Chapter Forty-Two: Such a Large Sparrow

“A seventh-tier Sky-Shrouding Sparrow?” For a mere sparrow to claim it shrouds the sky—this irked Chu Tian greatly. “Chief Basten, look over there…” Chu Tian pointed toward the wrecked Zeppelin in the distance.

“You’re ruthless! Just don’t let me catch you again!” Basten grumbled, understanding Chu Tian’s implication. “Now even the Sky-Shrouding Sparrow belongs to you, a priest lower than the Swinebeast!” He cursed inwardly, wondering how the Holy Priest could have produced such a despicable student. First, Chu Tian tricked away the eighth-tier Mammoth Little Six, and now he wouldn’t even spare the Sky-Shrouding Sparrow. Shameless! All his assets were gone…

“Come now, no need for such words.” Chu Tian was unfazed—after all, having tricked someone’s magical pet, a few insults were only fair. “Look, my airship is completely destroyed. You owe me compensation, don’t you? If you don’t want to give me a magical beast, a million gold coins will do.”

“Fine! I’ll give you the Sky-Shrouding Sparrow!” Basten was out of options and chose to pay with a magical beast. He knew Chu Tian’s demand of a million gold coins was not extortion; the Zeppelin was worth every bit of it. But for Basten, who was neither wealthy nor safe from Chu Tian’s threat, gifting the Sky-Shrouding Sparrow was the only path left.

With a call from Basten, the earth trembled, winds rose, and darkness descended. An endless shadow enveloped the land. Chu Tian eyed a sparrow feather nearly as tall as himself and marveled: What a giant sparrow!

“Make her fly higher! I can’t see clearly!” Chu Tian shouted against the roaring wind, for the sparrow hovered only a few meters above his head, making it hard to view her entire form.

Basten obliged, and through the rushing winds, a magnificent emerald sparrow appeared before Chu Tian’s eyes.

No wonder she could ferry hundreds of wild wolves and the mammoth across the Dustmud Marsh. Chu Tian estimated her wingspan to exceed a hundred meters. Unlike earthly sparrows, her body was flatter and her back broader.

“Alright, let her descend!” Chu Tian wished to admire closely the third member of his magical beast legion.

Another tremor, and the Sky-Shrouding Sparrow, over thirty meters tall with wings folded, landed. “Sparrow sister, we have a new master now!” Little Six scampered over, acting spoiled. Upon the golden earth, a peculiar tableau unfolded: a giant sparrow gently caressed a miniature elephant at her feet, while a beautiful micro-spider lay beside the elephant’s foot. As for Chu Tian—he might as well have been dust.

“A new master? What do you mean? I don’t have a master,” the sparrow inquired softly. In truth, the Sky-Shrouding Sparrow was not Basten’s magical pet but had been requisitioned from the beast tribe’s army for this mission—a masterless magical beast.

The sparrow’s temperament was gentle; she rarely attacked others. Her sole purpose was transport, and occasionally she would flap her wings to feign wind magic. Her seventh-tier ranking owed more to her vast size than her strength, so the beast tribe kept her as a reserve—after all, sparrows were hard to deploy in battle.

“I lost in my fight against Vladino,” Basten explained gloomily. On the continent, an unwritten rule allowed high-ranking officers or notable figures captured in war to be ransomed with goods. Thus, Basten felt no resistance in giving the sparrow to Chu Tian, nor would the Beast King punish him for it—at most, he’d be deemed ineffective in battle.

“Mr. Vladino, I have heard your name before. Please take care of me henceforth,” came the gentle voice again, though Chu Tian strained his neck in vain to see its source. “Rest assured, I treat magical pets well! How about a hundred gold coins a day, plus bonuses?” Since both the Sky-Shrouding Sparrow and AK47 were seventh-tier magical beasts, Chu Tian decided to offer them equal starting terms—lest discord arise among his subordinates.

“Hmm, what if I add a hundred Swinebeasts?” Chu Tian considered the sparrow’s size and guessed her appetite would be considerable—perhaps rivaling Little White’s drinking. With this, his team of prodigious eaters was complete.

“No, I don’t need Swinebeasts. I’m vegetarian—and I don’t eat much,” the sparrow gently declined Chu Tian’s offer. “As for the gold coins… give them to Little Six. He eats a lot!” She doted on the mammoth with her wing.

“Sister, uncle already gives me ten Swinebeasts a day! Uncle is a good person; he’ll give you lots of tasty food too!” Newly recruited, Little Six quickly grasped the essence of Chu Tian’s trickery and began wooing new members.

“Oh, thank you! I believe you’ll be a good master!” At last, the seventh-tier Sky-Shrouding Sparrow was coaxed into joining.

Chu Tian was delighted, immensely so: an eighth-tier mammoth, two seventh-tier magical beasts, plus the poisonous Barbossa and the deceitful Little White—his legion was taking shape. With such strength, even if his magical ineptitude were exposed, he’d have the means to survive.

With this thought, Chu Tian squinted with joy, while Little White squeezed his eyes shut in anguish—he knew this expression well. The poor sparrow would soon be saddled with a dreadful codename.

Sure enough, Little White guessed right. Chu Tian adopted his mystic pose: “Praise be to the Goddess of Life! As my third magical pet, I bestow upon you, in the name of the goddess, a new name—Boeing 747!”

Little White and AK47 bowed their heads, silently praying for the newest victim. Chu Tian remembered another matter—he had yet to name his second magical pet.

“Little Six, how about a new name from uncle?” Chu Tian resumed his journey of persuasion. “Your name isn’t very pleasant.”

“Okay! Thank you, uncle. Big Brother Ada often says my name isn’t as nice as his.” Hearing Little Six’s words, Chu Tian nearly choked. Someone named Ada had the audacity to mock Little Six’s name—clearly, beastfolk lacked culture, and their sense of aesthetics was utterly distorted.

“Ahem!” Chu Tian cleared his throat and donned his mystic guise. “Praise be to the Goddess of Life! In her name, I grant Little Six a new name—let’s call you Hummer!” He sized up the mammoth and recalled the most formidable vehicle on Earth, settling on the codename for his second magical pet.

But the second magical pet was clearly dissatisfied. “Uncle, why Hummer? I’m not a horse—I’m stronger than a horse!”

Chu Tian would brook no dissent. He solemnly declared, “The Goddess of Life says, magical beasts stronger than horses must be called Hummer!”

Even Basten, lying on the ground, couldn’t help rolling his eyes. Yet the three-year-old Hummer remained puzzled. “Then why is Sparrow sister called Boeing 747? She’s stronger than a horse too—shouldn’t she be called Hummer?”

“Hmm! You’ll understand when you grow up!” Chu Tian couldn’t bear to deceive such an innocent child…