EFB Chapter 415 Expedition Mission: Recruit Mythical Aliens!
Chapter 415 Expedition Mission: Recruit Mythical Aliens!
Chapter 415 Expedition Mission: Recruit Mythical Aliens!
As creatures of the chaotic neutral alignment, these harpies are not naturally friendly to those of the lawful good alignment, but they are still easier to deal with than creatures like the swamp frogs of the neutral evil alignment.
If one has the opportunity to recruit some harpies as henchmen through their charm and silver tongue, it would be a major advantage for the Ark's upcoming missions.
After all, although the Ark can now summon skeletal bats with a relatively high success rate, the mana required for each summon and maintenance is much higher than that for ordinary zombies and skeleton warriors.
To ensure he has plenty of mana and to increase his sustained combat capability in the Forest of Nature, Ark can only keep the number of summoned skeletal bats at a relatively small level.
As a means of remote reconnaissance, they are certainly useful.
However, it is still far from becoming a decisive air assault force on the battlefield.
It remains to be seen whether these harpies can meet his expectations.
With this in mind, when the disaster relief team approached the bird nests in a friendly and undisguised manner, more than a dozen harpies immediately came to greet them.
Fangzhou noticed that they had virtually no armor on them, with only some grass and leaves covering their vital areas, so their defense was obviously not high.
It's understandable, though, since their wings are quite thin and probably provide limited lift.
Once they put on heavy armor, it could severely affect their movement speed, or even prevent them from flying at all.
Just as they were pondering this, a harpy wielding a wooden spear, who looked like a squad leader, blocked their way.
"Halt! This is the territory of the wise eagle mother, Destiny. State your purpose!"
Is it the eagle mother, not the clan leader?
Fangzhou immediately understood. It seemed that this eagle mother was another unorthodox individual. He just didn't know if she was an elf or some other race.
However, he remained outwardly calm and activated his language proficiency skill.
"I am an Ark from the Blue Star Human Alliance."
We heard from our flower fairy allies that there is a powerful harpy queen here who can command harpies.
Would you be willing to see me?
Although he wanted to gather some intelligence here, it would be even better if he could hire these harpies as scouts.
However, before the other party could express their stance, he felt it was necessary to remain cautious and not rashly barge into the bird's nest.
After all, this is not the relatively safe Haicheng Military Academy.
The harpy squad leader was about to say something when a surprised female voice came from inside the hut.
"Blue Star Human Alliance? Flower Fairies?"
I never expected such a distinguished guest to visit!
With a series of coughs, the door to the cabin was opened from the inside.
Then a woman wearing a hood, with most of her face hidden in shadow, who looked somewhat mysterious, came out.
"I am Diestini, the Eagle Mother. May I ask what business this Ark Lord has with me?"
Fangzhou's first reaction was to activate his Soul Eagle Eye and quickly scan the mysterious woman.
However, her hood seems to have a certain degree of protection against detection.
Fangzhou could only sense the fluctuations of Black Iron-level magic power emanating from her through the vision of the Soul Eagle Eye.
As for other information, it's not really clear at the moment.
To prevent the enemy from detecting its Eagle Eye detection, Ark uses this skill only once and then stops, not constantly.
Fangzhou glanced at the harpies again.
Even when suspended in mid-air, their wings made almost no sound.
This is clearly different from the way ordinary birds fly; their movements are more stealthy, almost like silent ghosts gliding through the air.
This unique ability to fly impressed Fang Zhou and strengthened his resolve to recruit these harpies.
Clearing his throat, Fangzhou replied, "Recently, with the energy level jump, a series of changes have occurred in the Forest of Nature. We have discovered many new faces around the Flower Elf Tribe."
"For the safety of our allies, we have come here specifically to determine whether these new faces are friends or enemies."
The masked eagle mother chuckled hoarsely and said, "Of course we're friends."
Dear Lord Ark, as you can see, we are just a group of harpies with no strength to even kill a chicken.
