Though it was billed as a farewell dinner, the Hunters in the advance team's first wave did not rush to leave once the evening was over.
Even Altaïr and Isis, the two High Rank Hunters, lingered on Tidal Island for a few extra days.
They wanted to pass on everything they had learned over the past year of exploring Tidal Island to the newcomers, including the island's unique dangerous plants and animals, the habits of local Monsters, gathering points rich in resources, efficient patrol routes, and more.
The item boxes in their lodgings also needed to be emptied. All sorts of Monster materials, along with old equipment they would barely use again but could not bring themselves to throw away, were packed up in bulk, and Francesca arranged for a merchant caravan to ship everything out.
As for where exactly these things should be sent, the three of them had a thorough discussion.
That meant deciding where they would base themselves for the foreseeable future.
Finding and adapting to a completely new environment would be a hassle, so they chose from among the cities where they had already lived.
That narrowed the options considerably, leaving only Loc Lac, Val Habar, Metapetatto, and Dundorma.
Val Habar was eliminated first. Living there long-term would be a pain, since the Great Migration forced its residents to move every quarter.
Loc Lac lay deep within the sand sea. Although it had plenty of Airships, every hunting ground outside the Desert was far away, making travel slow and prohibitively expensive. It, too, was ruled out.
Metapetatto and Dundorma were both solid choices.
Metapetatto's strength lay in its living conditions. If the two High Rank Hunters were willing to return, that Guild Manager would surely arrange the best of everything for them.
Its drawbacks were relatively limited facilities, inconvenient transport links, and a lack of top-tier smiths.
Dundorma needed no introduction. The jewel at the heart of the continent was convenient in every respect.
Its only drawback was being too close to His Immenseness, which might keep them rather busy...
After much back-and-forth deliberation, the three decided to make Dundorma their center of operations for the coming period.
But when it came time to fill out the shipping address for their luggage, another argument broke out.
Isis naturally planned to stay at her own home. Altaïr initially wanted to rent a place with Morgan at the Gathering Hall and have his luggage sent there.
But Isis thought that was unnecessary. She still had spare rooms in her house, and Altaïr had stayed over plenty of times before. Now that their relationship had taken another step forward, why should they live farther apart?
After much cajoling and persistence, Altaïr had no choice but to compromise. He packed his luggage together with Isis's and had it shipped to her house.
Morgan, however, flatly and unequivocally rejected Isis's invitation to "come live with me!"
Are you kidding? You two are living together. What am I supposed to do, tag along?!
Francesca had expected this outcome all along, grinning slyly as she watched their luggage being loaded onto the ship.
There was one thing she had not told Altaïr, and he clearly had not realized it himself. Otherwise, even if he had to sleep on the street, he would never, ever have agreed to stay at Isis's house long-term.
Little Isis, your parents rarely come home. It's not as if they never do.
They haven't been back in years. Surely they're due for a visit soon?
—--
Dundorma, Royal Academy.
Following the standards expected of upperclassmen enrolled in the Wilderness Survival elective, Kitty had completed the day's physical training and returned to her dorm drenched in sweat.
Isis's successful hunt of the Kuarusepu had inspired her, and her desire to become a Handler as soon as possible had never been stronger.
She was still a freshman and did not yet qualify for those elective courses, but that did not matter! She could start training and studying on her own!
Just as she was about to shower, then transcribe and organize the study materials she had obtained from Senior Alma, she saw Quinna sprawled listlessly across her bed like a sea cucumber, waving weakly.
"Kitty, Senior Alma came by. She said this is for us. I haven't opened it yet..."
"What is it? Hurry up and let me see!" Never one for patience, Kitty snatched the object from Quinna's hand.
It was a document pouch.
Kitty tore it open roughly. Inside was the draft of a thesis. She flipped through it quickly and lost interest.
She was all too familiar with the draft. It was the research report titled "Environmental Adaptability in Leviathans." She had helped organize the data for the section on the Kuarusepu and had already read the entire paper countless times.
Quinna leaned in. "Looks like the paper was published. Did Senior Alma send us a copy as a memento?"
"Helpers like us definitely won't be credited as authors, but the extra credits are more than enough~!"
As she spoke, a photograph slipped out of the pouch. Kitty quickly snatched it up.
The photograph captured a Hunter confronting a Monster. The Hunter held a Gunlance high as Wyvern's Fire blasted the creature's head backward and lightning from its horn illuminated the sky.
"Whoa!"
Kitty and Quinna both gasped in surprise.
"This photo is mine!" Kitty stuffed it into her pocket with lightning speed.
"I want one too! Is there only one? That's not fair! I'm going to find Senior Alma and ask her to make me a copy!" Quinna said, jumping off the bed.
Kitty chased after her. "I want a few more prints too! One for Mom, one for Auntie, one for Grandpa and Grandma..."
—--
After saying goodbye to their companions in the advance team and tying up the remaining loose ends on Tidal Island, Altaïr and the other two returned to Harth. A little over a week had passed.
Altaïr's hearing had mostly recovered.
The damage to his hearing had taught him a profound lesson. He might never again encounter a Monster as adept at roaring as the Brute Tigrex, but who could say for certain?
If that pair of Disposable Earplugs had not held up, he might have gone completely deaf.
From then on, two pairs of Disposable Earplugs became permanent fixtures in his Item Pouch.
High Rank Monster materials were difficult to process, so Altaïr and Isis's new armor would take some time to complete.
While waiting for the new armor, Isis pestered Ted every day, begging him to train her and teach her more.
Eventually, a thoroughly exasperated Ted relented and took Isis to the smithy. Taking her physical limits into account, he completed the Dragon Blast modification for her Glavenus Gunlance.
Besides that, he taught Isis many practical but easily overlooked tricks.
He also corrected some of Isis's less suitable movement habits and explained the subtleties of applying the same moves in different situations.
None of these details were particularly noticeable on their own, but as they accumulated, Isis could clearly feel her skill and strength improving at a rate that surprised even her.
Now the pressure was on Altaïr.
He finally understood how anxious Isis must have felt back in Kamura Village, running to the Training Area again and again.
No, he could not just sit around waiting!
Determined, Altaïr spent a fair amount of money on two bottles of fine wine, then found Malika killing time alone in a tavern.
Malika glanced at the wine bottles Altaïr placed on the table and raised an eyebrow. "Well? What can I do for my young countryman? You're being awfully formal, bringing wine this good."
Altaïr stood at attention with a solemn expression and bowed. "Senior Malika, I'd like to ask for your guidance in using the Insect Glaive."
"Hmm...?" Malika scratched her ear.
"What did you say?"
* * *
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