After a day and a night of travel, the sand boat arrived at a mountain range in the evening.

In the wind erosion holes on the surface of the mountain, faint light and fire flashed.

The fence gate, which is made of logs, was soon opened from the inside.

Several craftsmen in blacksmith aprons and Elu Cat arrived to meet them.

However, the target is not the squad, but the corpse of the earth sand dragon.

At the same time as the busy unloading work began, the team disembarked from the sand boat and entered the stronghold through the open gate.

There was a cacophony of noises.

Taverns, workshops, prop shops, inns, chambers of commerce...

A bustling market street comes into view.

Everyone here is dressed differently, as if there is no such thing as a dress style at all.

Large boar head cover with swimsuit, cotton jacket on the upper body, and trousers on the bottom of the body, personality wear abounds here.

In terms of alternativeness, Li Ming's bear pajamas are slightly conservative in comparison.

At the end of the street, the team enters the largest three-story building in the colony.

In the spacious hall, there are seven round tables.

The Elu cats held their plates high and quickly handed the meat dishes and wine to the table.

The people who sat here in twos and threes were basically hunters in armor.

"Welcome to the Sandstone Cave Branch!"

At the counter, the usher in a green uniform waved and greeted the team that had just entered the door.

"Hello Miss Shireen, we're here to receive a gratuity, and by the way, submit a sighting report of the Ceratosaurus."

Wood placed the hunting contract and sightings of the earth sand dragon on the counter.

"Ceratosaurus! Really confirmed? ”

Shireen covered her mouth and exclaimed, picking up the sighting report and observing it carefully.

"That's right, and it's not small."

"On behalf of the guild, I would like to thank you for the sighting report you submitted, and if you witnessed a five-star monster... The gratuity is 1500z, and the gratuity for the completion of the hunting contract of the earth sand dragon is 5400z, since the team received a rescue from the wild Meilu cat tribe, and 1800z is deducted, then the amount to be paid is 5100z. ”

Wow~Wow~...

There was a clatter of coins.

After a while, the receptionist Shireen picked up a money bag from the counter.

"Please put it away, the material will be collected after the monster corpse is disassembled in the workshop, may I ask if the other two members of the contract, Vaxiu Lindsay, are also there?"

"Yes, in addition to the honorarium, they also need a certificate of assessment from the Samsung Emergency Compact."

"Okay, both of you, please come over here."

Shireen greeted.

After watching the process of receiving the reward for the hunting contract, Li Ming looked at the poster on the wall with Mi Duoduo.

Walking around, there are posters with the theme of prohibiting poaching and abiding by the hunter's guidelines.

In front of the wooden bulletin board, several hunters were watching, constantly commenting on the contracts posted.

Li Ming leaned over to take a look and found that it was all one-star and two-star contracts.

As for contracts of 3 stars and above, the notice on the display board says that you must go to the guild counter and receive them only after the certification is confirmed.

"Please give me a hand."

Shirin, who was carrying a small wooden barrel, heard from behind, and the hunters in front of the bulletin board immediately retreated to both sides.

After a moment's wait, several contracts were revealed.

Shireen then dipped her brush head in glue and pasted a red-edged bulletin.

The information at the top of the bulletin is simple and straightforward, and the sighting of the ceratosaurus in the sandbara area is confirmed.

Below is detailed information such as the area where the sightings are located, general information about individuals, and the estimated range of activities of the guild.

If you have already received a contract that overlaps with the scope of the Ceratosaurus, you can cancel it directly at the counter, and the contract fee will be refunded in full.

The hall was bustling with activity, and many hunters either came to the bulletin board to discuss the appearance of the ceratosaurus, or rushed to the counter to cancel the contract that had been revealed.

The people waiting for the counter had dispersed, and Li Ming asked, "Is there a hunter exam in the branch recently?" ”

Shirin, who was sorting out the contract, raised her eyes and her eyes stayed on the bear's pajamas.

"What a lovely pattern... Oh! Sorry, yes! About four days later, do I need to sign up? ”

Shireen realized that something was wrong with her focus and quickly corrected it.

"Do you want money?"

Li Ming asked cautiously.

"No, just tell me the name and the type of weapon."

Shireen said, flipping through a heavy book.

"Li Ming, the weapon is a shield axe."

"Shield axes are still quite rare... Registration is complete! Four days later, in the early morning, remember to come to the branch to assemble. ”

Shireen finished speaking, and closed the heavy book.

"Can I borrow the books on the bookcase?"

Li Ming looked at the large bookcase on the counter and asked.

