The ability to use language and possess intelligence sufficient for communication is the sole criterion for distinguishing between magical beasts and intelligent life.
Just like the Brown Bird Tribe before them, although its head resembled that of a true bird-like magical beast with a pointed beak and lacked arms, it had a pair of brown feathers in place, and its walking legs were covered with a horny layer of claws, much like a bird.
But without a doubt, the gleam in its eyes revealed a level of intelligence worthy of being called wisdom.
“Lady Felina and everyone, let me introduce. This is the chief of the Brown Bird Tribe on the Omo Island, Lady Gugasha. She has come specifically to express her gratitude for your assistance.”
A woman? Lady?
The priestess instinctively wiped away nonexistent sweat from her forehead.
Honestly, seeing the towering figure of the counterpart, with a robust physique standing two meters away, Violet initially thought it was a male bird.
And what’s with this ‘Gugasha,’ there’s no... Wait a minute, come to think of it, birds are oviparous and don’t require nursing behaviors. Looking at it this way, it makes sense, right?
Ah, how do birds in this world differentiate between males and females? Never mind, this black-haired girl, who appeared calm on the surface but was actually brewing a storm of thoughts in her mind, continued to ponder. Meanwhile, Gugasha, the female Brown Bird Tribe member, took a step forward and performed an unusual gesture of courtesy towards everyone.
“Thank you, powerful individuals from the Human United Kingdom. If you hadn’t supported us in the previous battle, the damage to our tribe would have been even more severe. I didn’t expect there to be good people among humans. I am truly grateful.”
In such scenes of expressing gratitude back and forth, Violet didn’t feel much. Seeing no one around speaking up, she was about to casually respond when suddenly she noticed the perplexed and confused expressions of those nearby.
Oh, right! This person most likely speaks a dialect, not even the common Sky language. They can’t understand.
It was only at this moment that Sigrid seemed to grasp Gugasha’s meaning and translated it to Felina and the others in the somewhat unfamiliar Kingdom language.
Can Sigrid actually speak the language of the Brown Bird Tribe?
Seeing both sides struggling to communicate with the help of the translation, Violet also felt a bit emotional.
“The Wings of Freedom” have it tough, too. Not only do they frequently battle strange creatures, but maybe one person even has to learn several languages...
The language barrier in this world is no better than on Earth. If it weren’t for the cheat device brought from the game, her journey would probably have been much more difficult.
Trying to discreetly remove the item from her ear, sure enough, the sound from Gugasha’s bird beak immediately turned into incomprehensible babble.
Judging by the aura alone, Gugasha, the leader of the Brown Bird Tribe, should have strength at the peak of the Earth level or just entering the Sky level. As a leader of a small sky island with less than a hundred thousand lives, including various magical creatures, this level was already quite impressive.
But facing the Abyss, they were still too powerless.
Even without understanding the bird-faced expressions, Violet could sense the thick sorrow emanating from Gugasha.
Not to mention, just observing the entire island through the Soul Power (SP) earlier, there were barely fifty thousand surviving magical creatures on the Omo Island. After the intense subsequent battles...
If it weren’t for the support of Sigrid, Felina, and others, especially the priestess dealing with the Abyss Worm, the creatures on this Omo Island might have been completely slaughtered.
But just over two hundred Abyssal Beasts, and...
Hmm? Come to think of it...
“Um, Lady Gugasha, could you please provide us with a detailed account of the Abyssal Beast invasion process? From start to finish, especially, were there any exceptionally powerful individuals before?”
Although Abyssal Beasts are frightening, a direct invasion shouldn’t have escalated the situation to this extent. Apart from suddenly appearing and catching the island residents off guard, another crucial factor was that the distress signal from the Omo Island was somehow obstructed. Probably, only creatures passing through at close range, such as Violet’s group riding the Leviathan’s offspring, could see it.
Even the island itself was enveloped in a unique psychic field, judging from the reactions of Sigrid and others when they first arrived. It felt somewhat like a “dumbing down aura” or something similar. Otherwise, even if they couldn’t win, they could have sent someone with high speed to escape and report the situation.
The source of all this trouble should be the “troublesome entity” that Xiao Guang sensed earlier, which caused Sigrid and others to fall from the sky, and it’s likely the mastermind behind everyone having to fight separately.
However, it seemed that the entity did not have the intention to directly attack the creatures on the Omo Island, or there were certain restrictions. Otherwise, with the level of strength it demonstrated, these magical creatures, at most reaching the Sky level, would not have been able to resist until now.
“Are you called... Miss Violet, right? Hello, respected warriors.”
Perhaps surprised that a human could speak their native language so fluently, Gugasha looked curiously at the black-haired girl. Since Sigrid had just introduced both parties, there was no need for further explanation.
Sigrid, also surprised that Violet understood the Brown Bird Tribe language, hesitated for a moment. However, it was clear that she was more concerned about the meaning revealed in the priestess’s words.
“You mean the power that made everyone fall? Do you think it was caused by an individual? It would make more sense if it was something like a large magic array, right?”
Violet, who had scanned the entire island using the Soul Power (SP), decisively shook her head.
“There’s nothing like that on the island.”
“Uh...”
Sigrid pondered with her chin in her hands for a moment.
“If that’s the case, the opponent’s strength is truly unfathomable... Moreover, since they bypassed the defense lines, why did the Abyss choose to attack the Omo Island, with its dense population and weak defenses, rather than the larger, more vulnerable mainland?”
The two of them simultaneously glanced at Gugasha, whose bird face seemed to show a hint of difficulty. The answer was already self-evident.
This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.
There was indeed a secret on this island.
“Lady Gugasha, although we belong to different factions, when it comes to confronting the Abyss, we are united. This matter is crucial. Even if it’s because of the heavy losses we suffered to assist your side, if you know anything, please do not conceal it.”
Sigrid’s words carried a hint of seeking gratitude, but Violet knew she had no choice. For so many years, the Winged people had always been at the forefront of the fight against the Abyss. They needed information about that mysterious entity more urgently than anyone else.
“Well...”
The bird beak of the Brown Bird Tribe leader twitched a few times, and the deep brown feathers all over her body slightly fluffed up. Even if Violet couldn’t fully understand the expression, she could grasp that Gugasha was probably hesitating and pondering.
Except for the dragon girl, who remained silent and expressionless, the others in the room couldn’t understand the language of the Brown Bird Tribe and naturally couldn’t intervene, so they watched with confusion on their faces.
Just as Violet thought she might have to use more words, the female Brown Bird Tribe member named Gugasha took the initiative to speak.
“Sigh, fine... Now that the tribe is on the verge of falling apart, there’s nothing left to hide. Follow me, everyone.”
Gugasha turned and walked toward the central lake of the island. After explaining a few words to the puzzled Felina and others, Violet also followed with her pet.
Sigrid and the three subordinates followed closely. Before long, the mission leader also caught up, but those skilled individuals from the Kingdoms seemed to have been dispatched to do other tasks.
After all, this was the secret of the Brown Bird Tribe. Even though Gugasha had indicated it didn’t matter, it was still better not to let too many people know.
Arriving at the edge of a small lake, far from the center of the battlefield where the magical creatures were clearing up, there were very few creatures around.
Gugasha spread her bird wings, gesturing for everyone to wait for a moment. She then plucked a seemingly ordinary small stone from her fluffy feathers and placed it on the ground.
“O, master of the skies, please open the path for me.”
As soon as she spoke, the marble-sized stone emitted a faint white light, shining onto the ground by the lake, extending forward.
The lake water naturally parted to the sides, revealing a dark staircase leading downward, appearing in the sight of everyone.