033: Karasu and Crow Xiaoniu!

"Whew~ I finally found them. That was no easy feat."

Mercer looked at the nest in the tree, where a section of black tail feather was sticking out. He also thought of the distinctive crow calls he'd just heard.

Looking at the massive tree in front of him, a meter in diameter and over twenty meters tall, and the nest on a branch seventeen or eighteen meters up, Mercer smiled.

"Bear Cub, let's climb."

As he spoke, Mercer wrapped his arms around the trunk, clamped his legs around it, and climbed up with ease, using both his hands and feet.

A dozen seconds later,

he and Bear Cub were standing on the branches, one on each side of the nest.

The nest in front of them looked like a basket. Inside were five oval eggs, pale blue-green with olive-brown stripes and blotches.

"Caw~ Caw-caw. Caw."

A crow with a ring of white feathers around its sides and the back of its neck, as well as its shoulders, flew in midair, calling anxiously in a hoarse voice.

A White-necked Crow.

It was nearly sixty centimeters long.

Its beak was black, and its claws were thick and sharp. Its lively black eyes were now full of worry.

It flapped its wings and circled above Mercer's head.

Mercer picked up an egg and felt its temperature. Using Observation Haki to sense the egg's life signs, he could tell that the life inside had fully formed.

He could even sense a faint heartbeat.

A sleazy smile curled across Mercer's lips. Holding the egg, he looked at the mother crow, who was staring fixedly at him. "You don't want your eggs to disappear, do you?"

"Caw~ Ah~"

The mother crow flapped her wings and let out a string of furious cries. Then she swooped at Mercer, reaching for his face with her thick, sharp black claws.

"Whoa, you're that brave?"

Mercer's expression turned serious. Observation Haki let him anticipate her movements. As she swooped close, he shot out his left hand, grabbed her by the neck, and held her firmly in his palm.

Leaning against the branch, Mercer folded her wings in and pinned them down, then cupped her in his hands.

"You can understand me, right? You don't want me to take your whole nest of eggs, do you?"

The mother crow's eyes still blazed with anger. "Ah~ Caw~"

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

Mercer coaxed her, "There isn't much food on this island. If you come with me, your whole family will get meat at every meal. You won't have to worry about being hunted by other predators, either."

"Caw-ah!"

Seeing that the mother crow still wouldn't budge, Mercer brought out his trump card:

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

As he spoke, he tightened his grip. Sure enough, after Mercer played his trump card, the mother crow's gaze suddenly cleared, and she gave a quiet "Caw."

Mercer also felt relieved.

Luckily, animals in this world were exceptionally intelligent. Most of them could understand human speech and knew when to yield.

He loosened his grip.

"Come with me, and your whole family will have plenty to eat and drink from now on. You'll eat meat and drink fresh spring water. If you refuse, see that bear beside me? I'll have him swallow you whole."

Bear Cub obligingly opened his mouth, showing four gleaming white canine teeth. "Awooo~"

A sweet carrot and a big stick.

Both methods at once.

The mother crow's eyes grew even clearer.

Just then, Mercer heard another crow call from far away.

A few seconds later,

a male crow, about seventy centimeters long, flew over.

When he saw his wife in Mercer's grasp and his whole nest of eggs "captured," a shrill, hoarse crow call rang through the sky.

Mercer rolled his eyes. He saw the fury in the male crow's eyes and watched its sharp claws open and close.

Then he suddenly grinned and released his right hand. Mercer drew the short sword Hanlu from behind his waist and pressed its sharp blade against the mother crow's neck. Looking at the male crow, he cackled:

"You don't want your wife and chicks to die, do you? If you don't, shut up."

Bear Cub's eyes lit up. He opened his mouth and stammered along, "Shut up." He also put his right hand over the nest, his bear eyes full of "menace."

The noisy crow calls fell silent at once.

Mercer looked at the male crow, who had quieted down considerably, smiled, and continued with the stick-and-carrot routine.

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

And they knew how to read the room.

After climbing down from the tree,

he had a nest and five crow eggs in his hands. Mercer had taken the whole nest, too.

To show his sincerity, Mercer released the mother crow. She was now carefully settled over the eggs, incubating them.

