Bai Chen had no plans to reveal his secret — not to the Commander, not yet.
It wasn't that he distrusted the man.
In fact, when it came to reliability and leadership, the Commander far surpassed Lusamine.
But there was one problem — he couldn't protect the secret.
In the New World, the Commander was the highest authority, commanding every hunter and scholar.
But in the Old World, he was merely a senior officer who answered to the Guild.
Every discovery, every anomaly in the New World had to be reported back.
And Bai Chen had no idea what kind of people sat at the Guild's highest table.
Their motives.
Their greed.
Their limits.
So, no — telling them would bring him no benefit, only risk.
Lusamine, on the other hand, was different.
She was the Aether Foundation — her word was law, her influence unmatched.
And more importantly, she was a woman Bai Chen could predict.
As long as both sides benefited, their alliance would not break.
The Guild, however… offered him nothing he needed.
And so the truth of his dimensional travel would remain hidden.
Bai Chen weaved his cover story smoothly.
He told the Commander how, while searching for mushrooms, he was attacked by monsters—
and rescued by a peculiar blacksmith who called herself the "Master Artisan."
When he finished, the Commander nodded thoughtfully.
"A blacksmith from another world, you say? If she truly seeks to become the world's finest, then she's come to the right place. We'll gladly share our forging knowledge."
He even wrote a letter of recommendation, stamped with his personal crest.
"Take this to the Second Fleet's leader. They'll accept her into the forge immediately."
The little smith blinked, puffed her cheeks, and barked in her odd language.
"Yama!"
"She says," Bai Chen translated with a straight face, "she's very excited to study."
"Yama!!"
The smith smacked his shoulder in protest, clearly not amused.
Before she could keep arguing, Bai Chen simply tucked her under his arm and bowed.
"Thank you for everything, Commander."
And with that, he left the headquarters — the confused little smith grumbling the whole way.
Back at his small, two-room home in the Stardust Outpost,
Bai Chen finally let out a sigh of relief.
The furniture was still where he'd left it.
Nothing had changed.
He tossed his pack on the bed and released his two companions from their orbs.
The tiny Nergigante stretched her wings, landing on his shoulder with a low purr.
Bai Chen had already taught her how to conceal her Elder Dragon aura with the Natural Power technique —
Now, even the Guild's scholars wouldn't sense her true nature.
The smith hopped onto the bed, hammer in hand, eager to start "testing" the local forges.
Bai Chen ignored her enthusiasm for now.
He sat down, opened his hunter's log, and flipped to a blank page.
He took a pen and began to write.
[To-Do List – Return to the New World]
Capture new monsters.
Expand the roster of companions. The stronger the pack, the safer the hunts.
Train the Master Artisan.
Help her absorb every forging technique of this world — push her craftsmanship from rarity 3 to rarity 5.
Make money.
Lots of it. Feeding both an Elder Dragon and a bottomless-stomach hunter was bleeding him dry.
Hunt smart, not illegally.
Poaching was a death sentence — but official hunts paid well, and the system rewarded him handsomely.
"Capturing monsters gives me skill points I can assign anywhere... That's the key."
Refine breathing techniques.
His Qi Blade Flow was still at the beginner level.
The Sword Master — the only hunter with a rarity 7 breathing art — would be his next teacher.
Prepare a gift.
A proper one for Lillie's coming-of-age ceremony.
Something worthy of her kindness… and of his promise.
He leaned back, reading over the list again.
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"Not bad. Manageable goals."
He closed the logbook and set it aside.
While the rest of the Fifth Fleet was busy chasing the mystery of the Elder Dragon crossings and the molten trail of Zorah Magdaros,
Bai Chen already knew where that story led.
He didn't need to play along — not yet.
He knew the real threats that would come after:
monsters that defied reason —
the Xeno'jiiva, the Fatalis, the Alatreon,
beasts that could end entire continents.
With his current strength, facing one of those would be suicide.
For now, the goal was simple:
grow stronger.
Build a foundation.
He rose from his chair, slinging his weapon belt over his shoulder.
"Alright, Master Artisan," he said, smirking.
"Time to visit the weapon shop and… maybe challenge a few blacksmiths."
"Yama!"
Her eyes gleamed like forged steel.
The competition was on.
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