Monster Hunter: I can hear the monsters' thoughts

Chapter 423 The Professional Tendencies of Cat Hunters
"Auntie, your freshly cooked rice smells so good! I'm sweating all over while eating it!"

Lin Lin wiped the sweat from his forehead, leaned back in his chair, and looked completely satisfied.

"By the way, could you make another one? I'd like to bring some for my friends to try."

"That's no problem, meow, but you're sweating because you're hot, meow!"

Chef Cat pointed to a wide tunnel next to the village. Lin Lin turned his head and saw a fiery red figure rapidly approaching from the end of the tunnel. As the fiery red figure drew closer, the temperature of the entire underground cave was quietly rising.

It's lava, the lava that was blocked by the Shadow Spider is flowing back!
Lin Lin stood up and watched as the surrounding scenery turned crimson at a visible speed. He knew that Gemma and his team must have successfully destroyed the Shadow Spider's nest.

Feeling the temperature gradually rising with each breath, Lin Lin wiped the sweat from his forehead and couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth.

I didn't feel anything when the lava flow stopped, but now that it's started flowing again, I realize that Naguli Village is way too hot under normal conditions. How do those earth dragons adapt to it?
In particular, the transforming ice shark suit he was wearing had excellent heat retention properties, locking in heat very well, making Lin Lin feel as if he were in a steamer.

This can't go on, I need to hurry back and get a cold drink...

After saying goodbye to Chef Cat, Lin Lin returned to his small RV. He rummaged through the prop box, found the cold drinks stored inside, and then his gaze paused slightly, landing on a small stone that emitted a faint glow.

Oh right, I almost forgot, I also have a heat-resistant charm!

Lin Lin removed the Queen-level protective stone from his body and temporarily put it back in the box. He then put on the heat-resistant protective stone instead. Instantly, a cool and refreshing sensation enveloped his entire body, causing Lin Lin to let out a long sigh of relief.

The feeling of being unaffected by heat or cold is so comfortable. I really envy Yoko's special charm...

"Bang..."

The RV suddenly shook slightly, as if some huge thing was hitting it from the outside. Lin Lin quickly poked his head out and found that it was Tiao Tiao who had done it. It was scratching the RV with its paws in a slightly agitated manner, and only stopped when it saw Lin Lin come out.

"Roar……"

Jump let out a low growl, seemingly in some discomfort.

If I remember correctly, the Black Eclipse Dragon has very poor fire resistance. Its scales are easily ignited by high temperatures and flames, thus impairing its ability to perceive the outside world and turning it into a true black bear.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, the Black Eclipse Dragon will not appear in volcanic areas. This was also reflected in the original game; there were many quests for the Black Eclipse Dragon, but the quest locations would never include underground volcanoes or lava caves.

and……

Lin Lin glanced at the thick wing membrane that Tiao Tiao was wearing. The thick layer of tassel-like filamentous scales increased its resistance to impact, but its heat insulation effect also increased.

It seems that not only will the scales ignite, but the Black Eclipse Dragon itself is also not very adapted to high temperatures...

Lin Lin went back into the house, took out about ten bottles of cold drinks, and opened them in front of Tiao Tiao:

"Open your mouth."

Without hesitation, Tiaotiao opened her mouth and let Lin Lin pour in the cold, icy liquid that emitted a faint white mist.

Two seconds later, Tiaotiao couldn't help but shiver, her whole body trembling, and she breathed a sigh of relief as if she had just eaten an ice pop on a hot summer day.

"Give me a few more bottles. With your current size, a bottle of cold drink will probably only have a very limited effect."

"roar~"

……

After downing about ten bottles of cold drinks, a cool, refreshing sensation spread throughout his body, completely dispelling the surrounding heat, and he jumped around happily.

The more uncomfortable I felt just now, the more carefree I am now.

Lin Lin turned to look at the few remaining cold drinks in the prop box and couldn't help but purse his lips.

The supplies are running low, so we need to hurry up and get a batch of cold drinks, otherwise Jump Jump won't have an easy time during our stay in Naguli Village.

So Lin Lin found the dragonman merchant in the troupe. The old man seemed to have just reached some kind of cooperation agreement with the merchants of Naguli Village. He looked to be in a very good mood, and his wrinkled old face was as bright as a blooming chrysanthemum.

