To be fair—
Although the Third Fleet's Captain had always worked primarily as a scholar, when it came to teaching people she surprisingly had quite a knack for it too.
From the most fundamental cultivation approach, to the effects of Ether energy on the Frenzy Virus, then how to work backwards from the final results of existing samples to deduce the specific mutation process, and further to how to find the key nodes within that process in order to target them—
She explained the profound in simple terms, guiding step by step with patience.
One could say that any scholar with even a little understanding of this field would have listened as though suddenly enlightened, the veil lifted from their eyes in an instant.
The only pity was that, among those currently listening to her lecture, the one with the best hope of understanding was—of all people—Andrew.
Expecting Hoshimi Miyabi, a pure martial arts fanatic, to grasp any of this was already a wild luxury—let alone the fact that this was outright the scientific research system of another world entirely.
That made it all the more incomprehensible to her.
And Kairu... While she was extremely reliable as a Hunter's support partner, when it came to scientific research—well, better not to count on her.
Andrew himself was naturally aware of this too.
It was just that, although Andrew knew this material was extremely important and was already doing his utmost to memorize it, he too knew little of the subject, and the more he listened, the more bewildered he became.
The Third Captain's voice was pleasant to the ear, and he could understand the language coming out of her mouth.
But when those words strung together into a full sentence, how was it that they seemed to turn into the language of some entirely different species? And how was it that he, as though he'd fallen under a hypnotic spell, began to feel an unstoppable urge to let his eyes drift shut...?
Especially that demonstration chart—something like a genealogy diagram—that the Third Captain had drawn, large enough to fill the entire blackboard...
For a moment, Andrew felt as though he'd been whisked back in a dream to a high school biology class—and the lesson was even on genetics and evolution, no less.
Andrew.exe had stopped responding.
Meanwhile, the Third Fleet's Captain, in the midst of her eloquent flow, also noticed that all three people before her had gone glassy-eyed—Kairu especially had gone full mosquito-coil-spirals in the eyes.
She immediately realized her mistake.
Judging by the state of the people here, she feared that before she even finished speaking, he'd already have handed everything he'd heard right back to her.
Expecting these martial arts fanatics to understand all this was, as expected, far too much to ask.
Since she wasn't very familiar with Hoshimi Miyabi and Kairu, the Third Fleet's Captain felt nothing much toward them—but at Andrew, who wore that same struggling expression, she still shot a light, somewhat exasperated glare.
Just like a teacher looking at a hopeless student under her charge.
When they ran into those monsters out in the wild, and the talk turned to the creatures' ecological habits or elemental weaknesses and such, he could speak on it clearly and logically, every point falling neatly into place.
So how was it that the moment she was around, or the moment the topic turned to scientific research and underlying principles, he became like someone who'd lost the very ability to think—a lazy slacker who did nothing all day but cry, 'Help me out here, Lady Captain of the Third Fleet'?
Just who exactly, she wondered, had helped nurture this habit in the pair of them?
Since the chief culprit herself had no self-awareness of it, the Third Fleet's Captain could only helplessly press a hand to her forehead. After heaving a sigh, she picked up a research manual she'd long since prepared from the table beside her and handed it to Andrew.
At the same time, she spoke up:
"Forget it. Instinctively trying to make you all directly understand this material was my mistake."
She gestured toward the manual she'd handed over, then continued to explain:
"In any case, the thing you need to do next is, once you return to that world, find a sufficiently reliable scholar with ample research experience in Ether energy—and simply hand him this research manual I've given you. That's all."
"As for exactly how to mass-produce the vaccine in that world, all he needs to do is read this research manual and he'll understand."
"Yes!"
Not having to keep listening to this heavenly gibberish was just wonderful!
Of course, out of respect for this external brain standing before him, Andrew only thought that last line to himself and didn't say it out loud.
He decisively took the rather thick-looking manual, stuffed it into his robes in one smooth motion, and said gratefully:
"I knew it—when you put your mind to thinking things through, Third Captain, you're always incredibly thorough!"
As for whether his own lack of understanding might cause any trouble?
Andrew still held fast to that old saying: leave the professional work to the professionals.
After all, Andrew's progress right now was already a full ten days ahead of the originally expected 30-day deadline—but if he really waited to finish making up every last course and every scrap of knowledge here with the Third Fleet's Captain before heading back...
Even pouring back in all ten of those days he'd gained ahead of schedule wouldn't be enough!
By then, even the daylilies would have gone stone cold!—far, far too late.
Besides, when it came to matters concerning the Frenzy Virus, that old fox The Mayor definitely valued it far, far more than he himself did.
