mesbooks 0025 Buying a car
0025 Buying a car
In the evening, the mobile collection vehicle arrived at the designated habitat area of Yangkuku.
Li Ai gave a few instructions, and the other party waved goodbye.
"Don't worry, I'll practice hard."
After Yang Kuku finished speaking, he picked up several shield beetle nets and ran into the jungle.
Night fell, and we arrived at the sheep village.
After the passengers disembarked, Li Ai and Buka rode the flatbed cart toward Kokot Village.
"This car is so tiring to ride in. When you encounter a Velociraptor, a sudden stop can easily throw you out of the car."
Li Ai glanced back and felt that even though the flatbed cart used for emergency rescue didn't have a huge amount of materials piled up, its small size still made it unsuitable for riding.
"There's no other way, meow, this car is for emergency medical services."
Buka was also aware of the limitations of the flatbed truck.
"A bigger vehicle means we can bring back more materials each time we go hunting, and it will also be more comfortable to ride in."
Li Ai felt that hunting was already arduous, and the journey to and from the hunting trip needed to be relaxing and comfortable enough.
"We can't skimp on this money."
After sighing, Li Ai pulled the cart into the village.
Upon arriving at the guild, Becky, the receptionist on night duty, was reading a novel.
Upon seeing Li Ai return, he immediately waved excitedly.
"Congratulations, dear hunter, the emergency hunt has been successfully completed!"
"How did you know?"
Li Ai was somewhat surprised as she took out the entrustment document, which she hadn't yet handed over.
"The Black Wolf Bird has reappeared in the Forest Hills. What was the result of the three-person hero team's attack? Why did the Great Jaggi kill the Blue Velocidrome? Why did the Shield Bugs in the river upstream of the waterfall suddenly become extinct? These are all hot topics of discussion among the investigators, including Grave."
Li Ai understood.
While he was busy conquering Sheep Kuku, Greif's observations had already been relayed back to the village.
The dragon claw stamp, indicating a successful hunt, fell down, and Becky handed over a large money bag containing 4200z.
"The materials for the Blue Velocidrome have been completely broken down. Here is the breakdown list and voucher. You can collect it from the workshop, or go to the merchant guild if you want to sell it."
Unlike the previous commission, this time Becky gave an extra list of materials because a large monster was brought back.
"Why are there three pieces of Velocidrome's Claws in the disassembled materials?"
Li Ai asked, puzzled.
After all, he had already taken one of the sharp claws when he finished hunting and skinning the animal.
"This 'piece' is a standard unit that the guild creates and sells. For example, if the tail of a female Rathalos is not severely damaged, the workshop will have less waste when cutting it, and it can be broken down into many extra pieces."
"Understood."
Li Ai took the list and went to the workshop.
Although it was late at night, the shop was busy with work, the furnace was burning brightly, and the forging sounds never stopped.
After presenting the profit-sharing list and submitting the crafting requirements for the Blue Velociraptor helmet and waist armor, as well as twelve sets of heart-shaped cat armor, Li Ai collected the remaining Blue Velociraptor King materials and loaded them onto the flatbed truck.
At the entrance of the Chamber of Commerce, the herbivorous dragons in their enclosures were eating hay with their heads down, while several trucks were being loaded and unloaded under the light of torches.
"So all those trucks in the wild started from here, meow."
Kabu looked at the scene before him and couldn't help but sigh.
"Kabu, is this your first time visiting a human village?"
"Not really. When I was little, there was a small village next to the tribe. My friends and I often went there to play, but we couldn't withstand the monster attacks, so all the villagers moved away, and the village was abandoned."
"So that's how it is."
A person and a cat walked into the Chamber of Commerce gate.
Upon hearing that the hunter had materials for sale, the merchant guild receptionist said that they could simply place them on the counter and the guild would take inventory and provide a price quote.
"No, the car can't be brought in. You'll have to go outside and do the inventory."
The receptionist followed Li Ai out the door out of curiosity.
Seeing the flatbed cart piled high with materials, he was momentarily dazed.
A hunter team capable of such extensive foraging in the wild would not use a four-wheeled flatbed truck as a vehicle.
Furthermore, the large amount of low-value materials on the vehicle does not fit the gathering style of hunters.
"I'll go to the warehouse and get a few more people to do the inventory, so it might take a little longer. You two can go and rest first, and come back the next day."
"No, we'd like to purchase some items from the Chamber of Commerce, so this is a good opportunity to learn more about them."
What would you like to buy?
"truck."
Under the moonlight, a man and a cat sat on the stone steps at the entrance of the Chamber of Commerce, intently flipping through a catalog of trucks.
"A body made of Juniper wood, reinforced metal axles, and a six-wheel chassis... that adds up to over 3."
After Li Ai selected his preferred configuration, the high price made him hesitate.