We were caught in a spatial turbulence during our tribal migration and ended up here in a daze.
In fact, we don't even know where this place is or what dangers exist here.
You said this place is called the Forest of Nature? It's the territory of the Flower Fairy race?
That's really good!
We had no intention of invading the flower fairies' territory; we simply wanted to find a place to live and survive.
We believe that the kind-hearted Ark will understand our predicament!
After exchanging a few words with the Eagle Mother Diestini, Fangzhou roughly determined that they were not an evil race and had no ill intentions towards the flower fairies.
He decided to reveal some basic intelligence to Destiny.
Fang Zhou emphasized the existence of the behemoth that is Haicheng Military Academy, especially when mentioning it.
Upon hearing that the Ark and the Flower Fairy were backed by such a terrifying force led by a legendary powerhouse, the Eagle Mother Destiny immediately became respectful, and her tone naturally became even more courteous and enthusiastic.
A hint of awe flashed in her eyes as she said, "I see. No wonder the flower fairies can live peacefully in this forest."
It's truly enviable to have such strong allies supporting us.
"Although we harpies are a small tribe, we are willing to serve the Flower Fairies and the Blue Star Human Alliance, and work together to maintain peace in this forest."
The two sides exchanged some intelligence and initially established some mutual trust.
As Destiny stated, the fragments of the Forest of Nature underwent another expansion after the energy leap.
There were quite a few unfortunate guests like them who were swept in by the spatial turbulence.
Many creatures and tribes that originally lived in other corners of the mythical world were forced to migrate to this forest due to the influence of spatial turbulence.
As they chatted, Mother Eagle Destiny also inquired, intentionally or unintentionally, about the purpose of Ark's visit.
Seeing that the other party was so direct, Fangzhou simply stopped hiding it.
"I want to hire some harpies as my subordinates to explore the unknown forest ahead."
What are your requirements?
"Hiring harpies? That's not impossible."
Destiny's voice carried a hint of slyness, "However, we've known each other for a long time and have developed a deep bond. Adults may need to pay a certain price."
"What's the price range?" Fang Zhou asked directly.
When it comes to talking about money, this is often the most time-saving and effortless way.
The contribution point system implemented by humans on Blue Star is only practiced within their own race.
Their equivalent, which they used as a benchmark, was the magic stone that was popular among the various races in the mythological world.
One contribution point equals one magic stone.
Ark can exchange contribution points for magic stones at any time through the Haicheng Military Academy channel.
Before entering the Forest of Nature, he had already prepared by exchanging and storing 1000 magic stones in his spatial storage capsule.
Regardless of the origins of this Eagle Mother and her harpy tribe, they all desperately need magic stones as a form of hard currency.
Upon hearing Ark's statement, Eagle Mother Destiny immediately let out a few rather villainous smirks before continuing, "Each apprentice-level ordinary harpy soldier will receive 10 magic stones per day."
Each elite harpy of the Black Iron rank receives 100 magic stones per day.
Of course, the warriors of our tribe are limited in strength and can only be responsible for some long-range reconnaissance tasks, not for front-line battles.
Additionally, if you hire a large number of employees, I can offer you some discounts.
In the end, Mother Eagle Destiny said in a tone that implied she was being too lenient.
But Fangzhou couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.
The prices she offered for mercenaries were several times higher than the rates listed in the "Mythical World" section of the Haicheng Military Academy's materials.
Is this person treating themselves like a sucker?
Furthermore, as a flying unit, these harpies are only responsible for long-range reconnaissance and do not participate in direct combat.
Even if flying units are indeed very rare and you really need them, you can't price them like this, can you?
So Fangzhou shook his head directly: "Although I really want some harpies to hire as mercenaries, the price is just too high, I can't accept it."
Of course, he did not leave immediately.
Because just by looking at the other person, he knew there was still room for negotiation.
This eagle mother is probably asking for an exorbitant price, just to see how much he's willing to pay.
The eagle mother, Destiny, was not annoyed by this; instead, she let out a few more wicked laughs.
