"You're finally back. Thank goodness! I really don't feel safe staying on the ground for so long." The Distant Sea Bird sighed a breath of relief when it saw Mohai come back.
"Get that little fox out. After I make sure Seaville is in good condition, I'll give you something," said the Distant Sea Bird. It seemed to dislike unnecessary chatter.
All monsters had aggro radius, and so did the Distant Sea Bird. The blue fox might have fooled a player's sight but not a monster's eyes.
Mohai decided to trust the Distant Sea Bird because other than what he knew about the bird, the bird did not simply break the little fox out without his consent.
Mohai ordered No. 13 to bring the little fox, Seaville, out from the pile of rocks.
"Nerfero, hurry up and kill this bandit!" The words blasted out Seaville's mouth right after the cloth was taken out of her mouth.
"Seavile, mind your words. We Distant Sea Birds never participate in battles. If you say something rude again, even if your sister has your back, I'll have to blacklist you."
Nerfero, the Distant Sea Bird, was a little upset at Seaville. The little fox suddenly remembered that violence and conflict were taboo for the Distant Sea Birds. She knew that if she kept her feisty temper up, she would only be blacklisted by the birds and it would do her no good.
"Let me introduce myself. I am one of the Distant Sea Birds, Nerfero. You might not know us Distant Sea Birds well, but that's fine. Let me fill you in. We are merchants on the monsters' side. Compared to our human counterparts, we Distant Sea Birds never participate in conflicts or battles and we possess the best reputation throughout the land. I am here on behalf of Seaville's sister." Nerfero started to introduce himself and did not treat Mohai any differently because of his status.
"Seaville's sister?" Mohai suddenly thought of something. Seaville's sister must be the real Nine-Tailed Fox.
"Yes, I am here on behalf of Lady Sarona. Lady Sarona is actually watching Seaville's outing and she is interested in you. She wants me to bring Seaville back, but since she is your captive, Lady Sarona will do her best to fulfill your demands in exchange for her return," Nerfero answered.
'Demands? I want Sarona!'
Mohai really wanted the Nine-Tailed Fox on his side, but he knew that if he really made that request, he would be lucky to escape the Nine-Tailed Fox's claws in one piece.
Anyway, after Mohai learned that the real Nine-Tailed Fox might be behind this little blue fox, he had already started to plan his escape. He really did not expect the Nine-Tailed Fox to fulfill his demands in exchange for the little fox.
After all, with his current level and strength, the Nine-Tailed Fox could kill him 10 times over with a single finger. The difference in power and level was severely unbalanced.
However, since the Nine-Tailed Fox offered to fulfill his demands, he would not reject it either.
Seaville was his captive and it was only right for him to exchange the little fox for some perks from the Nine-Tailed Fox.
The million-dollar question would be what he should ask for.
He did not know the Nine-Tailed Fox's bottomline, and more importantly, it was only his third day as a monster and he was unfamiliar with this field. He had no idea what to ask for. What should he demand that could benefit him the most?
"It seems like you don't know what you want. Lady Sarona foresaw this. She told me to tell you that the biggest restriction for you is your race. If you want to become stronger, you will have to change your race. That is why she told me to bring you a precious mission scroll. If you can complete the mission on this scroll, you will be able to receive Lady Isabelle's blessing. Then, you will be reborn as something stronger. Are you interested?"
Mohai was in deep thought as he pondered about Nerfero's words.
The so-called change in the monster race was actually the change of template for Mohai.
What Nerfero said was true. If he continued to power up the bandit leader template, he would become a bandit lord, at most, a Level 18 Boss.
A bandit lord would be the peak of the bandit monster template. If Mohai did not have the Template Manager, after he reached the bandit lord level, his template would stop leveling up through normal means.
With the Template Manager in hand, the restriction was lifted. As long as Mohai could get another monster template and switch over, the leveling restriction of the template would be removed.
The mission scroll that the Nine-Tailed Fox offered was very tempting to Mohai.
With the Template Manager, Mohai did not have to worry about being stuck as a bandit for the rest of his life, but a decent monster template was even rarer than excellent items and equipment.
