Monster Hunter: I can hear the monsters' thoughts

Chapter 444 Chasing and Killing
The burly man instinctively tried to get up and go back to the airship for a closer look, but before he could take two steps, he heard a familiar voice:

"Alright, no need to go see it, it's true."

The burly man abruptly stopped, turning his head in disbelief toward the direction from which the sound came.

Kevin raised his glass at him.

"Holy crap! Kevin? What are you doing here?"

Rachel, who was ignored: ...

"You'd better really not have seen me."

"Oh? Rachel's here too?"

Seeing Rachel's increasingly unfriendly expression, Rickres quickly grabbed the helmet from the table, picked up his wine glass, and strode over to sit down next to Kevin, smiling as he said:
"I'm sorry, but you know, with your ability to conceal your presence and this Swift Dragon armor set, it's really hard to notice you at first glance."

Rickles and Kevin clinked glasses, and Rickles asked curiously:

"So, how did you get here?"

Rachel glanced at Kevin:
"Well, his injury has almost healed, and he wanted to stretch his muscles. You also mentioned that there was some trouble here, so we came over."

Upon hearing this, Rickres couldn't help but roll his eyes:
"Come on, this is an Elder Dragon! A Steel Dragon Kusarudaora! Why don't you stretch your muscles and go find a Diablos or a Black Diablos?"

"Your injuries have barely healed, and you already want to risk your life again?"

Kevin just smiled and teased:

"There are differences between the Elder Dragons. I later read through many reports, and it seems that the Storm Dragon's Storm is even stronger than the Steel Dragon's?"

The implication is that even the more dangerous Storm Dragon, which is even more dangerous than Steel Dragon, couldn't kill me, so why would I be afraid of Steel Dragon?

In contrast, Rachel appeared much more serious:
“A few years ago, a Steel Dragon attacked Dongdoruma. You weren’t there then, but I participated in the city’s defense battle, so I have some experience dealing with Steel Dragons. If it’s decided that we need to launch a counterattack, I can be of some help.”

—Since its establishment, Dongdoruma has been favored by the Elder Dragons, and it faces the threat of Elder Dragons almost every now and then. It is said that this is because its special geographical location happens to be located at the intersection of their migration routes that last for decades. Lao-Shan Lung, Fortress Crab, Steel Dragon... these guys have visited Dongdoruma more than once. The special combat town in Dongdoruma was built because of their frequent visits.

"Sigh...you guys are really..."

Rickles shook his head helplessly, tilted his head back and gulped down the drink in his glass, then slammed the glass down on the table.

"Thanks."

To be honest, he's been under a lot of pressure lately, constantly on edge while conducting his investigations. As the only high-ranking hunter currently in Jiangbo Village, he's terrified that any mistake could lead to the complete annihilation of the entire group. Kevin and Rachel, who have come from afar, have undoubtedly helped alleviate a significant portion of his pressure.

"correct."

Rickres let out a heavy sigh. "What's this about the Black Devouring Dragon you mentioned in the village?"

"The thing is like this..."

Having just heard some very interesting news, Lin Lin quietly approached his master's table and immediately spoke up upon hearing the news.

Rick: "Lin Lin is here too?"

Lin Lin: ...

Kevin: …

Rachel: ...

Under the speechless gazes of the three, Rickres awkwardly scratched his head and muttered something under his breath:
"I was so excited when I suddenly saw you two that I didn't pay much attention to my surroundings..."

Lin Lin could only offer one explanation:
“That airship belongs to our brigade. Master and the others came here in our airship this time.”

Back when Rickres was in Yukumo Village, he knew Jumpy, so there's no need to go into the details. Lin Lin focused on what happened after he transformed into a Black Eclipse Dragon. Finally, amidst Rickres's bewildered expression, Lin Lin asked the question he'd been wanting to ask since the beginning:

"We have already fought the Black Devouring Dragon that Senior Julius and his group were chasing twice. Just now you mentioned that you encountered Senior Julius and his group in the dense forest. Could you please tell us more about it?"

Upon suddenly hearing the news of the Black Devouring Dragon, which was already showing signs of transformation, Lin Lin's killing intent surged. Jumpy was growing rapidly, and if he could kill the pioneer who was about to fill the progress bar, Jumpy might be able to catch up and seize the throne of the Heavenly Returning Dragon!

