Altaïr had always thought of himself as quite tall.
At a little over 180 centimeters, his height wasn't particularly outstanding among his peers, but it was at least on the taller side. Besides, he was still growing!
But walking behind Ms. Marydan, he suddenly felt like he had returned to his childhood years ago.
That feeling of following behind an adult, only able to see the back of their vest, had returned.
"Altaïr, my boy, let me ask you, do you know about 'Elder Dragons'?"
Just as Altaïr was feeling melancholic, Marydan's sudden question from ahead almost made him lose his composure.
Huh?
He had heard the term before. If he remembered correctly, teacher Haifa had let it slip. Her teacher had been very angry at the time and scolded her, saying she shouldn't speak of such things in public.
Out of curiosity, he had taken the term to Mr. Lamarck, whose reaction had been even more peculiar.
He had sternly asked where Altaïr had heard the word. Upon learning that his own daughter had unintentionally let it slip, he wore an expression as if a great misfortune had befallen his family, muttering something about having the 'kid's mom' teach her a lesson.
He had further warned Altaïr that the Guild restricted information about Elder Dragons from civilians and even ordinary Hunters. He told him not to probe into it before he was strong enough, and that when he reached that level, the Guild would inform him even if he didn't want to know.
He didn't consider himself an overly curious person, so he had put the matter out of his mind.
He never expected Ms. Marydan to bring it up so suddenly now.
"Judging by your expression, you know a little something?" Marydan stopped and turned to look at him.
"Yes," Altaïr didn't hide it. "I heard teacher Haifa mention it once. When Mr. Lamarck found out, he warned me that I wasn't qualified to know about such things yet."
"That little brat, I'll beat her up later," Marydan muttered before continuing, "The old man in our family was right. According to the rules, only high-rank Hunters are qualified to learn about this information. But in reality, for various reasons, the news can't be completely sealed off. Most elite Hunters from three or four stars and up know something about it, and some have even participated in operations. Well, I won't go into more detail. You just need to have a basic concept, to know that it's a collective term for a class of Monsters far more powerful than the Flying Wyvern species."
"More powerful than the Flying Wyvern species..."
Altaïr mulled over the sentence a few times, then suddenly looked up and asked, staring directly into Marydan's eyes, "What about compared to that thing?"
Marydan was taken aback by his words. Of course, she knew what Altaïr was referring to.
Back when the nomadic village Altaïr belonged to was destroyed by a Monster, she had been one of the Hunters involved in the rescue. That Monster had left a very deep impression on her.
Marydan chose not to humor Altaïr at a time like this. After a moment of silence, she said, "There are many types of Elder Dragons, and the strength between individuals varies immensely. I can only say that most of them are stronger than that thing. Some could even kill it with ease."
"I understand," Altaïr nodded, not pressing further. The expression on his face didn't change.
This made Marydan breathe a small sigh of relief, but what she didn't know was that a few ideas had already begun to form in Altaïr's mind.
He had always wanted to know just how strong 'that thing' was, and when he would finally be qualified to hunt it.
In this regard, his master was very tight-lipped, and it was difficult for him to get any meaningful information. But Ms. Marydan's words gave him a rough comparison.
According to the Guild's regulations, only high-rank Hunters were qualified to learn detailed information about Elder Dragons. This meant that the danger level of Elder Dragons was entirely six-star and above.
And if that thing's strength was benchmarked against Elder Dragons, it would be in the lower-middle tier. In other words, around seven-star?
Seven-star.
Ms. Marydan's Hunter Rank was eight-star, but that was more of an honorary rank the Guild had bestowed upon her, a highly decorated veteran Hunter, upon her retirement.
At her peak, Ms. Marydan's strength was likely around the seven-star level.
It was a distant goal, but at least it was a goal.
Smack!
A hand the size of a dinner plate slapped the back of Altaïr's head. "Dammit, look how far you've derailed the conversation."
"I brought up Elder Dragons for a reason, you know. Tell me, kid, how much do you know about the 'Autumn Harvest Fest' and 'The Desert Feast'?"
