Chapter 79: System Storage!
Chapter 79: System Storage!
Profile of Logan:
- Name: Logan
- Age: 10 years old
- Occupation: Seventh-level Warrior (Exp: 72/100), First-level Ice Magician (Exp: 72/100)
- Reputation: 1878/10000
- Practice: Warrior (1/10), Magician (4/10)
- Position: Chief of the Silvermane Tribe
- Nation: 7373
- Military Assets: 1186 warriors, 256 warg cavalry
- Territory: 1620 square kilometers
- Facilities: Marketplace, Professorial Inheritance, Sub-professional Inheritance
Logan reviewed his attributes; his next reputation milestone was a daunting ten thousand, and his cultivation level had reset to one.
Cheating really did have its perks.
Meanwhile, as Logan and his party navigated through the Duskin tribe, a formidable flock of Thunderbirds began to converge above.
In the bustling Duskin Conference Hall, Chief Hakeba addressed his council with a tone of urgency, "I'm less concerned about how many beastmen the Silver Mane Tribe has assimilated. What I need to know is where are they getting all their food?"
Indeed, the Silver Mane Tribe's recent, rapid expansion had caught the attention of Duskin's leaders. Formerly a medium-sized tribe, Silver Mane had swelled in strength and numbers, absorbing disaster victims at an alarming rate.
This aggressive annexation raised suspicions: Where had they sourced the massive amounts of food necessary for such expansion?
Chief Hakeba had considered a similar strategy of taking in victims, but a glance at his tribe's dwindling food reserves had dissuaded him from such a risky endeavor.
Amidst the heated discussion, a breathless scout burst into the hall, interrupting the proceedings. "Sir Chief, it's urgent... we're under attack by a swarm of monster!"
"What?"
Habak leapt to his feet as the breathless guard delivered his alarming report.
The gathered high-ranking members of the Duskin tribe in the great hall exchanged bewildered glances.
How could monsters besiege Duskin without warning?
It was well known that the wasteland bore no magic beasts, they had all been vanquished. The remnants lived far away, secluded within the Black Wind Mountains, seldom venturing from their rocky sanctuaries.
Duskin lay over a hundred miles from those mountains. The notion of such a distance being breached seemed inconceivable.
With urgency pressing his steps, Habak strode outside the hall.
"Chirp~~"
A thunderbird soared overhead. But it was not alone; the sky swarmed with hundreds, casting shadows over the entire Duskin tribe.
"Curse it, a whole flock of thunderbirds!"
"How could this be? What drove these thunderbirds to descend upon us?"
The tribal officials were astounded by the sight. A flock of thunderbirds convening above their home was a spectacle none could have anticipated.
"Report to the chief, the thunderbirds have not launched an attack!"
"Moreover, they were drawn here by two beastmen, a male and a female, riding a bizarre, lion-like creature of flight." Just as Habak was trying to discern the thunderbirds' intentions, a fourth-tier beastmen commander approached him hastily to inform.
"What?"
"Are you saying this was orchestrated?"
"Damn it, what are their motives?"
"Seize them immediately!"
The Duskin leadership erupted in anger. The presence of ground monsters could be managed, even hundreds of them, as long as they weren't of high caliber. However, aerial beasts like these thunderbirds posed a unique and grave threat. If not managed carefully, the tribe could face devastating consequences.
"Instruct everyone not to engage the Thunderbirds!" Habak commanded, watching the creatures circle ominously yet peacefully. It seemed they were searching for the two rogue beastmen.
"Where are these two beastmen now?" Habak demanded, his expression as cold as the winds that swept through the wasteland.
"Running around in the tribe!"
"Commanders Lars and I surrounded them, trying to apprehend them, but the lion-like beast they rode was tremendously powerful and sent us flying."
"Commander Lars has been poisoned!" The beastmen leader lowered his head, his voice tense with concern.
"Knocked you away? And a poison monster?" Habak's brow furrowed in disbelief.
Such a creature that could effortlessly dispatch multiple fourth-level warriors implied immense strength. Perhaps this beast was of the sixth level!
And riders of a sixth-level creature, these two beastmen, a male and a female, they couldn't be ordinary either. Maybe they were sixth-level powerhouses themselves?
But then, with such formidable allies and their flying beast, why would hundreds of thunderbirds pose a threat to them?
He knew the thunderbirds, being fourth level at best, weren't his primary concern. His real fear was provoking them into a frenzied attack. The consequences of such an event would be catastrophic for the Duskin tribe.
