"Judging by the current situation, two or three High Rank Hunters would need to work together and cover one another to investigate with any reasonable degree of safety.
"Grom-Baum does not have enough High Rank Hunters. We also have to leave some of them behind in case the Chameleos attacks the city, so our only option is to request reinforcements from headquarters."
For all her decisiveness, Ota's voice carried a trace of helplessness.
"That's why we're here." Nadia nodded slightly. "We need detailed maps of the target area, surveillance reports from the Elder Dragon Observation Team, Mr. Linton's mission report, and ample medical supplies. Ordinary Antidotes will not be enough. We need Antidote G at a minimum, and Herbal Medicine would be preferable."
"Of course. We prepared all of that in advance." Ms. Ota rose at once, walked behind her desk, opened a drawer, and took out a box, which she pressed into Nadia's hands.
"There are twenty doses of Herbal Medicine in here. We allocated five doses per person for a full squad of four.
"Take all of them. As for other medicines, items, and supplies, follow me to the Guild storehouse later and help yourselves to whatever you need."
Altaïr, Isis, and Kral stared in surprise. Even Nadia, a seasoned 8★ Hunter, was momentarily taken aback.
Twenty doses of Herbal Medicine...
Unlike common medicines such as Potions and Antidotes, which ordinary Hunters could learn to prepare, Herbal Medicine required an extremely complex combining process.
It called not only for rare and highly toxic medicinal plants, but also for extracting their active compounds and carefully balancing their toxicity. Only an experienced master apothecary could produce it, and even then only in small quantities.
Those rare ingredients and the complicated preparation gave Herbal Medicine effects that ordinary Antidotes could not match. It was compact, easy to take, and capable of purging toxins from the body quickly, while also treating organ damage caused by potent venom.
As a result, Herbal Medicine, much like Max Potions, was often in short supply. Without the right connections, even offering a high price might not secure any.
Nadia had originally expected the Grom-Baum Guild to prepare four or five doses, enough for each of them to carry one or two for emergencies, with several bottles of Antidote G making up the rest.
Instead, the Guild had prepared twenty doses outright. Clearly, it had no intention of making them settle for Antidote G.
Even as Grom-Baum's Guild Master, Ota must have gone to considerable trouble to gather so much Herbal Medicine at once.
"We appreciate the effort." Nadia accepted the wooden box and nodded her thanks.
"Think nothing of it. The Telos Jungle teems with venomous creatures, so our apothecaries are highly skilled at producing all kinds of antidotes.
"If you need anything else, do not hesitate to ask. If it means driving that thing away, I do not care if we empty the Guild's storehouse.
"Oh, right. Would you like me to arrange rooms so you can rest for a couple of days first?"
"That won't be necessary. We got plenty of rest aboard the Airship. Let's collect our supplies from the storehouse first.
"Once we have the maps and detailed reports, we'll study them, finalize our investigation plan, and set out."
"All right!" Ms. Ota picked up another document case from her desk. "Here are the maps and information you requested. Shall we go collect the supplies now?"
Nadia accepted the case, opened it, and quickly leafed through the contents. Looking up with a faint smile, she said, "You really did prepare everything, didn't you?"
Ota shrugged. "I used to be a Hunter myself, so of course I know what you need. Preparing in advance saves time.
"The sooner you set out and confirm the target's precise location and condition, the better it will be for Grom-Baum."
"Still as blunt as ever." Nadia teased Guild Master Ota as she passed the document case to Altaïr.
Julius had shown her Altaïr's file, so she knew he excelled at analyzing intelligence and devising strategies. She therefore entrusted the reports to him.
—--
The group followed Guild Master Ota to the Guild storehouse.
Grom-Baum lay deep within the resource-rich Telos Jungle, so the Guild storehouse was naturally packed to the rafters.
With twenty doses of Herbal Medicine already in hand, they saw no reason to hold back and began selecting whatever they needed.
Altaïr took several high-grade medicines, including Mega Dash Juice, Mega Demondrug, and Psychoserum.
As a Gunner, Nadia concentrated on Bowgun Ammo. To her delight, she discovered that the storehouse held not only ordinary Flaming Ammo, but also the far rarer Piercing Fire Ammo.
This ammunition combined piercing power with Fire Element damage. It was potent, but also prone to overheating a Bowgun's barrel, making it incompatible with most Light Bowgun models.
Her Eternal Rathling Phoenix, however, had been reinforced with Teostra materials, making barrel overheating virtually a nonissue. It was one of the few Light Bowguns capable of handling Piercing Fire Ammo.
There was no question about it. Nadia took the entire stock.
Even Sajji selected a few supplies, including several Lightning Rods. Thunderstorms were apparently common in the Telos Jungle, so they might prove useful.
They left the usual traps behind. Given an Elder Dragon's intelligence, traps were unlikely to work.
Altaïr, Nadia, and Sajji bustled around gathering supplies, while Isis and Clawdia stood to one side like a pair of spectators.
Neither Isis nor Clawdia often relied on items in combat, so they had no idea what to take. They could hardly carry off an entire crate of Rations.
The thought of Rations reminded Isis of something. Looking a little sheepish, she sidled over to Guild Master Ota. "Guild Master Ota, um... can we get a Canteen meal here?"
Ms. Ota froze for a moment, then slapped a palm to her forehead. "I completely forgot about that! Yes, you can!
"Of course you can! I'll arrange it right now!"
She stepped behind the storehouse door and called out several times before flagging down a passing staff member and sending him to tell the kitchen to prepare a full Canteen meal.
Altaïr came over with a helpless expression and stuffed several bottles of Mega Armorskin and a few Whetfish Fins into Isis's Item Pouch. The fins could serve as Whetstones and sharpen weapons far more efficiently than ordinary ones.
After checking their bulging Item Pouches once more, the Hunters left the storehouse fully satisfied.
—--
The Felyne Chefs worked flat out, and a lavish Canteen meal soon covered the table.
Ota had not reserved a private room, a clear sign of how much respect she commanded among the local Hunters.
Seeing her discussing business with the unfamiliar Hunters, the patrons in the Gathering Hall tavern quietly moved farther away and lowered their voices.
At a table along the edge of the tavern, Isis ate voraciously with her head lowered over her plate.
No one could really blame her. Over the next few days, they would be searching the perilous jungle for a Monster capable of turning invisible, with little chance to enjoy another proper meal.
She needed to eat her fill now and build up energy for the operation ahead.
Even Nadia, normally so elegant and composed, ate a hearty share.
Altaïr alternated between eating and studying the map, leafing through the intelligence provided by the local Guild.
Linton's mission report lay to one side. Its contents matched the summary Ota had given them earlier and offered no additional information.
Instead, Altaïr kept rereading the Elder Dragon Observation Team's surveillance report, adding numerous notes and markings to the map with his charcoal pencil.
After studying the increasingly cluttered map for a while, Altaïr suddenly asked, "Mr. Kral, does the scholarly community know anything about Chameleos's diet?"
"Its diet?" The young scholar looked down at the piece of meat on his plate. "There is no firm consensus yet. Still, Chameleos has evolved an extensible, sticky tongue.
"The prevailing theory is that it is omnivorous, feeding primarily on large insects such as Hornetaurs and Vespoid. Volvidon possesses a similarly structured long tongue, so this may be a case of convergent evolution. Of course, the evidence remains insufficient, so..."
Altaïr stopped listening once Kral launched into the caveats required for "academic rigor." A single thought surfaced in his mind.
It preys on Vespoid? Could that thing have worn itself out mating and come here to build its strength back up?
* * *
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