Monster Hunter: I can hear the monsters' thoughts

Chapter 367 Dondoruma
Wow! Is this an airship? That's amazing!

On the deck, Yoko reached out and felt the warm wind brushing against her fingers, excitedly shouting. Yezakura, who had just finished her family visit vacation, followed her and leaned on the railing to peer down.

Lin Lin leaned against the cabin door with his arms crossed, watching Ye Zi's excited expression, a smile quietly appearing on his lips.

This girl had always seemed too reliable, so much so that he subconsciously overlooked the fact that she was still two months shy of turning eighteen...

Yes, although Yoko is much more composed than Shion, and Shion usually calls Yoko "sister," Yoko is actually the youngest of the four.

This must be Yoko's first time riding an airship. The novel experience made her reveal a rare bit of her childlike side. In comparison, Shion next to her seemed much more composed.

Well, that's normal. This airship under her feet belongs to her family. She's probably ridden in it countless times since she was little, so she should be used to it by now. If this can excite her that much, Lin Lin would probably suspect that this girl's mental age is only six years old...

Hmm... Come to think of it, this seems to be my first time riding in an airship, right? But why don't I feel the same excitement as Yoko?

Lin Lin took a step and walked to Ye Zi's side. He then reached out and held onto the wooden railing, gazing down at the yellow sand below. Even from this height, all he could see was an endless expanse of withered yellow, with only occasional glimpses of green, which were oases scattered throughout the desert.

This perspective has a strange sense of déjà vu...

Oh right, this is the same view when you're sitting on the back of the Ookora. Being carried by the Ookora is much more exciting than flying in an airship.

However, airships also have their advantages. Although they lack excitement, they are stable, and it's quite nice to relax and enjoy the view.

"How magnificent... Nature..."

Yoko sighed softly.

Lin Lin nodded in agreement, strongly agreeing with the statement, "Indeed."

"If only those monsters could live in harmony with humans..."

Lin Lin glanced sideways. "Hmm? Is that something you should be saying? Is this still Ye Zi? Has she been switched?"

He clicked his tongue slightly. "Difficult. There are too few monsters that can coexist with humans. Most monsters have irreconcilable survival conflicts with humans, and even their mere existence poses a threat."

Yoko glanced sideways at the Horned Dragon Horned Insect Staff slung across her back and let out a soft sigh:

"That's the meaning of our existence as hunters. If we can't resolve the conflict, then we'll deal with the monster that caused it."

That's it! It really is Ye Zi; she hasn't been switched.

However, it must be said that perhaps due to her own influence, Yoko is now quite different from the Great Western King in the original timeline who would slaughter at the slightest disagreement. At least now she will consider resolving conflicts first, and only deal with monsters if she can't resolve the conflicts.

I've turned the original Great Western King into this distorted version of himself; I'm truly a sinful man...

"Huh? What are you all doing on deck?"

Suddenly, there was a noise behind him. Lin Lin turned around and saw that it was Breve who pushed open the warehouse door and walked over.

"Enjoy the scenery."

Bref raised an eyebrow as he looked at the two people standing side by side admiring the scenery.

"Okay, but the captain said we're about to enter a region of strong convection, and the airship will be a bit bumpy. Are you sure you want to stay on board?"

The two looked at each other, then glanced at the railing at the edge of the deck. If they accidentally fell from here, even with the worms to cushion the fall, they would be smashed to pieces, right?

"I'm done looking at it, I'm going back to the cabin now..."

……

The journey from Lokrak to East Doruma spans almost half a continent. Even with the airship saving a lot of time, the trip still takes about two days. During this time, the hunters can only come up to the deck to get some fresh air and enjoy the scenery, or just stay in the cabin to daydream or find some books to pass the time.

With the daughter of the Zijin Chamber of Commerce there, Lin Lin and his group naturally stayed in the most superior cabin. Although the space was limited by the airship, even the most superior cabin wouldn't be much better, but at least it wasn't too cramped. The past two days didn't feel so difficult and passed by in the blink of an eye.

But for Tiaotiao, these two days have been the ultimate torture.