"These are not good, they are all for sale, what do you want to see?"

"History... The kind of record of the occurrence of major events. ”

"I have a copy of the Grey Chronicle, I can lend it to you, wait a minute."

Shireen said, bending over the counter and rummaging through it.

The history book of the Monster Hunt world, why is it called the Gray Age...

Hearing the title of the book, Li Ming was a little incomprehensible.

"Remember to give it back to me after reading it."

"Thank you."

The noisy hall was obviously not a place to read books, so Li Ming put away the gloomy Ji and came to the round table where the other three were sitting.

"Do you have any plans?"

Wood asked.

"The Sandstone Cave Hunter exam starts in four days, and I want to get involved."

Li Ming informed.

"It's a chance, the bone shield axe will be given to you, come on."

"I'll try."

After a while, a sumptuous barbecue feast and beer in barrels were served on the table.

Although Lindsay and Washo completed all the requirements for promotion to three stars, the local branch did not have sufficient authority qualifications.

The two decided to travel far tomorrow to complete their promotions in other branches.

The hunter squad, which came together by accident, will soon be separated.

Late at night, the two of them walked out of the guild branch.

Lindsey and Washo are hunters and can live in the rest rooms provided by the guild.

Seeing that Li Ming and Miduoduo had nowhere to rest, Wood invited them to their quarters in his stronghold.

Far from the street, in a log cabin next to the rock wall, a drunken Wood had just opened the door and was lying on the ground.

Ah Tang and Li Ming joined forces and carried it to the wooden bed.

"There's only grass left to meow, so I can only be wronged first."

Ah Tang said helplessly.

"It's okay, it's nice to have a place to sleep, can you light the candles? I want to read a book before I go to sleep. ”

Li Ming asked.

嚓~嚓~呼~

Ah Tang found a flint and soon lit the candle.

Li Ming lay down on the straw mat, Mi Duoduo's head rested on his shoulder, and the gray pages of the book in his hand were opened.

As for the reason for reading the history book, it is very simple, that is, to check the current time first.

Li Ming watched with interest for a while, gradually showing confusion, and then sat up from the straw mat and approached the candlelight to watch carefully.

"Did you read something strange?"

After a long time, seeing Li Ming put down the book, Mi Duoduo opened his mouth to ask.

"The Great Sea Dragon caused Moga Village to sink into the bottom of the sea, and after the Honken Dragon left the Snow Mountain to meet the Tyranny, he continued to fight to this day, resulting in the destruction of hundreds of villages, and the Lanlong not only occupied Lingfeng, but also destroyed Jieyun Village."

"Uh... This is what everyone knows. ”

Ah Tang heard Li Ming's description and informed.

"Is it also known that the Celestial Dragon Dragon has been spreading the Wild Dragon Virus in Sinard Village all year round, and the Halberd Dragon has captured East Doruma?"

Li Ming asked incredulously.

"Yes, Meow, it is said that the guild did a lot of planning at that time, and many top hunters participated, but it still failed."

Ah Cheng nodded seriously.

"After the failure of the Dragon Academy's crusade against the Heavenly Comet Dragon, the Heavenly Comet Dragon's habits changed, and it began to cross the continent at a low altitude, constantly fighting against the ancient dragons, causing various natural disasters, and it is also true that the Pavilion Mantis dismantled and encroached on the city-state of East Doruma as a material in order to establish the ancient city lair?"

"That's right."

"Is it true that the volcanic eruption of the New World, which led to the total ecological collapse, the evacuation of all members of the investigation team from the New World, and the return of the Abyssal Dragon from the Elgard Crater?"

"That's right, meow... In fact, the human side may just lack a little luck, and Wood often says this when it comes to this. ”

Ah Tang sighed helplessly.

Li Ming put down the Gray Darkness Age, and the major events recorded on it, except for the Wind God Dragon Thunder God Dragon in the Yanhuo Village area, which was successfully killed by the Yan King Dragon, the Steel Dragon, and the Jue Silver Dragon, the human race has never won.

The detailed process recorded in the book, if it were to be summarized, was actually very similar to Wood's statement.

In the fight against powerful monsters, humanity only lacks a little luck, or a key figure who can turn the tide of the situation.

"Maybe the real reality is that there is no protagonist who can save everything..."

Li Ming's sigh, Ah Tang and Mi Duoduo failed to understand.

But it can be clearly perceived that the other party's mood is very low.

The next morning, seeing Wood with a decadent look, Li Ming could understand why the other party would cherish the talented novice hunter so much.