The male crow perched on Bear Cub's shoulder, staring longingly at the nest in Mercer's arms.

Every so often, he let out a hoarse "Caw~ Ah~"

Each time he called, the mother crow would join in.

Soon, all they could hear were "Caw~" and "Ah~" calls.

Mercer handed the nest to Bear Cub. Bear Cub took it, then held out his left arm and waved it at the male crow.

"Come over. Let's have a chat."

The male crow glanced at his family in Bear Cub's hands, pushed off from Bear Cub's shoulder with one claw, flapped over to Mercer's arm, and gripped his sleeve firmly.

The crow's strong, agile flight made Bear Cub envious. He couldn't help licking his lips.

The mother crow saw this and immediately shuddered.

Mercer inspected the male crow. As it protested, he tugged at its wings, claws, and legs. Its feathers were bright and glossy, while the skin on its legs and feet was smooth and tender, brown with a faint reddish tinge.

Judging by what he'd learned about birds from books,

this crow was still young, no more than two years old.

He was also a winner in life: wife, kids, and a cozy home. He had it all.

Mercer stared steadily at the male crow, which glared back at him with a sharp, cold look.

"You can understand me, right?"

Mercer looked into its eyes. It was a little redundant to ask now, but he asked anyway.

"Ah~" The male crow nodded in a remarkably human way. Seeing this, Mercer smiled. "I want to raise a flock of crows to act as my eyes and ears. We met by chance, and now that I've found your family, I don't want to let you go."

"To be honest, I don't really need you two adults. What I mainly want is your nest of eggs.

After all, if I want to raise young crows properly, I have to start with the eggs.

But I've found that you're pretty clever, still young, know when to yield, and care about your family. I like you.

So I'll give the two of you a chance. Bring your whole nest of eggs and come with me. Help me out from now on, and I'll take care of you. You'll get big meals of meat every day. You'll eat whatever I eat.

What do you say? Will you agree?"

The male crow's eyes flickered. It cocked its head at Mercer, spread its glossy black wings, and glared defiantly.

"Ah~"

Mercer smiled and looked at it.

"You don't accept that? Fine. I'll give you a chance. I won't use my hands, and I'll fight you. If I win, your whole family works for me from now on. If I lose, I'll let your family leave safely."

The seventy-centimeter-long White-necked Crow looked at the human child, who was only a little bigger than it, with disdain in its eyes.

Its sharp claws had pierced the skull of a roe deer. It wouldn't have submitted to a mere human child if he hadn't used tricks.

It raised its head high and gave a hoarse, piercing "Caw~," then fixed its sharp gaze on Mercer.

Flap-flap-flap!!!

It beat its wings and flew into the air. Circling overhead, it watched Mercer's eyes with its keen crow gaze.

Mercer stopped walking and watched it calmly. He rested his hands naturally behind his back, showing that he was ready.

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

Bear Cub stopped and looked up at the White-necked Crow flying above. Then he looked down at the mother crow and gave a questioning "Mew."

Wait, your partner's really that brave?

The mother crow understood what Bear Cub meant. She gave a hoarse, low call, pride in her eyes. "Ah."

My partner's very impressive.

Mercer watched the male crow circle low overhead. It made several testing passes, sometimes diving and sometimes flapping past him in a blur.

Mercer stayed his course and responded to every move with stillness.

But his gaze grew more intent.

Suddenly, the male crow plunged from the sky, its sharp right claw aimed straight for Mercer's eyes.

Mercer didn't retreat. Instead, he stepped forward. At the last moment, he abruptly tilted his head to the left, dodged the claw, opened his mouth wide, and lunged forward, biting down with pinpoint accuracy on the crow's thigh.

"Ah~"

The male crow shrieked in pain, beating its wings hard.

But just as its wings began to beat, Mercer whipped his head downward, slamming the male crow into the snow.

Then he raised his right leg and stepped on its back, driving it firmly into the snow.

In an instant,

the brief exchange of attack and defense ended in Mercer's complete victory.

Bear Cub grinned and chuckled, "Awo-awo."

The mother crow stretched out her neck and let out an involuntary, disbelieving "Ah~"

Mercer looked at the male crow struggling under his foot and said coolly, "You lost. Will you honor the bet? From now on, you're my bird."

