Chapter Ninety-One: Setting Out, and Preparing a Meeting Gift

Choosing a weapon, in truth, ought to depend on the individual and the circumstances.

For someone born with monstrous strength, the best choice is naturally a greatsword or a massive hammer. If one has keen, eaglelike vision, then a bow or similar weapon is the obvious fit.

Weapons that demand great skill, such as the long blade and the insect glaive, require not only talent but years of relentless practice before their true power can be unleashed in the hunt.

For an ordinary person like Sui, a one-handed sword that is balanced and easy to use is the sensible choice.

Only after one has trained enough to wield at least one weapon with confidence, and mastered a certain measure of combat skill, does it make sense to consider switching to another.

Sui equipped the iron standard one-handed sword and said, "A one-handed sword can do a little sky leap too, so if you round it up, it's basically a long blade. In other words, it's a shield-bearing little long blade."

"I've picked mine too, meow." Lusei walked over, a short blade strapped to her back.

"You mean..." Sui said in surprise. There were even follower-cat weapons here?

"After looking around, I figured one blade taken from a twin-blade set would be just right, meow," Lusei said with clever satisfaction.

Sui: My partner, you're really quite the little genius.

"Very well. Since you wish to enter the Headquarters and seek cooperation, we should not delay. Tomorrow, we depart for the Headquarters," said the Wild Plains Master.

"I've been away from there for almost a month now. By the calendar, if nothing unexpected happens, the Fifth Expedition should not be far off either."

"The exploration of the New World is only just beginning," the Wild Plains Master said with a sigh.

Time flew; she had already spent nearly forty years in the New World.

The Headquarters had been built from nothing, and it had taken the efforts of four expeditions over nearly forty years to finally gain a firm foothold.

There had never been many hunters in the investigation team to begin with, and later some of them returned to the Old World, leaving them without sufficient fresh strength to explore the New World in greater depth.

As for the Commander-in-Chief and the Dragonman hunter, they had long since operated alone; the Grand Commander had to oversee the overall situation at the Headquarters, while the Sword Master obeyed the Grand Commander's orders and remained on standby there from time to time to ensure the safety of the base.

If her guess was correct, this Fifth Expedition would contain a great many elite hunters.

And the arrival of those hunters would mean the investigation team would officially begin a thorough inquiry into the Elder Crossing and the New World.

Sui thought for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "Master, is there any way to get the airship flying again? The Third Expedition has been trapped here for years; that can't be a solution."

The Wild Plains Master shook her head. "If the hot-air balloon researcher were here, he might have a way to make a new balloon and get the airship aloft again. But for now, he's still at the Headquarters."

Sui nodded. He already knew all that; he was only leading her toward his own idea.

"Master, do you know of a monster in the Coral Highlands with white fur that can puff up the membrane around its neck like a balloon by drawing in air?" Sui asked, though he already knew the answer.

"You mean the float dragon, don't you? I've seen it several times as well. What's brought this up?" the Wild Plains Master asked, puzzled.

Sui said, "If we're going to make a hot-air balloon, then materials are indispensable, aren't they? And I think the float dragon's neck fur, which can expand like a balloon, would be excellent material for one."

"Now that you mention it, that does sound rather suitable," the Wild Plains Master said, recalling the way the float dragon drew in air and inflated the membrane around its neck.

"Since we're all going to the Headquarters anyway, why not hunt a float dragon first, take its materials, and let the researcher study them? That way, we might develop a better hot-air balloon," Sui said.

At the same time, this would serve as one of the gifts for their first meeting. Cooperation between the two sides required a foundation, and this gift was Sui's goodwill.

"That's a very constructive idea. Tomorrow morning, then, I'll discuss it with the Commander," the Wild Plains Master said, nodding in approval.

"Rest well for now."

The next morning, Sui woke on the wooden bed.

"After getting used to sleeping in a sleeping bag, this wooden bed feels a little strange," he muttered, shaking his head, and called Lusei to go see the Commander with him.

Once again it was on the upper level of the airship, on the couch piled high with books and other research materials.

The Dragonman Commander of the Third Expedition held a brazier she was especially fond of, sitting there with graceful composure while the Wild Plains Master spoke beside her.

"I heard about your idea. Our scholars are in unanimous agreement that it is indeed feasible."

The Commander sat up and said seriously, "We have only just met, and yet you are already so attentive to our situation. First, let me express the scholars' gratitude to you."

Sui waved it off. "No need for politeness. This is the foundation of our cooperation."

"Then shall we set out now?" the Wild Plains Master asked.

Sui explained, "The thing is, finding traces of the float dragon and hunting one down may take some time. So I was thinking of letting you go ahead first, Master. I have a way to travel to the Headquarters, and we can meet there in the Headquarters. What do you think?"

Sui could teleport to the Seaside Camp in the Ancient Forest, so there was no need to spend days, or even more than a week, crossing the canyon to reach the base.

Moreover, he still had matters to attend to in the world of the Pocket Monsters. He did not want to waste time on the road.

"That works too. In that case, I'll leave the hunting to you," said the Wild Plains Master.

"Safe travels, young hunter," said the Commander.

When Sui stepped out of the airship, he was greeted by the crisp, fresh morning air of the Coral Highlands.

"Then we'll part ways here. Take care, miraculous boy. We'll see you at the Headquarters," the Wild Plains Master said with a wave before turning and leaving.

"Meow!" Lusei waved goodbye.

"Ah. I really don't want to ride that thing again."

Watching the Wild Plains Master's figure gradually disappear into the canyon, Sui looked at the cableway leading to the Coral Highlands, exhaled, and chose to teleport back to the Waterfall Cave Camp.

"It's still early. Let's try to find some trace of the float dragon first." After returning to camp, Sui and Lusei gathered themselves and prepared to head out and explore the highlands.

"Even though the float dragon is easy enough to deal with, its range overlaps with that of the blaze dragon, and it also shares some territory with the wind dragon."

"We can't be careless. Let's find the coral forest first and see whether we can uncover any clues."

The float dragon's main food is the coral eggs of coral trees, so if one wishes to find its trail, one must search the coral forests.

"I remember the coral forest where we encountered the swift dragon was also pretty large. Maybe we'll find something there," Sui said, opening the [Map] in the Hunting Guide. The places he had once traveled through were automatically drawn onto the detailed map.

After identifying their bearings, Sui and Lusei set off in that direction.