Finally, with everything discussed and settled, all that was left was to wait for that company to transport the beehives to Silver City.
As for the expansion after the bees arrived, Andrew did not intend to waste any more money on that front. After all, bees were creatures that could be cultivated and expanded on their own; as long as they were bred properly, there would be no need to continue purchasing them in the future. He would simply need to add new beehives.
Regarding the construction of beehives, Andrew still knew a thing or two about it.
It would just be a bit more troublesome, that's all. If the other party's price was fair, Andrew wouldn't mind spending a little money to save himself that trouble. But saving trouble didn't mean Andrew wanted to be a sucker forever.
Now that the matter of the bees was completely settled, Andrew waved to Anby, who had been silently watching him from the side, signaling her to come over.
Subsequently, Andrew took out the pair of dual blades he had prepared for her earlier, named the 'Hetero Blades,' from his Item Pouch, as well as the 'Thanatos Dual Blades' used for training.
However, compared to the casual nature of the training dual blades, the moment he took out the pair named Hetero Blades, the atmosphere became significantly more solemn.
"Anby, these are the dual blades I told you I would craft for you. Do you want to test the feel of them first?"
Nicole, who was standing to the side, also looked at the pair of dual blades, her eyes widening instantly.
She asked with a hint of curiosity:
"Is this the pair of dual blades you mentioned before, Andrew? They... they're so big..."
It wasn't strange for Nicole to react subconsciously like that. Although Andrew had tried his best to control the size during the forging process, the fact remained that the curved blades of the Thanatos were inherently massive.
Even though Andrew had split them in half to form dual edges, with the addition of Odogaron's sharp claws as handguards and extensions, they were still several sizes larger than normal dual blades.
As Andrew subconsciously twirled the Hetero Blades in his hand with a flourish, the feather-light movements made the heavy weapons appear weightless. It even gave Nicole, who had never practically experienced Andrew's weapons, the illusion that 'I can do it too.'
"Andrew, can I try them?"
"Hmm?"
Looking at Nicole's arms, which had barely undergone any training, Andrew hesitated for a moment before speaking:
"You can, but these blades are very heavy. It's easy to injure yourself. So I suggest you just take a look at them."
However, Nicole was not prepared to give up just because of Andrew's words. As someone who ran around every day lugging a heavy cannon and often used said cannon to smash people, she still had some confidence in her arm strength.
"It's fine, Andrew, I'll just have a look."
Nodding casually, Nicole prepared to reach out and take the dual blades to see exactly what kind of quality these weapons—which she had previously begged for by swallowing her pride and hugging Andrew's leg—truly possessed.
Just as she was about to extend her hand, suddenly, a pair of mechanical arms reached past Nicole's arms, leaning in and interrupting her movement before she could touch the dual blades.
Subsequently, all that remained before Nicole's eyes was a back wearing a red jacket.
Billy, at some unknown point, had leaned in close with a face full of envy and excitement. With his hands cupping his face, he stared at the Hetero Blades with an expression of supreme longing, like a Kamen Rider fan seeing a similar armor or weapon offline in reality.
Although they weren't exactly the same thing, for Billy, this kind of stuff was simply—impossible to refuse.
And this pair of Hetero Blades struck directly at the heart of Billy, this fanatical tokusatsu enthusiast. Making no secret of his excitement, Billy directly squeezed Nicole to the side, leaning in close and unable to resist looking them up and down carefully.
At the same time, Nicole, who had been elbowed aside by Billy, instantly became furious again.
She subconsciously lashed out ruthlessly once more, hammering Billy's waist and producing a crisp clang sound.
Then she couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air, once again covering her hand which immediately began to turn red from pain. However, her mouth was not affected in the slightest.
She immediately opened her mouth and cursed angrily:
"Hey, Billy! Do you want to die?! You actually dare to shove me!!"
However, Billy, whose eyes had been completely captivated by the Hetero Blades, had temporarily cast everything coming into his ears to the back of his mind. Including Nicole's words.
"Big Boss, can I try these blades? Let me try them!"
"Big Boss?"
This sudden address even made Andrew freeze for a moment.
But Billy nodded very seriously and said as a matter of course:
"Yeah, because the Big Boss is Boss Nicole's Boss, so you're the Big Boss!"
Although it sounded like a tongue twister, hearing Billy put it that way... it seemed to make a little bit of sense?