With him keeping watch over it, in all likelihood nothing would go wrong.
However, Andrew didn't just leave straight away after taking it.
Instead, after wrestling with himself for quite a while, under the Third Fleet's Captain's puzzled gaze, he scratched his head and then cautiously ventured:
"Third Captain, as a scholar you should understand this best."
"The difference between worlds inevitably leads to enormous gaps in the raw materials one can obtain. No matter how similar many things look on the outside, that subtle discrepancy could very well cause an entire formula to fail."
"So a lot of the raw materials used in production aren't interchangeable between different worlds, and the materials for this vaccine..."
Although he knew that raising such a question amounted to doubting the Third Captain's ability, and although he knew that in his memory the Third Fleet's Captain's reliability had never once wavered—especially when she joined forces with her elder brother—
still, out of concern for the Frenzy Virus's lasting impact on New Eridu, Andrew spoke up to confirm:
"This really won't cause any problems, will it?"
Andrew's question was somewhat abrupt, but it was indeed reasonably necessary.
But the Third Fleet's Captain, quickly catching on, couldn't help but roll her pretty eyes at the Andrew before her when faced with this question.
Then, somewhat exasperated, she said:
"You're not wrong—the difference between worlds inevitably causes discrepancies in the materials used for the normal production of medicines."
"But, Andrew, you've forgotten one thing that is certain to exist in the world you're heading to."
"Forgotten one thing?"
Hearing the Third Fleet's Captain's words, Andrew couldn't help but freeze for a moment, and for a while he was left completely in the dark.
Fortunately, the Third Fleet's Captain had no intention of keeping him in suspense this time, and instead immediately went on explaining to Andrew.
"There's one material that world absolutely possesses—and that's the virus itself!"
Regarding the fruits of these past few busy days, the corners of the Third Fleet's Captain's mouth instinctively curled into a satisfied smile as she said:
"The one and only core material of this vaccine, developed through the efforts of me and that guy, is precisely this mutated Frenzy Virus!"
"And the other auxiliary materials are all basic elements that the Guild has confirmed—through other world-crossers—exist in every single universe, so there's no chance the world you come from will run into that particular problem."
Although her elder brother loved to pull one over on his little sister, the ability he displayed as a scholar had always been beyond the slightest doubt.
Add to that the Third Fleet's Captain's own reinforcement of the work, and there was no way the two of them would err on such a basic matter.
As long as the virus existed, the raw material for making the vaccine existed—you could even extract some of the virus directly from an infected person!
A shining model of a positive feedback loop.
What's more, during their earlier research, the two of them hadn't merely done the core-material adaptation and left it at that.
Then, with a soft laugh, the Third Fleet's Captain told the Andrew before her the reason she wasn't the least bit worried about this issue:
"Even if this formula runs into the extreme situation where only the virus can serve as a material, the vaccine ultimately produced would merely have its effect weakened to eighty percent of the original—nothing more."
"Although this was originally just an emergency measure for when there are no suitable production conditions, it's more than enough to cover this situation too."
Immensely satisfied with her own handiwork, the Third Fleet's Captain unconsciously waved her hand, and at once the censer in her grasp—which had only just had its Spirit-Calming Incense lit—swayed along with the motion.
A serene, peaceful fragrance spread out with it.
Then she continued to add:
"That said, besides this mutated version, I've also compiled the method for producing the vaccine for the base-version Frenzy Virus in that manual."
"To guard against the extremely low-probability situation where unmutated Frenzy Virus still exists in that world and someone ends up infected by it, we've also prepared several ready-made vaccines for emergencies."
"Take those with you as well."
The original Frenzy Virus still existed?
That couldn't be, could it?
Hearing the Third Fleet's Captain's addition, Andrew's first reaction was exactly this—after all, Nineveh's earlier mutation had already indirectly confirmed the death of the originally infected monsters.
Under conditions of such deep Ether erosion as those.
Even if unmutated Frenzy Virus still remained, it should long ago have—like rootless duckweed—run out of steam and died off, vanishing entirely for lack of any host left to parasitize.
Still, Andrew raised no objection to this arrangement, and obediently gathered up the five glass vials the Third Fleet's Captain handed over, storing them all together in his Item Bag.
After all, not only did the Third Captain mean well—in a case like this it was of course better to be prepared than to be caught short.
Andrew hadn't forgotten that the Defense Force had once discovered abnormal traces at the departure point of the mutated-Frenzy-Virus-infected Nineveh.
And by identifying those traces, one could discover that their source was all human!
What if the true culprit who'd caused Nineveh's mutation had kept some unmutated Frenzy Virus in reserve?
