Chapter 34

"Sir, you have finally come!"

"Sir, please save us!"

"Sir, those damned magic birds are almost eating all our moss clean!"

"Sir, ……"

A cacophony of voices erupted from the few subterranean humans before Syan.

Although the humans before him were hunched and emitted a strange odor, Syan knew that the oldest among them would not be more than forty years old.

In the city of Muzobura, it was rare for ordinary humans to live past forty. The harsh environment and scarce food supply meant that the average age of humans in Muzobura was only thirty-five.

The hardships of life made these people look extremely old and hunched.

Although there were powerful mages, it had to be admitted that, in terms of physical constitution, these humans were actually weaker than the subterranean demi-humans, let alone the dark creatures.

"Quiet, tell me where those Green-jawed Feathers are?" Syan barked.

Syan's voice was not loud, but as soon as he spoke, the few humans around him immediately became timid, like quails, and dared not make any more noise.

Finally, one of the men, who seemed a bit stronger, steeled himself and pointed to a distant spot, saying, "Sir, those magic birds are over there. There are about twenty to thirty of them, and they seem to have built a nest."

Following the direction he pointed, Syan strained his eyes and saw only a barren area.

It seemed that the moss in that area had been completely eaten, no wonder these humans were so anxious.

At this moment, Syan was wearing a pale mask, and these subterranean humans could not see his expression or appearance.

The innate fear of black mages made them dare not stare at Syan casually.

If it weren't for the moss in the Gray-White Valley, which was crucial for the livelihood and survival of their families, they probably wouldn't have been so impolite just now.

The Gray-White Valley was vast, and the amount of moss planted here was also considerable.

Most humans had been forced to leave due to the harassment of the Green-jawed Feathers.

Only these few people had remained, anxiously waiting for someone from the Black Magic Academy to arrive.

If Syan did not come, or if no other apprentices took on this task, perhaps hundreds or even thousands of people in Muzobura would starve to death this year.

The death of some low-level creatures was a common occurrence in the subterranean world.

The humans in Muzobura were relatively better off.

If it were the subterranean demi-humans, when famine struck, they would even actively consume their elderly kin as food.

"Go, light some torches and place them around the area."

"If any Green-jawed Feathers try to escape in other directions, throw the torches at them." Syan instructed the few subterranean humans around him, then he walked toward the barren area.

When Syan reached the top of the slightly elevated barren land, the "chirping" sounds reached his ears.

Although the Green-jawed Feathers looked like birds, these subterranean creatures could not fly.

They primarily walked on two legs and moved quickly, and at most, they could glide for a short distance after jumping from a height.

The low-level magical equipment, the pale mask, allowed Syan's vision to be more clear and wide in the dim subterranean world.

The mental strength and sharp mind of a magic apprentice enabled Syan to quickly count that there were twenty-six Green-jawed Feathers in the barren area before him.

The vision of subterranean creatures and dark beings was generally poor, but their sense of smell and perception were extremely sensitive.

Since Syan was at a higher position and his black magic robe effectively concealed part of his body odor, these Green-jawed Feathers did not notice his arrival.

"Tsk, indeed there is a bird king. Otherwise, they wouldn't have specifically migrated to the vicinity of Muzobura."

"However, the strength of this Green-jawed Feather group is probably not too strong. They must have just separated from another main group." Syan deduced.

The basic courses in the academy's public classrooms introduced the Green-jawed Feathers, a type of magical creature.

Their preference for living in groups made many mages view them as a source of low-level magical materials.

Some mages even kept these magical creatures, but no one in Muzobura did so.

Low-level materials from magical creatures were only suitable for apprentices, and formal black mages wouldn't bother with such things, so they wouldn't spend time and energy cultivating them.

On the other hand, some subterranean demi-human tribes had the ability to domesticate and tame Green-jawed Feathers and their close relatives, the magical beasts.

Twenty-five adult Green-jawed Feathers possessed the strength of magical creatures, and one Green-jawed Feather King had the strength of a low-level magical beast, which was a considerable force.

Especially the Green-jawed Feather King, which had evolved into a magical beast, likely possessed a natural spell, so Syan had to be cautious.

In addition to the twenty-six adult Green-jawed Feathers mentioned above, Syan also noticed that in the deeper part of the moss field, there were more high-pitched and sharp chirping sounds.

Those were probably the immature Green-jawed Feathers, whose individual combat strength could be ignored.

It was unknown whether there were any Green-jawed Feather eggs. If there were, it would be an additional gain for Syan in this mission.

As Syan observed the situation in the moss field, the few subterranean humans who had been instructed by him had already lit torches around the moss field.

The subterranean world was usually pitch black, except for the main city of Muzobura, which had a constant dim light due to a vein of phosphorescent ore above the main area. Other regions generally had no light.

Torches were effective in deterring ordinary subterranean beasts or low-level magical creatures, but they couldn't last long.

If one had the strength of Muzobura, it would be fine, but if not, the prolonged burning of torches would be like lighting a beacon for the powerful magical beasts or solitary dark creatures living in the subterranean world to find you.

However, Syan was confident that this battle would not last long. The torches were lit both to help drive away the Green-jawed Feathers and to minimize the losses of the subterranean humans and the moss field.

Syan, after all, was a sixteen-year-old young mage who still had his conscience and principles.

If it were some low-character, seasoned old apprentices, they would likely use these subterranean humans as bait.

Green-jawed Feathers were omnivores. They ate moss, but they also ate meat, especially rotten meat.

Of course, the Green-jawed Feathers' favorite food was the sweet berries that Syan had obtained from Bos before leaving Muzobura.

Holding his breath, Syan crawled, quietly sprinkling iron phosphate powder in specific locations and partially burying the limited number of sweet berries in the soil.