Altaïr rubbed his head. "Every monsoon season, a massive, massive Monster emerges from the depths of the sand sea and migrates to the vicinity of Loc Lac. A huge school of Delex follows close behind it."
"The Sandship fleet and the Hunting Fleet set out together. The former is responsible for repelling that Monster, while the latter focuses all their efforts on catching the Delex."
"This has become Loc Lac's most important tradition. To display their valor and celebrate the harvest, Loc Lac holds a grand festival that attracts a large number of tourists and merchants every year. This is the 'Autumn Harvest Fest'."
"And the battle to repel the Monster and catch the Delex is known as 'The Desert Feast'."
"Wait, are you saying that the giant Monster from the depths of the sand sea is actually a type of Elder Dragon?"
"And because the Guild has restricted information about Elder Dragons, it's just referred to as a 'giant Monster' to downplay its significance?"
Thwack!
Marydan's palm landed on Altaïr's head once again, the force far greater than before. Altaïr couldn't help but clutch his head and crouch down, taking a long moment to recover before asking aggrievedly, "Was I wrong?"
Marydan dusted off her hands. "No, you're spot on. But I don't like kids who are too smart, so I have to knock you down a peg."
Altaïr was speechless.
"Alright, hurry up and follow me. It was just a light tap, why are you being so dramatic?" Marydan gave Altaïr another pat on the back, sending him stumbling forward. "Let's go, we're almost there."
Altaïr followed her with a pained expression.
Their destination was a large dock on the edge of Loc Lac.
The rock platform here was very low, almost level with the desert outside the city, allowing even large Sandships to move between the dock and the desert with relative ease.
Many people in bright yellow, sleeveless shirts were bustling about in the dock.
Altaïr knew who these people were. They were the most seasoned sailors and Sandship pilots, including members of the Loc Lac Rangers, sailors from commercial vessels, and fishermen from the Hunting Fleet.
Every year before the monsoon season arrived, these people would gather and form the Sandship fleet alongside elite Hunters.
And the Sandship fleet was the absolute main force for intercepting that giant Monster.
At this thought, Altaïr couldn't help but feel a bit more respect in his gaze as he looked at these people.
At the same time, he noticed that the way these people looked in their direction, or more accurately, at Ms. Marydan, varied.
The younger ones were mostly confused and surprised, as if thinking, Where did this muscular old auntie come from?
But those who were at least in their forties or fifties, the older ones, had faces filled with nothing but awe.
Noticing their arrival, an old man with a full head of curly hair and even a curly beard walked over. But before he could speak, Marydan cut in first.
"You old coot, you're a few years older than me. You must be seventy this year, right? You've slacked on your training and your muscles have atrophied. Why haven't you retired yet?"
The old man's face darkened. "What's important for leading the Sandship fleet is experience, not muscle. What are you doing here, anyway?"
"I felt like going out with the fleet for some fun this year, to stretch my old bones. Is that a problem?"
Marydan bared a set of sharp, pearly-white teeth in a tiger-like grin. "Save the big gong spot for me. In all the years since I left the fleet, you couldn't have possibly found anyone who swings a hammer better than me!"
"Are you serious?" the old man asked, eyeing Marydan with suspicion.
To be honest, he wasn't opposed to having Marydan on board. Although she had been retired for a few years, one look at her rock-hard muscles told him she was still in excellent shape.
Her strength might have declined, but she was definitely not someone an ordinary hunter could compare to.
"Serious, my ass! If I really wanted to stretch my bones, I'd go find a Tigrex to beat up for fun. Why would I go eat sand with you lot?" Marydan grinned, pushing Altaïr, who was standing behind her, forward.
"How about you take this kid with you? Consider it a personal favor from me!"
Only then did the old man's gaze fall upon Altaïr, his expression clearly puzzled. "Your son? No, that's not right. I remember you have a daughter. Your grandson? The age doesn't quite line up... So you really did pop out another one back in the day? Your husband must have had it rough."
A vein throbbed on Marydan's forehead. "Are you fucking asking to die?"