From the northern reaches of the continent near the pole, back to the scorching heat of the central region.
Bathing in the summer sun and taking a deep breath of the warm air in Metapetatto, the last sliver of bone-chilling cold finally dissipated. His entire body felt as if it had become twice as limber.
"It's so hot my fur's getting prickly, meow," Sajji fanned himself with his small paws. "And we're clearly outdoors, meow."
"This is the height of summer. There's no such thing as the indoors being warmer than the cold outdoors here."
Altaïr flicked Sajji's ear, teasing him. "What's wrong with you? We were only in Liber for a little over a week. Even counting the travel time, it's only been ten days. How do you already feel like a northern cat?"
"Meow..." Sajji let out a weak huff, looking completely drained.
He was a long-haired breed of Felyne, accustomed to the dryness and extreme temperature swings of the Great Desert. He could adapt to the polar cold of the north with some effort, but the high heat and humidity of the Jungle region in midsummer truly made him miserable.
It felt like he needed to sweat but simply couldn't.
"Let's pick up the pace. Once we get to the Guild Hall and out of the sun, you'll feel better. We can order something iced to eat, too."
"Right, meow!"
The pair quickened their pace, almost jogging from the Airship landing zone to the entrance of the Guild Hall.
A strange sight before them made them pause.
A lounge chair sat on the wooden platform by the Guild Hall entrance, shaded by a parasol. Beside it was a small tea table topped with iced drinks.
A Felyne with shimmering silver fur lay reclined on the chair, comfortably sunbathing.
A pair of small, exquisite sunglasses rested on its face, making its expression hard to read, but the steady, slow rhythm of its breathing suggested the Felyne had drifted off under the sun.
"..."
Altaïr and Sajji exchanged a look.
Though they had no idea who this show-off was, it had nothing to do with them. The two bypassed the lounge chair and pushed open the doors to the Guild Hall.
The moment the doors swung open, a gust of cool air rushed over them.
The midsummer heat vanished instantly. Altaïr couldn't help but take a deep breath, while Sajji gave a delighted shiver.
Outdoors, the temperature exceeded thirty-five degrees. Logically, even without direct sunlight, the interior shouldn't have been this cold. Altaïr scanned the room and quickly identified the source of the chill.
Several large wooden tubs were placed around the perimeter of the Guild Hall, filled with massive blocks of ice that were slowly radiating cold.
Some Hunters were even taking empty mugs to scoop up the ice water to drink.
Altaïr stared, a bit stunned.
Back in Liber, no amount of ice was worth anything. Forget the snowy plains and the Frozen Seaway; snow and ice were piled everywhere even on the city streets.
But this was Metapetatto.
Procuring this much ice must have come at quite a cost.
Sajji bolted toward one of the tubs to gorge himself on ice water, while Altaïr walked alone toward the Quest Counter.
Behind the counter, the Guild Manager was looking down, processing documents. Noticing someone approaching out of the corner of her eye, she immediately looked up.
When she saw it was Altaïr, an exuberant smile spread across her face, and she threw her arms wide. "Care for a long-awaited hug?" "Pass," Altaïr said, raising a palm in a firm refusal.
"Hee-hee." Noya retracted her arms with a grin; she had already expected him to decline. "I thought you all would stay in Liber a bit longer. How was the vacation?"
"Quite productive."
"Was it nice and cool over there?"
"Cold would be more accurate," Altaïr said, his eyes scanning the wooden tubs filled with ice blocks scattered around the room. "But you're being awfully extravagant here, aren't you? It must cost a fortune to get this much ice. What made you think of doing this?"
"Heh heh!" Noya smiled proudly. "Miss Shalan suggested it. Everyone's been a bit sluggish because of the heat. Cooling down the Guild Hall should keep the enthusiasm for taking on quests high."
"Is that so? Wouldn't it be more likely that they'll just loiter here to escape the heat and be even less willing to head out?" Altaïr remarked offhandedly.
He didn't pay much mind to who this "Miss Shalan" Noya mentioned was, assuming she was just some staff member he didn't know.
The smile froze on Noya's face.
She had wondered why the Guild Hall had been more crowded these past few days, yet the total number of quests being accepted had actually dropped.
The ice was going away tomorrow!
"Ah, right. Are Senior Serl and the others still in town?" Altaïr recalled his regret over not being able to participate in the Glavenus hunt before he left.
Among the Fire Element weapons Teacher Karin had recommended was the Glavenus Long Sword. If Senior Serl and his team were still interested in the Glavenus, he might be able to join their party.
It was perfect timing, too; the Glavenus had a poor resistance to the water element, so his Cool Cleavers would be put to good use!
As Altaïr brought this up, the smile vanished from Noya's face. When she stopped her habitual squinty-eyed grinning, her features actually took on a somewhat somber cast.
Sensing something was wrong, Altaïr frowned. "What happened?"
Noya was silent for a few seconds before she spoke. "That Glavenus was a Hyper state individual. The team that took that quest suffered heavy casualties.
"Your concerns back then were justified. Recently, several Hyper Monsters have appeared in the Jungle area. Metapetatto and Geo Wandreo have already issued a joint emergency warning."
"Have they found the cause?" Altaïr pressed.
"Not yet. We've reported the matter to Dundorma, and the Elder Hall is taking it very seriously. They've dispatched several investigation teams deep into the Jungle to investigate, hoping for a result as soon as possible."
"I see."
Altaïr wasn't particularly close with the senior Hunters who had been injured or killed, but he knew them. Hearing the grim news dampened his mood for small talk. "If there's anything I can do to help, let me know at any time."
Leaving it at that, he prepared to turn and leave.
However, Noya called out to stop him. "Wait. Do you know a young scholar named Erik? From the Royal Academy, silver hair..."
"I know him. What about him?" Altaïr turned back, puzzled.
"Uh, it's like this. He came to us a few days ago, tasked with organizing the reports recently submitted by Hunters to ensure we didn't overlook anything. Now that the reports are mostly sorted, he wants to head into the Jungle to join the investigation, specifically the investigation into the abnormal increase of Hyper Monsters."
Altaïr's brow furrowed again. "Is he here with an old Wyverian scholar?"
"No, he came by himself."
"Then don't let him go. That guy doesn't know how to stay out of trouble."
Noya spread her hands. "The person who issued his traveling papers said the same thing. There's even a special note at the bottom strictly forbidding him from leaving the city unless you or Isis take him out."
Altaïr: "..."
Needless to say, the person who issued those papers must have been the Professor. Honestly, sir, why did you have to append that last half-sentence?
Given that fellow's passion for research, he would definitely cling to Altaïr and beg to be taken out.
If Isis were here, it might be manageable, but she was still on vacation in Dundorma. He wasn't confident he could keep an eye on that guy by himself.
It seemed he would have to avoid him, dodge him for as long as possible, ideally until the Professor came to drag him back.
Having made his decision, Altaïr bid Noya goodbye, telling her not to mention his return to Erik. Then, he intended to head back to his Hunter Cabin first to drop off his gear and luggage.
Instead, as he turned around, he saw Sajji leading Erik toward him.
"Boss, meow! Look who I brought for you, meow!"
The young scholar's eyes lit up as he lunged forward to hug him. "I've finally waited long enough for you to come back! My best friend!"
(Translated by yourtl.app)