Having no sword in hand and having a sword but not using it are two entirely different things. Since the existence of a human factor had already been uncovered earlier, it was of course best to keep a defensive card ready against the other side.
There was not only the vaccine for the original virus.
The vaccine for the mutated Frenzy Virus, too, once the Third Captain and her elder brother had finished their research, had been produced in as many batches as possible—over a dozen—using the virus raw material they had on hand.
This ensured that Andrew could directly use the medicine to treat and cure people the moment he returned, while at the same time serving to verify the stability of the vaccine's production.
It was just that, because the quantity of raw material Andrew had brought was limited, under that constraint they'd ultimately produced no more than thirteen vials of vaccine, which the Third Fleet's Captain had thoughtfully tucked away in a leather bag.
Having thoughtfully packed up everything that needed to be handed over to Andrew, the Third Captain watched as he stored it all away in his Item Bag, and after a slight pause she said softly:
"Remember to stay safe, and don't push yourself too hard."
"Mm."
Hearing the Third Captain's exhortation, Andrew immediately gave a serious nod.
"Don't worry. I'll be careful and cautious, and take care not to get myself hurt."
Not having expected that even at such a low volume she'd still be overheard by Andrew, the Third Fleet's Captain silently grumbled to herself that this master-and-disciple pair were both monsters, then let out a long, gentle breath.
Quickly composing her emotions, and to cover up the awkwardness in her heart, she put on a face of mock disdain and began shooing them off:
"All right, all right. Since your objective for coming back, little Andrew, is now completely accomplished, it's about time you returned to that world to keep dealing with this Frenzy Virus disaster."
"Even though you're a full third ahead of the expected time you mentioned before, you still can't let yourself slack off because of it."
And so Andrew set off, bringing along the two who'd listened from beginning to end even more befuddled than he was—and who still hadn't snapped out of it—all heading outside together.
Walking up to the front door of the research institute, just before leaving for good, Andrew turned his head back.
"The wine I promised to brew for the old man and the others—I've already buried it in the Ancient Forest, so remember, you have to wait at least a whole month before you can dig it up and drink it!"
Looking at the Third Fleet's Captain, who as ever sat casually in her seat, leisurely leafing through her research materials, Andrew smiled and waved as a farewell while calling out loudly:
"Well then, until next time, Third Captain—once I've got some free time later, I'll come back to visit you!"
As his voice fell, the grappling hook on Andrew's arm had already shot out and latched firmly onto the flying wyvern's talons.
The next moment, with a vigorous beat of the flying wyvern's twin wings, he was hoisted aloft—carrying Hoshimi Miyabi and Kairu—and soared once more toward the Astral Outpost.
"What's this, now? He makes it sound like he's bidding farewell to some old-timer left behind alone at home—but as a Wyverian, I'm actually still very young, you know."
She shook her head helplessly.
Looking at the spot where Andrew had been standing, now utterly empty of any figure, the Third Fleet's Captain still couldn't help but feel a touch of wistfulness.
Parting was a constant of life.
With this farewell, who knew how long the interval would stretch before they met again.
Back at the Astral Outpost, Andrew hoisted onto his back the luggage he'd already packed up long ago.
Most of the materials, along with all sorts of other baggage, had been stashed by Andrew inside the system's Item Bag or the material box, while what he carried on his back was Andrew's original Kushala Daora armor.
Fortunately—although it had originally been plate armor—
as everyone knows, Monster Hunter technology is mind-blowing stuff, so with the help of the Second Fleet Captain's senior disciple, Andrew had folded its bulk down to the size of a mere backpack, letting him carry it on his back.
Of course, its weight hadn't lessened one bit as a result.
This trip back to his old homeland counted as a thorough, top-to-bottom bumper harvest.
Having stripped bare every scrap of material within a few kilometers of the Astral Outpost, Andrew's on-hand potion-synthesis materials had swelled to a truly staggering figure—enough that fighting at least one more Nineveh interception battle would be no pressure at all.
To say nothing of the full set of master-rank Kushala Daora Armor now on his body.
Having packed up everything, Andrew didn't make a fuss about his departure; instead, after saying his goodbyes to a few acquaintances, he headed with the flying wyvern toward the gates of the Astral Outpost.
Then, he once again caught sight of that extraordinarily conspicuous Shock Eel head, swaying and bobbing in the wind.
Andrew suddenly got the feeling that he might have forgotten something important.
____
👻🔥Seek: Walnut-chan🔥👻
🔥 New history: COTE: Counterattack System
Let's hit these goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = 1 extra chapter for the public!