Arrival at X Volcano

Airport.

Kevin led Men Qi and the other person down, and they got on the shuttle bus and went outside.

Knowing they were coming today, Pakunoda and his companion had been waiting there for a long time.

Two strangers were following behind the two.

"Master!"

Pons stood outside waving.

The group gathered together.

Pakunoda smiled and said, "Shall we eat and rest first? Or---"

"Pakunoda asked."

Hearing the way he spoke, the two strangers following behind him glanced at Pakunoda.

This clearly means that the initiative in this operation has been directly handed over to Kevin in front of them.

Kevin just smiled and instead looked at the two strangers and asked them a question.

Who are these two?

Pakunoda then realized what was happening and quickly introduced them, "These two are the Guide we hired earlier. They used to be Hunter x Hunter in the forest and are very familiar with this area."

Kevin smiled and shook hands with the two men, thus introducing them.

The group boarded the car that had been prepared in advance.

"Let's find a place to rest first. Although the information you sent is very comprehensive, we still need to have a proper face-to-face discussion now that we're here, to understand the specific situation."

Upon hearing Kevin's words, Pakunoda nodded.

The two cars drove into the city.

We arrived at the house we had already rented.

The two Guide didn't follow; after parking, they rested in another room.

Step inside the house.

Upon entering the living room, Kevin discovered that it had been completely transformed into a makeshift studio for the two of them.

Various sticky notes, documents, and materials were scattered everywhere. A whiteboard hung on the living room wall, covered with various information and some notes that hadn't been completely wiped clean.

It seems you've gone to a lot of trouble this time.

Looking at the scene, Men Qi couldn't help but laugh and say, "Just by looking at it, you can tell that collecting this information took a lot of time."

Pakunoda nodded excitedly, "That's Phoenix, of course it's exciting!"

Seeing the other person's agitated emotions, Kevin pondered for a moment and couldn't help but ask, "You witnessed it?"

There was no way around it; both Pakunoda and Pons seemed quite agitated.

This wasn't the case with the documents sent earlier, which surprised Pakunoda, but she immediately nodded.

"That's right. Just as we received your message that you were coming, Master, and were about to leave, we witnessed the Red Giant Bird that very night."

"Its appearance is very similar to Phoenix, almost certain, with fiery red feathers all over its body, and it flies into the sky like a burning flame."

This is the most obvious characteristic of the Phoenix.

Like a bird with wings on fire.

"We've already witnessed it."

Kevin rubbed his chin, thinking for a moment.

The previous information was based on a collection of information over a period of time, without any eyewitness reports.

Therefore, Kevin's more important purpose in coming here was to relax and find out if there was any information related to the egg.

Determine if the egg is the Phoenix's Nirvana Egg.

However, if there is an eyewitness report, then this matter must be treated with even greater seriousness.

The group took their seats.

Kevin said directly, "Then let's talk about the relevant information."

Pakunoda nodded, Pons, who was next to her, also brought over some confirmed information.

The narrative begins with information gathered from various online sources and eyewitness accounts of local legends, identifying points of similarity.

"One thing is certain: all reports point out that the Phoenix's ' immortality' refers to rebirth, not true immortality."

"There are many instances where the phoenix is likened to Phoenix, but in stories that explicitly refer to it as Phoenix, its appearance is mostly quite different from that of a phoenix."

In short, none of the legends about the Phoenix they collected had a clear explanation of its rebirth.

In this region, it is clearly stated that the Phoenix's rebirth occurs from a new egg.

The murals at the Ruins also corroborate this.

In the outside world, if a phoenix is reborn from ashes, then it is forever reborn from the ashes; there is no such thing as a phoenix egg.

These can be considered two different, but perhaps similar, creatures and their associated legends.

"Another very important point is that in most regions, if it is a phoenix legend, it is a beneficial bird and is regarded as a guardian deity."

"However, the Phoenix is viewed negatively in many areas, associated with things like fires and disasters."

As he spoke, he took out some photos of murals and placed them on the table.

Kevin picked it up and looked at it.

Although these murals are in a dilapidated state, they can be pieced together from the parts that are still clearly visible to make inferences.