Moreover, although Lin Lin didn't say it out loud, he still had some worries in his heart. After receiving the Elder's feeding, Tiaotiao's growth momentum has been very strong recently. If the obstacles are not removed in advance, it would be a big problem if it gets stuck in the process of completing its transformation.

The Chaos Black Eclipse Dragon's short remaining life was too hopeless. There was no way to solve the problem except to end its suffering as soon as possible. Lin Lin absolutely did not want to see Jump Jump become like that.

Rickres was unaware of Lin Lin's thoughts. After a moment's thought, he decided there was no point in hiding it and spoke directly:

"Strictly speaking, I met them at the edge of the dense forest, at the boundary between it and the native forest."

"The Black Corruption Dragon originally wanted to migrate to the dense forest, but because there was already a Steel Dragon in the dense forest, the two sides fought, and the Steel Dragon drove the Black Corruption Dragon away."

"Based on our analysis, the most likely destination for that Black Dragon is the adjacent primeval forest area."

"but……"

He looked at Lin Lin, whose face faintly revealed a murderous aura, hesitated for a moment, and then said:

"You're not thinking of going over there to kill that Black Corruption Dragon yourself, are you?"

Seeing Lin Lin remain silent, tacitly agreeing with his statement, Rickres gritted his teeth:
“Julius and his men have already given chase and should be able to take it down soon. Going there would be a wasted trip for you. Is it really necessary?”

Lin Lin lowered his eyes, staring at the wood grain of the table, recalling the plot of the fourth installment of the game in his mind.

In the game, the fourth protagonist first encountered the Black Eclipse Dragon at sea, which led to a shipwreck and drifting to Warm Ocean Island. Later, the elite hunter team failed to defeat the Black Eclipse Dragon in the Unknown Forest, and instead trapped Aiden and Fabius there. Fortunately, the fourth protagonist came to their rescue. After rescuing them, the guild handed over the task of defeating the Black Eclipse Dragon to the fourth protagonist, who lived up to expectations and successfully defeated the Black Eclipse Dragon.

However, the Black Eclipse Dragon that the protagonist defeated did not die. In the gap between the protagonist's departure and the arrival of the Scribes team who came to study the corpse, it successfully took advantage of this opportunity to break free from the shackles of its old body, evolved into a completely new form, and sat on the throne of the Heavenly Return Dragon.

Although things have deviated far from the original game storyline, the general plot remains largely unchanged. The possibility that the Black Devouring Dragon, which was being chased, faked its death and took the opportunity to complete its transformation is not zero.

Lin Lin felt he needed to go check it out; if this situation really happened, he might still have a chance to put the coffin lid on this guy. "Alright, alright."

Seeing that Lin Lin seemed determined to go, Rickres didn't try to dissuade him. After all, this kid was Kevin's disciple, not his. Didn't he see that Kevin didn't have any objections?

Besides, this kid is already a five-star hunter, and he'll probably be promoted to a higher rank in a few years. He has his own judgment and can take responsibility for his decisions, so there's no need for him to dissuade him.

He simply offered one reminder:
"If you're going, remember to come up with a different reason. The mission to hunt the Black Eclipse Dragon is already full. Five-person hunts are not allowed!"

"Don't worry, Senior Rickles, I know what I'm doing."

……

The next day.

Sophia woke up from her sleep, stretched, looked at the little dragon sleeping soundly beside her, smiled gently, then got up, preparing to push open the door to get some breakfast. But as soon as she opened the door, she saw someone blocking the doorway like a wall.

The latter raised his hand, which was about to knock on the door, paused for a moment, then casually put it behind his back.

"Ahem, good morning, Sophia."

Sophia glanced back at the little dragon still sound asleep, worried about waking him, and squeezed out of the room, closing the door behind her. Only then did she look up at Lin Lin:

"Tell me, what's the matter?"

Lin Lin coughed lightly, "What are you talking about? Can't I come and chat with you if there's nothing wrong?"

Sofia rolled her eyes inwardly:

"Come on, if you want to chat, why are you coming to me? Shouldn't you be going to see Yoko?"

