"Since we've decided on the direction of our investigation, we'll set off tomorrow, meow!" Shalan seemed to really enjoy the feeling of being in command as she hopped onto the table excitedly.
"Pardon me, but what are the specifics regarding the itinerary and route planning?" Altaïr looked at Shalan and asked very earnestly, "Furthermore, there is the matter of the types and quantities of supplies to be purchased, the requirement and rental of transportation, the selection of equipment and hunting items, and so forth..."
"Meow?" Shalan blinked and pointed at herself. "You're asking me, meow?"
"Because you are the leader of this investigation team," Altaïr nodded.
Shalan turned to Erik. "Is a leader supposed to worry about these things, meow?"
"Of course. Fortunately, our investigation team is small, just the two of us and two Felynes, so there isn't quite as much to prepare.
Altaïr just mentioned the most important points, but there are remaining chores, such as filing the itinerary with the local Guild, which you also need to complete and confirm one by one.
Generally, to avoid overlooking anything, there should be a checklist. For a large investigation team, that list might be as thick as a book. You haven't prepared one?"
Erik gazed at her with a face full of sincerity.
He wore an innocent expression that seemed to say: "An experienced senior like yourself must have prepared everything before applying for the investigation permit from Hunter's Guild headquarters, right? It certainly wasn't an uninformed, reckless application, was it?"
Cold sweat began to pour down.
If she were in front of her masters, she would surely widen her eyes, strike a cute pose, and act spoiled, saying, "I'm just a little kitty, meow, I don't understand those things, meow."
But she would rather die than admit such things in front of these juniors!
"I... I obviously know all of this, meow!" She forced herself to puff out her chest. "Bu... but in order to train you, yes! To train you, I've decided to let you handle all the decisions, meow!"
Altaïr shook his head. "I understand your intent, but that doesn't seem appropriate.
As the leader, you must maintain a constant, dynamic understanding of key information such as the route, itinerary, and supply stock in order to make targeted adjustments to our actions.
Otherwise, accidents can easily happen, leading to danger."
"Is that how it works, meow?" Shalan looked to Erik again for confirmation.
"It certainly is. To give a simple example: if we encounter an accident on the road and lose some of our supplies.
At that moment, should we find a way to restock, shorten the trip, or abandon the investigation and return to the city? These are all decisions the leader must make.
However, if you wish, you could delegate the leader's responsibilities to a deputy."
Shalan followed up quickly, "A deputy, meow? What does that mean, meow?"
Erik explained patiently, "Like over a year ago, when I followed the Professor to the Desert to investigate the Vespoid infestation in Sun Worship Town.
That time, we hired Altaïr as a guide. The preparations before departure and everything on the road were decided by Altaïr; after all, he's a local of the Desert and familiar with the conditions.
The Professor essentially delegated his authority as leader to Altaïr while on the road, and once we reached our destination, the Professor took back his duties to continue directing the operation." "Wait, you're from the Great Desert meow?" Shalan's focus shifted in a strange direction. "Oh, right meow! Your skin tone and hair color, are you from the desert nomads meow?"
"Yes, I moved to Loc Lac when I was about eight or nine years old."
"Loc Lac meow! I know Loc Lac inside out meow! My big sister works as a guide at the Loc Lac Tourism and Sightseeing Association meow!"
Sajji happily raised a small paw. "The boss and I served in the Loc Lac Rangers, so we're very familiar with the Felyne guides at the Tourism and Sightseeing Association meow!"
A look of mild surprise crossed Altaïr's face. "Could it be the association's head, Miss Dianthus? She has the same silver fur, and I heard her mention her younger sister was working as a Palico."
"That can't be right meow? Auntie Dianthus has such a gentle personality meow..."
"That's my sister meow!"
Shalan bounced excitedly on the table. "So you're all from the Great Desert meow? Then there's no problem meow! People from the Great Desert are all very reliable meow!
Just like the nerd said just now, your duty as leader is delegated entirely to you meow! You decide whatever needs deciding meow!
I have other things to attend to, so I'm leaving first meow!" Having said that, she skipped and hopped away.
"...So, just like that, I'm the acting leader?" Altaïr rubbed his somewhat numb face.
He had been working with Erik and Sajji to gradually secure lead authority step by step.
