Monster Hunter: I can hear the monsters' thoughts

Chapter 458 Lingrui
The feeling of having a sharp horn broken is really unpleasant. That horn is not only the controller that helps the Qilin to finely control lightning, but also a key organ for it to absorb the power of lightning to replenish its energy.

Having lost its Thunder Horn, although it could still control lightning, it could only fly by using its massive bricks. Furthermore, it could no longer replenish its energy by absorbing lightning, leading to increased energy consumption, reduced endurance, and a significant decrease in combat power. Therefore, faced with the relentless attacks of the Golden Lion, it could only turn and flee inland in a sorry state.

However, as the saying goes, fortune and misfortune are intertwined, and it was because of the broken thunder horn that the golden lions surrounding it were often not very motivated to fight. This allowed the Qilin, who was enduring the pain and discomfort of having its thunder horn broken, to find a space to escape and finally escape to safety.

Having grown up in a peaceful and stable environment, the repeated attacks by the Golden Lion almost shattered its old worldview, leaving the Qilin feeling somewhat delirious for a long time. It wasn't until it saw the azure sea again that it came to its senses.

Did I run away and end up back here?
If I had gone with my mother back then, maybe I wouldn't be in so much pain...

I really want to know where it went, and what's on the other side of the sea...?

In other words, it had never seen a map of the Monster Hunter world drawn by humans. Otherwise, it would have known that it was actually going in the opposite direction, having crossed an entire continent, running all the way from the westernmost part of the Old World to the easternmost part.

Unaware of this, the Qilin instinctively raised its hoof and gently touched the water's surface before pulling it back.

No, Raikan hasn't finished regenerating yet, so he can't control it with such precision. He still needs to find a place to rest.

Thinking this, Qilin turned its gaze to a huge mountain range in the distance, on which lay a massive skeleton.

It could sense that on the mountaintop above, there was an extremely dense power of lightning, enough to allow it to regenerate a new lightning horn.

So the Qilin chose to settle here. Of course, having learned its lesson, it would not stay in one place without moving again. Instead, it would wander around the surrounding areas every ten days or so, leaving its mark throughout the primeval forest and even the surrounding dense forests.

The previous escape experience clearly taught Qilin that concealing its tracks was almost ineffective against the Golden Lion. So this time, it took a different approach. As long as it made sure its tracks covered the entire area and didn't stay on the mountaintop for too long, the Golden Lion would have a hard time catching up with it.

The fact that it had not been disturbed by the Golden Lion during this period fully proved the effectiveness of the Qilin's strategy. Absorbing the power of lightning contained in the thunderclouds above its head every day also allowed the Qilin to quickly grow a thunder horn that was even stronger than before. The Qilin was confident that even if it encountered the Golden Lion again, this horn would definitely not be broken off so easily!
Without the Golden Lion's interference, the Qilin's temperament quickly returned to its initial gentleness. It began to observe its newly chosen habitat and consciously drove away those ferocious monsters—except for special attackers like the Golden Lion that could completely subdue them. Even when a Deviljho appeared, it was not afraid at all and manipulated lightning to strike.

While wandering in the mountains, the Kirin would watch the Palico dig diligently, the Foeosaurus leisurely blow bubbles, the comical fight between the Strange Ape and the Peach-haired Beast King, and the clumsy Driello wrestling for mating rights... But when returning to the mountaintop and absorbing the rich thunder power, the Kirin also inadvertently discovered something interesting.

The thunderclouds covering the sky here seem like rootless duckweed, with only a small cluster covering the peak, but that is not actually the case.

At first, because it was worried that it might accidentally absorb all the thunderclouds, the Qilin would activate its power after each absorption to manipulate the celestial phenomena and strengthen the thunderclouds. However, when it returned after taking a stroll, it found that the size of the thunderclouds had not decreased at all.

This piqued the Qilin's interest. This time, after absorbing the power of thunder, it did not immediately activate its ability to replenish the thunderclouds. Instead, it kept sensing the state of the sky and then discovered that even without its own action, the thunderclouds above were slowly replenishing and growing until they returned to their original size.

