A Strange Encounter and Political Maneuvers

The White-feathered Sea Eagle felt a surge of pure delight.

The humans who had enslaved its kin were now sprawled across the ground, cleanly beaten into unconsciousness by this beautiful monster. Almost all of them had lost their senses.

“Hooray!”

It couldn’t help but flap its wings, cheering repeatedly.

Ming Yu had left one ‘tool’ for questioning. Casually, she ripped off the person’s metal face mask, gazing at their terrified expression with a completely calm heart.

****

Five minutes later.

Ming Yu coldly scanned the remaining guards, flexing her wrist. Just as she prepared to act, she saw one of them grit their teeth, understand her unspoken intent, and promptly slam their head against a nearby tree trunk, instantly collapsing into unconsciousness.

From this person, she had roughly gathered basic information about the vicinity.

This was not an exchange post.

While the archipelago was home to many wanderers, they seemed to use it merely as a refuge, with almost no contact with the outside world.

No wonder she found these individuals, though seemingly trained, to be sluggish in their movements. It was highly likely they had never undergone gene enhancement.

This only deepened her confusion.

Without gene enhancement, there would naturally be no sea beast hunters. Without sea beast hunters, how did they contend with the sea beasts?

With just a few rusty guns?

It was a laughable thought.

As for how they had found her…

Ming Yu’s gaze settled on the White-feathered Sea Eagle, her peripheral vision catching several gray eagles circling in the distant sky. She looked thoughtful.

She had once read this white eagle’s memories. The environment here was quite similar to the archipelago scenes in its memory, making it highly probable that this was its former habitat.

If that were the case, it would save her the trouble of finding someone to guide her.

Ming Yu stared into the white eagle’s eyes, her blood-red pupils carrying a faint oppressive weight that made the White-feathered Sea Eagle tremble involuntarily.

“Can you understand me?”

No more pretense; Ming Yu laid her cards on the table.

However, the White-feathered Sea Eagle’s response was not particularly clear.

“Waaah! Don’t come any closer! I surrender!”

“Shut up.”

Ming Yu added a bit more force, glaring at the squawking white eagle.

“Squawk again, and I’ll eat you.”

“…”

The noisy loli-like voice instantly ceased. The wind rustled through the forest, and the atmosphere shifted into an eerie silence.

The White-feathered Sea Eagle timidly lowered its head, no longer daring to meet those chilling crimson pupils.

Seeing this, Ming Yu understood and nodded slightly.

‘It seems it can hear me.’

The world was vast and full of wonders.

She had encountered sentient pets, like Luna, and even pets that could mimic human speech, like parrots. Yet, an animal that could both understand and speak human language? This was a first.

‘What an eye-opener.’

Ming Yu mused inwardly, her interest in this white eagle growing stronger.

“Speak.”

“…”

“Otherwise, I’ll eat you.”

“Huh? You just told me to shut up, didn’t you?”

“Mm-hm, quite obedient. Very good, very good.”

“You, wait… you, you, you, you can understand what I’m saying?”

“No, I can’t,” Ming Yu shrugged, feigning regret.

“Oh, so you can’t understand. That’s good then.”

The White-feathered Sea Eagle breathed a sigh of relief. However, with its significantly heightened intelligence, it quickly realized something was amiss.

“No, you’re tricking me! You hateful human!”

Ming Yu suddenly felt a pang of pity. If she were to consider this creature human, it was terrifyingly naive. It was nothing short of an innocent, childlike loli.

“Never mind. Let’s get back to business. From now on, I’ll ask, and you’ll answer. No squawking, understand?”

“…Understood!”

“We’ll discuss the situation here later. For now, tell me about your experiences in detail.”

****

Inside Pharos City.

In the blink of an eye, several days had passed like a fleeting white colt, silently slipping away.

The raging waves and hidden currents were kept at bay, not affecting the daily lives of Pharos’s citizens in the slightest.

News of a sea beast hunter’s sacrifice, beyond stirring a negligible ripple internally, would only sink into the deep sea along with the corpse, forgotten in a deserted corner.

This grand encirclement hunt saw thirty-seven hunting teams participate, thoroughly sweeping the entire alert sea zone. They hunted over eighty thousand B-rank and below sea beasts, more than four thousand A-rank sea beasts, and…

One hundred seventy-three S-rank sea beasts.

Among these, one hundred forty-four S-rank sea beasts were hunted by a single hunter.

The team to which that hunter belonged suffered seven missing, four returned, and two confirmed sacrifices.

As for the term ‘missing,’ everyone understood its true implication perfectly well.

Undoubtedly, this battle was incredibly brutal.

However, this blood-soaked, bountiful harvest also successfully secured a voice for the Hunter Association in the council, turning around the negative impact brought by Jörmungaṇḍr.

Some were sharing the spoils of war, while others were licking their wounds.

For Fujiwara Yūkawa, the people his Fujiwara family had planted within the great hunt had achieved results that left him extremely satisfied.

Inside the Pharos City Enforcement Hall, Deputy Director’s Office.

Fujiwara Yūkawa excitedly clapped the visitor’s shoulder, his face beaming with heartfelt satisfaction as he surveyed the A-rank hunter before him.

“It wasn’t for nothing that I went to such great lengths to acquire laser weapons. You know, blue lasers are technology from hundreds of years ago, a proper collector’s item now, practically priceless.”

“Well done, Jeston.”

“The promise I made to you, I’ll resolve it for you right now.”

Fujiwara Yūkawa chuckled, picked up a communication device, and dialed a number.

“Find a reason to release the person. Yes, let the Arbitration Tribunal figure it out themselves.”

“That Deputy Judge swore to me that the final interpretation of legal articles rests with him. We just need to pick up the person.”

“Once it’s done, send them over. That’s all.”

With that, Fujiwara Yūkawa hung up and nodded towards Jeston, whose expression was a mix of emotions. Then, he gestured for him to take a seat.

“Wait a moment, and your younger brother, who committed that homicide, will be safely back by your side.”

“It’s been a pleasure working with you.”

Fujiwara Yūkawa leaned back leisurely in his office chair. The image of that woman publicly humiliating him flashed through his mind, and a shadow crossed his eyes, quickly transforming into a sneer.

‘Utterly ridiculous.’

‘Challenging the Fujiwara family was always an act of folly.’

****

It was the ninth day of Ming Yu’s absence.

Qing Shui Ling Yin gazed at the untouched meal in front of Little Nightingale, opening her mouth but finding no words.

She wanted to comfort Little Nightingale, but who would comfort her?

With Ming Yu’s prolonged absence, Qing Shui Ling Yin, though not as distraught as Little Nightingale, also found herself restless and unable to eat or sleep properly.

In the past, she had encountered similar situations. Ming Yu would go on missions and rarely return on schedule; she had grown accustomed to it.

She was used to telling herself that Ming Yu was merely delayed, that he would soon return to cook delicious meals and listen to her complaints about life’s many dissatisfactions.

Had it not been for Ming Yu’s request, Qing Shui Ling Yin, by her nature, would not have concerned herself with Little Nightingale’s well-being. Alas, there was no ‘if,’ and she could not ignore this girl.

“First, eat your fill. Then I’ll take you to the association to ask about Ming Yu’s situation.”

“…Okay.”

Little Nightingale nodded. She retrieved the cat food from beside her seat, held it in her arms, and allowed Luna to poke her head in. However, she herself had no appetite and no desire to eat.