Chapter 35: Elite Hunter

For the past two days, Aolang had been staying at the Sand Ship Fleet's dock, or put more politely, getting familiar with the ships; more directly, he was doing menial labor.

According to Asa, Sand Ships were like sickly children—if not properly cared for, they'd cause major problems when used.

Fortunately, small Sand Ships had simple structures, making inspection and repair far less complex than with the Dragon-Hunting Ship Fengshan Maru, and ordinary craftsmen could handle them.

To enhance the performance of these small Sand Ships, the fleet had allocated part of its Jieyun Wood quota to this project.

This wood possessed strength rivaling steel yet was extremely lightweight; hunters from its origin even used it to craft weapons, making it the finest material for shipbuilding.

However, due to the vast distance between the two regions and the exorbitant transportation costs, the price of this wood skyrocketed by the time it reached Luokelake.

Only organizations like the Sand Ship Fleet, with specialized operational needs and dedicated Guild funding, used this wood for building or repairing ships—everyone else considered it a gross waste of premium material.

When picking up these Jieyun Wood planks, Aolang's emotions grew subtly strange.

From the name alone, one knew Jieyun Wood came from Jieyun Village on the Western Continent, his teacher's hometown—a place said to be warm as spring all year round, famed for its hot springs.

After leaving Luokelake, surely his teacher would return home first? He wondered how she'd been lately.

The rhythmic "ping-pang-ping-pang" of hammering paused, and a craftsman's voice called out from inside the hull.

"Could you pass me a plank?"

Startled from his thoughts, Aolang quickly lifted the stacked Jieyun Wood planks beside him and carefully handed them over.

"Thanks!" The hammering resumed.

Just as Aolang was about to drift off again, Asa walked over, carrying a bundle of ballista bolts, and called out loudly, "How's our little baby doing?"

The craftsman, busy with repairs, ignored him; only after nailing on the final plank did he crawl out of the small Sand Ship's hull.

"Nearly done—the cracked planks on the hull have been replaced, and the bed ballista mounts have been additionally reinforced; even if the hull breaks apart, the ballista won't get ripped off."

"Hey! Don't say such bad luck! If the ship really falls apart, we'll come back as ghosts to settle scores with you!"

After thanking and apologizing to the craftsman, Aolang glared helplessly at Asa—this guy's mouth was beyond saving, and he didn't even bother scolding him.

Looking at the bundle of heavy ballista bolts in Asa's arms—each as thick as an egg, forged from pure steel, more like a harpoon than an arrow—Aolang's curiosity stirred.

"These are Heavy Ballista Bolts, right? And you mentioned the mounts earlier—do small Sand Ships even install bed ballistas? I thought only Fengshan Maru carried such heavy weapons."

"Heavy weapons? No, no, no, no." Asa helped Aolang carry the heavy bundle into the hull, then stretched his arms as he explained, "In front of a Fengshan Dragon, only large cannons and Dragon-Striking Spears barely qualify as heavy weapons."

As for bed ballistas, to it, they're no different from toothpicks.

The reason small Sand Ships mount them is solely to fire Binding Bombs, linking the ship to the Fengshan Dragon to slow it down.

Additionally, the boarding combatants climb along the Binding Bomb's ropes onto the Fengshan Dragon's back to sabotage it—dangerous, but a chance to strike it rich!"

Asa winked at Aolang, his expression clearly saying, "Ask me!"

Though Aolang understood what Asa meant by "strike it rich," he considered the guy's mood and asked, "So how exactly do you make money?"

"Hehe, let me tell you!" Asa pulled Aolang to sit on the gunwale. "According to the veterans in the fleet, Fengshan Dragons love to swallow mineral deposits from the Sand Sea."

Some indigestible minerals are excreted like sweat, congealing into a special ore at glands on its back.

This ore is extremely valuable—many Merchants come to Luokelake during the Harvest Festival just for it. If you can collect a few pieces, you'll make a fortune!"

Hearing this, Aolang couldn't help but feel tempted.

He wasn't short on money—his teacher had left him a substantial sum, and recent months of frequent missions had added to his savings.

But which Hunter could resist the lure of high-grade materials?

"Don't listen to this guy—Fengshan Dragons aren't... ordinary Monsters. Thinking only of profit during battle will distract you and cause accidents."

A strange male voice came from nearby—a young Hunter approached, with simple brown short hair, seemingly in his twenties.

Aolang's gaze involuntarily fell on the Hunter's armor.

Rathian Set—a high-grade armor crafted meticulously from Female Fire Dragon materials, its performance far surpassing his own Citadel Guerrilla Team Set and the Yellow Velocidrome King Set he hadn't even acquired yet.

Due to strict Guild restrictions, Hunters could only craft equipment from Monsters they personally hunted.

In other words, this young Hunter, who looked only five or six years older than him, had successfully hunted the Female Fire Dragon—the one known as the Queen of the Land!

"Senior Sai'er!"

Asa jumped down from the gunwale with a grin and walked over to the young Hunter, enthusiastically introducing them both. "This is Senior Sai'er, the one I told you about—my partner, a true Four-Star Hunter!"

"And this is Aolang, my good brother from the Citadel Guerrillas. Don't let his age fool you—he's incredibly strong! He only turned seventeen two months ago and's already a Two-Star Hunter!"

Aolang and the young Hunter named Sai'er extended their hands and shook.

Suddenly, Aolang felt a pull—his shoulder pressed against the other's, and the man clapped him twice on the back in a brief embrace.

Aolang froze. Such warmth on first meeting? This senior didn't seem the type to be overly emotional.

After separating, Sai'er noticed Aolang's expression and looked puzzled. He turned to Asa. "The desert etiquette you told me about—this is correct, right?"

"Y-yeah..." Asa was barely holding back laughter.

Aolang saw right through it—he was being teased again. He offered a slightly apologetic explanation: "Actually, there's no issue. Hugs and cheek kisses are common greetings in Luokelake."

But handshakes were introduced from outside—they're broader, more universal."

When meeting foreigners for the first time, we use handshakes to avoid awkwardness or discomfort—but suddenly switching to a hug mid-handshake? That's just unexpected."

"I see..."

Sai'er didn't hold a grudge over this small matter. He rubbed the back of his head. "As long as no rude behavior made you uncomfortable, that's what matters."

Aolang was quietly surprised.

This man was older than both him and Asa; at his twenties, achieving Four-Star Hunter status was remarkable—truly elite. He could easily have been arrogant or aloof.

But this senior seemed genuinely kind—he'd spoken wisely earlier, proving he was level-headed, yet not rigid. He'd be pleasant to work with.

Aolang's fondness for this senior increased sharply.

"By the way, Senior Sai'er, why did you suddenly come to the dock?" Asa asked again. "You're a Hunter sent by the Guild for support—you don't need to help with preparations."

Sai'er hesitated. "But isn't today the day for team drills? Maybe I got the date wrong?"

Was that a thing? Aolang turned to ask Asa.

Asa opened his mouth. "Ah, sorry—I got so caught up repairing the ship, I forgot to tell you..."