"Aren't all the items recommended by the hunter team above four-wheel chassis, meow?"
"I'm curious," Kabu asked.
"The monster girl has a tail and claws, and the carriage is too small to stretch out comfortably. Besides, I only have two stars and I bought a truck, so I'm under a lot of income pressure. This vehicle can't be used for passenger transport; it has to be able to make money like a collection vehicle."
"Oh, I see. Then the bigger the truck, the better."
After saying that, Kabu got up and unbuckled his belt.
"Ah... if the village's Ellu needs to relieve themselves, they need to find a grove of bushes."
"I don't need to poop, meow~"
As he spoke, Kabu laboriously pulled a dirty money bag out of his trousers.
Li Ai glanced at her pants, then at the bloated money pouch: "How did you manage to stuff that in?"
"This is a cat's hiding technique, meow. There are about 12000 z here, you can take it all."
"don't want."
Li Ai turned her face away.
"Why, meow?"
"Your money is all hard-earned; I would feel uneasy if I spent it."
"But the ambulance team would also love to travel in a spacious truck, meow, and we could also pile more materials on top of the truck bed. Grass really wants to... forget about it, meow!"
Kabu quickly covered his mouth with his paw.
"She told us not to tell you, so just pretend you have amnesia, meow."
"OK."
Li Ai tilted her head, stuck out her tongue, and her mouth and eyes became crooked.
"You really have amnesia, meow?"
Kabu was shocked.
"Who would intentionally lose their memory? It's just that sometimes, to move forward better, you have to temporarily forget the pain... Just kidding. Green Grass probably didn't let the rescue team mention it because she was afraid I'd be under too much pressure, right?"
"Uh...so I saw right through you all along, meow."
"Heh, Green Grass is my first monster girl companion, no one knows her better than me."
After Li Ai finished speaking, she sighed softly with a hint of melancholy, and then lit a bottle of Furongwang cigarette.
When Qingtian had 7 hearts of affection, she had already hinted at confessing her feelings under the tree in Yangcun, but Li Ai politely rejected her, so their relationship remained at the stage of mutual assistance partners.
The grass is reserved and introverted; it already has eight hearts surrounded by its leaves, but it still hasn't revealed anything.
When the in-game character and the monster girl reach a friendship level of 8 hearts, the character will receive a formal confession.
Whether they accept it or not, the monster girl's attributes will receive a leap forward and exceed the racial limit.
The difference is that after a failed confession, most monster girls' affection level will remain at the partner stage.
Some people with unusual personalities may turn love into hate, and their love may even drop to negative levels.
If successful, the monster girl's attribute growth will be greatly accelerated during the duration of the relationship, and the affection level of most other monster girls will be difficult to raise to a higher level.
In a game, Li Ai would definitely create opportunities to confess her feelings and accept them, thereby strengthening the monster girl and creating the strongest lineup.
But here, Li Ai didn't want to deceive Qingcao, who had been silently giving her all.
Just as he was pondering this, the chamber of commerce receptionist walked up behind him.
"Hello, Hunter of Love, we have received your 11000z deposit. This is the purchase authorization certificate for the truck. The modification will be completed in about two days. Please keep it safe."
"Oh...ah?"
Li Ai turned her head and saw Kabu standing in front of the Chamber of Commerce counter, smiling and waving at her.
Thank you.
"We can customize the content or design on your truck, engraving it in prominent locations on your vehicle. Would you be interested?"
What do people usually carve?
"Generally, trucks carry text blessings such as 'Monsters stay away from me, and I will be safe when I go out,' while hunter teams' trucks carry text such as 'Jade, come quickly! May your greatsword never miss its mark.' The designs are mostly of fire dragons with outstretched wings, which are said to have a slight deterrent effect on blue Velocidrome that appear on the road."
"Would a combination of text and images work?"
"That's fine too, but only if it's overly complicated, hehe..."
The receptionist gave a knowing smile, implying that it would cost extra.
"It's simple, just make a big heart and write 'Green Grass and Love Rescue Team' inside."
"Oh... as expected of the Love Hunter, even your needs are different from others. Are there any special requirements regarding the vehicle handover ceremony?"
"Huh? There's also a car handover ceremony?"
Li Ai was quite surprised.
"Of course, once a small team buys a truck, it means they're going on a long hunting trip. Such a moment is definitely worth celebrating. Don't worry, our hired Elru drum band is certified by Granny Cat, so they won't be too off-key."
"Grandma Cat's certification... Okay, let's do a Hero's Proof then, and the band must have two good horn players."
After Li Ai finished speaking, she put away the voucher, got up, and left in a hurry.
Why do you seem to be in such a hurry, meow?
Kabu found himself having to run and climb fast to catch up with the other person.
"The final payment for 21200z, how can I not be anxious?"
