Monster Hunter: I can hear the monsters' thoughts

Chapter 368 Meeting the Grand Elder

Should we go with them?
Well……

Kevin glanced at Lin Lin and saw that he also looked slightly hesitant, and thought to himself, "As expected."

The Grand Elder is, after all, the leader of the East Doruma Hunters Guild and the highest leader of all hunter guilds on the continent. This kid will inevitably feel a lot of mental pressure when he suddenly learns that this big leader wants to see him. At this time, it is time for his master to step forward.

"it is good……"

Kevin had barely uttered the word "good" when Lin Lin spoke up, asking the guild knight before him:

"Do we really have to go there now...?"

The guild knight nodded slightly. "The Grand Elder is not a rigid or strict person. You don't need to be so reserved."

Clearly, he, like Kevin, thought Lin Lin was being a bit cowardly.

But Lin Lin shook his head, turned around and pointed to the two guardian deities on his left and right:

"I want to settle them down first. We can't just leave them standing here... It would be bad if they frightened passersby..."

Kevin: …

Guild Knight: ...

So that's what you were thinking about all that time!

Kevin: "I can help you find a place to settle them... but I don't have your ability. They might not listen to me and come with me. How about you ask your girlfriend to help take care of them for a while? You two are often together, so they should be more familiar with her, right?"

Little, little girlfriend?
Lin Lin blushed, "What little girlfriend? She's not one yet! Don't get the wrong idea!"

Seeing Lin Lin's incoherent state, Kevin stroked his chin. What difference does it make? It's not like that now, but it will be in time. It's just a matter of time.

“Alright, it’s settled then. You go see the Grand Elder, and I’ll find a place to settle them. Until you return, let Ye Zi help look after your two little companions.”

Hey me...

Lin Lin mumbled "Aba aba" twice, then gave up struggling. Oh well, they weren't even going to discuss the topic with him anymore; his shame was completely ignored…

The guild knight watched this scene, trying hard to suppress the upturned corners of his mouth. After all, he was still a young man. Even though his strength had surpassed most hunters and reached five stars, he was still quite inexperienced in this aspect, which reminded him of his own youth.

"Then...please?"

……

At the end of the winding, gray stone steps stands a palace-like building called the Great Elder's Palace. This is the political center of the entire city of East Doruma, and also the seat of the Great Elder.

(The original image was in Japanese, and I used machine translation. Hopefully, you can understand it...?)

At first glance, the name "Grand Elder's Hall" might seem a bit strange, but upon closer inspection, it seems quite reasonable for such a name to be the place where the Grand Elder resides.

After walking up a long, gray stone staircase, Lin Lin was led by a guild knight into a vast palace that resembled the dwelling of a giant, where he met the legendary Grand Elder.

In fact, this place can indeed be called the dwelling place of giants, because the master of this place, the old dragonman who is respectfully called the Great Elder by everyone, is a very special branch of the dragonman race. It is said that the dragonman only appears in the world once every thousand years.

How huge exactly?
To put it simply, in Lin Lin's estimation, this burly old man with white eyebrows and beard was at least six meters tall just sitting there, his whole body like a wall. And coincidentally, the Dragonkin race has a characteristic of shrinking significantly as they age, so the Great Elder in his youth was likely to be close to twenty meters tall.

What does this mean? Let's put it this way: the Rathalos, the king of the skies, is already considered a large gold-sized dragon if it reaches a length of 20 meters.

Moreover, the giants of the dragonmen are not like the First Roaring Dragon or Bobo, who are useless except for their size. Their combat power is also incredibly fierce. Not to mention anything else, just from what Lin Lin has heard since coming to this world, this Grand Elder can list countless glorious achievements, and there is even a rumor that he chopped off the head of the Old Mountain Dragon with a single blow...

