Chapter 1063, A Despondent Yue

Translator: Silavin

 

Night fell, and the dense primitive forest transformed into an entirely different form.

 

The forest that appeared lush and full of vitality in the morning looked especially eerie and foreboding under the cloak of darkness. It was as though the place had become a living purgatory. The air saturated in every direction was with the cries of Ferocious Beasts.

 

Merely hearing those sounds was enough to make one’s blood run cold, let alone venturing into the depths of it.

 

Inside a mountain cave within the Flame Dragon Tribe’s Hunting Ground, several Warriors were resting.

 

Yan Hua sat beside the campfire, her face brimming with excitement as she animatedly said, “At this rate, we’ll be able to head back in a few days.”

 

Indeed, Yan Hua had captured quite a number of Grey Feathered Giant Birds, and every single one of them was now roaming freely and obediently through the forest.

 

She had relied on her own courage and wit to Tame the first one, then used it as cover to draw closer to the others.

 

It had taken a full day to Tame four of them, which was an extraordinarily impressive achievement.

 

But all of it had been earned through Yan Hua’s boldness and composure. Without strong nerves and calm, it simply could not have been done.

 

“You really were far too reckless. If Ah Hen hadn’t come to find us, we wouldn’t have even known you had done something so daring.” Sha Lan made a deliberate show of being furious, though she understood Yan Hua perfectly well. After all, they had grown up together since they were children, and she knew the other girl’s character inside and out.

 

She simply had not expected her to make her move so quickly. Still, she was relieved that no one had been hurt and the mission had been completed. It had been a fright for nothing.

 

“We also found a ton of strange plants. Now we’re only missing a few small beasts,” Ai’er said.

 

When everyone gathered together, Yan Hua gave a detailed account of the process of Taming the Grey Feathered Giant Birds.

 

Though it sounded extraordinarily dangerous, seeing Yan Hua safe and sound in front of them put their hearts at ease.

 

They also felt really proud of her. After all, was this not precisely what a Totem Warrior was meant to be?

 

Over these past two days, quite a number of strange plants had been found as well. Some were the specific ones Su Bai had requested, and some were varieties none of them had ever laid eyes on before.

 

The total came to around a dozen varieties, but in order to make transportation easier and prevent them from dying too quickly, the group decided to stop searching for more.

 

“Tonight we should all get a proper rest, and then tomorrow everyone goes out together to find small beasts.” Yue said suddenly.

 

She had begun to feel utterly useless, because the things she had personally found amounted to so little.

 

The large Ferocious Beast the Shaman needed, the strange plants… none of those had been found by her, and it was impossible not to feel somewhat despondent.

 

There had been three missions on this outing in total, and she had come up empty on two of them. Anyone would feel a sense of inadequacy in that position.

 

“Yue, don’t overthink it. Your strength surpasses all of ours. It’s precisely because you’re here that we feel especially at ease, so don’t take it to heart.”

 

Yan Hua instantly sensed the rabbit eared girl’s quiet melancholy and rose, shifting her position closer towards her.

 

It was worth noting that although Yan Hua usually came across as carefree and boisterous, she was still quick to pick up on a person’s subtle emotions.

 

“It’s nothing. We still have one mission left, don’t we? We’ll keep working hard tomorrow, that’s all.” Yue smiled lightly, making little of it.

 

Even so, she felt a deep warmth in her heart. She hadn’t expected anyone to tend to her feelings.

 

“Tomorrow, shall we act as a group or split up?” Ai’er asked.

 

“I think we should split up. Look at today. We split up and our efficiency was so much higher.” Bai Si suggested.

 

“I agree with splitting up too. We can ride the Grey Feathered Giant Birds to search. That way, it’ll actually be faster.” Yue immediately added.

 

“Staying in the same spot won’t yield anything new. If we venture further out, we might well find what we’re looking for.” Sha Lan said, nodding repeatedly.

 

“Great, it’s decided then. Let’s get some sleep. It’s already so late.” Yan Hua said, her eyelids drooping with exhaustion.

 

All the girls agreed, and after arranging tonight’s Patrol shifts, they each settled down to rest.

 

Fortunately, all of them had brought sleeping bags on this outing, and sleeping inside them was extraordinarily comfortable.

 

Time passed moment by moment, and very quickly the second morning arrived.

 

After a full night of rest, everyone looked sharp and full of vigour.

 

Yan Hua and Peak Eagle took flight first, their wings beating as they soared away, and the rest each mounted a Grey Feathered Giant Bird and flew off in turn.

 

It was quite the spectacle. Five big birds perched before the mountain cave, departing one by one on beating wings.

 

The scene truly resembled Warriors setting out for battle. Peak Eagle, however, appeared just a tiny bit small beside those Grey Feathered Giant Birds.

 

*Whoosh whoosh…*

 

Sha Lan gripped the feathers on the Grey Feathered Giant Bird’s back with both hands, her face pressed flat against it.

 

It took her quite a while to find her bearings, and then she slowly pulled her goggles down and gradually sat herself upright.

 

After all, she was nothing like Yan Hua, who was always in the company of a Peak Eagle. The number of times she herself had ridden a Ferocious Beast into the sky could be counted on one hand.

 

*Coo coo coo…*

 

The Grey Feathered Giant Bird levelled itself out and flew at an even, steady pace, maintaining a height that was neither too high nor too low.

 

All of that had been at Sha Lan’s request. Flying too high was frightening, but flying too low would cause the Ferocious Beast’s intimidating presence to scare away all the small beasts.

 

After flying together for over half an hour, the pair had put considerable distance between themselves and the original cave.

 

They had arrived at the opposite end of the Hunting Ground. The Grey Feathered Giant Bird’s flying speed was formidable.

 

From the original cave’s location, which was the first base of the Flame Dragon Tribe’s Hunting Ground, reaching the other side of the Hunting Ground on foot would take no less than a full day.

 

“The speed really is something else. Last time, it took us a whole day and night on foot,” Sha Lan remarked with emotions.

 

She patted the Grey Feathered Giant Bird’s back gently and said, “Come, let’s find an open space to land.”

 

Sha Lan was quite certain that searching for small beasts to rear while still airborne would be hopeless. She would need to set foot on the ground herself.

 

Of course, the reason she had the bird wait in an open area was precisely because she feared it would startle the small beasts away.

 

*Coo coo coo…*

 

The Grey Feathered Giant Bird called out gently in a compliant manner, then began its descent onto the wide open grassland.

 

“If you hear me call, you must come to me at once,” Sha Lan said, slowly stroking the Grey Feathered Giant Bird’s head.

 

Sha Lan’s expression at that moment was extremely grave. After all, the surrounding Hunting Ground was fraught with danger at every turn.

 

She had to ensure the Grey Feathered Giant Bird would come to her immediately. This was to ensure her chances of escape would be greater.

 

*Coo coo coo…*

 

The Grey Feathered Giant Bird nuzzled its great head against Sha Lan and let out a soft, low sound to show it understood.

 

Sha Lan drew her recurve bow and walked slowly in the direction of the forest, each step careful and deliberate.