Monster Hunter: I can hear the monsters' thoughts

Chapter 498 On How to Repair Father-Daughter Relationships

Leaving aside the matter of the overlord, Bubble Fox Dragon, watching the school of fish with ill intent and pondering how to get closer to his offspring, let's turn our attention to Flamefire Village.

After Lin Lin and Ye Zi were brought back by Xiao Pao Fu, Xiao Pao Fu was clearly a little upset, but the way it buried its head in the water and gurgled around made Lin Lin want to laugh.

Sensing the strange look from Ye Zi, Lin Lin coughed lightly:
"Okay, okay, although the thoughts in my mind are a bit confusing, I can still make sense of them."

"Let me tell you a story, the story of a pufferfish dragon..."

As Lin Lin slowly began to narrate, the life of a somewhat special fox dragon was gradually revealed to Ye Zi.

Although Little Puff initially kept her head submerged in the water in a huff, as she listened, she eventually surfaced after hearing the part about the Overlord Foeosaurus's desperate battle with the Elder Dragon that destroyed its birthplace, and its crushing defeat and near death.

Although the life of the Overlord Bubble Fox Dragon was long, only a few things were worth telling. As for which opponents it defeated and how it honed its combat skills, Lin Lin did not go into detail, so the story did not take long to tell.

Yoko glanced at Puff, who was deep in thought. Although she was more concerned about the ancient dragon that manipulated the wind, she still asked another question:
"So, since that overlord, the Foeosaurus, cares so much about Puff, why has it never gone back to see it?"

Lin Lin once told her about Puff's past. She was a wild child who was neither loved nor cared for by a dragon and suffered a lot. If she hadn't met Lin Lin, she would have been buried somewhere in the dust long ago. This is why Puff is so attached to Lin Lin.

When Puff heard this question, although she pretended to look around and not care, her ears were already secretly perked up.

Lin Lin rubbed his temples and sighed softly:
"Because this is the survival rule of the Foeosaurus species: females live in groups with their cubs, while males must guard the territory on the perimeter to prevent invasion by external enemies, and..."

"There is another important factor that prevents males from returning, which stems from biological instinct. This is to prevent males from potentially preying on offspring that do not have their own bloodline. You know, it's about the survival of genes. Many animals have this kind of behavior."

Lin Lin then turned to look at Little Puff, "There's another reason, which is that it believes that with its mate, Little Puff's mother, there will be someone who can take good care of it."

It's a pity that in Little Puff's memories after hatching, she never saw her mother, who had a beautiful light purple body in the memories of the Overlord Puff Fox Dragon. Most likely, she met with some accident in the cruel nature and could not come back.

As for the other layer of protection, other females will raise the orphaned foxosaur cubs...

Because the cream puff combined the unique traits of its parents that were not favored by the group, it became a rare species that was not accepted by the group.

Yoko reached out and gently stroked the scales of the cream puff:

"Poor little guy..."

As Puff listened to all this, although she still felt a surge of anger, she realized that she had no reason to blame the Overlord Puff Fox Dragon. She also didn't know how to blame her father, who was fulfilling his duty and fighting to the death against an ancient dragon.

"Ouch..."

Puff let out a soft cry, then silently turned and submerged beneath the surface. It was in a state of turmoil and needed some time to calm down.

After Puff left, Yoko looked at Lin Lin seriously and asked the question that had been on her mind the most:
"That ancient dragon that manipulates the wind..."

"That's right, it should be the culprit behind the Hundred Dragons Night Parade. The overlord, the Bubble Fox Dragon, still has the power to fight back against it, but many more monsters can only flee in all directions under its oppressive power."

"For example, the habitat of the Foliodon population that it destroyed, apart from those that died on the spot, the others were forced to migrate, which brought about ecological chaos."

Yoko took a deep breath and continued the conversation:
"The ecological chaos led to a large number of monsters being unable to return to their habitats, eventually forming a beast tide that kept attacking the Jade Leaf Fortress... This is the truth behind the Hundred Dragons Night Parade."

"We previously thought the Hundred Dragons Parade was caused by that monster named the Vengeful Tiger Dragon..."

