Karasu and Crow Xiaoniu!

Chapter 33: 033. Karasu and Crow Xiaoniu!

"Phew~ Finally found it. This was so hard."

Mercer looked at the bird's nest in the tree, a black tail feather sticking out. He thought about the unique caw he had just heard.

Looking at the thick tree trunk, one meter in diameter and over twenty meters tall, and the bird's nest about seventeen or eighteen meters up on a branch, Mercer smiled.

"Bear Cub, let's climb the tree."

Saying that, Mercer wrapped his arms around the trunk, clamped it with his legs, and climbed upward with ease using both hands and feet.

Ten-odd seconds later.

He and Bear Cub stood on the branches, flanking the bird's nest.

He looked at the basket-like nest before him, containing five oval eggs, pale blue-green with olive-brown stripes and spots.

"Caw~ Caw-caw. Caw."

A crow, with a circle of white feathers on its neck, nape, and shoulders, flew in the air, cawing hoarsely and anxiously.

White-necked crow.

Body length nearly sixty centimeters.

Its beak was black, its claws thick and sharp, and its black, intelligent eyes were filled with anxiety at this moment.

It flapped its wings, circling and flying above Mercer's head.

Mercer picked up an egg, feeling its temperature. He used Observation Haki to sense the life within, detecting that the life inside had already formed.

There was a faint heartbeat.

A sly smile touched Mercer's lips as he held the egg and looked at the mother crow, who was staring intently at him. "You don't want your eggs to disappear, do you?"

"Caw~ Yaa~"

The mother crow flapped her wings, letting out a series of angry cries from her beak. She swooped down towards Mercer, her thick, sharp black claws aiming for his face.

"What, you're that brave?"

Mercer's expression turned serious. His Observation Haki predicted its movements in advance. As it got close, his left hand shot out, grabbing it by the neck and holding it firmly in his palm.

Mercer leaned against a branch, tucking its wings in to restrain them, and then held it in his hands.

Mercer said, "You can understand me, right? You don't want all your eggs to be taken away."

The mother crow's eyes still burned with rage: "Yaa~ Caw~"

"How should I put this? I want to raise you. Do you want to come with me?"

Mercer tempted her, "The food on this island isn't abundant. If you follow me, your whole family will have meat to eat every meal, and you won't have to live in fear of being preyed upon by other hunters."

"Wa-yaa!"

Seeing that the mother crow remained unmoved, Mercer unleashed his ultimate move:

"Your life is in my hands. Agree to follow me, and your whole family lives. Otherwise, I'll make sure you and your eggs are separated forever."

As he spoke, he increased the strength of his grip. As expected, with his ultimate move, the mother crow's eyes cleared instantly, and she let out a soft "Wa."

Mercer also breathed a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness for this World. Animals here are especially intelligent; they can generally understand human speech and know when to retreat.

He loosened his grip.

Mercer continued, "Follow me, and your family will never worry about food or drink again. You'll eat big meat and drink from clear springs. If you don't, see this Bear next to me? I'll have him swallow you whole."

Bear Cub cooperatively opened his mouth, revealing four snow-white canine teeth, and let out a "Roar~."

A carrot and a stick.

Both methods applied.

The mother crow's eyes became even clearer.

Just then, Mercer heard another crow's call from afar.

A few seconds later, A male crow, about seventy centimeters in size, flew over.

Upon seeing his mate held captive by Mercer and their clutch of eggs "captured," a sharp, hoarse caw echoed through the sky.

Mercer rolled his eyes. He saw the rage in the male crow's eyes and its sharp claws opening and closing.

Suddenly, the corner of his mouth twitched. He released his right hand, drew the short sword Cold Dew from his back, and pressed the sharp blade against the mother crow's neck. He looked at the male crow and chuckled, "You don't want your wife and children to die, do you? If not, then shut up."

Bear Cub's eyes lit up. He opened his mouth and echoed, "Shut up," with a stutter. He also placed his right paw above the bird's nest, his bear eyes filled with "fierce light."

Instantly, the noisy cawing quieted down.

Mercer smiled at the now much more obedient male crow and continued to employ his carrot-and-stick strategy.

It had to be said, most animals in this world were smart.

And knew how to read the room.

He climbed down from the tree.

A bird's nest and five crow eggs appeared in his hand; Mercer had taken the whole thing.

