When an Airship the size of the Knowledge Seeker visited a small village or town, it might cause a sensation. If one landed in a remote little city, it would draw crowds and astonished stares.
But when the Knowledge Seeker landed at the docks of Port Tanzia... aside from a few passing travelers, hardly any locals gave it more than a cursory glance.
In sheer scale, Port Tanzia surpassed even Dundorma's harbor. Ocean-going vessels with hulls more than five kilometers long lay moored in orderly rows, and beside them, the Knowledge Seeker was not especially eye-catching.
Of course, an Airship and a seagoing vessel were fundamentally different, and neither their technical sophistication nor their construction costs were comparable. But to the average person, an Airship was just a ship with an extra air sac. How much difference could there really be?
Besides, similar large Airships appeared often enough at Port Tanzia. Few ports could safely berth and maintain vessels of that size, and even the Wycademy's famously renowned Soaratorium passed through several times a year.
The more often people saw them, the less remarkable they became.
The group disembarked from the Airship.
Altaïr was among them. From what the Professor had said, the Guild's Airship would not arrive until tomorrow, so at the very least, they had today to feast, drink, and relax properly.
Francesca led the way. "Come on! I'll take you to a place I know! The Guild Hall here serves first-rate grilled seafood too, but it's far too crowded. At a friend's place, we can get them to pile on the good stuff!"
Hearing that, Isis grew even more enthusiastic. Earlier, when the Professor had mentioned assigning a quest to Altaïr alone, she had felt a little out of sorts.
Although the two sometimes went on separate Hunts, this was the first time the Guild had assigned one of them a solo quest.
Fortunately, Isis was not overly sensitive or prone to brooding, and her anticipation of Port Tanzia's fine cuisine quickly drowned out that faint, complicated feeling.
No big deal. She would just spend a few extra days in Port Tanzia with Nymera, eating well and having fun!
—--
The restaurant Francesca recommended was not on the main thoroughfare and stood in a slightly out-of-the-way location, but the place was packed. Judging by their clothes, many of the customers were locals and sailors passing through.
A restaurant like this could not be bad. Altaïr was already preparing to "learn" a few things...
Like most barbecue restaurants, this one also had an open kitchen.
A golden-furred Felyne Chef was in charge of the cooking, assisted by three others. They worked together with practiced ease, preparing ingredients, seasoning dishes, and controlling the heat. The kitchen was busy but never chaotic.
"Boss Jin, what good stuff do you have today?" Francesca greeted the golden-furred Felyne, both head chef and owner, with a grin.
Seafood demanded exceptional quality and freshness. Rather than order from a menu, the better approach was to ask what choice ingredients were available and let the chef decide how to prepare them. The resulting dishes were often better.
"Miss Sterling, meow! Long time no see, meow!" The Felyne Chef named Jin sliced ingredients into paper-thin sheets with a cleaver moving at startling speed. "We've got a huge, amazing squid, meow! It's great grilled or raw, meow! Want some, meow?"
"Uh..." Francesca's expression stiffened.
She glanced back at the others. Everyone shook their heads in unison.
"Ahem, how about we skip the squid?" Francesca chuckled dryly. "We've developed a bit of a squid allergy lately."
"Really, meow? Then how about lobster? Lobster is excellent too, meow, and we also have giant scallops and fresh oysters, meow!"
"Sure! Use your judgment. Make it... eight Hunter-sized portions!"
Jin looked up in surprise. "Eight Hunter-sized portions, meow? That's quite a lot, meow. Aren't there only five of you, meow? Or is the Palamute eating all-you-can-eat barbecue too, meow? Our food is heavily seasoned, meow. The Palamute's stomach might not be able to handle it..."
Having run a restaurant in a port city, Jin had seen a great deal of the world and knew a fair bit about Palamutes.
"Hibiki will only have a taste. He can't eat too much unfamiliar food. He's already close to his weight limit." Nymera smiled as she stroked Hibiki's head.
"Awooo..." Hibiki's ears drooped in disappointment.
"Don't worry! We have someone here who can eat enough for three. Nothing will go to waste!" Francesca was quite confident in Isis's appetite.
Hearing that, Jin stopped worrying and sent the assistant Felyne Chefs to the cold storage for ingredients. It was time for the kitchen to show what it could do!