This phenomenon intrigued the Qilin, so during the regeneration of its thunder horn, it repeatedly observed and sensed, trying to understand why thunderclouds formed here and what was replenishing its energy.

Until recently, its thunder horn successfully regenerated, and it was considering whether to set sail across the sea or stay here to explore this mysterious thundercloud, when it suddenly discovered that the thundercloud was becoming restless, and silvery-white lightning bolts were striking one after another...

After subconsciously controlling the thunderclouds to stop their agitation, the Qilin finally realized that the source of the agitation was right beneath its feet, from the huge skeleton—the restless life energy remaining within the skeleton!
This life energy was originally hidden very deep, circulating endlessly within the bones, nourishing all the creatures that grew on them, and ultimately creating the unique ecological region of the primeval forest. The thunderclouds on the mountaintop are because this is the core of the energy cycle, where overflowing life energy gathers and eventually forms this unique natural landscape!

What powerful creatures! Even though they have perished, their remaining energy is still enough to create such a vast and continuous mountain range!
But... why did it suddenly become agitated?
That feeling was like encountering something unclean, instinctively resisting the pollution!
The Qilin slowly opened its eyes, smelling the faint "evil" scent in the air, and its whole body was filled with lightning.

"Boom!"

When the lightning dissipated, the Qilin had left the original mountaintop and appeared in front of a monster with a white-gold body.

The creature's color seemed to carry a sacred aura, but the dense black wind surrounding it made the Qilin instinctively feel disgusted.

As a result, the war was about to break out.

……

Lin Lin knew very well what happened next.

It was precisely because of this that when he transformed into a Qilin and was being torn apart by the mad dragon that had turned into a golden lion, causing him excruciating pain in his head, he finally snapped back to reality when he saw himself being struck by a shield from the sky, which had stunned the golden lion.

Before he even opened his eyes, Lin Lin felt something furry covering his head and face, making him feel itchy.

"You're awake?"

Lin Lin straightened up and sat up, her head still a little messy, when she "heard" a crisp voice, like that of a naive and innocent young girl.

"Hmm, I accidentally fell asleep..."

Lin Lin rubbed his head and subconsciously answered, then suddenly realized something was wrong.

This is the middle of nowhere, where did this girl come from?!
Turning my head, I met a pair of clear, ruby-like eyes, which sparkled with affection and curiosity.

"Thank you, I feel much better."

The girl's voice still echoed in my heart.

Lin Lin blinked, finally snapping out of his daze, "You're a Qilin?!"

The Qilin tilted its head, its gaze fixed on Lin Lin.

'Qilin? Is that what you people call me?'

Lin Lin took a deep breath. After all, there was the precedent of Fengshan Long, and he quickly figured out the whole story.

His guess about the ability was correct. The blood of the ancient dragon was indeed the key to forming resonance. However, this ability could not be instantly refined by simply drinking blood. Before that, he would experience the memories of the resonance object in the form of a dream before forming a stable resonance connection like with Mrs. Mineyama Ryu.

"To be precise, it's directed at your entire race." The Qilin's movements remained unchanged, but a hint of emotion seemed to creep into its voice:

I just had a dream where I became you. It was fragmented, but it felt like my memories were of you.

Lin Lin showed no surprise. Although the resonance was a connection he had forcibly established unilaterally, it was still bidirectional after it was established, so it was not surprising that the Qilin could dream of his memories.

"Besides being called 'human,' each of you has a name. I know your name is Lin Lin. I also want a name, not just 'Qilin,' which is used to refer to our race."

Lin Lin: ...

You know that? ...Wait, what's with this strange focus? You just went through a major battle and barely recovered from your injuries, why are you focusing on this kind of issue right away?
"Then I'll give you a name?"

The Qilin blinked, its eyes sparkling with excitement, and its voice became lighter and more cheerful:
'Okay, okay!'

"Let me think... Hmm, in my hometown, the Qilin is also known as a symbol of good fortune, a legendary sacred beast. The 'Lin' in my name is a wish for me to be as benevolent as the Qilin. How about your name..."

