Monster Hunter: I can hear the monsters' thoughts

Chapter 525 Moonquake
Under the moonlight, the campfire flickered, and the villagers discussed among themselves, their voices noisy and chaotic, before gradually fading away until only the sound of waves crashing against the rocks remained.

Their eyes were fixed on the village chief, awaiting his decision.

The old village chief stood on a wooden box in the center of the village, the light from his pipe flickering in the twilight.

In the ensuing silence, the old village chief took a deep drag on his pipe, then coughed violently. The elderly hunter, unusually, uttered a curse:

"Damn it, you bunch of reckless bastards! I wasn't even this crazy back in my day!"

"father?"

Sana spoke cautiously. As a sea dweller who had witnessed the magnificent figure of the Deep Sea God, he knew very well that even moving around would be extremely difficult in the face of such a being, whose every move could cause huge currents of water, let alone fighting it.

He was incredibly grateful that the hunters were willing to risk their lives against a colossal Elder Dragon for this small fishing village that had nothing to do with them, but that didn't mean they could mindlessly place all their hopes on the hunters while they themselves stayed in the village waiting for news of their victory.

Although I really don't want to imagine that scenario, what if the hunters fail?
The lives of the entire village are in the hands of the hunters. If the hunters fail, it won't just be the buildings of Moga Village that will be destroyed by the giant waves; the entire Moga Village will be erased from history, just like that once magnificent underwater ruin.

If that happens, wouldn't the hunters' efforts be in vain?

Facing Sana's gaze, the old village chief gripped his pipe tightly and said in a deep voice:

"This is the land that nurtured us, the land where we were born and raised. I understand that you don't want to leave. Ever since the hunters came here, even when they encountered difficulties, they were always able to resolve the problems satisfactorily. Everyone has complete faith in them, and I understand that too."

"But I think we shouldn't cause trouble for the children, making them worry about the safety of the villages behind them while they are fighting with all their might, thus making them feel constrained."

"Let the elderly, women, and children go up the mountain to take refuge first. This is also a guarantee that our Moga village will not be wiped out here. As for the able-bodied men, especially those who are good swimmers, they will stay behind to help the hunters gather supplies. If necessary, they can also go to sea and maybe be of some help."

"What do you all think of this?"

"This……"

Among the crowd, the villagers looked at each other, whispering amongst themselves.

An elderly man with slightly graying temples by the campfire was the first to break the silence.

His rough hands slapped his knees, making a dull thud.

"That makes sense! I'm not afraid of death, but my sons still need to live on and carry on the family line!"

A younger seafarer reached out and touched the paint smeared on his body, nodding vigorously:

"Now that you mention it, it's true. My wife is still pregnant! She can't stay here and risk her life like me!"

The young woman held her baby tightly in her arms, hesitantly looking towards the dock. As a sea dweller who made a living from the sea, she also wanted to stay, but she did not want her still-weaned child to perish along with her.

"Then... let's go, Saburo, and the hunters, you must all be safe and sound..."

An Xia clenched her fist tightly and firmly shook her head in refusal:
"I'm not leaving. I'm different from them. I'm the only village watchtower girl. I'll stay here and record the hunters' heroic battle against the sea dragon!"

Some people choose to leave, while others choose to stay. Regardless of their choice, they all have their reasons for doing so.

The old village chief tapped his pipe heavily: "It's settled then! The old, the young, the women and children will go up the mountain first thing tomorrow morning!"

He gazed at the faintly glowing sea near the shore. "As for us, let's focus on helping the hunters prepare for the upcoming battle! Moga Village will not be a burden to them!"

As night deepened, the lights in Moga Village burned brighter than usual.

The women smoked fish overnight to store up food supplies, while the men busily moved heavy crossbows made of fine iron, coal, and other war supplies. At the village entrance, several children drew crooked patterns on the ground with sticks. They depicted matchstick-shaped figures standing on the head of a giant whale, chopping off its huge horn.

