Although Asa's carelessness meant Altaïr hadn't received the news in advance, he was, fortunately, already wearing his armor and weapons, so there was no real impact.
However, Altaïr really disliked this feeling of being caught "off guard."
Taking this opportunity, he urged Asa to tell him the entire schedule for the near future, including joint training arrangements and the like, all at once. He wanted to write it on the calendar by his bed to prevent a similar situation from happening again.
Serl praised him greatly for this. He showed Altaïr a small notebook he carried with him, no bigger than the palm of his hand. It was his memo pad.
It meticulously recorded the things he needed to do each day, his training plans, goals to be achieved in the near future, and some insights and experiences from his hunts.
"Even people with the best memories can be negligent. This way, you won't forget what you need to do, and everything becomes more organized. It also makes it convenient to look back and review your actions and thoughts from the previous period, and to correct any areas where you didn't do well enough at any time."
Asa's face scrunched up as he listened. With his carefree personality, he would never have the patience for such things.
Altaïr's eyes, however, lit up. He was an organized person who liked to make plans. While he wouldn't go so far as to create a schedule precise to the minute, he would still think carefully about what needed to be done that day upon waking.
Beyond that, his talent for using multiple weapons meant that strange ideas would pop into his head from time to time. If he didn't write them down then and there, he would likely forget them after a while.
A portable memo pad like the one Serl carried was simply perfect for him. He decided that as soon as today's joint training was over, he would get one immediately!
At the same time, his impression of Serl evolved from "a very strong senior" at the beginning, to "a very strong and kind senior," and now to "a senior worthy of being a role model to learn from."
Coincidentally, the weapon Serl was skilled with was also the Sword and Shield.
Although Altaïr had not yet decided to use the Sword and Shield as his main weapon in the future, for now, its well-balanced performance in all aspects made it a necessary "platform" for integrating the techniques of other weapons. If he could master it, his strength would also improve.
And so, Altaïr shamelessly went over to Serl to ask for his guidance.
Serl was not stingy with teaching his juniors, and as a four-star hunter, many of his experiences and skills were of great benefit to Altaïr.
Only Asa was left to the side. He shrugged with a smile and continued to carry Ballista Ammo, assisting the craftsmen with tasks like installing the Heavy Ballista on the small Sandships.
Time passed without them noticing. When the shout to assemble was finally heard, Altaïr still felt that their conversation had ended too soon.
Serl was also surprised by many of the young junior's ingenious ideas, but it was no longer appropriate to continue their discussion. He tore two pages from his memo pad, on which he had recorded some of the key points of their conversation.
"This should be enough for you to digest for a few days. Oh, right, I have to remind you – never test unrefined techniques in actual combat, especially not in high-intensity battles. Progress might be faster on the brink of life and death, but to keep growing, you have to at least survive first, don't you?"
"I understand." Altaïr carefully folded the two sheets of paper and placed them in a close-fitting inner pocket. "Thank you for your guidance, senior."
"It's nothing. Let's go, the joint training is about to start."
—--
Across the vast sand sea, a dozen or so small Sandships sped along at high speed.
For Altaïr, who was born and raised in the desert, this type of small Sandship was arguably the most familiar mode of transport. Yet, he was still astonished by the speed of these vessels.
Perhaps it was because precious Yukumo Wood had replaced some of the metal structures, and all non-essential facilities had been stripped away to reduce weight.
These Sandships were far superior to ordinary ones in both speed and agility.
In return, they were also much more difficult to handle. Only the most outstanding pilots could maneuver these ships through the sand waves with ease.
The crew members also had to constantly shift their positions to adjust the center of gravity, unlike on a normal Sandship where one could just sit in the cabin and be done with it.
"Senior Serl, stand a little further forward and weigh down the bow!" Asa shouted commands while carefully adjusting the sail and rudder.
If they were to rank their hunting prowess, there was no doubt that Serl was in a league of his own at the top, with Altaïr second, and Asa at the bottom.
But when it came to piloting a Sandship, the order was completely reversed.
Serl, who had only been on a Sandship a handful of times and was barely managing to stay upright thanks to his excellent sense of balance, cautiously shuffled a step forward and looked back. "Is this okay?"
"Okay my foot! Get in front of the Ballista, and a little more forward! Put one foot on the bow!" Asa's tone was unexpectedly stern.
Their ship was already lagging behind the other groups.
After all, of the three people on board, only he had any real experience participating in The Desert Feast. He had to command the others on everything, including helping to adjust the Sandship's center of gravity.
And while his own piloting skills could be called excellent compared to an ordinary boatman, they still fell short when measured against the seasoned old crewmen.
The joint training lasted from morning until evening, and over the better part of the day, the trio's coordination improved significantly.
Serl could finally stand steady on the fast and bumpy Sandship. He knew to press forward to stabilize the ship's center of gravity when the bow lifted too high, and he understood how to keep from being thrown off during sharp turns.
The price for this was falling into the sand sea more than ten times over the course of the day. If it weren't for his sturdy Rathian Armor, it wouldn't have been surprising if he had broken his neck, instead of just being covered in dust as he was now.
According to Asa, this was already great progress for Serl. The first time the elite hunter had been on a Sandship, he could barely even stand up.
After a few more joint training sessions, the trio's coordination became even more seamless.
Now, Asa no longer needed to give many reminders. Altaïr and Serl knew on their own where they needed to be and when, allowing him to focus on adjusting the sail and rudder and piloting the Sandship.
By this point, they could basically keep up with the other Sandships and not get left behind.
Serl was thrilled by this and proposed that the three of them go to the guild hall tavern for a big celebratory feast, his treat.
But he was clearly celebrating too soon. Asa told him and Altaïr that for now, they had only completed the most basic part of the joint training. If they couldn't even adapt quickly to this part, even elite four or five-star hunters would be kicked out of the Sandship fleet.
Oh no, they would probably be more polite about it. "Please leave – you're very skilled, but you're not a good fit for us."
The joint training entered its second phase.
The Sandship fleet borrowed several large fishing boats from the Hunting Fleet, saying they were to be used to "simulate a target."
At first, Altaïr and Serl were both a little confused.
Not until the training truly began, when Asa, coordinating with the sailors on the fishing boat, used a sturdy rope to secure the small Sandship to the side of the fishing boat, letting the speeding vessel drag the small Sandship forward, and then urged the hunters to climb up to the fishing boat along the rope, which was angled at over sixty degrees.
Only then did they finally understand that the so-called simulated target was the legendary Jhen Mohran.
And at that moment, there were only two weeks left until the estimated arrival of the monsoon.