Altaïr had initially assumed that once the Estrellian lost consciousness, the Star Butterflies would launch a frenzied counterattack, much like a colony of ants when their queen is assaulted.
However, that was not the case.
As the Estrellian fell into an infant-like "slumber," the Star Butterflies, deprived of guidance, first flew about aimlessly like headless flies for a while.
Then, one after another, they returned to the Estrellian's side, crawling into the gaps in its carapace and ceasing all movement.
Upon inspection, Erik discovered that the vital activity of these Star Butterflies had drastically decreased. It wasn't that they were on the verge of death, but rather that they had entered a state of dormancy similar to hibernation.
Altaïr plucked a smaller Star Butterfly from a gap in the Estrellian's carapace and gave it a couple of shakes with both hands.
The creature was shaken until its elytra popped open and the wings folded beneath were fully splayed out, yet it showed no reaction whatsoever, looking for all the world as if it were dead.
Seeing Isis and Erik staring at him, Altaïr gave a dry laugh. He haphazardly folded the Star Butterfly's wings back, closed its elytra, and stuffed it back onto the Estrellian.
He hoped it wouldn't feel too uncomfortable when it eventually woke up.
"By the way, Boss, shouldn't we send the signal now, meow?" Sajji reminded him from the side.
Reasonably, they should have fired the signal flare the moment the Estrellian appeared. However, the Estrellian possessed a cautious nature; to avoid startling it, the group hadn't even dared to breathe loudly, let alone fire a signal.
During the capture process, it had nearly escaped several times, and it was only now that they truly had a moment to spare.
"Isis, Erik, take the ropes and give it a basic tie-down. Just binding the limbs should do; that'll make it harder for it to run. I'll go send the signal."
"Understood!"
Isis pulled a coil of sturdy rope from the large pack on Erik's back. This coil wasn't enough to bind the entire Estrellian securely, but it should suffice for its legs.
This way, even if the inhaled tranquilizer wasn't perfectly effective and the Estrellian woke up prematurely, it wouldn't be able to scramble up immediately.
Isis would have plenty of time to give it another dose of general anesthesia.
Climbing the giant tree to the opening at the top of the cave, Altaïr glanced at the night sky filled with stars. He took out two signal flares and fired them one after the other.
The first was a yellow signal flare used to mark the location, signifying "Estrellian located, right here."
The second was the signal for "mission complete," summoning the Airship anchored near the camp to come and "load the cargo."
"The Hunt for the Glavenus is considered a 5★ task. I wonder how many stars a Capture of an Estrellian, which has no previous capture record, will count for?"
After muttering to himself, Altaïr looked back into the cave. The Estrellian's four legs had been bound together by Isis, making it look like a Mosswine ready for slaughter: small, pitiful, and helpless.
Altaïr let out a long "Haaa..." sigh.
"They won't just slice it into specimens, will they?"
"Splendid work!" the Professor praised without restraint.
Though he had led the others on a wild goose chase through the wilderness all afternoon and most of the night, leaving them exhausted and having accomplished nothing, it all felt worth it the moment he laid eyes on that beautiful Estrellian, which barely had a scratch on its body. He had always scoffed at the notion of "luck," but he had to admit that some teams simply had a higher probability of triggering and resolving incidents than others.
Agreeing to let these young people join the investigation team had definitely been the right choice!
Not long after the Professor and his group rushed back to the nest, the investigation team's cargo airship arrived in the sky above the rocky mountain where the nest was located.
The first thing these well-trained scholars and technicians did upon arrival was use a massive syringe to inject the Estrellian with an appropriate dose of tranquilizer.
This Estrellian had been knocked unconscious by Isis's sheer brute force, and while Altaïr had followed up with Tranq Ammo, it was impossible to determine exactly how much medicinal mist the Monster had actually inhaled.
A Monster waking up mid-transport would be a major disaster, and they couldn't exactly rely on Isis and Olivia to perform "physical anesthesia" every time.
After all, this Estrellian was still small; it wouldn't necessarily survive being handled so roughly by those two formidable women.
Once the injection of the tranquilizer was complete, ensuring that the Estrellian would not wake up for at least two days no matter what, the scholars and technicians began preparing for transport.
