The Hunters hoped to learn more from Ms. Meow-It-All, but Shen Gaoren had last appeared many years ago. Moreover, neither colossal organisms nor Carapaceons fell within her main fields of research. Beyond its elemental weaknesses, she had little more advice to offer.
The meeting ended there, and the Hunters dispersed to make their preparations.
Altaïr did not even return to his quarters. He followed Hubert straight to the smithy.
His steps were light, and even the prospect of the massive battle ahead could not dampen his excitement.
Two powerful new weapons in a single week. What could possibly be more exciting?
Seeing the grin Altaïr could barely suppress and sensing his excitement, Hubert broke into a broad smile.
Nothing made a smith happier than seeing his painstaking work appreciated.
"Come on! Take a look at my masterpiece!" Practically charging headfirst through the smithy door, Hubert led Altaïr to a weapon rack.
A magnificent, eye-catching giant scythe rested there.
The scythe had a silver base, with its blade head and guard reinforced by thick orange-red carapace. Pale blue crystals containing powerful Thunder Element energy had somehow been cut into thin sheets and inlaid along the blade and across the weapon's body, adding brilliant splashes of color.
Unlike a conventional scythe, its blade was sharpened on both the inner and outer edges. The cold gleam at its tip alone made Altaïr's eyes sting.
Hubert turned and folded his burly arms. "Some people doubted how strong that Taikun Zamuza really was, but listen to me. Judging by the hardness of its claws and the intensity of the Thunder Element energy in those blue crystals, I'd say giving that Monster a 6★ danger rating was selling it short.
"Its destructive power, Sharpness, and elemental strength are all top-tier. It's every bit a match for that Tyrant Blade [Heaven Swallower] of yours!"
Altaïr stepped forward eagerly and ran his palm over the silver blade. "What's this weapon called?"
"Taikun Katana!" Hubert's voice boomed, his face full of pride. "Of course, if the name feels too plain, you can add a suffix, like you did with [Heaven Swallower]!"
Altaïr considered it for a few seconds. Unlike Hubert, he was not inclined to choose anything too flashy or domineering.
Had Hubert chosen the suffix, odds were it would have been something like [Thunder God].
His gaze drifted to a small flower basket hanging on the wall, a gift from Star Jasmine and Honeysuckle.
A field of flowers now bloomed outside Mangrove Outpost. The Uruki couple gathered fresh flowers and fragrant herbs, wove them into baskets, and gave them to everyone. It was both an Uruki custom and a form of blessing.
Altaïr recognized several species among them: bellflower, ashitaba, and crape myrtle. All were hardy, resilient plants with medicinal uses.
He reached out and lifted the oddly shaped silver scythe from the weapon rack.
"Let's call it Taikun Katana [Crape Myrtle]."
—--
The Hunters worked quickly. Since they did not need to stock up on Ammo and only had to inspect their Armor and weapons, they completed their preparations and assembled in less than an hour.
By then, the Airship was also ready to take off.
Everyone could sense Morgan's urgency and anxiety, so there was no point insisting that they wait until evening to depart.
After one final head count and equipment check, the six Hunters boarded the Pioneer. The Airship rose steadily and accelerated toward the northern continent.
Morgan stood alone on the observation deck at the bow, his gaze fixed straight ahead as though that might bring him to Manti Town one step sooner.
Hakucho was not circling the Airship as usual. Instead, he perched quietly on the railing beside Morgan.
He could not understand the source of his owner's agitation, but he could at least remain by Morgan's side.
"Don't stay wound so tight," Altaïr said as he crossed the narrow gangway to join Morgan. "According to the scholars' estimates, Shen Gaoren won't arrive for at least another week.
"If you stay this tense the whole time, you'll exhaust yourself before it does."
Morgan remained silent for a few seconds before replying, "I know."
Altaïr sighed to himself. Morgan said he understood, but he had not relaxed for a single second.
Still, Altaïr could understand his tension.
On the eve of Guanzorumu's assault on Loc Lac, his own state had not been much better than Morgan's.
Altaïr turned his gaze to the Halk beside him. "Hakucho's gotten quite a bit bigger."
"And darker, meow. At this rate, he'll turn into a black bird, meow," Sajji added as he came over to stand beside Hakucho.
Hakucho hopped down from the railing and rested his head atop Sajji's head. The two of them had always gotten along well.
Morgan knew they were trying to help him relax by making conversation.
Although he was not usually one for small talk, he forced a faint smile and played along. "Hakucho is still growing rapidly. His wingspan already exceeds three meters.
"According to Ms. Meow-It-All, his wingspan could reach nearly six meters once he is fully grown. By then, he might even be capable of carrying a person in flight."
"Screee!"
Hakucho half-spread his wings and let out a confident cry.
"Isis would probably be too heavy, but Morgan would be no problem, meow!" Sajji patted Hakucho's powerful claws. "See? There are advantages to being small, meow!"
"Oh."
Morgan took a deep breath.
If making him angry was another way to help him relax, then Sajji had succeeded.
Altaïr gave Sajji an approving look that also warned him not to overdo it, then reached out and stroked Hakucho's head.
Compared with their first meeting more than half a year ago, most of Hakucho's feathers were gone, replaced by hard, jet-black scales.
His appearance, once more birdlike, had also grown increasingly wyvernlike.
This was not due solely to his age and physical development.
Halks did not have fixed physical forms; they developed in different ways depending on their environment and the elemental energy absorbed from their food.
When they had first brought Hakucho back from Mangrove Outpost, Morgan had set several materials rich in elemental energy before him to see which he would choose.
Morgan had hoped to guide Hakucho's growth toward a Fire Element form.
After all, fire had a wide range of uses. Even setting aside the effects of his breath attack, being able to light a campfire or ignite a Barrel Bomb would be convenient.
Instead, Hakucho had snatched up and swallowed a Dragonfell Berry...
He seemed to prefer the stimulating "taste" of Dragon Element energy.
This had caused Morgan no end of trouble. Materials rich in Dragon Element energy were hard to come by. Even the relatively common Dragonfell Berry was rarely found in the wild.
Fortunately, the Uruki couple were master cultivators. They had succeeded in growing Dragonfell Berries, which were notoriously difficult to cultivate artificially. The cost remained high, but they had at least provided Morgan with a stable supply.
As he continued to consume Dragon Element energy, Hakucho's scales gradually turned pitch black, and spine-like structures began to grow along his back.
Altaïr suspected that, given a few more years, Hakucho might grow into a miniature Flying Wyvern...
Altaïr and Sajji scraped together topics and kept Morgan talking for quite a while.
Eventually, Morgan, never much of a talker, could no longer keep the conversation going. He let out a long sigh. "I understand... Until the Pioneer reaches Manti Town, what I need most is rest, not anxiety.
"I'll go back to my cabin and sleep for a while. Maybe by the time I wake up, we'll already be there.
"Oh, and you two, please don't follow me."
With that, he left the cramped observation deck and headed into the cabin below.
Altaïr grinned and high-fived Sajji. Unable to enter the cabin, Hakucho let out a joyful screech.
(Translated by yourtl.app)