The Template Manager required him to collect 30 normal monster templates and 10 Elite monster templates. However, even if he collected all of them, only a handful of them would be useful.
For example, the mole rats of the Abandoned Mining Area, the black jackals of the Monolith Stronghold, and the bear spirit of Maple Forest, their templates were only slightly better than useless.
Even if he could get his hands on the Magma Golem's Boss template, it would mean he had reached the peak in this area. If he wanted to get better templates, he would have to spend even more time and effort in other places.
The monster template from the Monster Mission Scroll should not be that lousy, and if he could get a decent monster template as a reward, he could save himself a huge amount of time.
If he was really unlucky and got a useless or lousy template, he would still be able to add it to the Template Manager's collection. It would still be better than having many pieces of equipment.
"I'm interested. The mission scroll it is." Mohai made up his mind.
"Great. This is the mission scroll. Lady Sarona actually wanted to give you some equipment, but it's really hard to find suitable equipment that fits your level. I only have these two pieces with me, so I'll throw them in as well."
Nerfero moved his beak and the rattan basket beside its wing opened up. He then gave Mohai the mission scroll and two pieces of equipment.
The mission scroll was glowing in a reserved golden color. At first glance, he knew it was not something common.
It seemed like the Nine-Tailed Fox was not lying. Mohai was looking forward to the monster template from the mission scroll reward.
As for the two pieces of equipment, one of them was a gray cross necklace and the other was a pair of shoes.
"I'll be taking Seaville with me. Oh, and that piece of Bloodline Enhancement Stone won't do you any good either. Let me take it from you."
Nerfero picked up the tied up little fox with its beak and tossed her into his basket. He also asked Mohai for the Bloodline Enhancement Stone.
Mohai took the stone out and gave it to the bird without any hesitation.
It was a fire element Bloodline Enhancement Stone, and it was indeed useless to him at his current level.
He might be able to use it in the future, but as for when, he had no idea. If he got on the Nine-Tailed Fox's bad side, he would never survive her fury. It was not worth it to offend her over a piece of stone.
"Oh, I almost forget. This is a Wind Conch Shell, if you have something good you want to sell or want a Distant Sea Bird to help you with some trades or requests, you can bring the conch shell to a windy place. If other Distant Sea Birds are around, they will approach you when they hear the sound, but try not to abuse it. Otherwise, we will view it as a sign of provocation and will blacklist you. Then, no Distant Sea Bird will trade with you again."
After the deal was sealed, Nerfero gave Mohai a gray conch shell the size of a fist.
"Thanks."
The Wind Conch Shell was a useful item. It seemed like Mohai had a lot to learn about the monsters.
Nerfero practically opened a new page about the Land of Origin in Mohai's book.
In the past, where he had been a player, even though he was a lot closer to the monsters' side compared to other players, he was only scratching the surface.
"I'll be on my way now."
Nerfero's big yellow wings flapped and brought Seaville into the sky. He flew away and swiftly turned into a small dot in Mohai's sight.
"Hmph! Sis is being too kind. Why is she giving that b*stard bandit so many good things?" Seaville grumbled from inside the rattan basket.
"Your sister? Kind? I think your sister would be happy if she heard you say that." Nerfero reacted strangely to what Seaville said.
Even the younglings of the Distant Sea Birds knew that the name 'Sarona' had nothing to do with the word 'kindness'.
…
"Oath Cross and Windy Boots. Two Level 10 Platinum level monster-exclusive equipment. The effects are decent and the mission scroll is legit. What is that witch trying to do?"
Back in the bandit's den in the Monolith Stronghold, Mohai was checking the items out as he tried to guess what the Nine-Tailed Fox was trying to do.
If he had just been a normal bandit leader, he would have been grateful for the Nine-Tailed Fox's generosity, but as a reincarnated person, he knew that things were more than met the eye.
The level restrictions on the monsters' side were quite strict. If the Nine-Tailed Fox was really that kind, she would not have been known as the vicious the Nine-Tailed Fox that every player was afraid of.
Besides, it did not match the image Mohai had of the Nine-Tailed Fox at all.