After signing a soul contract with the dragon Snug, William, in a good mood, decided to pay its salary in advance, giving it the pile of gold coins floating around it.
For Snug, this was the first time it had ever possessed such a vast amount of gleaming gold coins. Overcome with excitement, it immediately wanted to rush back to its lair and stash them away safely.
Letting Snug go, William monitored the Sentinel binding rings attached to it, confirming that he could sense it from a distance before flying back to the waterfall valley.
With a powerful, intelligent dragon now under his command, he was far less interested in the group of thunderbirds.
However, something unexpected happened. The thunderbirds, still bound by magical ropes in the valley, immediately prostrated themselves as soon as they saw William floating in mid-air. At the call of their largest leader, they all lay flat on the ground, seemingly surrendering voluntarily.
This confirmed for William that these thunderbirds were also an intelligent species.
Since they had intelligence, communicating with them would be much easier, and they could execute more complex tasks.
No matter how powerful he was, William still needed subordinates. If he didn't trust humans or other sentient beings, then turning to animals was a viable alternative.
With these thunderbirds, he not only gained extra combat support but also a mobile lightning generator for special situations.
Lowering his altitude, he placed his hand on the head of the thunderbird leader and sent a magical contract into its mind. Unsurprisingly, the contract was accepted instantly.
William grinned as he patted the now-affectionate thunderbird leader, then casually cast several healing spells over the flock.
Within seconds, the freed thunderbirds all stood up, their sharp eyes fixed on him.
Separating twelve Sentinel rings from his armor, William secured them around the thunderbirds' legs, then asked their leader, "Are there any other thunderbird flocks nearby? If so, bring them here."
The leader nodded, then let out several calls. To William's astonishment, the thunderbirds transformed into the size of ordinary eagles and perched silently on the surrounding trees.
Looking at the eleven thunderbirds, which now resembled golden eagles, William couldn't help but revisit his earlier idea of bringing them back to England.
With these thunderbirds guarding his estate and castle, security would be greatly enhanced, and he wouldn't have to personally handle every minor issue.
As he waited for the leader to return, William checked with Sunday on the whereabouts of the little elf Bell. Then, he gestured toward a particularly large thunderbird.
The bird hesitated for a moment before spreading its wings and gliding down in front of him.
With no resistance, another magical contract was signed. William then tested, "Go fetch some food for me and your companions."
"Chirp, chirp," the thunderbird called in response, then walked a few meters away. With a light flap, it soared into the sky and flew toward the forest.
Less than ten minutes later, it returned, clutching two deer-like creatures in its talons.
Circling the valley a few times, the thunderbird slowly landed in a clearing, called out to William, then quietly stepped aside, waiting for him to take his share first.
Seeing this, William wasted no time, signing magical contracts with the remaining ten thunderbirds one by one. Only then did he turn his attention to Kong, who was still obediently sitting by the cliff.
When Kong noticed William looking his way, fear flickered in its eyes, and it instinctively shuffled backward. But after only a few steps, it hit the edge of the cliff, forcing it to drop to the ground and cover its eyes, pretending not to see him.
William thought for a few seconds but ultimately decided against signing a magical contract with Kong.
Despite its massive size, Kong had no magical abilities. It would be of limited use to him, and as a land-based creature, it was highly vulnerable to attacks. Even ordinary machine guns, let alone heavy artillery, could easily take it down.
Losing interest in Kong, William cut a large piece of leg meat from the hunted animal and sat by the fire to roast it. Then, he gestured to the thunderbirds, allowing them to eat the rest on their own.
The night sky was clear, with stars scattered across the heavens. William had no intention of chasing after Bell tonight—he simply instructed Sunday to notify him if there was any risk of losing track of her.
Using his telekinesis, he cut the roasted meat into neat portions and suspended them over the fire. Then, he lay back on the ground, his Sentinel armor automatically unfolding into a hammock to cradle him.
Gazing at the two alternating moons in the sky and listening to the hum of insects, he felt an unusual sense of relaxation.
Casually summoning a crate of beer from his London estate's wine cellar, he enjoyed his meal while drinking.
Full and satisfied, William gradually drifted into sleep, slightly tipsy.
As soon as he fell asleep, his Sentinel armor automatically wrapped around him in full protection.
The Next Morning
William woke up needing to relieve himself. As his consciousness stirred, his mental scan swept across the valley—and he was startled by what he found.
The trees and rocks were covered with thunderbirds, all in their golden eagle-sized forms.
After scanning several times and getting the number 76, William hovered into the air and turned to the nearby thunderbird leader.
"You brought the entire flock?"
The leader let out a series of sharp cries, communicating telepathically with William. Only then did he understand the situation.
Apparently, when Snug was getting beaten up the night before, its pained roars had been so loud and miserable that magical beasts across several hundred kilometers were terrified.
With such a battle record, the thunderbird leader had no trouble convincing every thunderbird flock it encountered to join William.
Looking at the 76 alert and majestic golden eagles, William was overjoyed. He had no reason to refuse—after all, his magical contracts were bound by his mental energy. As long as he had enough power, he could sign contracts with even a thousand thunderbirds without issue.
As for the potential impact of bringing 76 thunderbirds back to England, he didn't care.
For all he knew, these thunderbirds alone might be enough to make the English wizarding community bow to him.
With that many, his estate in England would need a proper habitat for them. Fortunately, Devonshire Castle had 35,000 acres of land—more than enough space.
In recent years, vast herds of cattle and sheep had been raised on those lands. With a suitable caretaker, his estate might soon be known as Golden Eagle Castle.
And in the wizarding world, William would likely earn titles such as Thunderbird Conqueror or Duke of Thunderbirds.
If Snug ever appeared again, he might even become known as the Dragon Conqueror.
The thought of striking fear into the proud English wizards filled William with delight.
As he gestured for the thunderbirds to come forward one by one to sign magical contracts, he instructed Sunday, "Prepare to construct disguised thunderbird habitats around the castle on priority.
And clear out the four towering spires on the castle roof—I want the four strongest thunderbirds to live there."
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