Chapter 236: Guardian Etiquette
Kellar looked at Lennis and shook his head to reassure him.
"Nothing went wrong. Quite the opposite," explained Kellar. "We reached the cliff area and ran into the region’s Guardian—a White Tiger leading a pack. He agreed to negotiate free passage and limestone extraction in exchange for food. We have plenty of stores and can fish. It is better to negotiate with them than enter a war."
Lennis let out a sigh of relief, nodding.
"That is the best outcome, my lord," said Lennis, adjusting his goggles. "Right now we are consolidating our forces. If we can negotiate instead of fighting to the death, we must take the chance. That way we buy time to develop weapons like the Garnis and... well, go wipe them out later if needed. It won’t be too late in a couple of years, Great Shaman."
Before Kellar could respond, Little Green stepped closer, leaning her head down until her beak rested near Kellar’s shoulder.
"Master... do you want me to catch a fish?" asked the eagle through their mental link. "That tiger is fond of a fish I’ve seen in these waters."
Kellar raised an eyebrow, surprised.
"How do you know that?"
"While we were speaking with him, I sifted through the old Eagle King’s memories," revealed Little Green. "I found that whenever he visited his territory, he brought a specific fish to negotiate. Besides, there is a reason for it: it seems to be etiquette among the valley’s Guardians."
"Can you see what the other Guardians like as well?" asked Kellar.
"Yes, master. I have reviewed most of them," answered the eagle. "I am sorry... there is information stored within the previous Eagle King’s core that I hadn’t been able to process until now."
"I don’t blame you, you did well," said Kellar, patting her feathers. "Keep reviewing everything you can and let us know if you find anything important. Either way, I’ll ask you questions so you know what to look for."
"It shall be done as you command, Great Shaman," agreed the eagle.
Without wasting another second, Little Green took a couple of steps back, spread her wings, and launched into the sky, ascending at a vertical angle. Lennis, looking toward the river docks, asked in confusion:
"What is she doing? We were preparing the heavy ballistas and harpoons with the hunters to head to the river."
𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞
"No need," smiled Kellar, crossing his arms. "Little Green will handle the fishing."
Lennis looked up at the sky. The eagle had shrunk to a speck near the clouds. Suddenly, the creature folded her wings and entered a dive toward the bed of the Crocodile River, plunging with the grace and speed of a hunting crane. In her dive, her speed became so immense that Kellar and Lennis watched three distinct shockwaves break the sound barrier, producing three sonic booms.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The bird sliced into the river’s surface cleanly, barely raising a splash. Thirty seconds passed... a minute of silence. Suddenly, the water exploded and Little Green emerged with a stroke of her wings.
Clutched within her talons was a mammoth fish with silver scales that measured twice the length of the eagle’s body. The fish twitched faintly but offered no resistance; looking closer, Kellar saw that one of Little Green’s talons had pierced through its head at the spinal cord, killing it before dragging it out of the water.
Kellar stared at the silver fish lying lifeless beneath Little Green’s talons. The precision with which the eagle had executed the hunt highlighted the power spike she had achieved after absorbing the sky sovereign’s core.
"Secure the fish in the transport basket," instructed Kellar Lennis, before turning back to his mount with an intriguing look in his eyes. "Little Green, let us make use of this moment. Tell me everything you have uncovered within the old Eagle King’s memories. I need to know who the other Greater Guardians serving the former Leviathan are, what they favor, their secrets, and their weaknesses."
The eagle tilted her head, narrowing her golden eyes as she combed through the ocean of memories stored within her core.
"Master, the Greater Guardians who served the late Leviathan were three in total, each ruling their own zones of influence," began Little Green through their mental link. "The first is the White Tiger King, whom we encountered. His weakness is a low resistance to fire and area-of-effect attacks, as he relies on his snow camouflage and invisibility. His soft spot is his pride; if you offer him tributes like this deep-river fish—the Armored Silverscale—he regards it as a gesture of respect and will honor pacts."
Kellar nodded, taking mental note of every detail.
"Who are the other two who served the Leviathan?"
"Toward the southern marshes dwells the Great Scarlet Crocodile, an earth- and water-element Guardian possessing a hide impenetrable to standard arrows," continued Little Green. "His weakness is his sluggishness on dry land and total blindness to aerial strikes. He craves fire energy cores and frozen meat; the former Eagle King used to trade with him by dropping frozen prey from the skies in exchange for rare swamp herbs."
The eagle paused, a flicker of unease lacing her tone.
"Lastly, near the Storm Peak, lies the Ancestral Jade Wasp. She is the most lethal among the Leviathan’s former servants due to her paralyzing venom and speed. Her weakness is extreme cold; the Great Snowfall forces her into deep hibernation within thermal caverns. However, her secret is that she guards a treasure: a royal jelly infused with concentrated mana that the previous Eagle King attempted to steal multiple times to accelerate his own evolution."
Kellar smiled with satisfaction. The strategic intelligence he had acquired was worth more than an army. He knew their tastes for diplomatic negotiations and their flaws should conflict prove unavoidable.
"Outstanding work, Little Green," said Kellar, patting his mount’s neck. "With this fish secured, it is time to deliver the first offering to the Tiger King and kick off the limestone extraction."