Because one day in the future, perhaps one of the people he has helped will be able to reverse the current disadvantage of mankind.

After rummaging in the house for a while, several dusty books were held in front of Li Ming.

"The content in these books may be very basic, but the written exam will be examined, so I have nothing to read, so I'm going to make breakfast."

With that, Wood walked over to the fire and began to light a fire.

"I won't let you down, Senior Wood."

Li Ming said in a solemn tone.

"Uh... Don't put too much pressure on yourself, the selection rate of hunters is not very high, and even if you fail, it's normal. ”

Wood was somewhat surprised to see that the other party was so serious.

Analysis of the weaknesses of small monsters, hunter rules, the essence of tracking, why can't you let the cat reconcile the bomb barrel alone...

After reading the names of a few books, Li Ming chose the hunter's code and read it.

At noon, in order to maintain his daily strength training, Li Ming had to eat a lot of food.

At the moment, apart from the dried sand fish, there is nothing left to eat.

If you hunt for food, even if any monsters dare to venture around the stronghold, they will be cleared out long ago.

There are many shops that want to buy them, but due to the harsh natural environment of the sand plain, it is difficult to deliver the goods.

All kinds of items in the stronghold are sold relatively expensive, and the legs of a carapace herbivorous dragon can be sold for about 60z.

Li Ming, who had personally participated in hunting, felt that the price was barely acceptable, but he couldn't even pay a penny on the problem.

Wood has helped him so much that he can't afford to borrow money now.

After thinking for a moment, Li Ming looked at Mi Duoduo.

"Mi Duoduo, will you have any special talents?"

"No, meow."

Midodo said with certainty.

"What then?"

While thinking about it, the gate of the stronghold opened, and a sand boat loaded with a submersible dragon was parked at the door waiting to be loaded and unloaded.

Looking at the craftsmen with sad faces, Li Ming took the initiative to step forward and said that he could help participate in loading and unloading.

The craftsmen saw that the other party was carrying the shield axe with the most complicated production process, which should be reliable, so they agreed.

A few minutes later, Li Ming came to the butcher shop with a money bag containing 90z.

After lunch, Li Ming and Mi Duoduo came to the gate and continued to squat.

However, the sand boat carrying the corpse did not wait, but waited for many hunter teams who had returned after giving up the hunting contract.

The appearance of a ceratosaurus could have such a big impact on the local area, Li Ming really didn't expect it.

The entry and exit of good cargo sand boats is still relatively frequent.

Although the salary for carrying cargo boxes is not much, Li Ming feels quite good about being able to do strength training and make money.

Time flies, and soon it's the day of the hunter exam.

Although the bear's pajamas were a little faded, Li Ming still cleaned them carefully last night.

After washing out several basins of black muddy water, the azure background color was fully revealed.

With the assistance of Mi Duoduo, put on the harness and loaded the shield axe, Li Ming officially set off.

At the entrance of the Sandstone Cave Guild, teenagers and girls carrying various hunting weapons are gathering here.

"I'm going to the cat's meow."

Mi Duoduo pointed to the cat school next to the guild and whispered.

Not only to become a hunter is to be assessed, but also to become a hunting cat is also to have a strict evaluation system.

"Let's do it together!"

After Li Ming finished encouraging, he said goodbye to Mi Duoduo.

"Hello everyone, the first thing to do is the basic knowledge test, please enter the hall if you call the name, remember to unload the hunting weapon before entering, and store it with me."

Shireen, the receptionist, came to the door and shouted loudly, followed by a long list of names being read.

"Wood didn't know where he was going early in the morning, and I thought he was going to come and cheer me on..."

Li Ming muttered, and a white-haired girl with a folding heavy ballista on her back came into view.

The reason why the other party was able to attract Li Ming's attention was mainly because of the volume of the heavy crossbow, and the girl's petite size, which gave people a strong visual contrast.

According to common sense, it is definitely more appropriate to use dual knives for this body type.

"Li Ming!"

Called by name, Li Ming walked into the guild hall.

At this time, the round tables have been replaced by small square tables.

Seeing Wood standing with arms crossed in the corner of the wall, Li Ming was slightly stunned.

"Wood-senpai?"

"Who are you? Hurry up and find a table with your name on it and sit down, the exam will start soon. ”

Wood pointed to a square table beside him and replied in a nonchalant tone.

"Why do you know this table is mine... Okay. ”

Li Ming speculated that Wood was probably deliberately alienated because of his identity as an examiner.

Shireen came to the hall, explained some exam rules, and then unpacked the exam paper of the basic knowledge and distributed it.