Monster Hunter: I can hear the monsters' thoughts

Chapter 473 Top-Grade Protector
A protective stone?

Lin Lin was stunned for a moment, a little confused. What protective stone?
"That dragon kid who claims to be the fourteenth generation alchemy master of the Maca Alchemy House, Brother Lin Lin, didn't you send your two protective stones to him to be reforged?"

"Oh, this..."

After all, since arriving in Xinard Village, his attention had been entirely focused on preparing for the battle to subdue the Heavenly Dragon, and he had completely forgotten about this matter until Yoko reminded him.

"Then go and see!"

So Lin Lin crossed his arms behind his head, humming a little tune about the Hero's Proof, and leisurely left the Isana with Ye Zi, heading towards the Alchemy House. He seemed to be in a pretty good mood.

Actually, he didn't have any expectations of being able to forge any good talismans this time. He mainly enjoyed the feeling of the two of them leisurely doing something together.

Compared to Lin Lin Yezi, the fourteenth generation maka, who opened the door to greet the two, seemed to be in a rather low mood.

Yoko noticed something was off about Maka's expression and was slightly taken aback.
"What happened? Did the protective stone break?"

She half-squatted down, intending to reach out and rub the little fat boy's head to comfort the child who worked for her and Brother Lin Lin. However, after she had already reached out, she realized that there was a big frog on the other boy's head, which represented good luck.

Yoko's hand paused for a moment before finally landing on the back of the big frog, gently stroking it and eliciting a loud croak.

"It's alright. Alchemy is very dependent on luck, as both Lin Lin and I know. You don't need to blame yourself."

Actually, because of his height, the chubby boy really disliked people touching his head, believing it would stunt his growth. However, he wasn't ungrateful; he knew these hunters were heroes who had saved Xinard Village and all of them, so he didn't reach out to slap Yoko's hand away. He simply muttered:

"I'm not blaming myself, I'm feeling regret."

"regret?"

Lin Lin also found it quite strange, "Why?"

"Hmph, how could I possibly fail when I, the master, take action? I'm just regretting that I can't keep the top-grade protective stone that I personally crafted for myself; I can only watch helplessly as you take it away."

The chubby boy sighed sadly, but in Lin Lin and Ye Zi's eyes, the kid was just showing off.

However, considering the top-grade protective stone, it was just a little boasting, and such tolerant and generous people like them certainly wouldn't mind.

"A top-tier talisman? How top-tier could it be?"

Lin Lin put on a "Really? I don't believe it" expression, which, sure enough, spurred the chubby boy to immediately drop his "regretful and melancholy" look, and he angrily turned back to his alchemy table, where he started to fuss.

"Oh!"

The chubby boy slammed a bamboo basket heavily onto the cabinet, then pushed it toward Lin Lin and Ye Zi, his face full of arrogance.

"Here you are! Your protective stones are all here. Look at them yourselves, and tell me, aren't they top-quality?"

Unable to contain her curiosity, Yoko opened the lid of the basket and found three gleaming stone fragments of different sizes lying quietly inside.

Even the faintest talisman among them was not much less radiant than the Queen-level talisman with [High-Speed ​​Deformation] + [Concentration] that Lin Lin obtained from the Grand Elder.

"I'm obedient!"

Lin Lin had originally planned to feign shock to make the chubby boy feel better, but after seeing the three protective stones clearly, he no longer needed to act out his shock.

I originally thought that even if it was good, it would at most be a little better than my own heat-resistant protective stone. Now it seems that I really underestimated this kid.

Lin Lin picked up the largest and most dazzling protective stone, examined it from side to side, and although he could vaguely sense that it contained a considerable amount of energy, he didn't seem to feel anything special about it...

Fortunately, the chubby boy didn't really expect them to figure it all out on their own. As an alchemy master, he naturally had to properly introduce his prized creations.

"This is something I forged using your two protective stones combined with my ancient alchemy, supplemented with a large amount of Mad Dragon Crystals and Black Corrosion Dragon Scales. According to the current classification of protective stones, it can be rated as a Dragon Protector! This is the highest level of protective stone, undoubtedly an extremely rare and precious item!"