However, this is not the ultimate display of the dragonkin's combat power. If the reality of this world is not too different from the original game, then the ancestor of the village of Pokai, far away in the Frasia Snow Mountain, should also have been a dragonkin. This formidable figure single-handedly repelled the Black and White Gods, the pinnacle of the flying dragon species, the Devastator and the Tyrannosaurus, who possessed strength far exceeding that of ordinary ancient dragons. If nothing unexpected happens, the weapon this formidable figure once used should still be stuck in the cave of Pokai Village; it was a greatsword forged from the materials of the Black Dragon...

"Elder, Lin Lin has been brought here."

The guild knight stepped forward and bowed to the Grand Elder. This commotion also snapped Lin Lin out of his mental daze, and he quickly followed suit, taking two steps forward and bowing in return.

"No need to be polite."

A deep, aged voice, like muffled thunder, echoed in the hall. Although he didn't look up, Lin Lin could clearly see the white beard on the elder's chin trembling through the reflection of the smooth marble floor beneath his feet.

The guild knight brought the person over, having completed his mission. He bowed and took his leave, as he had to return to the entrance of the long staircase to stand guard. This left Lin Lin alone to face the imposing Elder, who stood as solid as a city wall.

It was at this moment, under the watchful gaze of the Grand Elder, that Lin Lin belatedly felt a sense of tension slowly rising within him.

This had nothing to do with the identity of the opposing guild's top manager; it was purely due to the oppressive feeling brought about by his imposing physique and formidable battle record.

Upon hearing the Grand Elder's request that he rise, Lin Lin straightened up, bracing himself against the invisible pressure, and looked up at the Grand Elder. The air seemed to freeze at that moment.

After a few seconds of silence, when the atmosphere was so heavy it was almost suffocating, Lin Lin couldn't help but wonder if the Grand Elder's request to see him was because he had some kind of dissatisfaction with him. Suddenly, the Grand Elder laughed, his eyebrows twitching.

"Wow... What a fine young man! Kevin has taken on a good disciple."

As the Grand Elder spoke, the invisible pressure seemed to ease and vanish. Lin Lin silently breathed a sigh of relief and replied:

"You flatter me. I still have a lot to learn."

The Grand Elder laughed loudly twice, the laughter echoing in the hall like rolling thunder.

"Young man, you're too modest. If your master Kevin had been here, he would have definitely agreed with a smug look on his face and then run off to brag to the other hunters."

"Don't be so reserved. Come closer and just treat me like a senior hunter."

Since the Grand Elder had said so, Lin Lin relaxed a bit and, after moving closer, asked the question that had been on his mind:

"Elder, why do you want to see me...?"

The airship had barely landed when the Grand Elder's invitation arrived, even before his master and the other high-ranking hunters. It couldn't possibly be just to see how outstanding this young man was, could it?
In fact, he already had a vague guess about this, but since the Grand Elder didn't say it out loud, the guess remained just a guess.

"I have read the letter from Jieyun Village over and over again, carefully and repeatedly."

Lin Lin thought to himself, "As expected." He had told Ci Hua everything back then, so the Grand Elder should have already grasped the whole process of the Lingfeng incident. Now that he summoned him first, does that mean that he has finally found out about the rider, something he has been curious about for a long time?

"The letter mentioned that you survived the pursuit of that storm dragon with the help of a juvenile fire dragon?"

Lin Lin nodded vigorously. "Its name is Da Kong. It's my partner. Without it, I would never have survived Lan Long's attack."

The Grand Elder nodded and sighed:
"Haha, the world is truly vast and full of wonders... It's incredible that a friendship forged between monsters and humans could actually exist, a friendship that transcends life and death..."

Lin Lin blinked. Why did what the Grand Elder said seem different from what he had thought?

Isn't it supposed to tell you that in some region of the mainland, there are people who, like you, have formed bonds with monsters, and then let you go there to exchange and learn from them?
Lin Lin remained silent. After a moment of reflection, the Grand Elder's expression turned slightly serious as he continued to ask:

"Although I've read the description of the events several times, I still find it hard to believe. Maybe it's because I'm an old guy who's starting to fall behind the times... The letter says that you can have complete telepathic communication with monsters?"