However, since it was Billy the robot, Andrew didn't need to be as cautious as he was with Nicole. After all, judging by his performance in the Cunning Hares' horseplay just now, if the other party wasn't hiding his strength, the power Billy displayed now should be roughly the same as Anby's strength after she had eaten the Felyne Meal for a period of time.
It was the perfect opportunity to help Anby test the weight directly.
So Andrew didn't hesitate and shoved them directly into Billy's hands.
Before he even had time to be happy, the very next moment Andrew let go, Billy's arms, which had just been stretched out straight, plummeted directly downwards uncontrollably under the influence of gravity.
Completely violating Billy's subjective will.
Billy's arms, gripping the dual blades, hung directly at his sides, as if he had suddenly received two dumbbells from someone else that were completely beyond the weight he could lift.
Just like that, Billy looked at his arms, forced to hang at his sides by gravity, his brain stalling for a moment.
"That's not right! As a Starlight Knight, shouldn't I be able to strike a cool pose immediately?!"
How was this completely different from what he had originally imagined?!!!
The same dual blades in the hands of Andrew versus Billy were like the difference between a misleading advertisement and the actual product. It looked as if the species holding them had changed.
"I... just... don't... believe it!!!"
Accompanying Billy's continuous efforts, the dual blades originally hanging at his sides were only lifted up by him using all his strength, and then barely swung twice.
Just looking at his gnashing-teeth expression... although one could say he was swinging the weapons, Billy's forced body movements and constantly trembling arms gave the impression that he was practicing weightlifting instead.
The kind where one overestimated oneself and chose a weight beyond one's limit.
The slightly comical movements made Nicole on the side feel like she couldn't bear to look directly at him. At the same time, she felt a little fortunate. If Billy hadn't stepped on the landmine for her, the one making a fool of themselves would probably have been her.
Silently nodding, Nicole decided in her heart not to pursue Billy's action of shoving her away just now.
Meanwhile, Andrew looked at Billy's situation and revealed an expression that said 'as expected.'
He nodded and directly placed the other pair of weapons—the Thanatos Dual Blades, which were originally prepared just to let Anby adapt, also incorporated with Odogaron materials but much lighter due to fewer materials—into Anby's hands.
He said:
"Anby, although this pair of dual blades isn't as powerful, it's sufficient to handle most of your daily commissions for now."
Pondering for a moment, Andrew continued:
"For now, use this pair of dual blades for training and adaptation. Wait until your physical constitution improves further before using the Hetero Blades."
Hearing Andrew's instructions, Anby accepted the Thanatos Dual Blades with great cherish.
Upon holding them, the hilt was slightly cool, but what followed was a heavy, substantial weight. As well as the hardness and sharpness that could be felt just by holding them in hand.
Although they couldn't compare to the Hetero Blades, compared to Anby's original pair of dual blade weapons from the military, one could completely say they were superior in every aspect. It was just that the weight was still significantly heavier.
Fortunately, now that Anby's physical constitution had been enhanced, this weight was actually just the right degree for her current self.
Seeing that Anby's movements were not affected by the dual blades in the slightest, Andrew nodded with satisfaction.
Subsequently, he continued:
"Later, I will teach you how to enter a state unique to dual blades. After you learn it, you will then teach it to the others in the Silver Squad."
And the state Andrew was talking about was, of course, the most important and indispensable state for a Dual Blade Hunter in a hunt—
Demon Mode.
As long as Anby learned it, her strength would inevitably rise to another dimension. And once all members of the Silver Squad learned it... by then, no matter what danger Silver City faced, no matter what kind of danger it was, they would have the ability to stand on their own.
Regarding Andrew's arrangement, Anby did not express any objection. She simply maintained her expressionless face and nodded silently.
However, seeing the way she couldn't bear to let go of the dual blades in her hands, she was presumably very satisfied.
While Andrew was making arrangements for Anby, behind him was Billy, still gritting his teeth and persisting in holding up the Hetero Blades to strike a pose.
It was unknown what method he used, but at least now when he struck those poses, his arms were no longer trembling. Apart from his body looking as solidified as a sculpture, it seemed as if he had truly mastered the Hetero Blades.
However, the screams coming from his mouth betrayed him.