He lifted his foot, bent down, and grabbed the male crow, bringing it up in front of him. Looking into its eyes, he said each word clearly:

"Work for me from now on!"

The male crow stared at Mercer in confusion. After Mercer waved his hand, its gaze cleared.

At last, it let out an "Ah~" and bowed its head toward Mercer.

Seeing this,

Mercer smiled.

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

You'll be called Karasu, and your wife will be Crow Xiaoniu. Got it?"

Karasu gave an exasperated nod. Mercer smiled and patted its head with his right hand.

"Coming with me today will be the best decision you ever make."

Karasu quietly looked at Mercer without calling, simply staring at him.

Seeing that, Mercer smiled and brushed the snow off its feathers.

He set Karasu back on Bear Cub's shoulder, then happily led the family toward home.

"Whoosh!!"

Mercer flicked his wrist, and Hanlu shot out like an arrow. Its sharp blade sank completely into the eye of a snow hippo.

Karasu, perched on Bear Cub's shoulder, shuddered. Mercer cheerfully went over and pulled out the short sword.

The huge beast was nearly four meters long and weighed a ton. It had been killed instantly.

[Obtained E-Grade Soul Crystal *1]

He put away the irregular, soybean-sized Soul Crystal that had formed from the corpse.

Mercer took the nest from Bear Cub and looked at him. "Take it back. We'll eat this when we get home."

"Okay, awo."

Bear Cub's right arm turned into a long iron chain. He bound the snow hippo and dragged it across the snow as they headed back.

Their home wasn't far away. Before long, the human and the bear returned to the Treehouse with the whole crow family.

Bear Cub stayed outside to deal with the snow hippo, while Mercer took Karasu's family into the house.

They went up to the second floor and saw Kureha. When she spotted the family of crows in Mercer's hands, she grinned.

"Fufufu, I can't believe you actually caught them, you little brat."

Kureha walked over and examined the White-necked Crow perched on Mercer's shoulder, rubbing her chin as she looked it over.

"Not bad, not bad. That's a fine bird. Quite magnificent."

Hearing Kureha's praise, Karasu gave her a sidelong glance, its face full of pride. It spread its wings, making Mercer lean his head away, and gave a loud, hoarse call.

Crow Xiaoniu, still incubating the eggs, looked up at Kureha curiously and called as well.

"So, why'd you bring them here? Need something?"

"I brought them to meet everyone. After all, Doctor Doriel is the head of the family. I plan to set them up on a branch in the tree outside our house."

"Suit yourself. Do whatever you want." Kureha waved her hand and rolled her eyes at Mercer. "But that's not the only reason you came, is it? You're here to get your medicine, too, right?"

Mercer grinned. "So, is it ready?"

Kureha nodded toward the lab bench. A little yellow powder sat in a beaker there.

"That's all of it. It's cooled down by now, so go take it. You know how much to use and how to use it. Just handle it yourself."

Mercer went over, poured the powder into a small medicine bottle, and left with Karasu's family.

On the trunk behind the Treehouse's front entrance, a rope ladder hung down from above. Mercer carried the nest up to the treetop and settled it on a sturdy branch.

"You'll make your home here for now. We'll figure out the rest later."

Mercer watched both crows nod quietly and smiled.

"Now that you're settled in, it's time for a feast. Come on, Karasu. Let's go eat meat."

"Oh, and starting today, you two need to study hard and become educated birds. You have to learn human speech. As for writing, we'll see."

Mercer held Crow Xiaoniu up on his left hand and smiled at the five eggs in the nest. "Just relax and incubate your eggs. It's safe here."

Mercer climbed down the rope ladder. Karasu looked at Crow Xiaoniu, its crow eyes full of helplessness and curiosity, but mostly relief.

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

Flapping his wings, he came to a spot not far from the treehouse and watched a man and a bear working on a snow hippo.

The hide had been cleanly stripped away, revealing thick layers of white fat. Mercer glanced at Karasu as he approached, cut off a long strip of meat with his surgical knife, and tossed it over.

"Eat."

Karasu caught it in his beak, a hint of curiosity in his eyes. Then he flew back to the nest by the treehouse.

New author, new book! Please follow along!

Please vote with monthly tickets! Please recommend! Please invest!