Chapter 33

Aolang had always felt his physique was quite tall.

Standing just over one meter eighty, he wasn't particularly outstanding among his peers, but at least he could be considered among the taller ones, and he was still growing!

But walking behind Lady Marydan, he suddenly felt as if he had returned to childhood many years ago.

That feeling of following behind an adult, able only to see the back of the person ahead, had returned...

"Boy Aolang, let me ask you, do you know about 'Ancient Dragons'?"

Aolang, who had been feeling gloomy, was suddenly caught off guard by Marydan's abrupt question as she walked ahead.

"Um... ah?"

He had heard this term; if he remembered correctly, it was when Teacher Haifa had let it slip by accident. Teacher Haifa had been furious and scolded her, saying she shouldn't speak of such things in public.

Out of curiosity, he took the term to ask Mr. Ramak, whose reaction at the time was even more subtle.

He sternly asked where Aolang had heard the term, and upon learning it was his own daughter who had accidentally let it slip, his face wore an expression of family misfortune, muttering about having "the child's mother" educate her and so on.

He further warned him that the Guild had sealed off information regarding Ancient Dragons from commoners and even ordinary Hunters; one should not investigate when lacking the strength, and once one reached that level, the Guild would make one know even if one didn't want to.

He considered himself not overly curious, so he had put the matter out of his mind.

He never expected Marydan to bring it up suddenly now.

"Judging by your expression, you know a little?" Marydan stopped, turned around, and looked at him.

"Yes." Aolang did not hide it. "I heard Teacher Haifa mention it once. After Mr. Ramak learned of it, he warned me, saying I was not yet qualified to understand such things."

"That brat, I'll beat her when I get back." Marydan muttered, then continued: "That old man of ours was right. According to regulations, only Upper Hunters are qualified to access information on this subject.

But in reality, due to various reasons, information cannot be completely sealed off; Elite Hunters of Star Four and above know at least a little, and some have even participated in operations...

Hmm, I won't go into more detail. You just need a basic concept: know that it is a general term for a type of monster far more powerful than the Flying Wyvern Species."

"More powerful than the Flying Wyvern Species..."

Aolang chewed over these words several times, then suddenly raised his head, looked directly into Marydan's eyes, and asked, "Compared to that guy?"

Hearing this, Marydan was momentarily stunned; of course, she knew what Aolang was referring to.

The Nomad Village to which Aolang belonged had been destroyed by a monster back then; she was one of the Hunters who participated in the rescue, and that monster had left too deep an impression on her.

Marydan chose not to brush Aolang off at such a moment. After a moment of silence, she said, "There are many Ancient Dragon Species, and the strength between individuals varies immensely.

I can only say that most are stronger than that guy; some could even kill that guy with ease."

"I understand." Aolang nodded, did not press further, and his expression did not change much.

This made Marydan sigh with slight relief, but what she did not know was that Aolang already had some thoughts in mind.

All along, he had wanted to know what kind of strength "that guy" possessed and when he would be qualified to hunt it down.

In this regard, his teacher was very tight-lipped, making it difficult for him to obtain any meaningful information, but Lady Marydan's words gave him a rough benchmark.

According to Guild regulations, only Upper Hunters are qualified to access detailed information regarding Ancient Dragons, which means the danger level of all Ancient Dragons is above Six Stars.

And if that guy's strength is compared to an Ancient Dragon, he falls in the lower-middle range; in other words, around Seven Stars?

Seven Stars...

Lady Marydan's Hunter rank is Eight Stars, but that is more of an honorary rank given by the Guild to her, a veteran Hunter of outstanding merit, upon retirement.

Lady Marydan's strength at her peak should have been around Seven Stars.

It is very distant, but at least there is now a goal.

"Smack!"

A palm the size of a plate slapped the back of Aolang's head. "Damn it, where did you twist the topic to?

I mentioned Ancient Dragons to you for no other reason. How should I put it? How much do you, boy, know about the 'Harvest Festival' and the 'Feast of the Great Desert'?"

