Unlike a routine survey quest, the mission to determine the cause of the Lolo Gougarf's abnormal migration could not be completed by simply heading to a designated area, looking around, and confirming the situation.
As the Village Chief had said, this was an expedition.
The Hunters would have to venture deep into the sprawling Mangrove Forest and reach the central region, where the Lolo Gougarf population was densest, to investigate and search for clues. The cause of their abnormal activity might not even lie within the Mangrove Forest itself.
The quest could only be considered complete once they had identified the true source of the disturbance and resolved the problem at its root.
This was far more complex than a standard Hunt quest that amounted to "go to the target area, take down the target, and return to report its completion." Only Hunters whose abilities had been recognized would be entrusted with such a mission.
Many missions undertaken by higher-ranked Hunters followed a similar pattern.
At that moment, the three Hunters assigned to the quest and their two Felynes were gathered in Altaïr's cabin, discussing their plan of action.
Even by conservative estimates, the quest would take two weeks to a month. During that time, they would likely have few opportunities to return to the base for resupply, making thorough preparation essential.
Altaïr, who had once worked as a guide in the Great Desert, had plenty of experience in that regard. "The Mangrove Forest has no shortage of food or water.
"For supplies, we only need enough rations to serve as emergency food. What we really need to plan carefully is our Ammo.
"A high-intensity battle would burn through a great deal of your Bowgun Ammo, Morgan, as well as Isis's Shells.
"I suggest carrying less finished Bowgun Ammo and packing as much Gunpowder and other crafting materials as possible. Hollowberries and Blastnuts are plentiful in the Mangrove Forest, so we can gather them and Craft more Ammo as needed. That will be much more efficient than carrying every round ready-made.
"Also, if we only encounter Monsters around the level of a Lolo Gougarf or Yian Kut-Ku, don't waste your Ammo during the fight. Isis and I can deal with them quickly.
"Save your valuable Ammo for the battles where it truly matters."
Morgan nodded solemnly. "Understood. I'll make sure I'm prepared."
"Ms. Meow-It-All has already mapped out our route." Altaïr unfolded a map covered in lines and notes. "She prepared six possible routes for us, and we can adjust our course as the situation develops.
"It's a shame the mission will take so long and we have no firm return date. If Ms. Meow-It-All could come with us, she would save us a great deal of trouble."
Morgan voiced his concern. "Ms. Meow-It-All is too busy to accompany us, but are there really no other scholars who could? It wouldn't matter if this were only a Hunt quest, but an investigation like this..."
"I'd like to bring one too, but unfortunately, no one suitable is available." Altaïr sighed.
The first two phases of the advance team's mission had focused on finding a suitable site and establishing a base. Accordingly, of the first contingent Francesca had recruited, more than seventy percent were smiths, while Hunters made up only ten percent.
Most of the remaining twenty percent were chefs, physicians, administrators, and clerks. The scholars could be counted on one hand, and two of them were architects and engineers.
The only scholars with enough field experience to accompany the Hunters were Ms. Meow-It-All and Millsy. They had originally planned to ask Millsy for help, but she was also the outpost's only Airship pilot, and construction of the base could not proceed without her.
"I've already raised my concerns with Francesca. She said the next contingent would include more field-support scholars once the outpost's initial construction was complete.
"This time, however, we'll have to rely on ourselves." Altaïr shrugged.
In contrast to Morgan's concern and Altaïr's resignation, Isis remained optimistic. "We'll be fine. Altaïr knows a lot. He practically counts as half a scholar. Ms. Meow-It-All said so herself!"
Altaïr sighed helplessly. "That was only a joke."
Buoyed by Isis's optimism and confidence, Morgan gave Altaïr an emphatic nod. "We're counting on you."
"All right, all right. Let's end the discussion here and split up to begin our preparations."
Altaïr brought the conversation to a close.
Morgan was decisive to the point of impatience. After a quick goodbye, he hurried off.
He was going to the supply manager for a batch of high-quality Gunpowder, along with Bowgun Ammo materials that could not be gathered in the Mangrove Forest.
A Gunner always had more to prepare than a Blademaster.
