Chapter 258: Winged Nomad 3
TL/Editor: Raei
Schedule: 5/Week Mon-Fri
Illustrations: Posted in discord.
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The reason stone dwarves clung so closely to the harpies was because of the eggs the harpies laid.
Some viewers were disappointed to see a black harpy's egg instead of a red one.
Nonetheless, the black harpies, with their eagle bodies, incubated treasures, not just any eggs.
Lili started to chatter away with explanations.
"Isn't it beautiful? I had no idea flappers could lay such beautiful gems."
"This is an egg?"
"...This is a mana stone?"
"Flappers, I mean, the black flappers, turn it into this if they incubate it long enough!"
Lili, being a stone dwarf herself, found the terminology confusing, but it turned out that black harpies, a female-only species, kidnapped male monsters to reproduce.
Interestingly, the unfertilized eggs laid outside of their breeding season were filled with mana.
They evolved to use these eggs as nutrients for their offspring once they started raising them... but there was a slight problem, and they ended up incubating these unfertilized eggs continuously.
Both red and black harpies came from the same world, a world destroyed by the Demon King.
They needed male semen, but looking around the mountains, there were only rotting and moving corpses.
Harpy, with their instinct to build kingdoms in the mountains and defend their territory, couldn't suddenly become migratory birds crossing the continent in search of males, could they?Updated from novelbIn.(c)om
"So, if the flappers incubate their fake eggs long enough, they turn into these pretty gems!"
"If it's a mana stone of this size, mages will come running with their eyes lit. Even if you tell them to come with carts filled with gold instead of food, they'd gladly come!"
The result was a mana stone as big as an ostrich egg.
They incubated it, condensing mana for their offspring, and eventually, the tower's magic turned it into a mana stone.
The stone dwarves stayed here, filled with the idea of crafting this new gem created by the harpies.
Somehow, they ended up resembling servants trimming the Harpy Queen's claws, perhaps as part of a deal to receive the large mana stone.
According to Katie, from a northern Ducal family, it's a premium product that would drive mages and nobles crazy.
The purity of the mana is one thing, but its beauty is unparalleled.
The human head-sized blue gem gently glowed, and since it was originally an egg, its surface was as smooth as if someone had crafted it.
They were grinning from ear to ear.
"Ah, there you are!"
While leisurely enjoying coffee and watching the endless stream of trading companies entering the tower through the gate, a familiar voice was heard.
In a fantasy world setting, the sight of enjoying a 1L iced Americano with a slice of cake had the viewers chuckling, and a temple knight, who had been muscle training with Manaashi, came looking for us.
The temple knight, who had forged a friendship beyond race through muscles, came to us, obviously to convey the Temple's stance.
"May the Goddess's blessing be upon Lady Hanna, the hero who reveals the will of the Goddess, Sir Roland, the owner of the holy sword, and all those accompanying them on their sacred journey."
"Yes, thank you, Brother. Did you come to deliver a message from the temple?"
"That's right, Sister Irene! Since both species don't deny the existence of the Goddess, there weren't any brothers or sisters who opposed."
Merchants would trade with goblins if there's profit, but the Temple's stance was a bit different.
No matter how gentle a species might be, if they deny the Goddess and refuse its faith, for them, that gentle and kind smile would turn into the face of evil.
"That means?"
"I heard that Lady Hanna captured some red harpies around the tower and handed them over to the Magic Tower."
"Ah, is it a problem if those harpies start believing in the Goddess?"
"What? Oh, no. The harpies captured by Lady Hanna are wild species with no faith, practically no different from monsters, so there's nothing to blame her for."
Han Se-ah frowned, realizing she inadvertently ended up kidnapping natives for human trafficking, not just capturing monsters for research at the Magic Tower.
She hasn't yet fully adapted to the human rights concepts of a medieval fantasy world.
In a place where even human rights aren't properly respected, who would complain about a few harpies being kidnapped?
Even the Temple knight in front of us strictly differentiates between harpies with faith and those without.
Even after sharing a friendship with Manaashi, it would be natural for him to slaughter the unbelieving within the Black Naga family.
"However, I have a request. While exploring the 43rd floor, please capture the red harpies near the Harpy Kingdom and hand them over to the Queen. It seems the Queen plans to convert and integrate the wanderers who don't listen to her commands and attack humans into her kingdom."
"Ah I see."
Whether they understand human language or not, those without faith are treated no differently than monsters.
The Temple's justice is to kidnap them if necessary to make them believe.
So, another quest with a rather large scale has been added to the list of side quests.
Hunt the unidentified monsters underground.
Kidnap red harpies to convert them into believers.
Feels like I've become the Spanish army that set foot on the New World, doesn't it?