Lin Lin blushed, and without making any other excuses, went straight to the point:
"I'd like you to see if there are any requests to go to the native forest."

Sofia: "?"

She tilted her head:
"If I remember correctly, we're just temporarily stopping in Jiangbo Village, right? We'll head to Xinade Village once we've replenished our supplies, won't we? Where do you find the time to do quests?"

Lin Lin stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and couldn't think of a suitable reason. He couldn't very well say that he went to the primeval forest just to kill the guy who might become the answer to the end of the journey, could he?
"Well...you know, right? Jiangbo Village is currently facing ecological turmoil caused by the steel dragon, which has greatly hindered our supply of materials. We will have to stay here longer than expected."

Sophia frowned in embarrassment. "How many more days can it grow? A day, two days?"

"In any case, it won't stay for more than a week, right? There's a dense forest between the primeval forest and Jiangbo Village. Crossing it directly would mean encountering countless powerful monsters. Taking the waterway would be a way around, but it would take quite a while. A round trip would take at least a week, wouldn't it?"

"Well..."

Lin Lin pointed to the ceiling. This was the interior of the Isana. Above them was the deck of the Isana, which was now being used as a large sleeping bed for Jump Jump.

"You want to sit and hop across?"

Sofia understood and remained silent for a moment. If that were the case, perhaps there really wouldn't be enough time.
"It's alright, Sophia, we're not in a hurry to leave."

Suddenly, the door to a cabin a little further away opened, and the unshaven, weary-looking captain of the regiment came out.

He looked tired, but his eyes burned with excitement, as if he hadn't slept much all night, probably because he had been studying his notebook with lyrics all night.

"We can find some clues to the answers we're looking for here, so there's no need to rush to Sinard Village."

The brigade commander glanced at Sophia and slowly spoke:
“We should give our hunters some freedom. He must have his reasons for wanting to take on a quest in the primeval forest.”

As he spoke, he pulled out his notebook and waved it at Sophia:

"It just so happens that I have some things I'd like to consult with the village chief of Jiangbo Village. It's alright if I stay in Jiangbo Village for a while."

The decision to stay temporarily was not made arbitrarily by the brigade leader, but rather a decision reached after taking into account the thoughts of all members.

He wanted to learn more about the legend and folk song from the village chief of Jiangbo Village; the blacksmith and Gemma were envious of the old woman at the Jiangbo Village workshop and eagerly wanted to exchange forging and processing techniques with her; the dragon-human merchant saw the promising maritime trade prospects of Jiangbo Village and was eager to go to the docks to investigate and then choose a fleet he liked to invest in; the cat chef was also very interested in some of the special local ingredients of Jiangbo Village and wanted to try making new dishes...

As for Sophia? She was quite content as long as she could stay with Little Broken Dragon Boom, and she didn't care at all whether she stayed in Jiangbo Village for a long time.

Since the brigade commander had said so, Sophia had no more reservations and simply nodded in agreement.

"That's fine then. I'll ask around and see if there are any suitable cases for you."

"By the way, are you going by yourself, or with Yoko, Date, and Niaru?"

Lin Lin thought for a moment, then smiled and said:

"Although I was thinking of going by myself, after thinking about it carefully, it's definitely safer to go together..."

Sophia looked at Lin Lin suspiciously. "Guarantee?"

Why do you say it like you're going to challenge some powerful monster?

Hey, hey, hunting monsters that aren't your hunting targets is against the guild rules! Calm down!
Lin Lin waved his hand, indicating that he knew what he was doing and there was no need to say more.

So Sophia left the Isana and went to the village to see if there were any requests from the villagers that she could edit into quests.

However, after going around in circles, she didn't find anything.

Jiangbo Village is not a small village like Naguli Village. Although it is not large, it still has a request wall where everyone's needs are recorded. It is managed by a girl named Petty who was adopted by the village chief.

Everyone had gotten into the habit of posting their requests directly on the request wall, so naturally Sophia's efforts were in vain.

Left with no other choice, Sophia went to the wall of commissions and began to carefully examine and search for them.

"Sister, would you like to take on a commission? What are your requirements? You can tell me!"

(End of this chapter)