After mastering the resurrection technique, they begged me to extend their lives.

Chapter 67 Putting on the Collar

The return journey was much easier than the way there.

Radel Jungle Road.

An Xiao no longer needs to worry about any danger approaching her.

Because he had already occupied the mountain stronghold on the northwest slope, it could even be said that it had become his territory!

Salo is dead, a new eagle shall rise.

Nivea was chosen from among more than fifty little harpies to become their temporary leader and manage the camp.

But of course, An Xiao put a collar around her neck—

This signifies that the master-slave contract has been established.

"Master! From this day forward, Nivea will obey only your every command! Whatever you need me to do, Nivea will do it!"

"very good."

An Xiao responded, "Then first pluck one of the life-bound spirit feathers from each member of your tribe and hand it over to me."

"————!?"

This is a quest issued by the Adventurers' Guild: [Clear the Harpy Nest].

Eagle feathers come from the eagle's body.

Why not grab some gold coins while they're still around?

An Xiao knew that the Adventurers' Guild had a never-ending source of money.

Since I had very little starting capital and the princess sister didn't have much to offer, the only ones I could target were these little guys in front of me.

"Yes, Master, Nivea will have them bend over. Would you like to see, Master?"

"I'm not interested in eagle butts."

"Oh, that's a pity."

Nivea sighed, her face filled with regret.

To be fair, in terms of efficiency and execution, she is above average among harpies, which makes An Xiao very satisfied.

Before leaving the stronghold, he completely sealed off the place and told the eagles, "I will come back soon, and I will select a few reliable subordinates to travel with me and become my followers."

His words thrilled the eaglets.

Nivea, in particular, flapped her wings, indicating that she was determined to choose herself.

"It depends on your performance."

An Xiao's concern was that her team did not currently have any humanoid creatures that could fly.

Compared to the less intelligent vultures, harpies like Nivea are definitely more useful.

Once she goes to Endedes, she might be able to help me solve a lot of my physical problems.

At the very least, they can keep watch and patrol, making them a reliable assistant that adventurers always have on hand.

Besides her, An Xiao also left the previously resurrected bald, porcupine, and freshwater crocodile creatures in the stronghold to help carry things. After all, mana was limited, and he did not intend to expend energy to prolong the lives of these beasts that had attacked him, so he could simply act as a slave owner in this area.

As for the body of the former leader, Saroo Windcutter, it was cremated directly and was not picked up and placed in the Iron Maiden.

"I don't think she meets the Iron Maiden's containment requirements, and she has long been at odds with human forces, so there's no way she'd come back to Stardust Harbor with me and become my follower. So, it's best to let her rest in peace."

An Xiao remained very calm.

Once you've taken the item and tamed the other eaglets, that's enough.

The most valuable gains from this operation were obviously the materials from the pterosaurs, as well as the large quantity of commercial-grade weapons and gold coins.

Pterodactyl teeth can be used to make daggers, hides and scales can be used to make armor, and nails and other materials can be used as alchemy tools.

Although they are not real dragons and their limbs are broken and incomplete, from a profit perspective, these items are worth no less than seven or eight hundred gold coins.

"Boss, will you be reselling these silver swords and spears from the caravan to arms dealers?"

"No." An Xiao said decisively, as if she had already decided where they were going.

"So, what are you planning to do—?"

"The secondhand price won't be much, maybe 250 gold coins at most. But these items belong to Xingmi's father, the Starry Sky Merchant Guild. If I take this opportunity to do her father a favor, I might get a return far exceeding the value of these weapons in the future."

An Xiao is not casual when it comes to investing.

He was certain that Hoshimi would be grateful to him upon seeing the lost goods, and that her fox-like father was more likely to help him resolve thorny issues such as his identity in the future.

Building connections is essential for adventurers when traveling.

"I see! By the way, do we have enough gold coins this time to board the boat? When do we set off?"

Hela seemed quite excited about going to Endedes, completely forgetting that she was a cowardly mage who was terrified of ghosts and spirits.

"It's enough, even after completing the mushroom and feather quests, it's still well over budget. But I think I should level up here before heading to Endedes to prepare enough combat power for the new region."

An Xiao is a rather cautious person. Seeing that his skill tree has grown significantly, and with Eagle Eye providing full protection in the Radel Jungle, he thought that leveling up here wouldn't be a bad thing.

The key is to improve the creation rank and combat power level in order to unlock the attribute values ​​of Xinuo and others, and gradually restore the reduced value of them after the life extension. This is the most important thing.

[The current creation rank is level 5. If it can be upgraded to the next stage, the divine skill "Last Stand" will appear.]

It is called "Sacrifice Contract".

An Xiao had long coveted this unlocked skill.

Sacrifice, as the name suggests, refers to the sacrifice of creation, those short-lived creations that are resurrected in a final burst of light.

In return, the creation that is instantly dissolved can be converted into about 30% mana and recycled back into one's own body.

As this skill level increases, the ratio will be increased to 40% or 50% in the future.

Even 70%.

This is like transforming yourself into a true sorcerer, able to summon corpses of beings that fit your divine nature on the battlefield at minimal cost, and use them for your own purposes.

The thought of the incredible rewards for the next stage made An Xiao quite excited.

"Brother, I have a question."

At that moment, Airi, who was standing beside him, asked a question.

"you say."

"Since Avina the Mad Bird guards the border mountains, and she has already met with her brother and even needs his help, do we still need to take a boat out to sea to Endedes?"

Airi asked doubtfully, "If I remember correctly, the Wayne map should show a buffer zone across the mountains, right?"

The princess is good at details, and this time, her question went straight to the heart of the matter.

"Hmm." An Xiao pondered for a moment, then understood what she meant.

If you take the mountain path, you can avoid taking the boat and save at least 850 gold dragon coins.

However, besides Avina, that mountain range also experiences large areas of thunderstorms.

Aviana is the embodiment of silver lightning and is not afraid of thunderstorms, so she can live here. In fact, at her peak, she could even control thunderstorms.

But now?

If one's creation does not meet the required standard, one cannot revive her, nor can one prolong her life, and thus cannot successfully pass through the mountain pass.

Also, I wanted to lead some harpies out this time.

Harpies are most afraid of thunderstorms—if the size of the trip changes from a small team to a group, then walking the mountain road is obviously not as practical as taking a boat together.

"With Xingmi by our side at sea, she can ensure our safety. The mountain route is too large a force and could easily attract the attention of other powers. Besides, that buffer zone is theoretically unlikely to be a safe area."

An Xiao remembered that in the setting, on the other side of the adjacent mountain range, there was a restricted area called the "Sanctuary of Light". It belonged to the Holy Kingdom of Galatia and was occupied by the paladins. Without a pass from a clergyman, one would be detained directly.

"Inside the Galatian Cathedral, there's a portal leading to the other side, which can transport paladins and monks there for training. That area is essentially their military district." Hino had heard about this before.

"So, are we... sure about taking the boat?"

"Um."

An Xiao nodded, feeling that choosing to take the boat was not simply because she had considered the little fox's feelings.

"The area the ship has reached is called the Dark Rift. The surrounding area is full of low-level skeletons, which is theoretically more suitable for our level of adventure."

"Once we get there, we'll find a place to settle down and develop step by step. As long as no one interferes with my cultivation of divine arts, it won't be long before I'm able to build a powerful army of undead."

"And once I have an army comparable to the empire, or even a legion."

"So."

"I will put collars on all those who have coerced me."