Luring Harpies

According to the records of the Dragon Heritage, Harpies are not a powerful race with low civilization. When hunting, they attack in groups, primarily by swooping down from the sky to tear at their enemies' scalps with their talons.

Such an attack method is really not very presentable. With the usual personality of the Five-Colored Evil Dragons, they would have already headed straight for the Harpy's nest.

But Jose wouldn't do that. He might underestimate some incompetent individuals, but he would never underestimate an entire race.

In this bizarre, fantastical world, even irrational beasts possess their own unique survival wisdom. Moreover, Harpies are intelligent, social creatures. Occasionally, this race produces Warlocks who can command lightning and storms, though the probability is very low, even smaller than the chance of a Kobold producing a Dragon Vein Warlock.

Besides this, he had another concern.

During the reign of the Red Nest Matriarch, there were no wild monsters within the Karakoram Mountains. Wild monsters were either killed or had pledged allegiance to the Red Nest. The Harpy nest was located on the edge of the Karakoram Mountains, meaning they could be later migrants or survivors who escaped the Red Nest.

If they were the latter, then caution was necessary.

Due to their advantage in flight, Harpies had always served as scouts within the Red Nest. Scouts received much better treatment than cannon fodder races like Kobolds and Gnolls. They often received formal combat training, and if they possessed the talent for it, they could even receive professional training.

If his memory served him correctly, the leader of the Harpies under the Red Nest Matriarch was a Master Mage.

To avoid hitting a stone wall, Jose decided to gather intelligence first. At the very least, he needed to ascertain information such as the number of opponents and the strength of their leader before deciding whether to conquer, persuade, or flee.

He arrived at a lush valley and concealed himself in the dense forest, patiently waiting. This valley was some distance from the Harpy nest but still within their range of activity.

Time passed slowly, and dawn broke.

By late morning, his patience bore fruit. Two Harpies appeared in the sky above him.

A standard hunting pair.

According to Harpy hunting habits, they usually searched for prey in pairs. If they discovered a large prey that two of them couldn't handle, one would return to call for reinforcements while the other kept track. If two could handle it, they would engage on the spot.

As for Jose, two Harpies were practically a free meal.

Not just two; if there were no strong individuals among the Harpies, their mere claw-like feet, even a hundred of them attacking together, wouldn't be able to pierce Jose's scales.

"Ooh ooh ooh~!"

Jose mimicked the cry of an ape, and apes were on the Harpy's menu.

As expected, the two Harpies stopped flying and descended towards the valley, but they halted mid-flight.

Had he been discovered?

No, it shouldn't be.

Through the layers of tree canopies, he observed the two Harpies hovering with their wings beating. They were turning their small heads to survey the forest below, seemingly searching for the "prey's" location.

Jose hesitated, wondering whether to make another sound to lure them.

The distance between these two Harpies and himself was neither too close nor too far. If he made a sound, there was a possibility of being discovered. Although his flight speed was much faster, if they scattered and fled, they could still fly out of the valley. If their companions further away saw them, it would be like beating the grass and startling the snake.

However, if he didn't make a sound to lure them, the Harpies would have no motivation to search and might abandon the "prey" and leave. In that case, his hard work for more than half the day would be in vain.

Ultimately, Jose decided to be cautious. At worst, he would wait for the next opportunity.

The two Harpies couldn't resist the temptation of food and dispersed, approaching the forest to search carefully.

One Harpy flew over the forest canopy. Suddenly, it caught sight of a dazzling red glint within the trees. Before it could react, an immense pressure descended.

Dragon Might!

Dragon Might, like Dragon Breath, is a signature ability of dragons. This intangible force field, formed by natural hierarchical suppression, can exert immense pressure on lower-ranking species, causing them to panic like mice seeing a cat and lose the courage to fight.

Affected by the Dragon Might, the Harpy flapped its wings erratically as if drowning, its body involuntarily falling towards the forest. During its descent, Jose seized it in his hand.

The other Harpy saw a Red Dragon emerge from the forest, its heart filled with terror as it turned to flee. However, it was caught up by the faster-flying Red Dragon and turned into a lump of charcoal in the Dragon Breath.

Jose, holding the trembling captive, descended into the valley and threw the quivering Harpy onto the ground.

From a human aesthetic perspective, if the Harpy's skin were fairer and more tender, it might be considered a delectable beast-girl. Unfortunately, their bodies were covered in disgusting spots and downy hair, and when they opened their mouths, they revealed a mouthful of sharp teeth, ruining the delicate beauty of an elf's face.

"Emmm... Ugly thing, tell me your name!"

"Never mind, I'm not interested in knowing your name. Let's get straight to the point. Did you come from the Red Nest? How many people are in your tribe? What is your leader's name? What kind of strength does she possess? What is her profession? Hmm? Why aren't you answering? Do you want to test my methods?"

The Harpy was stunned by the barrage of questions, its mind going blank, and it even forgot to tremble.

Jose's expression grew increasingly displeased. He was about to try out the "Red Dragon Interrogation Three-Step" he had learned from the Dragon Heritage on the captive.

Step one: Beat it up.

Step two: Beat it half to death.

Step three: Beat it until it croaks, next.

It seemed he didn't have a "next." Jose pouted and flicked the Harpy's forehead.

"Ah!" A scream.

The power of a dragon was immense. A large lump swelled on the Harpy's forehead, jolting it out of its shock.

"You lowly insect, answer my questions. Did you come from the Red Nest?"

The Harpy, sprayed in the face by breath that smelled of sulfur, dared not dodge. It closed its eyes and trembled, "Esteemed True Dragon, I am from the Matriarch's Third Legion..."

"I'm not interested in your designation," Jose interrupted the captive's self-introduction directly. "Who you belonged to now cannot save you. Your only path to survival is to answer my questions. If I'm in a good mood, I might even spare your life."

"Next question, how many members do you have?"

"Sixty-four."

"Very good, let's continue. Your leader..."

Through interrogation, Jose learned that this group of harpies was rather complex in its composition. Some of them came from the Red Nest, while others were stray harpies who had joined later.

Their leader, Luna Bloodfeather, an Intermediate Stage Mage, was a Dragonkin who had lost her master.

Learning that the harpy leader was a Dragonkin, Jose frowned slightly. An Intermediate Stage Mage would make a rather good familiar, but it was a pity that a Familiar Contract could only be signed once.

No!

"Did your leader sign a Familiar Contract?"

"This... I don't know."

Jose didn't press the captive harpy; it was normal for a subordinate not to know their leader's private information.

He decided to go and see for himself. If she was merely a Dragonkin who had been tainted by dragon aura, then everything would be fine.

But if she wasn't