The Guild wasted no time. Early the next morning, a staff member found them and explained that an Argosy at ElDe Port, not far from Harth, was about to set sail for Tidal Island.
As long as they reached the port by the following morning, they could hitch a ride.
The staff member had even arranged for them to join a merchant caravan bound for ElDe Port. Riding with the caravan would get them there by evening, so the timing worked out perfectly.
Since the Guild had coordinated everything and they were merely catching rides with a caravan and a ship, they did not have to pay any travel expenses.
The caravan leader was especially enthusiastic about having the Hunters travel with them.
The volcanic mountain range was hardly safe. Harth might not be far from ElDe Port, but the journey was still over forty kilometers. If the caravan ran into a few Ioprey, they could be done for.
For safety, they usually hired a Low Rank Hunter as an escort. Now, with several formidable-looking Hunters headed in the same direction, they could save the escort fee while ensuring a safe journey.
A win-win!
—--
On the road to the port, the talkative caravan leader chatted with Isis the entire way.
Altaïr and Morgan, meanwhile, sat quietly in the cart and barely spoke. One disliked talking, while the other had difficulty speaking, leaving the caravan members with the impression that both had foul tempers.
Whether it was good luck or bad, they really did encounter two Ioprey roaming in search of food.
Before the caravan members even had time to panic, Clawdia, who had been squeezed in beside Isis, sprang out and killed both Ioprey with a few swipes.
The sight of the blood-spattered Felyne left the Merchant Guild members deeply shaken, and even their leader grew less talkative.
—--
By evening, the group reached ElDe Port without further trouble. After bidding farewell to the warm and friendly merchants, Isis planted her hands on her hips and sighed. "What a lively bunch! By the way, I picked up a lot of information!"
Morgan and Sajji gave her odd looks. Clearly, the merchants had gotten far more information out of her than she had gotten from them...
Unable to hear them, Altaïr remained perfectly unruffled. He took out the portable writing board he always carried and quickly scribbled a few lines.
[What did you talk about with them?]
Isis instinctively opened her mouth to answer, but when Altaïr handed her the writing board, she pouted and began writing instead.
[The captain of the Argosy we're taking is a very famous merchant. Everyone calls him the "Argosy Captain." He seems to have connections everywhere!]
Altaïr frowned. Instead of writing this time, he carefully controlled the volume of his voice. "Is he a Wyverian merchant?"
Isis blinked. "How did you know?"
"I know him. Every Autumn Harvest Fest, he goes to Loc Lac to buy ore. He's a very shrewd man. Don't let him draw you into a long conversation, and don't agree to anything casually."
Isis and Morgan exchanged a glance, nodded, and took Altaïr's warning to heart.
Altaïr paused for a few seconds. "Isis, your mother's travel notes also mentioned a Wyverian merchant. She said he tricked them into challenging an Elder Dragon in exchange for a fairly ordinary weapon blueprint...
"According to her description, the Wyverian merchant carried a Long Sword in a sharkskin scabbard on his back. The Argosy Captain I saw carried the same weapon, so they must be the same man."
"?!" Isis immediately went on high alert.
Unlike the bustling port city of Port Tanzia, ElDe Port was little more than a harbor. The three of them found an inn and spent the night there.
—--
Early the next morning, they went down to the docks and found the Argosy. Since the Guild had contacted the crew in advance, arranging their passage went smoothly.
They had barely started up the gangplank when a middle-aged Wyverian man with narrowed eyes and a Long Sword strapped to his back strode over.
"Welcome! My, what good fortune! I never imagined an ordinary voyage would give me the chance to travel with several rising stars renowned across the continent!
"Ah, I haven't introduced myself. I'm a merchant from Shiki. Call me 'Merchant,' 'Old-Timer,' or whatever you like!
"I spent some time as a Hunter myself when I was young. Seeing all of you so full of energy truly brings back memories!"
As he spoke, he enthusiastically shook hands with each of them.
