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So, Ethan once again recounted the details he had previously shared with Rachelle, but this time, he deliberately emphasized Bear Bro's docile temperament.
Mia circled Bear Bro from a distance of two or three meters. Bear Bro also looked around at her in confusion, nearly making itself dizzy.
It wasn't until Bear Bro let out an annoyed growl and bared its teeth that Mia retreated a few steps, nodding:
"Its temperament is indeed very gentle. While it's not as tame as trainable monsters like Herbivores or Kulu-Ya-Ku, for a large monster, this is extremely rare."
"Furthermore, it is very intelligent. It not only learned how to start a fire from you but can also understand human emotional expression. For instance, your acts of affection toward it were not interpreted as provocation or anything else. This is very unusual for a monster, even more so than its docile nature."
"Even among other individual Arzuros, our previous observations haven't revealed any individual with a greater intellect than this one—hmm, 'Bear Bro'… Of course, it's also possible that no one else thought to make friends with a monster?"
Ethan thought to himself, That's because I have the help of my "heart-voice" ability. Because he clearly knew of Bear Bro's goodwill, he could trust that it wouldn't harm him, which allowed the slow, gradual build-up of trust and familiarity that achieved this result.
You try that with anyone else. An ordinary person standing in front of Bear Bro, even if the monster had no malice, would probably be paralyzed with fear, right? How could friendship be established then?
But there was no need to reveal the ability to hear monster "heart-voices." So Ethan just smiled and nodded: "You are right."
Mia looked at Bear Bro, filled with emotion. "I should thank you. I thought I had studied monsters for half my life and knew them well, but it seems our research still has significant gaps…"
She suddenly turned to Sophia. "When I get back, I'm going to open up a research topic on which monsters have the potential for friendship. Do you want to join the study?"
Hearing this, Sophia, perhaps recalling something, began to breathe rapidly. A blush crept onto her pale cheeks, and her voice became slightly timid:
"I want to join! And if possible, please entrust the study of the Brachydios's potential for friendship to me!"
Mia nodded with satisfaction. "What a good child, with the spirit of a true scholar…"
Ethan: …
No, she's just a pure monster-phile.
He glanced back at Bear Bro. It was still utterly bewildered, unable to understand why Ethan was standing here chattering with those two females. It really wanted to eat the honey-glazed grilled fish Ethan made… However, since the Royal Ludroth had been repelled, and that small but terrifyingly violent creature was far away, and Ethan seemed set on staying, it simply lay down on the ground. It rubbed its paw on the spot where the Royal Ludroth's tail had struck it, occasionally sucking in a breath with a hiss.
"Supervisor Mia, if Bear Bro moves to the edge of the village, the Guild won't issue a subjugation quest for it, will they?"
Mia, wise with age, immediately understood Ethan's intentions. She tugged on her short hair, deep in thought:
"That depends on the specific circumstances… If Bear Bro consistently remains as docile and well-behaved as it is now, and doesn't negatively impact the lives of the villagers, then there shouldn't be much of a problem."
"But it is a monster, after all. It's hard to say whether the Hunter's Guild might issue a hunting quest for safety reasons…"
She saw disappointment surface on Ethan's face and smiled softly:
"Speaking of safety, if we designate Bear Bro as the subject of a research project and choose a suitable habitat nearby for observation, then it shouldn't be a problem, right? What do you think?"
Ethan's face instantly brightened. Still, he didn't immediately agree, instead asking tentatively:
"Will your observation and research negatively affect Bear Bro in any way?"
Mia laughed heartily twice, stood on her toes, and playfully patted Ethan's shoulder. "Good lad! Don't be a Hunter. You care so much about monsters—come join our Scholars' Team instead!"
Ethan flatly shook his head: "It's only because it saved my life, twice. To me, Bear Bro is no longer a monster, but a friend."
Mia paused, said no more, and simply nodded. "Rest assured, we won't do anything to harm it. It will only be observation and research."
"Oh, and I'm formally hiring you to join my research team, responsible for monster contact and communication attempts. How does that sound?"
She paused, then added: "I'm not asking you to give up the Hunter profession. All your work tasks will be issued to you specifically through the Hunter's Guild as quests, and they won't take up too much of your time or energy."
There's an even better deal than this?!
Nominally, she was hiring him to interact with the monster. But in reality, wasn't she doing this so he wouldn't worry, allowing him to personally look after Bear Bro?
Ms. Mia is a truly wonderful person!
At that moment, Bear Bro, who had been listlessly lying on the ground, suddenly twitched its ears. It lifted its head, looking in a specific direction, and let out a low growl.
"What is it, Bear Bro?"
Ethan followed Bear Bro's gaze and saw a large cart, pulled by two Kulu-Ya-Ku, appearing in the distance. Several Felynes were jumping and waving their paws toward them.
"Oh my god! I almost forgot, I called the Transport Team!"
Ethan hurriedly turned to look at the Great Jagras leader's corpse, which was half-submerged in the creek water. Seeing that the Royal Ludroth hadn't damaged it, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
My new armor is safe…
He also waved to the Felynes, then started rubbing his hands together like a fly, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Palico Transport Team.
Sophia looked at Ethan with a helpless expression. "Did you forget Bear Bro is still lying here? Do you think the little Felynes will approach directly?"
Ethan blinked. "Oh, right…"
"Then… should I take Bear Bro a little further away?"
Sophia actually wanted to study Bear Bro a little longer—the creature looked so clumsy and adorable—but now wasn't the time. She relented.
"My teacher and I will follow the Transport Team back. With Senior Rachelle nearby, safety won't be an issue… As for Bear Bro's new habitat, Teacher, what do you think of the woods across the river, near the biggest farm in the village?"
"That is very suitable~ In fact, I'd say it is the best area for an Arzuros to reside near the village!"
Mia waved to Ethan. "I will submit the research proposal when I get back. You can bring Bear Bro to live over there tonight!"
"Thank you so much for your help!"
"Mm-hmm~ Go on now! Friendship between different species, how beautiful…"
Ethan chuckled, calling to Bear Bro to leave:
"Let's go, Bear Bro! Time to fish! We're eating grilled fish today!"
"Roar!"
Bear Bro's eyes instantly shone like black pearls. It let out an excited roar, stretched its limbs, and dashed happily toward the gentler currents of the creek where fish were most likely to gather.
"Hey! Wait for me, Bear Bro!"
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