At first, Isis's suggestion sounded absurdly far-fetched.
On second thought, however, perhaps it was not entirely without merit.
Many Large Monsters possessed senses far sharper than those of humans or even Lynians like Felynes, especially an Estrellian, believed to be the juvenile stage of an Elder Dragon.
An Estrellian's perception was not limited to hearing and scent. Its sensitivity to energy and aura was something humans and Lynians could never hope to match.
The Guild had largely confirmed that the entity responsible for drying up Esther Lake and driving the Estrellian herd into a mass migration was the same culprit behind the violent geological upheavals, including earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, that had struck the Old World in recent years.
As one of that creature's victims, the Estrellian hatchling might still retain a memory of the creature's aura.
The residual energy and aura of certain powerful beings could linger for decades, centuries, or even longer.
The Estrellian hatchling might therefore be able to help them distinguish earthquake sites linked to "that thing" from sites affected by unrelated causes.
That would vastly improve both the speed and accuracy of the investigation.
The only problem was getting the hatchling to cooperate.
It had been fond of Isis back then, but enough time had passed that there was no telling whether it still remembered her as a friend.
Perhaps it had grown a little, entered a rebellious phase, and remembered how Isis had bullied it when they first met. It might even treat her as an enemy instead.
Even so, using the hatchling's senses was worth trying. They had no better way to separate traces of their quarry from unrelated geological activity.
"I'll contact Hunter's Guild headquarters and submit the proposal. If the higher-ups approve it, we'll have to make a trip to Esther Lake," Altaïr told Isis.
Nymera looked at Altaïr in surprise. "Are you serious?"
She had expected him to reject Isis's wild idea immediately.
"Ask Isis yourself. What does she think is the difference between Dango, Hibiki, and bacon?"
Nymera turned to Isis.
Isis cupped her chin and pondered the question for two seconds. "Small, medium, and large?"
Nymera was speechless.
Beside them, Clawdia had been crouching in glum silence. A smug look suddenly spread across her face.
Bad news. She didn't mention me.
Good news. She didn't mention me because they're only beasts. I'm Isis's one true partner, meow!
—--
That night, Altaïr sent Hunter's Guild headquarters in Dundorma a brief outline of Isis's proposal and their reasoning by airship.
He also sent Francesca a letter.
He hoped she could use the Merchant Guild's network to help them gather relevant information from across the continent.
Francesca's own reach was naturally limited, but Altaïr knew her personality and how she operated. She would first approach the Guild's higher-ups. Once the Guild formally backed the effort, she would coordinate the work internally.
There was no need to worry about the details. Francesca would handle them beautifully. She might even use the opportunity to establish ties with influential figures and gain valuable political connections.
—--
The Guild's reply arrived swiftly.
Given the time the letter and the peregrine falcon's reply had spent in transit, the Guild must have dispatched its answer within half a day of receiving Altaïr's proposal.
The response was direct. The Guild authorized a trial, but imposed one condition.
They first had to travel to Esther Lake, find the Estrellian hatchling, and prove that they could keep its actions fully under control. Only then would the Guild allow them to proceed to the next stage.
After discussing the matter, all four agreed that Altaïr and Isis would go to Esther Lake and search for the hatchling.
Morgan, who had never seen the Estrellian hatchling, would remain in Port Tanzia and continue gathering intelligence.
During his previous hunts for Sea Beasts, he had befriended several local Hunters, including a few Sea People Hunters. He planned to ask them for help.
The great earthquake had only just struck Port Tanzia, so traces of its cause might still linger nearby.
Nymera intended to take their enormous haul of Mizutsune materials to Harth.
The group had originally planned to wait until they returned to Dundorma, then ask a reliable smith there to forge the materials into armor.
The sudden earthquake had disrupted that plan.
With dangerous battles potentially ahead, Nymera decided to have the new armor forged as soon as possible.
Port Tanzia had suffered severe damage, however, and the tsunami had destroyed the workshop's large boiler. The smiths there clearly could not handle such a demanding armor commission anytime soon.
With no other choice, she had to make time for a trip to the Volcano.
If Altaïr had not reminded her, she might have forgotten that she still had not used her "Manti Ticket."
The Master Craftsman in Harth would surely do justice to the materials and draw out their full potential.
Given the value of a Manti Ticket, she might even be able to have a high-quality set of Palamute armor made for Hibiki.
The group split up and set their plans in motion.
—--
Altaïr and Isis boarded an airship arranged by the local Guild and flew northwest across the continent toward Esther Lake in the Schrade Region.
—--
After two days and three nights in the air, the airship landed near the Hunter's Camp on the outskirts of Esther Lake.
To their surprise, someone had arrived ahead of them.
A large airship, far bigger than the camp itself, hovered overhead. It was too large to land, so cables anchored it above the camp.
It was the Knowledge Seeker.
Altaïr's eye twitched twice at the sight.
Those people, honestly...
Had they not said it would take a long time to prepare their supplies and personnel? How had they come rushing over the instant they heard about the Estrellian hatchling?
Fine. Since they were already here, they might as well stay. Having such a large airship available would make every part of the operation easier.
The hatchling had probably grown quite a bit over the past two years. An ordinary cargo airship might no longer be able to carry it.
Before Altaïr and Isis could enter the camp, someone hurried out to greet them.
Pure silver hair caught the bright summer sunlight over Esther Lake, dazzling them.
"My dear friends!" Erik looked intensely excited, with none of his usual bookish reserve. "You're finally here!
"Can we go welcome the princess now?"
Altaïr was speechless.
I knew it.
—--
Erik practically dragged the two of them aboard the Knowledge Seeker. The ship carried only a skeleton crew. In their haste to depart, they had not had time to assemble many personnel, so only a handful of scholars had joined the original complement, which had not included a single Hunter.
Mr. Alva was in command of the Knowledge Seeker for this operation.
The gentle, middle-aged scholar greeted them with a cheerful laugh. "Our orders are to cooperate fully with your investigation.
"The Guild's higher-ups are very optimistic about your plan to use the Estrellian hatchling to identify the cause of each earthquake and assist with the investigation.
"Of course, that depends on whether the hatchling will behave."
"Alva, Fran..."
Alva immediately understood what Isis wanted to ask. He smiled and said, "Francesca isn't aboard right now. She accepted the Guild's assignment and left to coordinate with the various Merchant Guilds so they could gather intelligence.
"I expect a great deal of information to start pouring in soon. If possible, I hope you can locate the Estrellian hatchling and secure its cooperation before then.
"Once that is done, we can follow the reports to each suspicious location and investigate them one by one. I'm sure we'll make progress soon."
Alva sighed dreamily. "Oh my. To spend day and night alongside an Estrellian... This is going to be a truly wonderful journey!"
"If you don't mind my asking, is Miss Lania aboard?" Altaïr asked cautiously.
Alva's smile grew utterly unrestrained. "She isn't here!"
Altaïr was speechless.
Could I still ask the Guild to assign Miss Lania to this investigation?