Not all the green birds ate the bluestar grass. Some of the larger birds, which were obviously larger than their peers, flew straight to the tree trunks where the fruits were growing.
The red Magic Condensing Fruit didn't seem to be very attractive to these large green birds. After eating two or three of them, they stopped eating and flew to the ground to fight for the Blue Star Grass seeds with the other birds.
"Coo, coo!" When the birds were eating, it wasn't a harmonious scene. Fights and fights constantly broke out on the grassland, but surprisingly, none of the birds dared to provoke the big ones.
It was as if those large flying beasts were their leaders.
"Oh no, it's a green cuckoo!" Said Angelina to Joaquin in a low voice. Her eyes were still glued to the patch of grass that Locke was hiding behind.
"Don't worry, we have to wait for the green cuckoos to finish eating." Billie grabbed Angelina's arm. She was a plant caster, and apart from Joaquin and Angelina, she was the one who provided the most combat power in the salt forest.
Angelina was so worried about Locke that she didn't notice that Billie was looking in the same direction as her.
The nearest green cuckoo was less than three metres away from him. He could even clearly count the number of feathers on its body.
Using the grass and branches that covered him, Locke slowed down his breathing because the green cuckoo took another two steps towards him.
Green cuckoos were low-ranked major monsters that lived in packs. Unlike wolf packs, there were hundreds of them in a tribe, and at the very least, there were only a dozen of them.
In the forest of Magic Condensing Fruits in front of him, there were about five to six hundred cuckoos eating on the ground. From time to time, cuckoos would fly down from the sky and land on the ground.
This kind of herbivorous magical beast was not to be trifled with. Although they only had the strength of a low-level magical beast, they were large in number. Whether it was their sharp steel beaks or powerful claws, very few magical beasts would find trouble with them.
Plus, they didn't have much meat on them. Only a few predators liked to hunt them, so the green cuckoos could roam freely in the outskirts of the salt forest.
Locke held down his trembling right hand as the green cuckoos gorged themselves on the fruits and pooped at the ground next to him. Otherwise, he would definitely swing his longsword and dismember the silly beast.
After filling its stomach and satisfying its needs, the green cuckoos shook its feathers and pecked at the stains on them with its steel beak. Then, it spread its wings and flew into the sky.
Seeing that the green cuckoos had finally left, not only did Locke heave a sigh of relief, but Angelina, Joaquin, Billie and the others who were observing from afar also heaved a sigh of relief.
This kind of vengeful and numerous magical beasts, it was best not to provoke them. This was what everyone was thinking.
After eating and drinking to their heart's content, the group of green cuckoos emitted bursts of happy "Gu, gu" sounds. Fluttering their wings, they gradually left the forest, leaving behind a ground full of broken branches, leaves, and scattered Blue Star Grass seeds.
When there were no more movements around him, Locke tried to raise his body and observe his surroundings.
Although he didn't see any green cuckoos, he didn't let his guard down. He drew his longsword from his waist and flicked it with his finger. Clang! A penetrating sound spread far away. When the echo reached Locke's ears, nothing unusual happened.
It seemed that the green cuckoos had flown far away, and their nest was probably very far away.
Locke gestured to the group in the distance that they were safe before continuing to walk into the forest.
This forest that was rich in magic-condensing fruits should be the green cuckoos' private territory. It covered an area of five to six acres, but Locke didn't encounter any other creatures after circling around it.
"Hurry up and collect the fruits, then we'll leave!" ordered Joaquin.
Bob and Chris were the main force in the gathering. Joaquin, Angelina, and the other casters rolled up their sleeves and helped out. Locke, on the other hand, climbed up a tall tree to keep a lookout for them.
Billie held some strange powder in her hands and scattered it around the forest. When a gust of wind blew past, the whole forest was filled with a strange lime powder smell.
Although the green cuckoos were vegetarian, they were very vengeful. If they knew that Locke and the others had come to their territory to steal their things, they would definitely go berserk.
When it came to tracking enemies, wolf-type major monsters were the best, followed by birds like the green cuckoos. If Locke and the others wanted a safe journey back, they had to plan ahead.
The powder was one of Billie's creations. She wasn't as interested in alchemy as Angelina, but she loved making all kinds of potions and materials.
The purpose of the powder was to mix up the smell in the air and add a smell that the birds hated.
