The journey to the Great Desert was swift and peaceful.
At over fifty meters long and propelled by multiple engine arrays, the Knowledge Seeker far outclassed ordinary small and medium Airships in both speed and stability.
Safety was even less of a concern. Even a Rathalos, the so-called "King of the Skies," would take one look at a massive object over fifty meters long and nearly twenty meters wide flying overhead and immediately speed away rather than try to challenge it.
After crossing the Geo-Krukk Inland Sea, the Old Jungle, and the vast Ancestral Steppe in succession, grayish-yellow sand took over the landscape. The rolling dunes resembled ocean waves, stretching endlessly to the horizon.
The dust whipped up by the strong winds could not reach the Knowledge Seeker at its high altitude, but it still obscured the view from above.
Kitty lowered her telescope in a huff and grumbled, "It's all fuzzy and blurry. I can't see a thing."
"We're too high above the ground to make out the creatures below," Isis said with a smile. "We might just barely spot something as huge as a Gammoth."
Isis always spoke more gently than usual around Kitty. According to Pawdrick, she believed that speaking in a warm, kind tone was part of being a good older sister.
Kitty did not care about such things at all. Even if Isis spoke to her the way Lady Gael did, Kitty would only think, "Damn, Isis is so freaking cool."
Kitty was more interested in the creature Isis had mentioned. "A Gammoth? Isis, have you hunted one of those too?"
"Um, I haven't actually hunted one," Isis said, scratching her head. "Not long ago, though, we helped track and investigate an elderly Gammoth. It was huge."
"An Elderfrost?" Kitty turned around and asked.
Altaïr looked at the girl in surprise. "You know about Elderfrost?"
"I do," Kitty said with a pout. "My old man's challenged that thing several times. He always comes back cursing because he couldn't kill it.
"Then he throws his weapon at me and tells me to maintain it. Damn it, the blade's been hacked flat. What's left to maintain? Just toss it into the smithy to be melted down and reforged."
A look of shock crossed Altaïr's face.
He had heard from Isis that Kitty's father, who was Isis's uncle by marriage, was also a Hunter. Still, repeatedly challenging an Elderfrost alone and returning unscathed each time was more than a little terrifying.
At least 7★, and most likely 8★. No wonder Kitty had so much experience maintaining high-grade equipment. The gear they entrusted to her was probably only middling by her standards...
—--
The desert was vast. After another full day of sailing, the Knowledge Seeker finally began to descend.
The wind was relatively light, so it kicked up no dust and the Knowledge Seeker's landing went smoothly. Dozens of minutes later, the massive Airship settled amid the crumbling walls and scattered ruins of a vast ancient city.
Large Airships rarely made full landings, since taking off again consumed enormous amounts of fuel and time.
Deep within the sand sea, however, strong winds were common and sandstorms could arise at any moment. Hovering at low altitude was simply too risky. Landing, anchoring the ship, and securing her with ropes and several protective covers was the only viable option.
Everything had been planned and rehearsed in advance. Although the Knowledge Seeker's crew was not particularly experienced and had not worked together for long, they completed the anchoring and mooring with brisk, orderly efficiency.
Next came setting up camp and pitching the tents.
Altaïr could tell that the Royal Academy personnel had experience setting up camp in the field. The older scholars in particular, including Alva, were clear-headed and precise, clearly no strangers to spending time in the wild.
Still, setting up camp in the sand sea was rather different from doing so elsewhere, and a small camp for a few people was nothing like a large one for dozens.
There were inevitably minor problems with the details. The tents were not arranged as efficiently as they could have been, and the ground stakes had not been driven in at quite the right angle.
The surrounding ruined walls had not been fully utilized either. Altaïr offered a few suggestions.
Alva promptly handed Altaïr command of setting up the camp. Francesca came running over with a grin and told him that after the quest, she would pay him extra for serving as their guide.
They worked well into the night. At last, they finished a camp that even a nomad of the sand sea could not find fault with.
—--
Inside the main tent, a warm campfire dispelled the desert night's near-freezing chill.
The Hunters assembled to plan the next day's mission.
"Everyone, we have a sizable team, so we need to split into groups to scout. How can we maximize efficiency while still ensuring everyone's safety? Please speak freely if you have any ideas."
Alva seemed particularly impatient. After all, every extra day they spent searching for the target cost them a day they could have used for observation and study.
Isis and Morgan instinctively looked at Altaïr, while the members of the Vanguard Hunting Party turned to Serl.
Serl spoke first. "Having several people give orders leads to conflict and chaos. Let's follow Altaïr's lead."
Meeting Altaïr's surprised gaze, Serl smiled and said, "If this were the Jungle, I wouldn't defer to you. But the desert is your home turf, so you're the better person to call the shots."
"All right." Altaïr nodded. "Splitting up is fine, but not everyone should head out. Genprey and Cephalos are active in the surrounding area, and there may even be Nibelsnarf nearby.
"These ruins sit on a rocky platform, so sand-dwellers such as Cephalos and Nibelsnarf probably won't come here. The threat from Genprey can't be ignored, though. We need to leave people behind to guard the camp."
Alva said, "Although the Knowledge Seeker is grounded, her cannons, ballistae, and other onboard weapons are still operational. Shouldn't that make camp security less of a concern?"
"No." Altaïr immediately rejected the idea. "If a pack of Genprey charges into the camp, heavy weapons will struggle to track them and could easily cause friendly fire.
"Large Monsters are much less of a concern. Even if a Glavenus came charging in, it couldn't withstand the Knowledge Seeker's heavy firepower."
"Balina can stay behind," Serl offered. "Whether it's the Demon King or an ordinary Diablos, you're not ready to face one yet. Guarding the camp is the perfect job for you."
Balina puffed out her cheeks in displeasure, but she agreed.
"Mr. Alva, how skilled are the Knowledge Seeker's pilots? I noticed she carries a small Airship. If we launch an aerial survey, it would greatly increase our scouting efficiency.
"The only problem is that the desert winds are strong, which makes a small Airship difficult to control..."
"No problem!" Alva replied with complete confidence. "Our observation scholars have extensive experience flying in the desert. They can cover one direction on their own!"
"All right. In that case, we can split into four groups. Morgan's hunting partner and mine can also conduct aerial reconnaissance, so they can cover another direction.
"On the ground, Serl, Brandley, and Buck should have no trouble covering one direction.
"Isis and Morgan can pair up and cover the final direction."
"Just the two of us in one group?" Isis blinked. "You're not coming with us?"
Altaïr did not answer her. Instead, he looked at Alva. "Mr. Alva, you said earlier that you would personally help search for the target's trail. Could I ask you to lead these two?
"Trust your own judgment. They're only there to protect you."
"Of course, no problem." Alva adjusted his glasses. "I could actually go by myself. I'm quite fast on my feet."
Then he looked at Isis. "How good are the two of you at tracking? How do your skills compare with your father's, Isis? If you're about as skilled as he is, there's no need for us to move together. We could split into another group."
"N-n-not even close." Isis shook her head frantically. "I'm not very good at that sort of thing."
"Neither am I." Morgan's expression remained calm, but a hint of embarrassment showed through.
Alva sighed. "Fine, I'll lead the two of you... What about you, Altaïr? Aren't you joining the scouting operation?"
"I... I have other plans," Altaïr said evasively.
Everyone turned an inquisitive stare on him at once. Isis leaned in until the tip of her nose nearly touched his face.
They kept staring.
Unable to bear it any longer, Altaïr finally confessed, "All right. I was planning to visit the black market and ask around. I might be able to learn something."