……

As the morning sun shone on the rocks, women and children, carrying their belongings, left the village, concealing their reluctance and worries. They comforted each other with smiles as they walked towards the nearby hills, forming a long, sparse line.

In the village, the able-bodied men who had been busy all night took the opportunity to rest and recover their energy during the lull before the battle officially began. Therefore, when a male fire dragon with a metallic sheen landed in the village, it did not cause much of a commotion.

When Sophia staggered into the small house she shared with Anxia, ​​she saw Anxia lying on the table, her chubby cheeks resting on a stack of books, looking like she was fast asleep, and Baobao yawning beside her, clearly having poor sleep quality.

How did it get like this?

Sophia yawned again, looked at Anxia who was still holding a pen, and helplessly helped her up from her seat and carried her to the bed.

"Ok?"

Anxia murmured in a daze.

"It's okay, it's okay, get some sleep."

Sofia gently coaxed Anxia to lie down. She was exhausted from her long journey, so she didn't even take off her clothes, lying down next to Anxia fully clothed. She pulled the equally sleepy Baobao into her arms, closed her eyes, and gradually drifted off to sleep. Well, Sofia, having just returned, was unaware of the existence of the Great Sea Dragon; otherwise, it's hard to say whether she would still be able to sleep right now.

Whether Sophia was in a good mood or not is unknown, but at least Shion was in a very good mood, and quite a good one at that.

Thanks to everyone's enthusiastic efforts, the construction progress of her Dawn Cannon [Kaifeng] has greatly accelerated, and it was delivered ahead of schedule this morning.

This heavy crossbow has excellent performance and can maximize the effect of slicing bullets. These bullets, made with whetstone, adhere to the target after impact and then explode, releasing the tiny blades stored inside to cut the monster's body. It is a type of ammunition that is very suitable for use in battles where it is necessary to cut off certain parts of the monster's body.

However, this type of ammunition has a small drawback: it is quite similar to armor-piercing grenade. If not coordinated well, it is easy to accidentally injure teammates. Both are the kind of crossbow shells that are not easy to use when hunting in a team. Previously, Shion rarely used this type of ammunition in battle, but this time the situation is slightly different.

Their goal was to break off the unusually thick right horn of the Great Sea Dragon. As for the hardness of that horn, well... the earthquakes caused by the Great Sea Dragon striking the rock face when it sharpened its horn were enough to give you a glimpse of its strength. Melee weapons would almost certainly bounce off when they hit it. Under these circumstances, apart from the heavy ballistae and dragon lances in those ruins, only she could safely attack the Great Sea Dragon's horn with her slicing bullets.

Therefore, in order to maximize the performance of the Dawn Cannon [Kaifeng], Shion spent almost the entire night crafting slicing ammunition, hoping to prepare at least five basic loads of slicing ammunition for the actual battle.

However, this type of ammunition is quite refined, and the efficiency of hand-making is ultimately limited. Even if she worked all night, she could only make a basic quantity of ammunition at most.

Fortunately, Ziyuan was not alone. After learning about her needs, some of the remaining villagers offered to help. Under the guidance of the mediation book that Ziyuan provided, they helped her with a large-scale mediation.

In addition, the dark-skinned aunt who ran a general store in the village also provided considerable assistance.

Since the hunters arrived in the village, her general store has been buying all sorts of tools that can help them in the hunt, and then selling them to the hunters at near cost price, contributing to the village in this unique way. These tools naturally include ammunition for various heavy crossbows.

She didn't leave like the other women who usually chatted happily, because she believed her general store could help the hunters, and in fact, it did. When Shion desperately needed ammunition, she took out all the ammunition she usually stored in the warehouse and gave it to Shion for free.

As the eldest daughter of the Zijin Chamber of Commerce, Ziyuan was not short of money and naturally did not want to take other people's things for free. However, when faced with her insistence on paying, the dark-skinned old lady shut her down with a single sentence.