"Boss, I'm gonna go find Theo, meow!" Sajji leaped off the bed and headed for the door.
Altaïr caught him by the scruff. "Slow down. First, tell me what you're planning to bring this time."
Unlike Clawdia, who fought with a pair of steel claws, Sajji's combat style depended entirely on the type of machinery he carried.
Altaïr naturally had to ask about that first.
Sajji tilted his head in thought. "Heavy firepower, control, reconnaissance, or traps. What kind of support do you need, Boss, meow?"
Altaïr considered the question for a moment. "Prioritize reconnaissance. Nymera won't be joining us this time, so we're a little short in that area.
"By the way, is your Yian Kut-Ku Model-3 stable enough to fly now?"
"It's already the Yian Kut-Ku Model-4, meow!" Sajji puffed out his belly proudly. "As long as there's a little wind, it can take off from level ground without a problem, meow! It might not be able to fly very high, but it should be good enough for reconnaissance, meow!"
"It just crashes a lot, meow," Clawdia said, licking her claws as she undercut his boast.
Sajji retorted indignantly, "That's not a crash, meow! It's a controlled spiral descent, meow! It's perfectly safe, meow!"
"All right, all right. As long as it's safe." Altaïr rubbed Sajji's head. "Then bring the Yian Kut-Ku Model-4. You can choose the rest. The Rakna-Kadaki Model-4 with its One-shot Binder and the Monoblos Series with its Dragonator are both good options."
Sajji thought it over. "The soft, sandy ground in the Mangrove Forest might not hold the Rakna-Kadaki Model-4's base securely, meow. The Monoblos Series is useful, but it's a single-use machine. Once it's fired, that's it, meow.
"How about this? I'll bring a Monoblos Model-3 and something new as well, meow?"
"Something new again?" Isis could not hide her surprise.
"Wait here. I'll go get it, meow." Sajji scurried out the door on all fours, then returned a few minutes later with a green cylinder strapped to his back.
"Is this... a new model from the Zinogre Series with the Lightning Rod?" Altaïr asked curiously as he examined the cylinder.
He had seen Sajji tinkering with it more than once over the past few days.
"No, meow. It's a whole new series. I call it the Rathian Series, meow!" Sajji grew especially excited whenever he talked about his new toy.
"Put simply, it's a launcher that fires rockets, meow!"
Sajji had been visiting Theo often lately, and the connection suddenly clicked for Altaïr. "Theo's alchemical rocket launcher?"
He knew that Theo carried a small rocket launcher for firing his alchemical explosives.
"That's right, meow! But Theo's rocket launcher is junk, meow. It barely reaches ten meters, and even then you have to lob the shot, meow." Sajji scoffed at Theo's launcher, then lifted his chin proudly. "I improved it for him, meow. Its range is several times greater now, meow. In return, he agreed to provide me with a stable and reasonably powerful alchemical explosive, meow. So I decided to make a launcher for myself too, meow.
"To be honest, the structure is very simple. It isn't much more complicated than the kinetic launcher used by the Zinogre Series. There isn't much room for improvement, so any increase in power has to come from the Ammo, meow.
"Theo promised to help develop even more powerful alchemical explosives in the future. That'll be awesome, meow!" Sajji grew more excited as he spoke.
The Rathalos Model-09 certainly packed a tremendous punch, but it was cumbersome to carry and prepare, and it needed Engine No. 2 aboard to achieve high-speed mobility.
The Rathian Series, by contrast, was light and easy to carry, which went a long way toward compensating for its lower direct firepower.
When necessary, it could even be deployed alongside the Rathalos Series to deliver twice the firepower... Altaïr and Isis exchanged glances.
Theo and Sajji had joined forces, one specializing in alchemy and the other in mechanics. They could only wonder what terrifying creations the pair might come up with in the future.
Clawdia's ears drooped in disappointment. "We're not bringing the Rathalos Series this time, meow?"
She really liked the rumbling Rathalos Model-09...
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tl note: Sadly, we didn't reach the goal before the reset, but I still dropped a bonus chapter. If the story hit 345ps before reset tomorrow, I'll drop 5 bonus chapters