After some "slightly forceful" persuasion from his Rangers teammates, Sajji ultimately accepted Altaïr's invitation.
Surrounded by a large group of people, the man and cat arrived at Boss Joda's office.
Sajji, following beside Altaïr, appeared somewhat timid and ashamed to make this request to Boss Joda. Meanwhile, Joda stood with his arms crossed, as if he had been waiting here for a while.
"Finally convinced him?" Joda asked, looking at Altaïr.
Altaïr wasn't quite sure how to respond. Truth be told, he hadn't really done much persuading; most of the talking had been done by the others.
Resha scooped Sajji up and rubbed her face vigorously against his. "I'm really going to miss this little guy when he's gone."
Asa grabbed Sajji's dangling foot and mimicked Resha's actions, pretending to rub against it. "Gonna miss him too!"
"Piss off, meow!" Sajji kicked him away forcefully.
Watching these laughing, playful youngsters, a smile also appeared on Joda's face.
There were some things that were inappropriate for Altaïr to say from his position, but the Rangers teammates could give Sajji that push from behind.
"Alright, enough fooling around. Put Sajji down," Joda scolded the group with a laugh before straightening his expression.
Once back on the ground, Sajji tried hard to stand up straight but still couldn't bring himself to look Joda in the face.
"Come on, what's with that posture? Lift your head."
Accustomed to following orders, Sajji instinctively raised his head, only to be met with Joda's large hand.
Joda rubbed and patted Sajji's head for a moment before squatting down to look him directly in the eyes. "Don't listen to what others say, and don't think about repayment or anything like that. I'll only ask you one thing.
Sajji, do you want to travel with Altaïr? Or do you prefer life with the Loc Lac Rangers and want to stay here forever?
Think carefully. Make sure of what you truly feel inside. No need to answer right away; give me your answer in three minutes."
Sajji hugged his head and thought for a long time before finally looking up and answering seriously, "Everyone in the Rangers has been really good to me, and I haven't repaid the kindness of taking me in yet, meow.
It might seem ungrateful, but I really do want to go out and see the world outside, meow."
"That's good," Joda said, rubbing Sajji's head again. "It's good that you can confirm what you truly want."
As he spoke, he retrieved a contract scroll from behind him.
"On the first day I brought you back to Loc Lac, I told you; the Loc Lac Rangers are a 'cradle.' When you feel you're ready, stride out with your head held high."
"Boss Joda, meow!" Sajji's eyes welled up with tears.
"If you've made up your mind, leave your paw print on this contract. From now on, you'll be calling someone else 'boss,' you know," Joda said, handing the contract to Sajji. "But if you're still hesitant, it's completely fine to keep staying here too."
Sajji looked up at Altaïr, who also squatted down and extended his hand to him. "Will you come with me?"
After a brief silence, Sajji nodded and placed his small paw in Altaïr's palm.
Watching this scene, the emotional Resha couldn't help but sniffle.
Asa, standing beside her, nudged her shoulder. "Wasn't Sajji closest to you before? Honestly, I always thought he'd become your partner. How did Altaïr snatch him away?"
"Piss off!"
—--
It wasn't just a brief trip of a few days, but leaving the familiar city for an extended journey abroad; the preparations needed were countless.
Altaïr took out his memo pad, which was already densely filled across two pages.
"Boss, what are we going to do now, meow?" Sajji, following beside Altaïr, asked.
Altaïr put away his small notebook. "First, let's head to the workshop. The armor I ordered before the Autumn Harvest Fest should be ready. I've also returned the Ranger's Armor set, so it's perfect timing to switch to the new gear. Do you need your equipment upgraded?"
"Me, meow?" Sajji patted the Felyne Alloy Mail on his body. "No need, meow. I just changed into this set a few months ago, meow. It's completely sufficient, meow."
"Alright, if you ever feel the need in the future, just let me know anytime. The same goes for the fees and materials for your learning and research institute."
