Chapter 173: A Druid's Abilities

Hearing that it would cost money, Felicia spoke up without hesitation.

The other three dragons completely ignored her remark.

The White Dragon Lord pondered for a moment. He would naturally choose the second option if he could, but if they couldn't gather the magical materials Elena needed on short notice, the matter required further consideration.

"What materials do you need?"

Elena counted them off on her claws.

"Laughing Spring Grass, Mandel Flower, Nanmu wood..."

"Stop!"

The White Dragon Lord quickly cut her off. The magical materials she listed were growing increasingly absurd, and most couldn't even be found in the Overseas Archipelago. Even if Amos was willing to spend the gold to buy them from the mainland, shipping them would take several days even if everything went smoothly.

"We'll go with the first option."

"Fine."

Elena gave a helpless shrug, wearing a look that clearly said, I knew it.

The Dragon Sister did not waste any more time. She beat her wings and took to the sky, swiftly chanting a crisp incantation that sounded like a sung hymn.

The White Dragon Lord listened in silence. Elena was chanting in Ancient Elvish, and the spell's words brimmed with the ancient elves' reverence for nature. In a very real sense, it truly was a hymn.

Her song-like incantation carried far and wide, echoing across the mountains and through the jungle.

Down below, the White Dragon Lord and the monster army watched in silence.

Gradually, the crisp chirping of birds approached from the distance, growing steadily denser and louder.

Down in the encampment, the dining monsters went wide-eyed. They didn't even notice their food dropping to the ground as they stared in utter shock at the flocks gathering in the sky.

Viewed from high above, dense flocks of birds erupted from the surrounding woods. Drawn by the song, they converged on its source.

The closer they got to the source, the denser the flocks became, until tens of thousands of birds merged into a swirling river.

Elena's chanting did not stop. Birds of countless colors and species circled the massive dragon in the sky, forming a tremendous ring.

Finally, her incantation ended. A soothing wave of pale green natural energy erupted from the Druid Dragon. The birds touched by the energy were immediately invigorated, clearly drawing immense benefit from it.

"Go, find him!"

The moment she spoke, the circling birds scattered as if waking from a dream, flying off in all directions.

Elena folded her wings and landed.

Only then did the awestruck monster army snap out of its daze and return to the tasks at hand.

Willy watched the departing flocks and exclaimed in amazement.

"Elena, I never imagined you could control so many creatures at once!"

Elena blinked, then quickly realized what he meant.

"Huh?! I wasn't controlling them! I just made a trade. They help me find the Nether Panther, and I heal their ailments and injuries in return."

Felicia flapped her wings to draw everyone's attention before speaking up.

"Such dim-witted, lowly creatures can actually comprehend your intent? And obey your will?"

Elena sighed helplessly.

"My dear sister, all things have a spirit. As long as you open your heart to comprehend nature, blah... blah..."

Seeing Elena begin to preach the way of nature yet again—the words spilling from her like water from a broken dam—the White Dragon Lord quickly cut her off.

"Elena, what if the Nether Panther is asleep in a cave?"

"Oh, oops! I always forget our actual business the moment I start talking about the profound wonders of nature."

Elena walked to the edge of the encampment, rested her dragon claw against a tree trunk, and began rapidly chanting another incantation.

Gradually, the small animals of the forest began to gather around the Druid Dragon.

Snakes side by side with mice, wolves next to white rabbits—natural predators and their prey crowded together without a single act of violence breaking out.

After a long while, Elena finished her incantation and murmured a few words to the gathered animals.

The woodland creatures then scattered in all directions.

Elena walked back over to the group.

"Done! Now, no matter where the Nether Panther hides, he won't be able to escape the search."

The White Dragon Lord watched the retreating little creatures. Among them, he noticed an unusual presence—a vast number of insects. He couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

"Elena, how did you control those insects? I remember that an ordinary druid cannot control insects."

"I have no idea! I didn't deliberately summon the insects; they just showed up on their own."

Elena remembered the deep frown her elven grandmaster had worn when she'd summoned insects, and she felt a twinge of displeasure.

But the ever-optimistic Elena quickly tossed the memory to the back of her mind.

Afternoon passed, and the sun began to set.

The Nether Panther, Yuir, strode elegantly and leisurely out of a subterranean den deep within the dense forest. Accustomed to sleeping through the day and prowling at night, he loved stepping out to patrol at twilight.

He loved the sensation of idly roaming the jungle during this free time. Then, once he grew hungry in the night, he would hunt down a prey to his liking.

Whenever delicious food in one area grew scarce, he would simply relocate to another.

Yes, he did not have a fixed territory.

Or rather, he treated the entirety of Kumlinge as his personal hunting ground. Every animal on the island was nothing more than his emergency rations.

Umm...

Except for that group of Land Dragons in the Central Mountain Range. He had no desire to be hunted down by those lumbering brutes.

Letting his thoughts wander, Yuir banished the "beautiful" image of being chased by hundreds of Land Dragons from his mind, only for the figure of the White Dragon to pop up in its place. The mere thought of potentially having a White Dragon for a neighbor in the future gave Yuir a headache.

Suddenly, the Nether Panther halted. He felt a distinct sensation of being watched. He immediately scanned his surroundings with sharp vigilance, just in time to see a colorful little snake disappear into the grass.

Yuir was completely baffled.

Strange! There are only ordinary animals around.

What is going on?

Am I hallucinating? Yuir shook his head in self-mockery and resumed his patrol.

Far away, her vision linked to that venomous snake on the ground, Elena stared at Yuir's back.

"Aha, found him!"

"What?!"

The White Dragon Lord sprang up from the ground instantly, glancing up at the approaching night.

"Elena, from this moment on, have your animals go about their normal activities. Switch to a different animal to continue monitoring every ten minutes. Make sure they stay far away from Yuir—as long as they don't lose his trail, it is fine. Tomorrow, when the sun is high in the sky, we will have our best opportunity to capture him."

"Understood, Brother!"

The White Dragon Lord nodded. Once he asked for a clear picture of Yuir's current location and surroundings, he left Elena to continue her surveillance and gathered the upper echelons of White Castle to discuss a capture plan.

"If you ask me," Felicia said, "with so many kin, we should just cast Light on all their weapons and swarm him. Yuir wouldn't be able to escape even if he sprouted wings."

"We cannot do that," Willy argued. "The casualties would be far too severe. Besides, an army on the move makes a huge commotion, which might beat the grass and startle the snake."

"..." Gurgalu said nothing.

...