Altaïr had assumed their return journey would require the same overland travel as their arrival, and had meticulously planned the itinerary. To his surprise, the Professor directly rented a cargo airship under the joint authority of the Guild and Royal Academy.
Loading all four people, two woolly camels, the Vespoid Queen's corpse, and several Vespoid bodies aboard, they reached Val Habar in just one day.
At the airship dock outside the city, Altaïr and Isis disembarked, each leading a woolly camel. Erik leaned over the deck railing, waving goodbye with a cheerful grin, while the Professor gave a brief wave before turning to instruct the airship operator to depart immediately at maximum speed straight to Dundorma.
Though the Vespoid Queen's body in the cargo hold had undergone basic preservation, it would begin rotting if left for too many additional days.
Altaïr quickly called out, "Professor! Could you at least hint at what that additional reward you mentioned actually is?" He'd asked multiple times over the past two days, but the Professor remained tight-lipped, making Altaïr strongly suspect the old man hadn't actually decided yet.
"No rush! I'll arrange to have it delivered along with everything else in a few days! Depart!"
The cargo airship slowly ascended, soon disappearing among the blue skies and white clouds.
Altaïr and Isis looked at each other helplessly as the woolly camel behind them let out a "brrrrr" sound, seemingly urging them to hurry up. Having been confined either in beast pens or the airship's cargo hold this whole time, the camels were thoroughly bored.
Resigned, Altaïr picked up the reins. "Let's go settle the quest at the Guild Hall first. We need to return these two camels too."
Isis nodded, fingering the messily scribbled quest document in her arms with concern. "We registered for an extermination quest when we left, but we're returning with a document that's been altered to a hunting quest... Do you think the guild receptionist will actually accept this?"
"More importantly, the client who personally made these changes rushed off in a hurry," Altaïr added, unable to resist glancing at the horizon where the departing airship had become a barely visible speck.
With uneasy hearts, the two arrived at the Guild Hall Dragonship.
Returning the woolly camels went smoothly, as specialized staff handled matters at the beast pen. However, the quest settlement inevitably hit a snag.
At the quest counter, guild receptionist Hannah, who had dyed her originally golden hair a striking rose pink, looked down at the quest document, then up at the two of them, her face clearly expressing "You've got to be kidding me?"
Isis said plaintively, "We're telling the truth. The client really did alter the document..."
The receptionist sighed. "But clients can't modify documents! Changing the quest type like this would require incredibly high authorization."
"Authorization?" Altaïr, who had been massaging his forehead, looked up quickly. "This is a special case. Guildmarm Sophia knows the details, you can ask her if you don't believe us."
"Well... alright," nodded the receptionist, known for her love of hair dye.
Any sane person would indeed think twice before pulling such a stunt, especially since Miss Isis seemed acquainted with the Guildmarm. After asking them to wait briefly, the guild receptionist hurried upstairs to the Guildmarm's office.
Within minutes, Hannah returned with the document, her expression even more peculiar than before.
"The Guildmarm is occupied and won't be coming down. She said to process the settlement exactly as written on the document and had me update the registry records to match." She tilted her head, adding, "I've never encountered anything like this before."
"Neither have we," Altaïr replied with a dry laugh.
Under the Guildmarm's "use your discretion" directive, the quest settlement was swiftly completed. They received a 5,100z reward, and their Hunter's Notes now recorded another 3★ hunting mission.
As Altaïr collected his share of the payment, he suddenly sighed loudly, drawing curious glances from both Isis and Hannah.
Leaning toward Isis, he whispered, "We definitely took down over a hundred Vespoids, right? Didn't the Professor originally say he'd pay extra for every Vespoid beyond thirty?"
Isis rolled her eyes at him. "Are you really going to write the Professor just to have him revise the document again? Watch out or he might downgrade your 'mystery reward.' We carved so many Vespoid materials that it took two woolly camels to haul them back. Once we sell them to the vendor, will you still be short on funds?"
"Good point."
"Wait? How many Vespoids did you two hunt?!" The receptionist stared at them in disbelief, as if witnessing two brazen criminals who'd disrupted the ecosystem and dared claim a guild reward.
"Everything was legal! I swear!" Isis raised her palm solemnly.
"You can verify with the Guildmarm," Altaïr added earnestly.
Hannah: "..."
—--
Back in Val Habar, Altaïr and Isis enjoyed several leisurely days. Beyond their daily essential physical training, they took time to properly unwind.
Their relaxation methods, however, differed.
Altaïr borrowed several books, not just profound academic texts but also novels, travelogues, cultural geographies, and even some cookbooks for lighter reading.
Isis befriended Jara, a local food connoisseur with a hearty appetite. He provided her with a culinary guide, and within two or three days, she'd sampled delicacies from every corner of the city.
They also dropped by to check on Sajji's training progress. The creature acted mysteriously, hastily draping a large cloth over its project when they entered the workshop.
Curious, Altaïr tried to peek underneath but got swiped at by the little fellow.
According to Naziya, Sajji had largely caught up on mechanical fundamentals and was now focused on hands-on practice and seeking opportunities to exchange ideas with experienced engineers. Sometimes, a single set of blueprints could dramatically advance a mechanic's skills.
Although the training period had ended, Sajji decided to remain at Naziya's caravan workshop a few days longer.
Its project, the cloth-covered creation, had reached final assembly stage, requiring specialized tools from Naziya's workshop. Once completed, this device would provide combat support!
After a few leisurely days, Altaïr suddenly noticed something unusual about the city's atmosphere. Everyone seemed busy with something, merchant caravans were departing one after another, and even the hunters who usually drank at the guild hall tavern had vanished.
Isis also keenly sensed this, as several of her favorite snack stalls had closed, making her anxious. She hurried to Altaïr's room to discuss it with him.
"Could it be something like an 'emergency declaration'?" Isis worried.
"Probably not. Otherwise, there would be notices posted in the Guild Hall," Altaïr leaned against the doorframe and suddenly remembered something. "What's the date today?"
Isis thought for a moment. "It's the end of the month. February is almost here."
"I think I know what's happening." Altaïr took out his memo and flipped through it. "Ah, found it. Ms. Sophia reminded me on the day we arrived in Val Habar that the entire city migrates to the next location in February."
"If I'm not mistaken, everyone is preparing for the upcoming city-wide migration."
"Ah! Aunt Sophia mentioned this to me too." Isis widened her eyes. "A city-wide migration... Sounds impressive. What should we do?"
Altaïr fell silent for several seconds before managing to say, "I don't know."
"Should we ask Aunt Sophia?" Isis suggested.
"Ms. Sophia must be very busy lately. We shouldn't disturb her." Altaïr pondered for a moment. "How about we ask Jara or Naziya? They're locals and must have experienced this many times."
"We could also ask the Wyverian craftsman or Chef Meow, but they're probably busy packing up their shops. Wait... Craftsman, did you forget something?"
"What is it?" Isis blinked at him.
"Your Barroth Armor should have been finished long ago. Haven't you gone to pick it up yet?"
"Eek!"