"Really... You need a cold drink? No problem, I'll take care of it!"

So Lin Lin entrusted the matter to the dragon-human merchant with complete peace of mind, while he went to Ye Zi's place to observe Nia Lu's training. Seeing that it seemed to have come to a temporary end, he brought out the fried rice that he had just bought from Chef Cat.

"Yoko, come and try this! It's a dish from my hometown, and it's still hot!"

Yoko's face lit up with excitement. "Hometown dishes?"

"Yay! Thank you, Brother Lin Lin!"

"I want to eat cat food too!"

Having just finished physical training, Niaru seemed to have exhausted herself. Her eyes were practically glowing with hunger, and her mouth was drooling.

Yoko gently poked her cheek twice, her eyes darting around:
"Niaru, you've just finished training, this kind of food isn't suitable for you."

"Wait a moment, I'll make you rabbit dumplings. This kind of high-energy food is perfect for you to quickly recover your strength, and it won't affect your training results."

"Oh, I see? Thank you, boss! You're so kind, meow!"

Lin Lin: ...

He glanced at the oblivious little black cat with pity. What a poor thing; it had no idea how terrifying rabbit dumplings could be. The first time it ate a date, it got stuck in its throat and almost suffocated...

I hope Niaru won't repeat the same mistake as the dates. It wouldn't be good if she developed any psychological trauma because of it. As compensation, I'll try my best to remember to bring her a portion next time.

To Lin Lin's surprise, Nia Lu seemed to accept rabbit dumplings quite well, and even seemed to enjoy them, which made Lin Lin feel a little emotional.

Could it be that the cat takes after its boss? She doesn't like rabbit dumplings, and Yezi is quite afraid of them, while Yezi, as a native of Flame Village, loves rabbit dumplings almost as much as Fire Sprout. Her cat seems to have inherited this trait from her.

Making rabbit dumplings is quite quick. After finishing making Nia Lu's rabbit dumplings, Ye Zi sat down next to Lin Lin and they chatted while eating.

"How is Nialu's training course? Is it going smoothly?"

"This child is indeed very talented. He can learn to use weapons and props very quickly. However, his physical fitness is a weakness that needs to be addressed over time."

Is it planning to go down the path of a fighting cat?

Lin Lin frowned slightly. "Wouldn't that be inappropriate? After all, even if one's physical abilities improve through training, the foundation is still what it is, making it difficult to develop into an advantage..."

There isn't much difference between a hunting cat and a hunter. A hunter chooses one of fourteen weapons that suits them, while a hunting cat chooses its preferred development path from various options. These development paths can be broadly categorized into four main types: combat, support, healing, and gathering. For example, Date Palm excels in support and combat. Support was its primary skill, taught to it when it first joined Lin Lin's team, including setting up various traps, skillfully using items to control monsters, and the cat-style ballista it once used with Jumpy. Its secondary skill, combat, allows it to step in and provide emergency support when Lin Lin is unavailable.

"No, Nialu is more suitable for gathering and healing."

After a moment of contemplation, recalling Nia's performance when facing the Shadow Spider, Yoko slowly spoke.

After all, it's Melalu, not Elu. Her "I'll Gather" talent is undeniable, and coupled with her senses that are far more sensitive than dates, she's perfectly suited to finding traces of monsters and assisting in hunting by gathering various environmental creatures. As for healing, it's to make up for the team's weaknesses. With shield, axe, insect glaive, long sword, and heavy bowgun, the whole team is extremely offensive, but in terms of support, apart from the heavy bowgun being able to provide some assistance with healing ammo, they can basically only help their teammates with life dust. It would only be beneficial for Nialu to learn more about battlefield first aid.

Lin Lin tilted his head. "Then why are you still letting it train like that?"

Yoko chuckled softly:
"Like a wooden bucket, the amount of water it can hold depends on its shortest stave, not its longest. Training is the same; at the very least, its weakest stave shouldn't be too short..."

……

Nia Lu got a temporary rest, and Lin Lin and the others didn't stay cooped up in the RV. They planned to wander around the village and take a good look around. Then they saw several villagers hurriedly pushing a cart and heading out of the village.

