Monster Hunter: I can hear the monsters' thoughts

Chapter 499 Sophia: Am I even human?

The Overlord Foe looked at Puff, who was clearly provoked by the scene Lin Lin described. The angry roar of Puff was almost identical to his own when he saw that ancient dragon approaching with a storm that day.

Obviously, if that day ever comes, it will be just like me, even if it is no match, it will fight hard to protect everything it cherishes.

The Overlord Bubble Fox Dragon turned its gaze to Lin Lin and let out a short roar in a deep voice.

It agreed to the request for an alliance.

However, on top of that, it had an additional requirement: Lin Lin had to spar with it frequently so that it could learn from Lin Lin how to fight monsters much larger than itself.

Lin Lin rested his chin on his hand, looking slightly embarrassed.

“Sparring these next few days is no problem, but I can’t stay in Flamefire Village for too long. Perhaps… the other hunters in the village can meet your needs?”

Only a few days?
The dominant Flood Dragon fell into a brief moment of thought, but quickly raised its head. A few days would be enough; after all, it wasn't learning specific moves, but rather how to deal with opponents far larger than itself.

"Correspondingly, I also need to add an extra requirement."

The Overlord Fox Dragon did not react, quietly waiting for Lin Lin to continue.

"You must not harm humans, at least not those who have no ill intentions towards you—and if you live in this area, try not to disturb the local ecosystem too much, causing something like a hundred dragons storming the fortress at night."

These are actually two requirements, right?
The Overlord Bubble Fox Dragon thought so, but the request was reasonable enough, so he could agree to it.

"So, it's a deal?"

"Roar!"

Humans and the overlord, the Foeosaurus, officially formed an alliance here. Puff, who was still indignant about the possibility that the ancient dragon that controlled the wind might destroy the village, softened her gaze towards the overlord Foeosaurus after she came to her senses.

Even if they don't acknowledge its closeness as a father, it's still a good thing that it's willing to stand by their side as a powerful ally.

……

For the next few days, Lin Lin followed Puff to the abandoned shrine area every day to watch the overlord, Puff Fox Dragon, awkwardly try to make amends to Puff and engage in restrained battles with him.

It must be said that sparring with the overlord, Bubba the Fox Dragon, is quite different from wrestling with Xiong Er in Jieyun. Although he didn't use his full strength, it was still a real battle, and some injuries were inevitable. However, with the magical recovery medicine, a little injury wouldn't affect anything.

It wasn't just the Overlord Foeosaurus who benefited from this kind of practical training; after several encounters, Lin Lin was also able to learn from the weaknesses that the Overlord Foeosaurus exploited, making his own battles even more flawless.

Over the past few days, Puff's attitude towards the Overlord Fox Dragon has been softening. Although she's not as close to it as she is to Lin Lin, her affection for it has indeed increased considerably, to the point where it's almost on par with the villagers she doesn't know very well.

With Ye Zi's explanation, although the villagers of Yan Huo Village couldn't say they completely trusted the Overlord Bubble Fox Dragon, their several encounters showed that it had no intention of harming humans, which put them at ease. With this powerful creature on their side, they were basically no longer worried about the low-intensity Hundred Dragons Night Parade.

However, Lin Lin's constant companionship with Puff over the past few days eventually drew a resentful look from Ooku. Although the old lady could only spend time with Lin Lin during their stay in Flamefire Village, she was still somewhat unhappy that he had monopolized almost all of her time.

Seeing that the relationship between Puff and the Overlord Puff Dragon was being repaired, and that they had already stayed in Flamefire Village for quite some time, having met with almost everyone they needed to meet and said everything they needed to say, Yoko's homesickness was greatly soothed.

Now that the resentment of the Sky is almost materialized, it's time to set off again for Moga Village.

I wonder how Brave and Shion have been doing lately; they haven't exchanged letters or anything.

— Clearly, Lin Lin completely overlooked the period when he was constantly on the move with the brigade. Even if Bref and the others wanted to write a letter, they would have no way of knowing the address. They might send the letter one minute and then be miles away the next.