Aolang rubbed his head. "Every year during the Monsoon Season, an extremely, extremely huge monster emerges from the depths of the Sand Sea and migrates near Locklak City. At the same time, a huge swarm of Sand Fish follows closely behind it.

The Sand Ship Fleet and the Fish Boat Team set out together; the former is responsible for repelling that monster, while the latter focuses entirely on catching the Sand Fish.

This has become Locklak's most important tradition. To display bravery and celebrate the harvest, Locklak holds a grand festival every year, attracting large numbers of tourists and Merchants. This is the 'Harvest Festival'.

And the battle of repelling the monster and catching the Sand Fish is called the 'Feast of the Great Desert'...

Wait, do you mean that the giant monster from the depths of the Sand Sea is actually one of the Ancient Dragon Species?

It is merely referred to as a 'giant monster' because the Guild has sealed off information regarding Ancient Dragons, in order to downplay its impact?"

"Clang!"

Marydan's palm struck the top of Aolang's head again, with far more force than before. Aolang couldn't help but clutch his head, crouch halfway down, and after recovering for quite a while, asked somewhat aggrievedly, "Was I wrong?"

Marydan brushed away non-existent dust from her hands. "No, you guessed correctly, but I don't like children who are too smart, so I have to beat you a bit dumber."

Aolang: "......"

"Alright, hurry up and follow. It was just a light tap; why be so dramatic?" Marydan slapped Aolang on the back again, making him stumble. "Hurry up; we're almost there."

Aolang followed the former's pace with a pained expression.

Their destination was a large Dock located on the edge of Locklak City.

The rock platform here was very low, almost level with the Desert outside the city; even large Sand Ships could enter and exit between the Dock and the Desert relatively easily.

In the Dock, many people wearing bright yellow sleeveless shirts were busy.

Aolang knew these people; they were all the most seasoned Sailors and Sand Ship Pilots. Among them were members of the Citadel Guerrillas, Sailors from commercial vessels, and Fishermen from the Fish Boat Team.

Before the Monsoon Season arrives each year, these people gather together with Elite Hunters to form the Sand Ship Fleet.

And the Sand Ship Fleet is the absolute main force for intercepting that giant monster.

Thinking of this, Aolang's gaze toward these people naturally gained a bit more respect.

At the same time, he noticed that the way these people looked in his direction, or rather, at Lady Marydan, was also different.

The younger ones mostly showed confusion and surprise, as if thinking: Where did this muscular old auntie come from?

But those at least forty or fifty years old and older wore expressions of pure awe on their faces.

Noticing their arrival, an old man with a head of curly hair and even curly beard walked over, but before he could speak, Marydan spoke first:

"You old fool, you're a few years older than me, must be seventy this year, right? You've stopped exercising and your muscles have atrophied; why haven't you retired yet?"

The old man's face darkened. "Leading the Sand Ship Fleet requires experience, not muscles. What are you here for?"

"I want to join the fleet this year to go out and have some fun, stretch my limbs; is that not allowed?"

Marydan bared a mouth of white, jagged fangs, grinning like a tiger. "Save the spot for me to strike the big Gong! After leaving the fleet these years, you won't find anyone who wields a hammer better than me!"

"Are you serious?" The old man looked at Marydan with suspicion.

To tell the truth, he did not object to Marydan boarding the ship. Although the latter had been retired for several years, seeing her muscles, hard as rock blocks all over her body, showed that her condition was maintained quite well.

Her strength might have declined, but she was absolutely not comparable to an ordinary Hunter.

"What nonsense! If I really wanted to stretch my limbs, I'd go find a Boom Dragon to play with, not come here to eat sand with you." Marydan grinned and pushed Aolang, who was following behind her, forward.

"How about taking this kid along? Consider it me doing you a favor!"

The old man's gaze finally fell on Aolang. His expression was clearly puzzled. "Your son? No, I remember your family has a daughter."

"A grandson? But the age doesn't quite match... So you really did hurry to have another one in your early years? Your wife must have worked hard."

Veins on Marydan's forehead jumped wildly. "Do you want to die?"