High above the Whispering Mountain Range, Rhea's group of five birdkin were flying.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Rhea flapped her wings, hovering in the air. Holding a pen and paper, she looked down, sketching something, occasionally glancing at the surrounding environment before continuing to draw.
Not just her; the other birdkin were doing the same.
"We should arrive at Sedona City in about an hour. Don't get careless, everyone; draw accurately," Rhea said to her companions.
"Don't worry, Big Sister! All five of us are drawing. Once we get back, we'll compare them and hand the most accurate one to Lord Lucas," Donny said with a smile. This time, he had followed Rhea to explore the route to that mysterious valley.
Not only him, but Salina had also come along.
What they were currently drawing was the shortest route map from Sedona City to that mysterious valley. This was the task Lucas had assigned them.
"Yeah, this way it should be foolproof," Salina also chimed in.
Rhea nodded; this was exactly her plan. That was why she had the others draw along with her, so they could compare them later and select the simplest and clearest route.
"It's been days since I had mutton. I'm going to eat a massive feast when we get back," Donny licked his lips, his cravings acting up as his mind filled with images of golden, roasted mutton.
"Is eating all you know how to do?" Salina grumbled in exasperation.
"Don't tell me you don't want to eat it?" Donny teased.
"I..." Salina opened her mouth but decided not to answer Donny's question. To be honest, she missed the mutton too.
In Sedona City, they could eat meat every single day. Compared to their past lives, it was entirely the difference between heaven and earth.
"Stay focused, don't be careless," Rhea said deeply, continuing to draw.
"Yes!" The group responded in unison, accelerating their flight speed.
This kind of route-scouting task was perfectly suited for them as birdkin. Up in the air, the terrain below was clear at a glance, making it impossible to lose their sense of direction.
An hour later, Sedona City's Air Force Base appeared in their sights, signaling the completion of their mission.
"Big Sister, Amelia came to pick us up again this time," Donny spotted Amelia waiting for them at the Air Force Base and waved his hand.
"Big Sister..." Amelia tried flapping her wings, attempting to fly. However, with the flapping, she only managed to lift off about half a meter from the ground before falling back down.
Clearly, Amelia's wings hadn't fully grown back yet, making flight still somewhat difficult. But compared to before, it was vastly better. They believed it wouldn't be long before Amelia could truly fly on her own.
"Be careful," Rhea led the descent, touching down on her toes. She slowly folded her wings and ran toward Amelia.
"I'm fine, Big Sister. I can get off the ground for a bit now," Amelia knew Rhea was worrying about her, so she demonstrated it once more.
"You're getting close. Soon, you'll be able to fly alongside your sister." Rhea rubbed Amelia's head, feeling deeply gratified.
Looking at Amelia's wings, only the very tips hadn't fully grown in yet.
"Mhm." Amelia nodded. Her face was expressionless, but a look of anticipation shone in her eyes.
Recently, whenever she had nothing to do, she would stay at the Air Force Base to practice flying. Even though she couldn't get very high each time, she never tired of it and persistently kept practicing.
"Let's go, Big Sister will take you to the castle." The corners of Rhea's mouth curled up slightly. Taking the maps drawn by the other four, she held Amelia and took to the skies again, flying toward the castle.
The two flew through the air for a few minutes. After circling the castle and receiving confirmation, they landed on the platform in the middle courtyard.
"Big Sister, you're back," An on-guard birdkin immediately came over to salute.
"Mhm," Rhea nodded, then asked calmly, "Is Lucas in?"
"He is. Lord Lucas has been in the castle all day today," The birdkin replied.
Rhea nodded again, took Amelia by the hand, and headed toward the study. She knew Lucas was usually in his study around this time.
Knock, knock, knock...
Rhea knocked on the door and, upon receiving permission, pushed it open and walked in.
Creak!!
"Welcome back. Was anyone injured this time?" Lucas asked gently.
"No." Rhea shook her head coolly. Beside her, Amelia had already run over to Lucas and sat down next to him on her own.
"..." Seeing this, Rhea merely frowned but said nothing.
"From the looks of it, you must have found the optimal route." Lucas rubbed Amelia's head and smiled at Rhea.
Rhea nodded and handed the maps to Lucas. Since all the maps were here, picking the route was something Lucas would have to do himself.
Lucas took them and looked them over for a while before nodding in satisfaction. "Very good."
The route maps were drawn in great detail. Even though he had never been there, he could accurately locate the place by looking at these maps—though one or two of them looked a bit like chaotic scribbles.
"I've already notified the Military and Political Department. Go directly to the person in charge there, and they'll hand over the heavy military crossbows to you. Finally, make a trip to the Research Department to get some anesthetics, and you'll be ready to set off," Lucas said, looking up at Rhea.
Hearing this, Rhea's entire body trembled. She had just been about to bring this up, not expecting Lucas to be so direct and to have already made the preparations. She fell silent for a moment before saying hoarsely, "...Thank you."
"There's no need for thanks. You are my subordinate, and you are Amelia's big sister. Helping you is only right," Lucas said calmly.
Rhea nodded, then froze momentarily, an imperceptible blush creeping onto her face. I am your subordinate???
"How about this: I'll send some people to go with you. I plan to build a base in that valley to harvest those Black Oil Fruits. You've already been there three times; this time, help guide them and brief them on the precautions," Lucas continued.
"Black Oil Fruit" was the name Lucas had given to those black fruits from before.
He had already considered it; initially, they would use hot air balloons to transport the Black Oil Fruits. Once a proper road was carved out, they would use manual labor for transport. By then, the demand would be massive, and hot air balloons alone wouldn't be able to handle the volume anyway.
"Understood," Rhea responded coolly.
"Take tomorrow off to rest. Spend some quality time with Amelia," Lucas said, turning his head to glance at the young girl beside him.
"Alright." Rhea looked at Lucas, then at the silent Amelia, and nodded.
Seeing Rhea nod, a trace of joy appeared in Amelia's eyes. Catching this, the corners of Rhea's mouth slowly curled up.
"Go on, take your sister out for a nice stroll," Lucas gently patted Amelia's head.
"Oh." Amelia gave a faint nod and somewhat reluctantly left Lucas's side.
Before leaving, Rhea took one last look at Lucas, then silently closed the door and departed.
Watching the two leave, Lucas chuckled lightly and resumed his writing and drawing. He was contemplating what else Sedona City still lacked.
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