Without Altaïr's warning the day before, Isis might have scratched the back of her head and grinned at such flattery. Instead, her face showed only wariness.
Morgan remained as expressionless as ever, like a statue carved from stone.
Altaïr wore a polite smile that gave no hint of what he was thinking.
The Argosy Captain's smile stiffened slightly.
In his experience, young, spirited Hunters were the easiest to deal with, but something felt off about these three.
The short Hunter with delicate, pretty features looked female but was probably male. He seemed cold and standoffish, so his reaction was normal enough.
The tall female Hunter should have been one of the newly promoted High Rank Hunters mentioned in the reports. Why was she watching him so warily, as though he were a con artist?
The smiling male Hunter wore an Espinas Armor Set and was probably another newly promoted High Rank Hunter. He had to be the team's leader; the other two's subtle expressions made that much clear.
He would be the hardest to handle. Any young person ought to react somehow after being praised, whether by looking pleased, swelling with pride, or growing embarrassed.
Take the female Hunter. Although she remained wary of him, the look in her eyes betrayed a trace of secret delight.
But the man acted as though he were completely deaf and had not heard a word...
Altaïr took out his writing board and quickly scribbled a few lines under the Argosy Captain's puzzled gaze.
[My apologies, Captain. I'm Altaïr. My ears were injured during a recent Hunt, and I've temporarily lost my hearing, so I can only communicate this way. Thank you very much for allowing us aboard your ship.]
The Argosy Captain looked briefly at a loss for words.
So he really was deaf...
Isis and Morgan introduced themselves in turn. They might have been wary of him, but he had allowed them aboard his ship, and there was no excuse for neglecting basic courtesy.
For a moment, the Argosy Captain found himself at a loss.
He had to admit that when the Guild approached him about letting a few young Hunters travel aboard his ship, mentioning that one of them was a newly promoted High Rank Hunter who had recently caused quite a stir in Hunter circles, he had considered cultivating a connection with them.
He had a particular Monster he wanted dealt with, a formidable foe beyond the abilities of ordinary Hunters.
Yet of these three, one was wary, one was withdrawn, and their only seemingly normal member, the leader, was deaf... Communicating with them would not be easy.
He read the room and did not linger. After briefly explaining that the ship would depart soon and reach the Mangrove Outpost in two days, he found an excuse to leave.
They did not see the Argosy Captain again for the rest of the day, though he had made special arrangements for their meals and accommodations.
—--
Not until nightfall did that change.
With nothing to do and not even permitted to practice with his sword, Altaïr stood alone at the bow, leaning against the railing and enjoying the breeze.
A figure came to stand beside him. The man stopped about two meters away, rested both hands on the railing, and held a pipe between his lips as he quietly gazed out to sea alongside Altaïr.
It was the Argosy Captain.
Altaïr smiled silently. He was fairly certain that if he showed no desire to communicate, the Argosy Captain would finish his smoke and leave.
It would look as though the man had come to the bow merely for a smoke, sparing them both any awkwardness.
But if Altaïr showed the slightest willingness to converse, the man would latch on to him and talk endlessly, no matter how cumbersome their written exchange might be.
Still, he had nothing better to do.
He turned toward the Argosy Captain. At just the right moment, the other man turned as well, and their eyes met.
The Argosy Captain abruptly removed the pipe from his mouth and said a few words. Then, as though only just remembering Altaïr's hearing loss, he tapped his forehead apologetically and glanced down at the writing board hanging from Altaïr's waist.
Watching the man's little performance, Altaïr smiled and handed him the writing board.
[Mr. Altaïr, have we met somewhere before?]
P.S. The Argosy Captain is an important NPC from MH3 who also appears in official novels and manga. He is not actually a treacherous person. In the manga, he even uses his extensive network to bring many people together against a powerful Monster.
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This chapter was translated with YourTL.app. The site can also translate novels for readers when no English version is available.