More than a week had passed amid the team's repeated survey runs.
By combining the Cohoot's aerial vantage point with the Palamutes' mobility, the advance team had multiplied its exploration efficiency several times over and made far better use of its personnel.
When they first landed on the island, the Village Chief had considered Tidal Island too full of unknown dangers to let Kagetsu and Lambert, the team's 3★ and 2★ Hunters, respectively, leave the ship.
The other 4★ and 5★ Hunters had been divided into small teams for safety.
Once the Cohoot's reconnaissance had roughly established the number, species, and territories of the Large Monsters in the surrounding area, however, such caution was no longer necessary. Kagetsu and Lambert joined the surveys as well.
The 4★ and 5★ Hunters no longer had to remain in groups of three. They began investigating the "high-value target areas" selected by the Village Chief and Meowster in pairs or even alone, naturally boosting efficiency even further.
After another busy day, Altaïr and Isis returned to the ship together.
They had spent the day investigating a Monster den, the very lair of the crimson Fanged Beast.
The species was widespread and abundant along Tidal Island's southern coast. Wherever forest grew, traces of its activity could generally be found.
Fortunately, though gregarious, the Monster had no strong social structure. Individuals kept fairly loose territories, so attacking one was unlikely to bring an entire pack down on them.
After some discussion, Meowster and the advance team's scholars named the newly discovered Fanged Beast Lolo Gougarf.
A crimson-furred Fanged Beast skilled at leaping. The name was as straightforward as it was intuitive.
For now, the advance team's priority was to learn more about the species, and it had yet to issue the Hunters any quests to hunt them.
Altaïr and Isis had approached the den solely to confirm their numbers, not to hunt them.
Meowster had also speculated that Lolo Gougarf might be related to the terrifying Monster known as the "King of Fanged Beasts," but for now, that remained an unsubstantiated theory.
They would have no chance to investigate it further until the base was established and they could spare more personnel and resources.
As Altaïr and Isis arrived aboard, they were about to return to their respective cabins and remove their armor when a commotion on deck caught their attention.
They exchanged a glance, changed course, and headed up to see what the fuss was about.
The Village Chief was at the center of the commotion. The energetic young Wyverian had somehow climbed to the lookout platform at the top of the mast, where he was waving both arms and shouting in a language no one understood.
Bewildered, Altaïr and Isis spotted Nymera and Meowster at the foot of the mast, staring up at the strangely animated Village Chief with a mixture of concern and helplessness. They walked over.
"What's going on?" Altaïr nudged Nymera's shoulder with his elbow. "What is the Village Chief shouting?"
"I have no idea."
Meowster, clutching his claws, chimed in, "It's an ancient Wyverian language from Shiki Country, meow. Roughly, he said, 'Thank the wind, thank the heavens and the earth, thank the ocean currents, thank everyone. We finally found it! Hahaha!' Something like that, meow."
"Found what? Oh! Did you find a suitable site?" Isis asked as realization struck.
"More or less, meow." Meowster looked away from the Village Chief, who had worked himself into a frenzy, and spoke with a hint of complaint. "We actually found a few decent spots a couple of days ago too, meow.
But the site we discovered today is the one he especially likes, meow. The moment he heard about it, he started shouting, 'This is it! This has to be it!' meow.
I have no idea what he based that judgment on, meow, especially when we haven't even surveyed the site properly yet."
"What kind of place is it?" Altaïr asked.
Meowster drew a map from his waterproof satchel and unfolded it. At first glance, it was a complicated, rough-looking sketch, clearly unfinished.
"Farther west of the Mangrove Forest, there's a Great River flowing into the sea, meow.
On the far bank is an open area. The river's floodwaters may be the reason the ground there isn't soft sand like in the Mangrove Forest, but much firmer, darker soil, meow.
The Cohoot has only confirmed that much so far, meow. The site certainly has the potential to become a base camp, but potential is all it is. To be sure, we'll have to send someone to conduct a thorough field survey, meow."