As a gesture of goodwill, Mercer released the mother crow, who was now carefully perched in the nest, incubating her eggs.

The male crow landed on Bear Cub's shoulder, his beady eyes fixated on the nest in Mercer's arms.

He occasionally let out a hoarse "Caw~ Caw~" sound.

Each time he called out, the mother crow would respond.

For a moment, the air was filled with "Caw~" and "Caw~" sounds.

Mercer handed the nest to Bear Cub, who took it and then extended his left arm, waving it at the male crow.

"Come here, let's have a chat."

The male crow glanced at his family in Bear Cub's hands, then pushed off Bear Cub's shoulder with his claws and flew to Mercer's arm, firmly gripping Mercer's sleeve.

His agile and powerful flight made Bear Cub envious, and he couldn't help but lick his lips.

The mother crow saw this and her body trembled.

Mercer examined the male crow, and despite its displeasure, he picked up its wings, claws, and legs. Its feathers were bright and glossy, and the skin on its legs and claws was smooth and tender, with a brown hue tinged with red.

Comparing it with the bird knowledge he'd learned from books.

It was clearly a young crow, no older than two years old.

It was a winner in life, with a wife, children, and a warm home – it had everything.

Mercer's eyes were fixed on the male crow, which stared back with sharp, cold eyes.

"You can understand me, right?"

Mercer said, looking into its eyes. Though it was a bit redundant to ask now, Mercer still did.

"Caw~" The male crow nodded humanely. Seeing this, Mercer smiled, "I want to raise a flock of crows to be my eyes and ears. Our meeting is fate. Since I've encountered your family, I don't want to let you go."

"To be frank, I don't want you and your wife. What I primarily want are your eggs.

After all, to raise young crows properly, you have to start from the egg.

But I see you're quite smart, still young, very sensible, and love your family. I'm quite fond of you.

So, I'll give you and your wife a chance. Take your eggs and come with me. Work for me from now on, and I'll take care of you, feeding you the best food. You'll eat whatever I eat.

What do you say? Agree?"

The male crow's eyes flickered, and it tilted its head to look at Mercer, spreading its jet-black wings, its eyes flashing with defiance:

"Caw~"

Mercer smiled and looked at it, "Not convinced? Fine, I'll give you a chance. I won't use my hands. I'll fight you. If I win, your family will follow me. If I lose, I'll let your family leave safely."

The White-necked Crow, seventy centimeters in length, looked at the human cub who was only slightly larger than itself, a flicker of disdain in its eyes.

Its sharp claws had pierced the skull of a foolish roe deer. This mere human cub wouldn't have surrendered if not for trickery.

Its head held high, it let out a hoarse, sharp "Caw~" and then stared sharply at Mercer.

Flap flap!!!

It flapped its wings and flew into the air, circling overhead, its sharp crow eyes locked onto Mercer's.

Mercer stopped, looking at it calmly, his hands clasped behind his back, indicating he was ready.

But to the male crow, this was arrogance, a provocation. It let out a loud crow call.

Bear Cub, who had stopped nearby, looked at the White-necked Crow flying in the sky with confusion, then looked down at the mother crow and let out a soft "Eeek."

No way, is your guy this brave?

The mother crow understood Bear Cub's meaning and let out a hoarse, low cry, pride in her eyes, "Caw."

My guy is very capable.

Mercer watched the male crow circling at low altitude, testing him with occasional dives and swoops past his face.

Mercer remained unfazed.

His gaze, however, grew solemn.

Suddenly, the male crow dived rapidly from the sky, its sharp right claw aimed directly at Mercer's eyes.

Mercer didn't retreat. Instead, he took a step forward. As the crow neared, he sharply turned his head to the left, dodging the claw. Opening his mouth wide, he stuck out his head and bit down with remarkable precision on the crow's thigh.

"Caw~"

The male crow let out a pained shriek and flapped its wings violently.

But as soon as it flapped its wings, Mercer violently shook his head downwards, slamming the male crow onto the snowy ground.

With that, he raised his right leg and stomped down on its back, driving it deep into the snow.

In an instant, the exchange of attack and defense concluded with Mercer's complete victory.

Bear Cub grinned and chuckled "aww aww" as it panted.

The mother crow stretched her bird neck, and an involuntary, disbelieving "Caw~" escaped her beak.

Mercer looked down at the struggling male crow beneath his foot and said calmly, "You lost. Are you a good sport? From now on, you belong to me."