"It's gonna break, it's gonna break! Boss Nicole, Boss Nicole, have you taken the picture yet! I beg you, hurry up, I really can't hold on much longer!"
"Oh, don't rush, don't rush! Don't you know the more you rush, the more time it wastes? I'll have it adjusted very soon!"
Beside him was Nicole, holding her phone and helping Billy take photos. It was just that her unhurried movements and the upturned corners of her mouth revealed her true purpose.
Although she had just said she wouldn't pursue Billy's action of elbowing her aside, the moment she discovered this perfect opportunity for revenge, Nicole immediately threw her previous intentions to the back of her mind.
As Nicole adjusted the camera unhurriedly, it wasn't until Billy really couldn't take it anymore that Nicole finally snapped the desired effect.
"Okay, okay."
Until Nicole's voice fell, Billy's originally fixed posture instantly fell apart, his movements returning once again to the previous weightlifting state.
But Billy didn't care about this at all. Instead, he immediately ran over to Nicole's side with joy, saying with a face full of anticipation:
"Boss Nicole, how did the result turn out? Does it have that feeling of a Starlight Knight seeing it!"
To ensure the effect of the photo, he had directly locked his joints to stop his arms from trembling. He just felt that... in just this short while, the wear and tear on his parts had become much more severe.
But as a tokusatsu person who wanted to produce great shots all his life, this little sacrifice was nothing!
Nicole, who was also satisfied, tossed the photo she took directly to Billy. It had to be said, Nicole's photography skills were indeed something.
Although she had stalled for a long time, the extra time Nicole spent wasn't useless work. This photo could be said to be impeccable in every aspect.
The perfect photo instantly made Billy feel like he had found a treasure. He slipped away to the side in high spirits, holding the photo high to admire it carefully. Looking at his appearance, he probably wouldn't let go of it even when sleeping at night.
After helping Anby put away both pairs of dual blades, Andrew also began to walk towards the kitchen. After all, with so many things happening, the time had arrived to prepare the Felyne Meal for this big family.
It was fortunate that the invading monster this time was a Diablos.
Even though he had already used a piece of its massive heart yesterday to heal Evelyn, it had only used up one percent of the heart. The remaining material, even to satisfy the appetite of this current big family, could be said to be more than enough.
And compared to ordinary ingredients, the Felyne Meal made from dragon meat naturally had the strongest effect among all Felyne Meals. It was also the one that could bring the most benefits to people.
Pondering slightly, Andrew already had a rough plan.
It just so happened that whether it was Anby and the other Silver Squad members, or the physically frail Belle, and finally adding Lucy who had just accepted the commission and was about to be taught—they were all people who extremely needed to improve their body intensity.
After all, except for Belle, if the others wanted to learn the skills of the Forbidden Lands, it would be absolutely impossible without sufficient physical constitution. And for the others, even if they weren't that urgent, improving physical constitution was naturally a good thing.
Just then, in the living room, Meow-Da, who had been paying attention to Andrew's position the whole time, immediately darted over and followed closely the moment he saw Andrew leaving the living room.
With a few skilled jumps, he once again lay on Andrew's shoulder. After recalling the time, Meow-Da spoke up:
"Boss, are we starting to cook, meow? I'll help you!"
Saying that, Meow-Da directly rolled up his sleeves before continuing:
"It's been a long time since I cooked with the Boss, I really miss it, meow!"
Regarding Meow-Da's action, Andrew had no intention of refusing. After all, if Meow-Da felt that way, how could Andrew not feel the same?
He also hadn't cooked with Meow-Da to bond for a long time. Plus, the number of people in the stronghold today was indeed a bit high; counting Billy, it had reached a full twenty people.
Even in the previous Astera Base, this would have reached the level of a small banquet.
Oh, provided that his Master's Handler—that Deviljho in human form—was excluded. If she were there, a normal banquet would need to prepare one-third more ingredients.
Although making Felyne Meals for so many people at once wasn't impossible for him alone, with Meow-Da's help, Andrew would naturally be much more relaxed.
Reaching out to rub Meow-Da's round head, Andrew revealed a smile and said:
"Okay, then let's let them taste the skills of the Forbidden Lands' Number One Cat Chef Combo in its complete form!"
"Okay! Let's work hard together, Boss!"
Receiving approval, Meow-Da immediately raised his paw happily and waved it, already starting to urge him on with a bit of impatience.
____
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