Xianglin… Oh no, this name reminds him of a woman who always keeps saying, “I’m so stupid, really.”

Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, Lin Lin clapped his hands together forcefully:
"Lingrui! How about we name him Lingrui?"

"The pronunciation of 'Ling' is similar to 'Lin,' which matches your agile movements and bright eyes. 'Rui' represents auspiciousness, which also aligns with your preference for a peaceful and tranquil habitat."

The Qilin blinked, and Lin Lin could clearly feel its excitement. If Lin Lin hadn't been standing beside it, it probably would have jumped up and screeched, shouting something like, "I have a name! I have a name!"

After a brief moment of excitement, Lingrui turned her gaze back to Lin Lin, the girl's voice echoing in her heart.

"I am truly grateful for your help this time, and I would like to give you a small token of my appreciation."

Lin Lin waved his hand, intending to refuse. After all, even if you are an ancient dragon or a Qilin, what good things can you offer that he can't get? You can't possibly give me your own materials as a thank-you gift, can you?

Then his jaw almost dropped.

Because he saw Lingrui get up and slam his cracked thunder horn heavily against the huge skeleton next to him, causing the already precarious thunder horn to break off completely.

Lingrui endured the pain, opened her mouth and took the broken thunder horn in her mouth, returned to Lin Lin and handed the thunder horn forward, indicating that Lin Lin should take it.

"I know you humans use materials from other creatures' bodies to make weapons and armor, and the more powerful the creature, the better the equipment. Take my horn; it should be able to help you."

"This, this, this..."

Lin Lin was speechless, unsure of what to say for a long time.

In his view, the gift of gratitude from the Qilin, which was given at the cost of harming him, was far too heavy, and he felt that he could not bear such a weight.

Seeing that Lin Lin didn't reach out to take it, Ling Rui tilted her head, her voice tinged with doubt:

"Does it think my horn isn't good enough? Don't be fooled by how that wretched golden lion almost broke it off; it's a crucial organ for controlling lightning and absorbing energy. The equipment made from it will definitely be top-notch."

"No, I just felt that this gift was too precious. I helped you not to take advantage of your kindness, nor for your horn."

He just wanted to build a good relationship with the other party so that he might be able to ride with them in the future.

Qilin stared at Lin Lin for two seconds, as if it had thought of something:
"I know, you're worried about me!"

Lin Lin: Huh? Right, right?
Oh, yes, yes.

"It's alright, my horn can regenerate. This horn was structurally broken in the previous battle, and even if it's barely repaired, its strength will inevitably decrease. If I encounter Shiki again and get caught, it will break off again."

'My horn broke once before, and this one regenerated later, making it much stronger than the previous one. That's why that guy couldn't break it off and eat it on the spot. I believe the horn that regenerates later will be even stronger than this one. By then, maybe Golden Lion won't be able to do anything to me…'

Lin Lin remained silent for a moment, then finally sighed softly, reached out and caught the lightning horn whose surface still occasionally crackled with electricity, and tucked it into his waistband.

Despite wearing the highly conductive Transformable Ice Shark Suit, Lin Lin didn't feel any discomfort when he received the horn, as if the horn had actively collected all the energy it contained.

Lin Lin reached out and gently stroked Lingrui's head, combing its silvery-white mane. His gaze fell on the broken thunder horn, where lightning crackled.

"Does it hurt?"

Lingrui shook his head, squinted his eyes, and seemed quite pleased with Lin Lin grooming him.

"It's alright, it only hurts a little right after it breaks, but it gets much better after a while! Thanks to your medicine!"

Lin Lin pondered for a moment, then finally spoke:

"Actually, I had a dream before, in which I became you and saw your memory of being chased and intercepted by the Golden Lions."

"Would you like to come with us? Become our partner?"

"If it's a lone dragon, it might have no choice but to run away from the Golden Lion. But if it becomes our partner, it won't have anything to fear anymore."

(End of this chapter)