Dragon's Talisman?!
Lin Lin couldn't help but gasp. Damn it, this kid really got away with it!
According to the current universal talisman tier classification, from lowest to highest, they are: Soldier Talisman, Fighter Talisman, Knight Talisman, City Tournament Talisman, Queen Talisman, King Talisman, and the rarest Dragon Talisman.

A Dragon's Talisman! What an incredibly powerful blessing that must be! Even the Grand Elder might not be able to produce a talisman of this caliber.

"So what are its specific protective effects?"

Ye Zi took the protective stone from Lin Lin's hand and examined it repeatedly, but she still couldn't sense anything particularly special about it.

Lin Lin noticed that the chubby boy seemed to pause for a moment, and his tone sounded less confident than before:

"Hmm... one is [South Wind Hunter], and the other is [High Fire Resistance]."

After he finished speaking, he quickly added:

"Don't be fooled by the seemingly ordinary name of this blessing; its effects are actually quite remarkable. Moreover, this talisman also has slots for setting decorative items, making it truly a top-grade talisman!"

The chubby boy was not a hunter, nor did he know how to hunt. He was just an alchemist. From an alchemist's perspective, having finally crafted a top-grade protective stone should have been the alchemist's greatest honor.

Unfortunately, the buffs activated by this talisman are too niche. They are neither as versatile as [Attack], [Critical Hit], [Critical Strike], or [Weakness Exploit], nor as specific to certain weapon users as [Attack Stance], [High-Speed ​​Transformation], or [Focus]. Most of the time, it seems that it can only gather dust in the box. Of course, if it weren't for this, he would probably be much more reluctant to part with it and might even want to exchange it for one of his own talismans.

However, for Lin Lin, this protective stone was anything but obscure; it was simply too good!
The chubby boy didn't understand hunting and thought this unorthodox blessing was useless, but Lin Lin knew it perfectly well. The combination of [South Wind Hunter] and [High Fire Resistance], plus the [Bacterial Researcher] he had created using Mycology Beads to capture the Brachydios, these three blessings together were called—[Anti-Fire Dragon]!
If you still don't quite grasp the significance of this skill, just one thing is enough to prove the value of this talisman: [Against Fire Dragon] is a skill unique to the Old World's Steel Dragon set. As the name suggests, it is extremely effective against the Elder Dragon Teostra, which controls fire.

【South Wind Hunter】 grants immunity to heat, allowing hunters to maintain better condition and unleash greater power in hot environments. 【High Fire Resistance】significantly reduces damage from fire, making hunters completely unflammable. 【Bacterial Researcher】suppresses the activity of dust and slime mold, preventing them from exploding.

In the game's storyline, when Sunshine Bro Aiden and Azure Star faced the final forbidden challenge together, the armor they wore was the Steel Dragon set from the Old World! The blessing provided by a single talisman is almost comparable to that of Elder Dragon equipment, truly deserving of the title of the top-tier talisman!
Alchemy is truly amazing. The protective power of the crafted talismans has absolutely nothing to do with the raw materials. I have no idea what the underlying principle is...

Lin Lin vigorously wiped away non-existent drool from the corner of his mouth, picked up the gleaming talisman again, and examined it from all angles, as if it were a precious treasure.

This is great stuff! This is really great stuff!
Although Ye Zi didn't quite understand why Lin Lin was so excited, seeing Lin Lin hugging the protective stone and grinning foolishly, her mood couldn't help but brighten up as well.

She picked up the remaining two protective stones and asked the chubby boy:

"What about these two? Are they both mine?"

The chubby boy secretly glanced at Lin Lin's delighted expression, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. His smug look returned to his face.
"That's right!"

Ye Zi blinked. She had used almost all of her stored materials, plus some Black Corrosion Dragon materials left over from Jump Jump's molting that Lin Lin had helped her with, and she had only managed to refine two in total?
However, considering the level of this talisman, it seems... acceptable?

Could you please introduce yourself?

So the chubby boy first pointed to the second brightest talisman on Ye Zi's left hand:

"This is a King-level talisman. As for the blessing effect... I don't really understand it."

"Based on the tests, it feels somewhat similar to a 'bacterial researcher,' capable of eliminating the activity of certain microorganisms, but it can't affect either the exploding slime mold or the mad dragon dust. It can only affect some common microorganisms in miasma, such as spores and bacteria."