Lin Lin shook his head. "No, only monsters like Da Kong, who have formed a deep bond with me, can do that. For monsters who don't have a bond with me or whom I've never met, I can only vaguely sense some of their emotions and thoughts. I can't make them understand my thoughts."

He's laying his cards on the table.

He was initially unwilling to reveal his ability to sense the thoughts of monsters because he was worried that the guild would use him as a strategic weapon against the Elder Dragons. They would usually keep him in the safest back office, and then release him when they encountered an Elder Dragon threat to see what the enemy was thinking. Perhaps this would save them from a battle with heavy casualties.

But times have changed, and things are different now. He is now a five-star hunter, a true elite member of the guild, and an important fighting force that is hard to give up. Therefore, he doesn't have to worry about being relegated to an office job and having to say goodbye to his hunter life.

However, he didn't reveal everything. He kept a small part of his abilities to himself, only mentioning the parts that could be achieved through the Bond Stone. He kept the fact that he resonated with Mrs. Mineyama Ryu's blood a secret.

"Are they just some vague emotions and thoughts...?"

The Grand Elder pondered for a moment, seemingly lost in thought, before slowly nodding.
"That's quite a useful ability."

Seemingly finding it difficult to speak, the Grand Elder hesitated for a moment before finally asking:
"Although it may be a bit presumptuous to ask this, I still have to speak up for the sake of humanity's better survival in this world."

"Can you tell me how you acquired this ability? Is it a unique talent of yours? Is it possible to replicate it so that others can also have the same ability?"

Is this... an attempt to replicate and then mass-produce it?

Lin Lin was slightly taken aback, but quickly guessed what the Grand Elder was thinking.

Indeed, from the perspective of the Grand Elder, his abilities are indeed heavyweight and can be used as a strategic secret weapon. Naturally, the more such secret weapons the better, since one person cannot be in two places at once. If a group of people could be dispersed to various parts of the continent, it would definitely make the overall survival of humanity better.

If he were alone, this secret weapon would need to be preserved as carefully as possible and used only in the most critical and urgent moments. However, if it could be mass-produced, his personal strategic importance would be diminished. As a result, the guild's protection of him would inevitably be less thorough than before, which explains why the Grand Elder felt it was inappropriate to ask so directly.

However, what the Grand Elder felt was inappropriate was actually a good thing from Lin Lin's perspective. The guild didn't keep such a close watch on him, which meant he had more freedom and wouldn't be strictly protected from danger.

What truly disappointed Lin Lin was another piece of information revealed by the Grand Elder's questioning.

"Actually, the process by which I acquired this ability should have been clearly explained in the Lingfeng incident. Although it seems like a miracle, I believe it is definitely not unrepeatable."

After a moment's thought, the Grand Elder realized what Lin Lin had been referring to:

"That blue gem that condensed from the blood of the Sky?"

"I call it the Bond Stone. It is a miracle born from the deep bond between humans and monsters. It is because of it that I was able to communicate with Oozora."

In other words, before you even had this ability, you somehow managed to get a dragon egg from somewhere, hatch it, and raise it?!
The Grand Elder's eyebrows twitched involuntarily, but as the guild's highest-ranking manager, complaining didn't fit his persona. The Grand Elder simply continued to ask the question in his deep, aged voice.

"If it's a miracle, how can it be replicated?"

Lin Lin sighed. Sure enough, the Grand Elder knew nothing about the Bond Stones, so he probably knew even less about the Riders... Even the highest levels of the Hunter's Guild didn't know. Were the Riders in this world just well hidden, or... did they simply not exist?
I can't be the first rider in the world, can I...?

Lin Lin shook his head, shaking off the disappointment in his heart, and began to explain his understanding of the Bond Stone.

Although Lin Lin also hoped to obtain information and knowledge about riders from the guild, he had not been completely unaware of the bond stones in his hands. In fact, during breaks from training and hunting, Lin Lin would take out the bond stones to explore them whenever he had a spare moment, and now he had made quite a few deductions.

(End of this chapter)