Lin Lin snapped his fingers: "Based on the current clues, that's the case."

"However, we cannot be certain that this is the whole story. Perhaps other clues will emerge in the future, revealing a more hidden truth."

Yoko quickly composed herself and then realized what was happening:
"So, Brother Lin, you went back to look for it before..."

Lin Lin nodded: "It's not entirely for the cream puffs, but also to find an ally for Flamefire Village."

"The Overlord's power is strong enough, and its desire for revenge is very firm. If we can really bring it to our side, the defense pressure on Flamefire Village will definitely be much easier."

Ye Zi stared intently at Lin Lin. Just as Lin Lin curiously touched himself and asked, "Is there something on my face?", she suddenly leaned in and covered his mouth with her tongue.

After a long while, Yoko took two steps back, her breathing slightly rapid.

"Thank you, Brother Lin Lin."

Lin Lin smacked his lips and grinned mischievously:
"I don't think I've felt much gratitude. Would you like some more?"

Ye Zi's face flushed red, and she lightly punched Lin Lin's chest before changing the subject:
"I naturally agree to bring the overlord, the Flydrake, into the alliance, but... wouldn't that feel a bit like taking advantage of Puff? Will it be able to accept that?"

Lin Lin licked his lips regretfully and turned to look at the calm lake:
"At least the misunderstanding has been cleared up. When I see the Overlord Foeosaurus again, I'll tell it about Puff's experiences over the past two years so that they can have a basic understanding of each other."

"As for the rest, it's up to them... If the cream puffs continue to resist it like this, I'll make it clear to that guy and not let it bother me any longer."

"That's good……"

Ye Zi nodded, and before Lin Lin could refocus his attention on his mouth, she said repeatedly:

"However, that guy is indeed very strong in combat. I need to go back and explain this to Grandpa Village Chief and the others to avoid issuing a subjugation request due to misunderstandings, which could worsen the relationship between the two sides!"

Lin Lin could only watch as Ye Zi fled with Xiang Chong, stroking his chin and muttering to himself.

"Tsk, we've kissed so many times already, and you're still so shy..."

……

The next day.

Abandoned shrine.

Puff, still leading Lin Lin and Ye Zi, traveled upstream from the estuary. However, this time, it didn't head towards the former habitat of the Bubble Fox Dragon clan as it had yesterday, nor did it even venture upstream. Instead, it lingered in the downstream area. Although it had hidden itself away yesterday, giving the dragon a peaceful half-day, it was clear that it was still not prepared to face the overlord Bubble Fox Dragon.

After putting Lin Lin and Ye Zi down, it plunged into the river to begin its daily foraging.

It hadn't been long before it sensed something was off. It felt that there was something different about its foraging today compared to usual. What was it?

Puff opened her mouth, and a panicked, broken dragonfish crashed right into it. All Puff had to do was swallow, and it slid smoothly into her stomach.

This is just a small glimpse into its hunting process.

Puff pondered for a moment, then finally realized, why were all the fish acting so stupid today? They weren't usually that smart, but at least they'd run away when they saw her. What was wrong with them today? They looked like they were paralyzed with fear…

Although it was thinking, Puff didn't stop eating. After all, it was still growing and needed plenty of nutrition. At fourteen or fifteen meters long, it was still a sub-adult.

Just then, a large school of fish gathered in front of her, and Puff instinctively flicked her long tail and rushed over to feast.

Then its movements suddenly stopped.

Because it saw a guy who shouldn't be there.

The dominant pufferfish hovered quietly in the river not far away, emanating a chilling aura that threw the surrounding fish into complete chaos.

Clearly, the fish here were all driven here by the other side. Those foolish fish that crawled into its mouth were scared out of their wits by the presence of the overlord, the water lemur.

Puff paused for a moment, her mind involuntarily recalling the story Lin Lin had told her about the life of the overlord, the Fox Dragon, and the image of him fighting to the death against the ancient dragons to protect his clan. This image gradually overlapped with the overlord in front of her who was looking at her with cautious eyes.

