"Let's go down and find some water to drink. Otherwise, once we pass this village, there won't be another shop. It's too exhausting for the Blue-Feathered Griffin to carry both of us at once," Belaque said.
Uchiha Madara looked below and said, "There aren't any lakes right now. Let's fly a little longer, but lower. It'll be easier to see that way."
The Blue-Feathered Griffin seemed to understand Uchiha Madara's words and began slowly descending on its own.
Ming said with a smile, "What an obedient animal. To train it to this extent, the Holy Knight must be quite something."
"It isn't solely the Holy Knight's credit. Blue-Feathered Griffins are naturally very friendly toward humans," Belaque said.
"Long, long ago, their ancestors began accepting human domestication. By now, the process has nearly reached perfection," Belaque said.
"But that must have been an extremely cruel process. The obedient ones were kept, while all the disobedient ones were killed. That way, the offspring of the obedient ones would also be obedient," Uchiha Madara said.
"Don't talk about things like that in front of a child. You'll scare the child," Belaque said.
"..." Uchiha Madara said speechlessly, "I can't really find anything wrong with that, but it still feels like there's something wrong with what you just said."
"You have to admit that you're already very old. All Blue-Feathered Griffins are your children," Belaque said.
"I've never denied my age, but I don't have children like Blue-Feathered Griffins," Uchiha Madara said helplessly.
The Blue-Feathered Griffin carried the two of them in low flight. Uchiha Madara was a little anxious. With only one mount between them, their traveling speed was indeed much slower.
Moreover, carrying two people was taking a great toll on the Blue-Feathered Griffin's stamina. Combined with the freezing environment here, it