"What are you doing?"

Lin Lin was completely bewildered.

"Didn't you want to build an airship?"

A lively and energetic voice rang out. Lin Lin looked in the direction of the voice and saw a blonde girl skipping over. It was Gemma.

However, although she was talking, her gaze was fixed on the armor on Lin Lin and Ye Zi, and she didn't move for a long time.

“Building an airship requires a lot of materials, one of which is the skin of a poisonous bird (rubbery).”

Yoko nodded. "I see... So we need to hunt the poisonous bird, right? But why are those villagers in such a hurry?"

Gemma waved her hands repeatedly, "No need, no need..."

After a pause, she finally looked away and explained:

"Actually, it was necessary, but I made a discovery when I went to the Shadow Spider's nest, so it's not needed."

Ye Zi was still somewhat confused, but after Gemma's reminder, Lin Lin suddenly remembered something and nodded knowingly:
“I understand. Shadow Spiders sometimes prey on Poisonous Birds, and when there are enough prey to eat for the time being, they wrap the prey in silk and take it back to their nest, where they hang it up to make dried meat. So you found the Poisonous Bird's carcass in that guy's nest?”

Gemma looked at Lin Lin with amazement:

"You're incredibly insightful! Hunter, you're amazing!"

Lin Lin scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly:

"It just so happens that I guessed right."

"but……"

Lin Lin glanced back at Jumpy, who was lying on a relatively cool stone platform. He felt a little regretful. It would have been better if he had just given them the commission to hunt the poisonous bird monster. Jumpy could have participated in the battle again to confirm the outcome.

"It seems there won't be any commissions for the time being."

"Gemma, my dear daughter, you're here!"

A rough voice rang out, accompanied by a unique and exaggerated tone. Even before seeing the person, Lin Lin and Ye Zi could already picture the image of the horned, bearded village chief.

Sure enough, the next moment, the village chief with the horns and beard ran out from around the corner, grabbed Gemma, and rubbed his thick beard against the little girl's smooth forehead, which made the little girl look disgusted.

"Dad! Let go of me! How old are you? Can't you be a little more mature?!"

"Hehe, my good daughter, Daddy has an important job for you. Do you want to do it?"

"what?"

Gemma struggled to break free from the village chief's embrace and asked irritably.

"So, the design of this airship is something your father wants to entrust to you. What do you say?"

The next moment, Gemma, who had just looked disgusted, suddenly had her eyes light up. Overjoyed, she wrapped her arms around the short, stout body of the Earth Dragon Village Chief and planted a kiss on his cheek.
"I really want to do it! Thanks, Dad! I'm coming right now!"

As she spoke, Gemma disappeared in a flash. Judging from the direction she went, she was most likely heading towards that huge workshop with the same design as the village chief.

The village chief chuckled to himself, touching his cheek. Lin Lin, watching this scene, couldn't help but smile slightly.

This father and daughter are really quite a pair of clowns.

Ye Zi felt something was a little strange. She gently tugged at Lin Lin's hand, leaned close to his ear, and whispered:
"Isn't this village chief a member of the Earth Dragon Clan? But I think Gemma, that little girl, is a pure human..."

Lin Lin also leaned close to Ye Zi's ear and whispered an explanation:

"Because Gemma was adopted. Otherwise, look at the village chief's age, how could he possibly be the father of a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl..."

Lin Lin's warm breath brushed against Ye Zi's earlobe, causing a ticklish sensation.

Yoko nodded, her face flushing slightly. It seemed that even with the special protective stone that made her impervious to heat and cold, the intense heat of Naguli Village still affected her.

"Hey? Hunters, you guys are here too..."

The village chief with the horned beard only then noticed the two people beside him, and his expression immediately lit up with joy:
"That's great! I was actually looking for you guys!"

"Looking for us?"

Lin Lin stretched out his hand and pointed to himself.

"That's right!"

The village chief nodded vigorously. "I have a request for your help."

Lin Lin and Ye Zi exchanged a glance, their hearts filled with joy. They had just been thinking of finding an opponent for Tiao Tiao to practice against, but they didn't expect the commission to come to them so quickly!

"No problem, leave it to us. What's the request?"

(End of this chapter)