"It's not that I don't want a reward; the best reward is for you to successfully complete this battle and return safely."

Since that's what they've said, what else can we do? Of course, we'll fight with all our might to defeat the Great Sea Dragon!
As the sun rose high in the sky once more, Lin Lin and his three companions reunited in the central square of the village, making their final preparations before setting off.

They originally planned to cook a barbecue to regain their strength before heading out to battle, but it was clear that while the villagers who stayed behind couldn't participate in the frontal battles, they did an excellent job in logistics. The village's best cat chef personally prepared a cat feast for the White Wind Squad.

It is said that this cat chef once traveled all over the world, learning how to make different local delicacies. He was a cat chef with a lot of experience. However, he suffered from severe seasickness while traveling by ship and had to be left at Moga Village by the wealthy merchant. The rich variety of ingredients here attracted him to stay, and he wanted to use his extensive culinary knowledge and the ingredients here to create a brand new cuisine.

Lin Lin and the others didn't quite understand the concept of "creating a completely new cuisine," but the cat chef's skills were indeed quite excellent. This feast was not only incredibly delicious, but after eating it, they felt a warm sensation in their stomachs, with a continuous flow of heat into their limbs and bones, injecting even more powerful vitality into their bodies.

This meal was a carefully prepared feast for Lin Lin and his companions, a feast that could activate several skill enhancements, all to ensure they were in better condition during battle and successfully defend the village.

According to this cat enthusiast, this meal can activate skills including, but not limited to, [Water Resistance (Large)], [Cat Defense (Large)], and [Cat Short-Term Hypnosis].

Its main focus is on improving survivability.

While they ate in silence, the villagers who remained in Moga Village spontaneously gathered together, bringing various traditional musical instruments, to offer their unique blessings to these heroes who were about to fight for them and risk their lives.

Amidst the rousing drumbeats and the vibrant songs brimming with life, even Lin Lin, who didn't expect the battle to be particularly difficult, couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

"This song is a piece of music that has been passed down through generations in our Moga Village, and it is called Moon Tremor."

"May you successfully calm the vibrations of the new moon and return safely."

Sana performed a unique sea dweller's salute to Lin Lin and the others, and then bowed deeply.

Lin Lin took a deep breath and gave a thumbs up:
"Don't worry! Wait for our good news!"

……

Lin Lin, Ye Zi, Bref, Zi Yuan, and Bai Feng, the four hunters of the team, had already confirmed the location of the Great Sea Dragon. This time, there was no need for them to go to the nearest island to go into the water. Instead, they swam directly towards the sea area where the underwater ruins were located.

As their hunting partners, those like Shiro, Sora, and Xiang Guga who couldn't go into the water could only wait patiently at the camp built on the island, while Date, Niaru, Chacha, and Kayamba followed their respective leaders as they descended.

They weren't directly involved in the frontal battles as combatants—at least Lin Lin and the others didn't think these little guys could play a significant role on the front lines against a giant like the Great Sea Dragon—they were there as transport personnel to provide support.

Not only the four of them, but also Lin Lin, Ye Zi, and Bref carried a lot of ammunition, including the slicing bullets that Zi Yuan would use, but more of them were heavy crossbow bolts that needed to be fired with the heavy ballista.

In addition to this, Date and his crew had another very important task: while they were distracting and drawing the attention of the Great Sea Dragon, they needed to quickly load fuel into the Dragon Piercer on the seabed and get it ready to fire as soon as possible.

"Grumpy"

The date seemed to want to say something, but after opening its mouth, it only managed to spit out a few bubbles before giving up in frustration.

Nia turned her head curiously to look at it. It always felt that the package on Date's back was much larger than its own and Chacha Kayamba's, and it was bulging with stuff. When it asked Date earlier out of curiosity, Date had acted mysteriously.

It can't be that just because you're stronger, you have to push yourself to carry more things, right?
(End of this chapter)