If it were a four-person hunter team, they could scrape together the money to buy a car, but Li Ai would have to rely on herself.
Two days later, in the early morning, instead of working at the Sheep Village Farm as usual, Cecilia and Mitsuba carried their horns and went to Kokot Village.
"Grandma Cat, I heard that the Merchant Guild is having a performance today and urgently needs to hire two Felynes who can play the horn?"
"Uh...yes, but little Cecily, you've lived away from the village for a long time, how would you know?"
Grandma Cat was puzzled.
"Hehe, my friend Li Ai is very well-informed, meow."
At noon, at the entrance of the Chamber of Commerce.
Ta-da! Ta-da! Ta-da~...
As the Elu Drum Band played the Hero's Proof, a brand-new six-wheeled truck made of Juniper Wood was delivered.
"Li Ai has plenty of funds; he already owns his own truck even at just two stars."
Instructor Langde, who was among the onlookers, sighed.
"When I was a level two hunter, I even led a small team to pick mushrooms in the forest to save money to build weapons. He was a lone hunter, which is quite impressive."
Seneca nodded in agreement.
The hunter buying a truck wasn't anything earth-shattering.
But it represents a new phase for the team, and Seine would be pleased.
Do you have any cigarettes?
"I used to have some, but after failing to hunt the one-eared black wolf bird, I felt a bit frustrated and lost it all overnight."
Seneca sighed.
"Hey~ you're asking me for comfort? We're all old friends, why are you getting worked up about cigarettes?"
Landes was heartbroken.
"This thing is really amazing. When I feel frustrated, I just smoke one cigarette after another and I can't stop at all."
"You're already a Hero Hunter, what more could you want? Besides, that was just a Black Wolf Bird. If I were you, I'd focus on much stronger monsters and aim for 7-star Hunter... Have you heard about what happened in Pokai Village?"
"I've heard that the activity of the Uranus has threatened the safety of the village. The hunter team stationed there plans to take action soon, but unfortunately, the Hero Team is short-handed and cannot travel far to provide support this time."
As he spoke, Seneca pulled out a cigarette from somewhere and put it in his mouth.
"Hmm...didn't you smoke them all?"
"All the good ones are gone, this one got damp."
Sene demonstrated by lighting a lighter, and sure enough, it took several tries to ignite.
"Damp ones are fine too, give me one quickly."
Sene felt around on his person and pulled out a bent L-shaped Liqun cigarette.
"There's nothing I can do; you know the environment in the wild."
"Alright."
Langde didn't mind, lit it, and took a deep drag.
Another truck, towing a new car, arrived at Sheep Village. The rescue team's cats headed toward the Sheep Village farmhouse and called out Grass's name loudly.
Hearing this, the grass that was binding the herbs came out out of curiosity.
She walked through the jungle to the roadside, and when she saw the six-wheeled truck and the words "Green Grass and Love Rescue Team" on the side of the truck, she stood there stunned.
buzz~
Li Ai's phone vibrated twice, and she opened it to take a look.
The number of heart-shaped grass blades has increased to 9.
Even so, she still stole a glance at Li Ai, then smiled and ran to the cats, carefully examining the truck.
"Don't get too excited yet, everyone. In order to buy this truck, we sold everything that could be sold in Sheep Village. In order to have lunch and dinner today, we must set off to collect the produce immediately."
After a cheer from the ambulance team, they changed into protective gear with heart-shaped symbols and then set off in the vehicle.
Cracking walnuts, hollow nuts, sticky grass...
Along the way, Ailu would load anything that the Chamber of Commerce would buy onto the vehicle.
Li Ai's collection efforts focused solely on high-value items.
However, after arriving at Yangkuku's location at noon and being brutally beaten during training, Li Ai collapsed in the carriage.
On the way back, the orange-red sunlight of dusk slanted across the road.
Heart-shaped patterns on the carriages, massive piles of low-value materials on the roof, self-driving...
Given these factors, trucks have attracted considerable attention throughout the journey.
Tap tap~
A blue Velociraptor ran out, saw only a group of Ailu on the roof of the vehicle, and then roared.
To its surprise, the herbivore calmly turned its head and then stared at the other.
Blue Velociraptor blinked, then fell into self-doubt.
After looking around and confirming that no hunters were present, it roared again.
Hey!
The herbivorous dragon pulling the cart suddenly let out an even fiercer roar.
The blue Velociraptor was completely stunned.
Meanwhile, the rooftop rescue team didn't hold back either, picking up cheap materials and starting to throw them to drive them away.
"What's that sound...? Judging by the road surface, we're almost at Sheep Village."
He realized that Li Ai in the carriage had been woken up.
The grass drooped its neck and sighed, looking quite helpless.
The next moment, she transformed into a monster girl and charged towards the blue Velociraptor blocking her way.