Chapter 135: Crafting Equipment

After recounting the experiences that had left it feeling depressed and anxious, the Tobi-Kadachi slumped onto the ground as if its spirit had been drained. Su Yi stepped forward to apply medicine, while the Chansey approached to soothe it with Healing Pulse, offering constant comfort. The Tobi-Kadachi cast a glance at Su Yi, who was diligently tending to its wounds, feeling uncertain about what its future might hold.

"Alright, get some good rest. You can wander around this area, but don't run too far, and stay away from the base—it's full of hunters," Su Yi cautioned.

"Gurao?" The Tobi-Kadachi tilted its head toward Su Yi, emitting a questioning sound.

Palico translated, "It's asking, what will its fate be from now on, meow?"

Su Yi smiled. "You don't have to fight anymore."

Tobi-Kadachi: "Gurao-rao?" (Really?)

"Just kidding. We're going to play Pokémon battles together, but there will be plenty of food," Su Yi grinned.

Tobi-Kadachi: ???

Su Yi then fed his monsties. "It would be great to have a massive grill like the one at the Meowscular Chef's place. I could also clear a patch of land for farming, and maybe widen the pond to raise fish..." Looking at the still-primitive shelter, Su Yi began forming a plan. After all, this was his first home in the Monster Hunter world, and a shared home for all his monsties. His deep-seated devotion to infrastructure and farming was instantly ignited.

"Home, huh," Su Yi murmured, looking at the scene.

Nargacuga rested in the shade of a tree, while the Great Jagras and Kulu-Ya-Ku drank from the pond. Chee scuttled into the shelter, looking left and right, seemingly contemplating what to use for decorations. The Tobi-Kadachi climbed up a large tree and curled up on a branch, shifting its body as if dissatisfied that the bed wasn't as large as its previous one. The Odogaron and Great Girros, preferring the shadows, retreated into the cave. Meanwhile, Airu and the Pukei-Pukei were having a blast playing with the Pokémon.

"I must build this place up properly," Su Yi decided silently.

Just as Su Yi was lost in thought, sketching out his future construction plans, "Aibo! Wow, so many monsters, and Pokémon too!" The Handler ran over, clearly surprised by the group of creatures.

"Welcome. Don't worry, as long as you don't provoke them, there's no danger," Su Yi said.

"This place is like a dream! What is this monster cub? Is this... a Rathalos?!" The Handler stared in curiosity, instantly captivated by the "ugly-cute" little Pukei-Pukei and the energetic Airu. "And that's a Nargacuga over there in the shade!"

The Handler’s eyes were opened wide. Creatures she usually saw only rarely—and had to observe with extreme caution from afar—were all gathered leisurely in one spot. "Can I come here often?" she asked excitedly.

"Of course."

"Oh right, I came here to bring you the reward for the investigation quest," she said, finally remembering her purpose.

"Thank you for the trouble." Su Yi accepted the payment for tracking the Zorah Magdaros.

"Now that I have some money, it's time to put equipment on the agenda. Palico, let's go get some gear made!" Su Yi said with a smile.

"Meow!"

In the command post, the Chief of the Ecological Research Center set down his pen, reviewed the pile of intelligence and reports, and nodded with satisfaction. "Commander, the intelligence this time is very detailed; we've obtained valuable data."

"But even more miraculous is the Rotom Phone. I never imagined such technology and life forms existed. As Su Yi said, perhaps we shouldn't view Pokémon through the lens of common sense? It's truly incredible," the Chief remarked with awe.

The Commander nodded. Everything Su Yi brought with him shattered their established perceptions.

"Hehe! Pokémon are truly magical, Roto!" the Rotom Phone chimed in.

"In your world, do Pokémon really live and work alongside humans?" the Commander asked.

The Rotom Phone replied cheerfully, "Of course, Roto!"

"They are very much like the Palicoes," the Commander muttered. Whether it was their intelligence or their ability to communicate, the Commander compared them to his own knowledge and concluded that Pokémon were much like the various Wyverian races, only with different forms and abilities.

"Rotom, do you think there's a possibility for us to cooperate with Pokémon?" the Commander suddenly asked.

Rotom paused, then replied, "Well, you'll have to ask Su Yi about that, Roto."

Astera was built upon the foundations of ships from various fleets, with some cabins converted into different facilities. Walking up the stairs along the cliffside from the first floor, one could see a massive forge next to a waterwheel. As one approached, the heat blowing out and the rhythmic clanging of hammers became palpable. Inside, the Armory woman was checking a list of weapons, responsible for the maintenance and tallying of hunters' gear. In the center of the forge, a massive furnace roared, and a robust, one-eyed bald man directed several craftsmen as they forged materials, with finished products rolling out on a conveyor belt.

"Oh? Isn't that the amazing tamer lad?" the bald man, the leader of the Second Fleet, greeted warmly.

"Hello," Su Yi said as he approached. Palico hopped onto the conveyor belt, curiously watching the various pieces of equipment.

"Need some weapons or armor crafted? The Commander told us that we can prioritize your equipment," the man said. In fact, members of the Commission usually received this treatment.

"Actually, I'd like to have some gear made for my Palico first," Su Yi said, picking up Palico.

"Meow~" Palico waved its paw cutely.

"Gear for the Palico first?" the man asked, surprised. Every hunter prioritized their own gear, as they were the main force in the hunt.

Su Yi also wanted to craft a set of cool, powerful gear for himself, but unfortunately, the materials he had were likely only enough for the Palico's equipment.

"Alright then, which materials are we using?"

Su Yi brought out all the materials he had prepared: scraps from a Legiana, materials from a Paolumu, the Odogaron parts rewarded by the Hunting Guide, and the materials from the recently captured Tobi-Kadachi. There was also a large pile of ore and bone materials.

"So many materials I've never seen before. This is a massive haul," the man said in surprise.

"Palico gear doesn't need that many materials, though."

Su Yi replied, "Can you help me craft the Palico's gear to the standard of hunter equipment? Don't skimp on the materials."

The man was stunned. "You're really good to your Palico." Usually, Palico gear was made from whatever scraps were left over after crafting hunter gear. While they provided attack and defense bonuses, they lacked the special abilities inherent in monster materials.

"Oh, and please craft a long sword suitable for a Palico as well," Su Yi added.

"A long sword for a Palico?!" The man scratched his head.

While the man measured Palico for size, Su Yi flipped through a sketchbook of equipment designs. It was filled with various blueprints—the Second Fleet leader explained these were designs from the Old World, which he used as a reference to craft equipment from the new monster materials of the New World.

"This is..." Su Yi paused as he flipped the pages. "Sexy equipment!"

There may be a thousand different interpretations of Hamlet, but among a thousand hunters, all of them love sexy equipment! (Loudly)

Actually, the skills on the equipment are hard to write; some are easy to explain, while others are magical—like "Wide-Range," which makes you wonder if they installed nozzles on the armor to spray medicine everywhere. Anyway, I will try to rationalize them.