Even Locke couldn't stand the smell, let alone the green cuckoos. He pinched his nose and stared at the sky in the distance.
Only a small portion of the bluestar grass on the ground had been eaten by the green cuckoos, so it was hard to guarantee that they wouldn't come back for more. Locke was staring in the direction that the green cuckoos had left.
They were still collecting the fruits in the forest. After all, the magic-condensing fruit was a type of magical plant. They couldn't eat it directly like they did with the green cuckoos. Instead, they had to store it in a special wooden box or container. The weather was still very hot, and if they didn't store it properly, they might bring back a pile of rotten fruits when they returned to Princeton.
The method of collecting the fruits was also very strict. If they weren't careful, the mana contained in the fruits would dissipate.
This batch of Magic-Condensing Fruits seemed to be very important to the female Magicians in the team. Even Billie, who had finished setting up the powder, joined the team to collect the Magic-Condensing Fruits.
The fruits were only the size of a thumb, so they weren't easy to pick because they were mostly scattered on the branches of the trees.
Just as Bob and Chris climbed up a new tree, Locke, who had good eyesight, spotted a black spot in the clouds in the distance.
He focused and saw that the green cuckoos had returned.
"Let's go! Let's go! " Locke's eyes instantly widened. There were more green cuckoos than the previous batch. There were at least a thousand of them.
Everyone heard Locke's anxious warning, but they didn't hesitate at all. Joaquin, Angelina, and the other casters took the lead and put away the magic-condensing fruits. Bob and Chris jumped down from the tree and followed the ladies out of the forest.
Locke was the last to keep an eye on the green cuckoos.
The green cuckoos flew very quickly in the sky. In the blink of an eye, they were already close to the forest of magic-condensing fruits.
The forest was filled with the scent of Billie's powder. A few cuckoos flew into the forest, clearly showing signs of discomfort.
The powder didn't pose a physical threat to the green cuckoos. Instead, they hated the smell and would usually choose to avoid it.
However, between good food and personal preferences, the green cuckoo chose the former in the end. They landed on the grassy ground of the forest and began to eat.
As they flapped their wings, the smell of the powder in the air was blown away. More green cuckoos landed on the ground to eat.
Locke and the rest continued to run with all their might. Since they'd planned their route beforehand, they were able to leave very quickly. They rushed out of the forest of magic-condensing fruits almost as soon as the green cuckoos landed.
Not all the green cuckoos didn't notice them. A few of the larger ones, which were obviously different from their peers, caught up to them.
There seemed to be four or five of them.
They ignored the pursuers and continued running. They were still very close to the forest. If the sound of fighting alerted the green cuckoos, all of them would probably die here.
However, how could a human run faster than a bird flying in the sky? Even though everyone was running at full speed, the green cuckoos were still chasing after them.
Looking at their stubborn expressions, it was as if they had stolen some treasure from them.
"There's no point in running. Kill them!" Locke, who was at the back of the group, was the first to stop. He turned around and rushed towards the green cuckoos.
The green cuckoos were flying at a relatively low altitude because they were chasing after Locke and the rest. When they saw Locke suddenly turn around and rush towards them, they wanted to fly higher, but they couldn't do it fast enough.
With a sweep of the cyan longsword, a few green bird feathers scattered in the sky, followed by a headless green cuckoo that fell to the ground.
After Locke stopped, Angelina, Joaquin and the rest immediately turned around and prepared to attack.
Not only could these green cuckoos fly, but they were also much stronger than the average low-level green cuckoos. They were already close to the level of mid-level magic beasts. If they didn't get rid of them here, their journey out of the Salt-Alkali Forest would be even more difficult, and they would have to risk the revenge of the green cuckoos.
With the unexpected attack, Locke instantly killed one of the cuckoos, which encouraged the rest of the team.
Two fireballs appeared in the air one after the other. With raging flames, they smashed towards two large green cuckoos that were flying in the air.
A spear made of vines quietly took shape. It was even faster than the two fireballs. The spear had already pierced the throat of one of the cuckoos before the two fireballs could be fired. It was Billie. The green ring on her finger had yet to dissipate its dazzling colour.
"Water Droplet Qi!" An icicle in the shape of a water droplet quickly formed and shot towards the green cuckoos in the sky. With the mid-rank major monster's ice crystal core, Daenie's magic damage had increased by a few levels.