“You are all at the Advanced Rank. These bottles of potion can, in theory, pull you up to the Extraordinary Rank. However, this is a purely theoretical potion; you might explode and die, or you might obtain super power. Although I can order you to drink it, this time, the choice is yours.”
Faced with a challenge of life and death, the elite warriors of the White Feather Clan couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
The Extraordinary Rank!
That was a level of strength sufficient to rule as a king in the forest!
Just as everyone was hesitating, terrified of the possibility of exploding, Ninike, who had been hanging upside down from the tree this whole time, could no longer contain herself.
Oh no!
She had totally misunderstood her lady!
This was clearly a massive reward!
Since she had made a mistake, she had to correct it immediately!
“Me! Let me try first! Don't anyone fight me for it!”
Ninike nimbly untied the vines around her feet.
She fell to the ground, and without even bothering to rub her sore little butt, she dashed over and snatched a bottle of the pitch-black potion!
Gulp!
A numbing soreness and excruciating pain exploded within her body!
Her little face flushed red, Ninike lay trembling on the ground, letting out low whimpers.
However, as her bones made shifting noises of restructuring, a storm of magic power dispersed with her at the center!
Mid-tier Advanced... High-tier Advanced... the critical point!
“Just a little more! Give me another bottle!!”
Ninike's hair was disheveled, her eyes filled with an absolute obsession with power.
Qimeng looked down at her with a half-smile.
“This potion is very precious. Why should I give you another one?”
“I... I am already Master's personal property!”
Ninike knelt before Qimeng and looked up with her reddened, wide eyes.
“I will serve you for the rest of my life, my lady! Please let me become strong! I want to rescue all our clanswomen who were taken by the Thunder Eagle Clan!!”
Qimeng looked down at the little blue-haired bird kneeling before her. Seeing the resolute gaze in her eyes, she let out a soft snort.
“Hmph, since you have that kind of resolve, I shall grant your wish.”
The second bottle of potion went down her throat.
Boom!
An extraordinary wind element flooded the area, and the wings on Ninike's back turned a pale gold color.
Low-tier Extraordinary Rank! A successful breakthrough!
“It worked... Captain Ninike really broke through to the Extraordinary Rank!!”
The bird girls of the White Feather Clan hugged one another in excitement.
Seeing Ninike's success, Chief Feifeier also kowtowed in submission to Qimeng, then stepped forward to drink the potion.
With her deep foundation, she soared to the sky with just a single bottle of the Extraordinary Secret Potion, successfully stepping into the Extraordinary Rank!
Next were the patrol members.
One-third of the members gritted their teeth and endured the backlash of the potion tempering their bodies.
A successful promotion!
In just one day, the combat strength structure of the White Feather Clan was completely reshaped!
Among the five hundred bird girls, excluding the chicks, there were no longer any Novices!
Everyone started at the Intermediate Rank!
There were dozens of Advanced Ranks!
And a total of four Extraordinary Rank powerhouses were born, including Feifeier and Ninike!
And because they had been branded with the Tree Lord spirit mark, their species rank limit was rewritten, allowing them to continue growing alongside Qimeng.
Although she had exhausted the alchemical magic materials she collected along the way, Qimeng didn't mind at all.
In any case, materials in the forest were endless. Moreover, she had not only obtained precious experimental data but had also won over the White Feather Clan through this.
And she had also conveniently created a patrol squad led by Extraordinary Rank powerhouses.
“Thank you for your gift, Master! In thousands of years, we have never heard of any lord willing to pay such a price for their weak subordinates!”
Led by Feifeier and Ninike, the entire clan willingly knelt on one knee toward the high-and-mighty, beautiful young girl. There was no longer any hostility in their eyes, only awe.
“Master...”
Feifeier bit her lower lip and pleaded.
“Now that our strength has increased greatly, we beg Master to allow us to march against the Thunder Eagle Clan to rescue our compatriots!”
Qimeng let out a soft snort and turned her head away.
“Huh? You are all my personal property. If you get killed out there, I'll be the one losing out. Why should I let you go? Give me a logical reason.”
Feifeier and Ninike exchanged a glance.
They pressed their heads flat against the floor.
“Master! The precious magic materials you need, like the rainbow flowers—there are several of equal quality in the goods the Thunder Eagle Clan stole from us!”
“Not only that, the Thunder Eagle Clan plunders the surrounding minor clans year-round. Their castle treasury hides rare and unique treasures!”
A small, greedy light sparkled in Qimeng's eyes.
“Is that all?”
Feifeier hurriedly threw in a heavy bargaining chip.
“There's more! The Thunder Eagle Clan occupies the lifeblood of this region, the 【Wind-Thunder Mountains】! It contains Wind-Thunder Magic Marrow, which is an excellent natural treasure! They only managed to produce so many powerhouses because they monopolized the wind vein!”
Qimeng's mind began to race.
A source of wind and thunder magic elements?
Doesn't that sound like a super-sized natural supply pack?
A flash of inspiration struck Qimeng.
A place like the Wind-Thunder Mountains, though not a hundred percent guaranteed, was highly likely to breed Wind and Thunder Spirits!
She already had the Wood Spirit and the Water Spirit. If she could gather the Wind and Thunder Spirits here as well...
Even if luck wasn't on her side and she couldn't gather them, it didn't matter.
That place was a treasure trove regardless.
She might as well use it directly as an outpost before the descent of the Tree Court!
Qimeng changed her mind.
Originally, she had planned to drag these winged folk girls back to her own territory as hard labor. But now, it seemed that for the safe descent of the Tree Court, driving a wedge into the Flourishing Forest and establishing a base was highly necessary.
Gathering intelligence on the surroundings, plundering forest resources, and monitoring the movements of other races...
All of these tasks required an outpost.
And this poor mountain gully where the bird girls lived was too run-down; it was truly time to change to a decent place.
“Fine, it's decided then.”
“Master... does this mean you agree?”
Feifeier asked tentatively.
“Yes. The territory, the treasures, and the people—I want them all. However, I am an elegant lord, and I don't like foolish, head-on clashes.”
Ninike looked completely dazed.
“Ah? Then what do you mean, my lady...?”
Qimeng leaned down, pinched Ninike's soft little cheek, and revealed an alluring, cunning smile.
“It means we need a devious little plan~”
“Its name is 【Lure and Kill】.”
Ninike's little mouth was pinched into a duck shape.
“L-Lure and kill? My lady... those guys from the Thunder Eagle Clan are very shrewd...”
“Shrewd?”
Qimeng released her grip and flicked Ninike's dazed forehead.
“That's not being shrewd. That's being self-righteous because of their strength. Against people who think they can never lose, the more arrogant they are, the easier it is to bait them.”
“Listen up, we'll proceed in two steps.”
“Group one will contact other weak races in the forest who have been bullied. They don't need to fight; they just need to act as eyes and ears to figure out the schedules of the Thunder Eagle Clan's higher-ups. Group two, led by Feifeier and Ninike, will use that intelligence to execute targeted lure-and-kill operations.”
As for the background of the Thunder Eagle Clan, Qimeng asked and got clear answers.
The reason these birdmen dared to act so lawlessly in this little corner south of the Flourishing Forest was purely because they had aligned themselves with the First Young Master of the Black Bone Territory.
Rate on N.U.
