman

I was delivering goods in my truck as usual when a terrifying monster suddenly appeared out of nowhere and swallowed my beloved Marubird whole, scattering all the goods I was carrying... That thing was horrible! Now, every time I close my eyes, all I can see is that gaping maw. Please, hunter, kill it quickly and avenge my Marubird, so I can have some peaceful dreams!

-

Huh? A schizothorax?

Lin Lin suddenly became interested. This was a sea dragon-like monster that lived in the desert. Its most distinctive feature was its enormous mouth, which could swallow a hardened dragon whole in one gulp. Because of its habit of lurking under the sand and launching surprise attacks with its abyss-like maw, it was named the Lurking Mouth Dragon.

Large monsters commonly found in the desert include Velocidrome, Sand Dragon, Barroth, Lupus, Diablos, Rock Dragon, Tigrex, Daimyo Shield Crab, Tiger Dragon, Wind Fang Dragon, and Sand Lion. Lin Lin had either already fought many of them, encountered them before, or seen them as near-origin species. However, despite Lupus being a fairly common monster in the desert, he had never witnessed its appearance. Seeing this quest, Lin Lin's curiosity was piqued.

Lin Lin took the receipt and examined it repeatedly for a while, then couldn't help but look back at the mustachioed chairman:
"Brother President, everything else seems fine to me, but what's with this time limit? Why was it originally three days, and then it was changed to fifteen days?"

The mustachioed chairman didn't even look up, carefully reading the records attached to the receipt, before finally saying:
"That's right. Monsters like the Traptodon are like those sandfish. They like to roam around in the desert and rarely have a fixed habitat. When the quest was issued, the hunters who accepted it only discovered after setting off that the Traptodon that attacked the client had long since disappeared. Naturally, the quest failed."

"However, the client later lowered his requirements, no longer fixated on the dinosaur that attacked him, but only wanted to kill a dinosaur to avenge him, so the timeframe was extended to fifteen days."

"So, is this mission satisfactory to you all?"

Lin Lin waved the receipt in his hand. "I think it's good, but I still need to discuss it with my companions."

The mustachioed president shrugged and gestured for him to go ahead, since he was only temporarily filling in as the mascot.

On the round table.

Bref and Yoko took turns looking at the form, and finally handed it to Shion, letting her make the decision.

If the three of them worked together, they could probably take down a monster of this level on the spot with a single beating. But the main purpose of taking this girl hunting was to give her enough experience and training, so she had to be the main force for this mission. Lin Lin and the other two were just accompanying her to provide support.

"How about this commission?"

Ziyuan glanced at the receipt in her hand, then looked around at the three people around her, her eyes revealing a clear sense of foolishness.

I'm just a nobody, what could I possibly know?
He opened his mouth, and after a long pause, he replied:

"Ah... I... I don't know?"

"What do you think?"

Lin Lin crossed his arms and rested his chin on his hand: "I think it's possible. Although I haven't personally hunted the Lupus, I do know a little about this monster. It's a very suitable monster for beginners to challenge. If you can make good use of the items, hunting it will definitely be easier than hunting the Barroth."

Bref nodded in agreement: "I once witnessed a battle where a monstrous slug was being hunted. The fighting style of this monster is quite unique. If I could hunt one, I would be better able to react to similar attacks in the future."

Only Ye Zi disagreed: "This guy... I don't know Lin Lin and I well, and Bref has no hunting experience either. If there is any danger, we might not be able to rescue him in time."

After expressing their opinions, the three of them looked at Shion again.

Ziyuan blinked. Two votes in favor, one vote against. How about... we do it?
“Sister Yoko, we’ve been searching for ages, wasting too much time. I think… how about this one? Besides, I’m a hunter too, I can protect myself, I’m not some powerless office worker! Don’t treat me like a target that needs protection…”

Yoko paused for a moment, looked at Shion's expression, and then slowly nodded.

That's true. Ziyuan is usually too much of a comedian, giving her an unreliable feeling, to the point that she forgot that this girl is also capable of fighting.

"Okay, that's it!"

Having made their decision, Lin Lin and his group went to the counter, where the mustachioed guild leader personally processed their acceptance of the mission.

"Brother Lin Lin, I think I need to remind you that if four people take on a commission, the reward will be split equally among the four of you! That means that out of the 2,700 Z reward, each of you will only receive 675 Z!"

Lin Lin nodded noncommittally. He, Bref, and Ye Zi each earned thousands or tens of thousands of Z for a single commission, and they didn't even look at this three-star commission. As for Zi Yuan... the young lady of the prestigious Zi Jin Chamber of Commerce, who could afford to use such an expensive weapon as a heavy crossbow, she probably looked down on this paltry sum even more.

"Let's go, pack our things, get ready, and we'll set off."

Ziyuan glanced at Lin Lin cautiously, "Um... Senior Brother, you said before that if the tools are used properly, the difficulty of the hunt will be greatly reduced. So what tools do we need to prepare?"

(End of this chapter)