It's clear that the Phoenix is always associated with things like fire.

"So, what difficulties did you encounter when you sent us your request for assistance this time?"

Kevin asked directly.

Pakunoda sighed and said, "First of all, it's about experience. Although I want to become Phantom Beast Hunter, I've only ever seen similar creatures before; I've never participated in tracking, capturing, or investigating them."

As a senior colleague, Kevin has clear records and relevant reports.

Especially within that Demonic Realm.

Kevin's most famous and influential achievement was solving that Demonic Realm.

Of course, now we could also add eliminating the Phantom Troupe.

"Then there's strength. I certainly wouldn't have thought of it this way before, but during my time studying at the Manor, I've become clearly aware of my shortcomings."

"Based on my master's previous reports, I feel that with my abilities, even just approaching and tracking the Phoenix would be extremely dangerous, let alone investigating it."

As for Phantom Beast Hunter, each Hunter x Hunter has different ideas and will treat Phantom Beast differently.

For example, in the form of a commission, some employers want to kill, expel, or capture the target alive.

Becoming Phantom Beast Hunter is about earning money and wealth, and basically involves killing or capturing Phantom Beast alive.

Such comparisons are despised by Phantom Beast Hunter.

Normal Phantom Beast Hunter prefer to drive away and investigate, and only resort to killing when all other options are exhausted.

Phantom Beast are rare and have legendary stories associated with them. Sometimes they will inexplicably move their nests or cause impacts on some populated areas due to ecological relationships.

Such individuals need to be driven away or forced to be killed.

If it's a hobby, then we'll investigate, record, and archive it.

Therefore, Kevin wanted to clarify what Pakunoda's thoughts were about the Phoenix.

So it's just out of curiosity?

Pakunoda nodded, then shook his head.

"It started out of curiosity; if I missed out on this legendary creature, I would regret it for the rest of my life."

"So I just wanted to come and investigate whether the so-called Phoenix is truly a mythical Phantom Beast."

Kevin nodded; it was a perfectly normal thought.

"However, as the investigation progressed, we discovered that the appearance of the Phoenix brings misfortune, as is the case in most legends, and suddenly there were eyewitness reports here."

As he spoke, he took out some more photos.

These are also photos of some Ruins.

Judging from the murals on the Ruins, the Phoenix descended with Heavenly Fire, burning villages, forests, and the earth.

This was unearthed from the local Ruins.

Unfortunately, the sighting report of the Phoenix happened to be in this area.

"So, you're afraid this Phoenix might cause harm to the surrounding area?"

Pakunoda nodded.

And he felt Kevin would definitely be interested.

After all, Kevin needs those strange and unusual materials, and materials from a Phoenix like this are certainly necessary.

It doesn't necessarily have to be hunting; feathers and some blood might work too.

After chatting for a while longer, the group began to analyze the data.

"The legend of Heavenly Fire descending and scorching the earth—isn't there a Volcano here? Is it Volcano or Volcano?"

Men Qi looked at the documents and maps and suddenly asked a question.

These legends, combined with the locations on the map, make it hard not to believe they are connected.

The Phoenix– A Disaster Legend – A Volcano.

Clearly, Pakunoda and the others had also considered this possibility.

"It's a Volcano, but Volcano do have eruption history, so—"

Everyone understands.

And it was precisely because it was identified as a Volcano that settlements developed around it.

When you witnessed it, what did you think his body length was?

I asked Buhaci asked.

Pakunoda recalled, "It's impossible to be sure, but I think the body length should be around ten to fifteen meters. The wingspan is a bit exaggerated because the feathers look like flames, so it's hard to judge."

"That's quite big."

They had encountered large creatures before, such as Griffin, which were quite large.

However, compared to creatures that are over ten meters long, it's incomparable, and its wingspan definitely exceeds its body size, making it appear even more exaggerated.

After getting a general understanding, everyone rested and headed into the forest the next day.

This is a border city.

The area where the Phoenix was sighted is still hundreds of kilometers away, but the problem is that the Volcano and the surrounding area is a vast forest spanning several countries.