Lifting his foot, Mercer bent down, grabbed the male crow, and brought it before him. He looked into its eyes and said word by word:

"Follow me from now on!"

The male crow looked at Mercer with a dazed expression. After Mercer waved his hand, its eyes cleared.

Finally, the bird let out a "Caw~" from its beak and lowered its head towards Mercer.

Seeing this, Mercer smiled.

"Since you've agreed, we're family now. I'll give you names.

You'll be Karasu, and your wife will be Crow Xiaoniu. Understand?"

Karasu nodded his bird eyes helplessly. Seeing this, Mercer gently stroked its head with his right hand and said with a smile:

"Following me today is definitely the best decision you'll ever make."

Karasu gazed quietly at Mercer, not making a sound, just watching.

Mercer smiled at this, reached out, and cleaned the snow off its body.

Placing Karasu back on Bear Cub's shoulder, Mercer happily led them home.

"Whoosh!!"

Mercer flicked his wrist, and Cold Dew shot out like an arrow, its sharp blade completely sinking into the eye of a Snow Hippopotamus.

Karasu, perched on Bear Cub's shoulder, shivered. Mercer happily went up to pull out his short sword.

He looked at the creature, nearly four meters long and weighing a ton, instantly killed.

[Obtained E-Rank Soul Crystal *1]

He pocketed the irregular, soybean-sized Soul Crystal extracted from the corpse.

Mercer took the bird's nest from Bear Cub and said to him, "Take it back. We'll eat it when we get home."

"Aww, okay."

Bear Cub's right hand transformed into a long chain, binding the Snow Hippopotamus and dragging it back through the snow.

They weren't far from home, and soon, the man and the bear, along with their bird family, returned to the treehouse.

Leaving Bear Cub outside to process the Snow Hippopotamus, Mercer took the bird family inside.

He ascended to the second floor and met Kureha. Upon seeing the bird family in Mercer's hands, she grinned, "Hee hee hee, I didn't expect you to actually catch them, you brat."

Kureha walked over and, looking at the White-necked Crow standing on Mercer's shoulder, rubbed her chin as she examined it.

"Not bad, not bad. A fine bird, quite majestic."

Hearing Kureha's praise, Karasu glanced sideways, his bird face full of arrogance. He spread his wings, and Mercer dodged behind his head, listening to its loud, hoarse cry.

Crow Xiaoniu, meanwhile, was incubating her eggs. She curiously looked up at Kureha and let out a call as well.

"So, why did you bring them here?"

"To introduce them to everyone. After all, Doctor Doriel is the head of the household. I plan to settle them on a branch of our tree."

"Whatever you say. Just do as you see fit," Kureha waved her hand, rolling her eyes at Mercer. "Besides that, you're here for the medicine, aren't you?"

Mercer grinned and asked, "Are you ready?"

Kureha gestured with her chin towards the laboratory bench, where a shallow beaker held a pale yellow powder.

"That's it. It's cooled down now, so you can take it. You know the dosage and usage yourself, so just manage it."

Mercer went over, put the powder into a small vial, and left with the bird family.

On the tree trunk behind the main entrance of the treehouse, a rope ladder hung down. Mercer, carrying the bird's nest, climbed to the treetop and found a stable branch to place the nest.

"You'll settle here for now. We'll discuss the future later."

Mercer watched as both crows nodded quietly and smiled.

"Since the housewarming is done, it's time for a feast. Let's go, Karasu, we're going to eat meat."

"Oh, and from today on, you two must study hard and be cultured birds. You absolutely must learn human language. As for writing, we'll see."

Mercer supported Crow Xiaoniu with his left hand, looking at the five eggs in the nest, and smiled, "Rest assured and incubate your eggs. This place is very safe."

Mercer climbed down the rope ladder. Karasu watched Crow Xiaoniu, a sense of helplessness and curiosity, but mostly relief, in his eyes.

Karasu let out a low, hoarse cry and immediately went to find Mercer.

Flapping his wings, he arrived not far from the treehouse, watching the man and the bear processing the Snow Hippopotamus.

The fur had been completely removed, and the thick, white fat was clearly visible. Mercer glanced at Karasu, who had flown over. He cut off a long strip of meat with the Surgical Knife and tossed it over.

"Eat up."

Karasu opened his mouth and caught it, a flicker of novelty in his eyes. He then flew back to the bird's nest by the treehouse.

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