When Philiya mentioned her daughter, her eyes immediately reddened, and large tears welled up.
I cursed myself inwardly for bringing up such a sensitive topic, but the words had already been spoken and couldn't be taken back. I could only comfort her:
"Don't worry too much. I will definitely help you find Alice. Today we found out the route the slave traders are taking. We travel much faster than they do, so we might catch up with them in a couple of days! It's late now; you should rest early. You'll need your strength for the journey tomorrow."
She looked at me gratefully and said, "Thank you so much. Without you, I wouldn't know what to do."
I smiled and said, "Stop thanking me and get some sleep. I need to meditate and practice my skills on the roof." With that, I leaped onto the roof of the carriage.
She looked at me, sitting cross-legged on the roof, and blushed, saying, "Why don't you practice inside the carriage? I... I don't mind!"
Her voice grew quieter and the last few words were almost inaudible, but luckily, my excellent hearing caught them.
I smiled and replied, "It's fine up here. I need to keep watch during the night. Go and rest."
She gave me another grateful look, said no more, and turned to enter the carriage.
Watching her graceful figure, an unusual feeling stirred in my heart, but I quickly suppressed it, thinking: What am I doing? I can't take advantage of her! I focused entirely on circulating my true energy while Little Feather nestled in my arms, absorbing my energy.
For some reason, Philiya was no longer as enthusiastic about Little Feather as she had been at first. Although she still liked Little Feather, she no longer hugged or petted it as she had initially.
The next day, as she stepped out of the carriage after getting dressed, I had already roasted a large piece of meat and was busy haggling with Little Feather.
Knowing that Little Feather didn't need to eat that much meat every meal, I decided to drastically cut its food supply. The greedy bird, naturally unwilling to lose most of its fun, argued with me vehemently, giving reasons from its growing body to its height, insisting it wouldn't be full with less meat.
So, when Philiya emerged from the carriage, she saw me flushed and fuming, with Little Feather hopping around restlessly, chirping incessantly.
"Good morning. Um, Edmund, what are you doing?" Philiya asked curiously.
"Can't you see? I'm arguing with him! This greedy little guy insists on eating too much, not understanding how hard it is to roast all that meat." I spoke bitterly. Normally, I wouldn't lose my temper so easily, but I hadn't argued like this in a long time and was somewhat enjoying it, feeling a bit out of character. I used to argue like this with the old man since I was a kid.
"You... you're arguing with it? Can you understand what it's saying?" Philiya asked, stunned.
"Of course, we have a mental contract!" Knowing that she had already noticed Little Feather's extraordinariness yesterday, I didn't mind revealing a bit more about him.
"Really? What did it just say?" Philiya asked, intrigued.
I pointed to the roasted meat on the grill and then to the knife beside it, indicating she should help herself, and said dejectedly, "It said it's still a child, growing up, and if it doesn't eat more, it won't grow big."
"Ha, it's really funny! Having such a pet must be fun!" she said, enviously, though her mood visibly dipped, likely reminded of Alice by my mention of "child."
"You're not just a pet; you're my closest friend," I said to Little Feather, stroking its smooth feathers. It gave me a grateful look in return.
After breakfast, we continued on our way. Yesterday, we covered about two hundred miles. If not for constantly stopping to ask about the slave traders, we could have gone even faster.
Today, with a clear target, we only needed to ensure we didn't lose our way, making the journey much easier than yesterday.
By nightfall, we had covered over two hundred more miles. Unfortunately, we still hadn't caught up with the slave caravan. Moreover, Tero City was less than a hundred miles ahead. If the traders reached Tero City before us, finding Alice would become much more difficult.
I believed they hadn't yet reached Tero City because they had left a day earlier but traveled slower than us. At most, they could be half a day's journey ahead, making it unlikely they'd reach the city so quickly.
All afternoon, Philiya had been anxiously hoping to catch up with the slave caravan. But as night fell and we still hadn't found them, her hope turned to despair. She seemed utterly exhausted, having eaten nothing since the morning's roasted meat. Seeing her like this made my heart ache with helplessness.
"Philiya, don't worry. Even if we don't catch them before they reach Tero City, I'll still find Alice. Trust me, okay?" I comforted her.
"It's not the same," she said, agitated. "If we find her before she's sold, she'll be safe. Otherwise, the slave traders will brand her, marking her as a slave for life."
I was shocked. If Alice were branded as a slave, she might never be able to hold her head up again. I couldn't allow that to happen.
Just as I was about to decide to transform and chase the caravan myself, Little Feather suddenly spoke in my mind, "I can carry her and fly!"
I noticed Little Feather wasn't sleepy at all today. Normally, by this time, he would be dozing in my arms.
"Really?" I asked quickly.
Little Feather rolled its eyes and said, "I'm a sacred beast! I've absorbed all the energy you passed on to me. I have at least the strength of a level nine magical beast now."
I was delighted. Though revealing Little Feather's strength would be risky, it was better than exposing my own identity.
Given the urgency, I said no more and had Little Feather transform. Instantly, a dazzling white light enveloped him, and when it faded, he had grown into a large bird over three meters tall, with colorful tail feathers fluttering in the wind and eyes shining with intelligence. He was almost twice the size I had seen before.
"Philiya, since it's urgent, climb onto Little Feather's back! With him, you should quickly find the slave traders' camp," I said to the astonished Philiya.
"What about you?" she asked, surprised.
I smiled confidently and said, "Even on foot, I might not be much slower than flying!"
Seeing my confidence, Philiya said no more and quickly climbed onto Little Feather's back. Though proud, Little Feather agreed to carry her, knowing I intended to transform and carry her myself otherwise.
Sacred beasts, like dragons, inherit memories directly. With sufficient strength, they possess corresponding intelligence and knowledge. Despite being only a few days old, Little Feather's wisdom rivaled that of an adult paradise bird, thanks to the energy I had transferred. With our mental contract, he could know anything I wanted him to, understanding the importance of the situation.
Abandoning the carriage, we set off in pursuit through the night.
With Little Feather flying Philiya, our speed increased dramatically. Using his aerial advantage, we easily spotted nearby villages and towns where the slave caravan might rest. At each place, I had Little Feather wait in the air while I sneaked in to gather information.
After a long night, I finally spotted the caravan's trail in the wilderness less than fifty miles from Tero City.
However, I was surprised to find that another group was attacking the caravan when I arrived.
The caravan had about twenty large tents, with glowing white orbs floating around the perimeter and numerous campfires burning inside. About fifty people patrolled the camp.
Roughly counting, if each tent held twenty people, there would be around three hundred guards, excluding the slaves, whose tents were surrounded by the guards' tents.
In the nearby woods, dozens of people were lurking. They soon spread out, forming groups around the camp's perimeter. Judging by their swift and agile movements, they were all skilled fighters. Clearly, they intended to attack the camp.
I mentally told Little Feather to keep flying and stay hidden while I carefully infiltrated the camp. Since someone else was attacking the slave traders, I was happy to let them do the job.
However, to prevent harm to the captured slaves, my best option was to control the slaves first.
Finally, the lurkers made their move. Hundreds of vines suddenly sprouted from the ground, snaking forward like poisonous serpents, making a hissing sound. The scene was quite spectacular.
The camp fell into chaos, with people pouring out of the outer tents. Dressed in battle gear, it was clear they had been prepared for a fight.
"Vines! Elves are attacking!" someone shouted.