In the forest.

A small team of two people was walking through the woods, dressed in hiking gear, and looked like outdoor enthusiasts.

The two walked through the forest until they came to a huge tree.

This giant tree has a diameter of over six meters and a height of over one hundred meters.

It is a truly giant tree.

There were no other large trees adjacent to the giant tree.

An open space was formed.

The two sat down to rest.

"An, how did it go? Did you find anything?"

One of the middle-aged men, who looked rather ordinary and wore a hat, asked his companion.

The man called An looked younger, with short, spiky hair and a somewhat serious expression.

"Stop making noise, be quiet, Tell."

An said impatiently.

I looked at the paper map in my hand, and saw various instruments constantly analyzing the surroundings.

"Trouble! What a terrible map! This isn't just one Volcano; it's a whole Volcanic Cluster."

The geological survey was so poor, or rather, so perfunctory, that after the first one, no one ever updated it again.

"Do you mean multiple Volcano will erupt at the same time?" Tell asked worriedly from the side.

An shook his head. "To be honest, there's no way to be sure. It could be just one Volcano erupting, or it could be several erupting."

"Furthermore, the eruption could take different forms. The problem is that this is a Volcano. If, as you say, the Volcano were to erupt, there should have been some warning signs."

As he spoke, he put away the equipment and looked at the other person with a frown.

"The problem now is that we've been in this area for so long and have gathered a lot of information, but it doesn't match the characteristics of an eruption, you understand?"

Simply put, this is still Volcano.

Although the probability of Volcano erupting does exist, it is very low; otherwise, it wouldn't be called Volcano.

He trusted the other party's information, so he came to investigate, but the problem was that he couldn't find any relevant conditions for its formation.

The eruption of a Volcano, especially an eruption of a Volcano, provides very clear information, and it is easy to find corroborating evidence.

Perhaps because it hasn't erupted for millions of years, this area has long since become a dense forest, which has spread to several countries.

If it does erupt, it will create a massive wildfire that will spread and burn its way through the land.

This is not a dry forest area, but rather a relatively humid region.

The probability of wildfires is not high, and the corresponding experience and various preventive measures are very poor.

Not to mention underdeveloped countries with poor economic conditions, some of which simply lack the corresponding disaster relief capabilities.

Hearing his companion's words, Tell said helplessly, "You know my Nen ability."

He is an Environmental Disaster Hunter; as his name suggests, he specializes in preventing and responding to various environmental disasters.

He can be considered an expert in this field; he's even a One-star Hunter.

In various countries, he is a professional in his field and serves as an advisor.

"You could easily use your status to warn the surrounding countries; with your One-star Hunter status and reputation, they would respond accordingly."

An said directly.

This is the simplest and quickest method, instead of wandering around looking for so-called evidence. In this situation, one should act quickly using their own actions and reputation to avoid causing greater losses when a disaster occurs later.

Tell shook his head helplessly.

"Of course, there's no problem with major powers. As for the Kakin Empire, I've already sent them messages and given them warnings, and they're making the necessary preparations."

"But what about other small countries? They completely lack the necessary conditions, and the resulting losses are incalculable."

His Nen ability allows him to foresee disasters.

Even if we find the evidence, so what?

An couldn't understand.

Does it have to erupt even if it shouldn't? Can't he just shut the Volcano up?

That's absolutely impossible.

He was a little confused.

Tell shook his head. "You know my Nen ability. So-called disasters don't necessarily have to be natural disasters. Even among natural disasters, some disasters can be avoided from the source. Do you understand?"

Earthquakes and tsunamis are of course unavoidable, but things like fires, pests, and plagues can be prevented.

"No, you mean a forest fire caused by Volcano could be avoided?"

He finally understood.

"So, you believe the Volcano eruption was caused by an external force?"

It's not that he doesn't believe it; it's precisely because he understands it that he can't believe it.

He is an expert in investigating Volcano.

"Yes, although I really don't want to believe it, the disaster predictions have given us this information."

"And Nen ability, who knows? As long as the price is high enough."

These words silenced An.

That's certainly possible.