……

To some extent, Moga Village, Jieyun Village, and Yanhuo Village can all be considered neighbors. The distance between Moga Village and Jieyun Village is not much farther than the distance between Jieyun Village and Yanhuo Village. It's just that because there is a sea in between, travel is not as convenient, which makes it seem relatively close. Even without looking at a map, this can be seen from the fact that all three villages can receive hunting commissions located in the Waterless Forest.

Therefore, for Lin Lin and his group, who had a master at work, the journey from Yanhuo Village to Moga Village would only take about a day.

If Lin Lin hadn't suddenly remembered halfway through that he had left Sophia and Bao Bao in Yanhuo Village and hadn't turned back to pick them up, the journey would have been much shorter.

As dusk fell and bright stars climbed into the night sky, a slightly salty sea breeze brought a touch of coolness. Lin Lin finally saw the village below with its flickering red flames—the bonfires lit by fishermen.

We've arrived at Moga Village.

Of course, since they had never visited Moga Village before, Da Kong's direct appearance in the village would definitely cause panic. Therefore, Lin Lin did not directly command Da Kong to land. Instead, after circling twice, Da Kong landed in the forest near the village, which was called "Moga Forest".

Around the same time that Lin Lin and his group landed, Jieyun Village also welcomed a new group of guests.

The Coat Cat leaped off the "Merchant's" trading ship, its paws landing firmly on the ground once more. This grounded feeling made it stretch comfortably—for the Palico, the feeling of being on a ship, bobbing up and down with the waves, was hardly comfortable.

After stretching its body slightly and thanking the kind merchant who had given it a ride, the coat-wearing cat took a deep breath and looked up at the village nestled on the mountainside ahead.

"Is this Jieyun Village? The scenery is indeed beautiful; no wonder it's called a resort! I've heard that the hot springs here have miraculous effects in relieving fatigue and healing injuries. I really want to try them..."

The one speaking was not the Coat Cat, but another hunter who came down the gangway.

It was Celestina who accompanied the Coat Cat and protected his safety.

"After we find the two hunters and successfully deliver the message, then naturally we can."

The coat cat nodded. It was very grateful to the dedicated hunter, and therefore didn't mind giving him a proper break as long as it didn't interfere with its business.

"Alright, alright, then we'd better hurry up. I can't wait to try the hot springs in Yukumo Village."

"It won't be long. I've been to Yuyun Village before. I can just go to the village chief and ask about the whereabouts of those two hunters."

……

"What do you mean they ran off to Flamefire Village?" Celestina stared wide-eyed, still holding a drink from the bathhouse beverage shop in her hand, frozen in place.

The coat-wearing cat's expression also seemed somewhat helpless:
“I asked the village chief, and they were probably back to visit relatives and take a vacation. After visiting their friends in Jieyun, they went to Yanhuo Village.”

It paused, then continued:

"So, we need to head to Flamefire Village."

Celestina, with a look of grief and indignation, downed the drink in one gulp:

"This is absolutely terrible... my hot spring!"

The cat in the coat twitched its lips slightly and comforted her:
"On the bright side, at least the distance between Yuukun and Enka Village is very short. Once we find the people in Enka Village, we can go back to Yuukun. To be honest, I actually miss the hot springs here quite a bit."

Celestina sighed:
"Alright, alright, all I hope for now is that they'll stay put in Flamefire Village and stop running off to other places."

Lin Lin was completely unaware that two tails were following them and that they couldn't even catch a whiff of Da Kong's exhaust. At this moment, he, Ye Zi, the two cats, Sophia, and Bao Bao had just entered the territory of Moga Village, while Da Kong stayed in Moga Forest for the time being.

Lin Lin had to make sure that at least the villagers could accept its existence before he could bring it into the village. Of course, even if the villagers couldn't accept it, it wouldn't really matter. The distance between Moga Village and Moga Forest wasn't far, so Da Kong staying here wouldn't affect anything.