As everyone knows, the Yellow Velociraptor King cannot fly, and Jump Jump showed signs of seasickness when it was riding the sand boat back then. Now, high in the sky, in a cramped cabin, it is tossed about by strong air currents. For two days, Jump Jump has been so sick that it hasn't eaten a single piece of meat and has been surviving entirely on the nutritional supplements fed to it by Lin Lin. All the fat it gained at Zi Yuan's house a few days ago has been completely lost.

Finally, with a slight tremor, the airship landed back on the ground. The ground felt solid underfoot, and the floating and swaying sensation was gone.

Jumpy lay drowsily in the cargo hold specially prepared for it and Gujia, its eyes closed, not yet fully conscious. But Gujia, unlike Jumpy, did not have the same seasickness symptoms. It noticed the landing immediately and let out an excited hiss.

Jumpy lifted its eyelids slightly and glanced at Gujia beside it. It didn't know what the guy was up to, but the journey of the past two days had made it feel extremely uncomfortable. It didn't have the strength to pay attention to the other party. After glancing at him, it closed its eyes again.

The next moment, the door opened and Lin Lin walked in, looking at Tiao Tiao with a slightly worried expression.

"Are the symptoms still not getting better...?"

Actually, the warehouse specifically set aside for Jump is already big enough, but compared to Jump's ten-meter length, it is somewhat insignificant. If it could have a sufficiently open space, it might not be so uncomfortable.

If Lin Lin hadn't been worried that Jumpy would be thrown off the plane by a jolt, he would have considered letting it go up on the deck for some fresh air.

Fortunately, it only lasted two days, and we managed to get through it.

Lin Lin walked over to the listless Tiaotiao and affectionately patted its big head:
"Alright, alright, we've arrived. We won't be taking airships anymore. Do you want to rest here a bit longer? Or come out for some fresh air?"

As soon as Lin Lin finished speaking, Tiao Tiao's eyes snapped open, filled with joy and relief at the end of her prison sentence.

It immediately raised its head, carefully felt for a moment, and found that the swaying and helpless feeling had indeed disappeared at some point. As that feeling disappeared, the weakness and discomfort that had been troubling it also quickly subsided. In less than a minute, Jump stood up energetically, as if it hadn't been weak before.

It's no wonder it's a monster; its vitality is truly remarkable.

"Gah!" Jumpy let out a loud howl, venting its joy at being reborn, and at the same time, it couldn't wait to squeeze open the door and rush out.

It's been so suffocating these past two days!

As soon as Jumpy poked its head out, it was hit by a slightly salty and fishy damp smell, which made Jumpy sneeze because it was very uncomfortable.

However, that was only a temporary adjustment. After jumping off the airship and returning to solid ground, bathed in the slightly cool breeze, Jump felt an indescribable sense of comfort.

This is the gentle sea breeze originating from the Geokrug Sea. It blows continuously from the sea, injecting energy into this ancient capital city nestled between mountains and the sea, allowing it to radiate vitality with unwavering persistence.

"Dondoruma, we've finally arrived..."

The airship landed on a wide, flat area halfway up the mountain. Several other airships of varying sizes could be seen moored nearby, clearly indicating that this was the airport that Dongdoruma had specifically designated.

Lin Lin gazed at the distant blue expanse, which was the Dead Sea called Geokrug... No, calling it the Dead Sea isn't entirely accurate. Although this sea area has only one port connected to the open sea, called Geovandrio, and it's quite narrow, once it's connected, it's connected; it can only be called an inland sea.

Looking down from the airport halfway up the mountain, you can see most of the face of this giant city built against the mountain, with its majestic gray-black city walls protecting the entire city.

Moreover, there were two such city walls, with the one closer to the airport being even higher. These two walls divided the entire city into inner and outer layers. Standing halfway up the mountain and looking down, the inner city was filled with residential buildings, and as far as the eye could see, there were large swathes of green roofs, interspersed with a few red ones. As for the outer city, although it was not clear from this angle, Lin Lin had a guess that it was probably where the Battle Street was located...

Hmm? So why are all the rooftops in the inner city this color?
"looking at what?"