"I'll go too tomorrow!" The Village Chief slid down the mast with his arms wrapped around it. "My instincts tell me that's the place! Flat, solid ground and rocky terrain mean we won't have to worry about landslides, even during heavy rain. The Great River can provide fresh water, fish, and shrimp, and we can build docks for river traffic between its upper reaches and the sea. It can also serve as a barrier against Monsters coming from the Mangrove Forest! By the way, how far is it from our current position?"
Meowster glanced at the map. "About thirty-five kilometers, meow. Fortunately, we have Palamutes for transportation, meow. Otherwise, scouting that far from the ship wouldn't be easy."
"Tell the sailors to weigh anchor. We'll move the ship west and anchor near the mouth of the Great River. That will make everything much more convenient!"
"Weigh anchor now, meow? Finding a suitable anchorage in coastal waters is no easy task. Why not send a few Hunters to assess the area first?" Meowster suggested.
"No need. It's definitely a good location." The Village Chief's tone was surprisingly firm.
His voice dropped a little. "We've been on Tidal Island for over a week. The Hunters have been working nonstop, but everyone else has nowhere to go and nothing to do except remain cooped up aboard the ship. We need some good news."
Altaïr suddenly understood why the Village Chief had climbed the mast and begun shouting loudly enough to draw everyone's attention.
"If you wanted to spread good news, why didn't you just tell everyone in the common language?" Altaïr asked, puzzled.
The Village Chief winked. "Telling people directly isn't as effective as making them come and ask. The exploration team has only a few dozen members. If all of you spread the word, everyone will know by dinnertime.
It works better than making a simple announcement. Morale plays a crucial role, you know."
"..."
Altaïr opened his mouth, then hesitated. Noticing this, the Village Chief smiled and asked, "If you have any questions or concerns, say them directly. I won't mind."
Altaïr put aside his reservations. "If, and I do mean if, that rocky ground beside the Great River turns out to be unsuitable for an outpost, wouldn't this approach end up hurting morale even more?"
The Village Chief grinned and patted Altaïr on the shoulder. "You're right, but I firmly believe it will be perfect! When you're facing the unknown, even baseless confidence matters!"
With that, Altaïr let the matter drop.
He didn't share the Village Chief's blind faith in the riverside site, but he had great faith in the Village Chief himself. Even if the worst happened, he trusted this passionate leader to find a way through whatever problems arose.
—--
After dinner, the Village Chief issued his orders. The ship weighed anchor that night and sailed west along the coast.
—--
Before dawn the next morning, Altaïr and the others, fully armed, boarded a small boat bound for shore.
Not every Hunter joined the mission, since it was, at heart, a routine survey. As a precaution, however, Dawn, leader of the frontliner team, deployed a full elite squad.
Altaïr and Isis, the golden duo, formed the team's core and backbone.
A normal team could manage without a supporter, a healer, or even a Gunner, but never without reliable frontliners.
With those two present, the team could carry out nearly any tactic, whether a direct assault, guerrilla warfare, a running battle, or some less conventional strategy.
They still needed a Gunner. Under their usual arrangement, Nymera would have been the one to join them. After more than a week of intense, wide-ranging reconnaissance, however, she was exhausted, as were Hibiki and Mochi. Given the trio's condition, Dawn assigned Morgan as the team's Gunner instead.
Theo completed the squad. As an agile and versatile Sword and Shield user, he was assigned to guard the Village Chief.
That was because the Village Chief was coming ashore with them. He wanted to see for himself whether the open ground beside the Great River was truly suitable for an outpost.
For the occasion, the Village Chief wore light leather armor, a Genprey-hide cloak over his shoulders, and a short sword for self-defense at his waist. He looked sharp and capable, a striking contrast to his usual easygoing, playful manner.
As soon as the Village Chief jumped from the small boat and stepped ashore, Theo was at his side. "Village Chief, don't leave my side, all right?
Boss Dawn told me to protect you. If anything happens to you, I'm gonna get a beating." The blond Sword and Shield user grinned and winked.
"No need! Back in the day, I ran all over the place without Hunter bodyguards, didn't I? Ah, everyone, stop looking so nervous! Cheer up!"
The Village Chief drew his short sword and pointed it ahead. "What lies ahead isn't a tangle of dangerous thorns and brambles. It's our new home!"
(Translated by yourtl.app)