Chapter 122: Officially Entering the Starry Expanse, "Stronghold" Feature Unlocked!

Crossing the plains and continuing for a short distance, the terrain ahead began to widen, revealing the Astera base perched on the sea cliffs in the distance.

Along the way, the hunters occasionally cast curious and strange glances at Su Yi. After all, in this world where humans and monsters are in constant conflict, taming and commanding monsters to fight was still too unbelievable.

There were exceptions, of course. The Excitable A-Lister, for instance, found Su Yi’s coordinated combat with monsters fascinating and seemed eager to try it himself. The Handler, meanwhile, expressed her gratitude for Su Yi’s rescue and was intrigued by the monsters that could follow commands.

Soon, the group reached the outer gate of the base. The doors, built from sturdy timber, were coated with a special substance that emitted an odor repulsive to monsters, effectively keeping them at bay. Passing through the gate and walking a little further, the base loomed into view, and its full scope was laid bare.

"How spectacular!" the Excitable A-Lister marveled.

A path adorned with massive bones and fluttering banners guided them into the base. Astera was built upon the foundation of a colossal ship, transformed into a massive, integrated base nestled against the sea cliffs. A giant waterwheel, powered by a waterfall cascading from the mountain peak, provided the energy for the base’s internal machinery.

Behind the base, a colossal ship was wedged into the mountain. It was said that this ship from the First Fleet had been swept up to the mountain peak by the shockwaves of a battle between two Elder Dragons. It was hard to imagine just how spectacular and fierce that battle must have been. This base, which had weathered such hardships over the past forty years, had become the magnificent sight it was today thanks to the efforts of countless people.

"Welcome to Astera!" the Field Team Leader said with pride.

As Su Yi entered the base alongside the hunters, his "Hunting Guide" gave a faint tremor, and the Blue Star in the center of the book glowed briefly.

"I didn't expect you to return so soon this time."

Inside the base, on the open-air command deck converted from the ship's bow, the Commander—a man with dark, weather-beaten skin and a resolute expression—spoke with surprise. Across from him, the Field Master, who had just arrived covered in the dust of travel, sighed. "Some things came up, so I returned early. I never expected to run into the Elder Crossing; I suppose my timing was just right."

When she stood on the cliff and saw the massive Zorah Magdaros emerge from the sea and step onto land, the shock was no less than when she had first laid eyes on the Coral Highlands.

"Indeed. Another decade has passed, and the Fifth Fleet has finally arrived. After forty years of gathering strength, it is finally time to..."

He knew well the personality of this companion who had arrived in the New World with him; she was the type of person who would ignore orders and rules to bury herself in her goals. If there hadn't been something urgent, the Field Master would not have returned to the relative safety of the base so quickly. She was simply someone who could never sit still.

"I met a fascinating person this time," the Field Master said with a smile and a sigh. She then recounted her encounter with Su Yi.

After listening to the narrative, the Commander frowned, lost in thought. After a long while, he spoke: "I have heard legends before, in certain obscure corners of the world, of extraordinary individuals capable of commanding monsters. But the technology you describe—storing a monster inside a small ball and carrying it with you—is something I have never heard of."

"So, rather than the taming of the monsters, I am more interested in that method of containment."

While taming large monsters seemed unbelievable, humans were already capable of taming many smaller ones. The Commander believed that they hadn't tamed large monsters simply because they hadn't found the method yet. In other words, he felt the feasibility of taming large monsters was much higher than that of shrinking a creature over ten meters long into a palm-sized ball.

"However," the Commander changed his tone, "since you have seen it with your own eyes, I will trust you. But as for my own opinion, let me witness it for myself before I draw a conclusion."

"Grandpa! The rest of the Fifth Fleet members have been brought back!" the Field Team Leader’s voice rang out from the trade area in the distance.

"Mm," the Commander replied steadily, arms crossed.

"Master?" Su Yi's voice called out.

The Field Master looked over, surprised. "Oh? You’ve arrived already? And with the members of the Fifth Fleet?"

"Met them on the way and helped out," Su Yi laughed.

"You are..." The Commander narrowed his eyes.

The Field Master smiled. "He is the fascinating young man I mentioned."

"Master knows him? This person, who claims to be from a foreign land, summoned several monsters to help us when we encountered the large monsters," the Field Team Leader explained.

"Greetings, members of the Research Commission. I am Su Yi, an adventurer," Su Yi said with a smile.

"An adventurer, you say? I hear you wish to cooperate with us. What is your objective?" the Commander asked in a deep voice.

Su Yi organized his thoughts and replied, "In essence, our goals are the same: to explore and investigate the New World. It’s just that, rather than investigating alone, I wish to make use of the Research Commission's resources. Of course, since this is a partnership, it should be mutually beneficial."

At this stage, the Research Commission's intelligence and resources were crucial to Su Yi, such as tracking monster trails, crafting equipment, and acquiring various materials. More importantly, after Su Yi entered Astera, his "cheat," the "Hunting Guide," unlocked a new feature!

[Base] feature unlocked.

Following this came a series of practical functions. First was the most basic: the [Placement] function for Monsties. Monsties could be released within the [Base] at will and could come and go freely. Any Monsties recalled outside the [Base] would automatically return to the [Monsties] menu.

Next were the [Dispatch] and [Gift] functions. Su Yi could dispatch or gift Monsties to specific individuals. Before this, even if others obtained a capture ball containing a Monstie, they would be unable to open it. The recipients of these dispatches and gifts could hold up to six Monsties at a time. Su Yi could check the location of dispatched Monsties on his [Map] at any time, cancel the [Dispatch] at will, or force a dispatched Monstie back into its ball. When recipients went out to explore, they could help Su Yi complete the [Map], trigger [Quests], and complete [Quests] alongside the Monsties. However, once a Monstie was [Gifted] to someone else, it was completely independent of Su Yi and the "Hunting Guide."

The final major feature was [Hunting Retainers]. Su Yi could select three retainers. Retainers would appear on the [Map] and could assist in completing [Quests], helping Su Yi fill out the [Map], and so on. Hunting Retainers could be chosen from Palicoes, Gajalakas, Shakalakas, Palamutes, and other non-large-monster creatures. Although Pokémon were stored under [Monsties], they were not technically Monsties by nature and could therefore also serve as [Hunting Retainers].

This effectively freed up three Pokémon from his six-monstie battle roster. In this way, the methods of hunting became much more diverse. For example, Su Yi could set a Palico, a Chansey, and a Honedge as retainers, while still deploying his six battle partners, allowing for a total of nine companions on the field. Su Yi could also dispatch Monsties to others and then team up with them, further increasing the number of Monsties available for combat.

It could be said that the opening of the [Base] feature had greatly enriched the ways in which he could hunt.