A voice woke Lin Lin from his reverie. He looked up and found that Kevin had not disembarked with Rachel and the others, but was standing next to him, looking down with him.

"Master."

Lin Lin called out, then pointed to the colorful rooftops below, "I'm wondering why most of those buildings have green roofs, while over there are a lot of red roofs. Is there any significance to these colors?"

Kevin didn't even look at it, and just laughed it off:
"Many people who come to Dongdoruma for the first time have this question: Think carefully, what do these two colors remind you of?"

What comes to mind? Red and green together, utterly disgusting?
No, that's definitely not the answer. Red and green... what special meaning could red and green have in this world?

A moment later, Lin Lin's eyes lit up:
"Male and female fire dragons?"

Kevin tried to snap his fingers, but failed. After another unsuccessful attempt, he had no choice but to put his hands down, put them on his hips, and look at Lin Lin with an expression that said, "You're a promising student."

"That's right, it's a male and female Rathalos! The use of these colors is to express the Hunter's Guild's respect and gratitude for nature, and to demonstrate the Hunter's Guild's determination to maintain ecological stability."

Ah! Ah?
Are there really so many rules to follow when it comes to a single color?
Lin Lin clicked his tongue inwardly, withdrew his gaze, and looked at Kevin beside him:
"Alright, Master, where do we go now?"

Now that we've arrived in East Doruma, it's time to find a place to settle down, isn't it? Should we rent a hunter's hut at the meeting place first? But since my master's hometown is here, should we go and bother him? Or perhaps we could just buy a property or something?

However, Kevin shook his head and pointed in the direction behind him.

They were originally halfway up the mountain, facing the Geokrug Sea to the south, while behind them was a winding, dark gray staircase leading up to the mountaintop.

At the beginning of the steps, a guard stood upright on each side of the path. They wore standard blue protective gear (yes, the same kind of defense team gear that the genius boy loves), and held long guns. They seemed to be standing there blankly, but in fact, their eyes were always watching the movements around them.

"What happened to those guards?"

"They weren't guards, they were guild knights."

Kevin shook his head and corrected him:
"Their duty is to ensure the smooth operation of the guild, and they also have the task of correcting some hunters' violations... Well, you can think of them as a law enforcement team, similar to the city guerrillas in Lokrak."

Just as Kevin was explaining, a guild knight seemed to have received some kind of instruction and was walking quickly toward their location.

Kevin, however, seemed unsurprised. "Let's go. It must be the Grand Elder who wants to see us."

Lin Lin: "Huh?"

So the guild already knew when they would arrive, and knew they should be here by now? And this time was probably given to them in advance by their master and the others... But so what if they knew? The Grand Elder is going to see you high-ranking hunters, are we lowly Karami supposed to come along?

A moment later, the guild knight, who was walking towards them with a clear goal in mind, stood in front of them. His gaze lingered on Tiaotiao and Gujia, who were standing to the left and right of Lin Lin like two guardian deities, before finally settling on Kevin and Lin Lin.

After seeing Kevin's face clearly, he became serious and saluted.

"Mr. Kevin!"

"Hmm, hello, hello."

"The Grand Elder knows you've returned and specifically wants to see the disciple you took in at Jieyun Village."

Lin Lin: Huh?

No, it wasn't even to see the master, but rather they specifically asked to see me?

"Excuse me, who is this..."

The guild knight's gaze fell on Lin Lin, who was standing to the side.

"This is my apprentice, Lin Lin. Hehe, he's already a five-star hunter. But... the Grand Elder didn't say he wanted to see me?"

Kevin patted Lin Lin's shoulder hard, a smug look on his face.

The guild knight's gaze involuntarily fell on Lin Lin's face again. Although he had guessed it before, this person looked too young. He didn't expect that he was really Mr. Kevin's disciple? He had already advanced to the fifth star at such a young age. With such outstanding talent, it was no wonder that he had alarmed the Grand Elder and was specially summoned.

"Ahem, the Grand Elder did say he wanted to see you, but he'll have to wait a moment. Why don't you come along?"

(End of this chapter)