Puff paused for a moment, as if she hadn't noticed the other person's figure, then hurriedly finished foraging for food, turned around, and swam towards Lin Lin in a flash.

When it felt lost, it subconsciously wanted to seek Lin Lin's help—even though Lin Lin couldn't help it much in this matter, at least it would give Puff a sense of security.

Perhaps this is path dependence...

Seeing Puff turn and leave, the Overlord Puff Dragon's gaze dimmed slightly, but after hesitating for a moment, it still chose to quietly follow.

At least today its offspring aren't baring their teeth at it as if it were an enemy anymore. Let's go and see.

Then it saw Lin Lin and Ye Zi with Puff.

Puff turned her head away, pretending not to see the Overlord Puff Fox Dragon. Ye Zi's body tensed up subconsciously, but she quickly relaxed again. As for Lin Lin, he waved at the Overlord Puff Fox Dragon without caring at all.

"Hello! We meet again. What do you think of my suggestion from yesterday?"

Yesterday's proposal? Did it refer to taking care of my child, or "we unite"?
"Well, naturally both are true, but since you're here, I guess you've probably already accepted the previous suggestion?"

The overlord, the Foeosaurus, turned to look at the transporting ants still observing the ground, and sighed that these ants were truly ant-like cream puffs, before falling silent.

Frankly speaking, as a male, instincts didn't teach it how to interact with cubs at all. It could only rely on its memories of when it was a cub to think about and imitate what female pufferfish would do.

Now, the puff's reaction inevitably makes it feel a little frustrated.

Puff was completely unlike a normal cub, treating it with considerable indifference, which made it wonder if it was right to try to imitate the behavior of a female Pufffur Dragon.

"Hey, don't burn your bridges. You're already under enough stress. There's a reason why cream puffs are like this. It's not your fault!"

Lin Lin paused, noticing the gaze of the Overlord Bubble Fox Dragon fixed on him, and then looked at Puff, who still didn't react and pretended not to exist. He sighed and slowly began to recount Puff's life story.

The details need not be elaborated upon. After learning about Puff's miserable childhood—being rejected by her clan and forced to leave her territory to wander around—the overlord, Bubble Fox Dragon, was clearly enraged.

The scars left by the storm on its body gleamed with a blood-red luster as it raged, and its aura as a domineering overlord suddenly spread. Within a radius of several miles, birds were startled, insects fell silent, and all was quiet except for Lin Lin's narration.

The overlord, the Foe Fox Dragon, finally understood why Puff, despite being its offspring, was so affectionate towards this tiny human. As a result, its gaze towards Lin Lin softened considerably, and its domineering aura subsided.

"In short, cream puffs have such an unfortunate childhood, which makes it difficult for them to accept you in a short time, and it's not because you did anything wrong."

As Lin Lin recounted Puff's experiences, it listened quietly from the side, and at this moment it was secretly turning its head to observe the reaction of the overlord Puff Fox Dragon.

What is its reaction?

It was clearly anger that could be seen with the naked eye, but because of the puff and Lin Lin in front of it, it was forcibly suppressing its anger and not immediately venting it.

It had every right to be angry, after all, the clan it risked its life to protect had ruthlessly abandoned its bloodline, simply because of such a ridiculous "mutation".

At this moment, it even began to doubt whether it still needed to seek revenge against the ancient dragon that controlled the wind.

"Well, I think there is."

"Let's not even talk about the scars that guy left on you, and how he almost killed you."

“We’re just talking about cream puffs. Do you think that when that guy comes back to this land, the storm he stirs up will hurt the cream puffs?”

As he spoke, Lin Lin paused deliberately, turned to look at the cream puff, and asked:
"If one day the guy who destroyed your tribe's former habitat comes back and tries to destroy everything in Flamefire Village, what do you plan to do?"

Puff subconsciously imagined that scene, then shivered and, without caring about minimizing her presence, let out an angry roar.

Never allow it!

Lin Lin shrugged at the Overlord Soaking Fox Dragon:
"Just you wait and see, when that time comes, will you join the war or not?"

(End of this chapter)