The group found a table and sat down.
"You lot," Francesca said, resting her elbows on the table and propping her chin on one hand as she looked around. "It's been quite a while, and each of you has reached High Rank. Do you really have no sense of occasion?"
"You mean a celebration feast for reaching High Rank?" Isis asked uncertainly.
"Well... that too, I suppose, but that's not what I'm talking about."
Altaïr had been craning his neck toward the open kitchen, hoping to steal a few cooking tricks. When he saw that the Felyne Chefs were still preparing ingredients and there was not much to watch yet, he turned back around.
"What do you mean?"
"A team name! A team name!" Francesca slapped the table, utterly exasperated. "Hunters who form a permanent hunting party almost always choose a team name. Famous or not, they at least need something people can call them. But you lot? Whenever I want to recommend you to the higher-ups, I have to list your names one by one. What kind of arrangement is that?"
Isis, Nymera, and Morgan all turned to Altaïr.
Although the group had no official position such as captain or team leader, Altaïr usually made most of the decisions, so everyone tacitly acknowledged him as the leader. Was this not the captain's responsibility?
Altaïr found himself, uncharacteristically, at a loss for words.
To be honest, in his earlier years, Altaïr had never considered forming a team and had planned to be a solo Hunter. After meeting Isis, he changed his mind, and the two became partners. Even then, he had not thought about forming a complete hunting party. During their time as a pair, they gradually realized they needed a Gunner, and Senior Francesca introduced them to Nymera. Up to that point, Altaïr's thinking had not changed much because Nymera had told them she was only away from home to train and would eventually return to Kamura Village. He assumed he and Isis would remain a permanent duo while getting to know a few reliable Gunners they could invite along whenever needed. With that plan, a team name had not seemed necessary.
But as they spent more time together and grew closer, Nymera became a permanent member of their team in every way that mattered.
Later, while serving with the Tidal Island advance team, they met Morgan. After working together several times, everyone grew comfortable around one another.
During the period when Nymera returned to Kamura Village for training, Morgan temporarily took her place in the squad.
At first, Altaïr and Morgan both saw it as a temporary arrangement. Once Nymera returned, Morgan would step aside.
But just as with Nymera before, everyone worked together so seamlessly that they had already grown accustomed to one another.
With Morgan's independent nature, either Altaïr or Nymera could have quietly told him, "You're free to go," and he would have left without resentment, with no hard feelings on either side.
Yet Altaïr, Isis, and Nymera all felt that Morgan had already become part of the group. Why should he leave?
Morgan did not mind staying either.
Having two Gunners in one squad was hardly unusual. A Light Bowgunner and a Heavy Bowgunner filled different roles: one was a nimble skirmisher, while the other provided suppressive fire. Together, they raised the team's offensive capability to an entirely new level.
During the Frenzy outbreak, their performance as a four-person hunting party proved the reliability and completeness of the lineup. If a Monster broke through the Blademasters' containment, the two Gunners could cover each other, which was far more stable than relying on a single Gunner.
Conveniently, Nymera had just been "kicked out" of her warm family home by her elders, so what was there to hesitate over? A four-person team was perfect, was it not?
After all those twists and turns, they had somehow become a proper High Rank hunting party, yet they still did not even have a team name.
"Hmm... We probably should come up with one," Altaïr mused.
Just then, the first sizzling platter of grilled shrimp arrived at the table.
Isis's eyes lit up. "How about we call ourselves..."
"Shut it." Francesca pinched Isis's mouth closed. "Anyone who came up with names like 'bacon,' 'Dango,' and 'Big Red Sausage' isn't allowed to speak."
"I know where 'bacon' and 'Dango' came from, but what's 'Big Red Sausage'?" Sajji asked curiously.
"Altaïr's usual sword. It's called Tyrant Blade [Heaven Swallower] now, isn't it?"
Altaïr looked baffled. "Didn't she suggest 'Dark Red' back then?"
Francesca rolled her eyes. "That was my version. I changed it to spare her the embarrassment. Her first idea really was 'Big Red Sausage.'"
* * *
Warhammer: Wait, Do I Have to Sit on the Golden Throne Too? is also available here on Webnovel. Thank you for reading.