The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

The battle between monkeys and a young bird.

Goltai quickly described the scene in detail; it was actually a group of Fruit Thief Monkeys attacking an eagle: “That bird built a nest on the Fragrant Coconut Tree, and it seems there are bird eggs in the nest—the monkeys have stopped stealing fruit and have started stealing bird eggs instead.”

He took it as an amusing story.

However, Liszt mounted his horse and announced on the spot, “Logging is over for today. Everyone leave Thorn Ridge. Teacher Marcus, come with me to Oyster Village.” Without a doubt, that bird was a Wind Falcon, and what was lying in the nest were eggs awaiting hatching.

That was his mission reward.

At the Lord Landlord’s command, the Lumberjack Team immediately stopped working and started heading back to town along the half-built gravel path. Liszt, leading Marcus and four Retainer Knights, raced ahead to Oyster Village. Upon reaching the East Coast, they saw the Patrol Team surrounding a Fragrant Coconut Tree.

There was a large pile of monkey corpses under the tree.

“Lord Landlord!” The Patrol Members saluted one after another.

Liszt looked up at the crown of the Fragrant Coconut Tree, which stood dozens of meters high, with the lowest branches as high as a four-story building and the highest, as tall as twenty stories.

The tree in front of them was the tallest; it grew at a sixty-degree angle toward the sea, and looking up, the crown was almost a small point.

At that moment, the crown was bustling with activity, chickens flying and dogs jumping erratically, and occasionally the body of a monkey would fall, dead on impact. Even if they didn’t die from the fall, their bodies could be seen covered in cuts as if sliced open by blades.

“There is a Magical Beast up there; these wounds look to be caused by Magic Wind Blades,” Marcus cautioned, lifting the body of one of the Fruit Thief Monkeys.

Liszt casually pointed, “It’s the Wind Falcon. These monkeys are attacking its nest; there should be its eggs inside. The battle is fierce. Teacher Marcus, do you have a way to retrieve the eggs? This could very well hatch into a new Wind Falcon.”

“So, it’s a Wind Falcon,” Marcus said, suddenly realizing, then frowned, “Climbing the tree would be easy, but with a group of Fruit Thief Monkeys and a Wind Falcon up there, it would be very dangerous. A Magical Beast defending its nest is the most ferocious, and the Fruit Thief Monkeys themselves are a fierce wild beast too.”

“Then let’s wait, perhaps they’ll both suffer losses,” said Liszt, somewhat uncertain.

If it was a mission reward, it should not be difficult to obtain. Otherwise, getting bird eggs from a group of combat-capable Fruit Thief Monkeys, or from a combat-capable Wind Falcon, would be an impossible task.

And so they waited for about fifteen minutes.

The number of monkey corpses grew, and the Patrol Members gleefully collected the bodies. These were choice game, and though they couldn’t eat them—since everything in the territory belonged to the Castle, and thus to Liszt—it was certain the Lord Landlord would reward them with something.

After some thought, Liszt told the Patrol Team, “Collect the dead Fruit Thief Monkeys, finish off the gravely wounded with one stroke, and tie up those with minor injuries. I want them alive.”

He hadn’t forgotten his earlier plan to train the Fruit Thief Monkeys to climb trees and pick Fragrant Coconut Fruit.

“Yes, Lord Landlord!”

Suddenly, Marcus spoke up, “Lord, be careful, the remaining monkeys are trying to flee!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Liszt saw about a dozen Fruit Thief Monkeys rapidly descending the trunk of the Fragrant Coconut Tree. And behind them, a large bird, nearly plucked bare, flapping its wings in pursuit.

“Marcus, join me in intercepting the Wind Falcon, and all Patrol Members stop the Fruit Thief Monkeys. Don’t let a single one escape. Capture them alive if possible!”

When the snipe and clam grapple, it’s the fisherman who benefits.

Seizing such an opportunity, Liszt made an immediate decision.

“Yes!” Faced with the chance to kick someone while they were down, the Patrol Members were excited, each drawing their weapons and positioning themselves under the tree.

