The surface of the Ancient Gate was covered in the marks of time, emanating a profound sense of history, allowing one to feel the vicissitudes and endless legends it had witnessed.
As Alexander gazed up at the sky, the Ancient Gate suddenly burst into a dazzling light, followed by a terrifying aura emanating from the gate.
"Ha ha ha, after a hundred thousand years, I am back!"
While Alexander was still puzzled, a burst of wild laughter came from behind the Ancient Gate.
A colossal golden thunderbird, as large as a mountain, flew out from the gate.
"Hmph, what is this place? Why is it so desolate?"
The thunderbird, with an arrogant and haughty expression, circled in the sky and spoke to the people in the city: "What are you looking at? Haven't you seen a bird as handsome as me? Considering I've just returned and am unfamiliar with this land, and that I'm short on minions, I'll reluctantly take you as my slaves!"
The voice of the golden thunderbird echoed between heaven and earth, giving Alexander an ominous premonition.
Laura also slightly furrowed her brow, as the turn of events seemed to be beyond her expectations.
She hadn't anticipated that Alexander, by enhancing the "Ancient Gate" to its limit, could summon a legendary golden thunderbird.
But with Alexander's current abilities, he was incapable of controlling such an ancient creature. If left unchecked, the thunderbird could backfire, leading to unforeseeable consequences.
However, she felt that it was not yet time to intervene, as Laura had her own mission to fulfill and couldn't always be by Alexander's side.
Therefore, she wanted to use this opportunity to train Alexander in handling crises.
The golden thunderbird gently flapped its wings, instantly stirring up a storm-like airflow. This powerful force blew the surrounding rubble into the air, and flames spewed from its mouth, leveling a small mountain to the ground.
This golden thunderbird was an immensely terrifying being! With just a casual strike, it had caused tremendous destruction.
"Ha ha, do you see my power? Don't even think about resisting. Better to be my obedient slaves, that's more promising for you."
The thunderbird looked at its "masterpiece" and nodded satisfactorily.
Then, the thunderbird surveyed its surroundings, finally resting its gaze on Alexander and Laura, who were closest to it.
"Eh, when did these two appear here? How did I not notice them at all?"
"What is the background of this woman? I am a thunderbird, but why do I feel a sense of fear in her presence?"
"It must be an illusion! It's all because I've been imprisoned for a hundred thousand years and my perceptions are not as sharp as before!"
The thunderbird furrowed its brow, then suddenly realized that it was this unassuming human male who had summoned it from its predicament.
With this thought, the thunderbird lowered its head and made eye contact with Alexander.
"Boy, did you save me? To repay your kindness, I've decided to make you my pet. How about that?"
"What are you thinking? Me, your pet?"
Alexander immediately rejected the offer, then moved closer to Laura.
The golden thunderbird in front of him gave Alexander a tremendous sense of oppression, and only by Laura's side did he feel somewhat at ease.
"You dare refuse me, boy? Do you know how many creatures in this world cry and beg to be my pet, yet I hardly pay them any attention?"
Alexander ignored the arrogant golden thunderbird, now somewhat regretting summoning such a being.
"Why are you not speaking, boy? Don't think you can fool me. If I get angry, I will surely whip you with my wings, teaching you the meaning of a tragic fate and the cruelty of this world!"
...
The dejected voice of the golden thunderbird echoed in their ears.
Then, the thunderbird flapped its wings and flew towards Alexander.
"Damn, are you joking with me? He's serious? I kindly saved him, and not only does he not thank me, but he even wants to make me his pet, how shameless!"
As the thunderbird approached, Laura stood calmly, giving Alexander an encouraging look, as if to say: I won't intervene for now, it's all up to you.
Are you serious? This is a real thunderbird!
Alexander quickly selected a magic scroll named "Swift Technique" from his many rewards. In a very short time, he enhanced the scroll to level 99 with his experience points.
[Ding! Congratulations, you have learned the passive skill: Swift Technique (Maximum Level).]
[Swift Technique: Permanent single-target effect, significantly increases movement speed but consumes a lot of stamina. The passive effect will temporarily deactivate when stamina is insufficient.]
After using Swift Technique, Alexander's movement speed reached an incredible level, like a phantom, able to traverse tens of meters in a single step.
While being chased by the golden thunderbird, Alexander's speed reached its peak.
"Boy, stop running now! In the presence of your great and wise Bird King, any attempt to flee is futile. If you dare continue, I will catch you and then break your legs!"
The thunderbird continued the chase, initially thinking that catching a human child would be easy.
