Chapter 273 comes to an end.
With a thud, Jié Jié tossed the Strike Dragon Gun aside and sprawled out as he dove down from the air, starting to tear apart the Submerged Mouth Dragon for consumption.
The edible meat on the Submerged Mouth Dragon was exceedingly scarce; its entire body was either shell or bones, and it was very easy to ingest sand while eating it—truly devoid of any culinary value.
After leaving behind the emptied shell and bones at the spot for some lucky soul to find later, he gave the Strike Dragon Gun a couple of rubs in the sand as a form of cleaning before hoisting it up and flying off elsewhere.
As he moved, the scent of the dye ball gradually faded. He wandered until nightfall, using the cover of the night sky to finally find a good spot to conceal the Strike Dragon Gun.
After hiding the Strike Dragon Gun, Jié Jié transformed into an inconspicuous flying bird and darted into the nighttime Loke Clark.
At this point, Loke Clark was still bustling with activity. A large amount of materials collected from the Spirit Mountain Dragon were piled up at the sandship landing site, awaiting organization and transport.
A significant portion of the obtained materials had to be handed over to the guild, while the remaining part could be kept by the hunters after registration. Whether for crafting equipment or collecting, there were no issues. If they lacked money, the guild would also purchase them at market price.
“Ah, every time I have to hand over so much, but what’s left this time will be enough for me to retire comfortably.”
“The income from this trip might drive the bigwigs crazy.”
“Indeed, if all of it floods the market, the economy might just collapse…”
“This is your reward. Just register, and you’re good to go.”
Some hunters complained about handing over too much, while others marveled at the richness of their harvest.
Officials were shocked by the vast amount of Spirit Mountain Dragon materials, imagining the reactions of the big shots and the market.
Others were distributing rewards to the guild knights. Although the fortress guard hadn’t received hunting orders, they would receive additional subsidies as per protocol.
Jié Jié’s perception was extremely sharp, capturing all these pieces of information one by one.
Amidst the unfamiliar crowd speaking an unfamiliar language, his grasp of their tongue began to accelerate.
Many people gathered in front of the Peak Mountain Ball, looking at the missing Strike Dragon Gun launch port at its front and the tear made by the beast’s claws at the back.
“That monster was massive, with a pair of thick horns on its head, its skin pitch black, and numerous white spines covering its body…”
There were also returning hunters recounting the thrilling events of that time, their words filled with admiration for the Chief Hunter.
Most hunters, upon seeing such a scene, would surely freeze in place, only to be devoured by the dragon.
“The guild will likely issue a commission to investigate the trail of that monster afterward—it’s an Ancient Dragon! ”
Hunters were either fearful or excited.
Fear needs no explanation, excitement stems from the wealth and fame gained from participating in actions against Ancient Dragons. Investigative tasks often involve observing and collecting footprints and monster drops, requiring only intelligence provision, posing minimal risk.
They didn’t know that the Ancient Dragon the guild might intend to investigate was watching them from above, trying to decipher their expressions and language.
As the moon slowly descended, even the hunters couldn’t withstand the continuous pressure and returned to their lodgings to sleep.
At this point, only the changing guards of the fortress patrol remained at the sandship landing area.
Jié Jié circled around Loke Clark, entering the largest and most magnificent building resembling a palace. The first floor was still brightly lit.
The lively side was the hunters’ gathering hall, where some hunters were feasting and drinking heavily, while others lay drunk on the tables.
Chef cats and receptionists were busy attending to these hunters. One could see drunken hunters confessing to receptionists, causing bursts of laughter.
The receptionists seemed accustomed to these roughnecks, politely smiling and responding with gratitude and affection to dismiss the hunters.
The Chief Hunter was also in the gathering hall. He wasn’t indulging in food or drink or drunkenly confessing to a receptionist but quietly slipped away to the task board to check tasks.
Jié Jié was also checking tasks. Tasks were categorized by stars with restricted access to avoid hunters accepting commissions beyond their capabilities.
The tasks posted here mainly involved Speed Dragons to Red-Armored Beasts, low difficulty, and no need for preliminary deployment by extra personnel.
After looking at the tasks for a while, the hunter bid farewell and left the gathering hall, ascending upstairs to enter his hunter quarters.
Luxury seaside room.
This was Jié Jié’s first impression upon entering through the ceiling—a spacious and bright space with a balcony offering views of the central lake of Loke Clark and the colossal fang of the Peak Mountain Dragon.
The Odd-Faced Tribe assistant inside heard the sound and darted out of the nest, waving at the hunter. Catching sight of the bird in the air instantly, it leapt high with a stamp of its leg but missed as Jié Jié dodged.
“Just let it be; it’ll fly out on its own.”
The hunter opened the window and prepared to rest.
Meanwhile, Jié Jié observed the small humanoid Odd-Faced Tribe member wearing a mask. It seemed less adorable than the ones from the New Continent when it came to decoration.
After taking another look, he flew out of the window.
The sun soon rose, and the hunter didn’t sleep in until noon but woke up early as usual. After washing up, he did morning exercises.
There would be plenty to do today. Various intelligence gathered during this Harvest Festival was still being consolidated, leading to a meeting held in the afternoon.
All sorts of intelligence were pinned on the conference table, from the beginning of this Harvest Festival to the final results achieved, the encounters in the middle, and situations outside the festival.
Everyone already knew the previous situations; what needed to be reported was the latest related intelligence.
“The last sighting record of Ancient Dragon No. 2 was submitted by the Field Elite Squad. Right before their eyes, it used the Strike Dragon Gun to pierce through the Submerged Mouth Dragon and carried it away, like spearing a fish.”
“The tooth hounds following the blood and scent found the Submerged Mouth Dragon that had been consumed. The feeding traces weren’t brutal, opening it from the abdomen to consume the meaty parts—he’s quite clever.”
“There are indeed traces of the Strike Dragon Gun piercing through the skeleton and shell of the Submerged Mouth Dragon. Personnel have been gathered from the Elite Squad and the base to search for clues.”
This point was deliberately emphasized because it was hard for everyone to imagine a monster wielding a Strike Dragon Gun.
“But, it seems to react to the dye balls like a Snow Lion, and the smell of the dye balls has severely diminished.”
The intelligence officer chuckled wryly, his expression grave.
“Lost track?”
The Guild Master furrowed his brows.
“Hmm.”
“There have been no more sightings of Ancient Dragon No. 1. Combining the Compiler’s conjecture, many exploration ships have searched around where the Spirit Mountain Dragon disappeared, without finding any large carcasses.”
The Harvest Festival has come to an end, and the Loke Clark Guild will continue its search and investigation.
The Compiler nodded thoughtfully, propping his chin.
Next came a series of trivial matters. The harvest from this Harvest Festival surpassed previous ones. To truly make use of these materials rather than letting them gather dust in warehouses, other guilds would have to collaborate.
For a long time, exchanges between various factions would become much more frequent.
Chapter 274