"That's not necessary, meow." Sajji shook his little head. "Those are just my personal hobbies, meow."
Altaïr smiled at him. "No need to be so polite. I fully intend to support this hobby of yours. I've heard that in recent years, besides the traditional fight-type Palicos, bombardier-type Palicos specializing in explosives, and healer-type Palicos skilled in first aid, there's been a gradual emergence of assist-type Palicos focused on using traps and mechanisms. That direction seems quite suitable for you. Don't think you can only recreate wind-up toys now; who knows, in a few years, you might even be able to craft a portable Dragonator."
"That's way too exaggerated, meow!"
"Goals should always be set ambitiously."
The man and cat chatted and laughed as they arrived at the workshop. Seeing the two of them, the scantily clad Shopkeeper put her pipe in her mouth. "Finally here. I thought you'd forgotten about the equipment order you placed here."
"Sorry..."
"Alright, just joking, don't take it so seriously." The Shopkeeper blew a smoke ring. "Actually, it was only finished not long ago. Who could blame it with how busy we were during the Autumn Harvest Fest before?"
At the Shopkeeper's call, someone quickly brought out the brand-new Genprey Armor set from the inner workshop.
Unlike the bright yellow of the original materials, the processed Gendrome materials displayed a dark red color similar to rust.
It consisted of inner and outer layers: the inner layer was a base of metal armor forged from Iron Ore, Machalite Ore, and other minerals, while the outer layer was adorned with Gendrome leather and scales to enhance defense, making it appear quite sturdy and reliable.
"There aren't many standout features to introduce about this set. In short, its defensive performance is much stronger than your initial Hunter's Armor. One thing to note is that the Gendrome itself has very poor resistance to water and ice attributes; after all, it's rare to encounter those in the desert. This armor set inherits that weakness, so if you need to face Monsters with similar abilities, please be extra cautious."
"Thanks for the reminder, I'll keep that in mind."
After nodding seriously, Altaïr began trying on the armor.
The workshop craftsmen's skills were excellent; the entire armor set was crafted to fit very well. Its weight, heavier than both the Hunter's Armor and the Ranger's Armor set, gave a sense of reassurance.
"Oh, and here's the shield you requested to be reforged." The Shopkeeper handed a brand-new metal round shield to Altaïr.
Just as Altaïr reached for it, the Shopkeeper suddenly pulled her hand back, making him grab empty air. "Don't go throwing away your shield and not retrieving it again, alright? The craftsmen would get angry if they heard about that."
"Sorry, I'll be more careful." Altaïr lowered his head somewhat awkwardly.
The shopkeeper snorted and shoved the new shield into his arms. "I heard you performed Blade Dance on Jhen Mohran's back using Sword and Shield and a carving knife.
I'm telling you, kid, why not just switch to Dual Blades?"
Altaïr felt tempted for a moment upon hearing this, but ultimately shook his head. "It's not time yet. I'm not qualified to abandon my shield."
"Fine, fine, suit yourself." The shopkeeper waved her hand dismissively; she had only mentioned it in passing anyway.
After bidding farewell to the shopkeeper, the man and his cat left the workshop.
Altaïr took out his memo again and began making preparations for his journey one by one according to the list.
He packed necessary luggage, bid farewell to Marydan and her husband along with other friends, left a letter in his home's mailbox explaining his travels, organized accumulated materials, selling what should be sold and storing what should be preserved.
Finally, he gathered all his money. Except for a small amount of cash, he exchanged everything else for easily transportable gemstone roughs through a merchant recommended by Joda.
These gems were local specialties of Loc Lac, relatively cheap locally, and were said to increase in value by 10-20% when taken to large cities outside desert regions.
Even if not sold, keeping them for crafting decoration jewels in the future wouldn't be a loss.
One by one, the tasks recorded in the memo were completed. When the final item was crossed out with charcoal, the day of departure was already close at hand.