Is that so?
If you, Lord Ark, can help us resolve some of our troubles, I can lower the price.
"Perhaps even a harpy might pledge allegiance to you out of gratitude, sir."
Fangzhou immediately understood; the real issue had finally arrived.
This harp mother has a rather eccentric personality; no wonder she holds such a high position in the chaotic neutral harpy tribe.
Why not just say you have a task for me? Why go through all this trouble?
"What exactly is the problem?"
"Well, about ten miles to the east, there are some corrupt bear monsters occupying a very rare sea of flowers, about twenty or thirty of them."
This caused great trouble for my harpies.
"Children can't always eat leaves; they also need nectar and meat as supplements," Destyni explained.
Besides the flower fairies and these harpies, there are of course other small factions in the Nature Forest after the mutation.
The Flower Fairy clan's control over the Forest of Nature has been completely wiped out.
But that's not important; Ark is more interested in other information.
"A group of degenerate bear monsters are entrenched in the East?"
Aren't bear monsters supposed to be faithful guardians of nature? Can they also fall into depravity?
The eagle mother, Destiny, was silent for a few seconds before saying, "Yes, all sentient and intelligent beings are capable of corruption."
Even angels have fallen angels, so how could a bear monster be an exception?
These corrupted bear monsters became exceptionally ferocious after the energy leap; they not only invaded the sea of flowers but also constantly attacked nearby creatures.
Although my harpies were able to evade their attacks, over time, our lives were greatly affected.
"If we can reclaim that field of flowers, we can not only solve our food problem, but also elevate our status in this forest."
Fang Zhou pondered for a moment, then said, "If I can defeat those corrupted bear monsters, what kind of reward are you willing to give me?"
A hint of excitement flashed in Destiny's eyes, and he then smiled and said, "If you can defeat that group of Fallen Bear Monsters, I can make the decision to give you one Black Iron-level elite and two Apprentice-level warriors for free."
They are all seasoned veterans, possessing not only excellent long-range reconnaissance capabilities but also no fear of direct combat.
Furthermore, the recruitment price for other harpies has been halved.
Even with a 50% discount, it's still very expensive.
However, considering that the opponent is a flying unit, and this is a turbulent natural forest that has just experienced an energy surge, every bit of combat power is extremely valuable.
So all things considered, this is acceptable.
After much consideration, Fangzhou finally nodded in agreement.
He then asked again, "How strong is the opponent? What are their characteristics?"
"They are all corrupt and decaying bear monsters, with thick, tough skin."
These bear-like monsters possessed the strength of a lower-tier Black Iron level, making them formidable opponents.
A small number of elite individuals may possess dark and corrupted powers, which makes their racial combat strength coefficient higher and their fighting power even more terrifying.
Moreover, as far as I know, some of these bear monsters seem to have become special bear spirit incarnations, which further enhances their power.
"Bear Spirit Avatar?" Fang Zhou frowned slightly, clearly unfamiliar with the term.
Bear monsters are not particularly rare natural creatures.
Previously, Ark had seen several bear monsters acting as guards on the outskirts of the Flower Fairy's tribe.
They can be generated naturally or consecrated by druid classes, and their strength ranges from apprentice to legend.
It is said that in the territory of the elves in the mythical world, there exists an even more powerful ancestor, the Holy Bear Monster.
These bear monsters are characterized by their thick skin and flesh, and excellent strength and physique, but their attack speed and movement speed are very slow.
And most fatally, they have a clear weakness to poison attacks.
In Fangzhou's view, the bear monster is, in a sense, a weaker version of the earth element, and can only serve as a meat shield.
However, this was the first time he had ever heard of the concept of "Bear Spirit Incarnation".
Despite Ark's persistent questioning, Mother Eagle Diestini showed no impatience.
On the contrary, she believed that the more detailed the questions asked, the more sincere the other party was about the mission.
If the other party readily agrees and then recklessly goes to exterminate those bear monsters, she will doubt their ability or intelligence.