Hearing this familiar tone, Clawdia felt a vein twitch at her temple and she turned her head viciously to look.
Pawdrick had appeared on the window sill at some unknown moment, leaning against the window frame, gently brushing his smooth, glossy mane with his claws. The elegant scent of high-end perfume drifted in with the wind, and the keen-nosed Sajji couldn't help sneezing.
Clawdia bared her fangs, "Peeping pervert!"
"I didn't intend to eavesdrop, it was just the wind and luck that carried your conversation into my ears." Pawdrick jumped down from the window sill.
Clawdia "flashed" her claws.
"Alright, I just came over with Francesca to play and overheard a bit accidentally." Under Clawdia's threat of force, Pawdrick dropped his pretentious demeanor. "Are you talking about the Meownster Hunters?"
Clawdia didn't answer, but Sajji honestly nodded.
Pawdrick continued on his own: "Know it, the Meownster Hunters have a higher survival rate, but their task completion rate is actually much lower than hunter teams.
Therefore, the Guild only opens tasks that are less urgent to the Meownster Hunters, and they must have a powerful Palico leading the team."
"What does that matter?" Clawdia seemed impatient facing her verbose brother.
"The registration for Palicos you mentioned earlier isn't actually complicated, especially since you are already Palicos contracted with hunters. Just take a trip to the Guild when you have time, it's easy to complete registration. But!"
At this point, Pawdrick suddenly changed his tone, "Even if you register as Palicos, you can only receive the lowest-level tasks, because you are both beginners in the records.
Unless, as I just said, you find an experienced Palico to lead the team!"
"So, how can we find an experienced Palico senior?" Sajji timely pursued the question.
Pawdrick flicked his mane, "I am a Palico registered with the Guild, experienced, and have successfully completed many high-difficulty tasks as a leader!"
Sajji blinked; he didn't really dislike Pawdrick, just felt this senior's behavior and speech were rather distinctive.
"So Pawdrick senior can help us form a Meownster Hunters team?"
"Can, of course can." The tall Pawdrick wrapped his arm around Sajji's shoulder, pressing most of his weight onto Sajji, then looked at his resentful sister.
"As for you, beg me."
"..."
A terrifying aura rose from Clawdia, and her eyes ignited with a blood-red battle aura.
Pawdrick quickly hid behind Sajji, "Alright alright, just joking, why activate beastification..."
Clawdia stared coldly at him, and after a few seconds, the crimson battle aura gradually faded.
Pawdrick clicked his lips a few times, his tone becoming more serious, continuing to explain: "Because we Felynes excel at surviving, the Guild restrictions for Palicos participating in tasks are much more lenient than for hunters.
As long as the leading Palico's rank is sufficient, all the other Palicos in the team can be beginners."
"Let's go, ignore this guy." Clawdia tilted her head towards Sajji, "This guy's Palico rank won't be high."
Sajji hesitated a bit; now he couldn't quite tell whether this Pawdrick senior was really light-hearted or simply unreliable.
"Hmm hmm!"
Pawdrick showed an excited expression of "finally talking about this!", pulling out a mini booklet similar to a Hunter's Notes from his pocket, unfolding it proudly:
"My Palico rank is beyond your imagination!"
Sajji leaned closer, and Clawdia also couldn't resist glancing, then her eyes widened.
"7★ Huntcat?! You?! You deserve it?!"
Not caring at all about his sister's rudeness, Pawdrick laughed proudly, "Hahaha! A Palico's evaluation rank increases with the difficulty and frequency of tasks participated in!
You know how many super-high-difficulty tasks I've 'participated' in these years? So many I can't count them myself!"
Clawdia suddenly realized, grinding her teeth and asking: "Francesca has been traveling with White Wind these years, so your so-called 'participated' high-difficulty tasks, are White Wind's tasks?!"
"Yes!" Pawdrick looked smug, "I know you've also solved many high-difficulty tasks with Father and them, but who made you careless and never registered at the Guild?
All the task records wasted! Hahaha!"
Clawdia: "..."
Pawdrick patted Sajji's shoulder, "Sajji little brother, any Monster you want to hunt? Rathalos? Zinogre? Tigrex? All can!
Even those 'more dangerous' monsters, I can take you to see them!"
Before Sajji answered, he added a particularly serious sentence, "The prerequisite is you can beat them, elegant me never strikes."
Clawdia gritted her teeth, Sajji fell into contemplation.
Many high-rank monster materials have mechanical properties far superior to metal; if he could acquire some, his "Rathalos Model-02" could also be further improved.
Before, there was no way, but now it seems there might be some maneuvering space...
"Pawdrick senior, can you take me to hunt Rathalos?" After several seconds of silence, Sajji suddenly spoke.
Pawdrick blinked, scratched his ear, "Sorry, what did you say earlier? I think I heard wrong?"
Clawdia also widened her eyes, staring at him in astonishment.
Realizing their misunderstanding, Sajji hurriedly explained: "Not really hunting Rathalos, just maybe this way.
We take a Meownster Hunters task to hunt Rathalos, then avoid direct confrontation, sneak into its nest, see if we can obtain shed scales or something.
If we find nothing, we retreat; but if we find some materials, even Rathalos eggs, we profit big!"
Clawdia's eyes gradually brightened too, "I can take charge of luring away Rathalos! I've always wanted to try fighting Rathalos, it'll be thrilling!
Rathalos can't burrow, we can retreat anytime!
Since it's Pawdrick's task, if it fails it's recorded on his account, what does it matter to us two 'beginner huntcats'? I can pay the contract fee!"
"Huh?!"
"This time can be Rathalos, next time can try other monsters!"
"Nargacuga! I've always wanted to fight Nargacuga!"
"I hear Barroth bodies can harvest strong heat-resistant metal!"
"Tigrex! I've also wanted to challenge Tigrex!"
Getting more excited, the two cats lifted Pawdrick up front and back, rushed out the door, and ran towards the Guild Hall tavern.
"Register and form a Meownster Hunters team now!"
"The captain is obviously 7★ senior Pawdrick!"
"Then we can casually take tasks! Rathalos! Tonight, take a Rathalos task! Depart tomorrow morning!"
"Even though failure is inevitable and sorry, we'll choose less urgent tasks! We'll properly pay the contract fee!"
"Don't! My perfect task records! Let me down! Ahh–!"
Altaïr washing dishes looked puzzled towards the door direction, "Rathalos? I think I heard something about taking a Rathalos task?"
Amos put down his book, rubbed his temple, "Nothing, pretend you didn't hear it."
(Translated by yourtl.app)