But the boy's speed was too fast, even for the somewhat weakened thunderbird.
Hearing the threats from behind, Alexander had no intention of stopping and instead ran even faster.
Only a fool would stop. This thunderbird wants to break his legs, how despicable!
"Isn't that the Lord of the City? He's so fast!"
Seeing Alexander's figure, the soldiers in the city were astounded.
The people of the City of Hope gained a deeper understanding of Alexander, their faces showing admiration and respect.
Seeing the admiring soldiers in the distance, Alexander might have waved to them if not for the thunderbird's pursuit. But clearly, this was not the right time.
Alexander sprinted with all his might, quickly reaching the city gates of the City of Hope.
He headed in this direction because Laura had previously set up a powerful energy field here, the only refuge from the golden thunderbird's pursuit.
"The thunderbird's speed seems not as fast as our Lord's. Our Lord is so strong, he's my idol, so cool!" Thomas exclaimed excitedly.
"That's right, our Lord is the fastest man I've ever seen!"
The golden thunderbird's keen hearing picked up the soldiers' words from within the city.
They dared to say its speed was inferior to a human's, which was infuriating!
"I&***#@! (bird curse)," the golden thunderbird shouted angrily in the sky.
"Roar! Roar!"
Feeling provoked, the golden thunderbird roared and its body underwent a strong energy fluctuation, its speed increasing once again.
"Darn it, where will you run now? Here I come... What the heck is this?"
With a swoosh, the golden thunderbird entered Laura's energy field and immediately felt a tremendous suppressing force.
Instantly, its power was greatly suppressed, and this sudden change almost caused it to fall from the sky.
"What a strong energy field, lucky I'm an experienced flyer. It would have been so embarrassing to actually fall from the sky."
...
"Welcome back, Master!"
When Alexander entered the energy field, the people of the City of Hope greeted him warmly.
Facing everyone's enthusiasm, Alexander nodded and then turned his gaze back to the golden thunderbird behind him.
"Huh, so this ruin is the kid's lair? Pretty impressive, I bet it was a grand city before."
The golden thunderbird flew over the City of Hope, its massive body casting a shadow like a cloud, blocking the sunlight.
"Is this the legendary thunderbird? The visual impact is too strong!"
"So cool! The thunderbird's body is shining with gold, it looks so fierce!"
The people of the City of Hope looked up, their faces filled with excitement.
"Ah! It's been so long since I've seen so many admirers. This feeling is great, really invigorating. I'm handsome and dashing, wherever I go, I'm not short of admirers. It's just a pity there are no female birds here..."
The golden thunderbird looked down, somewhat pleased with itself.
"Hmph, I came to chase that human kid, can't get carried away with these compliments."
"Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar!"
With that thought, the golden thunderbird roared towards the sky, trying to appear more fierce. Its loud bird cries almost deafened the people of the City of Hope.
"Ah! My ears!" Many people couldn't bear the loud bird roar, covering their ears and screaming.
"Human boy, where do you think you can run to?"
The golden thunderbird charged towards Alexander with a terrifying momentum.
"Enough."
Just then, a pleasant voice echoed in everyone's ears.
As soon as the voice fell, a divine power appeared in the sky, instantly binding the golden thunderbird in place.
"Who dares to lay a hand on me, I @#￥&*..."
The thunderbird's cursing abruptly stopped as a beautiful woman appeared before it.
With a flick of her finger, Laura caused the thunderbird's massive body to uncontrollably plummet from the sky at an astonishing speed.
When the golden thunderbird regained its senses, it saw a beautiful woman looking at it.
???
Having lived for hundreds of thousands of years, the golden thunderbird immediately realized that the woman before it was not to be trifled with, her power far surpassing its own.
"It's all a misunderstanding, hehe..." the golden thunderbird hastily said with a smile.
Laura walked up to the golden thunderbird, placing her hand on its head, then turned to look at Alexander among the crowd.
"Now I give you a chance to become this person's pet. What do you think?"
"Impossible, I am the Bird King, how could I possibly..." the golden thunderbird tried to refuse.
"Crack, crack, crack..."
However, at that moment, the golden thunderbird's head felt excruciating pain as its bones started to crack.
With just a gentle effort from Laura, a terrifying force pressed down, giving the thunderbird the illusion that its head could explode at any moment.
"How could I possibly refuse your request? It's my honor to become this human's pet. This will bring glory to my ancestors. Let's not waste any more time; I'm eager to become his pet now..."
"Beautiful lady, I've agreed to your request, can you please stop pressing now? I feel like my head is about to explode!"