At that moment, a young werewolf stepped forward with a determined look. "Father, let me capture them!"
"I'm going too!" Another young voice piped up.
"And I'm joining!" chimed in a third.
Habak surveyed the sky, watching the thunderbirds wheel and soar. He nodded slowly. "Go, but be cautious."
"Yes, father!"
After the three young beastmen saluted with deep respect, they joined the fourth-level commander and exited the council hall.
"brother, Culler, follow them. These intruders may prove too much for Harvey and the others alone," Habak instructed, turning to address two seasoned beastmen, a hint of a smile softening his stern features.
"Understood!"
The two nodded in agreement and swiftly left the hall.
"Go and instruct the villagers to remain inside their homes. Also, disperse the archers from our military camp throughout the tribe. Should the thunderbirds launch an attack, they are to respond immediately."
"Yes!" the messenger replied, hastening to carry out the chief's orders.
"It's odd, what's going on with the Thunderbirds? They don't attack!" Amidst the bustling hundreds of houses of the Duskin tribe, Logan and his companions weaved through the narrow streets.
He had lured the Thunderbirds to Duskin with the intent to wreak havoc upon the tribe, yet the creatures remained strangely passive.
"These thunderbirds must be after us!" Jean exclaimed as she observed the birds circling overhead.
She was certain of it, their relentless pursuit suggested they would not cease until their quarry was captured or slain.
"Chirp~~"
At that moment, a Thunderbird hovered directly above Logan and his group, issuing a low, ominous chirp.
"It's spotted us!" Jean's expression darkened.
"Then we take it down!" Logan declared, leaping from his Manticore mount onto a nearby rooftop to retrieve a bow and arrows he had previously snatched from a Duskin warrior.
The target was clear, the Thunderbirds, merely a hundred meters away. Logan pulled the bowstring taut, his fighting spirit infusing the arrow, turning it a ghostly white.
Whoosh...!!!
The arrow sliced through the air with a piercing sound.
"Chirp~~!!!"
A thunderbird wailed in agony. Despite its third-level strength, it plummeted like a stone, crashing onto a nearby house and smashing through the roof.
Logan leapt towards the downed bird, drawing his bow once more, this time aiming directly at the Thunderbird's head.
Though the flesh of a peak fifth-level Thunderbird was more desirable, this third-level specimen was too valuable to waste.
"Hold on, can we store the living ones in the system warehouse?" Logan paused, struck by a sudden thought. Live flying monsters could fetch dozens, perhaps hundreds, of gold coins.
If feasible, he would store it in the system warehouse, possibly taming it later when they returned to their own tribe.
After all, if the system allowed for the exchange of live beast cubs, surely it could accommodate live captures as well.
Duskin Logan relaxed his grip on the bowstring and opened the system's expansive warehouse interface.
Leaping onto the thrashing Thunderbird, he cast aside all conventional wisdom.
In that moment, Logan plummeted to the ground, a wide grin spreading across his face.
He came down because the third-tier Thunderbird beneath him had vanished into thin air.
Possible!
The system's warehouse could indeed house living creatures, and shockingly, a Thunderbird occupied merely a single slot. For context, a single slot could hold a hundred sacks of grain, equating to 10,000 kilograms.
Yet, the true revelation was not the space efficiency but the fact that he could encapsulate living entities, presenting a novel method for Logan to exploit the system.
The disappearance of this particular Thunderbird caught the eye of its kin. Soon, over a dozen Thunderbirds circled menacingly above Logan's head.
Still, they remained oblivious to his presence.
Logan's eyes sparkled with avaricious glee, his mind racing with the possibilities now within his grasp.
Suddenly, a fierce hiss cut through the air.
It was the roar of a Manticore. Logan's expression shifted dramatically as he leaped onto a nearby rooftop, catching sight of a pack of beastmen in hot pursuit of the Manticore and Jean.
The Thunderbirds, now aware of Logan, screeched angrily, sending bolts of purple lightning streaking towards him.
Concern for Jean propelled Logan into action. Though she was a formidable fifth-level warrior, her combat experience was limited.
As Logan dashed away, the Thunderbirds' assault ignited a nearby house, flames licking the sky with hungry tongues.
"Whoosh!"
Logan darted from roof to roof, loosing arrows rapidly. In under a minute, half a dozen arrows had found their marks in the werewolf pack chasing Jean.
A piercing scream echoed as an arrow penetrated a beastmen's chest, suddenly causing him to collapse in defeat.