When Lin Lin and his group officially set foot within the boundaries of Moga Village, they immediately sensed a charm that was quite different from any village they had ever seen before.

This is a fishing village where most of the area is built on water. Wooden planks, windmills, and boats are the main features. Several fishing boats have lights on them, but when Lin Lin and his group got closer to take a closer look, they found that there was no one on the boats.

Where did everyone go?
This question flashed through everyone's minds almost simultaneously. Living in this world overrun by monsters, even a small fishing village should have its own sentry posts. Otherwise, if a monster were to attack the village, there would be no way to react in time.

However, this doubt did not last long, and they soon found the answer.

In a spacious open space in the village, not made of wooden planks, a blazing bonfire leaped and shone, illuminating the flickering faces of the villagers gathered around it.

There were probably a couple hundred people, it seemed like all the residents of the village had gathered here. What kind of banquet was being held? No, the atmosphere didn't seem very lively. Could they be discussing something?

Lin Lin and his group did not make any special effort to conceal their presence as they approached, so the villagers quickly noticed them. After a brief commotion, a burly young man with brown skin walked over and bowed deeply to Lin Lin and his group—it seemed to be a unique custom in Moga Village.

Lin Lin and the others followed suit and returned the greeting.

Then the burly young man spoke up and asked:
"Gentlemen from afar, what brings you to Moga Village?"

Lin Lin glanced around. Ye Zi, Sophia, and even the two cats didn't seem inclined to speak; they were just staring at him. So, he had no choice but to speak on their behalf:

"I am Lin Lin, this is Ye Zi, both of us are five-star hunters. This is Sophia, a guild receptionist. These two are Ye Zi and Nia Lu, my and Ye Zi's hunting partners."

After a brief self-introduction, Lin Lin noticed a clear hint of delight on the other person's face when they heard about the two five-star hunters. He paused slightly before continuing:

"Yoko, two companions and I formed a hunting group, but we had to split up more than half a year ago due to some reasons. They said they would be active in Moga Village for a while."

"Now that my matter with Yezi is resolved, and the other two are still in Moga Village, I came over to see if there's anything I can help with?"

The burly young man could hardly contain his joy, but he forced himself to remain calm and asked as if to confirm:
"What are the names of your two companions?"

"Brave and Shion, one a katana user and the other a crossbow user, I suppose you should know them?"

"Great!"

The young man finally couldn't contain his joy any longer and waved his hand forcefully, but after feeling the confused looks from the people opposite him, he quickly realized what was happening.

“My name is Sana. My father is the village chief, and I help him manage all the affairs of the village.”

"I must say, you've arrived just in time! We were already discussing whether or not to seek help from the Hunter's Guild!"

Such an authentic Moga accent...

Lin Lin raised an eyebrow; there was something unsettling about what he'd just said…

"Did something happen to Brave and Shion?"

"Well, no, not at all."

"What's going on?"

Sana glanced back at the villagers still gathered around the campfire, looking worried, and coughed lightly:
"How about we find somewhere else to talk?"

Although Lin Lin felt a little strange, he nodded and chose to follow.

Yoko, Date, and Nialu instinctively followed, but Sophia waved her hand:

"I won't go with them. Bref and the others mentioned in their letter that Ansha has also returned to Moga Village, right? I'll go talk to her. Don't worry about me!"

So Sana took Lin Linye and the others to a relatively quiet corner and began to explain the ins and outs of the matter.

It turns out that not long ago, Breve, who went to the isolated island to investigate, discovered a Tail Hammer Dragon behaving abnormally. After finally completing the hunt and bringing back some of the carcass materials, he wanted to see if the abnormality of this Tail Hammer Dragon was related to the abnormal earthquake in Moga Village.

Then they received both good news and bad news:

The good news is that there doesn't seem to be any necessary connection between the two.

The bad news is that Moga Village now faces two threats.

(End of this chapter)