They could all see that Shalan had no experience in this area; rather than being led blindly by her, it was better to take the responsibility onto their own shoulders and let her keep the title in name only.
As it turned out, all that sophisticated persuasion wasn't as effective as a single sentence about being a "fellow countryman from the Great Desert," leaving Altaïr with the hollow feeling of having over-plotted against a simpleton.
"Forget it. The departure time is moved to two days from now. I won't worry about the various tools needed for the investigation; Erik, prepare those yourself.
I will arrange the route, itinerary, and supplies, so don't worry.
Sajji, you're in charge of the various items and machinery needed for combat. Prepare according to a standard that can support two to three high-intensity battles.
As for transportation, I'll go discuss it with the Guildmarm. Using Miss Shalan's name to pull a few strings, we might be able to secure an Airship."
"No problem."
"Leave it to me meow!"
After assigning their respective tasks, they began to move separately.
Busy days always pass quickly. The two days of preparation flew by in the blink of an eye, and the two men and two cats gathered as agreed.
Behind them, a light cart, one that even a Felyne could easily pull, was already piled high.
It was packed mainly with food, camping gear, and medicine, along with Sajji's Rathalos Chariot chassis, various Ammo, hunting items, machinery, and a large bag filled with Erik's various research tools.
"Put these away too meow, be careful not to crush them meow!" Shalan also placed some of her things onto the cart.
Compared to her casual clothes from a few days ago, Shalan looked much more capable now, dressed in Palico Armor with a Felyne Sword on her back.
The Felyne Sword looked like a Queen's Rapier crafted from Rathian materials, yet the blade was a vivid purple that triggered a sense of alarm, though whether it was made from a Subspecies or some other material remained unclear. As for the source of that adorably designed Palico Armor, let alone Altaïr, even Erik, a scholar from the Royal Academy, couldn't identify which Monster it came from at all.
"What are these, meow? Tent supplies, meow?" Sajji, who was responsible for pulling the cart, poked his head over as he saw Shalan piling more items onto the flatbed.
They were several slender, flexible wooden sticks bundled together with a piece of light but sturdy silk cloth.
"We already packed a tent, meow. We don't need an extra one, meow."
"It's not something tacky like a tent, meow." Shalan puffed out her chest and crossed her arms. "It's a kite, meow! These are for building a kite, meow!"
The two men and one cat stared at each other in silence.
They couldn't understand why anyone would bring a kite into the Jungle; they could only chalk it up as yet another of Miss Shalan's whims.
Oh well. Considering Shalan had managed to squeeze an Airship out of the resource-strapped Guildmarm Noya to serve as their transport, saving them a massive amount of travel time, they could live with a bit of eccentricity.
Once the supplies were tallied and loaded, the two men and two cats boarded the Airship.
Since Erik knew how to pilot small Airships himself, they didn't even have a dedicated pilot on board this time. According to him, this was an essential skill for any field scholar.
Without a regular pilot, the investigation team would have much more freedom in their movements.
To handle the driving shifts, Erik planned to give Sajji a basic lesson on how to operate the Airship.
Completely mastering Airship piloting in a short time was nearly impossible, even for the simplest small models.
Take-off, landing, and handling emergencies like turbulence or storms required specialized training and long-term practice.
However, simply maintaining a cruise or performing basic climbs and turns wasn't particularly difficult. Since Sajji already had a foundation in mechanics, he was quick to pick it up.
The restless Shalan skipped over to Erik, but he was busy piloting and had no time for her. She ran over to Sajji, but he ignored her as well while he assisted Erik and learned the ropes.
Finally, she went looking for Altaïr. He wasn't busy, but he was sitting cross-legged on the deck with his hands holding his Long Sword, eyes closed in meditation, performing his Spirit practice.
Finding no one to talk to or stave off her boredom, Shalan wrinkled her little nose.
She ducked into the cabin, rummaged through her specially prepared materials, and in less than a minute, assembled a diamond-shaped kite the size of a dining table.
"I'm going for a look around, meow."
Hauling the large kite onto her back, she leapt off the Airship under the stunned gazes of Erik and the others. Then, catching the wind, she soared upward and vanished into the clouds in the blink of an eye.
(Translated by yourtl.app)