Yoko's expression fell. "What? This is completely useless. How can it be called a King-level talisman...?"

The chubby boy looked a little embarrassed, and he coughed twice:
"Ahem, after all, the rating is based on the strength of the energy contained in the talisman. Although the protective effect of this talisman is somewhat unclear, its strength is still there. After my verification, it is very effective in killing microorganisms commonly found in miasma. It should still be useful when hunting in some miasma-prone areas."

"Where would you find such a place..."

Ye Zi muttered something and casually tried to put the protective stone away, but Lin Lin suddenly grabbed her hand.

"Eh?"

Ye Zi was slightly taken aback, her face flushed, and she whispered:
"Let go, let go! There are people watching here..."

Lin Lin: ?
Girl, promise me you won't be shy in such an inappropriate setting, okay?
Lin Lin didn't let go; instead, he grabbed Ye Zi's hand and lifted the protective stone up.
"【Miasma Resistance】...it can be quite useful under certain conditions."

Yoko: "Huh?"

"It might not be very useful in the Old World, but I heard my master mention it before. It is said that in the faraway New World, there is a monster graveyard, piled with monster bones and filled with miasma, making it impossible for people to enter and explore."

Yoko finally managed to shift her attention from her hand, which was being held, to the protective stone:

"Then... I'll hand over the talisman to the guild and send it to the New World expedition team?"

Lin Lin: ...

If you really do that, won't I be exposed?
It has only been four or five years since the fourth expedition set off, and the fifth expedition probably hasn't even started to be formed yet. Most of the expedition members are still stuck in the ancient forest and anthill wasteland outside the Grand Canyon. It is estimated that only a very few people who are extremely good at wilderness operations, such as the chief leader and the master of the wilderness, can reach the Coral Highlands.

If I send this talisman over now, how am I supposed to explain that I know about the Valley of Miasma? I can't exactly blame it on that ancient book that Little Puff "burned," can I?
"That's not necessary."

Lin Lin steadied himself:

"The Ancient Dragon Research Team operates on a ten-year cycle. The first team undertakes initial exploration, while subsequent teams primarily consist of artisans, scholars, and logistics personnel. If I'm not mistaken, the fifth team will likely be dominated by hunters, gathering a large number of combat personnel to formally advance the investigation of the New World."

"And when that time comes..."

Lin Lin and Ye Zi looked at each other. "We've probably become high-ranking hunters by now, and we'll most likely be sent to the New World."

Actually, there's no need to estimate. The Grand Elder had previously considered promoting Lin Lin to a high-ranking hunter, but Kevin and Lin Lin themselves declined. In this Tianhuilong extermination operation, the role he and Yezi played far exceeded that of a normal five-star hunter.

With the Elder's shrewdness, Lin Lin was certain that it wouldn't be long before the guild sent a letter asking him and Ye Zi to return and complete the promotion ceremony to officially advance to six stars.

"Oh, that's how it is……"

Following Lin Lin's words, Ye Zi's mind wandered, imagining herself traveling across oceans with her beloved to explore the ends of the earth—how romantic!

but……

The problem of the Hundred Dragons' Night Parade has yet to be solved. If they just go to the New World like this, I feel there will be a lot of worry about the village...

Forget it, there's no need to think about it too much now. There's still plenty of time. We'll think about it carefully when the time comes!
Meeting Lin Lin's gaze, Ye Zi nodded vigorously, and then carefully put away the protective stone in her hand.

"Then when we go to the New World in the future, we must remember to bring this talisman with us!"

The fourteenth generation of Maca Alchemist standing to the side: ...

Suddenly I feel bloated in my stomach. Do you guys have any pigs?

The chubby boy sighed, pointed to the remaining talisman that shone the dimmest in comparison, and said weakly:
"This last one is a Queen-level talisman. Its blessing effect is [Blessing in Misfortune]. If you are attacked and fall into abnormal statuses such as poisoning or dizziness while wearing it, or if you are affected by abnormal statuses such as burning, it will absorb a portion of the energy of the abnormal status attack."

"Once the hunter recovers, this energy will be converted into life energy and fed back to the hunter, thereby strengthening the hunter's physical abilities."

"Well then, take care, you two. I won't see you off."

(End of this chapter)