Marcus took out his bow and arrows, ready to draw and shoot at a moment’s notice. Liszt himself drew the Crimson Blood Sword he carried, the Gemstone Weapon boosting his confidence immensely.

In the blink of an eye.

The remaining Fruit Thief Monkeys had already scrambled down the trees, and the Patrol Members rushed up, howling and swinging wildly. After putting up a desperate fight, the monkeys were exhausted and barely put up any resistance. They ran around aimlessly like headless flies, unable to do anything but get beaten.

With a few hits from the spears, the monkeys lay on the ground, unable to move.

Elsewhere, a molting Wind Falcon was chasing after a Fruit Thief Monkey when Liszt suddenly charged over on horseback, the Crimson Blood Sword blazing with flames. He unleashed the Ultimate Mystery Technique, Inferno Slash. A torrent of fire rained down, and although the Wind Falcon deftly dodged, it still got caught in the firestorm, igniting its few remaining feathers.

But after the attack, the Wind Falcon sensed the danger and let out a long screech, flapped its wings vigorously, and flew towards the sky.

Liszt couldn’t let it escape, and roared, “Marcus!”

Marcus was already prepared, he released his grip, and the bowstring snapped forward, propelling two arrows side by side. Accompanied by a sharp, piercing whistle, they plunged into the body of the Wind Falcon, burying the arrowheads completely, blood spraying the sky.

The Wind Falcon staggered and plummeted onto the sandy beach.

When the last Fruit Thief Monkey was knocked to the ground by a spear and then swarmed by the Patrol Members, taken alive on the spot, the battle between the monkeys and the small bird ended with no victor. All were claimed by the fisherman Liszt.

After a quick count.

There were a total of forty-six Fruit Thief Monkeys, with thirty-nine dead or fatally injured by finishing blows, leaving seven with minor injuries, all of which were bound.

The body of the Wind Falcon was collected, its size not much larger than that of an earth dog.

An agile Patrol Member carefully climbed to the crown of the Fragrant Coconut Tree, found the nest, and pulled out a bird egg slightly smaller than a pineapple.

“Lord Landlord, there really is a bird egg!” The Patrol Member, excited, presented the egg to Liszt.

Liszt took the bird egg in his hands, and before he could begin to admire it, the egg suddenly made a soft cracking sound.

“Lord, the bird egg is hatching!” Marcus was astonished.

Liszt was also stunned, thinking to himself that the Smoke Mission was indeed formidable. He had only just picked up the egg, and it was already starting to hatch. As he was lost in thought, the cracking sounds continued, and after a moment, the shell was pecked open, revealing a naked, ugly bird head, its mouth open, making unpleasant “gacking” sounds.

The bird head’s huge eyes looked at Liszt, crying out as if begging for food.

Liszt coughed lightly, “Teacher Marcus, what does a young Wind Falcon eat?”

“It should… eat small fish and shrimp, I suppose?”

“Then, Patrol Members, go to the fishermen’s homes in Oyster Village and bring back some small fish and shrimp. Remember, they must be alive.” He vaguely remembered from “Man and Nature” that there were sea birds feeding their chicks, holding squirming small fish in their beaks, evidently, these were live fish.

However, he also seemed to recall that some birds would eat the small fish and shrimp and then bring them back up to feed to their chicks.

In any case, feeding them live prey was the first thing to do.

Today’s bounty was already substantial, and it wasn’t as if he particularly cared about one small Magical Beast—a young bird. With the major pest of Fruit Thief Monkeys dealt with, they could freely pick the Fragrant Coconut Fruits, and even had “workers” for the harvest; the large Wind Falcon carcass was also a rich resource for Nalda, whether it was sold or eaten, it was a great supplement.

And then there was the mission soon to be completed, which would reward the town with scarce population.

“What a wonderful day!” Watching the young Wind Falcon gobble up the small fish and shrimp, Liszt felt especially content, “Teacher Marcus, let’s return to the Castle together. Tonight, we continue the feast. Hmm, barbecue Fruit Thief Monkeys!”