Whether dealing with living creatures or inanimate objects, binding was the most critical part of any slinging operation.
When the airship crew and technicians responsible for this task, including the Professor, saw the Estrellian tied up by Isis like a common hog, they all fell into a brief silence.
They couldn't truly criticize it, however; after all, the Hunters' purpose for binding was different from theirs.
The professionals sought stability, safety, and ensuring the transport target remained unharmed.
Hunters, meanwhile, prioritized speed and efficiency; as long as the Monster couldn't get up for the moment, they were satisfied.
The Professor looked at Isis with a somewhat complicated expression. "Remember, be selective in what you learn."
"Huh?"
Isis didn't quite catch his meaning, but the Professor said no more, instead directing the technicians to restrain the Estrellian using wide, sturdy leather straps.
Finally, they wrapped the Estrellian in an exceptionally large leather sling, which would be secured to the cables lowered from the cargo airship.
This way, during the transport process, the Estrellian would rest as comfortably as if it were in a hammock, rather than being strangled against the bow like a pirate punishing a traitor.
At that moment, one of the airship crew members in charge of the lifting operation walked over.
"Professor, the canopy of that giant tree is blocking the entrance at the top of the cave. It's not very convenient to hoist the target out. Can we cut the tree down?"
The Professor looked up at the giant tree with its wondrous form.
The fact that such a marvelous and unique ecological secret realm could form inside this cave was largely due to this tree, which had grown for untold years.
If it were felled, the environment within this cave would undergo a catastrophic transformation before long.
"No," the Professor refused without hesitation. "If the Estrellian could walk in, we can certainly transport it out. It will just take a little more effort and time. If it truly comes down to it, I will allow you to prune some of the branches, but the ecology of this place must not be destroyed."
"...Alright." The crewman had no choice but to comply.
He led the investigation team's scholars to calculate how they could prune a gap large enough to hoist the Estrellian through while causing the least amount of damage to the giant tree.
The entire investigation team remained busy from the middle of the night until dawn. As the corner of the night shroud covering the horizon was lifted, the cargo airship hoisting the Estrellian slowly ascended into the sky.
Next, this airship would return to the canyon camp to pick up the remaining personnel and equipment before heading straight back to Metapetatto.
The news of the successful Capture of the juvenile Estrellian had already been sent back to the Hunter's Guild headquarters via Peregrine express letter.
Numerous scholars from relevant fields would bring their equipment and rush to this city on the edge of the Jungle as quickly as possible to launch a comprehensive study of this mysterious creature.
"So why didn't we just send the Princess, I mean, the Estrellian, back to Dundorma for research like we did with the Duramboros?" Erik asked, leaning over the gunwale and peering incessantly downward.
Unfortunately, the Estrellian suspended beneath the airship was tightly wrapped in leather, and he could see nothing.
"What is that smell on you?" The Professor finally found the time to look over his literally greasy student.
Altaïr smirked and looked away.
Erik himself didn't seem to mind much, shrugging with an air of indifference. "I was the bait; naturally, I had to smell a bit 'fragrant'."
The Professor gave a grunt of acknowledgment, no longer dwelling on the trivial matter, and turned to answer Erik's previous question.
"An Estrellian is not like a Duramboros. We have no intention of taking its life. Once the non-invasive research is complete, we will consider releasing it back into its original habitat.
We cannot yet determine if the Estrellian can adapt to the climate of Dundorma. To ensure the safety of the Estrellian, conducting the research in Metapetatto, which is adjacent to the Jungle, is the safest course of action."
Altaïr had heard some legends regarding the Estrellian from the Professor, so he could understand the Guild's cautious stance.
Isis leaned in with a curious expression. "So now that the source has been captured, will the abnormalities in the Jungle return to normal?"
The faint smile on the Professor's face vanished at her words. "I never said that the Estrellian was definitely the source of the Jungle's abnormalities. Everything must wait until the results of the preliminary research are in before we can make any inferences.
Furthermore, according to the findings from the various investigation teams, I fear there is more than just this one Estrellian dwelling within this Jungle."
(Translated by yourtl.app)